A GRAINE OF MVSTERD-SEEDE Or THE LEAST MEAsure of grace that is or can be effectuall to Saluation Corrected and amended by W. Perkins Printed at London by Iohn Legate Printer to the Vniuersitie of Cambridge 1611. And are to be sold in Pauls Church-yard as the signe of the Crowne by Simon Waterson To the right honourable and vertuous Lady the Ladie Margaret Countesse of Cumberland Grace and Peace RIght Honourable the kingdome of heauen of which the scripture speaketh so oft is properly a certaine state or condition whereby wee stand in the fauour and loue of God in and by Christ. And this kingdome is compared to a Graine of Musterd-seede to teach vs that a man is euen at that instant alreadie entred into the kingdome of heauen when the Lord that good husbandman hath cast but some little portion of faith or repentance into the ground of the heart yea though it be but as one graine of musterd-seede Of this little graine I haue penned this Treatise in quantitie answerable thereto and I now present the same to your Ladishippe not to supplie your want for I hope you are stored with many graines of this kinde but to performe some dutie on my part Hoping therefore that your Ladiship will read and accept the same I take my leaue commending you to the blessing and protection of the Almightie Your Honours to command W. Perkins A GRAINE of Musterd-seede Or the least measure of grace that is or can be effectuall to Saluation IT is a very necessary point to be knowne what is the least measure of grace that can befall the true childe of God lesser then which there is no grace effectuall to saluation For first of all the right vnderstanding of this point is the very foundation of true comfort vnto all troubled touched cōsciences Secondly it is a notable meanes to stirre vp thankefulnesse in them that haue any grace at all when they shall in examination of then selues consider that they haue receiued of God the least measure of grace or more Thirdly it will be an inducement and a spurre vnto many carelesse and vnrepentant persons to embrace the gospel and to beginne repentance for their sinnes when they shall perceiue and that by the word of God that God accepts the very seeds and rudiments of faith and repentance at the first though they be but in measure as a Graine of Musterd-seed Now then for opening and clearing of this point I will set downe fiue seuerall conclusions in such order as one shall confirme and explane the other and one depend vpon the other I. Conclusion A man that doth but beginne to be conuerted is euen at that instant the very child of God though inwardly hee be more carnall then spirituall The Exposition IN a man there must be cōsidered three things the substance of the body and soule whereof man is saide to consist the faculties placed in the soule and exercised in the body as vnderstanding will affections the integritie tegritie and puritie of the faculties whereby they are cōformable to the will of God and beare his Image And since the fall of Adam man is not depriued of his substance or of the powers and faculties of his soule but onely of the third which is the puritie or integritie of nature And therfore the conuersion of a sinner whereof the conclusion speaketh is not the change of the substance of man or of the faculties of the soule but a renewing and restoring of that puritie and holinesse which was lost by mans fall with the abolishment of that natural corruption that is in all the powers of the soule This is the worke of God and of God alone and that on this manner First of all when it pleaseth God to worke a change in any he doth it not first in one part then afterward in another as hee that repaires a decaied house by peece-meale but the worke both for the beginning continuance and accomplishment is in the whole man and euery part at once specially in the minde conscience will and affections as on the cōtrary when Adam lost the image of God he lost it in euery part Secondly the cōuersion of a sinner is not wrought all at one instant but in continuance of time that by certaine measures and degrees And a man is then in the first degree of his conuersion when the holy Ghost by the meanes of the word inspires him with some spirituall motions begins to regenerate and renew the inward powers of his soule And he may in this case very fitly be compared to the night in the first dawning of the day in which though the darkenes remaine and be more in quātity then the light yet the sun hath alreadie cast some beames of light into the aire whereupon we tearme it the breaking of the day Now then the very point which I teach is that a man at this instant and in this very state God as yet hauing but laid certen beginnings of true cōuersion in his heart is the very child of God and that not only in the eternall purpose of God as all the elect are but indeed by actuall adoption and this is plain by a manifest reason There be foure speciall workes of grace in euery child of God his vnion with Christ his adoption iustification and conuersion these foure are wrought al at one instant so as for order of time neither goes before nor after other and yet in regard of order of nature vnion with Christ Iustification and adoption goe before the inward conuersion of a sinner it beeing the fruit and effect of all Vpon this it followeth necessarily that a sinner in the very first act of his conuersion is iustified adopted and incorporated into the misticall bodie of Christ. In the Parable of the prodigall sonne the father with ioy receiues his wicked child but when surely when he saw him comming a farre off and when as yet he had made no confession or humiliation to his father but onely had conceiued with himselfe a purpose to returne and to say Father I haue sinned against heauen and against thee c. And Paul saith of many of the Corinthians that he could not speake vnto them as spiritual men but as carnall euē babes in Christ 1. Cor. 3. 1. When Dauid reprooued by Nathan did but begin to repent and to say I haue sinned presently Nathan the Prophet of the Lord said The Lord hath taken away thy sin Of this thing Dauid seemes to speake in the 32. Psal. v. 5. I said that is I purposed and thought with my selfe I will confesse against my selfe mine vnrighteousnesse and thou forgauest mine iniquities Vpon these words Augustine saith Marke he doth not confesse but promiseth to confesse God forgiueth him Againe There be saith he three syllables peccaui I haue sinned and from these three syllables the flame of a sacrifice did ascend into heauen before God Chrysostome saith Say thou hast sinned and
apprehend him for ours Phi. 3. v. 12. And rather in this that we are knowne of him then that we know him Gal. 4. 9. Out of this conclusion springs an other not to be omitted that God accepts the endeauour of the whole man to obey for perfect obedience it selfe THat is if men endeauour to please God in all things God will not iudge their doings by the rigour of his law but will accept their litle and weake endeauour to do that which they can do by his grace as if they had perfectly fulfilled the lawe But heere remember I put this caueat that this indeeuour must bee in and by the whole man the very minde conscience will and affections doing that which they can in their kindes and thus the endeauour to obey which is a fruit of the spirit shall bee distinguished from ciuil righteousnesse which may bee in heathen men and is onely in the outward and not in the inward man The trueth of this conclusion appeares by that which the Prophet Malachi saith that God will spare thē that feare him as a father spares his childe who accepts the thing done as well done if the child shew his good will to please his father and to doe what he can IV. Conclusion To see and feele in our selues the want of any grace pertaining to saluation and to be grieued therefore is the grace it selfe The Exposition VNderstand this conclusion as the former namely that griefe of the hart for the want of any grace necessarie to saluation is as much with god as the grace it selfe Whē beeing in distresse we cannot pray as we ought God accepts the very groanes sobs and sighes of the perplexed heart as the praier it selfe Rom. 8. 26. When we are grieued because we cannot be grieued for our sinnes it is a degree measure of godly sorrow before God Augustine saith well Sometimes our praier is lukewarme or rather cold and almost no praier nay sometime it is altogether no praier at all and yet we cannot with griefe perceiue this in our selues for if we can but grieue because we cannot pray we now pray indeede Hierom saith Then we are iust when we doe acknowledge our selues to be sinners Againe this is the true wisedome of man to know himselfe to be imperfect And that I may so speake the perfection of all iust men in the flesh is imperfect Augustine again saith That the vertue which is nowe in a iust man is thus farre forth perfect that vnto the perfection thereof there belongs a true acknowledgement and an humble confession of the imperfection thereof A broken and contrite heart after an offence is as much with God as if there had bin no offence at al. And therefore so soone as Dauid after his grieuous fall in heauinesse of heart confessed his sinne saying in effect but thus much I haue sinned the Prophet in the name of the Lord pronounceth the pardon of his sinne in heauen and that presently V. Conclusion He that hath begunne to subiect himselfe to Christ and his word though as yet hee bee ignorant in most points of religion yet if he haue a care to increase in knowledge and to practise that which he knoweth he is accepted of God as a true beleeuer The Exposition SVndry persons by the Euangelists are said to beleeue which had onely seene the miracles of Christ and as yet had made no further proceedings but to acknowledge Christ to be the Messias and to submit themselues to him his doctrine which afterward should be taught On this maner the woman of Samaria belieued and many of the Samaritans vpon her report and a certaine ruler by reason of a miracle wrought vpon his sonne is said to beleeue and all his houshold Ioh. 4. 42. 52. When our Sauiour Christ commended the faith of the Apostles terming it a rocke against which the gates of hell should not preuaile it was not the plentifull knowledge of the doctrine of saluation for they were ignorant of many articles of faith as namely of the death resurrection ascention and kingdome of Christ but because they beleeued him to be the sonne of God the sauiour of mankinde and they had withall resolued themselues to cleaue vnto him and the blessed doctrine of saluation which hee taught though as yet they were ignorant in many points The holy Ghost commendeth the faith of Rahab when shee receiued the spies Now this her faith was indeed but a seed and beginning of liuely faith for then shee had onely heard of the miracles done in Egypt and of the deliuerance of the Israelites and was thereupon smitten with feare and had conceiued a resolution with her selfe to ioyne her selfe to the Israelites and to worship the true God Now these and the like are tearmed beleeuers upon iust cause for though they bee ignorant as yet yet their ignorance shall bee no continuing or lasting ignorance and they haue excellent seedes of grace namely a purpose of hart to cleaue to Christ and a care to profit in the doctrine of saluation whereof they haue some litle knowledge VI. Conclusion The foresaid beginnings of grace are counterfeit vnlesse they encrease The Exposition THe wickednesse of mans nature and the depth of hypocrisie is such that a man may can easily transforme himselfe into the counterfeit and resemblance of any grace of God Therefore I put downe in this last conclusion a certaine note whereby the gifts of God may be discerned namely that they grow vp and increase as the graine of Musterd-seede to a great tree and beare fruit answerably The grace in the heart is like the graine of Musterd-seede in two things First it is small to see to at the beginning secondly after it is cast into the ground of the heart it increaseth speedily and spreads it selfe Therefore if a man at the first haue but some litle feeling of his wants some weake and faint desire some small obedience he must not let this sparke of grace goe out but these motions of the spirit must be increased by the vse of the word Sacraments and praier and they must daily bee stirred vp by meditating endeauouring striuing asking seeking knocking The master deliuering his talents to his seruants saith vnto them Occupie till I come aud not hide in the earth Matth. 25. 26 Paul vseth an excellent speech to Timothie I exhort thee to stirre vp the gift of God which is in thee namely as fire is stirred vp by often blowing and putting to of wood 2. Tim. 1. 6. As for such motions of the heart that last for a weeke or a moneth and after vanish away they are not to bee regarded the Lord by the Prophet Ose complaineth of them saying O Ephraim thy righteousnes is like the morning dewe chap. 6. Therefore considering grace vnlesse it be confirmed and exercised is indeede no grace I will heere adde certaine rules of direction that wee may the more easily put in practise the
spirituall exercises of inuocation faith and repentance and thereby also quicken and reuiue the seeds and beginnings of grace 1. In what place soeuer thou art whether alone or abroad by day or by night and whatsoeuer thou art doing set thy selfe in the presēce of God let this perswasion alwaies take place in thy hart that thou are before the liuīg God and do thy endeauour that this perswasion may smite thy heart with awe and reuerence and make thee afraid to sin This councell the Lord gaue Abraham Gen. 17. 1. Walke before me and be vpright This thing also was practised by Enoch who for this cause is said to walke with God 2. Esteeme of euery present day as of the day of thy death and therefore liue as though thou were dying and doe those good duties euery day that thou wouldest doe if thou were dying This is Christian watchfulnesse and remember it 3. Make catalogues and bills of thine owne sinnes specially of those sinnes that haue most dishonoured God and wounded thine owne conscience set them before thee oftē specially then whē thou hast any particular occasion of renewing thy repentance that thy heart by this dolefull sight may bee further humbled This was Dauids practise when hee considered his waies and turned his feet to Gods commandements Psal. 119. 57. And when he confessed the sinnes of his youth Psal. 25 This was Iobs practise when he said he was not able to answer one of a thousand of his sinnes vnto God Iob. 9. 1. 4. When thou first openest thine eyes in a morning pray to God and giue him thankes heartily God then shall haue his honour and thy heart shall be the better for it the whole day following For we see in experience that vessels keepe long the taste of that liquor wherwith they are first seasoned And when thou liest downe let that be the last also for thou knowest not whether fallen a sleepe thou shalt euer rise againe aliue Good therefore it is that thou shouldest giue vp thy selfe into the hands of God whilst thou art waking 5. Labour to see and feele thy spirituall pouerty that is to see the want of grace in thy selfe specially those inward corruptions of vnbeliefe pride selfe-loue c. Labour to be displeased with thy self and labour to feele that by reason of them thou standest in neede of euery drop of the blood of Christ to heale and clense thee from those wants and let this practise take such place with thee that if thou be demaunded what in thine estimation is the vilest of the creatures vpon earth thine heart and conscience may answer with a loud voice I euen I by reason of mine owne sinnes and againe if thou be demaunded what is the best thing in the world for thee thy heart and conscience may answer againe with a strong and loud crie One drop of the blood of Christ to wash away my sinnes 6. Shew thy selfe to bee a member of Christ and a seruant of God not only in the generall calling of a Christian but also in the particular calling in which thou art placed It is nothing for a magistrate to be a Christiā man but he must also be a Christian magistrate it is not inough for a master of a family to be a Christiā man or a Christiā in the Church but the must also be a Christiā in the family in the trade which he followeth daily Not euery one that is a common hearer of the word and a frequenter of the Lords table is therefore a good Christian vnlesse his conuersation in his priuate house and in his priuate affaires dealings be sutable There is a man to be seene what he is 7. Search the scriptures to see what is sinne and what is not sinne in euery action this done carry in thy heart a constant and resolute purpose not to sin in any thing for faith and the purpose of sinning can neuer stand together 8. Let thine endeauour be sutable to thy purpose and therefore doe nothing at any time against thy conscience ritely enformed by the word exercise thy selfe to eschew euery sinne and to obey God in euery one of his commandements that pertaine either to the generall calling of a Christian or thy particular calling Thus did good Iosias who turned vnto God with all his heart according to all the lawe of Moses 1. King 25. 25. and thus did Zacharie and Elizabeth that walked in all the commandements of God without reproofe Luk. 1. 6. 9. If at any time against thy purpose and resolution thou bee ouertaken with any sinne little or great lie not in it but speedily recouer thy selfe by repentance humble thy selfe confessing thine offence and by praier intreat the Lord to pardon the same and that earnestly till such time as thou findest thy conscience truly pacified and thy care to eschew the same sinne increased 10. Consider often of the right and proper ende of thy life in this world which is not to seeke profit honour pleasure but that in seruing of men wee might serue God in our callings God could if it so pleased him preserue man without the ministry of man but his pleasure is to fulfil his worke and will in the preseruation of our bodies and saluation of our soules by the imploiment of men in his seruice euery one according to his vocation Neither is there so much as a bond slaue but he must in and by his faithful seruice to his master serue the Lord. Men therefore doe commonly profane their labours and liues by aiming at a wrong ende when all their care consisteth onely in getting sufficient maintenance for them and theirs for the obtaining of credit riches carnall cōmodities For thus men serue themselves not God or men much lesse doe they serue God in seruing of men 11. Giue all diligence to make thy election sure and to gather manifold tokens thereof For this cause obserue the worke of Gods prouidence loue and mercy both in thee and vpon thee from time to time for the serious consideration of them and the laying of them together when they are many and seuerall minister much direction assurance of Gods fauour and comfort This was the practise of Dauid 1. Sam. 17 14. Psal. 23. all 12. Thinke euermore thy present estate whatsoeuer it bee to bee the best estate for thee because whatsoeuer befalls thee though it bee sicknes or any other affliction or death befals thee of the good prouidence of God That this may the better bee done labour to see and acknowledge a prouidence of God as wel in pouertie as in abundance as well in disgrace as good report as well in sickenes as in health as well in life as in death 13. Pray continually I meane not by solemne set praier but by secret and inward eiaculatiōs of the heart that is by a continuall eleuation of minde vnto Christ sitting at the right hand of God the Father and that either by prayer or giuing of