the spirituall liberty wee shall not wrongfully draw to the ciuill order as though Christians were according to the outward gouernment lesse subiect to the lawes of men because their consciences are at liberty before God as though they were therefore exempt from all bondage of the flesh because they are free according to the spirit Againe because euen in those ordinances which seeme to pertaine to the spirituall Kingdome there may bee some error we must also put difference betweene these which are to bee taken for lawfull and agreeable to the Word of God and on the other side which ought not to haue place among the Godly Of the Ciuill gouernment as also so of the Ecclesiasticall lawes I omit to speake of at this time because it hath beene discussed sufficiently by learned Authors already Of this discourse let this bee the conclusion The question as I haue said of it selfe not being very darke or enâ—angled doth for this cause trouble many because they doe not wisely put difference betweene the outward court as they call it and the court of conscience Moreouer this increaseth the difficulty that Paulâ—eacheth â—eacheth that the Magistrate ought to bee obeyed not onely for feare of punishment but also for conscience sake Whereupon followeth that consciences are also bound by the ciuill lawes If it were so all should come to nought which wee both haue spoken and shall speake of the spirituall gouernment For the loosing of this knot fiâ—st it is good to know what is conscience And the definition thereof is to be fetched from the deriuation of the word For as when men doe with mind and vnderstanding conceiue the knowledge of things they are thereby said 〈◊〉 to know whereupon is also deriued the name of science Knowledge so when they haue a feeling of the iudgement of God as a witnesse ioyned with them which doth not suffer them to hide their sinnes but that they bee drawne accused to the iudgement seat of God that same feeling is called conscience For it is a certaine meane betweene God and man because it suffereth not man to suppresse in himselfe that which hee knoweth but pursueth him so far till it bringeth him to guiltinesse This is it which Paul meaneth where hee saith that the conscience doth together witnesse with men when their thoughts doe accuse or acquit them in the iudgement of God Therefore this feeling which presenteth man to the iudgement of God is as a keeper ioyned vnto man to marke and espie all his secrets that nothing may remaine buryed in obliuion Whereupon also cometh that auncient Prouerbe Conscience is a thousand 〈◊〉 And for the same reason Peteâ— hath set the examination of a good conscience for the quietnes of minde when being perswaded of the grace of Christ wee doe without feare present our selues before God And the author of the Epistle to the Hebrewes setteth to haue no more conscience of sinne instead of to bee deliuered or acquitted that sinne may no more accuse vs. Therefore as worke hath respect to men so conscience is referred to God so that a good conscience is nothing else but the inward purenesse of the heart In which sence Paul writeth that Charity is the fulfilling of the law out of 〈◊〉 pure conscience and faith not faigned Afterward also in the same chapter he sheweth how much it differeth from vnderstanding saying that some had suffered shipwrack from the faith because they had forsaken a good conscience For in these words hee signifieth it is a liuely affection to worship God and a sincere endeauour to liue holily and godlily Sometime it extendeth also to men as in Luke where the same Paul protested that hee endeauored himselfe to walke with a good conscience toward God and men But this was therefore said because the fruits of a good conscience doe flow and come euen to men But in speaking properly it hath respect to God onely as I haue already said Hereby it cometh to passe that the law is said to bind the Conscience which simply bindeth a man without respect of men or without hauing any consideration of them As for example God commandeth not onely to keepe the minde chaste and pure from all lust but also forbiddeth all manner of filthinesse of words and outward wantonnesse whatsoeuer it bee To the keeping of this law my conscience is subiect although there liued not one man in the world So hee that behaueth himselfe intemperately not only sinneth in that hee giueth an euill example to the brethren but also hath his conscience bouÌ„d with guiltinesse before God In things that are of themselues meane there is another consideration For wee ought to abstaine from them if they breede any offence but the conscience still being free So Paul speaketh of flesh consecrate secrate to Idols If any saith he mooue any doubt touch it not for conscience sake I say for conscience not thine owne but the others For a faithful man doth not sinne which being first warned should neuerthelesse eate such flesh But howsoeuer in respect of his brother it is necessary for him to abstaine as it is prescribed of God I haue deliuered you the freedome and liberty of Christians wee are not to please our selues but edifie our neighbour vse it not deceitfull make it not a cloake to couer your vnrighteousnesse but rather hauing peace with God in our mindes wee also may liue charitably amongst men For your liberty auaileth nothing if you cast not away your sin God when the measure of your iniquity is full will cast you of for your sinne for as he is iust so hee hath power to kill and cast into Hell all hardened and â—npenitent sinners If therefore you will auoyd the cursed effects of sinne in this life and eternall wrath thereunto in the world to come be assured that you are not of the number of those who are giuen ouer to a reprobate sence Let then my counsaile bee acceptable to you breake of your sins by righteousnes and your iniquity by shewing mercy to your brethren O let there be at length an healing of your errors Nathan vsed but one parable and Dauid was conuerted Ionas preached but once to Niniuy and the whole citty repented Christ looked but once on Peter and hee went out and wept bitterly And now that you are oft and so louingly entreated not by A Prophet onely but by Christ the Lord of Prophets yea that God himselfe by his embassadors enteates you to bee reconciled to him leaue of your Adulteryes with Dauid repent of your sins like a true Niniuite weepe bitterly for your offences Content not your selues with that formall religion which vnregenerate men haue framed to themselues instead of sincere deuotion for in the multitude of opinions most men haue almost lost the practise of Religion Thinke not that you are a Christian good enough because you doe as the most and are not so bad as
dost not only not commit the things forbidden but also doe the duties commaunded vnlesse thou dost all and vnlesse thou continuest in doing all neuer failing in any one particular and finally vnlesse thou continuest in doing all and euery thing commaunded in that perfect manner and measure which the law prescribeth Alas then how wilt thou escape the dreadfull curse who in stead of doing the duties commaunded hast done the vices forbidden who in stead of keeping all the commaundements hast broken them all and in stead of continuing in a totall perpetuall and perfect obedience of the lawe hast continued in the disobedience thereof Hence we may conclude with the Apostle that all men in themselues euen those who seeke to be iustified by the law be concluded vnder sinne and consequently vnder the curse and therefore haue extreame neede to seeke vnto Christ that by him they may be set free from this two-fold bondage which is to be vnder the curse of the law if we breake it when we can doe nothing else but breake it and to be excluded from iustification if we doe not continue in the perfect performance of the law when we are not able so much as to thinke a good thought or once to will that which is spiritually good But by Christ we are freed from both Frst from the curse as the Apostle in expresse tearmes teacheth Christ hath redeemed vs from the curse of the law when he was made a curse for vs. He hath freed vs from the punishment of sinne by vndergoing the punishment for vs he hath acvs quitted frō our debts by discharging them for vs. For as Esay saith He was wounded for our transgressions he was broken for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace that is which was to procure vs peace and reconsiliation with God was laide vpon him and by his stripes we are healed And againe The Lord hath laide vpon him the iniquitie of vs all that is the punishment of all our sinnes And My righteous seruant by his knowledge that is by the knowledge of him or faith in him shall iustifie many for he shall beare their iniquities Now by the curse of the law from which Christ doth free vs we are to vnderstand all euill of punishment as well temporall as eternall for it is absurd to imagine with the Papists that Christ hauing freed vs from the eternall punishment hath not freed vs from the temporall By temporall we meane the euils both of this life whether corporall or spirituall which are innumerable and also in the end of this life viz. an euill death Against both these it will be obiected and first against the former that notwithstanding their iustification the faithfull are as subiect to afflictions and calamities of this life as others and therefore to punishment But I deny that consequence if you speake of punishments properly which be the curses of the law afflicted vpon men by way of vengeance to satisfie the iustice of God * For the Lord hath imposed the punishment of all our sinnes vpon Christ who hath fully satisfied the justice of his Father for them And therefore as there is no condermnation so no punishment properly vnderstood to them that are in Christ Iesus Neither can it stand with the iustice of God who is not only mercifull but also iust in iustifying of vs to exact a punishment of the faithfull for the satisfying of his iustice for whom Christ hath already fully satisfied his iustice by bearing the punishment this were to punish the same sinnes twice once in Christ and againe in vs. Indeed the faithfull are subiect to crosses and afflictions but all the afflictions of the godly are either trials for their good or such iudgements as are simply fatherly chastisements proceeding from loue and meerely respecting the good of the party chastised whereof the Apostle speaketh 1. Cor. 11. 32. When we are iudged we are chastised of of the Lord that we should not be condemned with the world or else they be also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to the erymoligie of the word which by some is giuen when God besides the chastisment of the party hath also care to his owne honour which would beimpeached if he should seeme to winke at the scandalous offences of his children as though he would maintaine them in their sinnes In which regard iudgement as Peter saith begineth at the house of God For the Lord many times correcteth those sinnes in the Godly both for his owne honour and their good which he seemeth to passe by in the wicked Of this kinde we haue an example in Dauid to whom the Lord vpon his submission forgaue his greeuous sinnes of murther and adulterie notwithstanding both for Dauids chastisement and for the example of others but chiefly for the maintenance of his owne glory which by the scandalous offences of Gods children is by the wicked blasphemed as though such sins were the fruits of the religion and seruice of God he would not suffer the child begotten in adulterie to liue Why because by that sinne Dauid had caused the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme The vse which we are to make hereof is not with the Papists to teach men to make satisfaction to God for their sinnes as though Christ had not fully satisfied for them already but to teach men both to beware that they doe not commit sinne especially scandalous sinnes because thereby they displease and dishonor God their mercifull Father prouoking him to powre his iudgements vpon them for their amendment that they be not condemned with the world and for the maintenance of his owne honor and also that hauing sinned we doe meete the Lord in his iudgements by humbling our selues before him confessing our fault and crauing pardon that iudging our selues we may not be iudged of the Lord. Against the second it is also obiected that notwithstanding their iustification the godly die as well as the wicked I answere that as of all afflictions so also of death the nature is changed in respect of the faithfull to whom death it selfe though brought in by the malice of the diuell is not a curse or punishment properly I doe not denie but that many times in respect of the time and manner of death the godly iudged and chastised the Lord in mercy killing their bodies that hee many saue their soules but from the evill of death they are wholly freed for to them it is the end of sinne and is therefore inflicted vpon vs that sinne might dy with vs as Methodius saith and being the end of sinne vnto vs it is also the end of misery the hauen of rest a happy passage out of this vaile of misery vnto the kingdome of glory and so not onely no curse but also a blessing no losse but an advantage as after wee shall shew For yet we speake but of the immunities of iustification the
heire of eternall life For as Christ was made a sinner for vs so are wee made righteous before God in him Christ was made a sinner for vs by imputation of our sinnes to him therefore we are made righteous before God in him by imputation of his righteousnesse vnto vs. Againe as we were made â—inners that is guilty of the first Adams transgression so are we iustified by the obedience of the second Adam But wee are guilty of the first Adams transgression by imputation For how should that being an action and therefore transrent be communicated vnto vs Let Bellarmine answere It is communicated to vs saith he as transient things vse to bee communicated that is to say by imputation Therefore wee are iustified by imputation of the obedience of the second Adam For the obedience of Christ which hee performed on earth being transient how could it bee communicated vnto vs but as Bellarmine saith all transient things are communicated viz. by imputation The reason of wich imputation is this For as all men being in Adam as the roote of mankind originally are guilty of his sinne it being imputed vnto them because in him and by him by reason of their vnion with him all sinned so the faithfull being in Christ as their head or roote are iustified by his obedience if being imputed to them because in him and by him by reason of our vnion with him we fulfilled the Law and in him and by him wee satisfied the iustice of God But we are sanctified by the infusion of grace wrought in vs by the holy Ghost Iustification is the very intitling of vs to the kingdome of heauen Sanctification is both the badge and cognizance whereby they are to bee discerned and knowne who are iustified and shall bee saued and the fitting and preparing of vs to that kingdome whereinto no vncleane thing shall enter The righteousnesse of iustification is perfect for it is the righteousnesse of Christ and therefore of iustification it selfe there are no degrees though of the assurance thereof there bee degrees according to the measure of faith The righteousnesse of our sanctification which is inherent is vnperfect in this life and stained with the flesh thereof there are degrees as wee grow in grace Wee are both iustified and sanctified by faith but in divers respects We are iustified by faith because by it wee apprehend the righteousnesse of Christ therefore are iustified by it not formally as it is a power or habit in vs or as it is a part of inherent righteousnesse but relatiuely in respect of the obiect which it doth apprehend and by it alone wee are iustified because it is the only grace in vs which apprehendeth the merits of Christ to iustification Wee are sanctified by faith as a chiefe part of our sanctification being as it were the roote both of other inward graces and outward obedieâ—ce but we are not sanctified by it alone because not only other graces inherent but also outward obedience concurre thereto These things thus premised let vs consider what that liberty is which we haue both in our iustification and also in our sanctification In both as our freedome is an immunity wee are freed from sinne and from the Law which is the strength of sinne though in different respects which will bee so many more differences betwixt iustification and sanctification In sinne there are two things the guilt thereof and the corruption In iustification wee are freed wholly from the guilt of sinne for to be iustified is to haue remission of sinne Rom. 4. 6. 7. or which is all one to be freed or absolued from the guilt of it And so certaine it is that in iustification we haue this freedome that to be iustified is to bee freed according to the Scriptures phrase Rom. 6. 7. he that is dead is freed from sinne the Greeke is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 See Act. 13. 38. 39. Bee it knowne vnto you that through Christ is preached vnto you forgiuenesse of sinnes And from all things from which you could be iustified by the law of Moses by him every one that beleeueth is iustified Where to be iustified is to haue pardon of sinne or freedome from the guilt of it The guilt of sinne is the obligation or binding over of the sinner vnto punishment and this bond is partly in the Law which is the hand-writing or obligation that is against vs binding over the transgressor of it to the punishment threatned in it and partly in the conscience applying the Law morall or naturall to the sinner and from thence pronouncing him subiect to punishment From this obligation or guilt we are freed before God and as it were in the court of heauen so soone as wee beleeue and we are freed from the same in the court of conscience when wee know that we beleeue and are assured of our iustification For by faith wee haue remission of sinne and whosoeuer beleeueth in Christ hee is iustified from the guilt thereof This our freedome containeth in it happinesse for as their estate is miserable whose sinnes are not forgiuen because by their sinnes they are debtors vnto God owing in respect thereof eternall death and damnation though they only feele this burthen whose conscience is throughly touched of whom it is said A wounded spirit who is able to beare so their estate is happy who are freed from the guilt of sinne David though a King flourishing in great honor wealth and delights notwithstanding he reposeth his felicity in the forgiuenesse of sin Psal. 32. Blessed is the man whose wickednesse is forgiuen and whose sinne is covered blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity Which should moue vs aboue all things to labour for the forgiuenesse of sin and for the assurance thereof If thou beleeue in Christ and withall confesse thy sin and forsake it thou maist bee sure that it is pardoned Secondly in our iustification we are freed from the law and that in two respects First from the malediction or condemnation of it secondly from the lawes exaction of inherent and that perfect righteousnesse vnto iustification Vnder which double yoke of bondage all men are that are not iustified by faith in Christ that is all men in them selues are subiect to the curse who in the least degree doe at any time in their whole life transgresse any part of the law as all men oftentimes doe and againe no man who is not in Christ can be exempted from the curse and attaine to iustification vnlesse he continue in all the things which are written in the booke of the law to doe them which no man is able to doe the law by reason of the flesh being impossible vnto vs. Let naturall or vnconuerted men apply this to themselues Canst thou not by the sentence of the law be exempted from the curse vnlesse thou