consecrated through affliction Heb. 2.10 And to that Image all the predestinate must be conformable Rom. 8.29 But concerning this I may say as the Philistines did of Sampsons riddle Iudg. 14.1 How can sweet come out of that which is sowre and meat out of the eater So say worldlings How can tribulation bring forth patience and how can a light affliction cause unto us a most excellent weight of glory But the children of God have learned by experience that albeit no visitation be sweet for the present yet afterward it brings the quiet fruits of righteousnesse to them that are thereby exercised Heb. 12.11 There is more solid joy in enduring rebuke for Christ than in all the pleasures of sin for as Moses the typicall Mediator of the old Testament by prayer made the bitter waters of Marah to be sweet Exod. 15.25 so Chrrist the true Mediator by his passion hath mitigated to his children the bitternesse of the Crosse yea made it profitable to them The prodigall sonne concludes not to returne till he was brought low by affliction Hagar was proud in Abrahams house but humble in the wildernesse Ionah sleepes in the ship but watcheth and prayes in the whales belly Ionah 2.1 Manasses lives in Ierusalem as a libertine but bound in chaines at Babel he turnes his heart to the Lord his God 2 Chron. 33.11 12. Corporall diseases inforced many in the Gospell to come to Christ whereas others that enjoyed bodily health would never acknowledge him The earth if not tilled beares nothing but thornes the vines wax wilde if they be not pruned and cut So would our wilde hearts overgrow with the noysome weeds of unruly affections if the Lord by a sanctified trouble should not manure them I will adde no more but that example of Ioseph Iacob sends him to Dothan to visit his brethren Gen. 37.18 his brethren cast him into a pit Reuben releeves him the Midianites buy him and sell him to Potiphar his mistresse accuses him his master condemnes him the Butler after long forgetfulnesse recommends him and at last Pharao exalts him What strange instruments are here and how many hands about this one poore man of God! and yet never one of them looking to that which God proposed So much of the negative I proceed to the affirmative But through their fall Th. Aquin. in hunc locum Tho. Aquinas produceth that in the fourth of Iohn Salvation is of the Iewes to prove this that the salvation of the Gentiles was occasionally by the fal of the Iewes and makes a threefold interpretation First because by their fault in killing Christ followed the redemption of the Gentiles Secondly because they refused the doctrine of Christ which therefore came to the Gentiles Act. 13.46 Seeing you put the Gospell from you and iudge your selves unworthy of eternall life wee turne to the Gentiles Thirdly because the Iewes for falling from God were dispersed thorow the world and by that meanes brought the Scriptures and Word to the Gentiles and to this purpose brings that Psal 59.11 Kill them not but scatter them Secondly wee must not thinke that the fall of the Iewes was any cause but only an occasion of the salvation of the Gentiles Thirdly there was no necessitie that the one people should be cast off before the other could be received for God might have called both at once Fourthly though the Iewes had not beene cast off yet the Gentiles should have beene called because there is no such dependencie as effects have upon their causes The first thing that I collect is God works good for his servants by contrary and most unlikely meanes Doct. It was a great worke that he opened the eyes of the blinde but greater that he should doe it by the application of spittle and clay meanes more like to put out the eyes of a seeing man than to restore sight to a blinde man Thus in the worke of creation when there was nothing but Thou and Bohu upon the earth and Choshec-panai Tehom darknesse upon the face of the deepe in Gen. 1.2 then did the Lord make Light of it So in the worke of redemption hee wrought by unlikelihoods and contraries when by a cursed death he brought a happy life by yeelding to death he overcame death by his Crosse he won the Crowne and through shame he ascended into glory The same order he keeps in our second creation he casts downe that he may raise up he kils that he may make alive he accuseth his children for sinne that he may cause them to seeke remission he troubleth their consciences that he may speake peace unto them and most commonly the meanes which he useth is contrary to the worke which he intends for his children He sent on Abram a most fearfull darknesse even then when he was to communicate unto him most joyfull light Gen. 15.12 Hee wrastled with Iacob and shooke him to and fro even then when he was about to blesse him Gen. 32. He strooke Paul with blindnesse even then when he came to open his eyes Act. 9. Sometimes he frownes upon his beloved as Ioseph upon his brethren when with loving affection he is about to embrace them he seemes angry at our prayers and puts us backe with the woman of Canaan when he is about to grant a favourable answer unto them Learne Vse first never to murmur what meanes soever be use to worke with Secondly not to doubt but God will doe us good when all meanes seeme contrary and against us he is able out of darknesse to bring us light out of death to bring us life and out of falling to make us rise Secondly at the fall of the Iewes he takes occasion to call the Gentiles from whence observe That God watcheth any opportunitie Doct. and takes all occasions to doe his children good How gladly would he have taken occasion to have spared Ierusalem when for one mans sake he would have spared it Ier. 5.1 How passionatly did he affect the cure of Babylon when he intreated her with as powerfull oratory as the heavens were able to compose and the Angels to utter till she made this the burthen of her song I will not be cured Ier. 51.9 How did he watch an occasion to spare Sodome when for ten mens sake he would have spared it Gen. 18.32 Deus secat ut sanet He cuts and sliceth our flesh that he may have occasion of shew mercy in healing it So Augustine on Matth. Ser. 15. Deus savit ut parcat Aug. in Matth. ser 15. He casts into despaire that he may shew mercy in sparing it And in another place He kils us that wee may not die And againe He strikes to death Oâ—idâ—t ne neriamur Aug. in Iohan sern 38. Aug. Confess lib. 2. cap. 2. that he may have occasion to doe his servants good in restoring them to life So that a man may fitly take up that speech of Themistocles when he was first banisht by the
receiving and so being an hypotheticall proposition it consists of an antecedent and a sequele From the antecedent I observe That God never gives way to any evill but for a good end and purpose their fall was suffered for this end to reconcile the world unto himselfe as in the eleventh verse I come to the sequele wherein were noted first their danger dead secondly their hope received to life from death From the first note That living in sinne out of favour with God Doct. is to be in the estate of a dead man The dead shall heare the voice of the sonne of God Ioh. 5.25 If you aske who be these dead surely you need not goe downe into the vaults of the earth to seeke them they are buried above ground they are dead soules in living bodies That body is their tombe and this their epitaph Hic siti sunt Here are they buried Therefore awake thou that sleepest stand up from the dead Ephes 5.14 It may be thought a strange position and savour somewhat of melancholy that a man that breathes and moves and speakes and drinkes and sweares and fights and does all other acts which now adayes are counted manly should be induced that for all this he is no better than a dead man a carcase But let such a man as this be brought before the Iudge of life Christ Iesus examined by the rule of life viz. the word and you shall see what his case is The life of a Christian consists in the union of his soule with God which is made by the grace of the holy spirit dwelling in him for as the life of the body is the soule so the life of the soule is grace and where that is wanting well may the body live but the soule is dead as Paul speaketh of the widow 1 Tim. 5.5 Such dead men are all by nature dead in sinnes and trespasses Ephes 2.1 yea dead even from the wombe and if I may so speake still borne for no man brought grace into the world nor suckt it from his mother he is made not borne a Christian The word Soule is capable of life if God be pleased to give it the best by nature but dead There be two things that argue life in the soule of man sense and motion if man in the estate of sinne hath either I will confesse him to be alive and not dead But first he hath no sense for he perceives not the things of the spirit of God nor can he for they are discerned spiritually 1 Cor. 2.14 Secondly he hath no motion he hath set up his rest in this world never dreames of aspiring higher Tell him of a journey to heaven t is not in him to will it t is not in him once to thinke of it 2 Cor. 3.5 Now if this man may be said to live which manifests life neither by sense nor motion then stocks and stones and the dullest of spring of the elements may as truly be said to live So that wee may conclude as Christ doth Matth. 8.22 Let the dead bury their dead or I may say of such as the holy Ghost doth of the Angell of the Church of Sardis Apoc. 3.1 Thou hast a name that thou livest but thou art dead Hence learne first the errour of the Pelagian and his naturall sonne the Papist Vse 1 who will defend man in sinne and without grace not to be dead but halfe dead like the wounded man Luk. 10.30 or the maid Matth. 9.24 But first God finds no such good in man Gen. 6.5 Secondly Paul finds nothing in the unregenerate part but opposition Gal. 5.17 Thirdly leave the best man to himselfe and he is dead to all good actions Fourthly Paul could not finde any good thing in himselfe Rom. 7. Yet in this point I can make it good out of Bellarmine and others that they neither speake nor write what they thinke Secondly Vse 2 the lamentable case wherein naturally wee are borne dead in sinnes and trespasses Thirdly in what fearfull case they are that live in sinne in grace dead in soule dead in Gods account dead and therefore how little honour wee should performe to them how base they are in respect of the sonnes of God you may perceive If a man want grace nothing can make him honourable he is servant of how many vices Servus quot vitiorum tot dominorum of so many masters saith Augustine Stemmata quid prosunt c. Aug. de Civit. Det lib. 4. cap. 3. Iuâ—inal Satyr 1. When the Apostles seemed to be a little proud that the devils were subdued unto them our Saviour would not have them rejoyce in this but in that their names were written in the booke of life Luk. 10.18 19. Wherefore if you affect either glory or honour or life see where you must seeke it seeke them not at Court those be like glasses saith Augustine bright and brittle Moses had rather be the childe of God than to be called the sonne of Pharaohs daughter And so I come from the danger wherein they were to their hope of restoring Life from the dead First the world shall be changed as it were from death to life after the receiving of the Iewes for though light be risen to the Gentiles yet while the Iew remains in blindnesse The world hath not yet revived saith Beza Secondly Life from the dead Their estate shall be more glorious after their calling than it was before Mundus nondum revixit So Ambrose Thirdly Life from the dead The restoring of the Iewes suddenly shall follow the resurrection from death to life So Aquinas out of Origen and Chrysostome I will not shew my dislike to any of these yet that which I observe is different That wee should not despaire of the Iewes though now they be out of favour and seeme to be dead Though a man be dead he may live againe though buried he may rise againe though out of favour he may be received againe though he run away with the prodigall he may returne againe though he be fallen yet he may rise againe If a man be never so farre gone wee should not despaire of his amendment and reformation What people in all likelihood farther gone than the men of Ephraim They willingly obeyed the commandement that is of Ieroboâ—m Hos 5.11 and when the Lord told them that they were sicke and would have cured them then went Ephraim unto Ashur and sent to Iareb King of Assyria This was added to his former sinnes Hoeaccedu ad superiora peceata saith Mercer yet if once they say Come let us returne to the Lord Hoe est tantum piccavit ut eâ— Sedoma comparata justa videatur then after two dayes he will revive them and they shall live in his sight Hos 6.2 What Citie so farre gone as Ierusalem She justified Sodome and Samaria Ezek. 16.51 that is She sinned so much Aug. contra Faustum Manachaum lib. 22. cap. 61. that Sodome compared
to her might seeme righteous saith Augustine Yet will the Lord gather her as a hen gathereth her chickens under his wings Matth. 23. What man so farre gone as Manasses who built altars to strange gods sacrificed his sonnes to Moloch gave himselfe to witchcraft charming and sorcerie used them that had familiar spirits and did evill in the sight of the Lord to anger him Yet being in tribulation when he prayed and humbled himselfe greatly then the Lord heard him and was intreated and he knew that the Lord was God 2 Chron. â—3 6 12 13. So true is that of the Prophet Ezek. 33.12 〈…〉 non attendi cum enim Deus veâ—◠〈◊〉 qu aboâ—us â—â—ssa quia omâ—â—potâ—s ipse contra fratrem â—d vinae 〈…〉 nam claâ—dit qui Deum credit aut noâ— velle aut 〈…〉 The wickednesse of the wicked shall not hart him in the day that he turneth to the Lord. Be the sinne never so great I may say as S. Augustine doth O man who attendest to that multitude of thy sinnes why doest thou not attend to the omnipotencie of the heavenly Physitian 〈◊〉 for seeing God will shew mercie because he is good and can because he is omnipotent he shuts the gate of divine pietie against his brother who beleeveth that God either will not or cannot have mercie And why wilt thou shut him out of heaven whom Christ hath not shut out of it David is farre gone in a â—â—lterie and murder Peter in back-â—â—dâ—ns and apostasie Paul in tyrannie and 〈…〉 and Gods Church Aug. de teâ—pore Serm. 58. Maliâ— ut pes fraupatur aut manus cum labore ad 〈◊〉 offierum revocatâ—â— â—â—â—â—â—ium 〈…〉 non 〈…〉 ego non 〈◊〉 yet the word of a 〈…〉 Divid the crowing of a 〈…〉 a light shining and a voice sounding 〈…〉 brings Paul to Christ againe Yet 〈…〉 this to incourage thee on in sinn◠〈…〉 what Augustine saith in the cited 〈…〉 foot or hand be broken it is with 〈…〉 its first office if againe â—â—t more hard 〈…〉 third time not without much paine if daily I iudge not of it But though I may not despaire of thy salvation yet it may be God will not bestow salvation though I may not judge thee yet it may be the Lord will though I may not censure thee yet it may be that the Lord will condemne thee I will hope God will shew thee mercy but thou without repentance must feele his justice Be thou never so farre gone yet returne to the Lord as thou art commanded and God wil bestow upon thee that mercy which he hath promised But I leave this and proceed to touch the instrument wherewith the Iewes are fet from death to life The Gospell In Iohn 5.25 In Iohan. tract 22. The dead shall heare the voice of the Sonne of God and they that heare it shall live which Augustine expounds of the raising of men dead and buried in infidelitie and sinne at the hearing of the word Transeunt a morte infidelitatis ad vitam side They passe from the death of infidelitie to the life of faith I am not ashamed of the Gospell for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that beleeueth Rom. 1.16 that is an effectuall instrument of power as Paraeus and Beza expound it In this God reveales his true and absolute righteousnesse with which life and salvation is alwayes joyned and by the ministerie of the word is salvation conveyed and communicated to all that obey it and is therefore called the arme of the Lord Isa 53.1 whereby he can open the graves of sinne wherein men are buried and restore them to their lives againe Man without faith is dead and faith is that which makes the soule alive Augustine upon the words of Christ to Lazarus Ioh. 11.43 Lazarus come forth saith that surgere to arise is credere to beleeve to come forth is to confesse and that which Christ said at the 44. verse Loose him and let him goe Sâ—lvi 〈◊〉 〈…〉 is true of the Minister of the Gospell who by the word looseth the bands of sinne and iniquitie wherein they were tied I might tell you of Iames Andrew and Matthew and the rest but I will only remember you of S. Augustine Aug. Cons 〈◊〉 8 〈…〉 as hee writes of himselfe that when he sate weeping and speaking these words Quarenonâ—odâ— qâ—â—renâ—◠〈…〉 relle â—ege Why not to day why not to day he heard a voice saying Take up and read take up and read which he expounds thus that he should open the booke of God and read the first place he light upon he tooke the booke and opened it and he hit upon Rom. 13.13 14. Not in gluttonie and drunkennesse not in chambering and wantonnesse not in strife and envying but pâ—t on the Lord Iesus Christ and take no thought for the flesh Thus saith he was I converted and thus raised from death to life When our parents have begotten us to die the Word begets us to life The parent may say I knew I begat a mortall childe but he that begets by the Word may say I knew I begat an immortail one Hereupon it is a manifest marke that we are aliue if we beare a loue to the Word whereby wee are begotten no better signe to know that thou art a sonne than thy loue to that which begot thee and it is the Word that begets us 1 Iam. 18. 1 Pet. 1.23 Hence Vse first learne to apply this Gospell unto our owne hearts and this medicine that quick neth the dead to our owne soules The Gospell is like to a medicine excellent onely in the application Thinke that everie promise thou hearest belongeth unto thee everie precept thou hearest pertaineth to thee every word of reproofe takes hold of thee If I be convinced of any sinne I will endevour to reforme it if I heare of any judgement I will endevour to prevent it if I heare of mercie I will surely embrace it if I heare of a garland I will run for it of a crowne of glorie I will sight for it if I have formerly presumed to sinne because God is mercifull I will now tremble at his judgements if formerly despaired because of mine owne sinne and Gods justice I will now cheere up my drooping heart for mercie rejoyceth against judgement if thou bee never so sicke apply this Gospell to thy soule this will heale thee as it did the Leper Matth. 8.3 If never so blinde apply this Gospell this will cure thee as it did Bartimaeus Mark 10.52 If never so long dead apply this Gospell it will make thee alive againe as it did Lazarus Ioh. 11.43 But apply it to thy selfe not to others Bee not like gracelesse Spend-thrifts that say O there were good lessons against this greedinesse not like the Vsurer there were good lessons against prodigalitie and unthriftinesse not like the strict Pharisie O there were good lessons against libertie and licentiousnesse not like
him in his members thy tongue blesse him for his mercies let it rouze up thy drooping soule like Davids tongue Psal 103. Praise the Lord O my soule and all that is within me praise his holy name Let us ever be singing that Magnificat of Marie My soule doth magnifie the Lord and my spirit rejoyceth in God my Saviour for hee that is mightie hath done great things for us and blessed bee his name And so I come to the action or office He shall turne away iniquitie from Iacob But yet there is a point in the verie word which is here used 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 qui eripiet that shall snatch them as it were out of some danger Aquinas proposeth that place in Amos 3.12 As the Shepherd takes out of the mouth of the Lion two legs or a peece so shall the children of Israel be To give a double note 1. That but a small part of the world shall bee delivered from hell and death as vers 5. The Vse is Vse The more earnestly must wee labour and the more paines must we take to be of that number and if wee will not faile learne foure lessons perfitly 1. That the ordinary pace which men goe will never bring us thither 2. Learne the way to Heaven perfitly 3. When thou knowest the way then mend thy pace 4. Cast off the luggage and burdens that hinder thee as 1 Cor. 9.24 I come to the second Conclusion This 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one that shall deliver by pulling snatching affords this point Doct. That heaven must be got with violence much hardnes Therefore is the whole way to heaven a continuall battell marching aray or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a strife Luk. 13.24 And when Paul was almost there then hee hath fought the good fight 2 Tim. 4.8 And the Apostle Heb. 12.4 There must be resisting unto bloud many a troublesome day must a man see in many an hot skirmish must he fight many sore and sowre strokes a man shall feele many a strait way a man must passe before he see God in glorie The difficultie ariseth partly from the nature of the way to heaven and hard to be found amongst so many by-paths and amongst so many false lights and deceitfull Pilots every one crying this is the way that many a poore soule not knowing which way to take goes on in none My best direction is that of Ieremie chap. 6.16 Aske for the old way which is the good way walke in that and yee shall sinde rest unto your soules 2. From the travellers in this way who are the greatest hinderances unto themselves some by lingring and deferring the time before they set forward who are like the sluggard Prov. 19.24 forgetting both the shortnesse of their life and the difficultie of comming to God when they are old some by stooping to gather treasures or reaching for honours lose heaven Ovid. Metam lib. 10. like Atalanta who lost the race by stooping for the golden apples But because I will not fall upon the former point I come from the place Sion from the person deliverer to his office He shall turne away iniquitie from Iacob The words are easie Doct. and the point plaine It is the proper office of Christ Iesus alone to reconcile sinners to God 1 Ioh. 2.1 If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Iesus Christ the righteous he is the propitiation for our sins When we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son Rom. 5.10 There is no salvation in any other nor other name under heaven whereby we can be saved Acts 4.12 His forme and manner of reconciling sinners unto God is first by intercession as Rom. 8.34 he is not onely Mediator of redemption as the Papist makes him who make Angels Mediators of intercession 1. The distinction is without warrant 2. The high Priest in the Law was Mediator 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 typically both of remission by sacrifice and of intercession by prayer Of intercession as Aaron Numb 16.48 The other ordinarie and if now they bee divided the truth doth not answer the figure which must not be said 3. By him we have boldnesse Ephes 3.12 Let them shew where we have so by Angels 4. Hee lives ever to make intercession Heb. 7.25 let them shew the like of Angels Let them heare S. Augustine Whom should I finde that might reconcile me to thee Quâ—m invenirem quine reconciliarit riâ—i num eundum ad Angelos quâ prece quibus lachrymis Aug. Confess lib. 10. cap. 42. must I goe to the Angels with what prayer with what teares Secondly by not imputing sinne but by imputation of his righteousnesse unto them He was made sinne for us which knew no sin that wee might bee made the righteousnesse of God through him 2 Cor. 5.21 Thirdly by his death and passion that so hee may make payment and give satisfaction to Gods justice for his peoples sinnes The bloud of Iesus Christ cleanseth us from all our sinnes 1 Ioh. 1.7 We are redeemed not with corruptible things as silver and gold but with the precious bloud of Christ 1 Pet. 1.18 19. Fourthly by abating the number and weakening the power of sinne in them by the Scepter of his Word and the efficacie of his Spirit Wee know that our old man is crucified with him that the body of sinne might bee destroyed that henceforth wee should not serve sinne Rom. 6.6 Fifthly by quite abolishing and removing of all their sins at the houre of death and day of judgement So Apoc. 14.13 Blessed are they that dye in the Lord c. and therefore was Christ once offered to take away their sins Heb. 9.28 Hence was that excellent point and clause in Peters Sermon Acts 3.19 Amend your lives therefore that your sinnes may bee put away when the time of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. The reason of all is this Because he is the blessed seed in whom all Nations are blessed as God said of him to Abraham Gen. 22.18 In thy seed shall all the Nations of the earth be blessed He is the root and foundation on which all Gods promises doe depend and in whom they are Yea and Amen 2 Cor. 1.20 Learne to seeke for salvation in none other Vse Acts 4.12 Expect to bee saved onely by his merits righteousnesse and sufferings for hee alone hath trodden the wine-presse Isa 63.3 Apoc. 19.14 What remaines but that everie man disclaime his righteousnesse as a menstruous rag renounce his owne merits as deserving nothing but death give all the praise to God and cry with the Psalmist Not unto us O Lord not unto us but to thy name give the praise And so I come to the second place alleaged VERS 27. Vers 27 And this is my covenant to them when I shall take away their sinnes THis Text is alleaged out of Ierem. 31. at the beginning of vers 33. This is the covenant that
our selves from thy presence masses of corruption mountaines of sin dead and dry trees fit fuell for thy fierce wrath to worke upon If wee should climbe up into heaven to hide us from thee thou art there or goe downe into the bottome and depth of hell thou art there also or take the wings of the morne and fly to the utmost part of the seas even there also will thy all-seeing eye behold us and thy right hand will quickly visit and finde us out wee will therefore here dissolve and melt our selves into a floud and fountaine of many teares bewailing and bemoaning our wofull and miserable estate for albeit by reason of that foule Chaos and staine of naturall corruption and originall sin wee have deserved long since to have had the sweet issue of all thy good blessings to be stopped and dried up thy milde and gentle corrections to bee turned into the sudden execution of bloudy to â—utes and fearefull judgements upon us even in this life and at ouâ— departing out of this world to be plunged everlastingly into a piâ—â— destruction there to be fried and scorched with Sataâ— and his Angels for evermore And yet for all this O Lord we have never ceased to adde oyle unto this flame and to blow up the coales of thy fearefull displeasure through the hot and eager pursuit of many loud crying actuall sinnes and transgressions so that from the crowne of the head to the sole of the foot there is not one place sound or whole within us but we are full of sores and swellings and botches full of sinne full or corruption our understandings which should have knowen thee to bee our true God and him whom thou hast sent Jesus Christ our Redeemer these are blinded and mis-led with ignorance and doubting our affections which should have beene good guides to have directed our feet into the way of peace they are become swift messengers of Satan to buffet us our bodies which should have been sweet Temples for thy blessed Spirit to dwell and lodge in they are sinks of sin and cages of filthy birds Our eyes O God are like open windowes and doores to receive sin our hearts like common Innes to lodge sin our heads like skilfull Politicians to contrive sinne our tongues smooth and sweet Orators to plead for the maintaining of sin and all our hands like stout Souldiers and couragious Champions to fight in the defence of sin Thus have we waged and managed war against thee our God ever since wee were borne so that now thou maist justly spâ—e us out of thy mouth cut us off in the midst of our sins come amongst us this verie present and binde us hand and foot and at the end of these few and miserable dayes send us all into hell together that so Satan might pay us our wages only whom thus long we have obeyed and served thus emptying our selves from all trust and confidence in the arme of flesh wee fly unto thee O God the anchor of our hope and the tower built for our defence with many deepe sighes and groanes from our perplexed consciences and diseased soules most humbly intreating thee to be gracious and mercifull to all our sins for they are wondrous great make it thy glorie to passe by and to winke at them poure into our soules the oyle of thy mercie supple our hard and dry hearts with the sweet influence of thy best graces and cure all our swelling wounds with the true balme of Gilead Purge good Lord and cleanse all the polluted and infected corners of our hearts that though 〈◊〉 this day our sins be as old as Adam as numberlesse as the stars oâ— heaven as high as the tallest Cedars in the Forrest Lord plucke them up by the roots burie them in everlasting forgetfulnesse that they may never stop the issue of thy blessings nor draw downe upon us the vials of thy wrath nor be a wound and griefe to our troubled consciences in this life or worke despaire in us at the end of our dayes nor stand up in judgement to be the utter ruine and condemnation of our soules and bodies at the last day Good Lord prepare us all for a better life sit us all for the Kingdome of thy Sonne Christ Jesus guide us all with thy blessed Spirit tutor us out of thy holy Word humble us by thy mercifull corrections and by thy fatherly blessings wed our affections and knit our hearts more neere unto thee in newnesse of life than ever heretofore they have beene that living as becommeth thy obedient children and servants an holy and a religious remnant of our dayes we may by thy grace and mercie be partakers of a joyfull and a comfortable death and after death of a glorious resurrection to everlasting life and peace among thy Saints Neither doe wee pray to thee for our selves onely but for all people and Nations of the earth but more particularly for the place in which wee live and therein according to our bounden dutie for thy servant and our Sovereigne Charles by thy speciall Providence King of Great Britaine France and Ireland Defender of the most true ancient Catholike and Apostolike faith and in all causes and over all persons within these his Majesties Realmes and Dominions next under thee and thy Sonne Christ Jesus supreme Governour adde unto his dayes as thou diddest unto the dayes of Hezekiah that he may enjoy a long and a prosperous reigne over us and in the meane time remember him in goodnesse for the good he hath done already to thy Church Bestow the sweetest of thy blessings upon our gracious Queene Marie our hopefull Prince Charles and the Lady Marie and the rest of those royall Branches beyond the seas season them in their young and tender yeares with thy feare that they may bee great in thy favour and if it may stand with thine eternall Decree let us never want an holy and a religious man of that house and line to governe the Scepters of these Kingdomes and to maintaine the preaching of thy glorious Gospell within these his Majesties Realmes and Dominions so long as the Sun and Moone endure Blesse 〈◊〉 King with an honourable valiant and a religious Councell and â—obilitie blesse him with a learned painfull and a zealous Clergie by what names or titles soever they be called whether they be Arch-Bishops or Bishops and all other painfull Labourers in this thy Vineyard blesse him with a wise prudent and a religious Gentrie blesse him with a peaceable a loyall and a religious Commonaltie and good God wee beseech thee to showre downe thy blessing upon the right hand and upon the left to them whom it hath pleased thee to send to this Congregation that by the blessing of thy good Spirit whensoever they shall stand on thy Mountaine to deliver a Message from thee give them good Father what wilt thou giue them give them wise and understanding hearts that they may open to thy people the wondrous things
for them then the Lord stayed him and stopt his passage by bringing in the sea to drowne him and his host Exod. 14. as hee did with Saul when he would have taken away Davids life the Lord set downe how farre hee should proceed to chase him from place to place but not to death By all which it appeares that wee make not God to bee an idle looker on which suffers every creature to doe what they will But when God gives men over to bee blinded and hardned by Sathan and suffers wicked men for a time to worke mischiefe yet sets bounds and limitts to their rage and fury and in the end wonderfully rescues his servants from trouble This surely is not to doe nothing Fifthly a reducing of the ends to the rule of justice The bringing of some good out of evill for though Sathan and wicked men propose their ends the wicked that hee may serve his pleasures the Devill that hee may destroy yet such is the goodnesse of God Bâ—â—um est mala esse vel â—ieri alioquâ—â— sumâ—â—è bonus non permitteâ—et ca ficri Loâ— hard lib. 1. distinct 46. that hee will never suffer evill to be done if it were not to bring good out of it It is good that evils be or bee done otherwise the most good God would not suffer them to bee done and such is the wisdome of God that out of worst things he can chose the best ends as for example Iosephs brethen sold him for envy but God sent him to prouide for his old father and his brethren to preserve their lives Gen. 45.5 So in the death of Christ Sathan and the Iewes intended onely his death but God turned it to the salvation of all that beleeve As poyson is in it selfe evill but the skilfull Physician by tempering it cures the sicke and workes good out of it So doth God with sinne Shimei by cursing would shew his hatred of David but God would make knowne the patience of David which was good Now these workes as they proceed from the next cause man and the Devth be evill they be evill trees which cannot bring forth good fruits But as they proceed from the supreme cause and as hee brings good out of them they are good God and Satan will both have Ierusalem destroyed But Sathan that hee might bee avenged on them God that hee might punish their rebellion Christ is delivered to death the Iewes they doe it onely in malice But God hath another end the redemption and salvation of man and therefore in Act. 4.28 Pilate and the Iewes Gentiles gathered together to doe whatsoever thy hand and Councell had determined S. Enchirid ad Laurent ca. 101. Augustine shewes how God man may will the same thing and God in willing it doth well and yet man sinnes in willing it The father of an ungratious child is sicke Vt citius perveniat ad haereditaâ—em paâ—ris Vuâ—t Deus jâ—â—sâ—e fil uâ— iâ— pie God will have him to die â—n his just judgement the sonne That hee may sooner come to his fathers inheritance God wills it justly the sonne wickedly Albeit God doe order Res mala non habet â—aulan essi cientem sed desi ie 〈◊〉 De 〈◊〉 taâ—e Dei Lib 12. cap 7. determinate and governe sinnes that be done yet is he not properly the efficient cause of sinne It was a good saying of Augustine An evill thing hath no a cause efficient but defficient as the corruption of iudgement and the perversnesse of will and further I say that though the Papist accuseth us for making God the author of sin yet I will change my religion if I will not shew to any Romanist that will challenge me that wee of this Church teach no otherwise than the Papists themselues have written not onely out of Occam Durand and Bannes but principally out of Thomas Aquinas and Bellarmine himselfe In Râ—m 9. Dea â—ass gratiae lib. 2. Cap. 13. By a figure hee commands it and incites men unto it as a Huntsman sets the dog upon the Hare by letting goe the slip That God doth not onely permit the wicked to doe evill nor onely forsake the godly that the wicked may doe what they will against them But he oversees their wills he rules their wills he governs their wills nay he bowes and bends them by working invisibly in them and not only inclines the will to one evill rather than to another by permitting them to bee carried into one sinne and not into another but also positively hee bends them by inclining them to one evill and turning them from another occasionally and morally as hee speakes out of Thomas Aquinas Let them looke well into these speeches and they shall finde that wee say no more than they and if they would expound ours as candidly as their owne there would bee small or no difference Briefly then we say first in generall That God is not the author of sinne but the devill and mans corrupt will and the contrary we defie as blasphemy Secondly in particular wee beleeve that God wills nothing which is formerly sinne but hee fulfills his good wills by our evill wills as P. Lombard as hee wills that which is good Lib 1. Distinct 48. but hates it rather whence it followes that hee inspires it into no man nor creates any corruption in our wills which was not there before but forbids it absolutely within us by the light of his spirit as Rom. 2.15 without by the commandement Thou shalt heare a word behinde thee saying this is the way turne not out of it Isay 39.21 c. The first entrance of sinne into the world and the continuance of it in the world was the voluntary action of mans will God infusing no evill into him for God is not the cause why man is worse but that which God doth about and concerning sinne is contained in three actions First as the universall cause of all things hee sustaines mankinde and upholds his being yea the being motion of all his actions good and bad So that no man could either move to any action or have being himselfe if God sustained him not as Act. 17.28 whence it followes that the very positive act which the schoolemen call the subject of sinne and the materiall part of sin whereto sinne cleaveth is of God in the same sort that all other actions of the creature are this proposition doth Zanchius well illustrate A man rides upon a lame horse in this action are two things Motion and Halting the motion is of man man makes him move but his halting is of himselfe so in sinne the action or motion is of God but the deformity of man himselfe Secondly he withholds his grace as Iohn 12.39 Therefore they could not beleeve because Isay saith he hath blinded c. as being bound to no man but leaves the wicked to themselves whereupon it followes that their hearts grow hard and they cannot chose
to powder with a greater fall and therefore small cause to reioyce in that In their wealth alas this is but their opportunitie to sinne and strength to doe evill and power to worke mischiefe and liberty to heape sinne upon sinne and wrath against the day of wrath and what cause to reioyce in that when they are in the midst of their friends in the midst of their wealth in the height of their honour in the prime of their strength then are they though they know it not in the midst of the snare in the midst of their danger they are snared and know it not Deproviden Lib. 7. entrapt and feele it not they are intoxicate with that herb that Salvianus mentions that makes them laugh at the point of death Secondly Vse 2 see how sinne changes the condition and property of every thing that the wicked hath and wherein hee delights from a blessing upon him to a snare to choake him from being a help in the way it becomes a stumbling blocke to overthrow him It alters the property of the word preached unto him that in it selfe is the savour of life but to him the savour of death 2. Cor. 2.16 In it selfe the fountaine of wisdome This is your wisdome and understanding Deut. 4.6 But to a blinde Iew it is a stumbling blocke and to the wicked Grecian the preaching of Christ is but foolishnesse 1. Cor. 1.23 It alters the condition of the heavens which of themselves doe drop their dew and of the earth which of it selfe doth bring forth fruit but sin makes the one as brasse and the other as iron Deut. 28.23 It alters the nature of goods and makes those that in themselves bee blessings to be the incentives of sinne and the occasions of falling and therefore if we would have ioy in any thing that we possesse if a blessing upon what we have and not snares and traps to intangle us let us put off our sinnes labour to be in Christ for then onely have we them in the right use then will they bee blessings and not snares to us Secondly I observe out of Beza That as unhappy birds are there ensnared lose life where they seeke to uphold it So doe these Iewes they lose life where they seeke it they seeke it in the Law wherein they are ensnared and there lose it Doct. The point is They that seeke life in the Law shall finde destruction the righteousnesse whereby we are saved is the Lord Ier. 23.6 This is the name whereby you shall call him the Lord our righteousnesse not essentially as Osiander but effectually in him have wee righteousnesse Isay 45.24 It is the imputed righteousnesse of Christ apprehended by faith whereby we obtaine life Rom. 4.24 And therefore Paul praies that hee may not be found in his owne righteousnesse but clothed with the righteousnesse which is of God through faith and therefore durst not appeare in the righteousnesse of the Law Phil. 3.9 In Christ there is purity of nature answering for our corrupt nature Secondly integrity and obedience answering for our disobedience Thirdly merit and passion that takes away our curse and torment none of these can bee found in the Law but the Law is an unsupportable yoake which neither we nor our fathers could beare the strength of sinne 1. Cor. 15.56 the ministration of damnation and death 2. Cor. 3.7.9 how then can they finde life in it And though Bellarmine say stif Lib. 2. that this proposition Christs impâ—ted righteousnes is ours is never read neither in Scripture nor Father yet as we have before shewed it is a meere untruth The use is to confute the Papist Vse 1 who would have us to finde life in our inherent justice yet touching this they agree not among themselves some making actuall justice some habituall to be the cause the other two bee paralells with this and therefore I come to the last For a recompence Doct. It yeelds a double note 1. God repayes wrong done to Christ and his members in the same kinde that they were done They wronged and used him unkindly in his meat they gave him gall to cat they gave him vinegar tod inke mingled with gall Matth. 27.34 And as they use Christ so they used David before who was a type of Christ Psal 69.20 21. And now the Lord payes them in the same kinde their table is a snare and a net to take themselves The Iewes had a Law Levi. 24.19 20. If a man cause a blemish in his neighbour as he hath done so shall it bee done to him Breach for breach eye for eye tooth for tooth such a blemish as hee hath made such shall bee repayed to him Like to this is that of the Apostle 2 Thess 1.6 It is a righteous thing with God to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you His qui vos 〈◊〉 â—nt â—uj steâ—am rependet â—ictionem * He repayeth just affliction to them that afflict you unjustly saith Zanchius It was one of the Lawes of the twelve tables a nong the Romans Simembruâ— pit moum vâ—â—ssim â—um membrum Aut. Geliu 20. Cap. 1. Aâ—sta Etl Lib 2. Cap. If hee hath broken my member in like manner let his member bee broken And the Pythagoreans call it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 simply just But these were but temporall recompences but God will pay affliction with eternall affliction and though this may seeme hard that God should afflict them for ever who afflicted his sonne and servants but for a while yet it is quite contrary for God in punishing doth not so much respect the action which is temporall as the object against whom it is done who is that eternall and immense good Secondly the will of sinners which is for ever extended with their malice for if they did still live they would still persecute them Let them therefore see what they doe who persecute the innocent Vnto these let mee adde a most pregnant example of Adonibezok in Iudg. 6.7 Israel pursued Adonibezek and caught him and cut off the thumbs of his hands and his feet And Adonibezok said Seven kings having the thumbs of their hand and feet cut off gathered bread under my table as â—ave done so hath God rewarded me thus is that of Christ fulfilled With what measure you mete unto others it shall be measured unto you â—gâ—ine Matth. 7.2 and that of Habac. 2.8 Because thou hay spoyled many nations all the remnant of the peopl shall speile thee Take heed of wronging the people of God by disgraces by oppression by impoverishing them lest God in the same kind reward you seven fold into your bosomes 2. The Lord doth punish the sinnes of men by the best things that they have Sometimes by their children Doct. as Eli 1 Sam. 2.22 And Davids sin in Amnon and Thamar and Absalom but especially wicked men that they may say as it was said of the Emperour Antoninus Antoninum fuisse soelitem si nullum
them reconciliation with God through Christ and freedome from their punishments And this is the judgement denounced against the unbeleeving Iewes The time of the continuance of it is expressed in this word alway whereby is signified the durablenesse of these heavy punishments which were to continue so long as though they should never have end The which wee see verified in the event seeing since their destruction and desolation almost 1600. yeares are passed and yet in outward appearance they are as farre from deliverance out of their great calamitles as they were the first day The points to bee observed from hence are these Doct. 1. How much God hateth and how severely he punisheth the sinne of infidelitie whereby Christ the Saviour of the world is rejected Seeing for this sinne principally the nation of the Iewes who were so highly in Gods favour and partakers of all the prerogatives of his Church and people have beene rejected and fearefully punished and that for the space of so many hundred yeares Neither indeed can it be otherwise for how can his sores but fester that refuseth to apply that only plaster whereby they may be cured How can they but continue lost and in the state of perdition who reject their only Saviour How can they be reconciled unto God that refuse to have any part in him in whom alone hee is well pleased Finally how should they but remaine under the guilt and condemnation of all their wickednesse that having slaine the Lambe of God that taketh away the sins of the world doe not repent of this their horrible impietie And therefore let this teach us carefully to shun this fearefull sinne of infidelitie Vse which above all others is most damnable as depriving us of the alone meanes whereby we are freed from condemnation And seeing wee are deadly sicke in sinne let us not by rejecting our alone Physician deprive our selves of all hope of recoverie Seeing wee are so desperately wounded unto death with so many and hainous sins let us take heed that wee doe not by infidelitie refuse to receive and apply that balsome of Christs bloud which God offereth unto us for our spirituall cure Secondly observe Doct. That when wicked men abuse their power and authoritie by opposing Christ in his Kingdome and persecuting him either in himselfe or in his members God will breake their backes and deprive them of all their strength that they may not for ever rage against his Anoynted and offer violence unto his Holy Ones According to that Psal 2.9 Thou shalt breake them with a rod of iron and dush them in peeces like a potters vessell The which serveth first Vse 1 for the terrour of the wicked in their chiefe ruffe and strength when as they seeme so armed with authoritie and power that they have Gods Saints and Servants under their tyrannous command to satiate their bloud-thirstie soules with their slaughter seeing the Lord Christ whom they oppose hath all power in heaven and earth committed unto him and therefore can at his pleasure bow their backs and dispoyle them of all their strength and with these Iewes cause them to become so weake that their enemies prevailing against them shall keep them in perpetuall slaverie and subjection And secondly Vse 2 Gods distressed Saints and Children may hereby comfort themselves in the midst of all the pressures and grievances which they indure at the hands of their mightie enemies seeing they serve a Lord that is mightier than they who is able to make them buckle and stoope under his heavie judgements yea will assuredly doe it if they prevent them not by their speedy repentance and so will turne their restraint to libertie their sorrowes into gladnesse and by a gracious deliverance will give them joy of heart after all their griefe and mourning In the first part of this Chapter from the first to the end of the tenth verse the Apostle hath shewed and proved that the fall of the Iewes was not totall And now in the latter part from the eleventh verse to the end hee proveth it should not bee finall Vnto which hee maketh way by a Prolepsis or preoccupation answering an objection which might be made by the Iewes against his former Doctrine to this purpose If it be so as you say Paul that God hath exposed the Iewes to those judgements foretold by the Prophet Isay and David that is brought them into such snares laid stumbling blockes before them blinded their eyes and bowed and broken their backs whereby they are utterly disabled to all good actions civill morall and spirituall then belike you conclude that their case is desperate as being cast off by God without hope of recoverie Vnto which the Apostle replyeth that though this were the state of the Iewes for a time yet it should not be so for ever but there should be a time namely when the fulnesse of the Gentiles was come in that they also should be called and added to the Church that so both Iewes and Gentiles might make but one flocke in one sheepfold and under one Shepherd From whence hee taketh occasion to exhort and admonish the Gentiles that they should not insult over the Iewes because they were chosen and these rejected and to comfort the Iewes seeing their rejection should not be finall but they also in Gods good time should be converted gathered into the Church and so saved And this is the Coherence maine scope of the Apostle in this last part of the Chapter I come to the words themselves VERS 11. I say then have they stumbled that they should fall God forbid But rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles for to provoke them to jealousie IN which words the Apostle setteth downe the first ground of his exhortation and admonition Exposition which is taken from the ends for which God rejected the Iewes Which were not that they should perish and be damned but that way hereby might be made for the calling of the Gentiles and thereby also the Iewes might at last be stirred up to jealousie and emulation and so also provoked to come in by following their example For seeing the Iewes would not receive Christ themselves nor as much as in them lay suffer the Gentiles to receive him as their Saviour therefore it was just with God that by their rejection way might bee made for the bringing in of the Gentiles into the Church that receiving and embracing Christ by faith all of them which belonged to Gods election might be saved Whereby he acquitteth God from being such an one as delighted in the destruction of his owne people and sheweth that the maine end at which hee aimed in their rejection was not that they might bee destroyed and condemned but partly to glorifie his justice in punishing them justly for their infidelitie and partly and chiefly to magnifie his mercie in the effectuall calling and salvation of the elect Gentiles and at last that he might also extend it
saith that at the preaching of Paul and Barnabas all they and they only who were ordained to life beleeved Act. 13.48 The which should teach us Vse that whilest wee ascribe unto God the glory of his justice in punishing of the wicked that wee doe not rob him of the glory of his mercy and goodnes as though he aimed in his decree at the destruction of his creatures or tooke delight in their eternall torments and finall condemnation seeing this is quite contrary to his nature as he hath described himselfe Exod. 34.6 and to that which the Prophets say of him namely that hee delighteth in mercie Micah 7.18 Yea contrarie to his owne oath Ezech. 33.11 As I live saith the Lord I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turne from his way and live For if hee doe not willingly that is with an absolute will without a kinde of necessitie put upon his justice by our sinnes afflict us with temporall punishments then how much lesse with those that are intolerable and endlesse Lam. 3.33 But let us come to some particular observations from the words of the question And first whereas by this demand hee presupposeth that the Iewes had stumbled even at those things which should have kept them from stumbling and falling From hence I observe That men Doct. through the carnall corruption of their sinfull nature are apt to stumble at those things which in their owne nature should stay and support them as namely Christ himselfe his Gospell and holy ordinances For the Iewes here stumble at Christ who was purposely sent to uphold and keepe them from falling He was in himselfe the chiefe Corner-stone to support the whole building of his holy Temple and Church Isa 28.16 And they through their infidelitie make him to become unto them a stone of offence at which many of them stumbled and fell into the pit of perdition According to Simeons prophecie that he should bee set for the fall and rising of many in Israel Luk. 2.34 Agreeable to that which Isay foretold of him long before namely that hee who was unto his Saints a Sanctuarie of safetie should be for a stone and stumbling blocke and for a rocke of offences to both the houses of Israel for a gin and a snare to the inhabitants of Ierusalem At which Many among them shall stumble and fall and be broken and be snared and be taken Isa 8.14 15. The which prophecie the Apostle fitteth to the Iewes Rom. 9.32 And as many stumble at this Corner stone so also at his Word and Gospell as the Apostle Peter speaketh 1 Pet. 2.8 The which as it is to the Iewes a stumbling blocke so unto the Greekes foolishnesse 1 Cor. 1.18 23. Yea not onely strangers and enemies but even many that follow Christ in an outward profession and boast themselves to bee his Disciples yet when hee preacheth high and holy mysteries of his spirituall union with his Church doe stumble and fall at this stone of offence and take occasion thereby to leave and forsake him Ioh. 6.60 66. Yea even his holy Apostles through naturall blindnesse did stumble at his heavenly doctrine as Peter when our Saviour foretold his passion Matth. 16.22 And all the rest when he taught them the unlawfulnes of being divorced unlesse in the case of adulterie Matth. 19.10 So when he taught with what difficultie rich men should bee saved they so stumbled thereat that they were astonished out of measure Mark 10.26 And thus when the Ministers of the word crosse mens corrupt humours and convince them of their sinnes they stumble at it and will not endure them and their Ministerie Moses is cast out of Pharaohs presence when hee delivereth Gods message faithfully Elias and Michaiah are counted Ahabs enemies when they deale plainly with him and tell him of his sinnes The Iewes will not endure Ieremie Ierem. 44. when hee crosseth their humour and challenge him to be a false Prophet who spake his owne word to them and not the word of the Lord. Herod goeth on smoothly a good while but when the Baptist reproved him for taking his brothers wife he stumbleth at this stone and is so incensed against him that hee must lose his head for it Thus also men make the word a stumbling blocke when they make it a Sanctuarie to secure them in their sinnes and countenance themselves in their wicked courses by wresting and mis-applying of the Scriptures So reprove some men for the abuse of the Sabbath shew them how God will blesse them that keepe it out of Isa 58. they quickly finde a stumbling block to make them sinne The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath Tell wicked and voluptuous men who spend their whole life in sinfull delights that it will not hold out before God nor stand in judgement They reply What will you allow a Gentleman no recreation must man live without all delight The Scripture affords recreation then everie place of Scripture that allowes any recreation must be an Advocate to plead in defence of their voluptuous and wicked lives and all this tossing and canvassing of Scripture is not a note of more wit but of more wickednesse and neere acquaintance with the Devill Such mens tongues are set on fire of Hell and blowen by Satans stinking breath and when they have said what they are able they doe but make their sin more grievous their heart more hard God more angrie themselves more justly and more deeply accursed than before The third sort that make the word a stumbling blocke are they that refuse to heare it because it makes against their sinnes wherewith they are in love and discovers those sinkes of sin in their hearts which they cannot endure to be detected and laid open Amont 〈…〉 oderunt ridargu 〈◊〉 Aug. Confess lib. 10. cap. 13. They love the truth shining hate it reproving saith Augustine They like the shining of the Sunne but the discovering of uncleane corners they like not This is their greatest torment that they cannot heare the word but their sinnes must still be beaten at when men be thus minded surely their destruction and fall is neere 2. Observ 2 In the question I note that it is one thing to stumble and another to fall Some of these Iewes stumble and yet doe not fall The best may stumble the reprobate onely doth fall finally Thomas may doubt David may lust Peter may deny his Master Paul may for a while persecute the Church these bee dangerous slips and fals yet when the night is past and the light appeares they rise againe if their names bee once in the booke of life they can never be put out a S quispian elâ—◠〈◊〉 percat 〈◊〉 Deus â—t nemo â—ctorum perit Aug. de corrupt grat cap 7. If any of the elect perish then God is deceived but not any of them perisheth saith Austine b Ei si quispiam pereat tum vitio
hâ—â—ano vincitur Deus If any one perisheth then God is overcome of human vice c Ex Ierusalem illa non suit qui periit Fspenâ—â—n 2 Tim. Out of that Ierusalem there was not one that perished saith Espencaeus d Non potest utruâ—â—q verum esse 〈◊〉 predestinitur non salvetar Loâ—b lib. 1. dij 40. Both these cannot be true that one should be elected and not saved sayes Lombard and the reasons bee pregnant 1. Gods immutabilitie 2. Christs keeping of the elect 3. Christs testimony Ioh. 10. 4. The sealing of Gods covenant But they that sinally fall were eternally reprobated and ordained to it Iude vers 4. For your better remembrance note these five propositions 1. There is a two-fold election 2. Some seeme good and to have faith which have it not 3. Hypocrites and unbeleevers may for a while be counted amongst the branches of Christs owne planting 4. They are said sometimes in Scripture to have faith who make profession of the doctrine of faith as 1 Tim. 4.1 sometimes when they have the gifts of miracles as 1 Cor. 13.10 5. The faith of the best of Gods elect may decay and bee fearefully shaken as above hath beene shewed From hence the best must learne to be humble and repent for they may stumble Vse The wicked do sinke with dispaire for they must fall and we all must learne to censure mildly when our brethren through infirmitie are overtaken Though they slip yet they may recover though stumble yet they may rise againe And so I come to the answer God forbid c. The answer is two-fold 1. Negative God forbid 2. Affirmative and that 1. That the Gentiles might bee called in their steads The other That by the Gentiles adoption hee might provoke the Iewes to emulation I begin with the negative God forbid As if hee should say Farre be it from me to thinke that either everie particular Iew should bee cast off or the Nation cast off for ever or that God in rejecting them should have no other respect but even to see their fall and keepe them downe that they should never rise for all are not rejected himselfe was one 2. The Nation not rejected for ever for abundance of them shall bee called vers 12. And besides God out of their fall hath wrought the happinesse and rising of the Gentiles The onely point that I select is this God never gives way to any evill whether it bee sinne Doct. or punishment but he workes it to a good end and brings one good or other out of it In evill man hath one end that hee may serve his pleasures The Devill another to draw him from obedience to his God and God hath a third which is sometimes secret but alwayes good as in the selling of Ioseph his brethren for envie Gen. 37.11 But God sent him before for the preservation of Iacob and to provide for him and his houshold Genes 45.5 The death of Christ in the intent of Satan and the Iewes was onely his death and to rid the Countrey of him But God out of this intolerable evill workes the happinesse and salvation of all that beleeve As poyson in it selfe is evill yet by the art and skill of the Physician it is made a remedie against sicknesse So God doth with evill Ve de veneno fiat spirituale antidetum Ambros de poenit lib. 4. cap. 3. That of poyson may be made a spirituall antidote saith Ambrose God brings good out of Shimei's cursing though hee shew his malice But God workes patience in David and made him hope that God would doe him good in stead of that cursing It may be the Lord will looke upon my affliction and doe mee good for his cursing this day 2 Sam. 16.12 S. Augustine shewes how God and man doe â—ill the same thing Enchirid. ad Lawent cap. 10â— and yet the end of the one is evill of the other good A sonne desires the death of his father which is evill God to take him to him an happinesse ineffably good All evill is either sinne or punishment God brings good out of both So Lombard It is good that evills be or be done Benum est mala esse â—el fieri alioquin summus bonus non permirteret ca fieri Lombard lib. 1. d stinct 46. otherwise God the chiefest good would not suffer them to bee done Out of sinne he workes 1. Acknowledgement of our wicked hearts and corrupted nature and makes us to detest our selves for it 2. Of our owne unability to stand against the assaults of sin which are suggested by Satan and makes us to magnifie Gods goodnesse who keepes us from sinne though not from all whereas hee might in justice suffer us to fall into all sinnes as well as any 3. It makes us to take speciall notice of the wilinesse of Satan who notwithstanding wee labour to avoyd sinne yet doth cunningly deceive us and draw us to it sometimes by the delight and pleasures of it as Heb. 11.25 sometimes by colouring with the habit and cloake of vertue and lastly with profit as Achan Iudas Gehazi 4. God by suffering us to sinne makes us take notice of his mercie in sparing us First to teach us to magnifie him for sparing us when wee did sinne Secondly to give us hope that he will be mercifull still and spare us though by infirmitie we sinne againe 5. Out of our sinnes he workes meeknesse in censuring and judging of others when they sinne as we have done Augustine saith that God bringeth out of our sinnes these good effects Aug. De Trâ—â—t lib. 13. cap 16. 1. Relictioneâ— peccati Forsaking of sin 2. Probationem sidei Triall of faith 3. Demonstrationem miserae hujus vitae Demonstration of this miserable life 4. Vt vita illa ubi vera erit beatitudo desideretur ardentiùs instantius inqutratur That that life where shall bee true happinesse may bee more ardently desired and more earnestly sought for Out of the evill of punishment hee works 1. Knowledge of the Statues and Lawes of God Psal 119.71 Before I was afflicted I went astray Vers 67. But now I have learned thy Statutes Afflictior es prorum suntâ—â— media enâ—rum Vt eo sere eniant ubi adgi ommâ—â— non possunt Aug. ad Largum Epist 82. The note that Musculus gives is this The afflictions of the godly are the remedies of their errours Then it is their care To come thither where they cannot at all bee afflicted saith Augustine These bee testimonies of a good God of an evill servant saith Salvianus 2. Humiliation for sin that brings it as Lam. 3.20 3. Deniall of all worldly pleasure which is wrought in man by Gods speciall grace as Heb. 11.25 As a little wormewood makes children forbeare their mothers breasts so doth affliction weane from carnall delights 4. It makes us conformable to the glorious image of the Sonne of God the Prince of our salvation was
Sioni unto Sion And so it is Isa 59.20 The redeemer shall come unto Sion and unto them that turne from iniquitie in Iacob And that some Greeke copies have it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for Sions sake and that perhaps the Printer made 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I take it as it stands Sion a mountaine of Ierusalem called the mountaine of the Lord and the holy mountaine in the top whereof was the tower of David which was also called the Citie of David 2 Sam. 5.7 from thence the deliverer comes Non quia ibi natus sed quis inde doctrina ejus exivit in universum muaedum Not because hee was borne there but because his doctrine went forth thence into all the world as Aquinas speakes on Rom. 11. and it agrees well with the Prophets words The Law shall goe forth of Sion and the word of the Lord from Ierusalem Isa 2.3 Wheresoever the word is preached thither Christ comes and there hee is Or thus When the Gospell is sent unto us then Christ himselfe is sent unto us Hence is that speech of Christ He that heareth you heareth me hee that despiseth you despiseth mee Luk. 10.16 as if it were no question but where the Word comes there Christ himselfe comes also Hence is that 1 Thess 4.8 Hee that despiseth these things despiseth not man but God for wheresoever the Gospell is preacht there Christ is had in it and covered under it Learne first what estimate wee are to make of the Gospell as the treasure hid in the sield for which the wise Merchant sels all that he hath Secondly that when wee have the Gospell wee can want nothing Ha' enti Deum n b l dcesse potest Nothing can bee wanting to him that hath God as vers 12. I hasten to the person The deliverer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The signification one that shall plucke them out of their miserie and servitude under which they grone to note Man under sinne endures miserable and wofull servitude Doct. And therefore is sinne compared unto a heavie burthen that makes the whole earth to reele Isa 24.20 that over-presseth God himselfe and makes him say of Moab Iudah and Israel Amos 2.13 I am pressed under you as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves It is that which made the Sonne of God to sweat drops and clods of bloud when our sinne was upon him Luk. 22.44 and therefore they that goe on in sinne are like to men that be pressed to death and cry still for more weight to be cast upon them and they feele not this weight because they are already dead or drowned in sinne A man on drie ground feeles the least weight of a bucket but a man at the bottome of a water feeles not though never so great weight and heape be upon him and therefore no marvell if it made David to roare Psal 32.3 Ezekiah to mourne like a dove to chatter like a crane Bonus etiamsi serviat liber est maâ—us etianisi regnet servus est Aug. de Civ Dei lib. 3. cap. 4. Isa 38.14 Secondly it is a miserable servitude to live in it and therefore must have a deliverer It is Augustines position A good man though he serves yet he is free a wicked man though he reignes is a servant I know not whereby to resemble this servitude of man under sinne better than by the subjection of him that was possessed Mark 9.22 The bondage of Istael under Pharao when they cried and groaned so loud that they moved the heavens Exod. 2.23 the slaverie of the Gibeonites made to be hewers of wood and drawers of water Iosh 9.23 The matchlesse bondage endured by poore Christians under Turks and Infidels is as much as nothing but like a yoke of reed in comparison of the servitude which man endures under sinne therefore sinne is said to reigne and tyrannize over them Rom. 6.12 It hath them in awe as the Centurion had his servants that saith to one Goe and he goeth Luk. 7.8 If it command the drunkard hee riseth early in the morning to follow it Isa 5.11 The adulterer he watcheth the twilight be the night never so blacke and darke Prov. 7.9 And though in the acting of some sinnes there be great difficultie yet doe they not excuse themselves as men doe when they should doe any good like Moses Exod. 4.1 They will not beleeve me and at vers 10. I am not eloquent And Ieremie Chap. 1.6 I am but a childe and cannot speake But bee the danger never so great the difficulties never so many the profit or pleasure never so small they adventure upon it What better can Ahab the King be for Naboths vineyard it is but to make a garden of herbs yet his master sinne hath commanded he must have it though it be like to cost him his life for hee lyes upon his bed turnes his face to the wall and will eat no bread 1 Kin. 21.4 Amnon can hardly have his purpose upon the body of Thamar if he have it will be but a short sudden pleasure yet his master sinne hath commanded and though it vex him never so sore and cast him into a fit of sicknesse and in the end cost him his life yet hee will doe it 2 Sam. 13. Bee the action never so base he that is servant to sinne must act it Be it in the dead time of the night he must breake his sleepe and rise and goe about it Be it in the extremitie of sicknesse yet even then hee must plot and contrive it upon his bed The bondage under sinne will appeare in this That though common sinners seeme to lead a pleasant and merrie life yet there is no greater toyle and drudgerie than that which they undergoe in contriving and acting of sinne Isa 5.11 Who rifeth so early as the drunkard who walkes so many darke nights as the adulterer who endures so many tempests as the Pyrats comes in so many dangers as theeves and robbers seldome doe they suffer either their eyes to sleepe or eye-lids to slumber or the temples of their head to take any rest The Vse is Vse to teach us the Apostles lesson Rom 6.12 Let not sinne reigne c. 1. It is a base service to serve either the flesh that is our fellow or the world that is our servant or the Devill that is our enemie 2. After all the service there will be a miserable payment death Rom. 6.23 the punishment of losse losse of happinesse peace life glorie of the blessed vision of God the eternall comforts of his Spirit of that noyse of heavenly musicke which beats the spheares and makes the heavens toring with hallelujahs of glorie and honour and peace The paine of sense in everie part paine and sorrow in the conscience convulsions and terrours in the tongue burning and heat and both these eternall Be the fire and brimstone never so hot they shall not consume it
their paine and griefe never so violent they shall not dye under it The Poets faine of Prometheus that for some miscarriage hee was tyed to the mountaine Caucasus with a Vulture gnawing upon his entrals And as Natalis Comes hath it Pascitur immortale jecur quantum luce volucris carpserit tantum huic misero nox una reponit Natal Com. Myshol lib. 4. cap. 6. Quae non carpit heâ—bam sedpascit ut sempèr renascatar ad pastum itainsernus non consumit hominem sed assligit ut homo temper vivat ad mortem Inno â—ent Serm. 2. Frunt passibilia jâ—amâ—rrupribi lia Tb. Aqen quaest 7. art 11. Mortsine morte sinu siac fine Greg. Moral lib. 9. cap. 54. His immortall liver still receives nourishment and how much the Fowle might have torne away by day so much one night restores to this miserable wretch Innocentius compares it to a sheepe which plucketh not up the herb but feedeth that it may alwayes spring againe to pasture so hell afflicts a man but consumes him not that man may alwayes live neere to death They shall be passible but incorruptible saith Aquinas Their worme dieth not their fire never goeth out saith our Saviour Marc. 9.44 Death without death end without end saith Gregorie To proceed in the person there bee three points I meane to insiston 1. Who was this deliverer 2. From what wee are delivered 3. By what price and ransome The person who is the Sonne the second person but not excluding the Father and Holy Ghost for Creation Redemption Sanctification are common to all for the Father redeemes by sending the Sonne Ioh. 3.17 sanctifies 1 Thess 5.23 The verie God of peace sanctifie you thorowout And the Son creates By him all things were made Ioh. 1.3 and sanctifies for he is made unto us wisdome sanctification and redemption 1 Cor. 1.30 and Ephes 5.26 He gave himselfe for it that â—ee might cleanse and sanctifie it by the washing of water through the word So of the Holy Ghost these workes upon the creature are undivided but with this order and method The Father doth all things of himselfe but by the Sonne and by the Holy Ghost The Sonne doth all things but of the Father by the Holy Ghost The Holy Ghost doth all things but of the Father and of the Sonne by himselfe There is no doubt but this was Christ From whence the Conclusion All hope of our deliverance from the tyrannie of sinne and paines of hell Doct. depends meerly upon the Sonne of God Who shall deliver mee from this body of sinne I thanke God through Iesus Christ our Lord. Rom. 7.25 We are dead in sinnes and trespasses by him must be quickened We have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an hand-writing hee must take it out of the way and naile it unto his crosse wee are subject to the powers of darknesse He hath spoiled principalities and powers and triumphed over them in his crosse Gol. 2.14 Derad 1. lib. 7. 15. Livie reports of Marcus Curtius a noble and worthy Romane that there being a strange vault or Chasma in the chiefe Market-place of all the Citie when it could not bee stopt with continuall casting in of earth they consulted with their Prophets and the answer was that it would not bee closed untill the best thing in all Italy were cast into it he leapt into the gulph devoting himselfe for the safetie of the Citie so our Saviour c. When Israel in the wildernesse loathed Manna the Lord sent fierie serpents which stung them in so much that many of them died in the end God prescribed to Moses a remedy and cure That hee should make a sierie Serpent of brasse and set it up for a signe that whosoever was bitten should looke upon it and live Numb 21.8 A type of Christ whose arme hath broken the head of the old Serpent and by his exaltation upon the crosse hath taken away the sting of death which is sinne 1 Cor. 15. This type and the antitype is notably fet downe by S. Iohn Chap. 3.14 As Moses lift up the Serpent in the wildernesse so must the Sonne of man bee lift up that whosoever beleeveth in him should not perish but have eternall life If Lazarus bee in his grave of earth it is he onely that can say Lazarus come forth Ioh. 11.44 If Hierome be in his grave of sinne it is he onely that can say Epist 5. ad Flovent Hierome come forth And this is the exposition of his name as the Angell gives it Matth. 1.21 Thou shalt call his name Iesus for hee shall save his people Hence are given to him the names of Redeemer 1 Cor. 1.30 of Saviour Him hath God lifted up to bee a Prince and Saviour Acts 5.31 And here the Deliverer in the words of my Text. Hence is that prophecie of Christ O death I will be thy death O grave I will be thy destruction Hos 13.4 O mors te morte meâ interimam O death I will be thy death by dying saith Zanchius on Hosea Whence we may learne 1. Vse 1 That no man is able to answer God for any one of his sinnes If God should dispute and take a strict account of mans doings he could not answer one of a thousand Iob 9.3 If thou Lord shouldest marke iniquities who could abide saith David Psal 130. Everie sinne is mortall and killing and therefore there is no more possibilitie to remove one sinne than for a dead man to raise and revive himselfe againe 2. Vse 2 The vanitie of Popish satisfaction The Trent Councell under Iulius the third Sess 4. Of the workes of satisfaction Chap. 10. Can. 12. a Si quis dixerit totam poenam simul cum culpa remitsi semper à Dcoonathema sit Concil Trid. apud Chemnie part 2. If any shall say that the whole punishment together with the fault is forgiven of God let him bee accursed Grounded as I suppose upon some hyperbolicall speeches of the Fathers as of Origen who cals satisfaction b Praetium quo peccata redimuntur Orig. super Levit. Hom. 15. A price whereby sinnes are redeemed Of Cyprian c Sordes post baptismum contractae ablunntur eleemesynie Cypr. de Elcemos Sect. 1. Filth contracted after baptisme is washed away by almes Of Ambrose d Peccata satisfactionibus expiari Ambr. Epist ad laps virg Sinnes are expiated by satisfactions Of Augustine e Propitiandus Per eleemosynas est Deus August Enchir. ad Laurent cap. 70. By almes is God to bee pacified And it is wonderfull to see how the Schoole-men goe mad in the point Aquinas saith that a man may f Supplem par 3. quaest 12. art 3. vindicare divinam vindictam compensare divinam offensam deliver from Gods vengeance and may recompence God offended and makes the satisfaction equivalent to the wrong done per aequivalentiam non quantitatis sed proportionis etiam pro alienis peccatis by the equivalencie not
of quantitie but proportion yea for other mens sinnes And the Trent Councell g Sicut Christus passione sia satesecit pro peccatis ita nos satisfanendo patimur pro peccatis As Christ by his suffering satisfied for our sinnes so we by satissying suffer for our sinnes And yet when the Fathers speake dogmatically they affirme no such thing h Nec Deo benis factis placemur nec pro peccatus satu facimus Cypr. act Clerum plebem Ep. 8. Neither please wee God by our good deeds neither satisfie for our sinnes saith Cyprian And the Schoole-man himselfe faith thus i Baptizato non est injungenda satisfactio hoc enim est injuriam sacere Christi morti passioni c. Sum. 3. quaest 68. art 5. Satisfaction must not be enjoyned him that is boptized for this is to wrong Christs death and possion as if that were not a full and sufficient satisfaction for the sins of the baptized And Chrysostome speaking of Peter k Lego lachrymas satisfactionem non lego Chrysain Luc. 22. I read teares satisfaction I read not I need no more but that of the Apostle 1 Ioh. 2.1 If any man sinne wee have an advocate with the Father Iesus Christ and hee is the propitiation for our sinnes Or that of the Prophet Hee hath taken upon him the iniquitie of us all Isa 53.6 Or that of Paul He was made sinne for us c. 2 Cor. 5.21 Yea but saith l De Purgat lib. 1. cap. 11. Bellarmine If Christ satisfied for everre fault and punishment how comes it to passe that after sinne remitted in Christ we endure so many miseries and in the end die aut cur infantes baptizati aegroti moriantur or why are infants baptized sicke and die I answer him out of * Tract in Ioh. 124. Augustine 1. For the demonstration of deserved miserie 2. For the exercise of necessary patience 3. For the mending of unstable life so that it is castigatio non damnatio medicina non poena a chastisement not a condemnation a medicine not a punishment 4. For the demonstration of the workes of God But why is the punishment longer than the fault Hee answereth in the same place lest the fault should be thought small therefore when the fault is finished the punishment remaines My Conclusion is that of the Psalmist Psal 49.6 7 8. Though a man have multitudes of goods yet no man can red eme his brother nor pay a ransome to God it costs more c. There bee two other points The one from what Christ delivers that is intimated in this sinne death I will take onely the third By what Christ doth deliver from sinne and death Christ by his death upon the crosse hath delivered us from sinne and the curse Doct. A thing that was presigured in the Sacrifices for sinne in the time of the Law but was fulfilled in Christ when hee was offered upon the crosse so that he is the only Sacrifice for sinne as the Prophet speakes Isa 53.10 Therefore saith the Apostle He tooke the writing that was against us or the bill of debts which we owed unto God and nayled it to his crosse that is cancelled it and spoyled principalities and powers and triumphed over them upon the same crosse Audiat hoc haereticus qui Christum horntuem regat audiat Christianus Christum tam despicatum prose sactum and at peccator quid meritus sit hemo quam miser brmo quid passus Deus homo Let the heretique heare this who denies Christ to bee man let a Christian heare that Christ was made so despicable for his sake let a sinner heare what man deserved how miserable man is what God and man suffered saith Ferus He must dye betweene heaven and earth to note that he was Mediatour betweene heaven and earth Secondly on a tree because he would expiate sinne committed in eating the fruit of a forbidden tree Thirdly with hands reached out to shew that the way to his heart and mercifull love was open Fourthly with his feet nayled to the tree to shew that hee would not depart till wee were fully redeemed much like the Apostles phrase It pleased God by him to reconcile all things to himselfe and to sit at peace through the bloud of his crosse both things in heaven and things in earth Col. 1.20 Sangats Clristi est clavis Parad si litier Epist ad Dardonum I end with that of Hierome The bloud of Christ is the key of Paradise Marke yee here the nature of sinne Vse all the water in the sea cannot wash it the bloud of buls cannot wash it Hebr. 10.4 It is a passionate speech of Micah Wherewith shall I come before the Lord and bow my selfe before the high God shall I come with burnt offerings and calves of a yeere old will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams or ten thousand rivers of oyle shall I give my first borne for my transgression even the fruit of my body for the sinne of my soule Micah 5.6 7. No no all the gold of Ophir cannot ransome it all the Fullers sope in the world cannot cleanse it all the water of Iordan cannot wash it all the fig-leaves in the garden cannot cover one sinne there is no salve but one and the ingredientrare The bloud of the Sonne of God Consider yee that make so small a reckoning of sinne it had beene better that you had never beene borne or that your mother had tyed a mill-stone about your neckes and drowned you in the sea than to dye with one sinne unwasht unpardoned How then dare yee be so bold to act that which can so hardly be pardoned or run on still upon score which can so hardly be paid or thinke that sinne to be light and small which cast the Sonne of God into so many fits and agonies which caused him to utter so many passionate prayers Let this cup passe from me which drove him to that holy despaire My God my God c. and at last put him to a shamefull and ignominious death 2. Vse 2 If our sinne were so great and Christ so good as to die for it that we might live then can we doe no lesse than spend in his service our whole life acknowledge our selves his in all dutie and service So the Apostle wisheth us 1 Cor. 6.21 Yee are bought with a price an high Price the Son of God bought with a price an invaluable and inestimable price the life of Iesus Christ with a price not corruptible as silver and gold but with the precious bloud of Christ as of a Lambe undefiled 1 Pet. 1.18 and what is the inference therefore glorifie God both in your bodies and in your soules He endured paine in his body whipping spitting scourging buffeting thornes nailes speares paine in his soule My soule is heavie unto death Matth. 26.38 therefore glorifie him in thy soule and thy body let thy hand feed
Sabbaths hee will bring to passe what hee hath threatned and set a fire in thy gates as in Ierusalem Ierem. 17.27 If you will not help the Armies of God yee shall bee cursed like Meroz Iudg. 5.23 Your sinne will finde you out though you be never so covertly hid as Moses told Reuben and Gad Numb 32.23 and when once you are found out and started evill shall hunt you and chase you till you bee destroyed Psal 140.11 What shall we doe miserable men in that day when the Lord shall come in a flame of fire Quid sacien us in ilid dâ—e miseri quando dominus igneus vencrit cadentibus slelliâ— Sâ—l in teneâ—â— as Lunain sanguinem mutabitur montes lit ceral quesâ—â—nt mare siccabitur quando peccatores dâ—cent montibus Cadite super nos tegite 〈◊〉 quaâ— dovocabunt homines moâ—tem non veniet vocata Hiâ—â— Epist de Scâ—â—â— Legis Tom. 4. the Starres falling the Sunne shall be changed into darknesse and the Moone into bloud the mountaines shall melt as wax the sea shall be dried up when sinners shall say to the mountaines fall upon us cover us when men shall call to death and death being called shall not come saith Hierome And so I come from the assurance and securitie this is my covenant to the grace covenanted or promised I will take away their sinnes These words have in them first a person secondly an action take away thirdly the matter removed I will this time goe but to the person I. It is proper to God alone to forgive and pardon sin It is the Lord the Lord that forgives iniquitie transgression and sinne Doct. For so God describes himselfe to Moses Exod. 34.7 It is hee that is a just God and Saviour from sinne and besides him there is none other Isa 45.21 It is our heavenly Father that forgives trespasses Matth. 6.14 Who can forgive sinne but God onely Mark 2.7 I say no more but as Nathan said to David when hee confessed his sinne and said I have sinned against the Lord The Lord hath put away thy sin thou shalt not die 2 Sam. 12.13 The Reason Reason 1 First because sinne is committed onely against the Law and Majestie of God and as for the offence against the creature it is no more but an iujurie wrong or trespasse for in sinne there bee two things 1. The evill or obliquitie of the action 2. An hurt or detriment arising unto man by the action The evill of the action or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 crossing the Law of God is the sinne properly and the remission of it is in God only But the hurt or detriment by that trespasse falling upon man in goods body name a man pardons without impeachment of Gods honour Thus then doth man forgive when he remits the harme that ariseth together with all anger and revenge But Gods forgiving is an absolving from the sinne it selfe as he himselfe speakes I even I am bee that puts away thine iniquities for mine owne sake Isa 43.25 It is I that put away thy transgressions as a cloud and thy sinnes as a mist Isa 44.22 God sometimes forgives the sinne when man forgives not the wrong and man sometimes forgives the wrong when God forgives not the sinne as Stephen Secondly Reason 2 the breach of humane precepts or doing of any thing against a man is no sinne unlesse it doe withall imply and include the transgressions of the Commandement of God Thirdly Reason 3 God takes away not onely the punishment as men in outward punishments partly can doe but also removes the guilt and corruption of nature which none else can doe Fourthly Reason 4 Gods power and authoritie is most absolute independant and cannot by any other be prevented or hindered from giving and granting of pardon to his sonnes and children And from hence let us learne First Vse 1 that seeing God hath made promise of forgivenesse of sinnes to the Iewes a promise to reconcile them by the covenant of grace let us not despaire of their salvation but set our selves to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as fellow-workers with God to helpe and set forward and to hasten their conversion that there may be one shepherd and one sheepefold as our Saviour speakes in Ioh. 10.16 And of all meanes to doe them good there is nothing more available than their observation of our good life who professe Christ that will worke when the word doth not 1 Pet. 3.1 2. Essicacior von bonioperu quà m elegantis serâ—onu Illius Doctoris libenter audio vocem Bâ—â—n sâ—p Cant serm 59. Horat. de art poetic Aug. confess lib 9 cap. 9. The voice of a good worke is more effectuall than that of an elegant speech I willingly heare the voice of that Teacher c. saith Bernard Si vis me flere dolendum priùs ipse tibi Thou must first grieve thy selfe if thou wilt have mee to weepe S. Augustine reports that his mother Monicha won her Patricius from being an impure Manichee by her prudence manners and chastitie Let us follow the rule of Christ Matth. 5.16 Let your light so shine before men c. Let us behave our selves among them as S. Peter wisht them once to behave themselves among us Have your conversation honest among the Gentiles that they by your good works which they shall see may glorifie God in the day of their visitation 1 Pet. 2.12 Capat artis est docere quod sacis Hier de re monach ex Cicerone The principall of an art is to teach what thou doest saith Hierome Secondly Vse 2 I might hence confute all superstitious persons proud pharisaicall Papists who seeke for righteousnesse of a sinner and the pardon of sins not only from Gods mercy in Christ but from humane satisfactions indulgences purgatory fire prayer for the dead and humane merits But I will not spend my time in taking out the stinke of these popish channels my conclusion is Vse 3 That seeing God only can forgive it let us become suiters unto him only to pardon it let us confesse it for confession must goe before remission It is excellent Psal 32.3 While I held my tongue my bones consumed while I cried all the day long Tacui and yet clamavi I held my tongue and yet I cried Tacuit unde proficeret clamavit unde desiceret tacui confessionem clamavi praesumptionem saith Augustine He was silent in that whereby he might profit himselfe he cried out whereby he failed I kept silent my confession I uttered my presumption all this while my bones consumed At last he bethinkes another course I confessed Agnâ—scit peâ—â—ator ignoscit Deus and thou forgavest The sinner acknowledgeth God pardoneth Before confession no comfort after confession no punishment Let us leave them let us hate them and pray for the pardon of them spare not to speake lest wee spare to speed but cry with the Publican God be mercifull to mee a sinner let us
lawfull calling is the common good as members for the common good of the body be it politicke or naturall Therefore many perswade themselves that they have lawfull callings when they have none such as live by usurie carding dicing playing these have neither the Author God nor the end the common good Now in the right use of a calling consider foure things First that they make choyce of a calling which is lawfull and honest Secondly that they make choyce of a calling which is fit for them and they for it Epist Endoxio Rhâ—tori Nazianzene reports of the Athenians That when their youth came to bee of age fit for employment they permitted them to make choyce of such callings in which they saw them take most delight because those things best succeed which we undertake by natures guidance Thirdly hee that is fitted for many must make choyce of the best Art thou called being a servant care not for it that is Though thy calling bee meane and hard yet shake it not off but beare it patiently 1 Cor. 7.21 Fourthly leave it not without good warrant but I hasten to my conclusion Let everie man examine his calling at the Apostles rule 1 Cor. 7.24 Let everie man wherein he as called walke with God No calling is lawfull when the action pleaseth not God as 1 Cor. 10.31 By this I hope some will learne at last to give over their calling whereby they bring not honour but dishonour unto God Those that live upon usurie by dicing houses by penning and acting of playes let them all remember this mine heart trembles to thinke what calling these men have my soule wonders how they glorifie God in them I marvell how these make for a publike good how God is honoured a kingdome bettered the common good promoted by them I know not I beleeve not And so I come to the Cui who must have all this honour Him It was the proud speech of Sennacherib Have any of their Gods delivered the Nations out of mine hand Isa 36.18 taking the glorie of all victories unto himselfe None may challenge the glorie of any thing that hee doth or hath unto himselfe The glorie must not rest upon him that hath any good but must bee returned to him that gave it Now it is God that gives everie good thing that wee enjoy for Everie good and perfit gift comes downe from the Father of lights Iam. 1.17 FINIS The Table A. PArents greatnes cannot pâ—ocure acceptance for their children pag. 41 Account must bee given by Ministers for their peoples soules pag. 253 Workes of God admired by the godly p. 454. Christ an Advocate to all he died for p. 447 Wicked men think the godly out of favour because afflicted p. 10 Men are ready to afflict the afflicted p. 302 No outward privilege can exempt from Gods anger p. 12 God answers his peoples prayers p. 104 Why God doth not answer sometimes p. 105 Apostles of foure kindes p. 244 Apostles excelled in six things p. 245 Spirit of application a signe of election p. 26 Faithfull Preachers make application to their people p. 241 Application of Stories of others to our selves p. 242 Assurance of salvation may be had here p. 22 75 Assurance of salvation set downe Rom. 8. p. 24 Assurance Papists errour concerning it p. 38 Assurance beleevers happinesse by it p. 39 Attention great to weightie points p. 365 God takes sinne quite away in forgivenesse p. 409 God takes sinne away three wayes ibid. B. BAal what it signifieth p. 115 Baal the originall of it p. 116 Children may be saved that dye unbaptized p. 276 Everie wicked man base p. 44 All riches without grace is beggerie p. 236 God beholding to none p. 470 Christ died onely for beleevers p. 447 Why Paul saith hee was of Benjamin p. 19 How to know we benefit by the ordinances p. 243 Best See Punishment Holinesse makes blessed p. 13 What is due to God of his blessings p. 271 Wee should register Gods blessings p. 346 Blindnesse a punishment of unbeleevers p. 187 Blindnesse spirituall and bodily compared p. 188 Blindnesse spirituall freedome from it requires thankefulnesse p. 189 Boldnesse of sinne p. 297 Spirituall judgements set forth in borrowed terms and why p. 185 Bowing a token of subjection p. 115 Bowing before an Idoll idolatrte p. 117 Bowing the backe what p. 191 Bountie to Saints a signe of love to God p. 34 Bountie of God should keepe us from sinne p. 343 C. NO sinner so desperate but may bee called p. 264 What Calling wee should chuse p. 476 Why men are so prone to censure others p. 431 Certaintie See Faith Promises to godly parents belong to their children p. 272 What holinesse is traduced from parents to children p. 274 All the elect committed to Christ p. 14 Elect desire the comming of Christ p. 37 Wee are predestinate in Christ p. 52 No meanes to glorie but Christ p. 71 The Iewes conversion a little before the comming of Christ p. 381 All our deliverance by Christ p. 390 Evils of countries imputed to Christians p. 234 Foure signes that there are few members of the true Church p. 113 In greatest revolts God preserves his Church p. 372 Gods promises to keepe his Church p. 373 Combat betweene flesh and Spirit a signe of election p. 30 Comforts must 〈◊〉 bee concealed from the wicked p. 5 Comfort for Christians in all estates p. 87 Comfort to the elect that they have a God to goe to p. 106 See Fall Place Wicked might have much good by the company of good men p. 224 Motive to confesse sinne p. 408 The Gospell though opposed shall convert the Elect. p. 378 Pope made Iudge of controversies and why p. 81 The word written the Iudge of controversies p. 144 God when he pardons sinne removes the guilt and corruption p. 406 Covenant of God that the Saints cannot fall away p. 16 Al that are called Christians not in Covenant p. 17 The Iewes within the Covenant shall not bee lost p. 384 Two acts in the counsell of â—oâ— p. 54 Sinne cries for judgement p. 369 R probation no act of crueltie p. 56 Curse how wee are freed from it p. 394 D. LIving in sinne a state of death p. 261 Pelagians errour touching death in sinne p. 262 Gospell raiseth men from death p. 266 We are reconciled by Christs death p. 399 God defendeth his Church p. 90 118 Deliverance by Christ. p. 390 Despaire the evill of it p. 353 Mâ—anes of grace abused turne to destruction p. 168 Destruction from the best things of wicked men p. 177 Destruction to seeke life in the Law p. 181 Destruction not aimed at in Gods decree p. 200 Man the cause of his owne destruction p. 312 Donatists errour p. 353 Drowsinesse in the best Christians p. 350 E. EAre how needfull a member p. 169 Election not proved by outward privileges p. 12 Election nine signes of it p. 25 Election three things concerning it p. 56 Election
Lectures Vpon The Eleventh Chapter To The ROMANS Preached by that learned and Godly Divine of famous memorie Dr. SUTTON in St. Marie Overies in Southwarke Published for the good of all Gods Church generally and especially of those that were then his Hearers APOC. 14 1â— Blessed are the dead which dye in the Lord from henceforth yea saith the Spirit that they rest from their labors and their works doe follow them LONDON Printed by I. H. for Nicolas Bourne and are to be sold at his shop at the South Entrance of the Royall Exchange 1632. TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE ROBERT Lord BROOKE Baron of Beauchamp-Court I. D. Wisheth all increase of saving graces with true honour and prosperitie in this life and eternall happinesse in the life to come I Shall not need Right Honourable to spend much time and many words in commending this Booke to your Lordship and all sincere Lovers of Gods truth seeing the name of the Author surmounting my best praises can much better grace it to them and many were they that knew him and the worke it selfe may worthily commend the Author to them that knew him not Jt presenteth unto your Lordship the labours and Lectures of that faithfull Servant of God and famous Preacher of the Gospell Doctor Sutton in his weekly exercise at S. Marie Overies in Southwarke which when they were delivered were received with the generall applause and approbation of all his Hearers that were godly and judicious A man furnished with many rich endowments and entrusted by our great Lord and Master with not a few of his choycest talents which whilest he lived hee employed faithfully and fruitfully to the glorie of God and the edification of his people in his painfull Ministerie But alas too little a while did this burning and shining light appeare unto the world setting in our Horizon and without any Poeticall fiction dying in the Ocean by an unnaturall motion before he had attained unto the high noone of his perfection that he might shine much more cleerely among those bright Stars who with him have been the meanes upon earth of enlightning and converting many others Some little glympse hath hee left behind him of his greater light like the rayes in the skie after the Sun setting in these his labours penned by his owne hand for his owne use which wanting the gracefulnesse of his elocution and powerfull spirit to enlive them in which he excelled are but like a naked body stripped of its ornaments or a dead picture compared to a living body and this picture as farre short in beautie and likenesse of that it would have beene if himselfe had lived to perfect it with his owne pensill as a picture taken of a dead man in comparison of one which is drawen to the life But yet I supposed that this dimmer candle-light of his fruitfull labours was too usefull and profitable to lye any longer hid under a bushell and that it was in me a kinde of sacrilege to rob the Church of the use of his talents after hee had done trading with them and to hide them in a manuscript as it were in a napkin which being published might become profitable for the inriching of many And therefore that God might be yet more glorified by these fruitfull labours of his faithfull servant and the Church thereby might be also further edified J have caused them by being imprinted to be laid out in common for the benefit of many especially those who having beene his ordinarie hearers were much addicted to his Ministerie and will highly esteem the worke for the Authors sake The which I humbly present and dedicate to your Honors Patronage being emboldened hereunto by your fervent love to Gods truth and your zealous profession of it in these cold and declining times as also for that honourable respect which I have observed in your Lordship to Gods poore Ministers and your cheerefull receiving of them and their message for their Masters sake and finally that I might take occasion hereby of preserving and continuing your Honourable acquaintance with me the least of Gods Servants which J highly esteeme not for any worldly respects but that J may be still honoured by your Noble and Christian love and bee alwayes ready by my best services to honour you in it The Lord more and more multiply all his graces in you that you may long remaine as a Noble Peere of our Common-wealth so a firme Pillar of our Church adorning your religion which as your best ornament chiefly adorneth you and gracing that truth by your holy profession and practice which above all other titles will most enoble you and make you truly honoured in this world in the sight of God and all good men and eternize your glorie in the life to come The which shall bee the heartie prayer of me a poore Minister of Jesus Christ who shall ever remaine much devoted to your Lordship in all Christian dutie and service Iohn Downame To the Christian Reader IT is no small part of mans miserie that being created by God in a state of happinesse and immortalitie hee hath made himselfe mortall by his sinne and fall And it is an evidence of Gods infinite and never sufficiently admired mercie that hee hath not onely by the death of his best beloved Sonne restored all his elect to a state of incorruption and eternall life and blessednesse in the world to come but also in this world hath provided certaine meanes and medicines for the curing in some sort even of death and mortalitie it selfe which in their owne nature are apt to burie us all in perpetuall oblivion Namely that whereas by Gods just unchangeable sentence we must all dye yet by generation we propagate our kinde and so though mortall in our selves wee are immortalized in our posteritie Besides which benefit common to all mankinde God vouchsafeth a more peculiar blessing unto those whom he calleth to be spirituall Fathers in the Church begetting children unto God by the seed of the Word and preserving them in this life of grace by their fruitfull and powerfull preaching of the Gospell Especially if hee also enableth them to leave unto their children the riches of their holy writings for their instruction and increasing of their spirituall growth in all grace and goodnesse as it were holy legacies bequeathed by their last will and testament For those spirituall births of the braine are herein much to bee preferred before the fruit of the wombe in that they continue an honourable memorie of their Father after his death whereas the other often degenerating from the vertues of their Ancestours doe staine their names with their vices and dishonourable actions But much more doth God honour those who thus honour him in giving them power to speake unto his people even when their bodies rot in the grave and making them instruments of his glorie and of much good vnto his children even for a long time after death So that as wicked men doe
not onely whilest they live by their sinnes treasure up wrath against the day of wrath and prepare a fire in which they shall everlastingly be burned but also by propagating their sinnes unto posteritie and leaving behinde them the example of their vices whereby others daily are successively corrupted doe adde fuell to that hellish fire and increase their never ending torments So Gods servants even after they are dead have still a stocke going when as they leave behinde them their Christian vertues for examples and their holy writings teaching and perswading others to follow them whereby a daily addition is made to their glorie and happinesse Such legacies after his departure hath this reverend and faithfull servant of Christ left for the use and benefit of the Church and such children to perpetuate his name and memorie unto all posteritie I meane the summe and substance of many his learned Sermons which he preached in his place charge at S. Marie Overies in Southwarke to the great benefit comfort and contenment of those that heard him The which though he had not polished and perfected for the Presse as he might have done if it had pleased God to have prolonged his life yet I thought it not fit that they should alwaies be hidden from the world because they had not on them their best apparrell They were I assure thee his owne legitimate children conceived and bred in his owne braine which were thus farre fitted for their birth and prepared for the Presse though himselfe wanted life and strength to bring them forth Esteeme them not the lesse because they are Orphans but entertaine them rather with the more love and if thou findest in them any defects and wants pitie them the more because they have lost their father who would had he lived have supplyed them and esteeme them both in their own worth and also for their fathers sake And if I finde that thou givest this kinde entertainment to these his fruitfull labours as it were his first borne there are divers other children of the same father which shall ere long bee brought to light I meane his Lectures on the twelfth Chapter to the Romans and on a great part of the â—19 Psalme with some others In the meane while I commend them to God and the word of his grace which is able to build thee up and to give thee an inheritance among all them that are sanctified Thine in the Lord Iesus J. D. The Contents GOds Ministers must not conceale comforts from the wicked pag. 5 Wicked men presume upon outward privileges pag. 9 No outward privileges exempt from Gods anger p. 12 The faithfull cannot finally fall away p. 14 All that carrie the name of Christians are not in the Covenant p. 17 Those of all Nations that beleeve and repent shall be saved p. 19 A man may be assured of his salvation in this life p. 22 Parentage can neither hinder nor further salvation p. 40 Grace is above greatnesse p. 42 Sinne will ruine a people notwithstanding outward privileges p. 46 God predestinated us in Christ p. 52 We are predestinate to the meanes as well as the end p. 53 Faith nor workes forseene no cause of election p. 60 No meanes to glorie but by Christ p. 71 All that doe good workes are elect and shall be saved p. 74 The elect cannot finally be cast off p. 76 The Scriptures able to make wise to salvation p. 79 There is a familiaritie between God and his children p. 85 Prophets and good men stand in the gap p. 87 Prayers the Churches best weapons p. 89 The wicked persecute the best most p. 93 When the Prophets are gone the people fall from God p. 95 Wicked men overthrow the meanes of Gods service p. 98 Wicked men dispute against the truth with the sword p. 99 Christs Church scarsly visible sometimes p. 100 Wicked men requite Gods Prophets evill for good p. 102 When Gods servants crie to him hee answereth them p. 104 A great grace in corrupt times to bee preserved from sinne p. 109 God owneth not Idolaters for his p. 110 God hath alway a Church though invisible to man p. 113 To bow before an Idoll is idolatrie p. 117 God at all times preserves his Church p. 118 Those that belong to God are not many p. 120 God saveth man of his free grace p. 126 God in electing man respects not good workes p. 129 All men shall not be saved p. 134 No man can attaine life by his owne righteousnesse p. 135 Those that stand upon their owne holinesse are hardned p. 137 We must seeke God in a right manner p. 138 A man elect shall certainly be saved p. 139 Hardnesse of heart a signe of reprobation p. 141 The written Word should bee Iudge of controversies p. 144 Causes of hardnesse of heart p. 145 God punisheth one sinne with another p. 162 An heavie judgement to neglect the meanes to know God p. 163 Meanes of salvation abused turne to destruction p. 168 A miserie to heare and not profit p. 169 Meanes contemned are not profitable p. 173 God receiveth all that turne to him p. 164 The best things of wicked men turne to their destruction p. 177 They that seeke life in the Law finde destruction p. 181 God repayes men in the same kinde p. 182 God punisheth unbeleevers with spirituall blindnesse p. 187 God hates and severely punisheth infidelitie p. 193 When wicked men abuse their power God deprives them of it p. 194 Prudence in Ministers in denouncing of judgements p. 200 Men stumble at those things that should support them p. 203 The best may stumble reprobates fall finally p. 206 God workes good out of evill p. 208 God workes good to his by unlikely meanes p. 213 God takes al oportunities to do his children good p. 214 When the Gospell is abused God takes it away p. 216 Where the Gospell is preached salvation is offered p. 218 God requires an holy emulation p. 221 The good that is in others should provoke us to follow them p. 223 Gods kindnesse should make us ashamed of unthankfulnesse p. 225 The grace and knowledge of God and Christ is true riches p. 231 The Iewes at their conversion shall be inriched with graces p. 239 Faithfull Preachers turne all they say to their peoples use p. 241 Good people feare the losse of their faithfull Preachers p. 243 Ministers should intend the good of their people p. 247 Ministers by preaching and liuing should grace their calling p. 250 Good Ministers aime at the salvation of soules p. 252 A good Minister Gods instrument to save soules p. 256 Preachers must neglect no meanes to convert soules p. 258 We ought most to tender the salvation of those that are neere us p. 259 Living in sinne is an estate of death p. 261 Wee should not despaire of the calling of the Iewes p. 264 The Gospell the meanes of raising men from the dead p. 266 What is due to God of his owne blessings