we so poreblinde that we cannot discerne any blessing and prouidence of God in them Therefore let vs learne to looke vpon both ioyntly togither and so shall wee bee thankfull vnto God in prosperitie and patient in aduersitie with Iob and Dauid This lesson Paul learned I can be abased saith he and I can abound euery where in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungrie and to abound and to be in want Fourthly seeing Gods prouidence disposeth all things wee are taught to gather obseruations of the same in things both past and present that we may learne thereby to be armed against the time to come Thus Dauid when hee was to encounter with Goliah gathered hope and confidence to himselfe for the time to come by the obseruation of Gods prouidence in the time past for saith he when I kept my fathers sheepe I slue a lyon and a beare that deuoured the flocke nowe the Lord that deliuered me out of the paw of the lyon and out of the paw of the beare he will deliuer me out of the hand of this Philistim Fifthly because Gods prouidence disposeth all things when we make lawfull promises to doe any thing we must put in or at the least conceiue this condition if the Lord will for S. Iames saith that we ought to say If the Lord will and if we liue we will doe this or that This also was Dauids practise for to all the congregation of Israel he saide If it seeme good to you and if it proceede from the Lord our God we will send to and fro Sixtly seeing Gods prouidence is manifested in ordinary means it behooueth euery man in his calling to vse them carefully when ordinarie meanes be at hand wee must not looke for any help without them though the Lord be able to doe what he wil without meanes Ioab when many Aramites came against him he heartened his souldiers though they were but fewe in number bidding them be strong and valiant for their people and for the citties of their god and then let the Lord doe that which is good in his eies And our Sauiour Christ auoucheth it to be flat tempting of God for him to leape downe from the pinacle of the temple to the ground wheras there was an ordinarie way at hand to descend by staires Hence it appeares that such persons as wil vse no means whereby they may come to repent and beleeue doe indeede no more repent and beleeue then they can be able to liue which neither eate nor drinke And thus much of the duties Nowe followe the consolations first this very point of Gods speciall prouidence is a great comfort to Gods Church for the Lord moderateth the rage of the deuill and wicked men that they shal not hurt the people of God Dauid saith The Lord is at my right hand therefore I shall not slide And when Iosephs brethren were afraid because they had solde him into Egypt he comforteth them saying that it was God that sent him before them for their preseruation So king Dauid when his owne souldiers were purposed to stone him to death he was in great sorrow but it is said he comforted himselfe in the Lord his God Where we may see that a man which hath grace to beleeue in God and rely on his prouidence in all his afflictions and extremities shall haue wonderfull peace and consolation Before we can proceede to the articles which followe it is requisite that we should intreat of one of the greatest workes of Gods prouidence that can be because the opening of it giueth light to all that inâ—ueth And this worke is a Preparation of such meanes whereby God will manifest his iustice mercie It hath two parts the iust permission of the fall of maÌ„ the giuing of the CouenaÌ„t of grace For so Paul teacheth wheÌ„ he saith That god shut vp all vnder vnbeleefe that he might haue mercie vpon all And againe The scripture hath concluded all vnder sinne that the promise by the faith of Christ Iesus should be giuen to them that beleeue Touching the first that we might rightly conceiue of mans fall we are to search out the nature and parts of sinne Sinne is any thing whatsoeuer is against the will and word of God as S. Iohn saith Sinne is the transgression of the lawe And this definition Paul confirmeth when he saith that by the lawe comes the knoweledge of sinne and where no lawe is there is no transgression and sinne is not imputed where there is no lawe In sinne we must consider three things the fault the guilt the punishment The fault is the anomie or the inobedience it selfe and it comprehends not onely huge and notorious offences as idolatrie blasphemie theft treason adulterie and all other crimâ—s that the world criâ—s shame on but euery disordered thought affection inclination yea euery defect of that which the law requireth The guilt of sinne is whereby a man is guiltie before God that is bounde made subiect to punishment And here two questions must be skanned where man is bound and by what For the first Man is bound in conscience And hereupon the conscience of euery sinner sitts within his heart as a little iudge to tell him that he is bound before God to punishment For the second it is the order of diuine iustice set downe by God which bindes the conscience of the sinner before god for he is Creatour and Lord and man is a creature and therefore must either obey his will and commandementâ— or suffer punishment Nowe then by vertue of Gods lawe conscience bindes ouer the creature to beare a punishment for his offence done against God yea it tells him that he is in danger to be iudged and condemned for it And therefore the conscience is as it were the Lordes Sergeant to informe the sinner of the bond and obligation whereby he alwaies stands bound before God The third thing which followeth sinne is punishment and that is death So Paul saith The stipend of sinne is death where by death wee must vnderstand a double death both of bodie and soule The death of the bodie is a separation of the bodie from the soule The second death is a separation of the whole man but especially of the soule from the glorious presence of God I say not simplie from the presence of God for God is euery where but only from the ioyfull presence of Gods glorie Now these two deaths are the stipends or allowance of sinne and the least sinne which a man committeth doth deserue these two punishments For in euery sinne the infinite iustice of God is violated for which cause there must needes be inflicted an infinite punishment that there may be a proportion betweene the punishment and the offence And therefore that distinction of sinne which Papists make namely that some are in themselues veniall and some mortall is false and
hereby confuted otherwise in respect of the diuers estate and condition of men sinnes are either veniall or mortall Veniall they are to the elect whose sinnes are pardonable in Christ but to the reprobate all sinnes are mortall Neuertheles we holde not all sinnes equall but that they are greater or lesse according to the diuersitie of obiects and other circumstances Thus much of sin in generall nowe we come to the parts of it The first sin of all that euer was in man is the sinne of Adam which was his disobedience in eating the forbidden fruite In handling whereof sundrie points are to bee opened but let vs begin with the causes thereof The outward efficient cause was the deuill And though he bee not named by Moses in the historie of the fall yet that is not to trouble vs for wee must not conceiue otherwise of the serpent then of the instrument and mouth of the deuill For it is not likely that it beeing a bruite creature should be able to reason and determine of good and euill of trueth and falshood Nowe in this temptation the deuill shewes his malice and his fraud His malice in that whereas he cannot ouerturne God himselfe yet he labours to disturbe the order which he hath set downe in the creation and especially the image of God in the most excellent creatures on earth that they may be in the same miserable condition with himselfe His fraud first in that he begins his temptation with the woman being the weaker person not with the man which course he still continues as may appeare by this that more women are intangled with witchcraft and sorcerie then men Secondly he shewes his fraude in that he proceeds very slily and intangles Eve by certaine steppes and degrees For first by moouing a question he drawes her to listen vnto him and to reason with him of Gods commandement Secondly he bringes her to looke vpon the tree and wishly to viewe the beautie of the fruite Thirdly he makes her to doubt of the absolute truth of Gods word and promise and to beleeue his cōtrarie lies Fourthly hauing blinded her minde with his false perswasions shee desires and lustes after the forbidden fruit and therevpon takes it eates it and giues it to her husband The inward cause was the wil of our first parents euen in the testimonie of their owne consciences as Salomon saith This haue I found that God made man righteous but they haue found many inuentions But it may be obiected that if Adam were created good he could not be the cause of his owne fall because a good tree cannot bring forth euill fruit Answer Freedome of wil is fourefold I. freedome to euil alone this is onely in wicked men and angels and is indeed a bondage the second is freedome to good alone and that is in God and the good Angels by Gods grace the third is freedome to good in part ioyned with some want of libertie by reason of sinne and this is in the regenerate in this life the fourth is freedom either to good or to euill indifferently And this was in Adam before his fall who though he had no inclination to sinne but onely to that which was acceptable to God yet was he not bound by any necessitie but had his libertie freely to choose or refuse either good or euil And this is euident by the very tenour of Gods commandement in which he forbids Adam to eate the forbidden fruit and thereby shewing that hee beeing created righteous and not prone to sinne had power to keepe or not to keepe the commandement though since the fall both hee and wee after him cannot but sinne Wherefore Adam beeing allured by Satan of his owne free accord changed himselfe and fell from God Nowe then as the good tree chaunged from good to euill brings forth euill fruite so Adam by his owne inward and free motion changing from good to euil brings forth euill As for God he is not to be reputed as an author or cause any way of this sinne For he created Adam and Eue righteous indued them with righteous wills and he told them what he would exact at their hands and what they could performe yea he added threatnings that with the feare of daunger he might terrifie them from sinne Some may say whereas God foresaw that Adam would abuse the libertie of his will why would he not preuent it Answ. There is a double grace the one to be able to will and doe that which is good the other to be able to perseuere in willing and doing the same Nowe God gaue the first to Adam and not the second And he is not to be blamed of vs though he confirmed him not with new grace for he is debter to no man to giue him so much as the least grace whereas he had alreadie giuen a plentifull measure thereof to him And God did hold backe to conferre any further grace vpon iust grace I. It was his pleasure that this fact should be an occasion or way to exercise his mercie in the sauing of the Elect and his iustice in the deserued condemnation of impenitent sinners And vnlesse Adam had fallen for himselfe and others there should haue beene found no miserie in men on whome God might take pitie in his Sonne nor wickednesse which he might condemne and therefore neither manifestation of iustice nor mercie II. Againe it was the will of God in part to forsake Adam to make manifest the weaknes that is in the most excellent creatures without the speciall and continuall assistance of God III. There is a double libertie of will one is to will good or euill this belongs to the creature in this world and therefore Adam receiued it The other is to will good alone This he wanted because it is reserued to the life to come And though he knew no cause of this dealing of God yet is it one steppe to the feare of God for vs to hold that good and righteous which he appointeth or willeth and not to square the workes and iudgements of God by our crooked reason And yet to come to reason it selfe Who can here complaine of God Can the deuill but God did not cause him to tempt or deceiue our first parents Can Adam and Eue but they fell freely without any motion or instigation from God and their owne consciences accused them for it Can the posteritie of Adam but the Elect receiue more in Christ then they lost in Adam and the reprobate ouerwhelmed with the burden of their owne sinnes and thereupon receiuing nothing but due and deserued damnation can not finde fault But some may further replie and say he that foreseeth an euill and doth not preuent it is a cause of it but God did foresee the fall of man and did not preuent it Answ. The rule is generally true in man that the foreseer of an euill not preuenting it is in some sort a doer of it for it is the
consecration of the host in which they make their Breaden-god in exorcismes ouer holy bread holy water and salt in the casting out or driuing away of deuils by the signe of the crosse by solemne coniurations by holy water by the ringing of bels by lighting tapers by reliques and such like For these things haue not their supposed force either by creation or by any institution of God in his holy word and therefore if any thing be done by theÌ„ it is from the secret operation of the deuill himselfe The fift sinne is that in their doctrine they maintaine periurie because they teach with one consent that a papist examined may answer doubtfully against the direct intention of the examiner framing an other meaning vnto himselfe in the ambiguitie of his wordes Aâ— for example when a man is asked whether he said or heard Masse in such a place though hee did they affirme he may say no and sweare vnto it because he was not there to reueale it to the examiner whereas in the very lawe of nature he that takes an oath should sweare according to the intention of him that hath power to minister an oath and that in trueth iustice â—â—â—gement Let them cleere their doctrine from all defence of periurie if they can The sixâ— sinne is that they reuerse many of Gods commaundements making that no sinne which Gods word makes a sinne Thus they teach that if any man steale some little thing that is thought not to cause any notable hurt it is no mortall sinne that the officious lie the lie made in sport are veniall sinnes that to pray for our enemies in particular is no precept but a counsell and that none is bound to salute his enemie in the way of friendship flat against the rule of Christ Mat. 5.47 where the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth al manner of dutie and curtesie that rash iudgement though consent â—â—me thereto is regularly but a veniall sin that it is lawfull otherwhiles to faine holines that the painting of the face is ordinarily but a veniall sinne that it is not lawfull to forbid begging wheras the Lord forbade there should be any beggar in Israel Againe they teach that men in their choller when they are chiding and sweare woundes and blood are not indeede blasphemers Lastly their writers vse manifest lying to iustifie their doctrine They plead falsely that all antiquitie is on theâ—r side whereas it is as much against them as for them and as much for vs as them Againe their manner hath bin and is still to prooue their opinions by forged and counterfeit writings of men some whereof I will name 1 Saint Iames Liturgie 2 The Canons of the Apostles 3 The bookes of Dionysius Ariopagita and namely De Hierarchia Ecclesiastica 4 The Decretall Epistles of the Popes 5 Pope Clements workes 6 Some of the Epistles of Ignatius 7 Origens booke of repentance His homelies in diuersos sanctos Commentaries â—â— Iob and booke of Lamentation 8 Chrysostomes Liturgie 9 Basils liturgie and his Ascetica 10 Augustines booke de 8. quest Dulcity A booke of true and false repentance Ser. de festo commemorationis animarum booke de dogm Ecclesiast Sermon ad fratres in Heremo Sermon of Peters chaire Booke of visiting the sicke c. 11 Iustin Martyrs Questions and Answ. 12 Athanasius epistle to Pope Foelix 13 Bernards sermons of the Lords supper 14 Hieromes epistle ad Demetriadem sauouring of Pelagius 15 Tertullian de Monogamia 16 Cyprian de Chrismate de ablutione pedum 17 In the Councell of Sardica the 3,4 and 5. canons are forged 18 In the Councell of Nice all saue 20. are forged 19 Certaine Romane Councels vnder Sylvester are forged For he was at this time dead and therefore could not confirme them Sozom. lib. 2. 20 To the sixt canon of the Councell of Nice are patched these words That the Romane church hath alwaies had the Supremacie 21 Lastly I will not omit that Pope Sozimus Bonifacius and Coelestinus falsified the canons of the councell of Nice to prooue appeales from all places to Rome so as the Bishops of Africke were forced to send for the true copies of the said councell from Constantinople and the Churches of Greece I might here rehearse many other sinnes which with the former call for vengeance vpon the Romane Church but it shal suffice to haue named a few of the principall Now in this reason our Sauiour Christ prescribes another maine dutie to his owne people and that is to be carefull to eschew all the sinnes of the Church of Rome that they may withall escape her deserued plagues and punishmeÌ„ts And froÌ„ this prescribed dutie I obserue two things The first is that euery good seruant of God must carefully auoid contracts of marriage with professed Papists that is with such as hold the Pope for their head and beleeue the doctrine of the Councell of Trent For in such matches men hardly keepe faith and good conscience and hardly auoid communication with the sinnes of the Romane church A further ground of this doctrine I thus propound In Gods word there is mentioned a double league betweene man and man countrie and countrie The first is the league of concord when one kingdome bindes it selfe to liue in peace with another for the maintenance of trafficke without disturbance and this kind of league may stand betweene Gods church and the enemies thereof The second is the league of amitie which is when men people or countries binde themselues to defend each other in all causes and to make the warres of the one the warres of the other and this league may not be made with those that be enemies of God Iehosaphat otherwise a good king made this kind of league with Ahab and is therfore reprooued by the prophet saying Wouldest thou helpe the wicked and loue them that hate the Lord 2. Chr. 19.2 Now the mariages of Protestants with Papists are priuate leagues of amitie betweene person and person and therefore not be allowed Againe Malac. 2.11 Iudah hath defiled the holinesse of the Lord which he loued and hath married the daughters of a strange God where is â—latly condemned marriages made with the people of a false god nowe the papists by the consequents of their doctrine and religion turne the true Iehoua into an idol of their own braine as I haue shewed the true Christ reuealed in the writteÌ„ word into a fained Christ made of bread Yet if such a marriage be once made and finished it may not be dissolued For such parties sinne not simply in that they marrie but because they marrie not in the Lord being of diuers religions The fault is not in the substance of marriage but in the manner of making it and for this cause the Apostle commaundes the beleeuing partie not to forsake or refuse the vnbeleeuing partie beeing a very infidel which no Papist is if he or shee will abide 1. Cor. 7.13 The second thing
these may be added consort in musicke in diuine seruice feeding the eares not edifying the minde 1. Cor. 14.15 What is it then I will pray with the spirit but I will pray with the vnderstanding also I will sing with the spirit but I will sing with the understaÌ„ding also Iustinus Martyr in his booke of Christian quest and Ans. 107. It is not the custome of the Churches to sing their meeters with any such kinde of instruments c. but their manner is onely to vse plaine-song Lastly monasticall vowes which I. repugne the law of God as that vnchast vow of single life and proud promise of pouertie doe plainly euince for he that laboureth not must not eate saith Paul And it is better to marrie then to burne in lust saith the same Paul II. They are greater then mans nature can performe as in a single life to liue perpetually chast III. They disanull Christian libertie and make such things necessarie as are indiffereÌ„t IV. They renue Iudaisme V. They are idolatroâ—s because they make them parts of Gods worship and esteeme them as meritorious VI. Hypocrisie which giueth to God painted worship that is if you regard outward behaniour great sinceritie if the inward and heartie affections none at all Matth. 15.7 Hypocrites well hath Esaias prophecied of you saying This people commeth neere me with their mouth and honour me with their lippes but their heart is farre from me Psal. 10.4 The wicked man is so proud that he seeketh not for God The effects of hypocrisie are these 1. To seeke the pompe and glorie of the world and by all meanes to enrich it selfe notwithstanding it make a glorious shewe of the seruice of God 2. It is sharpe sighted and hath eagles eyes to obserue other mens behauiour when in the regarding its owne it is as blinde as beetle 3. To be more curious in the obseruation of ancient traditions then the statutes and commandements of almightie God 4. To stumble at a straw and skip ouer a blocke that is to omit serious affaires and hunt after trifles Matth. 23.4 5â— To doe all things that they may be seene of men Matth. 6.5 Popish fasting is meere hypocrisie because it standeth in the distinction of meates and it is vsed with an opinion of merit Externall abstinence from meates without internall and spirituall fasting from sinne and vnlawfull desires Esai 58.5,6 Is this such a fast as I haue chosen that a man should afflict his soule for a day and bowe downe his head as a bulrush and lie downe in sackâ—loth and ashes wilt thou call this a fasting or an acceptable day vnto the Lord Is not this the fasting that I haue chosen to loose the bands of wickednes to take off the heauie burdens and to let the oppressed goe free and that ye breake euery yoake VII Contempt neglect and intermission of Gods seruice Rev. 3.15,16 I know thy workes that thou art neither cold nor hote I would thou werest cold or hote Therefore because thou art lukâ—warme and neither cold nor hote it will come to passe that I shall spew thee out of my mouth VIII Corrupting of Gods worship and that order of gouernment which he hath ordained for his Church the which is done when any thing is added detracted or any way against his prescript mangled Deut. 12.32 Euery thing which I command you that doe neither adde to it nor detract from it This condemneth that popish eleuation of bread in the Lords Supper and the administration of it alone to the people without wine together with that fearefull abomination of the Masse By this we may learne to reiect all popish traditions Matth. 15.9 In vaine doe they worship me teaching for doctrines mens precepts Now it is manifest that all popish traditions they either on their owne nature or others abusing of them serue as wel to superstition and false worship as to enrich that couetous and proud Hierarchie whereas the Scriptures contained in the Old New Testament are all-sufficient not onely to confirme doctrines but also to reforme manners 2. Tim. 3.16 The whole Scripture is giuen by inspiration of God and is profitable to teach to improoue and to correct and to instruct in righteousnes that the man of God may be absolute beeing made perfect vnto all good workes The Romish Hierarchie is here also condemned from the parratour to the Pope the gouernment whereof is an expresse image of the old Romane Empire whether we consider the regiment it selfe or the place of the Empire or the large circuite of that gouernment Revel 13.15 And it was permitted to him to giue a spirit to the image of the beast so that the image of the beast should speake and should cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed IX A religious reuerence of the creature as when we attribute more vnto it then we ought Revel 22.8 When I had heard and seene I fell downe to worsâ—ip before the feete of the Angel which shewed me these things But he saide vnto me See thou doe it not for I am thy fellow seruant Act. 10. 25. As Peter came in Cornelius met him and fell downe at his feete and worsâ—ipped him But Peter tooke him vp saying Stand vp for euen I my selfe am a man If then it be so hainous a thing to reuerence the creature much more to pray vnto it whether it be Saint or Angel Rom. 10.14 How shall they call vpon him in whome they haue not beleeued Matth. 4.10 Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serue Neither may we pray vnto Christ as he is only man but as he is God and man for we direct not our prayers vnto the humanitie but to the deitie to which the humanity is knit by an hypostaticall vnion This teacheth vs plainely that invocation of any creature is vnlawefull for we must pray to them that are able to knowe the secrets of the heart and discerne the wisdom of the spirit now none is able to doe that but such a nature as is omnipotent Rom. 8.27 He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the meaning of the spirit for he maketh request for the Saints according to the will of God Neuerthelesse such as are Saints indeede are to be honoured by an approbation of Gods gifts in them and by an honourable mention of them and also by imitation of their manners and liues being as patterns for vs to walke after X. Worshippe of diuells I. Magique which is a mischieuous art accomplishing wonders by Satans assistance For it is appropriate to God to doe miracles for he alone both beyond and against the course of nature doeth wonderfull things Nowe the instruments which God vseth in producing miracles are onely they who doe in the true Church of God make profession of the faith Albeit the diuels cannot worke miracles yet may they effect maruailes or wonders and that not by making a newe thing which
be graunted then would it follow of necessitie that the foreknowledge of God must be made void his power weakened and his will changed each of which is impious once to dreame of For he which changeth his coūsell or his will doth therefore change it either because he at the length seeth that he might haue taken better aduise or els in that he seeth that he could not bring his former purpose about as he would Either of these are farre from our Lord God IV. If we resolue that the counsell of God is any waies mutable it will by this come to passe that euery man must bee vncertaine whether he be predestinate to life or not whereby that notable staie ground of our full assurance to be saued is vtterly shaken ouerturned Wherefore let this truth be maintained of vs namely that both the election and reprobation of God stand immutable so that neither the elect can become reprobates nor the reprobates elect and consequently neither these be saued nor they condemned Against this doctrine the popish sort except If you speake in a compound sense or meaning in sensu composito it is very true that the predestinate can not be saued nor such as are foreknowne perish but if in a sense diuided in sensu diuiso it is not so This distinction is plaine by this example White colour in a compound meaning cannot be blacke because blackenesse is repugnant contrarie to whitenesse But in a deuided sense white colour nowe may afterwards be made blacke In like sort one predestinated to saluation may by reason of the free-will he hath sinne so be damned Ans. These are silly shifts and meere sophismes because such as are predestinated to the end namely saluation are necessarilie predestinate to the meanes of saluation the which they cannot but vse and by them come to the end it selfe The III. errour All men are predestinate that is disposed and ordayned of God so as they might attaine eternall life Sebast. Cattaneus in his Enchirid. chap. of Predest The Confutation This is manifestly false For I. Infants who so sonne as they are borne depart this life seeing for want of time they cannot in this life vse the meanes of saluation albeit they may haue life eternall yet obtaine they it not by vsing the meanes vnto the same II. That which the Lord indeed actually doth the very same hath he determined to doe For he doth nothing either vnaduisedly or vnwillingly but he actually forsaketh a very great part of mankind the which being shut vp vnder contumacy he doth leaue to it selfe Act. 14.16 Who in times past suffered all the Gentiles to walke in their owne waies Hence also is it that Eph. 2. all the Gentiles are said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without God in the world Therefore God decreed to forsake some men in this life and consequently he ordained not all men to the obtaining of eternall life Nay if God once but would in his secret will that all men should be saued it were vnpossible for any to perish because Gods willing is his doing of it and if he that was ordained to saluation perish then must God now needes haue left off to will that which he would from all eternitie or els begin to will that which before hee would not the which cannot be said of God without blasphemie III. Paul 2. Thes. 2.10 saith that there be certaine men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which perish and them he distinguisheth from the elect v. 13. Rom. 9.21,22 Hath not the potter power c. Where there is not onely mention made of vessels of glorie and mercie but also of certaine made and fashioned in Gods eternall counsell as vessels of wrath Now looke whome God hath made to wrath and destruction them he neuer disposed to obtaine eternall life The IV. errour Predestination in regard of the last effects thereof hath this cause in man that is in mans free-will and workes for they whome God had foreseene that they would receiue grace offered in Christ and lead their life according to the lawe thē he predestinated not of works but of his mercie yet so as that he had respect vnto works or to deale with them according to their workes or as others say to ordaine them by their works foreseene As for example God did from all eternitie foresee and foreknow that Peter should be saued and Iudas condemned because he from the same eternitie did both foresee foreknow that Peter would accept of the grace offered vnto him and after vse the same aright and he did also foresee that Iudas should receiue the grace offered yet notwithstāding by reason of his peruerse will vse the same peruersly The Confutation This their forged deuise of foreseene workes I. Paul doth shewe to bee plainely counterfeit when as he saith that the Ephesians were elected in Christ before the foundations of the world were laide and that not because he did foresee that they would be holy but that they might be holy and vnblameable before God with loue And 2. v. 10. he saith they were created to good workes in Christ that they might walke therein In which places good workes they are made effectes of predestination but the effect foreseene cannot bee the cause of his cause for that euery cause in the order both of nature and knowledge doth goe before his effect II. Tit. 3.5 Not of workes which we haue done but according to his mercie did God elect and saue vs. III. God in electing vs did not regard any thing out of himselfe but in himselfe did he elect vs. Eph. 1.4 and 9. Therefore did he not regard future workes IV. Some of the popish schoolemen confesse that Predestination doth put nothing in the partie predestinated in respect of him for which God did predestinate him Thom. 1. primae quest 23. art 2. V. Election is onely on Gods mercie Rom. 9.16 VI. God saw no grace in man but that which he himselfe must bestow vpon him whence it is apparant that in election the beginning thereof proceedeth from grace VII Seeing there is nothing either aboue God or greater then God it must needes be impious to assigne any cause of his will either out of or aboue his maiestie and therefore that his foreknowledge of faith workes should bee accounted the impulsiue cause of his decree concerning mans saluation we doe rightly denie The V. errour By Baptisme rightly administred not only the guiltines but also the corruption of originall sin is so washed away as that it is not afterward properly accounted a sinne The Confutation We contrarily doe thus distinguish of sinne Sinne in regard of the guiltines of Gods wrath and also in regard of the punishment togither by one act is taken away in Baptisme but in regard of that errour and corruption of nature it is not at the first quite taken away but successiuely and by little and little it is extinguished euen as our renouation wrought by
as Adam was and therefore his sinne is personall whereas Adams is not Yet this which I say must not be vnderstood of all the sinnes of Adam but onely of the first From the fall of Adam springeth originall sinne so commonly called not onely as a fruit thereof but also as a iust punishment of it And after the foresaid fall it is in Adam and his posteritie as the mother and roote of all other sinne yet with this distinction that actuall sinne was first in Adam and then came originall but in vs first is originall sinne and then after followes actuall Originall sinne is tearmed diuersly in Scriptures as the flesh the old man because it is in vs before grace concupiscence sinne that is readie to compasse vs about the sinning sinne and it is tearmed originall because it hath beene in mans nature euer since the fall and because it is in euery man at the very instant of his conception and birth as Dauid plainely saith Behold I was borne in iniquitie and in sinne hath my mother conceiued me not meaning properly his parents sinne for he was borne in lawfull marriage but his owne hereditarie sinne whereof he was guiltie euen in his mothers wombe But let vs a little search the nature of it Considering it hath place in man it must be either the substance of bodie or soule or the faculties of the substance or the corruption of the faculties Now it cannot be the substance of man corrupted for then our Sauiour Christ in taking our nature vpon him should also take vpon him our sinnes and by that meanes should as well haue neede of a redeemer as other men and againe the soules of men should not be immortall Neither is it any one or all the faculties of man For euery one of them as namely the vnderstanding will affections and all other powers of bodie or soule were in man from the first creation whereas sinne was not before the fall Wherefore it remaines that originall sinne is nothing else but a disorder or euill disposition in all the faculties and inclinations of man whereby they are all caried inordinately against the law of God The subiect or place of this sinne is not any part of man but the whole bodie and soule For first of all the naturall appetite to meate and drinke and the power of nourishing is greatly corrupted as appeares by diseases aches surfets but specially by the abuse of meate and drinke Secondly the outward senses are as corrupt and that made Dauid to pray that God would turne his eyes from beholding of vanitie and Saint Iohn to say whatsoeuer is in the world is the lust of the flesh the lust of the eye and the pride of life Thirdly touching the vnderstanding the spirit of God saith that the frame of the heart of man is onely euill continually so as we are not able of our selues to thinke a good thought And therefore withall the will of man and his affections are answerably corrupt and hereupon the doctrine of Christ is that we must renounce our own wills Lastly all mans strength in good things is nothing out of Christ. The propagation of this sinne is the deriuing of it from Adam to all his posteritie whereby it runneth as a leprosie ouer all mankind But in what maner this propagation is made it is hard to define The common opinion of Diuines is that it may be done two waies The first is this God when he created Adam in the beginning set downe this appointment and order touching the estate of man that whatsoeuer Adam receiued of God he should reâ—â—iue it not onely for himselfe but for his posteritie and whatsoeuer grace of God he lost he should loose not onely to himselfe but to all his posteritie And hereupon Adam when he sinned he depriued first of all himself and then secondly all his posteritie of the image of God because all mankind was in â—is loines when he sinned Now then vpon the former appointment when the soules of men are created and placed in the bodie God forsakes them not in respect of the substance of the soule or the faculties but onely in respect of his owne image wherof the soules are depriued after which followes the defect or want of righteousnesse which is originall sinne And God in depriuing man of that which AdaÌ„ lost is not therefore to be thought to be the author or maintainer of sinne but a iust iudge For this depriuation of the image of God so farforth as it is inflicted by him vpon mankind it must be conceiued as a deserued punishment for the sinne of Adam and all men in him which punishment they pulled vpon themselues The second way is that the corruption of nature is deriued from the parents in generation by the bodie for as sweete oyle powred into a fustie vesâ—ell looseth his purenesse and is infected by the vessell so the soule created good put into the corrupt bodie receiues coÌ„tagion theÌ„ce And this coniunction of the pure soule with the corrupt bodie is not against the goodnes of God because it is a iust punishment of the sin of all men in AdaÌ„ It may be this which hath bin said wil not satisfie the minds of all yet if any will be curious to search further into this point let them know that there is an other matter which more concernes them to looke vnto When a mans house is on fire there is no time then to inquire how and which way and whence the fire came but our dutie is with all speed and expedition to vse all good means to stay it And so considering that our whole natures are really infected and poisoned with the loathsome contagion of originall sinne which is a weight sufficient to presse downe the soule to the gulfe of hell it standes vs in hand a thousand fold more to vse the meanes whereby it may be taken away then to dispute how it came Some may alleadge against the propagation of sinne that holy parents beget holy children which are void of originall sinne because it stands not with reason that parents should conuey that to their children which they theÌ„selues want namely the guilt and the punishment and the fault of sinne in part Answ. I. Men are not in this life perfectly holy For sanctification is but in part and therefore they can not possibly beget children pure from all sinne Secondly parents beget children as they are men and not as they are holy men and by generation they deriue vnto their children nature with the corruption thereof and not grace which is aboue nature Take any corne yea the finest wheate that euer was winow it as cleane as possibly may be afterward sow it weede it also when it is sowen and reape it in due time and carie it to the barne when it is thresht you shall finde as much chaffe in it as euer was before and why because God hath set this order in the
it also an imperfit sacrifice because it is repeated and iterated for vpon this ground doth the author to the Hebrues prooue that the sacrifices of the old testament were imperfit because they were daily offered And whereas they say there be two kinds of sacrifices one bloody once onely offered vpon the crosse the other vnbloody which is daily offered I answer that this distinction hath no ground out of Gods word neither was it knowne to the holy Ghost who saith that without blood there is no remission of sinnes The third question is what is the fruit of this sacrifice Ans. The whole effect thereof is contained in these foure things I. the oblation of Christ purgeth the beleeuer from all his sinnes whether they be originall or actuall so it is said If we walke in the light we haue fellowship one with another and the blood of Iesus Christ his sonne purgeth vs from all sinne whether they be sinnes of omission in regard of our duties or of commission in doing euill II. the oblation serueth for the iustifying of a sinner before God as Paul saith We are iustified by his blood and are reconciled to God by his death This being here remembred that in the passion of Christ we include his legall obedience whereby he fulfilled the law for vs. III. the oblation of Christ serues to purge mens consciences from dead workes How much more then shall the blood of Christ which through the eternall spirit offered himselfe without spot to God purge your consciences from dead works to serue the liuing God IV. the oblation of Christ procures vs libertie to enter to heauen By the blood of Christ Iesus we may be bold to enter into the holy place by the new and liuing way which he hath prepared for vs through the vaile that is his flesh By our sinnes there is a partition wall made betweene God and vs but Christ by offering himselfe vpon the crosse hath beaten downe this wall opened heauen and as it were trained the way with his owne blood whereby we may enter into the kingdome of God and without the which we can not enter in at all The last questioÌ„ is how this sacrifice may be applied to vs. Ans. The meanes of applying this sacrifice be two I. the hand of God which offereth II. the hand of the beleeuer that receiueth the sacrifice offered The hand of God wherby he offereth vnto vs his benefit is the preaching of the word the administration of the Sacraments baptisme and the Lords supper and wheresoeuer these his holy ordinances are rightly administred and put in practise there the Lord puts forth his hand vnto vs and offereth most freely the vertue and benefit of the death of Christ. And then in the next place commeth the hand of the beleeuer which is faith in the heart which when God offereth doth apprehend and receiue the thing offered and make it ours The third thing to be spoken of is the altar whereon Christ offered himselfe The altar was not the crosse but rather the godhead of Christ. He was both the priest the sacrifice and the altar the sacrifice as he is man the priest as he is both God and man the altar as he is God The propertie of an altar is to sanctifie the sacrifice as Christ saith ye fooles and blind whether is greater the offering or the altar that sanctifieth the offering Now Christ as he is God sanctifieth himselfe as he was man and therefore saith he for their sakes sanctifie I my selfe by doing two things I. by setting apart the manhood to be a sacrifice vnto his father for our sinnes II. by giuing to this sacrifice merit or efficacie to deserue at Gods hands remission of our sinnes the manhood of Christ without the Godhead hath no vertue nor efficacie in it selfe to be a meritorious sacrifice and therefore the dignitie and excellencie which it hath is deriued thence As for the chalkie and stonie altars of the Church of Rome they are nothing els but the toyes of mans braine Christ himselfe is the onely reall altar of the new testament And in stead of altars which were vnder the law we haue now the Lords table wheron we celebrate the Sacrament of his bodie and blood to shew forth his death till he come The fourth point is concerning the time of Christs oblation which he himselfe calleth the acceptable yeare of the Lord alluding vnto an other yere vnder the law called the yeare of Iubile which was euery fiftie yeare among the Iewes in which at the sound of a trumpet all that had set or sold their possessions receiued them againe all that were bondmen were then set at libertie This Iubile was but a figure of that perfect deliuerance which was to be obtained by Christs passion which was not temporarie deliuerance for euery fiftie yeare but an eternall freedome from the bondage of sinne hell death and condemnation And the preaching of the word is the trumpet sounded which proclaimeth vnto vs freedome from the kingdome of darknes and inuites vs to come and dwell in perfect peace with Christ himselfe Well if the yeare of perpetuall Iubile be now come in what a wretched estate all our loose and blind people that esteeme nothing of that libertie which is offered to them but choose rather to liue in their sinnes and in bondage vnder Satan and condemnation then to be at freedome in Christ. Now follow the vses which are to be made of the sacrifice of Christ. The prophet Aggai saith that the second temple built by Zorubbabel was nothing in beautie vnto the first which was built by Salomon and the reason is plaine for as the Iewes write it wanted fiue things which the first teÌ„ple had I. the appearing of the presence of god at the mercie seat between the two Cherubims II. the Vrim and Thummim on the breast-plate of the high priest III. the inspiration of the holy Ghost vpon extraordinarie Prophets IIII. the Arke of the Couenant for that was lost in the captiuitie V. fire from heauen to burne the sacrifices Yet for all this the Prophet afterward saith The glorie of the last House shall be greater then the first Now it may be demanded how both these sayings can stand together Ans. We are to know that the second Temple was standing in the time when Christ was crucified for our â—innes and it was the sacrifice of Christ which gaue glorie and dignitie to the second temple though otherwise for building and outward ornaments it was farre inferiour to the first And by this we are taught that if we would bring glorie vnto our owne selues vnto our houses and kindred either before God or before men we must labour to be partakers of the sacrifice of Christ and the sprinkling of his blood to purge our hearts This is the thing that brings renowne both to place and person how base soeuer we be in the eyes
He must not vtterly despaire but be resolued of this that though he want assurance nowe yet he may obtaine the same hereafter And such must he aduertised to heare the word of God preached and beeing outwardly of the Church to receiue the Sacraments When we haue care to come into the Lords vine-yarde and to conuerse about the wine-presse wee shall finde the sweete iuyce of heauenly grace pressed forth vnto vs plentifully by the word and sacraments to the comfort of our consciences concerning gods election This one mercy that God by these meanes in some part reueales his mercy is vnspeakeable When sickenesse or the day of death comes the dearest seruants of God it may bee must encounter with the temptations of the deuill and wrastle in conscience with the wrath and displeasure of God as for life and death and no man knowes howe terrible these things are but those which haue felt them Nowe when men walke thus through the valley of the shadowe of death vnlesse God should as it were open heauen and streame downe vnto vs in this world some lightsome beames of his loue in Christ by the operation of his spirit miserable were the case euen of the righteous Thus much of Election nowe followes Reprobation in handling whereof we are to obserue three things I. what it is II. howe God doth execute this decree III. how a man may iudge of the same For the first Reprobation is Gods decree in which because it so pleased him he hath purposed to refuse some men by meanes of Adams fall and their owne corruptions for the manifestation of his iustice First I say it is a decree and that is euident thus If there be an eternall decree of God whereby he chooseth some men then there must needes be another decree whereby he doth passe by others and refuse them For election alwaies implies a refusall Againe what God doth in time that he decreed to doe before time as the case falls out euen with men of mean wisdome who first of al intend with themselues the things to be done and after do them But god in time refuseth some men as the scripture testifieth and it appeareth to be true by the euent Therefore God before all worlde 's decreed the reiecting of some men Nowe in this decree foure points are to be considered The first is the matter or obiect thereof which is the thing decreed namely the reiection of some men in respect of mercie or the manifestation of his iustice vpon them This may seeme strange to mans reasonâ— but here wee must with all submission strike our top-sailes for the worde of God saieth as much in plaine tearmes The Apostle Iude speaking of false Prophets saith that they were of olde ordained to this damnation And Paul saith in emphaticall tearmes that God makes vessells of wrath prepared to destruction and that some are reiected whome he opposeth to them which are elected to saluation The second point is the impulsiue cause that mooued God to set downe this decree concerning his creature that was nothing out of himselfe but his verie will and pleasure Hee hardened Pharaoh with finall hardenesse of heart because he would and therefore he deceed to doe so because he would And our Sauiour Christ saith I thanke thee O father Lord of heauen and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and men of vnderstanding and hast opened them vnto babes But vpon what cause did God so It followes in the next wordes It is so O father because thy good pleasure is such And if it be in the power and libertie of a man to kil an oxe or a sheepe for his vse to hunt kill the hare and partridge for his pleasure then much more without iniustice may it be in the will and libertie of the creator to refuse and forsake his creature of his glorie Nay it standes more with equitie a thousand folde that all the creatures in heauen and earth should ioyntly serue to set forth the glorie and maiestie of God the creator in their eternall destruction then the striking of a slie or the killing of a slea should serue for the dignitie of all men in the worlde For all this it is thought by verie many to be very hard to ascribe vnto God who is full of bountie and mercy such a decree and that vpon his very wil but let vs see their reasons First of all they say it is a point of crueltie for God to purpose to create a great part of the world to damnation in hell fire the answer is that by the vertue of this decree God cannot be said to create any man to damnation but to the manifestation of his iustice and glorie in his due and deserued damnation and the doing of this is absolute iustice Secondly it is alleadged that by this meanes God shall hate his owne creature and that before it is but it is an vntrueth Wee must distinguish betweene Gods purpose to hate and actuall hating Now indeede God before all worlds did purpose to hate some creatures and that iustly so farre forth as his hating of them will serue for the manifestation of his iustice but he neither hates them indeed nor loues them before they are and therefore actuall hatred comes not in till after the creation Whome God hath decreed to loue them when they are once created he beginnes to loue in Christ with actuall loue and whome hee hath decreed to hate them being once created he hates in Adam with actuall hatred Thirdly it is obiected that by this doctrine God shall be the author of sinne for he which ordaines to the ende ordaines to the meanes of the end but God ordaines men to the ende that is damnation therefore he ordaines them to the meanes thereof that is sinne Ans. The proposition beeing thus vnderstood he which ordaines a man to an ende in the same order and manner ordaines him to the meanes is false For one may be ordained to the end simply the ende beeing simply good and yet not be simply ordained to the meanes because they may be euill in themselues and onely good in part namely so far forth as they haue respect of goodnesse in the minde of the ordainer Secondly the assumption is false for the supreame ende of Gods counsell is not damnation but the declaration of his iustice in the iust destruction of the creature neither doth God decree mans damnation as it is damnation that is the ruine of man and the putting of him forth to perishment but as it is a reall execution of iustice Thirdly wee must make distinction betweene sinne it selfe and the permission thereof and betweene the decree of reiection and actual damnation nowe the permission of sinne and not sinne it selfe properly is the subordinate meanes of the decree of reiection For when God had decreed to passe by some men he withall decreed the permission of sinne to which permission men were
The first argument HE which may in truth be made partaker of the chiefe points of the Popish religion may be made partaker of all but a Reprobate may be made partaker of the chiefe poinâ—s of the Popish religion therefore a Reprobate may be made partaker of all The proofe of the Argument THe proposition is plaine and euery Papist will graunt it all the controuersie is of the assumption wherefore I prooue it thus The Sacrament of Pennance as they call it is one of the chiefe things in the religion of the Church of Rome for it is such a Sacrament that by the power efficacy of it the blood of Christ is deliuered to vs to wash away our sins they say it hath such vertue that the kingdome of heauen is promised to it in the Scriptures and that it is not regeneration but an healing of a man regenerate and that it pardoneth sinne as baptisme And as touching Contrition Papists write it hath power to doe away sinne and to obtaine pardon at Gods hand the same they speake of Confession which they say deliuereth from death openeth paradise and giueth hope of saluation and hereby it may appeare that pennance is one of the greatest points of the popish religion But a reprobate may be truly made partaker of the popish sacrament of penance and indeede performe all in it There be three parts of penance Contrition of the heart Confession of the mouth Satisfaction in the deede All these three Iudas performed first he had Contrition for when he saw that our Sauiour was condemned then he saw his owne finne and was stricken with a griefe for his owne treacherie and repented and presently after he confessed his sinne openly vnto the chiefe Priests and Elders Also he made Satisfaction when he brought againe the thirtie pieces of siluer which he tooke to betray his master Againe Contrition of the heart is the ground of penance and Papists say it is not an act of the holy Ghost but an act of mans free wil proceeding from it and therefore a reprobate may haue it And as for Satisfaction if a reprobate cannot doe it by himselfe yet he may performe it by another for so they say that one may satisfie by anothâ—r wherefore for any thing I can see a reprobate may haue all that is contained in the popish sacrament of penance Faith is another of the chiefest points that is in the religion of the Church of Rome for they say it is the foundation and ground worke of Iustification But reprobates may haue that faith which they meane For they say that it is nothing els but a gift of God and a certaine light of the minde wherewith a man beeing enlightened giuâ—th sure and certen assent to the reuealed word of God And the Rhemists say it is onely an act of the vnderstanding and Andradius saith that Faith is onely in generall actions and cannot come to the particular applying of any thing now all this reprobates may haue for their minds are inlightned to know the truth and to be perswaded of it and therefore they haue this act of the vnderstanding this is a generall faith yea the deuill himselfe can doe thus much who beleeueth and trembleth And their implicite faith which saueth the lay man what reprobate cannot haue it for there is nothing els required but to beleeue as the Church beleeueth though he know not how the Church beleeueth And the Papists themselues say as much for their Councels hold that a wicked man and an heretike may haue confidence in Christ and that an heathen man by the naturall knowledge of God and by the workes of creation might haue faith and in a generall maner beleeue in Christ. The second argument THat religion whose precepts are no directions to attaine peace of conscience leaueth a man still in a damnable case but the precepts of the religion of the Churcâ— of Rome are not directions to attaine peace of conscience therefore it leaueth a man in a damnable case which if it be true a reprobate may be as sound a professour of â— as any other The proofe THe proposition is certen because as long as any man hath his conscience to accuse him of sinne before God he is in state of damnation as Saint Iohn saith If our heart condemne vs God is greater then our heart knoweth all things And this is peculiar and proper to the elect children of God to receiue these gifts and graces from God the enioyning of which bringeth peace of conscience True it is indeede that reprobates receiue many graces and gifts at Gods hand but they are no other then such as may be ioyned with the trembling of the conscience as the deuill is said to beleeue but withall to tremble The assumption namely that the religion of the church of Rome can not pacifie the conscience may be easily prooued on this wise A man whose conscience must be truely quieted must first of all be truely humbled Come vnto me saith our Sauiour Christ all ye which are wearied and burdened and I will ease you Whereby it appeareth that they who are to haue their consciences refreshed in Christ must first of all be afflicteâ— with the sense of Gods iudgement yea they must be pressed downe to helward with the weight and burden of their sinnes that they may see and from their hearts confesse that in themselues there is no way to escape damnation The good Phisitian Christ Iesus cannot heale vs before he hath lanced our woundes to the very bottome he neuer can finde any of his sheepe before they be quite lost he neuer powreth into vs the liuing waters of his spirit before we be barren and drie ground void of all moysture and that man must condemne himselfe that would not haue Christ to pronounce sentence of damnation against him Now this true humiliation of a sinner can not be wrought in any mans heart by the religion of the Church of Rome True and sound humiliation is wrought by two means first by making a man to see the greatnes of his sinne and wickednesse secondly by making him to acknowledge that he is destitute and quite bereft of all goodnes For if a man either see not the greatnes of his sinne or haue confidence of any thing in himselfe he can not be humbled but neither of these two things are performed in the church of Rome As touching the first the Romish religion is so farre from amplifying enlarging the greatnes of mens sinnes that it doth extenuate them and lessen them out of measure for it maketh some sinnes to be venial when as the least sinne that can be against Gods law deserueth damnation it teacheth that lesser sinnes are done away by an humble accusation of a mans selfe by saying the Lords praier by knocking vpon the breast and by such like the greater sinnes may be
called vniuersall Bishop the vniuersall Church goeth to decaie And chap. 144. I say boldely that whosoeuer calleth or desireth to call himselfe vniuersall priest in his pride is a forerunner of Antichrist And beholde in the preface of the Epistle which ye directed vnto me you caused to be set a proud title calling me vniuersal Pope Bernard Consider that thou art not a Lord of Bishops but one of them Churches are maimed in that the Romane bishop draweth all power to himselfe Againe Gregorie himselfe beeing Pope saith to the Emperour I which am subiect to your commandement haue euery way discharged that which was due in that I haue performed mine allegiance to the Emperour and haue not concealed what I thought on Gods behalfe And pope Leo the fourth after Gregorie 200. yeares acknowledged the Emperour Lotharius for his soueraigne prince and professed obedience without gainsaying to his imperiall commandements To conclude whereas they say that there is a donble head of the Church one imperiall which is Christ alone the other ministeriall which is the pope gouerning the whole Church vnder Christ I answer this distinction robbeth Christ of his honour because in setting vp their ministeriall heade they are faine to borrow of Christ things proper vnto him as the priuiledge to forgiue sinnes properly and the power to gouerne the whole earth by making of lawes that shall as truely bind conscience as the lawes of God c. The 19 point Of the efficacie of the sacraments Our Consent Conclus I. We teach and beleeue that the sacraments are signes to represent Christ with his benefits vnto vs. Conclus II. We teach further that the Sacraments are indeede instruments whereby God offereth and giueth the foresaid benefits vnto vs. Thus farre we consent with the Romane Church The difference The difference betweene vs standes in sundrie points First of all the best learned among them teach that sacraments are phisicall instruments that is true and proper instrumentall causes hauing force and efficacie in them to produce and giue grace They vse to expresse their meaning by these comparisons When the scriuener takes the pen into his hand and writes the action of writing comes from the penne mooued by the hand of the writer and in cutting of wood or stone the diuision comes from the sawe mooued by the hand of the workeman euen so the grace say they that is giuen by God is conferred by the sacrament it selfe Now we for our parts hold that sacraments are not phisicall but meere voluntarie instruments Voluntarie because it is the will and appointment of God to vse them as certaine outward meanes of grace Instruments because when we vse them aright according to the institution God then answerably conferres grace from himselfe In this respect onely take we them for instruments and no otherwise The secōd difference is this they teach that the very action of the minister dispēsing the sacrament as it is a work done giues grace immediatly if the party be prepared as the very washing or sprinkling of water in baptisme and the giuing of bread in the Lords supper euen as the orderly moouing of the pen vpon the paper by the hand of the writer causeth writing We hold the contrarie namely that no action in the dispensation of a Sacrament conferreth grace as it is a worke done that is by the efficacie and force of the very sacramentall action it selfe though ordained of God but for two other waies First by the signification thereof For God testifies vnto vs his will and good pleasure partly by the word of promise and partly by the sacrament the signes representing to the eyes that which the word doth to the eares being also types and certen images of the very same things that are promised in the word and no other Yea the elements are not general and confused but particular signes to the seuerall communicants and by the vertues of the Institution for when the faithfull receiue the signes from God by the hands of the Minister it is as much as if God himselfe with his owne mouth should speake vnto them seuerally and by name promise to them remission of sinnes And things said to men particularly doe more affect and more take away doubting then if they were generally spoken to an whole companie Therefore signes of graces are as it were an applying and binding of the promise of saluation to euery particular beleeuer and by this meanes the oftner they are receiued the more they helpe our infirmitie and confirme our assurance of mercie Againe the sacrament conferres grace in that the signes thereof confirmes faith as a pledge by reason it hath a promise annexed to it For when God commands vs to receiue the signes in faith and withall promiseth to the receiuers to giue the thing signified he bindes himselfe as it were in bond vnto vs to stand to his owne word euen as men binde themselues in obligations putting to their hands and seales so as they cannot go backe And when the signes are thus vsed as pledges and that often they greatly increase the grace of God as a token sent from one friend to an other renewes and confirmes the perswasion of loue These are the two principall waies whereby the sacraments are said to conferre grace namely in respect of their signification and as they are pledges of Gods fauour vnto vs. And the very point here to be considered is in what order and manner they confirme And the manner is this The signes and visible elements affect the senses outward and inward the senses conuay their obiect to the mind the mind directed by the holy Ghost reasoneth on this manner out of the promise annexed to the sacrament He that vseth the elements aright shall receiue grace thereby but I vse the elements aright in faith and repentance saith the minde of the beleeuer therefore shall I receiue from God increase of grace Thus then faith is confirmed not by the worke done but by a kind of reasoning caused in the minde the argument or proofe whereof is borrowed from the elements beeing signes and pledges of Gods mercie The third difference The Papists teach that in the sacrament by the work done the very grace of iustification is conferred We say no because a man of yeares must first beleeue and be iustified before he can be a meete partaker of any sacrament And the grace that is conferred is onely the increase of our faith hope sanctification c. Our Reasons Reason I. The word preached and the sacraments differ in the manner of giuing Christ and his benefits vnto vs because in the word the spirit of God teacheth vs by a voice conueied to the minde by the bodily eares but in the sacraments annexed to the word by certaine sensible and bodily signes viewed by the eie Sacraments are nothing but visible words and promises Otherwise for the giuing it selfe they differ not Christ himselfe faith that in the very worde
law Answer is made that our daily sinnes are veniall and not against the law but beside the law But this which they say is against the petition for a debt that comes by forfiture is against the bond or obligation Now euery sinne is a debt causing the forfiture of punishment and therefore is not beside but directly against the law 4 In this clause as we forgiue our debters it is taken for graunted that we may certenly know that we are in loue and charitie with men when we make reconciliation why then may not we know certenly that we repent and beleeue and are reconciled to God which all Romane Catholikes denie 5 In the last wordes and lead vs not into temptation we pray not that God should free vs from temptation for it is otherwhiles good to be tempted Psal. 26.1 but that we be not left to the malice of Sathan and held captiue of the temptation for here to be lead into temptation and to be deliuered are opposed Now hence I gather that he which is the child of God truly iustified and sanctified shall neuer fall wholly and finally from the grace of God and I conclude on this manner That which we aske according to the will of God shall be graunted 1. Ioh. 5. but this the child of God asketh that he might neuer be wholly forsaken of his father and left captiue in temptation This therfore shall be graunted 6 This clause Amen signifies a speciall faith touching all the former petitions that they shall be graunted and therefore a speciall faith concerning remission of sinnes which the Romane Church denieth To come to the last place to the Institution of the sacrament of the Lords Supper 1. Cor. 11.23 In which first of all the Reall presence is by many circumstances ouerthrowne Out of the wordes he tooke and brake it is plaine that that which Christ tooke was not his bodie because he can not be saide with his owne hands to haue taken held and broken himselfe but the very bread Againe Christ said not vnder the forme of bread or in bread but This that is bread is my bodie 3. Bread was not giuen for vs but onely the bodie of Christ and in this first institution the bodie of Christ was not really giuen to death 4. The cup is the new testament by a figure why may not the bread be the bodie of Christ by a figure also 5. Christ did eate the supper but not him selfe 6. We are bidden to doe it till he come Christ then is not bodily present 7. Christ biddes the bread to be eaten in a remembrance of him but signes of remembrance are of things absent 8. If the Popish reall presence be granted then the bodie and blood of Christ are either seuered or ioyned together If seuered then Christ is still crucified If ioyned together then the bread is both the bodie and blood of Christ whereas the institution saith the bread is the bodie and the wine is the blood 2 Againe here is condemned the administration of the saâ—ramâ—nt vnder one onely kind For the commandement of Christ is Drinke ye all of this Mat. 26.27 And this commaundement is rehearsed to the Church of Corinth in these wordes Doe this as oft as ye drinke in remembrance of me v. 25. And no power can reuerse this commandement because it was established by the soueraigne head of the Church These fewe lines as also the former treatise I offer to the vew and reading of them that fauour the Romane religion willing them with patience to coÌ„sider this one thing that their religion if it were Catholike and Apostolike as they pretende it could not be contrarie so much as in one point to the groundes of all Catechismes that haue beene vsed in all Churches confessing the name of Christ euer since the Apostles daies And whereas it crosseth the said groundes in sundrie points of doctrine as I haue prooued it is a plaine argument that the present Romane religion is degenerate I write not this despising or hating their persons for their religion but wishing vnfainedly their conuersion in this world and their saluation in the world to come FINIS THE FOVNDATION OF CHRISTIAN RELIgion gathered into sixe Principles And it is to be learned of ignorant people that they may be fit to heare Sermons with profit and to receiue the Lords Supper with comfort Psalme 119. 30. The entrance into thy words sheweth light and giueth vnderstanding to the simple Printed for I.L. and I.P. 1600. To all ignorant people that desire to be instructed POore people your manner is to sooth vp your selues as though yee were in a most happie estate but if the matter come to a iust triall it will fall out farre otherwise For you lead your liues in great ignorance as may appeare by these your common opinions which follow 1 That faith is a mans good meaning and his good seruing of God 2 That God is serued by the rehearsing of the ten Commandements the Lords prayer and the Creede 3 That ye haue beleeued in Christ euer since you could remember 4 That it is pitie he should liue which doth any whit doubt of his saluation 5 That none can tell whether he shall be saued or no certainely 〈◊〉 that all men must be of a good beleefe 6 That howsoeuer a man liue yet if he call vpon God on his death-bed and say Lord haue mercie vpon me and so goe away like a lambe he is certainely saued 7 That if any be strangely visited he is either taken with a Planet or bewitched 8 That a man may lawfully sweare when he speakes nothing but the truth and sweares by nothing but that which is good as by his faith or troth 9 That a Preacher is a good man no longer then he is in the pulpit They thinke all like themselues 10 That a man may repent when he will because the Scripture saith At what time soeuer a sinner doth repent him of his sinne c. 11 That it is an easier thing to please God then to please our neighbour 12 That ye can keepe the commandements as well as God will giue you leaue 13 That it is the safest to doe in Religion as most doe 14 That merrie ballads and books as Scogin Bevis of Southampton c. are good to driue away time and to remooue heart-quames 15 That ye can serue God with all your hearts that ye would be sory els 16 That a man neede not heare so many sermons except he could followe them better 17 That a man which commeth at no sermons may as well beleeue as he which heares all the sermons in the world 18 That ye know all the Preacher can tell you For he can say nothing but that euery man is a sinner that we must loue our neighbours as our selues that euery man must be saued by Christ and all this ye can tell as well as he 19 That it was a good world when the olde Religion was because