entisements in all things Lastly as touching supplication which we make the third filial duty man is so wholly alienated from God that what necessitie soeuer do pinche him he hath not either the minde or the will and as we vse to speake neither the heart nor the face once to go to God by humble prayer for helpe He flyeth to worldly meanes as to his own wisdome strength riches and friendes and if all faile yet he will rather seeke for helpe by sorcery and witchcraft at the hands of his newe father the diuell then he will by prayer call vpon the name of God Thus are all vnregenerate men affected howsoeuer in a shew of religion or as a common prouerbe they will somtimes say God helpe me or God be mercifull to me whereas in trueth they being destitute of faith haue no confidence in God neither any hope of obtaining any thing at his hand Neither is there any cause why they shoulde thinke otherwise for God doth not heare and helpe but detest and plague vnbeleeuers Sect. 3. Of filiall subiection renewed THus we see how man is altogether spoiled by the malice of Sathan of this excellent dignitie of being the sonne of God but by the mercie of God he recouereth it in the state of regeneration in as ample manner as he had it in his first creation For as all naturall men are in Adam vngratious bastardes so they become the sonnes of God in Christ not by partaking his eternall and essentiall filiation whereof no creature is capable but by being renewed and made conformable to the holinesse of his humaine nature For as man lost this dignitie by loosing the image of God to wit his perfect holinesse by vertue whereof he onely of all earthly creatures was the sonne of God so being nowe by the spirite of God restored to the saide image of God he is together restored to the dignitie of being the sonne of God Ioh. 1. 12. As many as beleeued in him to those he gaue power to be the sonnes of God For as we read 2. Pet. 1. 4. We are made partakers of his diuine nature that is of the image or resemblaunce of the diuine nature in that we fly the corruption of lust which is in the world From this prerogatiue of being the sonnes of God the scripture speaking to men according to the manner of men whose sonnes do in time enioy their fathers possessions stirreth vp the faithfull to an vndoubted expectation of eternall glory Gal. 4. 7. We are no more seruantes but sonnes and the heires of God through Christ Rom. 8. 17. If we be sonnes then are we heires the heires truly of God and the fellow heires of Christ and 1. Iohn 3. 2. We are nowe the sonnes of God although our inheritaunce doth not appeare till Christ appeare Nowe to proceed As the faithfull are restored to this dignitie so they are indued by the spirite of God with the disposition belonging to it being so affected to God as children ought to be to their naturall fathers They reuerence him aboue al thinges in the worlde in worde and deed in minde harte and in all their behauiour The great securitie and certainty which they haue of their owne good estate doth not make them any way presumptuous neither doth the familiarity which God vouchsafeth to haue with them as with freindes Ioh. 15 15. Breed in them any contempt of God but they stand continually in awe of him and of his glorious presence yeelding to him his due honour both in word deed and affection whensoeuer they haue any occasion to deale with him This we may obserue as in the other seruants of God so especially in Abraham who although he was the friend of God as he is called Iam. 2. 23. And had familiar conuersation and talke with God as one friende vseth to haue with another yet he durst not speake the second time to God in the behalfe of the Sodomites without vsing some preface of reuerence saying Gen. 18. 27. Behold I haue taken vpon me to speake to God who am but dust and ashes And againe Vers. 30 let not my lord be angrie if I speake for them This affection of the faithfull is described Psal. 123 As the eyes of the seruant are vpon his lord and as the handmaid doth modestly waite in presence of her mistris so are we affected to God Likewise for the second duty which is Imitation the faithfull man endeuoureth by all meanes to conforme himselfe to the absolute puritie and holinesse of God Whereof the Apostle hauing wise consideration vseth the examples of Christes death and resurrection as most forcible argumentes to enforce the mortification of sinne and the viuification of all holynesse in vs Rom. 6. and Eph. 5. 1. Be ye followers of God as beloued children Lastly As a sonne being pinched with any griefe or want doth straight way run to his father for reliefe so doe the faithfull in the manifolde miseries and crosses of this present life seeke for helpe at the handes of their heauenly father For the which purpose they are indued with a notable gift of God called the spirit of prayer that is the grace ability or faculty of praying wrought in them by the holy spirite This grace of God is diligently to be declared and considered for that of all the partes of mans holinesse none is a more vnfallible signe of true regeneration then is this gift of prayer whereby a man is made able willing and ready to pray aright vnto God as the present occasion doth require For this gifte consisteth of many particular graces of Gods spirit the which are needfull for the right performance of this duety and cannot be founde in any carnall man First there is required the true knowledge of those things which belong vnto the good happy state of man which is not attained but by the worke of the holy spirite Rom. 8. 26. We know not for what to pray as we ought but the spirit helpeth our infirmity For all men generally and naturally feele their temporall wants as pouerty sicknesse shame and whatsoeuer belongeth to the maintenance of this present life but as for spirituall graces as the knowledge and feare of God faith loue patience and the rest which concerne their eternall saluation they neuer trouble themselues in seeking them or are greeued for the want of them nay for the most part they neuer thinke of any such matter or knowe what these thinges meane Besides none can pray aright yea although he be enlightned with some knowledge of the spirituall state of man and haue a glimmering of the thinges belonging vnto it as a carnal man may haue vnlesse he haue true faith wherby he may be assured that god both loueth him and wil graunt his requests Rom. 10. 14. The Apostle maketh it impossible for him who doth not beleeue in God to call vpon him But the
hearing And therefore men muste be taught religion as children are taught to reade learning one letter to daie and another to morrowe one poynte nowe and the rest hereafter as the prophet complaineth of the dulnesse of the Iewes Esay 28. 13. But it may be heere obiected that if naturall men be so dull and vnable to vnderstande Gods worde they are not to be blamed for not learning and for not doing that which they cannot doe Whereunto we answere that this dulnes of men commeth through their owne defaulte in that they cannot by any meanes be brought to bestowe their naturall giftes their time and labour in learning The which thing if they would once carefully and heartely doe and so continue without being wearie in seeking to knowe GOD and in vsing the meanes of their saluation ioyning with their endeuours heartie prayer to God for his blessing they woulde soone see that it is an easie matter to learne these thinges the which are of that nature that one poynt of them being well learned all the reste will followe of their owne accorde so that all the hardnesse is in beginning to learne Yea GOD is harde at hande and easie to be founde of all that seeke him howsoeuer it be impossible for man by his owne wit or industry without the grace of God to attaine the true and sauing knowledge of God Sect. 3. Of the renewed subiection of man to God his teacher In the third place we are to consider the contrary disposition of those who being renewed by the spirit of God giue thēselues vnto his discipline to be instructed by him in all things For although they attaine to their knowledge by the means and ministerie of man whereby it hath pleased God rather then by his owne voice or by immediate reuelation that the saluation of his elect should be wrought yet not man but God himselfe is the author and worker of this knowledge who as he did in the state of mans innocencie so doth he in his regeneration reueale himselfe and his will vnto them by his holy spirit Iob. 32. 8. There is indeede a spirit iu man but it is the spiration of the almightie that giueth vnderstanding Math. 13. 8. 10. Callnot any man Rabbi maister or doctor For you haue one doctor euen Christ and all ye are brethren That is you are not to thinke that because you heare men preach vnto you that therefore your mindes are enlightned by them for they are your brethren that is men like to your selues who cannot without the speciall worke of my spirit learne any thing themselues much lesse teach others so that Christ is the heade maister in the schoole of his Church who although he be absent from it according to his humaine nature yet he is present in it by his spirit by the which he teacheth the faithfull all things needefull and that without any errour or shaddow of any For as hath bene declared it is impossible that God should deceiue or be deceiued and therefore the holy ghost is called The spirit of truth Ioh. 14. 16. and 15. 26. Christ promiseth that When he commeth he shall leade them into all truth Ioh. 17. 13. And as God is the teacher so the faithfull are his scholers as all those who did beleeue the gospell are vsually in the booke of the actes called Disciples 1 Thess. 4. 9. Men taught by God Ineede not saith the Apostle to write to you of brotherly loue for you are taught of God to loue one another That is the spirit of God hath alreadie engrauen the doctrine of loue in your mindes and heartes and ther fore ye haue not so greate neede and vse of my ministery in this behalfe as they whome God hath not taught after this manner Thus the prophet Dauid often praieth to God that it would please him to instruct him in his commaundements as we may reade often Psal. 119. Lastly they performe to God the second dutie of this subiection which is to beleeue his word in all things reiecting whatsoeuer is contrarie thereunto Yea tho an Angel did preach it frō heauen all antiquitie Churches councels all the wise and learned men in the world do maintaine affirme it yea tho their owne wittes and senses do witnesse the truth of it so that the faithfull may in this respect be cōpared to the scholers of a certaine philosopher named Pythagoras who if they once hearde any thing vttered by their maister they held that as a most certain truth without inquiring any further into it And so among the true disciples of Christ his holy word is of so absolute authoritie as that no doubt is made of anie thing therein contained CHAP. X. Sect. 1. Of mans subiection to his creator THe last and greatest kind of mans subiection is that which he oweth to God as to the creator of all things whereof there is no question to be made and therefore we neede not stand to proue it The duties of this subiection are three The first is to glorifie God the second to be wholly moued in him or by him the third to rest contented in his will For the first as the chiefe and last ende of the creation of the world and of al things therein contained is the glorie of God so it is meete and needefull that all creatures iointly seuerally do performe this dutie of glorifying him Yea there is no creature either so base or so excellent that it should be exempted from this dutie The greatest and mightiest creature must stoupe to the performance of it as the weakest and seelyest thing in the world is able to set forth the glorie of God Psal. 145. 9. 10. The Lord is good to all and his mercie is ouer all his workes All thy workes O Lord shall praise thee They shall shew the glorie and beautie of thy kingdome Thus we see that it belongeth to all creatures to praise GOD as they are exhorted particularlie Psalme 148. and as we reade Reuel 5. 13. And all the creatures which are in heauen on the earth vnder the earth and in the sea all thinges that are in them I hard saying praise honour glory and power be vnto him that sitteth on the throne and vnto the Lambe for euermore Yet they do not all performe this duety after the same manner for those creatures which are void of reason do it onely by giuing to men and Angels matter of the actuall setting foorth of Gods glory For the reasonable creatures are as it were the trumpeters of Gods glory which they do enlarge and publishe as by all other their actions so cheifly by those which tende directly to God himselfe are vsually called the worship of God For although al the actions of man in his pure estate euen the common actions of life as eating and drinking did make for the glory of God yet these do not make the worship of God because
maketh a speidie gainfull and happie voiage howsoeuer if that she chaunce to meete with a rocke or to runne vpon some sand she is in greater danger then if she had made lesse hast and borne a lower saile So where the strength and force of these affections is wanting there is as lesse danger in respect of sudden falles so lesse abilitie of aspiring to any high degree of holines for that the graces of the holy spirit wanting their sailes or being be calmed for want of winde often lie floting vp and dowen and doe not make so euident or notable progresse in their course Of these renewed affections the most notable is called loue an affections so often commended vnto vs and so highly extolled in the scriripture as if it contained not one part onely but euen the wholle substance of created holinesse in the which respect it is saide to be The fulfilling of the lawe Math. 22 40. Rom. 13. 8. and the one halfe of renewed holinesse the which is vsually cōprised in these two words Faith and Loue which is sayde 1. Cor. 13. 13. To be greater then faith But that we giue neither more nor lesse to this affection then is due vnto it this is to be held that holinesse whether created or recreated doth not consist either in any one or in a fewe but in many graces amongest the which loue hath the first place assigned vnto it yea often the denomination either of the wholle holinesse of man or more commonly of the holinesse of all the practicall faculties Not as if it were the only grace for there are many distinct graces euen as many as there are distinct faculties of mans soule required in perfect holinesse or yet as if it were the chiefe grace for faith hath the first place although in nature it be not so excellent as loue which is an heroicall grace being the foundation and as it were the subiect and ground-worke not onely of loue but also of all other graces and of all holinesse whether created or renewed Why then is loue more spoken of and inculcated in the scripture then faith or any other grace We answere that the spirit of God hauing continually in enditing the scripture respect to the capacitie of men propoundeth and commendeth vnto them holinesse not so much in grosse and in generall as in some particulars which are more easely surely and certainly conceaued then the generall in the which respect loue is preferred before faith as being more euident apparant and sensible and therefore a more sure and infallible marke and note of generall holinesse The great appearance of loue ariseth of these two causes First because whereas faith hath relation to God onely loue extendeth it selfe both to God and men Secondly where as faith lieth hidden in the heart and minde loue is outward practical and therefore more apparant and sensible Againe loue is preferred before all other practicall graces because holinesse consisteth as partly in duties to be performed in respect of our selues so cheifely in duties to be perfourmed to others namely to God and to men the which a man cannot performe as he ought vnlesse he beare a loue and a harty desire of the good both of God and of man Thus much of loue in generall The particulars of it are these First the regenerate man loueth God aboue all the thinges in the worlde desiring his good in the aduancement of his glory much more then his owne saluation From the which fountaine of the loue of God springeth the loue of all men but especially of the Godly who are renewed according to the image of God in holinesse and iustice Psal. 16. 3. All my delite is in the holy ones which are here on earth and cheiflie in those which excell in vertue This loue of the saintes is an infallible signe of true regeneration and of the true loue of God namely whenas a man loueth an other hartelie and vehemently euen as it were his owne naturall sonne or brother for this cause onely he being otherwise astraunger vnto him for that he seeth in him manifest signes and argumentes of true and vnfained godlinesse 1. Ioh. 3. 14. We knowe that we are translated from death to life because we loue the brethren And Ioh. 13. 35. By this shall all men knowe that ye are my disciples if ye loue one another Nowe we come to the other fountaine of loue namely selfe-loue the which also hath place in the regenerate although in an other manner then in carnall men For they loue themselues yet so as that they loue God more by infinite degrees and their brethren as themselues Againe they doe not shewe or vse this selfe-loue in prouiding earthly and sensuall pleasures for their bodies but in procuring the eternall saluation of their soules and yet they doe and ought to loue themselues more then they doe any other yea to be more carefull for the good estate of their owne bodies and soules then of the bodies and soules of their brethren Yet this must be vnderstood in equall comparison for a faithfull man ought not to loue his owne bodie and to desire the safetie thereof more then the eternall saluation of his brother the which ought to be procured yea with the losse of our owne temporall liues Ioh. 3. 16. As Christ laide downe his life for vs so we ought to lay downe our liues for our brethren Yet a man neede not depriue himselfe of life for the safetie of the temporall life of his brother being a priuate man nor of eternall life for the procuring of his eternall saluation If any man doe here obiect the examples of Moses Paul of whom the one desired to haue his name blotted out of the booke of life and the other to be accursed from Christ for the good of the Iewes We āswere that the Iewes were then to be cōsidered not simplie as mē but as the whol visible church of God the confusion whereof coulde not but be a great hinderaunce to Gods glory the which ought to be procured euen with the eternall confusion of our owne soules if the case doe so require For so Moses alledgeth that if God did destroy his owne people the Egiptians who were spitefull enimies to God and his worshippe would laugh at their distruction and blaspheme God himselfe And so we cannot doubte but that the glory of God shall be wonderfully enlarged by the conuersion of the Iewes and therefore it may be more desired then our owne saluation From this fountaine of selfe loue flow the afore saide streames of speciall loue whereby the faithfull man is affected more to those who doe any way come neare himselfe then to those who are estraunged from him This partial loue is good and lawefull for why shoulde not man encline and cleaue more to those whom God hath ioyned more nearely vnto him Hence commeth the speciall loue due to parentes which cannot be wanting but in him