folly set all things Mala mens malus animus out of frame and doth not wisedome frame and order all things aright Doth darknesse cause men to stumble and fall Iohn 11. 9. Heb. 3. 12. and doth not light keepe men vpright and preserue them from falling Doth infidelity withdraw mens hearts from God and corrupt their wils and affections and doth not faith ioyne men neerely vnto God and sanctifie their wils and affections with all manner of diuine and heauenly graces Wherefore as all carnall Gospellers and loose Libertines so our Romane Catholikes are greatly deceiued in that they thinke that a sauing and iustifying faith may stand with raigning sinnes for then should the selfe-same persons at the selfe-same time be the children of God in respect of their mindes sanctified with the knowledge of the truth and with sauing faith and the children of the Deuill in their wils being polluted with dominering sins but where sauing faith getteth the sure and safe possession of the minde it not only expelleth infidelity out of the castle of the vnderstanding but also casteth out all sinne and iniquity out of the forts of the will and affections that they shall no longer rule and raigne there For sauing faith doth regenerate vs and make vs the sons of God Gal. 3. 26. as the Apostle affirmeth and so reneweth vs to his image in holinesse and crue righteousnesse and therefore will not suffer vs to giue place to wilfull and raigning sinnes and presumptuous transgressions Whosoeuer saith Saint Iohn is borne 1 Iohn 3. 9. of God sinneth not for his â—eed remaineth in him neither can he sinne because he is borne of God that is whosoeuer is borne of God committeth no such sinnes whereby the Word of God is choaked and extinguished in him because it is an immortall seed which liueth and indureth for euer where it is 1 Pet. 1. 23. once rooted and settled neither can hee sinne because hee is borne of God That is sinne which is the worke of the Deuill cannot so farre forth preuaile as to annihilate his regeneration which is the worke of God because God is stronger then the Deuill and will maintaine his owne proper worke in his owne children against the malice and mischiefe of Satan For let the Deuill set his chiefest instruments on worke to draw Gods children from their faith and obedience to God yet they shall not finally preuaile against them So Saint Iohn Little children ye are of God and haue ouercome them for 1 Iohn 4. 4. greater is he that is in you then he that is in the world For albeit they be little and weake in themselues yet they are strong in the Lord and in the power of his might and are enabled thereby to stand against all the assaults of the Deuill Ephes 6. 10. And verily he that truly beholdeth and duly considereth what this great dignity is to be translated out of the bondage of Satan into the glorious liberty of the sonnes of God he cannot with purpose of heart serue sinne any longer and enthrall himselfe againe vnto the tyranny of Satan but he will resigne himselfe wholly ouer to God How can we saith the Aposte Rom. 6. 2. that are dead to sinne liue any longer therein When Ioseph that of a poore slaue being made chiefe ruler ouer all Gen. 39. 9. Fixum eteniâ—… quicunque geret non hunc â—go nolle crediâ—…erim Christo cum mâ—ricate mori Coster that great estate which his master was possessed withall was tempted by his lewd mistrisse to defile his masters bed How can I said he doe this wickednesse and sinne against God How much more then will all such as are indued with true Christian faith resolue and say when they duly consider their great dignity in that of the bondslaues of Satan they are made the sonnes of God and inheritours of the kingdome of heauen How can we giue ouer our selues to wilfull and presumptuous sinnes to the great dishonour of our louing and most gracious God who hath aduanced vs to so great dignity and honor Vndoubtedly they cannot but thus resolue with themselues their sure beleefe of so great a fauour throughly settled in their hearts will not suffer them to giue themselues ouer to the seruice of sinne but will cause them fully to resolue to continue and perseuere in constant and continuall obedience vnto God And in this respect the estate of all such as are reconciled vnto God by Christ albeit it be subiect to many infirmities is farre more happy then Adams was in his absolute and perfect purity For as Saint Austine saith the first liberty was a Aug. de corrept grat cap. 2. possibility not to sinne but ours is much greater being such as that we cannot possibly sinne that is giue our selues ouer to be bondslaues to raigning sinnes For to Adam was giuen grace to persist in grace if he would but to vs it is giuen that we be made willing and that by our will we conquer our concupiscence to him was giuen ability if he himselfe would haue vsed it but to vs is giuen not only to be able but also to be willing to vse our ability For the will of the Saints is so forcibly mooued by the Spirit of God that therefore they are able because they will and therefore they will because it is God that worketh in them that they be willing For if in so great infirmity wherein perfect vertue was requisite for the suppressing of pride they were left to their owne will that by the helpe of God they might persist if they would themselues and that God himselfe did not worke in them the very will that they would among so many and so great tentations the will by reason of her weaknesse would soone râ—lent and giue ouer A remedy therefore was prouided for the infirmity of mans will that it should be so mooued by diuine grace that it should neuer decline or separate it selfe from the same and therefore albeit it were weake yet it should neuer vtterly faile Now that Saint Austine did not mistake herein it is manifest by the testimony of God himselfe set downe by the Prophet Ieremie in most direct words to that purpose I will Ier. 32. 40. saith the Lord make an euerlasting Couenant with them meaning his faithfull ones vnder the time of grace that I will not turne away from them to doe them good but I will put my feare in their hearts that they shall not depart from me So then now vnder the Couenant of grace diuine grace is not so offered to the faithfull that they may either chuse or refuse it if they will but thereby they are made both willing to receiue it at the first and resolute also to perseuere therein constantly euen to the end and therefore by the Spirit of God they are called trees which shall not cease from yeelding fruit Ier. 17. 8. Whereby it is manifest that grace
hearer also are co-workers with God and yet hereof they are not to be proud For what hast thou that 1 Cor. 4. 7 thou hast not receiued And if thou hast receiued it why gloriest thou as if thou hadst not receiued it Of our selues we are dead in our sinnes and altogether vnable to moue our selues to the working out of Faith and an holy life but are meerely passiue Eph 2. 1. Rom. 5. 6 in our spirituall resurrection vntill God by his Spirit put good thoughts into our mindes and holy desires into our hearts yet then we our selues beginne to thinke well and to desire that which is good albeit not of our selues but by the gracious working of God's most holy Spirit By the grace of God saith the Apostle I am that I am and his grace which is in me was not in vaine but I laboured more abundantly then 1 Cor. 15. 10. they all yet not I but the grace of God which is with me I laboured saith the Apostle more abundantly then they all in working out the worke of the saluation of many but yet not I as of my selfe or by any naturall power that was in me but by the worke of the grace of God which was with me For so he doth declare his meaning to be in the third chapter of his second Epistle where for that some among them called in question the truth of his Apostleship hee boldly aâ—oucheth that their regeneration and conversion to God wrought by his ministery but by the power of Christ was a most euident demonstration thereof Such trust saith hee haue wee through Christ to God not that we are sufficient of our selues to thâ—nke any thing belonging to the worke of our owne saluation or to the saluation of any other as of our selues but 2 Cor. 3. 5 our sufficiency is of God The Faithfull then must haue an holy minde and an holy will before they can be the holy ones of God yet it is neither of these that they haue of themselues but of the pâ—wâ—râ—ull grace of God We will saith S. Austin but it is God that worketh in vs to will we worke but it is God that Aug. de gratiâ— libero arâ— c. 16 worketh in vs to worke and that of his owne good will Thus to beleeue and to professe is behâ—ofull and expedient for vs this is according to godlines and truth that an humble and lowly confâ—ssion be made by vs and that all be giuen and ascribâ—d to God seeing our life is in greater security when we ascribe all to God and doe not commit our selues in part to our selues and in part to God So then it is a most certain truth that in our regeneration and deliuerance from the being and bondage of sinne it is God that worketh in vs euery good thought word and worke and also that herein we our selues are co-workers with God as it may appeare by this euen for that this worke proceedeth after so slow and slacke a manner Adam indeed was made perfectly holy and righteous and that in a moment euen at his first being and existing because the Lord Almighty and all-sufficient wrought himselfe and by himselfe that holinesse and righteousnesse that was in him but now the Faithfull are herein â—oint-workers with God and therefore this worke goeth forward slowly because of the small measure of grace that is giuen to them the great power of the remnants of their inbrâ—d corruptions which continually striue against the worke of grace and hinder greatly the proceedings thereof The faithfull in diuers places of Scriptures are compared to starres in respect of their profitable and fruitfull vses but may they not also be likened vnto them in respect of their manifold imperfections and aberrations Their proper motions are but slow yea some of them very slow For some of them finish â—heir couâ—se in a yeare one in two yeare one in twelue yeare one in thirty yeare and all that be fixed in the fitmament in forty nine thousand yeares Neither keep they their rightâ— curse always vnder the Ecliptick line but somtimes turne to one side thereof sometimes to the other neither are these their courses still direct and forward but also sometimes retrograde and backward in their cycles epcicycles towards their apogeïon and towards their perigeïon giuing sometimes a cheerefull aspect and sometimes an opposite and disastrous stowne So is it with the faithfull they are slow in the entire accomplishing of any one â—oly motion yet the motions of all the powers of their soules and bodies will not be made perfite vntill the glorious commâ—ng of Christ vnto iudgement Verily while they liue here in this world they follow not continually the streight course of Christ the Sunne of righteousnesse vnder the Eclipticke line of his holy Word but sometimes they turne to one side and sometimes to the other neither doe they alwayes keep a direct course and goe on forward in the way of godlines but sometimes they are retrograde and goe backward and sometimes running in a maze being doubtfull and vncertaine which way to take sometimes they are in their apogeïon and sometimes in their perigeïon that is sometimes they are lifted vp with heauenly meditations and sometimes pressed downe with earthly cares and sometimes they giue a cheerefull aspect to the good proceedings of others and somtimes they become their cleane opposites and cast vpon them a disastrous frowne Wherefore it behooueth the faithfull to giue all diligence to worke out their saluation not only with hearts trembling at their owne imperfections but also by being fearefull to ascribe to themselues the glory of willing or working any thing that is good seeing as the Apostle adâ—oyneth it is God that worketh Phil. 2. 13. in you the will and the deed and that of his own goodwill And yet they themselues must vnderstand desire and accomplish that which belongeth to the honour of God and to their owne and the Churches good if they will be the accepted seruants of God The Church of Rome doth lay this as an hainous offence vnto our charge that by us the nature of man is greatly disgraced in that wee teach that men are become brutish without reason and as dead stocks and stones without sense and life because we teach that by nature they haue not liberty list nor life vnto any thing that is truly and religiously good And why doe they not bring in the same inditement against the bookes of the Canonicall Scriptures which teach that euery man is a beast in his owne knowledge and that our hearts are stony vntill Ier. 10. 14 Ezek. 36. 26. Eph. 2. 1. they be made flesh and that we are starke dead in trespasses and sinnes and therefore haue no sanctified will sense nor life vntill Christ doth quicken vs by his holy Spirit and raise vs vp to an holy life Our doctrine then herein is none other then the very doctrine of the Holy Ghost neither
that as many as would ioyne the workes of the Law to the grace of Christ in the matter of Iustification They were abolished from Christ and fallen from Gal. 5. 4. grace Yea if we had not sinned but continued in our innocency and had kept all the Commandements of God whereunto God had bound himselfe by his promise to render the reward of eternall life yet in confidence of the merit of our workes we could not haue said rightly vnto the Lord Pay that thou Aug. in Ps 83. Aug. de verb. Apost Ser. 15. owest but performe that which thou hast promised For as the same Father saith God hath not made himselfe a debtor to vs by receiuing any thing froÌ„ vs but by promising vs that which best pleased himselfe But now since our best actions are so stayned by some sinister respect or other in the doing of them that as Gregory saith euen an holy man doth see his Greg. in Ioh. l. 9. c. 1. very vertuous workes to be vicious if they come to be scanned by a iust Iudge then they are so farre off from deseruing of any reward at Gods hands much lesse of Iustification and Saluation that rather in strict Iustice they merit condemnation For so Saint Austin is bold to pronounce of them Woe Aug. confess lib. 9. cap. 13. worth the commendable life of man if thou Iudge it without mercy In what a wofull case then are all proud Papists which will not be iustified and saued but by the merit of their owne workes seeing thereby they be abolished from Christ and are fallen from grace and from the fruit and benefit of both QVEST. XXXVII The naturall man hath no free will to that which is religiously good Arguments drawne from that which is opposite priuatiuely By nature we are all spiritually dead in trespasses and sinnes Ephes 2. 1. And therefore as a man that is bodily dead is able to performe no action that belongeth to a naturall life so cannot wâ—… performe any action that belongeth to a spirituall and supernaturall life vntill we be quickned and raised vp againe by he Spirit of Christ We are now all by nature depriued of all Rom. 5. 6. spirituall power and strength We are 〈◊〉 sufficient of our selues to thinke any good thing as of 〈◊〉 selues Much lesse to will or 2 Cor. 3. 5. to worke any such thing We are saith one Prophet foolish Ier. 4. 22. children and haue no vnderstanding we are wiâ—e to doe euill but to doe well we haue no knowledge We are now all by nature the Gal. 4. 25. children of the bond woman and not of the free The time was when in Adam we had all freedome of will to make choice either of good or euill but since that in him we made choice of that which was euill we are so hardned therein and in such Rom. 6. 20. bondage and slauery to our corrupt lusts that we haue no inclination at all or free motion vnto righteousnesse For as Aug. de correp grat c. 13. Austin saith our will as it is â—ow by nature free and not made free by grace is free from righteousnesse only in bondage to sin For liberty without race as the same Father teacheth Aug. Ep. 89. is nâ—t liberty but contumacy that is a wilfull obstinacy in that onely which is euill QVEST. XXXVIII No religious worship or seruice is to be giuen to any Angell or Saint Arguments drawen from such things as depend vpâ—n relation Let not saith Saint Austin the worship of the dead be vnto vs a matter of Religion Aug. de Vera Reâ—ig c 55 Aug contra Faust Mâ—nich lib. 23. c. 21. Synod MoguÌ„t c. 46. For they are to be honoured for imitation but not to be adored for Religion And againe we worship the Saints with charity but not with seruice neither doe we build temples vnto them For according vnto the censure of the Synode of Ments the Saints which haue shut vp the course of their liues with a blessed end ought worthily to be honoured of vs as the worthy members of Christs body but not with that honour which is due vnto God but with that reuerent regard of society and loueâ— wherewith holy men may be honoured of vs here in this life The like is to be said concerning the worship of Angels I fell said Saint Iohn confessing his owne double fall at the Angels feet to worship him but he said vnto me See thou doe it not for I am thy fellow seruant and one of thy brethren which haue the testimony of Iesus Apoc. 19. 10. câ— 22. 9. worship God By which words of the Angell vttered once and againe we Seruus est domini seruus may iustly collect that seeing a seruant among men is a seruant of his Lords only not of any one of his fellow seruants and is bound to serue the one onely and not the other therefore seeing all the faithfull haue but one Lord all Angels and Saints being their fellow seruants they ought to deuote themselues Eâ—hes 4. 5. 2. 29. onely to the Religious seruice of God and not vnto the seruice of any Angell or Saint We take it to be a great absurdity and indignity also for one that is admitted into the family of an earthly King to betake himselfe to the seruice of a subiect and is it not a greater indignity for one that by baptisme is admitted into the family of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords to betake him to the seruice of an Angell or Saint In Oxford wee are sworne Non suscipere gradum Simeonis that is when we haue taken an higher degree of dignity in the Schooles not to take a lower degree And shal we then when we haue receiued this high degree of honor to be admitted among the seruaÌ„ts of the Almighty Creator of heauen earth shall we I say debase our seâ—ues so low as to seeke for admission into the seruice of a weake creature Let the Romanists then if they list deuote themselues vnto the seruice of the Saints and giue to them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 diuine worship but let the true seruants of God be carefull to giue diuine seruice onely to God QVEST. XXXIX The faithfull are made righteous before God by the righteousnesse of Christ imputed to them Arguments drawen from things that haue the same proportion of reason If by the disobedience of the first Adam many were made sinners why by the obedience of the second Adam may not many be made righteous Rom. 5. 19. 2 Cor. 5. 21. Rom. 8. 34. If our sinnes were imputed vnto Christ when hee was pure from all sinne why may not his righteousnesse be imputed vnto vs albeit we be stayned with all sinne If Christs sufferings and death are made ours and we thereby are deliuered from condemnation Why may not his righteousnesse as well be imputed vnto vs
shall attaine to the same as likewise what be all those necessary duties which he requireth at their hands So reasoneth Optatus Christ hath Optat. l 5. cont Parm. Donat. dealt with vs as an earthly Father is wont to doe with his children who searing least they should fall out after his decease doth set downe his Will in writing vnder witnesses that if there arise any doubt among them they should goe to his Testament He whose word must end our Controuersies is Christ let vs then goe to his Testament QVEST. LVII The faithfull for the diuine wisedome of the holy Scriptures rightly vnderstood beleeue them to be the Word of God and not onely for the bare authority of the Church If the Gentiles instructed by the light of naturall reason did certainly perceiue the booke of the creatures to be Gods booke by the glorious attributes of God made manifest therein much more the faithfull lightned with the Lampe of Rom. 1. 19. diuine grace may plainly perceiue the booke of the Scriptures wherein God as a familiar friend without casting of a mist doth speak to the heart not onely of the learned but of the vnlearned also as Austin saith to be Gods booke by the diuine Aug. Ep. 3 ad Vol. and heauenly wisedome deliuered therein and therefore they need not build their faith vpon the bare testimony onely of the Church And so reasoneth the Prophet Dauid The Psal 19. 1. heauens saith he declare themselues to be the workes of the glorious God euen by their heauenly influences and diuine operations How much more doth the Law of the Lord by the diuine wisedome and righteousnesse thereof and by the most powerfull and excellent workes that are wrought thereby declare and demonstrate it selfe euidently to be the most wise and righteous word of the most wise and righteous God QVEST. LVIII The naturall man hath no free will in heauenly things Mans will is but feeble and weake for the compassing of earthly businesses that are of any weight or moment therfore in heauenly matters the strength thereof is small or rather as the Apostle saith it is none at all So reasoneth the Wiseman Rom. 5. 6. Sap. 9. 13. What is man that he can know the counsell of God or who can thinke what the will of the Lord is For the thoughts of mortall men are fearefull and their forecasts vncertaine because a corruptible body is heauy to the soule and the earthly mansion keepeth downe the minde that is full of cares and hardly can wee discerne the things that are on earth and with great labour finde we out the things that are before vs Who can then seeke out the things that are in heauen who can know thy counsell except thou giue him wisedome and send thy holy Spirit from aboue So Saint Austin It is an absurd thing that we should thinke Aug. de predest Sanct. cap. 26. that God frameth the wils of men for the setling of earthly Kingdomes and that men frame their owne wils for the obtayning of the Kingdome of heauen The Prophets complaint taken vp against the Iewes with whom he liued and who tooke themselues to be Gods people is true against all men as they are naturally corrupted My people are foolish and haue Ierem. 4. 22. no vnderstanding they are wise to doe euill but to doe well they haue no knowledge Now if we haue no vnderstanding of that which is good then doubtlesse we haue no will thereunto and if we be so foolish that we will not be perswaded of the truth hereof it commeth from him that so befooled our first parents Adam and Eue that he made them beleeue that if they would forsake the direction of the most wise God and fall from him they should be as Gods knowing good and euill whereas in truth they thereby became diuels and depriued themselues and all their posterity of all knowledge of that which was truely good and of all will thereunto QVEST. LIX No man can make satisfaction to God for transgressing of any of his holy Lawes If a Fellon that hath stollen but a sheepe cannot make satisfaction by his repentance or by any good worke be it neuer so great for this trespasse against the Law of his Prince albeit it be but once committed but must be condemned and suffer for it if he cannot read as a Clarke or be not releeued by a gracious pardon from his Prince much lesse can any one by his repentance or any other good worke satisfie for any trespasse committed against any one of the holy Lawes of God but hee must be condemned and suffer for it vnlesse he can reade the Couenant of grace written in his owne heart and finde therein the pardon of his sinnes procured vnto him by the most precious Bloud of Christ Wherefore howsoeuer the proud Romanists by their own deuised workes of satisfaction satisfie and please themselues and their blind followers yet they shall be neuer able thereby to satisfie and please God QVEST. LX. The people ought not to imbrace the doctrine of their Teachers without triall It is no wisedome in matters whereon our whole estate in this world consisteth to commit them wholly to thecare of others and not to looke into them our selues how much lesse wisedome is it in matters of faith whereon dependeth the saluation of our soules to suffer our Teachers to deliuer vnto vs for the ground-worke thereof what doctrine they list without due examination and triall especially seeing that the Spirit of God commandeth vs otherwise to doe Let thine Eyes saith Solomon behold the right and let thine eye-liddes direct thy Pro. 4. 25. way before thee Ponder the Path of thy feet and let all thy wayes be ordered aright So Iesus the Sonne of Syrach Take counsell Eccl 37. 13. of thine owne heart for there is none more faithfull vnto thee then it For a mans minde is sometimes accustomed to shew him more then seuen watchmen that sit aboue in an high towre We must not then trust our Teachers eyes but our owne nor rest wholly vpon the warning of our watchmen but keepe watch and ward our selues ouer our owne soules The welfare of euery one 's owne soule concerneth himselfe most and therefore it lyeth vpon himselfe to looke to himselfe into the doctrine that he receiueth from his Teachers that it bâ— wholsome sound and powerful to beget and increase a true faith because theron dependeth the welfare of his owne soule And verily if a man may tell money after his bodily Father and not trust his eyes in the tale thereof how much more may he examine the doctrine of his ghostly Father whether it hath vpon it the right stampe and whether he hath deliuered his iust and full tale especially seeing the Lord doth enable him thereto if he belong to the Couenant of Grace For this is the Couenant that I will make with the house of Israell after those Heb. 8. 10.