teach the will doth euer follow the last iudgement and conclusion of the practicke reason and that which the minde by the aduise of reason iudgeth and determineth to be acted that must the will endeauour to act As if the minde resolue that our chiefest happines consisteth in the plentifull possession and fruition of all earthly profits and pleasures then will the will and affections be wholly set vpon earthly things but if it resolue that our highest happinesse and our chiefest good consisteth in our communion with God and in the cleere manifestation of his loue in Christ then will our hearts be lifted vp to God and fixed on Christ and settled vpon heauen and heauenly things For as Saint Austine saith free-will is a seruant to sinne or to grace An euill minde maketh an euill will a minde indued with grace communicateth grace to the will For doth 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 seed 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 etenins quicu ique geret noâ— hunc â—go nolle crediderim 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 relent 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
faith by calling it the knowledge of the Tit. 1. 1. 1 Tim. 3. 16. truth which is according to godlinesse for that it is the fruitfull mother thereof As he calleth the Diuine doctrine of the Gospell the mysterie of godlinesse because it is the powerfull instrument of God to procreate the same For it openeth the vnspeakable vnsearchable riches of the loue and goodnesse of God in Christ and giueth light and sight to apprehend the same and thereby begetteth true godlinesse The cause procreating and preseruing of all holinesse and happinesse both of Angels and men either in this life or in the life to come is the Vision contemplationâ— and Apprehension of the Lords vnspeakeable goodnesse and loue The plaine and euident revelation and manifestation thereof in the Gospell openeth the eyes of a blinded sinner and giueth to him the sight of a true Christian sauing saith whereby he turneth from darkenesse to light and from the power of Satan to God and Acts 26. 18. 2 Cor. 3. 18. worketh in him a reuerent feare to offend the Lord and a louing care to performe all duties that doe belong to piety and godlinesse Behold saith Saint Iohn what loue the Father hath shewed vs that we should be called the sonnes of God For this cause the world knoweth vs not because it knowoth not him Dearely beloued now we are the sonnes of God but yet it doth not appeare what we shall be but this we know that when he shall appeare we shall be like him for wee 1 Ioh. 3. 1. shall see him as hee is And euery one that hath this hope in him purgeth himselfe euen as he is pure In which words the Apostle auoucheth that the Lord making himselfe knowne by the doctrine of the Gospell not to the world but to his Elect and causing theÌ„ therby not onely faithfully to beleeue and embrace his great loue whereby hee hath adopted them for his sonnes in Christ but also by hope firmely to expect their full and finall glorification at his comming to iudgement doth thereby purge euery one of them from the pollutions of sinne and so doth reforme and renew them The which reformation because it doth begin in the minde and from thence proceedeth to the whole man is called a renewing or a changing of the minde and a returning to a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Resipiscentia wiser course For when the vnderstanding is truely rectified and reformed by the sure and certaine knowledge and apprehension of heauenly things it will master and ouer-rule the will and the affections and cause them to be imployed about Coll. 3. 2. heauenly actions The illumination of the minde saith a learned Author Morton of the three fold estate of man being the first part of regeneration is the cause of all the rest of that holinesse that is to be seene in the regenerate man euen as our Saviour Christ himselfe teacheth saying The light of the Mat. 6. 22. body is the eye if then thine eye be single thy whole body shall be light but if thine eye be wicked all thy bodie shall be darke So likewise if the minde which is the eye of the soule Coll. 3. 10. be truely sanctified and renewed with knowledge there followeth holinesse in all the faculties of the soule but if it be darkened with blindnesse and ignorance there is nothing but sinne in the whole man Neither can it be otherwise For as it is impossible that a man should either trust or hope in God loue feare and obey him or performe any other duty of holinesse to God whom hee doth not know in his loue mercy goodnesse power iustice and the rest of his attributes so it is no lesse impossible that a man should know and be fully perswaded that God is true in his promises mercifull gratious and iust and not be affected to him accordingly He that knoweth thee O God saith Austin loueth thee more then himselfe August soliloq cap. 1. and leaueth himselfe that he may come vnto thee and delight in thee Wherefore if any one make profession of true wisedome and Iac 3. 13. knowledge we may will him with Saint Iames to make demonstration thereof by his good conversation and by his workes performed in meeknesse of wisedome or which is all one if he make profession of the true Christian Faith we may say vnto him Shew mee thy faith by thy workes and I will Iac. 2. 26. shew thee my faith by my workes seeing that faith that is without workeâ— is not a liuing but a dead faith For a liuing faith doth engraffe vs into Christ and so maketh vs good trees Rom. 11. 19. which cannot be without good fruit And verily so farre forth Mat. 7. 17. Tantum possumus quantum credimus Cyp. ad Quirit Tantum diligimus quantum credimus Orig. in Eze. hâ—m 22. 1 Ioh 2. 4. Qui non facit bonum non credâ—t bonum Isa 11. 6. Pro. 2. 10. as the grace of God enableth vs to beleeue so farre it enableth vs also to worke and so farre forth as it enableth vs to apprehend Gods loue towards vs so farre forth it enableth vs to loue God and to make the same euident and manifest by our carefull endeauour to doe such things as are well pleasing in his sight He therefore that saith I know God and keepeth not his Commandements is a lyer and the truth is not in him For he that doth not well beleeueth not well and he whose knowledge bridleth not in some good measure his brutish affections he hath not attained to that wisedome and knowledge which the Spirit of God fore-told should be in all true and sincere Christians For when wisedome entreth into thine heart and knowledge delighteth thy soule then shall counsell preserue thee and vnderstanding shall keepe thee and deliuer thee from the euill way Of the infallible certainty and truth whereof Lactantius was so throughly perswaded that he was bold to make this challenge to any that would except against the same by instancing in the most vnbridled affections of all Giue me saith hee Lact. diuâ—n Instit l. 3. c. 26. a wrathfull man and a slanderer and one that is of vnbridled affections and with a few words of God I will make him as weake as a Lambe Giue me a greedy and a couetous pinch-penny and I will make him liberall giuing out his money with whole handfuls giue me one that is afraid of griefe and death and he shall presently contemne the Gallowes and the fire and the Bull of Phalaris also giue me a libidinous and an adulterous person and thou shalt see him straight way sober chast and continent giue me a cruell and a blood-thirsty person and presently his fury shall be turned into mercy giue me an vniust person and an vnwise and a sinner and by and by he shall be made iust prudent and innocent and with one washing all his sinfulnesse shall be
God that maketh him to will or to worke for then God should not be the first mouer and the first cause of all things but therefore he willeth Rom. 9. 19. because he willeth And yet farre be it from any Religious heart to thinke that the most wise God willeth any thing without good and sufficient reason or that he speaketh any thing idlely or in vaine The Word of the Lord is the Fountaine Eccles 1. 5. of Wisedome and therefore openeth all Divine truthes by their right and proper reasons And all the workes of God are done in number weight and measure he hath giuen to euery severall creature according to it's kinde it 's seuerall nature with properties qualities fitted thereunto And he hath ordained euery thing to cōsist of such such causes faculties powers as were best agreeing to such such things most powerfull to enable them to produce such and such effects for the producing whereof they were ordained by God The which causes and effects powers and faculties qualities and properties when they are found out then there is a right knowledge of the things themselues Now what are causes and effects powers qualities and the like but reasons and arguments whereby all things are made open and manifest and so are rightly apprehended and knowne Looke we into the sacred Scriptures and we may see therein how the Lord doth lay open vnto his people the mysteries of godlinesse yea euen that great mystery of godlinesse God manifested in the flesh being the principall subiect of those divine bookes by assigning his efficient cause God the Father Matth. 3. 17. and his Mother the Blessed Virgin Mary the daughter of David the King Luk. 1. 31. His materiall causes his Divine and humane Natures Matth. 1. 23. His formall cause the vniting of his humane nature by personall vnion vnto his divine Ioh. 1. 14. his finall cause the working out of mans redemption Gal. ◠4. His effects our reconciliation to God Ephe. 2. 18. with our deliuerance out of the bondage of sinne and Satan and our translation into the glorious liberty of the sonnes of God Ioh. 8. 36. His attributes according to his Divine nature infinite wisedome holinesse righteousnesse and the like Col. 2. 3. and according to his humane nature such a measure of all divine and heauenly graces as are farre aboue the perfections of any other creatures Ioh 1. 19. The time when he was borne euen when the Scepter was taken away from Iudah and all regall authority was in the hands of strangers Luc. 2. 1. The place where he was borne Bethlehem Matth. 2. 5. The place whither he fled into banishment Aegypt Matth. 2. 13. The place where he was brought vp Naezareth Matth. 2. 23. The places where he liued preached wrought his miracles and dyed Galile Samaria Iury and Ierusalem Luc. 13. 24. The place where his body was laid after his death a Sepulcher that was in a Garden wherein neuer any body was laid before Ioh. 14. 42. The place whither he ascended after his resurrection and where he sitteth at the right hand of God and from whence he shall come to iudge both quicke and dead the highest Heauens Act. 2. 32. Diuers things from him all creatures in their defects and imperfections Ioh. 1. 23. Things like vnto him all creatures in their good properties and gifts Gen. 1. 26. especially typicall persons as Melchisedecke Heb. 6. 2. Isaack Gen. 17. 16. Sampson Iud. 16. 30. Ionah Matth. 12. 40. and all the high Priests Heb. 9 9. Typicall things the brasen Serpent Ioh. 3. 14. The mercy seat Hebr. 4. 16. Especially the Sacraments both of the Old and New Testaments 1 Cor 10. 4. His description Heb. 1. 2. His distribution by his Propheticall Priestly and Kingly offices set down in the greater part of that Epistle the interpretation of hi◠Name Iesus a Sauiour Matth. 1. 21. Of his Name Christ annointed Cant 1. 2. Of his Name Emmanuel God with vs Matth. 1. 23. His Conjugates a Sauiour bringing saluation to all that are saued Act. 4. 14. His testimonies of God the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost 1 Ioh. 5. 7. Of the Angels Luk 2. 11. Of all the Prophets Act. 10. 4e And of his greatest enemies euen the Diuels themselues Matth. 8. 23. The principall parts of the Word of God are the Law and 2 Cor. 4. 2. Gospel both of which are grounded vpon the evidence of reason and truth Law saith Cicero is the higest reason The Cic. l. 1. de leg which if it be true of the wise Lawes made by wise men much more is it true of the most wise and righteous Lawes made by Deut. 4. 8. the most wise and righteous God And verily it is the reason of the Law that is the life of the Law and bindeth the conscience to yeeld obedience For if the Law be contrary to reason it bindeth such as are subiect thereunto onely to endure the penalty thereof and not to performe the thing therein commanded For as Tertullian saith if a Law will not be tryed Tert. in Apol. Quod ad omnes attinet ab oinnibus debet approbari it is iustly suspected and if it being not tryed and approued yet is forced vpon any it is wicked seeing no Law doth owe to it selfe the iustifying of the equity thereof but to them of whom it doth require obedience And therefore wise and moderate Princes doe vse to call together a generall assembly of all the States and Commons of their Kingdomes that vpon iust causes and reasons duely weighed and examined both hurtfull Lawes may he taken away and holsome Statutes enacted for the generall good of their Kingdomes and Countries The which Statutes when they are published are many times set forth barely without their reasons least happily they might grow into too great a Volume But it is not so with the Lawes of God especially with those of the first Table for they haue sundry reasons adioyned to them as lights to make manifest the aequity of them and as Orators to perswade obedience thereunto And verily there was great reason why it should be so seeing by the fall of Adam the true knowledge of them is greatly defaced in all his posterity Whereas the Lawes of the second Table which concerne our duty towards our neighbour are for the most part barely deliuered because they are knowne by their owne light and that to the most barbarous people that liue on the face of the whole earth As it may appeare by the History of the West-Indinas who are reported presently to haue approued and embraced the aequity of those Lawes when they were at the first proposed vnto them And yet behold how behoouefull it is euen for the faithfull themselues to haue many reasons set downe before their eyes for the procuring of ready obedience to be yeelded euen vnto these commandements in that the Spirit of God hath caused the Prophets and
Apostles being the expounders thereof to set downe in their Canonicall writings many most forcible and effectuall argument for the procuring of a more ready obedience to the same And verily experience it selfe doth shew Veritas docendo suadet that truth doth teach by perswasion that is by arguments and reasons as being such motiues and inducements as best befitthe reasonable and generous nature of man Whereas brute Generosus animus poti us ducitur quam trahitur beasts that want reason are to be compelled by force and violence And therefore the Law of God in the originall is called Thorah that is a Doctrine or Teaching for that it doth teach and instruct the people of God by the Divine aequity and reason that is contained therein Now if the Law of God which is in part naturally knowne had need to be further opened by arguments and reasons how much more had the doctrine of the Gospell which is aboue the reach of naturall reason St. Austin hath deliuered certaine reasons why it was iust and right that God should willingly suffer the fall of the first man whereof the principall one is the manifestation of his infinite and endlesse mercy and goodnesse in providing that strange and admirable meanes of mans recovery which is reuealed in the Gospell We saith St. Austin Aug. de corr grat ca. 10. most soundly confesse and most firmely beleeue that God who created all things exceeding good and did fore-see that euill things would arise out of good and did iudge that it did beseeme his omnipotent goodnesse euen out of the euill to draw that which is good rather then not to permit euill did so ordaine the estate of Men and Angels that in the same he might make manifest First after what sort their free-will would worke and then what the benefit of his owne grace could effect and also how farre the seuerity of his Iustice would extend it selfe In which words three things are deliuered why God permitted the fall of man First that it might be knowne that the most excellent among the creatures being but in a measure capable of goodnesse may fall away from the same Whereas the Creator onely being infinitely good cannot but continue so for euer Secondly that it might be made manifest that there is no euill so great but that the Lord can prouide in his endlesse goodnesse a remedy for the same Thirdly also that it might be knowne that there is no sinne committed by any one whatsoeuer but that God in his Iustice will punish the same with all severity So then God appointed this strange meanes of mans recouery that is reuealed in the Gospell both that he might make manifest the seuerity of his Iustice in that rather then the sinnes of his Elect and chosen children should escape vnpunished he punished them with that severity vpon their kind suerty that it made him sweat water and blood as likewise that he might make known the vnsearchable riches of his endlesse goodnesse in that to spare vs most wicked Traitors and Apostataes he spared not his owne most dearely beloued Sonne That herein we might behold the omnipotent power wisedome and goodnesse of God in that out of sinne the euill of all euils procured by the most wicked suggestion of Satan to this end that God might be dishonoured in the highest degree and man vtterly ouerthrowne and destroyed the Lord hath not onely drawne vnto himselfe the highest measure of most admirable glory in his strange Iustice and vnspeakeable mercy but also the greatest happinesse to man by binding him most nearely vnto himselfe by the strongest bonds of the greatest loue that could be and in giuing him the greatest assurance of his euerlasting saluation So that in respect thereof we may rightly breake out with that ancient Father into this strange exclamation O happy fall of Adam which was the cause of ordayning so strange and admirable a meanes for mans recouery And how can wee thinke that the truthes of the Law and the Gospell want sound and sufficient arguments and reasons to iustifie their holy and heauenly Doctrines seeing no Idolaters Haereticks or Schismaticks will seeme so absurd and void of iudgement but that they will pretend some shew of reason for the better colouring of their erronious vntruthes As it is apparant by the common practise of all the professors of euery blind devotion and wicked superstition The Idolatrous Iewes Ier. 44. 17. alleadged in the defence of their Idolatries So haue done both we and our Fathers our Kings and our Princes in the Cities of Iudah and in the streets of Ierusalem and then had we plenty of victuals and felt none euill but since wee left off to burne incense to the Queene of heauen and to poure out drinke offerings vnto her we haue had searcenesse of all things and haue beene consumed by sword and by famine And at another time the Temple of the Lord the Temple of Ier. 7. 4. Ier. 18. 18. the Lord. And againe the Law shall not perish from the Priest nor counsell from the wise nor the word frō the Prophets So Ioh. 4. 20. the Schismaticall Samaritans alleadged for themselues our Fathers worshipped in this mount Like as the Idolatrous Heathē Aug. de Ciuit. Dei l. 10. c. 32. Orig. contra Celsum vsed most commonly thus to reason That which is more ancient and long before our dayes cannot be false And againe hath God at the last after so many ages bethought himselfe And doe not the Idolatrous Papists in these times stand vpon the like shewes As the Church the Church Christs Vicar Peters Successor our Fathers our Ancienters O they were good men and did many good workes and who seeth not what manner of men these new Gospellers are So the meere Mal. 3 14. Worldling Epicure and Atheist It is in vaine to serue God for what profit is it that we haue kept his Commandements and haue walked humbly before the Lord of hostes Therefore we count the proud blessed for they that worke wickednesse Wisd 2. 1. are set vp and they that tempt God are deliuered And againe our life is short and tedious and in the death of a man there is no recouery neither was any knowne to haue returned from the graue For we are borne at all peraduenture and we shall be hereafter as if we had neuer beene for the breath is as a smoake in the Nostrils and the words are as a sparke raised out of the heart which being extinguished the body is turned into ashes and the spirit vanisheth as the soft ayre Come therefore let vs enioy the pleasures that are present c. Yea the very Omnifidian who followeth faith not for conscience but for company who will take no manner of paine to seeke out the true faith by searching after the grounds thereof is not thus madde without some shew or shadow of reason For saith he I am an vnlearned man and am to follow