separation must bee made before the ende of this life For this is the order which God taketh hee will haue all them to be in his kingdome in this life that shall bee in the kingdome of heauen after this life And the time of their calling is termed in scriptures the day of visitation the day of saluation the time of grace III This seuering and choosing of the elect out of the worlde is then performed when God by his holy spirite indueth them with true sauing faith a wonderfull gift peculiar to the elect For the better knowing of it there is to be considered First what faith is Secondly howe God doth worke it in the hearts of the Elect Thirdly what degrees there bee of faith Fourthly what are the fruits and benefites of faith IIII Faith is a wonderfull grace of God by which the Elect doe apprehende and apply Christ and all his benefites vnto themselues particularly Here first it is to bee considered that the verie nature of faith standeth in a certaine power of apprehending applying Christ. This is declared by Paule when hee saith ye are buried with him through Baptisme by whome ye are also risen againe with him by the faith of the power of God who raised him from the deade Where it appeareth that faith is made a meanes to communicate Christ himselfe his death and buriall and so all other benefites to the beleeuer Againe to beleeue in Christ and to receiue or to laie holde on Christ are put one for an other by S. Iohn which declareth that there is a speciall applying of Christ. euen as we see when a man hath any thing giuen him hee reacheth out his hand and pulleth it to himself and so makes it his owne Moreouer faith is called the putting on of Christ Which cannot bee vnlesse Christs righteousnes bee specially applyed to the heart as the garment to the backe when it is put on Lastly this may appeare in that faith is called the eating and drinking of Christ for there is no eating of meate that nourisheth but first it must bee tasted and chawed in the mouth then it must be conueyed into the stomack and there digested Lastly it is to be applied to the partes of th◠body that are to bee nourished And Paul praieth for the Ephesians that Christ ma◠dwell in their hearts by faith which plainly importeth this apprehending and applying of Christ. I adde further that faith is a wonderfull grace of God which may appear First in that Paule calleth it the faith of Gods power because the power of God is especially seene in the begetting of faith Secondly experience sheweth it to bee a wonderfull gift of God when a man neither seeth nor feeleth his sinnes then to say he beleeueth in Gods mercie it is an easie matter but when a man shall feele his heart pressed downe with the weight of his sinnes and the anger of God for them then to applie Gods free mercie to his owne soule it is a most hard matter for then it is the propertie of the cursed nature of man to blaspheme God and to dispaire of mercie Iudas who no doubt often preached mercy and redemption by Christ in the security of his hart when Gods hand was vpon him and the Lorde made him see the vilenes of his treachery hee coulde not comfort himselfe in Christ if one woulde haue giuen him ten thousand worlds but in an hellish horror of conscience hanged him selfe desperately which sheweth what a wonderfull harde thing it is at the same instant when a man is touched for his sinnes then to apply Gods mercie to himselfe Yet a true Christian by the power of faith can doe this as it may appeare in Dauid In the daie of my trouble saith he I sought the Lorde my sore ranne and ceased not in the night my soule refused comfort I did thinke vpon God and was troubled I praied and my spirite was full of anguish and hee addeth the worde Selah a note of some wonderfull thing Againe he being almost in the gulfes of hell euen then cried to the Lord for help Iob saith If God should destroy him yet he would for all that beleeue in him still Vndoubtedly strang is the bād of faith knitting Christ and his members together that the anguish of spirite cannot and the strokes of Gods hand doe not vnloose V. This apprehending of Christ is not done by anie corporall touching of him but spirituallie by assurance which is when the Elect are perswaded in their harts by the holie ghost of the forgiuenesse of their owne sinnes and of Gods infinite mercie towards them in Iesus Christ. According to that of Paul Nowe we haue receiued not the spirit of the word but the spirit which is of God that wee might know the things which are giuen vs of God The things which the spirit of GOD maketh knowen to the faithfull particularlie are their iustification adoption sanctification eternall life And thus when anie are perswaded of these things concerning themselues they doe in their heartes distinctlie applie and appropriate Christ and his benefites to them selues VI. The manner that God vseth in the begetting of faith is this First he prepareth the heart that it maie be capable of faith Secondlie he causeth faith by little and little to spring and to breed in the heart The preparation of the heart is by humbling and softening of it and to the doing of this there are foure things requisite The first of them is the knowledge of the word of God both of the lawe and of the Gospell without the which there can bee no faith according to that saying of Esaiah By his knowledge shall my righteous seruant iustifie manie And that of Iohn This is eternall life that they knowe thee to bee the onely verie God and whome thou haste sent Iesus Christ. The onelie ordinarie meanes to attaine faith by is the word preached which must bee heard remembred practised and continuallie hid in the heart The least measure of knowledge without which a man cannot haue faith is the knowledge of Elements or the fundamentall doctrines of a Christian religion A fundamentall doctrine is that which being once denied all religion and all obtaining of saluation is ouerthrowen This knowledge hath a generall faith going with it which is an assent of the heart to the knowne truth of Gods word This faith when it is growen vp to some great measure it is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the full assurance of vnderstanding and it is to be seene in the Martyrs who maintained Gods truth against the persecutions of the false Church vnto death VII Although both elect and reprobate may be enlightened to know the word of God yet the elect in this thing goe farre beyond all reprobates for it is speciallie said of thē that God is their schole-master that he softeneth their stonie heartes maketh
elect haue in themselues the spirit of Iesus Christ testifying vnto them perswading them that they are the adopted children of God For this cause the holie Ghost is called the spirit of adoption because it worketh in vs the assurance of our adoption and it is called a pawne or earnest For as in a bargaine when part of the price is paied in earnest then assurance is made that men will pay the whole so wheÌ„ the child of God hath receiued thus much froÌ„ the holy ghost to be perswaded that he is adopted chosen in Christ he maie be in good hope and he is alreadie put in good assurance fullie to inioy eternall life in the kingdom of heaueÌ„ Indeed this testimonie is weake in most men can scarce bee perceiued because most Christians though they may be old in respect of yers yet they are babes in Christ not yet come to a perfect grouth may find in themselues great strength of sin and the graces of God to be in small measure in theÌ„ And again the children of God being most distressed as in time of triall in the houre of death then the inward working of the holy ghost is felt most euidently But a reprobate cannot haue this testimonie at al though in deede a man flattereth himselfe and the Deuill imitating the Spirit of God doth vsuallie perswade carnall men and hypocrites that they shall bee saued But that deuilish illusion and the testimonie of the Spirite may bee discerned by two notes The first is heartie and feruent prayer to God in the name of Christ. For the same spirite that testifieth to vs that wee are the adopted children of God doth also make vs crie that is feruentlie with grones and sighes filling heauen earth pray to God Now this heartie feruent and loud crying in the eares of God can the Deuill giue to no hypocrite for it is the speciall marke of the Spirite of God The other note is that they which haue the speciall testimonie froÌ„ the Spirite of God haue also in their harts the same affections to God which children haue to their father namelie loue feare reuerence obedience thankefulnes for they call not vpon God as vpon a terrible Iudge but they cry Father Father And these affections they haue not whome Sathan illudeth with a phantasticall imagination of their saluation for it may bee that through hypocrisie or through custome they may call God Father but in truth they cannot doe it XXXI The elect beeing thus assured of their adoptioÌ„ iustificatioÌ„ are indued with hope by which they looke patiently for the accomplishing of all good things which God hath begunne in them And therefore they can vndergoe all Crosses and afflictions with a quiet and contented minde because they knowe that the time will come when they shall haue full redemption from all euils This was the patâ—ence of Paules hope wheÌ„ he said that nothing in the world could seuer him from the loue of God in Christ. And like to this was the patience of Policarpe of Ignatius who when he was coÌ„demned and iudged to be throwne to wilde beasts and now heard the Lyons roring he boldly yet patiently said I am the wheate of Christ I shal be ground with the teeth of wild beasts that I may be founde good breade Also the same was the patience of the blessed Martir saint Laurence who like a meeke Lambe suffred himself to be tormented on a fiery gridiron and when he had beene pressed downe with fire pikes for a great space in the mightie spirit of God spake vnto the Emperor that caused him thus to be tormeÌ„ted on this wise This side is now rosted enough turne vp O tyrant great Assay whether rosted or rawe thou thinkest the better meat XXXII The third maine benefit is inward Sanctification by which a Christian in his mind in his will and in his affections is freed from the bondage and tyrannie of sin sathan and is by litle and litle inabled through the spirit of Christ to desire approue that which is good to walke in it And it hath two parts The first is Mortification when the power of sin is continually weakned consumed diminished The second is Viâ—ificatioÌ„ by which inherent righteousnes is really put into theÌ„ afterward is coÌ„tinually increased XXXIII This sanctification is wrought in al Christians after this manner After that they are ioined to Christ and made misticallie bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh Christ worketh in them effectually by his holy spirite and his workes are principallie three First he causeth his owne death to worke effectuallie the death of all sinne and to kill the power of the flesh For it is as a Corrasiue which being applied to the part affected eateth out the venime and corruption and so the death of Christ by faith applyed fretteth out and consumeth the concupiscence the corruption of the whole man Secondly the buriall of Christ is the buriall of sinne as it were in a graue Thirdly his ResurrectioÌ„ sendeth a quickning power into them to make them rise out of their sinne in which they were dead and buried to worke righteousnes to liue in holines of life Lazarus bodie lay foure daies and stancke in the graue yet Christ raised it and gaue him life againe and made him do the same works that liuing meÌ„ do so also Christ dealeth with the soules of the faithfull they rotte and stincke in their sinnes and would perish in them if they were left alone but Christ putteth a heauenlie life into them maketh them actiue and liuely to doe the will of God in the workes of Christianitie and in the works of their callings And this sanctification is throughout the whole maÌ„ in the spirit soule and mind 1. Thes. 5. 23. And here the spirit signifieth the mind and memorie the soule the will and affections XXXIIII The sanctification of the minde is the enlightning of it with the true knowledge of Gods word It is of two sortes either sprituall vnderstanding or spirituall wisedome Spirituall vnderstanding is a generall conceiuing of euerie thing that is to be done or not to bee done out of Gods word Spiritual wisdome is a worthie grace of God by which a man is able to vnderstand out of Gods word what is to be done or not to be done in any particular thing or action according to the circumstances of person time place c. Both these are in euery Christian otherwise Paul would neuer haue praied for the Colossians That they might bee fulfilled with knowledge of Gods will in all wisedome spirituall vnderstanding In both these excelled Dauid who testified of himself that Gods word was a lanterne to his feete and a light to his path and that God by his commandements had made him wiser then his enimies that he had more
Churches of Macedonia liberallie not onelie according to their power but also straining themselues beyonde their power Yea this reliefe must goe further euen to the bestowing of a mans life if neede so require As saint Iohn saith Hereby wee haue perceaued Loue that hee laide downe his life for vs therefore wee ought also to laie downe our liues for the bretheren L The fourth worke is true praier and saint Luke setteth out the faithfull and the children of God by this description That they call on the name of the Lorde As on the contrarie it is saide of the wicked That they call not vpon GOD. The true Christian calleth on the Lorde in truth For the spirite of adoption which is the spirite of Praier is his Schoolemaister to teach him to doe it In Praier hee is thus disposed First before hee praieth hee is stricken with some feare and reuerence in regarde of GODS Maiestie for hee considereth that praier is a familiar talking with God Secondlie hee is inwardlie touched with a liuelie feeling of his owne wants but especially hee is vexed and grieued at his owne sinne and rebellion and this sense of his miserie is as a spurre to quicken his benummed heart Thirdly hee humbleth himselfe before his God and laieth open his heart before the Lorde shewing a feruent and longing desire to obtaine those thinges of which he findeth an extreame want in himselfe as the Prophet Dauid did whose desire was like the yawning of the drie ground and this proceedeth from the spirite of God which stirreth vp groaninges in the heart which a man oftentimes for his life cannot expresse Fourthlie when hee maketh his request hee doubteth not but by faith hee beleeueth that God will graunt his requestes which hee maketh according to his worde The ground of this perswasion is double First Christ Iesus by whose merites as hee hath obtained remission of sinnes so he looketh to obtaine all things else The other ground is the comfortable promises of God which he hath made that he will heare them who truely call vpon him Fifthlie hee praieth not for a brunt or two but hee continueth in praier And although God seeme not to heare him at the first yet hee patiently waiteth on the Lord and still calleth vpon him LI The first worke is to walke in some lawfull calling with painefulnesse and vprightnesse so that in performing all the dueties of it a man may keepe a good conscience before God and men Thus Dauid determined to walke in the gouernement of his house and kingdome I will doe wiselie saith hee in the perfect waie till thou commest to mee I will walke in the vprightnesse of mine heart in the middest of mine house I will sette no wicked thing before mine eies I hate the worke of them that fall awaie it shall not cleaue vnto me This sinceritie of Dauids behauiour in his calling made him bold to offer himselfe to be tried not onely by men but much more by the Lord God himselfe and to bee punished accordingly Iudge mee O Lorde saith hee for I haue walked in mine innocencie prooue mee O Lorde and trie mee examine my reines and mine heart So vpright and cleare was hee in all his doings LII Thus much of faith and the benefites that come by faith Nowe followeth the spirituall exercise of a Christian in his manifolde temptations which are in this life inseparable companions of grace The reason is because the diuell hateth Christ with a deadly hatred and sheweth this hatred in a continuall persecution of his members as saint Iohn saith the Dragon was wroth with the Woman and went and made warre with the remnant of hir seed which kept the commandementes of God and haue the testimonie of Iesus Christ. Now therefore as soone as Christ Iesus beginneth to shewe anie token of his loue to anie man the Deuill contrariwise sheweth foorth his enmitie and stirres vp his fellow champions the flesh and the worlde to war against him for his confusion And furthermore the Lord in great wisedome permits temptations to the last ende of a Christian mans life to trie his faith to purge him of sinne to humble him and to make him depende of his maiestie to quicken and reuiue the graces of his spirit which otherwise would be dead and decay LIII The temptations of a Christian are specially sixe The first is when inwardly in his hart he is drawen away and entised by his owne concupiscence vnto anie sinne The Christians exercise in temptation is fight and battell betwixt the flesh and the spirit And this fighting standeth in foure things First the flesh stirres vp euill thoughtes and desires as a burning furnace continually â—endeth vp smoke and sparkes of fire and it â—ggeth a man forward to euill wordes and deeeds according to that of Saint Marke For from within euen from the hart of man proceed euill thoughts adulteries fornications murders theftes couetousnes wickednes deceite vncleannesse a wicked eye backbiting pride folishnes 2 The flesh hindreth and choketh the good motions desires of the hart as Paul saith I see an other law in my members rebelling against the law of my mind and leading me captiue to the law of sinne which is in my members Again the same flesh mingleth euerie good motioÌ„ and desire with some corruptions so that the godlie mislike the best thing they doe Esay saith of his owne the peoples righteousnes that it is but as a menstruous cloute The prayers of the saintes must be performed with swete odours before they can ascend vp sweete sauorie into the nostrilles of God And Paul said of himself he did that which he disliked not that he was ouertaken with grosse sins but because when hee was to do his dutie the flesh hindred him that he could not do that which he did exactly and soundly according to his wil and desire euen as a man who hath a iorney to go his mind is to dispatch it in all hast yet when he is in his trauel he goes but slowly by reason of a lamenesse in his ioints 3 The spirit on the contrarie kindles in the hart good motions desires puts a man forward to good words and deeds as it was in Dauid I will praise the Lord saith he who hath giuen me counsell my reines also teach me in the night season 4 The spirit rebuks a man for his euil intents desires and represseth the face of them and as it were nips them in the head Thus Esay describeth the inward motions of the spirit And thine eares shal heare a word behind thee saying this is the way walke yee in it when thou turnest to the right hand and when thou turnest to the left And Saint Iohn saith The spirit iudgeth the world of sinne This was in Dauid who when he did
Christian in this temptation is this 1 At the first his heart is vsually dulled â—nd made secure with sinne 2 Yet after a while there ariseth in his hart a godlie sorrow which is when hee is greued for the only cause that by his sin he hath displeased God who hath bene to him so louing mercifull a father whose fauor he would be content to purchasse so hee might haue it and obtaine it euen with the damnation of his owne soule 3 TheÌ„ he begins to repent himself of his sins renewing a fresh his former repentaÌ„ce 4 u This repentaÌ„ce he sheweth by 7. signes 1 A care to leaue that sin into which he is falleÌ„ As they which crucified our sauior Christ wheÌ„ they were pricked in their harts at Peters SermoÌ„ they shewed this care in saiing men brethren what shal we do to be saued 2 An Apologie which is wheÌ„ a man in the heauines of his hart shall not excuse or defend his sin but coÌ„fesse it to the lord vtter ly condeÌ„ne himselfe for it acknowledging withal y t there is no way to escape y t wrath of god but by hauing gods fre pardoÌ„ in christ 3 Indignation which is an inward anger and fretting against his owne selfe because he was so carelesse in looking to his owne waies Peter wheÌ„ he had denied his maister he wept that bitterly which sheweth y t with sorow he had also an anger against himself 4 A feare rising not so much froÌ„ the iudgments of God as froÌ„ this lest he shold hereafter fall into the same sin againe and by so doing more greeuouslie displease God 5 A desire euer after more carefully to plese god 6 Zeale in the seruice of God 7 Reuenge vpon himselfe for his former offences for example if a man sin in surfetting and dronkennes if he euer repent hee will bring vnder his corrupt nature by sparing and moderating himselfe LVIII The sixt temptation is outward afflictioÌ„s which the godly in this life must suffer If any will go after Christ he must denie himself take vp his owne crosse follow him And S. Peter saith that iudgment begins at Gods house And Paul that we must enter into the kingdome of heauen through manifold temptations The exercise of a Christian in afflictions is this 1 At the first they are very heuie bitter 2 He suffereth theÌ„ with great lenitie and patience submitting himselfe vnder the hand of God Yet if they bee in any great measure they will driue him to impatience 3 If they continue he shall feele according to his owne iudgement the wrath displeasure of his hart 4 His old sinnes wil come a fresh into his remembrance and trouble him Hee is sleepie and in his sleepe hee hath visions and dreames and anxietie of spirit 5 In this miserie God supports his faith that it faile not and he then forsake Christ. 6 He feling thus gods power to strengthen him hath experience of it in himselfe 7 From experience proceeds hope that the grace of God shall neuer bee wanting vnto him in anie afflictions to come and as he hopeth so it comes to passe 8 With this hope is ioyned a serious humiliation before the Lord with the fruit of peace and righteousnes If the afflictions bee for Christes cause vnto death then he in more speciall maner is filled with the ioy of the holie ghost and he is then stablished with the greatest measure of the strength of Christ that no torment is able to foyle him and to bring him froÌ„ Christ though the Christian should die a thousand times for it According to that of Paul To you it is giuen for Christ not onelie to beleue in him but also to suffer for his sake And this is grounded vpon the promise of God WheÌ„ thou passest through the waters I wil be with thee through the flouds that they do not ouerflow thee when thou walkest through the very fire thou not be burnt neither shall the flame kindle vpoÌ„ thee LIX Hence ariseth a notable differeÌ„ce betwen the godly the wicked in the suffering of afflictions A reprobate the more the Lord laieth his hand on him the more hee murmureth rebelleth against God it is contrary with the true christian None feeleth more the power rebellion of sin then he none is more assalted by sathan then he often times it cometh to passe that God withdraweth the signes of his fauor from him lets him feele his wrath And this is the greatest temptation of all other when a man shall see the Lord to be his enimie to his thinking to arme himself against him to his destruction As Ezechias did who saith that the Lord did crash his bones like a Lion Or as Iob saith that the arrowes of the almightie were in him the venime thereof drunke vp his spirit the terrors of god did fight against him Yet the true Christian when the world the flesh the deuill God himself too are against him doth euen then most of al rest in the Lord by faith cleue to him Though God should destroy me yet would I trust in him saith Iob. And Dauid saith my God my God why hast thou forsaken me When he saith that God had forsaken him it may seeme to be the complaint of a desperate maÌ„ not hauing so much as one spark of faith yet then he saith my God my God which words contain a confession proceeding froÌ„ true faith so y t in Dauid it appeareth that the faithful wheÌ„ they feele theÌ„selues forlorne vtterly reiected of god according to y e sense iudg ment of y e flesh yet by faith they can apprehend his hiddeÌ„ mercy behold it a far off in the glasse of his promise And so they do often shew contrary affectioÌ„s in their praiers as Dauid doth Iacob when he wrastled with the Angel for life death neuer gaue ouer wheÌ„ he was foild he wold not cease before the Lord had blessed him This his wrastling is a type of the coÌ„flicts which the faithful are to haue with y e lord himself who vseth to bring his own children as it were to the field he assaileth theÌ„ with the one hand with the other he holdeth them vp that so he may proue exercise their faith And for this cause the Church is called Israel by the name of Iacob An exaÌ„ple may be had in the woman of Canaan First our sauior Christ gaue hir faith by y t faith she was moued to seeke to him But when sheâ— was once come to him he gaue hir three repulses First by saying nothing Secondly by denying hir thirdly by calling hir dog Thus Christ in apperance made shew as though he wold neuer haue granted hir request But she at euery repulse was more instaÌ„t crying more earnestly vnto him
she plainly opposed hir self to him wold take no denial for such is the nature of true faith Wherefore the faithfull when they feele theÌ„selues ouerwhelmed with sin turmoiled with coÌ„flicts of satan wheÌ„ they feele y e anger of god offended with theÌ„ yet they can euen theÌ„ lift vp their eie lids giue a glimps at the braseÌ„ Serpent Iesus Christ can fling theÌ„selues into the armes of gods mercy catch hold of the hand of god buffetting theÌ„ kisse it XL. By these teÌ„tatioÌ„s it coms to pas that a ChristiaÌ„ though he cannot fall finally froÌ„ Christ yet he may fall very dangerously froÌ„ his former estate First the graces of god may be by his defalt lessned in him else Paul wold not haue giuen out these exhortatioÌ„s quench not the spirit Grieue not the holy spirit of God by whoÌ„ ye are sealed vnto the day of redemptioÌ„ Secondly the graces of God may be buried in him couered for a time so that he may bee like a man in a traunse who both by his own sense by the iudgement of the phisition is takeÌ„ for dead This was the estate of Peter who though he coÌ„fessed that Christ was the son of the liuing Lord yet he denied him forswore him at the voice of a Damsel Thirdly he may fal againe into the same sin after repentance Indeed this is a dangerous fal yet it may befal a true christian Otherwise wheÌ„ as the Israelits gods people had fallen away froÌ„ him by their sins idolatries he wold not stil haue offered theÌ„ mercie as he doth by his prophets And Paul praieth the Corinthians in Christs stead that they would be recoÌ„ciled to God who neuertheles had once before bene reconciled to God Fourthly he may commit a sinne of presumption which is a fearefull sinne being done wittinglie of knowledge and willinglie and with some wilfulnesse Therefore Dauid prayed keepe thy seruant presumptuous sinne and to shewe himselfe to be in danger of it hee prayeth further let them not haue dominion ouer mee Lastly hee may fall into dispaire of Gods mercie for a time and this is a dangerous sinne For he which dispaires makes all the promises of God to bee false and this sinne of all other is most contrarie to true sauing faith In this estate was Dauid wheÌ„ being in trouble hee said this is my death And Paul shewes that the incestuous man might haue fallen into desperation when hee sayth Comfort him least hee bee swallowed vp of ouermuch heauinesse And it must bee remembred that the Church of Rome erreth in this that she teacheth desperation to bee a sinne against the holie Ghost This sinne against the holie Ghost is a blasphemie spoken against the knowen truth of Gods worde of a wilfull and obstinate malice But desperation may arise through ignorance of a mans owne estate through horror of conscience for sinne through an often relapse into some sinne through the ouerdeepe consideration of a mans owne vnworthines Lastly by abiuration of the truth through compulsion feare This befell Frances Spira who after his Apostasie dispaired Yet they are much ouerseene that write of him as of a damned creature For first who can tell whether hee dispaired finally or not Secondly in the verie middest of his desperation he complained of the hardnes of his heart which made him that he could not praie no doubt then he felt his hardnes of heart and the feeling of corruption in the heart is by some contrarie grace so that he was not quite bereft of al goodnes though he neither felt it then nor shewed it to the beholder LXI The cause why a ChristiaÌ„ caÌ„not fall away froÌ„ grace is this after that he is sanctified he receiueth froÌ„ god another special grace which may be called CorroboratioÌ„ For he hath in him not only the sanctifying but also the strengthning power of Christ. Therfore Paul praieth for the EphesiaÌ„s that they may be strengthned in the inner maÌ„ for the CollossiaÌ„s that they might be strengthned with the glorious power of Christ. And of himself he saith that he is able to do al things through the power of Christ that streÌ„gthen him Dauid saith that God renueth theÌ„ that fear him as the Eagle renueth hir decaied strength And Iob shewes worthily that they which by preaching of the word are reconciled vnto God are restored againe and gather new strength so that their flesh becomes as the flesh of yong children From hence as from a special cause ariseth patience perseuerance vnto the end for when a man is supported by the power of Christ hee may be able to beare many crosses patieÌ„tly with a coÌ„â—ented mind perseuer in bearing of it how long so euer the crosse endureth Thus much of the estate of a Christian in this life Now I wil ad some reasons in the way of perswasion to all meÌ„ but especially to worldlings to loose professors of the Gospell that they woulde vtterly deenie themselues vse all meanes to become true ChristiaÌ„s by being made new creatures in Christ and by leading such a life as may adorne the Gospell of Christ. My first reason is this the man that liueth in this world nor beeing a true Christian is farre more vile then the basest creature of all euen the Dogge or Toade For first he is nothing els but a filthy dunghill of all abhomination and vncleannes the stinke whereof hath infected heauen and earth and no perfumes coulde euer delaie it in the nostrils of God but onely the suffering of Christ beeing a sacrifice of a sweet smelling sauour to God Wee make it very daintie to come nere a lazar man that is full of botches blaines sores but much more are those men to bee abhorred which haue lien many yeares starke dead in sins and trespasses therfore now do nothing els but rot stinke in theÌ„ like vgly lothsome carrions SecoÌ„dly he which is no ChristiaÌ„ is vnder the power of darknes hauing Sathan for his Prince and God and giuing vnto him in token of homage his best partes euen his minde and conscience to bee his dwelling place and his whole conuersation is nothing else but a perperuall obedience to Sathan If Atheists worldlings carnal gospelers were perswaded of the truth of this as it is most true it would make them howle cry though now they liue at ease without feeling any prick of conscience for sinne And if they had but the least sense of it in the worlde it woulde make their flintie hearts to bleede and it woulde make them shedde riuers of teares But how long shall they continue in this vile estate Truely vntill they come to Christ awake therefore thou that sleepest and stand vp from the dead and Christ shall giue thee light Open thine heart to receiue Christ and then hee will come binde
the strong man Sathan and cast him out and dwell in thee himselfe Thirdly hee which is no Christian is in danger of al the iudgements of God so that euery moment some of them may befall him He may perish sodainly by water with the olde world he may bee consumed with fire and brimstone with Sodome and Gomorrha hee may bee swallowed vp of the earth with Core Dathan and Abyram hee may hang himself with Iudas he may haue his braines dashed against the grounde and bee eaten vp of dogs with Iesabell he may die in the hardnes of heart with Pharao he may dispaire with Caine and Iudas he may be stricken with sodaine death with Ananias and Saphira his wife he may be eaten of wormes with Herode hee may bee smitten with trembling that he cannot heare Gods worde with Foelix hee may voide his guts at the stoole with Arius he may crie at his death that he is damned with Latomus he may bee left vnto himselfe to mocke blaspheme and renounce Christ with Iulian and hee may suffer manie more fearefull iudgements whereof the Lord hath great store and all tende to the confounding of them which will not be humbled vnder his hand Contrariwise the true Christian is so farre out of the reach of Gods iudgements that they cannot hurt him Christ is a couering and a cloude against the heat and tempest of Gods iudgementes when a mans heart is sprinkled with the bloud of this immaculate Lambe all the plagues of God passe ouer him In the destruction of Ierusalem the righteous beare a marke in their foreheads and are saued Therefore let him that hath regard to his owne safetie become a Christian Thirdly the man which is no Christian is in danger of eternall death and damnation in hell fire and they which fall into this estate it had beene ten thousand folde better for them if they had neuer beene borne for they are quite separated from the presence of God and from his glorie al the company they haue is with the Diuell and his Angels Their bodies and soules are tormented with infinite horrour and anguish arising of the feeling of the whole wrath of God in which as into a bottomlesse sea they are plunged Thus they are alwaies dying and yet are neuer deade Furthermore the length of this torment must bee considered which greatly aggrauates the paine If a man might be deliuered from the panges of hell when he had suffered them so many yeares as there be droppes in the sea or little sands in the whole earth it were some comfort but after that those yeares be expired there shall come no release but the damned shall continue in shriking yelling and gnashing of teeth enduring the consuming heate of Gods wrath without any ende for euer and euer Yea to goe further a wicked man carrieth an hell about him in this life namely an euill conscience which if it bee neuer so litle touched with any of Gods anger a mā shall feele himselfe to haue euen the panges of hell in his heart Nowe therefore all they that woulde escape out of this hellish and damnable estate while they haue time let them pray for the pardon of their sinnes in Christ and walke according to the spirite in newnes of life and then they may assure themselues that there is no condemnation can belong to them And it must be alwaies remembred that he which would liue when he is dead must die while he is aliue namely to sinne And againe he which would rise to eternall life in the daie of iudgement must rise from sin before he die vnto newnes of life The fourth reason God hath appointed vnto euerie man that liueth in the Church a certaine time of repentaunce and of comming to Christ. And hee which mispendeth that time and is not made a Christian then can neuer bee saued This made our Sauiour Christ weepe for Hierusalem and say O if thou hadst knowne at the least in this thy daie those things which belong to thy peace but now are they hidden from thine eies And further signifieth the destruction of Hierusalem because she knew not the time of hir visitation Againe the neglecting of this time is one cause why not one or two but manie shall seek to enter into the kingdome of heauen and yet shall not be able It is a maruailous thing that they which seek to be saued should perish but the fault is theirs which seeke when it is too late Nowe therefore thou secure worldling thy conscience telleth thee that thou hast not yet repented and that thou art not as yet a liuely member of Iesus Christ. And thou knowest further that howsoeuer thou art aliue at this time yet thou hast no lease of thy life God may call thee foorth of this worlde the next yeare the next weeke the next howre Yea he may strike thee with sodaine death at this very present And in very truth if thou goest foorth of this world beeing no Christian thou goest damned to hell Wherefore delaie not one minute of an hower longer but with all speede repent and turne vnto God and bring forth fruites worthie of amendment of life that all thy sinnes may be done away when the day of death or the day of iudgement shal be And doe not thinke with thy selfe that it shall be sufficient to differre thy turning vnto God till the last ende For late repentance is seldome true repentance And he which continueth long in any sinne is in a dangerous case If a man lie long in any disease he will scarce recouer his former health and hee which is growen in the custome of any sin and the sinne is become ripe in him it is a thousand to one he is neuer saued according to that of saint Iames sinne being perfected bringeth forth death The fift reason Eternall life is a thing desired of all men yet none shall be made partakers of it but the true Christian and the glorious estate of this life woulde mooue any man to be a Christian. First of all they which haue eternall life are freed from all pains sickenesses infirmities hunger thirst cold wearines from all sin as anger forgetfulnes ignorance from hell death damnation Sathan from euery thing that causeth miserie according to that of saint Iohn And God will wipe away all teares from their eies there shall be no more death neither sorrow neither crying neither shall there be anie more paine for the first things are passed Secōdly the faithful shall be in the presence of Gods Maiesty in heauen there to behold his face that is his glorie as our Sauiour Christ saith Father I will that they which thou hast giuen me be with me euen where I am that they may beholde my glorie which thou hast giuen me And Dauid saith In thy presence is fulnes of ioy and at thy right hand there are pleasures for euermore Thirdly they
his grace and holie spirite where I might haue been borne in an ignorant time and region God would that I shoulde be borne in these daies and in this countrie where is more knowledge reuealed then euer was here or in manie places els is Where I might haue beene of a corrupt iudgement entangled with manie errours of Papistrie of the familie of loue of that hypocritical Brown by Gods goodnes my iudgement is reformed and he hath lightened mine eies to see my heart to imbrace his sincere truth By all which things I doe confirme my faith of this that God alwaies hath beene is and wil be for euer my father at my departing forth of this world will giue me the crowne of euerlasting glorie Secondlie when as man is euermore doubting of the promises of God be they neuer so certain God of his infinite mercie to preuent all occasions of doubting promiseth to giue his owne spirit as a pledge pawne or earnest pennie vnto his children of their adoption election to saluation Now since it pleased God to call me from hypocrisie to bee a member of his Church I feel that in my self which I neuer felt or heard of before In times past I came to praiers and to the preaching of Gods word euen as a Beare commeth to the stake now the word of God is meate and drinke to me and praier is no burden vnto me but my ordinarie exercise If I rise in the morning I am not well till I haue praied and giuen thankes to God if I doe any thing it commeth into my minde to pray In my praiers I finde great ioy and comforte and the exceeding fauour of God I neuer think I can well take my rest or doe anie thing else except first I aske it at Gods hande in Christ. Lastlie when my minde and heart is whollie occupied in worldlie matters I am stirred vp and as it were drawne to pray vnto God for the remission of my sinnes and the assurance of my saluation and in praier I haue had those grones which for their greatnes cannot bee expressed Nowe from whence commeth all this From the Diuell No. In these actions I haue found him my enemie and a continuall hinderer of them For he by his craft when I haue beene heauie and weake hath assailed to prouoke me to some sinnes whereunto my cursed nature was most giuen and I hauing yeelded to him haue beene so hardened and blinded by those sinnes that for a time I haue made light account of the worde of God and praier Well then peraduenture this came from mine owne selfe No neither This cursed nature of mine hath beene more pleased and delighted with sinne and with the pleasures of the world then with such exercises from which it draweth mee presseth me down as lead I cannot think that such a poisoning Cockatrice can laie such good egges or that wild crabbe trees such as all men are in Adam can bring foorth sweete fruites according to the will of God except God plucke them foorth of Adam and plant them in the garden of his mercie and stocke them and graft the spirite of Christ in them Wherefore these are the workes of Gods spirit and my conscience is thereby certified that God hath giuen me the spirite of adoption and therefore that his fauour and mercie shall continue towardes me for euer For the giftes of God are without repentance and whome God once loueth him hee loueth for euer Thirdlie there bee certaine fruites of Gods children which I finde in mee by which I am confirmed in Gods fauour Saint Iohn in his first epistle saith that hereby wee know that wee are translated from death to life because we loue the bretheren Truelie â— feele in my heart a burning loue towardes them which are good Christians though I neuer knewe them nor saw them and I am verie desirous to doe anie good for them and if drops of my heart bloude would doe them good they should haue them Moreouer I hate all sinne and wickednesse with a bitter hatred and I long to see the comming of my sauiour Christ to iudgement I am grieued and disquieted because I cannot fulfill the law of God as I ought all which I haue learned foorth of Gods word to be tokens of Gods children And thus you see what euidence I haue to shewe that I am a true member of the Church militant and in the fauour of God Timoth. Haue you a stedfast faith in Christ as these arguments seeme to proue without all wauering doubting and distrusting of Gods mercie Euseb. No no. This my faith which I haue in Christ is euen fought against with doubting euer assailed with desperation not when I sinne onely but also in tentations of aduersitie into which God bringeth me to nurture me to shew me mine owne heart the hypocrisie false thoughts that there lie hid my almost no faith at al and as litle loue euen then happily wheÌ„ I thought my self most perfect of all for when tentations come I cannot stand when I haue sinned faith is feble when wrong is done vnto mee I cannot forgiue in sicknes in losse of goods in al tribulation I am vnpatient wheÌ„ my neighbor needeth my helpe that I must depart with him of mine owne then loue is cold And thus I learne feele that there is no power to do good but of God only And in al such tentations my faith perisheth not vtterlie neither my loue and consent to the law of God but they be weake sicke wounded not cleane dead As I dealt with my parents being a child so now deal I towards God my louing father When I was a child my father and mother taught me nurture wisedome I loued my father all his commaundements and perceiued the goodnes he shewed mee that my father loued mee and all his precepts are vnto my wealth and profit and that my father commandeth nothing for anie need he hath thereof but seeketh my profit onelie and therefore I haue a good faith vnto all my fathers promises and loue all his commaundements and doe them with good will and with good will goe euerie daie to the schoole And by â—he waie happilie I sawe companie plaie and with the sight was taken and rauished of my memorie and forgot my selfe and stoode and beheld and fell to plaie also forgetting father and mother all their kindnes all their lawes and mine owne profite also How beit the knowledge of my fathers kindnes the faith of his promisses and the loue that I had againe vnto my father and the obedient minde were not vtterlie quenched but laie hid as all things doe when a man sleepeth or lieth in a traunce And as soone as I had plaied out all my listes or else by some had been warned in the meane season I came againe to my olde profession Notwithstanding manie temptations went ouer my heart and the lawe as a right hangman tormented
sit one on y e right hand of Christ the other on the left They would pray that fire might descend froÌ„ heaueÌ„ consume the Samaritans WheÌ„ Christ asked who say men that I am Peter answered Thou art the sonne of the liuing God as though Peter had beene as perfecte as an Angell But imediatlie after when Christ preached â—nto them of his death and passion Peter was angry and rebuked Christ and thought earnestlie that hee had raued and not wist what hee had said as at another time when Christ was so feruentlie busied in healing the people that he had no leasure to eate they went out to holde him supposing that hee had beene beside himselfe And one that cast foorth Diuelles in Christes name they forbadde because hee waited not on theÌ„ so glorious were they yet And though Christ taught alway to forgiue yet Peter after long going to schole asked whether men should forgiue seauen times thinking that eight times had beene too much And at the last supper Peter woulde haue died with Christ but yet within fewe houres after he denied him both cowardly shamefullie And after the same manner though he had so long hearde that no man must auenge himselfe but rather turne the other cheeke to the smiter againe yet when Christ was in taking Peter asked whether it were lawfull to smite with the sworde and taried no answere but laide on rashlie So that although wee bee once reconciled to God yet at the first we be but children and yong scholers weake and feeble and must haue leasure to growe in the spirite iâ— knowledg loue and deeds thereof as yong children must haue time to growe in their bodies and so in like manner the sting of the serpent is not pulled out at once but the poyson of our nature is minished by little and little and cannot before the houre of death be wholie taken awaie Timoth. I perceiue by your godlie discourse the manifolde conflictes betweene the flesh and the spirite and that the flesh is like to a mightie Giant such a one as was Goliah strong lustie stirring enimie to God confederate with the Diuell and the spirite like to a little childe such a one as was little Dauid new borne weake and feeble not alwaies stirring nowe then what meanes do you vse to weaken the flesh and strengthen the spirit Euseb. I vse to tame my flesh with praier and fasting watching deedes of mercie holie meditations reading the scriptures and in bodilie labour and in with-drawing all manner of pleasures from the flesh and with exercises contrarie to the vices which I finde in my bodie most inclined to and with absteining from all things that encourage the flesh against the spirit as reading of toyes and wanton bookes seeing of plaies and enterluds wanton communication foolish iesting effeminate thoughts and talking of couetousnes which Paul forbiddeth Eph. 5. magnifying of worldly promotions If these will not mortifie my flesh then God sendeth me some troubles and so maketh me to grow waxe perfect and fineth and trieth me as gold in the fire of tentations and tribulations Thus verie often he maketh me to take vp my crosse naileth my flesh vnto it for the mortifying thereof Marke this if God send thee to the sea promise to go with thee he wil raise vp a tempest against thee to prooue whether thou wilt abide by his word and that thou maist feele thy faith weakenes and perceiue his goodnes for if it were alwaies faire weather and thou neuer brought into such ieopardie whence his mercie onlie deliuereth thee thy faith should bee onelie a presumption thou shouldest be euer vnthankefull to God and merciles vnto thy neighbour If God promise riches the waie therevnto is pouertie whom he loueth him he chasteneth whom he exalteth hee casteth downe whom he saueth he first damneth hee bringeth no man to heauen except he send him to hell first if hee promisâ— life he slayeth first when he buildeth he casteth downe all first he is no patcher hee cannot abide another mans foundation he will not worke till all bee past remedie and brought to such a case that meÌ„ may see how that his haÌ„d his power his mercy his goodnes his truth hath wrought altogether hee will let no man be partaker with him of his praise and glorie his works are wonderfull contrarie to mans workes who euer saue he deliuered his own sonne his only sonne his deere son his darling vnto the death for his enimies to win his enimies to ouercome theÌ„ with loue that he might see loue loue again and of loue likewise to doe to other men to ouercome them with well doing Ioseph saw the Sun and the Moone and seauen starres worshipping him neuertheles ere that came to passe God laid him where he could see neither sun nor moone neither anie star of the skie and that many yeres and also vndeserued to nurture him to make him humble meeke to teach him Gods waies and to make him apte and meete for y t roome honor again he came to it that he might be strong in the spirit to minister it well God promised the children of Israel a land with riuers of milke honie yet hee brought them foorth the space of fortie yeares into a lande where in riuers of milke and honie were but where so much as a drop of water was not to nurture and teach them as a father doth his sonne and to doe them good at the latter ende to seduce their cankred nature to make them strong in the spirite to vse his benefites aright Lastlie God promised Dauid a kingdome and immediatelie stirred vp Saul against him to persecute him and to hunt him as men doe hayres with gray-houndes and to ferret him out of euerie hole and that for the space of manie yeares to turne him to make him to mortifie his lustes to make him feel his own diseases in fine to make him a good man and a good King Timoth. But how if it come to passe that you be tempted to anie great sinne and the fleshe ouercome the spirit in what case are you then Euseb. There is no bodie here but you I and I take you to bee a Christian and a faithfull friende therefore I will shewe a little of my exhortation The last yeare by reason of the dearth I and my familie were put to great pinches and most commonly we had nothing but bread and water here vpon I bethought mee howe I might get somewhat to releiue my familie It came into my minde that in our Towne a rich man had a great flocke of sheepe and that I might take one of them without any hurt of him I was verie loath at the first but because there was such great stealing of sheepe I was in extremitie in the night I went among his sheep and tooke a lambe and told my familie that it was giuen me I presently killed it the
skinne and the entralles I burned on my backeside the fleshe wee dressed by quarters and did eate it with thanksgiuing as my manner is but surely verie coldlie and mee thought my prayer was abhominable in Gods sight After I had thus done we fared wel for the space of two daies but I felt my heart hardned and my lips were almost locked vp that I could not as I was wont praise the Lord. The third night after I went with a quiet conscience mee thought to my bedde and then I slept soundlie till three of the clocke in the morning but I dreamed that one came to carrie me to pryson vpon that on a sudden I awaked and beeing afraide looked about mee and fell to consider why I should be afraide and I remembred that I had sinned against God by robbing my neighbor ô then my feare increased and I thought that hell gaped to deuoure me and the law looked vpon me with such a terrible countenaunce and so thundred in myne eares that I durst not abide in my bed but vp to goe Then the Diuell assailed me on euerie side to perswade that God had cast mee awaie saying they that be Gods haue power to keepe his law thou hast not but breakest them Therefore thou art a cast-awaie and a damned creature hell gapeth and setteth opē his mouth to deuour thee And I thought with my selfe that I had beene alwaies a ranke hypocrite for as the cloudes of the ayre doe couer the sunne so that sometimes a man cannot tell by anie sense that there is anie Sun the clouds windes hiding it from our sight euen so my cecitie and blindnesse and corrupt affections and the rage of my conscience did so ouershadow the sight of Gods seed in me and so ouerwhelme his spirite as though I ha◠beene a plaine reprobate And thus i◠came to passe that Dauid making his praier to GOD according to his owne sens◠and feeling but not according to the truth desired of God to giue him againe his spirite Which thing GOD neuer doth indeede although hee made mee to thinke so for a time for alwaies hee holdeth his hande vnder his children in their falles that they lie not still as other doe which are not regenerate I being thus turmoiled and stong with the conscience of sinne and the cockatrice of my poisoned nature hauing behelde hirselfe in the glasse of the righteous law of God there was no other salue or remedie but to runne to the brasen Serpent Christ Iesus which shedde his blood hanging vppon the crosse and to his euerlasting testament and mercifull promise that it was shed for mee for the remission of my sinnes therefore I got me speedilie into a close corner in my house and there vpon my face groueling I confessed my sinne and prayed after this manner in effect Father what an horrible monster am I What taytor what rascall and villaine thy mercie is woonderfull that hell hath not deuoured me hauing deserued a thousand damnations I haue sinned I haue sinned against thy godly holy righteous law and against my brother by robbing him whome I ought to loue for thy sake as dearlie as my selfe forgiue mee father for thy son Christ his sake according to thy most mercifull promisses and testament forget not good Lorde thy olde mercies shewed vppon me let them not at this time in me be quite remooued On this manner praiing I continued fiue howers and GOD which is neere to all them that call vppon him heard me eased my paine and assured mee of the remission of my sin After presently for the more easing of my conscience I went to my neighbour betweene him and me vpon my knees confessed my fault with teares desiring him to forgiue me I woulde as Gods lawe requireth restore that which I stole foure folde he I thanke him was contented and toke pittie on me and euer since hath beene by Gods mercie my good friend So by little and little God restored mee to my first estate but mee thinkes I haue not that feeling which I had before and haue bene worse euer since God of his mercie amende me and increase his graces in me Timoth. Praised be God that we fel into this communicatiō for I had thought that no mā had ben in such a case but I for I frō my hart detest that babbling which in time past I haue vsed and I haue vowed with my selfe to vse it no more and God hath giuen mee strength and will to paie my vowes to keepe them halfe a yere or tweluemonth together and then falling into a companie of the honester sort of good fellows I take otherwhiles a cuppe of Nimis for which afterwards I am so touched in my conscience and so grieued inwardlie that often I haue no delight in my meate and then I vse praier and reading and meditating of the scriptures and do receiue much comfort But I praie you what thinke you will not God condemne his children if they sinne Euseb. No for the ground-worke of our saluation is laide in Gods eternall election and a thousande sinnes nay all the sinnes in the worlde nay all the Deuilles in hell cannot ouerthrow Gods election And it maie bee that sins doe harden our hartes weaken our faith make sadde the spirite of God in vs but take awaie faith or altogether quench the spirit they cānot God cōdemneth no man for his sinnes if he bee adopted in Christ. For then Ioseph Abrahā Dauid Peter Marie Magdalene should bee condemned God is like a father a father if his childe be sicke and therefore be froward and refuse and cast away his meate hauing eaten it spew it vp againe and in his fit be impacient and raue and speake euill of his father yet I say the father wil not cast him forth of his dores but pittieth him and prouideth such things as may restore him to health and when hee is whole remembreth not his disordered behauior in his sicknes Timoth. What means do you finde most effectuall to strengthē your faith to increase Gods graces in you and to raise you vp againe when you are fallen Euseb. Surely I haue very great comfort by the sacrament of the Lords Supper for whereas I am spirituallye diseased and am prone and readye to fall and am most cruelly oftentimes inuaded of the feend the flesh and the law when I haue sinned and am put to flight and made to runne awaye from God my father therefore hath God of all mercie and of his infinite pitty bottomlesse compassion set vppe his sacrament as a signe vpon a hie hill whence it may be seene on euery side far and neare to call againe them that be runne awaye And with this sacrament he as it were clocketh to them as a hen dooth for hir chickens to gather them vnder the wings of his mercy and hath commanded his sacrament to be had in continuall vse to put vs in minde of his cōtinuall mercy
condemnation but shall most certainely escape the same Take this for a most certaine truth that the man that hates dislikes his sins both before and after hee hath done them shall neuer be damned for them Christian. I am euen hart sicke of my manifolde sinnes and infirmities these good words which you speak are as flagons of wine to refresh my wearie laden and weltting soule I haue begunne to flee sinne and to detest it long agoe I haue beene oft dipleased with mine infirmities and corruptions when I offende God my heart is greeued I desire to leaue sinne I flee the occasions of sinne I woulde faine fashion my life to Gods word and I praie vnto God that he woulde giue mee grace so to doo and yet which is the griefe by the strength of the flesh by the sleights and power of Sathan I am often ouertaken and fall maruellouslie both by speach and by deed Minister Haue courage my good brother for whereas you haue an affection to doo the thinges that are acceptable vnto God it argueth plainely that you are a meÌ„ber of Christ according to that of Paul They which are of the spirite fauour the things of the spirite Well then if Sathan euer obiect anie of your sinnes to your make aunswere thus that you haue forsaken the first husbande the fleshe and haue espoused your selfe to Christ Iesus who as your head and husbande hath taken vpon him to answere your debts and therefore if he vrge you for them referre him ouer vnto Christ. For there is no sute in lawe against the wife the husbande liuing yea I adde further if you bee ouer caried with Sathans temptations and so fall into anie sinne you shall not answere for it but Sathan it shall surely be rekoned on his score at the daie of iudgmeÌ„t for he was the author of it if you fal by the frailtie of your flesh it shal perish therefore but you shal stil haue Christ you aduocate Christian. Indeede as you saie I haue in me an affection to please God but when I come to performe my obedience there I faile Minister Therefore marke this further As long as the children of God are in this life God regardeth more the affection to obeie then the obedience it selfe And they shall bee vnto mee saith the Lorde of hostes in that daie that I shall doe this for a flocke and I wil spare them as a man spares his owne sonne that serueth him The Father when he shall set his childe to doe anie busines though he doe it neuer so vntowardlie yet if he shew his good will to doe the best hee can his father will bee pleased and so it is with the Lorde towarde his children you looke to haue some perfection in your selfe but in this life you shall receiue no more but the first fruits of the spirite which are but as a handfull of corne in respect of the whole corne fielde and as for the accomplishment of your redemption you must wait for it til after this life you would bee kissed with the kisses of Christs mouth but here in this world you must bee content if you maie with Marie Magdalen kisse his feete For the perfection of a Christian mans life standes in the feeling and confessing of his imperfections And as Ambrose saith obedience due to God stands more in the affection then in the worke Christian. But why will God haue those whom he hath sanctified labour still vnder their infirmities Minister The causes are diuers First hereby hee teacheth his seruaunts to see in what great neede they stand of the righteousnes of Christ that they maie more carefullie seeke after it Secondlie he subdueth the pride of mens hearts humbleth them by counteruailing the graces which they haue receiued with the like measure of infirmities Thirdlie by this meanes the godlie are exercised in a continuall fight against sinne and are dailie occupied in purifieng themselues Christian. But to goe on forward in this matter there is another cause that makes me feare lest I haue no true repentance Minister What is that Christian I often times finde my selfe like a verie timberlog void of all grace goodnes frowarde and rebellious to anie good worke so that I feare lest Christ haue quite forsaken me Minister As it is in the strait seas the water ebbes and flowes so is it in the godlie in them as long as they liue in this world according to their own feeling there is an accesse and recesse of the spirit Otherwhiles they bee troubled with deadnes and dulnes of heart as Dauid was who praied to the Lorde to quicken him according to his louing kindnes that he maie keepe the testimonies of his mouth and in another place he saith that Gods promises quickened him Which coulde not be vnlesse he had beene troubled with great dulnes of heart Againe sometimes the spirite of God quite withdraweth it self to their feeling as it was in Dauid In the daiâ— of my trouble saith hee I sought the Lorde and my soule refused comfort I did thinke vpon God was troubled I praied and my spirite was full of anguish Againe will the Lord absent himselfe for euer and will he shew no more fauour hath God forgotten to be mercifull c. The Church in â—hâ— Canticles complaineth of this In my beddâ—â— sought him by night whom my soule loued I sought him but I found him not And againe my welbeloued put in his hand by the hole of the dore and 〈◊〉 heart was affectioned towardes him I rose 〈…〉 pen to my welbeloued and my hands did 〈…〉 myrrhe my fingers powre myrrhe vppon â—…dles of the bar I opened to my welbeloued 〈◊〉 my welbeloued was gone and past mine heart was gone when hee did speake I sought him but I coulde not finde him I called but he answered me not Contrariwise God at some other times sheds abroad his loue most aboundantlie in the hearts of the faithfull and Christ lieth betweene tho breasts of his Church as a posie of myrrhe giuing a strong smell Christian. But how can he be a Christian that feels no grace nor goodnes in himselfe Minister The child which as yet can vse no reason is for all that a reasonable creature and the man in a soune feeles no power of life and yet he is not dead The Christian man hath manie quaumes come ouer his heart and he falles into manie a soune that none almost would loke for anie more of the life of Christ in him yet for al that he may be a true Christian. This was the estate of Peter when he denied our sauiour Christ with cursing and banning his faith onelie fainted for a time it failed not Christian. I haue nowe opened vnto you the chiefe things that trouble me and your comfortable answers haue much refreshed my troubled minde The God of all mercie and consolation requite you accordinglie Minister I haue
disobedience of the law in sinne the third is the root and fountaine of sinne originall corruption These are three deadly woundes and three running sores in the hearts and consciences of all sinners Now Christ Iesus is perfectly righteous and in him a sinner may find three inestimable benefits answerable to the three former euils First the suffringes of Christ vpon the Crosse sufficient for all mens sinnes Secondly the obedience of Christ in fulfilling the law Thirdly the perfect holines of the humane nature of Christ these are three soueraigne medicins to heale all wounded consciences and they are as three running streames of liuing water to bathe and to supple the bruised and contrite heart Now commeth faith and first laieth hold of the sufferinges of Christ and so a sinner is freed from the punishment and guilt of sinne and from eternall damnation and thus the first deadly wounde is cured Againe faith laieth hold of the perfect obedience of Christ in fulfilling the lawe thus the second wound is cured Thirdly faith applieth the holines of Christs humane nature to the sinner then his nature is accepted of God as perfectly sanctified and so his third deadly wound is cured Thus a sinner is made righteous by the righteousnes of Christ imputed to him XXV From true iustification proceede manie other benefits and they are either outward or inward Outwarde benefites are three The first is Reconciliation by which a man iustified is perfectly reconciled to God because his sinne is done awaie and he is arrayed with the perfect righteousnes of Christ. The second is that afflictions to the faithfull are no punishments for sin but only fatherly and louing chastisements For the guilt and punishment of sinne was borne of Christ. Now therefore if a Christian bee afflicted it is no punishment for then God shoulde punish one fault twise once in Christ and the seconde time vpon the Christian which thing doth not agree with his iustice it remaineth therefore that afflictions are only corrections in the faithfull The third benefite is that the man iustified doth deserue and merite at Gods hands the kingdome of heauen For being made perfectly righteous in Christ he must needs merite eternall life in and by Christ. And therefore Paul called it the iustification of life Rom. 5. 18. XXVI Inward benefites proceeding from iustification are those which are inwardlie felt in the hart and serue for the better assurance of iustification and they are principallie fiue The first is Peace and quietnes of conscience As al men naturallie in Adam are corrupt so all men naturallie haue corrupt and defiled consciences accusing them arraigning them before Gods iudgement for their sinnes in such wise that euerie suspition of death and feare of imminent danger maketh a naturall man stand agast at his wits end knowing not what to doe but by faith in Christ the Christian is perswaded of remission of his sins and so the disquietnes of his conscience is appeased and hee hath an inwarde peace in all extremities which cannot be taken from him XXVII The slumbring dead conscience is much like to the good conscience pacified manie through ignorance take the one for the other But they maie be seuered and discerned thus First let the beleeuing Christian examine himselfe whether his conscience was afflicted with the sense of Gods iudgements and pressed downe with the burden of his sinne before hee came to that quietnes for then he may be in good hope that it was the Spirit of God who brought that peace because God hath promised That he will dwell with the humble and contrite to reuiue and quicken them But if hee haue alwayes had that peace from the beginning of his dayes he maie easilie deceiue himselfe by taking the numnesse and securitie of a defiled conscience for true peace of coÌ„science Secondly let him search from whence this peace of his conscience proceedeth For if it come from anie thing else but from the certaintie of the remission of sinne it is no true peace as manie flattering themselues in sinne and dreaming of a pardon are therevpon quieted and the Deuill is readie enough to put this into their mindes but this can bee no true peace Thirdlie let him examine himselfe if he haue a care to keepe a good conscience which if hee haue he hath also reciued from the Lord a good and a quiet conscience For if God bestowe vpon anie man a gift concerning his saluation he giueth him also a care to keepe it XXVIII The seconde inwarde benefite is An entrance into Gods fauour and a perseuerance in it which is indeede a wonderfull benefite When a man commeth into fauour with his Prince then hee is bolde to come vnto his Prince and hee maie haue free accesse vnto his presence and he may sue to his Prince for anie benefite or preferment whereof he standeth in neede and may obteine it before anie other so they which are in Gods fauour by reason that they are freely pardoned and iustified in Christ do boldlie approach into Gods presence and they are readie to aske and sure to obteine anie benefite that is for their good The third is a spirituall ioy in their harts euen then when they are afflicted because they looke certainely to obtaine the kingdome of heauen The fourth is that the loue of GOD is â—hed in the hartes of the faithfull by the holie Ghost that is that the holie Ghost doth make the faithfull verie euidentlie to feele â—he loue of God towards them and doth as it were fill their harts with it XXIX The second maine benefite is Adoption whereby they which are iustified are also accepted of God as his owne children FroÌ„ Adoption proceed many other benefits First the elect child of God hereby is made a brother to Christ. Secondly he is a King and the kingdom of heauen is his inheritaÌ„ce Thirdly he is Lord ouer all creatures saue Angels Fourthly the holie Angels minister vnto him for his good they garde him and watch about him Fiftlie all things yea greeuous afflictions and sin it selfe turne to his good though in his owne nature it bee neuer so hurtfull threfore death which is most terrible vnto him is no entrance into hell but a narow gate to let him into euerlasting life Lastly being thus adopted he may look for comfort at Gods hand answerable to the measure of his afflictioÌ„ as God hath promised XXX The inward assurance of Adoption is by two witnesses The first is our spirit that is an heart and conscience sanctified by the sprinckling of the bloud of Christ. Now because it commeth to passe that the testimonie of our spirit is feeble and weake God of his goodnes hath giuen his owne spirite to bee a fellow witnes with our spirit for the