help him and calls upon the name of Jesus but he receives no comfort On the contrary he hears his Saviour speaking thus unto him I did oftentimes speak to thy heart I gave thee a thousand inspirations to avoid sin and thou wouldst not hear me I sent Prophets Apostles good Ministers to declare my will to instruct and perswade thee to embrace vertue I did upon a Cross dye like a Criminal to save thee and manifest the excess of my Love. Then I did open my Arms to embrace thee and bow my head to kiss thee and thou hadst rather fall into the Arms of a lascivious Woman and take more pleasure in her kindness than in mine begone depart from me now when thou callest upon me I will not hear thee Thus this poor Soul finding neither help nor any inward comfort full of fright She shall say unfortunate that I am why did I not make a better use of the Grace of God And of the time allowed unto me to work out my eternal Salvation Let the day perish wherein I was born and the night in which it was said there is a Man-child Conceived Why dyed I not from the Womb Why did I not give up the Ghost when I came out of the Belly Why did the Knees prevent me or why the Breast that I should suck Cursed be the Man that shewed my Father saying a Child is born unto thee and comforted him Job 3. in that lamentable condition being enraged and in despair she will say Mountains and Rocks fall on me and hide me from the face of him that setteth on the Throne and from the wrath of the Lamb for the great day of his wrath is come and who shall be able to stand Rev. 6.16 CHAP. XXXVI The Condition of a Sinner after Death THE Wicked and Criminal Soul being separated from its Body hears the Sentence of her Condemnation whereof she cannot appeal to any other Depart from me thou Cursed into Everlasting Fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels For I was a Hungry and thou gaveth me no Meat Thirsty and thou gaveth me no Drink Stranger and thou didst not receive me in Naked and didst not cloath me Sick and in Prison and didst not visite me And then shall she say unto him when saw I thee an Hungred or Thirsty or Stranger or Naked or Sick or in Prison and did not Minister unto thee then shall he answer her saying Verily I say unto thee in as much as thou didst it not to one of the least of these thou didst it not to me Mat. 25.42 43 44 45. Then she seeth her self for ever separated from the sweet presence of God from the pleasant Company of all Blessed Souls from those unspeakable delights and Soverain honours that are in Heaven She seeth her self environ'd with an innumerable number of Devils and with them precipitated into an Everlasting Fire wherein she shall weep sigh and lament perpetually and endure an intolerable stink pain and fear without any hope of the least assistance The cries of Korah Dathan and Abyron when they saw themselves swallow'd up in the Earth are not to be compared with hers and that which grieves her the more is because she seeth no Remedy for her Torments and hath deserved all these Pains for few worldly pleasures that are rather Imaginary than true She knows that in that place of darkness horror and confusion she shall be forced to spill more Tears than there are drops of Water in the Sea that after she hath endured and cried as many Years as there are sands on the Sea shore or Leaves on the Trees in the Summer-time she is no nearer to the end of her Torments than at the first day and this consideration is the cause of her rage and despair for as often as she thinks that her Pains shall never end this consideration of never is to her an other Hell in the middle of Hell. CHAP. XXXVII The Condition of a Holy Soul near the Separation from its Body by Death REpresent to your selves any Holy Man or Woman whose Conversation was always honest and who did always strive to Answer Gods Inspirations fulfill his Will in all things and obey his holy Commandments When Death presents it self unto him and seeth that by sickness or otherwise his Soul shall be separated from his Body he doth not grow pail for fear on the contrary he seems to be very glad of such a news bearing this Testimony in his Conscience that he is going to rest from his Labors and be for ever united to the Object of his Love. He is assured he is going to his Heavenly Father into that new Hierusalem the City of his God wherein he is to taste Everlasting Pleasures and enjoy for ever the sweet presence of his beloved and the lovely Company of all blessed Souls In the mean time he orders his business and disposing himself to forsake this World he leaves to his Family and Friends this Holy Counsel to serve Love and Worship the true God all the Days of their Life When his Body is dying and grow weak when his tongue begins to stammer and his Eyes to change then the Spirit of God enlightens and fortifies his Soul she sighs and saith with St. Paul Cupio dissolvi esse cum Christo sometimes with David she utters these words as the Heart panteth after the Water brooks so panteth my Soul after the O God. Othertimes she Sings with Simeon now let thy Servant depart in Peace according to thy word Sometimes with St. Stephen Lord Jesus receive my Spirit and very often with her Saviour into thy hands O Lord I recommend my Spirit And as soon as her Soul is separated from her Body then the holy Angels take and carry her into Heaven as they carried that of Lazerus into Abrahams Bosom CHAP. XXXVIII The Condition of an holy Soul after She is separated from her Body AS soon as the Holy Soul is gone out from her Body She is as I have said just now carried into Heaven by the Holy Angels then in the presence of all Blessed Souls Friends and Relations dead in the Grace of God she hath this comfort to hear these words Come thou Blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom which is prepared for thee from the beginning of the World. Well done and well come good and faithfull Servant enter into thy Masters Joy receive the Crown of Glory promised to them that are faithfull till death If for the maintaining the truth of the Gospel she hath endured in this world several Torments she shall receive the Crown of Martyrdom If she did overcome the lusts of the flesh and submit her concupiscence to the law of the Spirit she shall obtain the Crown of Virginity If in Marriage she were always faithfull and did never defile her Conjugal Bed she shall receive the Crown of Chastity If she did always give good example relieve the needy preach the word of God convert
Prohibition which they make of Mariage is not universal that it is only forbidden to some particular Persons that Mariage is not absolutely forbidden but only upon condition that you be a Clergy-Man or engag'd in the monastical Life And therefore that St. Paul doth not speak concerning them in the Text above mentioned I answer and shew that it is them that the Apostle means for he did not say the forbiding should be made unto all generally A Prophesy would be needless to give notice unto Men of such a prohibition it would have been immediately abolish'd Every body would have resisted it and stoned the Authors of such a prohibition Neither did he say they should forbid Mariage for such and such a reason but without using any distinction he saith they will forbid to Marry If you should say to a Man I will take away your Life if you dare to come into my house would the taking away the life of that Man be a jot the less Murder because of that forewarning should the Murderer be less guilty than if he had kill'd him out of his House Therefore because they have proposed this Condition that if you will be a Priest or Monk or Nun you shall not Marry is Marriage less forbidden for that upon what condition soever they forbid it yet 't is forbidden and that is all which St. Paul observes they shall forbid to Marry Why do they not leave Mariage free to all Persons in what condition soever they be for the Apostle saith it is honourable unto all if honourable uto all how can it be dishonourable to some and that the Propets the Brethren of the Lord and Cephas used it and he saith that a Bishop must be the Husband of one Wife one that rules well his own House having his Children in Subjection with all gravity for if a Man know not haw to rule his own House how shall he take care of the Church of God 1 Tim. 3. and to avoid Fornication he speaks thus let every Man have his own Wife and let every Woman have her own Husband The Divine law saith thou shalt not commit Adultery thou shalt not be a monger and therefore thou shalt use the means proper to avoid Fornication And St. Paul saith he that cannot contain let him Marry 'T is a Commandment from God made unto all that have not the gift of continency in what state or condition soever they be therefore in such a case all Priests Monks or Nuns may break their vows and it is not sacrilege to 'em to Marry if they cannot contain tho Bellarmin and some Popes say that it is forbidden them to Marry that they cannot take Wifes without displeasing God without living according to the Flesh and consequently being damned From whence it follows that when St. Paul Commands all incontinents to Marry he Commands all incontinent Priests Monks and Nuns to displease God and throw themselves into Eternal Flames They reply that though Sacerdotal Mariage be not forbidden by the Authotity of the old Law nor by that of the Gospel and Apostles yet it is wholly forbidden by the Ecclesiastical Law that is by the Tyrannical Law of Rome To which I answer that since it is not forbidden by the Authority of the old Law nor by that of the Gospel and Apostles it ought not to be by the Ecclesiastical Law for what God leaves free cannot be made necessary by Men and they cannot have better Counsels than those of God of Christ and Apostles and since they were not willing to impose such a Law upon Priests and others who dedicate themselves unto God the ruling part of the Church of Romé ought not to impose it on them CHAP. XVIII Holiness coonsists in the practice of all Vertues and Commandments of God. WHosoever will be Holy and please God 't is not enough for him to embrace one Vertue he ought to espouse them all 't is not sufficient to avoid one vice he must forsake them all without any exception If I have Idols in Abomination and commit sacrilege if I believe that it is not lawful to me to drink Wine and if I abstain from it because of its ill effects and take no care to banish from my Heart Pride and Disobedience which make me fall into Schism and Heresy If I commit Murder and avoid Fornication if I give Alms to to the Poor and wrong the Widow and Fatherless I am very far from Holiness As the works of the Flesh are Adultery Fornication Uncleanness Lasciviousness Idolatry Witchcraft Hatred Variance Emulations Wrath Strife Seditions Heresies Envyings Murders Drunkenness Revilings and such like So the fruit of the Spirit or Holiness is Love Joy Peace long Suffering Gentleness Goodness Faith Meekness Temperance in a word the practice of all Vertues and Commandments of God Gal. 5.19 Whosoever shall keep the whole Law and yet offend in one point he is guilty of all Jam. 2.10 and St. Peter bids us to lay aside all Malice all Guile and Hypocrisies and Envies and Evil speakings 1 Pet. 2.1 The Devil cares but little whether you be chast provided you be Proud or Seditious he cares not at all whether you be Meek provided you commit Adultery or Fornication He knows that without the Practice of all Vertues and Commandments you shall never be saved if thou wilt be saved saith Christ to the Young Man that asked him what he ought to do to obtain Eternal Life keep the Commandments CHAP. XIX Of Predestination and Reprobation CAlvin and those of his Sect that are spred in several places of the World as France England Holland Germany Geneva and round about believe maintain and publish this Doctrine viz. that God did by his Eternal and immutable decree elect a small number of Men to be saved and leave the rest in Damnation without any respect of their Faith or Infidelity good or bad Actions without any other reason but because it is his Will and Pleasure I know that Calvin took great pains in the Lords Vineyard 't is certain that he reformed the Church which was corrupted both in its manners and Doctrine and that he was very Learned and Zealous for the Salvation of the Souls of Men yet though he was very Learned he had his Errors and we must not wonder at it he was a Man and God only cannot Err. And to the end that no Body might say that I wrong Calvin here are his own words We say that God by Eternal and unchangeable Counsel hath once appointed whom in time to come he would take to Salvation and on the other side whom he would condemn to destruction This Course as touching the Elect we say to be grounded upon his free Mercy without any respect of the worthiness of Man. But whom he appointed to Damnation to them by his just indeed and irreprehensible but also incomprehensible judgment the entry of Life is foreclosed Institut l. 3. ç. 21. S. 7. all these things which we have said
Riots and do what is most suitable to my Inclination though never so much corrupted These are the pernicious and hellish consequences naturally following from such a Doctrine CHAP. XXI Second Impiety It Abolishes Prayer Faith Repentance the use of the Sacraments and the keeping Gods Commandments IF it be true that all Men and Women are enroled from all Eternity some of 'em to be saved and th' others to be damned without any regard to their Faith or Infidelity Obedience or Disobedience to Gods Commandments upon condition that you be of the number of the Reprobate then if you pray unto God Almighty your Prayer is of no profit and instead of making God Propitious it will serve but to provoke him and make him the more angry Therefore the Preacher that incites you to pray ought to imitate that Philosopher who being in a ship in the Company of wicked Livers whom the Tempest and Fear of being drown'd had incited to pray spoke thus unto ' em Silete ne Dij vos Nehulones hic navigare sentiant for if they perceive you are here they shall have cause enough to be angry and drown our ship Why should you pray for your Salvation why should you trouble your selves about it more than Adam for the Creation of Eva if you are bound to believe that nothing is able to promote it and that God will necessarily perform what he hath determined the Elect can never obtain any thing new by their Prayers no more than by their Faith Repentance use of Sacraments and keeping Gods Commandments their names being written from all Eternity in the Books of Life without any regard to all these things and it being impossible for them to be blotted out And the Reprobates can never be hereafter enroled in 'em by the exercise of their Prayers Repentance use of Sacraments Practice of Vertues and Commandments of God or other good works whatsoever no more than they can Abolish the immutable decree of their Reprobation These are the fair Consequences of Reprobation and Predestination as they are taught by John Calvin and his followers CHAP. XXII Third Impiety It destroys that Doctrine of ours that God will have all Men to be saved and none to Perish and that he hath no Pleasure on the Death of a Sinner THere is nothing more usual and evident in the holy Scripture than these Principles God will have all men to be saved and none to perish As I Live saith the Lord God I have no pleasure in the Death of the Wicked but that the Wicked turn from his way and Live. Turn ye turn ye from your Evil ways for why will ye die O House of Israel Ez. 33.11 He would not that any should Perish but that all Men should come to Repentance 2 Pi. 3.9 We have an advocate with the Father J. Christ the Righteous and he is the Propitiation for our Sins and not for ours only but also for the Sins of the whole World Jo. 2.2 he tasted Death for every Man Heb. 2.9 for the unjust for the ungodly for sinners for his enemies 1 Pet. 3.18 Rom. 5.6.8.10 We trust the Living God saith John who is the Saviour of all Men. In this was manifested the Love of God towards us because that God sent his only begotten Son into the World that we might live through him Here is Love not that we Loved God but that he Loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our Sins 1 Jo. 4.9.10 for God sent not his Son into the World to condemn the World but that the World through him might be saved Jo. 3. And though these Texts be so common and manifest in the holy Scripture that God will have all Men to be saved and none to perish that he takes no pleasure in the Death of Sinners but that they turn from their Evil ways and Live yet they are opposed by a great many Those that maintain Predestination and Reprobation in such a manner as I have said before are quite of another Opinion For maintaining that God from all Eternity did by his immutable decree elect a small number of Men to be saved without any regard to their Faith Obedience and good Actions they do at the same time destroy that belief of ours that God will have all Men to be saved and that he hath no Pleasure in the Death of Sinners This is Calvins Opinion as you may see by these following words Indeed if God would have all Men to be saved he should give J. Christ unto all for their Gardian and unite them to his Body by the bound of Faith l. 3. c. 22. S. 10. vide c. 24. Sect. 14. They answer that when it is said God will have all Men to be saved that is to be understood de generibus singulorum non de singulis generum Not that he will have all Men that are in every Nation to be saved but that he will save some in every Nation And when it is written that he hath no Pleasure in the Death of the Wicked and that he hath tasted Death for every Man and would have none to perish they reply with Calvin that there are in God two sorts of Will one outward and reveal'd whereby he sweetly invites us to his Grace and calls us to Repentance as if in good earnest he would have us to be saved and another inward and secret which no Man can resist which is always effectual There is saith Calvin an Universal calling whereby through the outward Preaching of the word God calleth altogether to him even them also to whom he setteth it forth unto the Savour of Death and unto matter of more grievous Condemnation The other is a special calling which for the most part he vouchsafest to give only to the Faithful when by the inward lightning of his Spirit he maketh that the word Preached is settled in their Hearts yet sometime he maketh them also partakers of it whom he enlightneth but for a time afterward by the deserving of their unthankfulness forsaketh them and striketh them with greater blindness l. 3. c. 24. S. 8. as the Lord by the effectualness of his calling toward the Elect maketh perfect the Salvation whereunto he had by Eternal Counsel appointed them so he hath his Judgments against the Reprobate whereby he executeth his Counsel of them Whom therefore he hath Created unto the shame of Life and Destruction of Death that they should be Instruments of Wrath and examples of his severity from them that they may come to their end some time he taketh away the Power to hear his word and sometime by the Preaching of it he more blindeth and amazeth them l. 3. c. 24 S. 12. behold he directeth his Voice to them but that they wax more deaf he lights a light but that they may be made more blind He sheweth forth doctrine but that they may be made more dull he layeth to them a Remedy but not that they may be healed l.
came unto me Mat. 25.35 He shall render to every one according to his works to them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for Glory and Honour and Immortality eternal life but unto them that are contentious and do not obey the truth but obey unrighteousness indignation and Wrath Rom. 2.6 By those Texts of the Holy Scripture it is as clear as the day at Noon that Predestination is not without a respect to our Faith Obedience and good Actions CHAP. XXVIII How Reprobation is to be understood IT is a gross impious and blasphemous impiety to assert that God did by his immutable decree appoint the greatest part of Men to eternal damnation without having any regard to their infidelity disobedience and bad actions as Calvin will have it to be lib. 3. c. 23. Sect. 1 2. Reprobation is an Act of God's hatred and God hates and punishes nothing but Sin which no Creature can be guilty of before its existence Wherefore the existence of the Creature and his disobedience to Gods Commandments ought to be presuppos'd before he be doom'd to eternal damnation I mean before he can be hated and condemn'd by God into Hells Fire From whence it follows when God did by eternal decree appoint the greatest number of Man-kind to eternal damnation it was in consideration of their infidelity disobedience to his Commandments or wicked Actions And to let you see that what I say is very well grounded pray mark these Texts following Go ye cursed depart from me into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels mark the reason of it for I was an hungred and ye gave me no meat I was thirsty and ye gave me no drink I was a stranger and ye took me not in naked and ye clothed me not sick and in prison and ye visited me not Mat. 25. The wicked saith David shall be turned into Hell Ps 9.17 they shall have their portion in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone Ps 11.6 Rev. 21.8 the wrath of God cometh upon the Children of disobedience Eph. 3.6 Mans destruction is of himself saith Hosea The Angels which kept not their first estate and Sodom giving himself over to fornication are set forth for an example 2 Pet. 2. When God punished them 't was for their sins and when in his eternal decree he condemned them to everlasting flames 't was in regard of their sins because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the Children of disobedience Eph. 5.6 though Calvin saith that it is for no other cause but because he wills l. 3. c. 23. S. 1 2. Gods decree is eternal and immutable that is certain but it is subsequent and conditional I grant he hath appointed the greatest part of Men to eternal damnation but it is in regard of their infidelity or disobedience to his Commandments Their disobedience is antecedent and presupos'd the Soul that sinneth shall dye Reprobation is but conditional that is to say no man is Reprobate but upon condition he transgresses Gods Commandments or be unfaithful But some will say I grant predestination and Reprobation to be as you have explain'd them before I grant it is in respect of my Faith or Infidelity Obedience or Disobedience to Gods Commandments yet that hinders not his decree to be immutable For as he hath the knowledge of all things which have been are and shall be and because nothing can be added to his knowledge he knows whether I shall be faithfull or unfaithfull obedient or disobedient to his Commandments and therefore he knows whether I shall be sav'd or damn'd Therefore I have no need to trouble my self for whatsoever I do I can never change Gods knowledge and eternal decree concerning my salvation or damnation Answer It is true we cannot alter Gods knowledge it is certain his decrees are immutable and that we shall be either saved or damned But knowing not which of the two and being certain that God will have all Men to be saved and none to perish and that for this cause he gives his grace unto all it being their fault if they be not saved as it appears by several Texts of the Holy Scripture Mans destruction is of himself Hos 13.9 Whilst we are in this World we ought to entertain this thought that we are of the number of the Elect. And because the Tree is known by its Fruit and the mark of the Elect is to do good and avoid evil embrace vertue and eschew vice and wholly obey the will of God. Therefore we ought to live conformable to those Rules all the days of our life this is the Character of a predestinated Soul which we ought to endeavour to carry along with us to our Grave CHAP. XXIX Gods Works are necessary to Salvation WE speak of Faith we extol it in Sermons assert we are thereby Justified without having any regard to good works and to confirm what we say we alledge Both the words of St. Paul and the example of Abraham If Abraham were Justified by works he hath whereof to Glory but not before God. Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for Righteousness even as David discribeth the Blessedness of the Man unto whom God imputeth Righteousness without works Rom. 4.2.6 which is the cause that many thinking too much upon Faith care very little to practice good works But they deceive themselves for they ought to Remember there are two sorts of Faith one Dead and another Living The Living Faith which only Justifies our Souls and whereby we are sav'd is never without good works as a good Tree is never without Fruit in its Season the Sun without Light Fire without Heat and Water without moisture Every Faith without good works is Dead saith St. James 3.17 What doth is profit my Brethren though a Man saith he hath Faith and have not works can Faith save him If a Brother or Sister be naked destitute of daily food and one of you say unto them depart in Peace be ye warmed and filled notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needfull to the Body what doth it Profit even so Faith if it hath no works is Dead being alone yea a Man may say thou hast Faith and I have Works shew me thy Faith without thy Works and I will shew thee my Faith by my works thou believeth that there is one God thou doest well the Devils also believe and tremble But wilt thou know O vain Man that Faith without Works is Dead was not Abraham our Father Justified by works when he had offered Isaac his Son upon the Altar seest thou how Faith wrought with his works and by works was Faith made perfect ye see then how that by works a Man is justified and not by Faith only for as the Body without Spirit is Dead so Faith without works is Dead also It profits nothing neither to our Justification nor Salvation Whosoever therefore will after his Death obtain an eternal Salvation ought