Philippians It is God that worketh both the will and the deed Phil. 2.13 In orat pro Marco Marcello Bellicas laudes solent quidam extenuare verbis eásque communicare cum militibuâ— nâ— propriae sint Imperatorum certè in armis millitum virtus locorum opportunitas multum iuuant maximam verò partem quasi suo iure fortuna sibi vendicat Tully in one of his Orations commends Caesar aboue all things for his clemency because that was his proper glory his only In his victories he tells him he should haue sharers the Captaines and common souldiers would euery one claym his share yea a great part of the glory of those coÌ„quests would bee ascribed to the coÌ„uenience of the place or to Fortune but for his clemency none could chalenge any part of that glory So for outward workes as building of houses planting of Vineyards and Orchards husbanding of the earth ordering and disposing of creatures yea and gouerning of nations though God indeed be the giuer and gouernour of all and it is his blessing that makes all things vsefull and commodious to man and so excludes Fortune yet in these things hee hath giuen man leaue to exercise his owne iudgement and industry as it were to share with him in his prayse but for the working of Grace and Religion whereby hee largely expresseth his clemency to man there is none either admitted or able to ioyne with him A King hath certaine prerogatiues reserued to himselfe as sealing of his Patents stamping of his Coyne chusing of his seruants creating of his Nobilitie and the like So God allowes of no Parents for Heauen without they haue his broad Seale of Religion allowes no Christian for currant except he haue his stamp of Religion and whosoeuer shall counterfeite either of these is guiltie of high treason and as no man can challenge to be the Kings seruant out of his owne desert but holds himselfe highly regarded by the King in being called to his seruice and likewise expects continuall meanes from the King to inable him to serue him So in this spirituall seruice of God there is no maÌ„ worthy of him selfe neither hath he inward abilitie to maintaine himselfe in the place that God calles him vnto without a supply of grace from God which worketh in him this Religion And so to bee a Nobleman of heauen is out of Gods meere fauour and as you shall see in a meane man created a Nobleman a great alteration in his behauiour in his speeches in his actions in his whole carriage yea in his mind he hath those thoughts now hee is a Peere to the King that neuer came into his head before so more properly you may discerne in a Christian man a great change throughout body and soule whose base nature is turned into a truly noble disposition despising the trash of the earth and all seruile conditions and aimeth only to conforme himselfe in a religious course of life to his Soueraigne Iesus Christ to whom hee is now made a Peere Kings when they make fauorites for the most part chuse such as are of small meanes and an ordinary ranke that the greater glory might redound to themselues for therein they somthing seeme to resemble God in his Creation who made all things out of nothing so these make a great man out of nothing in comparison of what he is raised to Thus God in his work of regeneratioÌ„ finds maÌ„ void of grace or religion and assumeth to himself the effecting of these things in him whereby he is made a Child and Fauorite of God and yet in this worke doth not take from a man his humanitie naturall abilities but so frames these as they shal become conducible to this effect though no way operatiue neither doth this giue any way to free-wil that there is a vse of the facultie of will in man yea towards his regeneratioÌ„ When a man is said to haue no free will it is not to be conceiued in naturall actions as to goe or stand still to speake or to be silent to doe this thing or not to do it as a natural actioÌ„ or that the vse of the sences is not common free to good and bad men as seeing hearing the like or that a man hath no power in morall actions as to be temperate iust in his dealings liberall and the like or in the outward acts of Ecclesiasticall duties as to go to Church to receiue the Sacrament and do things of that nature or to forbeare the outward practice of some sins as a drunkard or a swearer may be hired not to drink or sweare for a time yet in none of these is to be found freewill to grace which is denied to be in a man and that is to be able out of his own free-will to do these naturall actions and obserue these morall duties all other Religious duties or forbeare euil according to the Word of God and in obedience to his commandemeÌ„ts for sin is a breach of the Law and therefore to doe good 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is to doe what man does in obedience to the Law which no man can doe of himselfe but must receiue a new forme put vpon him and himselfe and that naturall will which is in its selfe actiue must be meerely passiue wherein is the difference betweene the Papist and the Protestant the one sayes a man doth cooperate with the Spirit the other that the Spirit workes all and that a man is a meere patient In the beginning of the world God made a Coas a rude indigested substance which had an actiue power in it selfe but in relation to the seuerall formes God put vpon it was a meere patient So plants haue a vegetatiue and growing forme but in regard of that sensitiue forme which in all sensitiue liuing creatures this vegetatiue substance is to be considered but as the matter of the ensuing sensitiue creature and that sensitiue soule is but meerely passiue in respect of the reasonable soule wherewith God informes a man So is it with a man he hath naturall power ouer his body and in many morall duties is able to put them in practice but to attaine to Grace he hath no abilitie nor will but is a meere patient to the worke of the Spirit The grand Patron of the Romish profession Bellar. in li. 3. de gratia libero arbitrio hath gathered a definition of Free-will out of the doctrine of one of the chiefe a Ex doctrinae S. Thomae definitio collecta Liberum arbitrium est libera pâ—testas ex his quae ad finem conducunt vnum prae alio eligendi aut vnum idem acceptandi vel pro arbitrio respuendi intelligenti naturae ad magnam Dei gloriam attributa Schoolemen which is this that Freewill is a free power of chusing one of those things which tend to an end before another or accepting or reiecting out of
binding to faith and obedience a binding to faith in all that is declared in Gods Word and obedience to all that is commanded by Gods Word the binding from is from all errour and heresie in point of doctrine contrary to Gods Word and from all impiety in course of life forbidden by Gods Word And this latter deriuation of the word religion seemes to make it more full for as in the word reluctation which signifies a strife or strugling there is an opposition implyed so this aduerbe re in religion doth seeme to intimate an auersenesse in the nature of man to what hee is required vnto by the Word of God Whereupon consequently followes a third tye or binding which is to repentaÌ„ce for the pronenesse of mans nature to euery thing contrary to Gods will and the wicked actions hee cannot chuse but fall into out of that naturall and depraued inclination Caluin in 23. cap. Iob. Iobus adijcit se non ab ea recessisse eo significaâ— homines semper pruâ—itis quodam deflectendi à recta via sollicitari To which purpose Caluin in his coment vpon the 23. Chapter of Iob out of Iob's resolution to walke in the way of God adding these words that he had not gone out of the same hath this obseruation that there is a certaine kind of itching desire in euery man to swerue and decline from that certaine way and therefore he had neede to be kept in with this hedge of Religion There are three words amongst others which the Grecians haue giuen to signifie Religion the one signifies right or true worship 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is not enough to haue knowledge nor to beleeue in God though these are neuer seuered from Religion but there must be a worship and this worship must not be euerie worship but a true worship Another of these words signifies the worship of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so that in this name of Religion is included a worship but not the worship of man or any other creature but the worship of God The third word is thought to take its deriuatioÌ„ from the name of the Thracians Vers 27. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and is vsed by the Apostle in the first Chapter of Iames his Epistle But because the perfectest knowledge man can haue of any thing is from the causes thereof therefore it will not be amisse for the vnderstanding of the nature of Religion to inquire into the causes of it more at large som of which are shortly coÌ„tained in the words before Amongst causes God the efficient cause of Religion the efficient cause takes the first place as well does this efficient of Religion deserue it which was truly the first yea before the first thing in the World God was before all things Psal 19.2 so that the efficient cause and worker of true Religion either in a publike estate or priuate mans heart is no other then God himselfe God is the worker of all grace Iam. 1.17 all good giftes proceede from aboue And Saint Paul one of the master-workemen in this plantation of Religion hath these words in his Epistle to the Corinthians 2. Cor. 12.4 No man can say that Iesus is the Lord but by the Spirit There are diuersities of gifts but the same Spirit there are differences of administrations but the same Lord and there are diuersities of operations but it is the same God that worketh all in all In Ezekiel God first vndertakes to clense them of their false religion but leaues them not there for then they were neuer the neerer but in the next words saith Ezek. 36.27 A new heart will I giue you and also a new Spirit will I put within you and I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walke in my Statutes so that God takes to himselfe the worke of framing them to true Religion and the whole Scripture is very full of proofes to this purpose There was a worthy man who out of his obseruation vpon these words of our Sauiour I am the way the truth and the life brought in Christ speaking to the Christian soule in this manner August in tract 22. Ambulare vis Ego sum via Falli non vis Ego sum veritas Mori non vis Ego sum vita haec dicit Saluator tuâ—â— Non est quò eas nisi ad me non est quaÌ„ eas nisi per me and answering himself Wilt thou walke saith Christ I am the way Wilt thou not be deluded I am the truth Wilt thou not die I am the life This saith the learned Man is the speech of our Sauiour to this silly soule Thou hast not whither to goe but to me nor any way to come to me but by me so that if we will walke in the way of Religion we must walk with Christ for he is the way if wee will not bee seduced by errour which is contrarie to Religion we must be directed by him for he is the truth if wee will liue religiously here and gloriously hereafter we must liue by him and in him and he in vs for hee is the life The same Author sayes in another place Ipsum donum Dei Spiritus cum Patre Filio aequè incoÌ„mutabile colere tenere nos conuenit Wee ought to imbrace the gift of the Spirit of God equally dispensed and vnchangeable from the Father and the Son Another reuerend Father sayes in his Comment vpon the first Chap. of Amos vpon these words God Ierom super primum cap. Amos Deus versatur in vera religione non in Jsrael vrbibus or the Lord will roare from Sion and vtter his voyce from Ierusalem God is conuersant saies he in true Religion professed in Ierusalem not in the Cities of Israel So that from both these may be gathered that as Religion is the gift of God yea of the whole Trinitie so where Religion is God is where he is not there is no true Religion and from that that doth precede the conclusion will easily arise that God is the efficient cause of religion Neither is he only the efficient God the only efficient cause but the onely efficient cause Man is a meere patient No not so much as a patient for all matter is held to haue an aptitude or an appetite or at least a possibilitie to receiue a forme But such is the indisposition of mans depraued nature that it hath no capacity nay it hath a contrary affection to the receiuing of the forme of Religion which God puts vpon him The Apostle Paul to the Romanes saith Rom. 8.7 that the wisdome of the flesh is enmity against God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where the word is very expresse and signifies the best thoughts and affections the same Apostle in his Epistle to the Ephesians saith that all men by nature are dead in sinnes and trespasses Ephes 2.1 And in the second to the
its owne power one and the same thing and is attributed to an intelligent or reasonable nature for the great glory of God who shortly analising or opening this definition b Liberum arbitrium est potentia non habitus vel actus quae potentia est genus libera differentia quia potentia omnis est accidens subiectum liberi arbitrij est intelligens natura obiectum liberi arbitrij est ex his quae ad finem conducunt Siquidem liberum arbitrium non versatur circa finem sed media electio est proprius actus liberi arbitrij sayes that Free-will is a power not a habit or act and after he hath assigned power to be the genus or materiall cause and an intelligent nature to be the subiect of it and the meanes conuersant about the end not the end it selfe to be obiect of it concludes at last that Election is the proper act of Free-will where besides that he brings in a description for a definition he seemes to mâ—kâ— that which before he said to be neither habit nor act but a meere power to be actiue in Election But admit him that a bare power is the materiall cause or the genus of Free-will yet there is a learned Father will soone make it appeare that this power is none of mans for saith he * August in exâ—ositione 12. Cap. Euang. Johannis Ne existâ—numus fidem nostram esse in libero arbitrio vt diuino non aegeat â—d intorio audiamus Euangelistam dicentem Dedit eis potesâ—atâ—m Filios Dei fieri speaking of Free-will let vs heare the Euangelist saying God gaue them power to bee made the sonnes of God So that this power spoken of is the gift and Grace of God And admit the Papist thus much that man doth coöperate with the Spirit as Protestant Diuines hold a regenerate man doth yet this is no argument to proue Free-will because a man may coöperate without power of Election to the contrary Neither yet is man to depend altogether vpon this inward worke of God The Word the instrumental cause of Religion for he hath appointed his Word as an instrument of this blessed effect of Religion and this Word is a plentifull Store-house of all instruments of Religion The instruments of a souldier are his armes Let the spirituall Souldier go to Paul one of the chiefe Officers in that Armory and hee will furnish him from head to toe Eph. 6. Chap. 14 15 16 17. verses with the Helmet of Saluation the Brestplate of Righteousnesse the Girdle of Verity the Shield of Faith the Sword of the Spirit and the Shooes of the preparation of the Gospell The instruments of a scholler are his bookes Let the Scholler in Gods Schoole or Vniuersity resort to this Library of the Word and there he shall finde such Philosophy as is beyond all other Writers in that kinde such History as makes all other Historians that meddle with the same subiect for point of truth liers and for Antiquity nouices such profound Prophesies verified by the performance of euery the least tittle as make all other prophesies appeare fables such Diuine Poetry as makes all other Poets seeme bunglers being compared with the sweete Singer of Israel and the Wise Preacher such elegancy that if you looke into Esay you shall find such a lofty stile as is in no other booke but the Scripture If you looke into the other Prophets you shall find such hidden Rethoricke as is no where to be found but in holy Writ if you looke into our Blessed Sauiours speeches you shall find such Metaphors and Parables and Wise sayings as confounded all that rose vp to speake against him and amazed all that heard him if you looke into S. Pauls Apologeticall Orations you shall find the famous Orator Tertullus put to silence Act. 24.10 and ashâ—med to pleade any more against him and Felix afterward trembling at what hee spake But last of all in his holy Word you shall find such Diuinity as whosoeuer vndertakes to set forth the excellency of it shall giue it a blemish and when man hath beaten his braine to the vttermost he must breake forth onely into admiration and say Oh the height the depth and the bredth of this vnsearchable Mystery of Diuinitie The Instruments of a builder are his tooles and here in this Word the Christian builder shall find a Masons hammer to rough how the hard heart of man and a two-edged sword more exâ—â—llent for that purpose then any Saw to cut asunder the stony heart of man and a Square to leuell and shape a man to some fitnesse for this spirituall building There are two maine Pillers of Religion vpon which if it be firmely settled it cannot sinke and that is a well-grounded faith and a well-ordered life And how to establish Religion vpon these two that Famous Caluine will teach a man For the first in his Comment vpon the twelfth Psalme where he askes the question whether or no at any time there do steale into a mans minde any doubt of beleeuing in the promises of God which if there do then he directs him how to fence himselfe against such a temptation Let him presently sayes he Cal. in Com. 12. Psalm Quoties de fide promissionum Dei obrepit aliqua dubitatio statim hunc clipeum opponere conuenit sermones Dei esse puros Cal. in Com. 23. Cap. Iob Discamus bene rectè vtuendi rationem quam Deus nobis probat hanc esse vt pedes pâ—namus in via quam non ipsi instituimus sed ipse nobis verbo suo commonstrauit take this into his hand for a shield or buckler that all the words of God are pure And for the second how to frame a mans life in his Comment vpon the 23. Chap. of Iob he giues this instruction Let a man learne this to be the course which God doth allow of liuing well and vprightly namely to set his feete in a way not such a one as he shall propose to himselfe but such a one as God shall shew vnto him out of his Word neither doth God vse this instrumentall cause of the Word in working Religion in a man as though hee needed it for he was as well able after the fall of man to haue made him perfectly good againe as he was before but God saw this the fittest way and some reason may be giuen to the apprehension of man to perswade him so much As that first man might take notice of the grieuousnesse and greatnesse of his sinne in his fall which had plunged him into such misery as he knew no way how to get out of it except God had found a meanes for him how to escape which peraduenture had God restored him to his former integritie would not haue taken so deepe an impression in him as now it doth when he is faine to labour and take paines in the meanes and especially the Word of God
subiect for â—ithout all the elements there is no body could subsist and yet this warre amongst the elements is the ruine of euery body in which warre they are all conquerers and yet all ouercome for the fire dries vp the water and the water quenches the fire the aire moulders the earth and the earth expels the aire and yet they haue a mutuall concord for the fire and aire agree in heate the aire and water agree in moistnes the water earth agree in coldnesse and the earth and fire agree in drienesse they all agree in this that none of them will depart the field till they haue destroyed the subiect of their contention which is the body of a man and in this is to be admired the wonderfull workmanship of God But yet for all this search the knowledge of God is not to bee found for he is incomprehensible and how can a man comprehend an incomprehensible He is a Spirit and how can flesh and bloud apprehend a Spirit God is infinite not to be limited in time he is euery where and yet no where either circumscriptiuely or definitiuely how can a man circumscribed within two yards receiue a notion of him that fils all things and all places He is omnipotent and how can the weake braine of a man conceiue what He is He is onely good and how can a man that is onely euill be able to vnderstand what He is that is all good He is Wisedome Strength Iustice Fortitude and all Vertue diuine and morall yea in Him are comprehended all Arts and Sciences what man is He is what any other liuing creature is He is yea what is in heauen and earth He is for euill it is a priuation and therefore is not nor cannot haue any being in him and this is all the knowledge man can haue of God that what he himselfe or any other creature is not that God is yea God onely is and man is nothing but what he is in God God is in man and yet no part of maÌ„ man is in God and yet no part of God yea God is absolute without man man is nothing without God and this knowledge of God as imperfect as it is is yet sufficient to direct man to worship God in whom he liues moues and hath his being But how shall man worship him whom he hath not knowne The manner how to worship God which is part of the forme of Gods worship is in truth Seneca a heatheÌ„ man could make a distinction betweene Religion and Superstition or Idolatry Religio Deos colit superstitio violat when he sayes That Religion is an obseruation of God in his Worship whereas Superstition is a violating of his Worship in drawing it from truth and sincerity but what the true Worship of God is man can no way come to the knowledge of but from God himselfe because no man doth in any degree of perfection know what God is Now there are two Bookes that God hath giuen man to study vpon the Booke of Nature and the Booke of the Word In the Booke of Nature although man may reade sufficient to condemne himselfe yet there he shall finde nothing but what will confound him In the Booke of his Word God hath beene graciously pleased more at large to open himselfe vnto man and thereout to affoord him not onely instruments to frame him fit for his Worship but directions how to worship him aright Euery naturall man walkes in darkenesse as is wrriten by the Prophet Isaiah â—saiah 9.2 The people that walked in darkenesse haue seene a great light that is in the Gospell of Iesus Christ The Word sayes the Prophet in the Psalme Psal 119.105 Is a Lampe or a Lanterne to my feete and a light vnto my pathes And Dauid sheweth how he got vnderstanding and was growne to a hatred of false-hood and errour namely by the Precepts and Word of God Salomon or Christ is said to ride vpon the Word of Truth Psal 45.5 as one that would ride in triumph ouer all Heresie Now euery man is content to haue some forme of Religion but this true worship doth so strictly tie the conscience to that forme and practcie of Religion which is taught out of the Word of God as that a man is ready to frame to himselfe any kinde of Religion whereby he might haue some dispensation for his euill course of life rather then to be held to so hard termes and hence it comes to passe that so many fall to Popery who when they are loth to deny and crosse themselues in the lusts of the flesh and yet are desirous to go to heauen they imbrace this Religion wherein they beleeue that though they commit neuer so great sinnes yet if they can get Pardons of Indulgences from the Pope or absolution from the Priest or do some workes of Charity or such as are meritorious in their owne opinion or procure some intercession of Saints or some prayers to be made for them after they are dead they thinke God to be well satisfied for their sinnes and well pleased with them Nay such is their grosse stupidity as that they thinke the sprinkling of a little holy water to be salutary for soule and body which appeares plaine in those conjuring words spoken by the Priest in diuine Seruice In Manual ad vsum ecclesiae Sarisburiensis Exorcise te creatura salis per Deum ✚ viuum Sis omnibus te sumentibus sanitas animae carporis effugiat atque discedat ab eo loco quo aspersum fuerit omnis nequitia I exorcise or conjure thee O creature of Salt that thou beest to all that shall partake of thee sanitie of soule body and that all euill shall depart from that place where thou art sprinkled And farther he saith I exorcise or coniure thee O creature of water that thou mayest serue to the casting out of Diuels Exorciso te creatura aquae in nomine Dei Paâ—â—ris vt fias aqua exorcisata ad effugandam omnem potestatem inimici c. Ad abijciendos daemones morbósque pellendos vt quicquid in domibus vel in locis fidelium haec vnda respersit careat omni immunditiâ liberetur à noxa non illîc resideat spiritus pestilens non aura corrumpens c. to the expelling of diseases that vpon whatsoeuer thou art sprinkled in any house of the faithfull it may haue taken from it all vncleannesse it may be freed from all obnoxitie that no pestilent spirit may remaine vpon it nor any corrupt ayre Let all the trecheries of the hidden enemy depart and if there be any thing aduerse to the health or quiet of the inhabitants let it be chased away by the aspersion of this water And then the Priest casts the salt into the water crosse-wayes after the manner of the Crosse and sayes priuately Let there bee an equall coÌ„mixture of salt and water And thus is their Holy water made and