I will put my Spirite within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and ye shall éepe my iudgements and doe them Ezech. 36 26 In which wordes Ezechiel attributeth the whole worke of our regeneration vnto the gift of God he it is that taketh away that olde stonie heart whereby we are giuen to all iniquitie and hardnesse from giuing eare vnto any cōmaundement of God he giueth a newe heart an heart of flesh whereby we become apt to receiue the commaundements of God a new spirite which leadeth vs both to the knowledge of the will of God and to the obedience thereof Likewise Moses in Deuteronomie Deut. 36.6 setting foorth the great goodnesse of God to his people Israel he ascribeth the circumcision of the heart to the operation and working of the Lorde For God promiseth that if they returne vnto him and obey his voice the Lord God shal circumcise their heartes and the heart of their séede after them that they may loue the Lorde their God with all their heart with all their soule And to conclude this matter which néedeth no further proofe that which the Euangelist Saint Iohn writeth in the first of his Gospell Ioan. 1.12 howe iumpeth it with this that our Euāgelist affirmeth here and how euidently doth it confirme both those pointes wee haue hereto stoode vpon where he assereth that such as receiued Christ beléeued in his name were borne not of bloud nor of the wil of flesh nor of the will of man but of God By which words both the knowledge of Christ and the beléeuing in his name is denyed to man giuen to God alone The verie worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vsed here of our Euangelist being well weyed doth sufficiently argue that all heauenly things are hid from vs vntil they be opened and manifested by God For this word being attributed vnto God doth signifie a reuealing by him of such things as were quite before hidden frō our knowledge vnderstanding Now if this general doctrin shall be proued by particular example Deut. 29.30 what can be required for the further certaintie and truth hereof Moses in the 29. of Deut. obbraideth the people of Israel for their obliuiō forgetfulnes of the graces mercies god had shewed them in the land of Aegypt yet therwithal he there noteth that they could not take any profit by these things but thorough the working goodnes of God Ye haue seen sayth Moses al that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Aegypt vnto Pharao vnto al his seruāts vnto al his land The great temptations which thine eyes haue séen those great miracles wonders yet the Lorde hath not giuen you an heart to perceiue eyes to sée and eares to heare vnto this day And in the 13. of Math. Christ hauing taught many things by parables his disciples came to him and demaunded why he spake thus in parables he made answere Mat. 13.30 because it is giuē to you to know the secrets of the kingdom of heauen but to them it is not giuen therefore speak I vnto thē in parables because they séeing do not sée hearing they heare not neither vnderstand c. Thus we sée how the people of Israel although they saw the great wonders miracles which God did for them in Aegypt notwithstāding they reap no cōmoditie therby because the Lorde did not open their eyes to behold them to profit neither yet their eares to attende vnto such things or their hart mind to cōceiue the goodnes of God obedience thankfulnes which they ought to perfourme vnto God therfore The disciples of Christ they vnderstood the doctrine of Christ they profited encreased in knowledge therby but why or by what meanes because to them it was giuen to knowe the secretes of the kingdom of God The Iewes they were not able to perceiue the doctrine of Christ they learned nothing therby but rather be came more blind obstinate the reason is added because to them it is not giuen So that it wholy dependeth vpon the gift of God Cleophas and the other disciple in the 24. Chapter of Luke Luc. 24.27.45 when Christ ouertooke them going to Emaus although Christe rebuked them for their slowenesse in beléeuing all that the Prophetes had spoken And accompanying them began at Moses and the Prophets and interpreted vnto them in all the Scriptures the thinges which were written of him yet were their eyes so holden that they knewe him not whome before they had often séene neither yet vnderstood they the Scriptures vntill such time as God opened their eyes and vnderstanding both to knowe him and vnderstande the Scripture Euen as the disciples of our Sauiour Christ had no knowledge no vnderstanding vntill God gaue it them so fareth it with all the rest of the children of God heare they neuer so much his Apostles preache yea Christ himselfe personally sounding in their eares yet except the Lorde open our heartes and mindes as he did Lydia the sicke womans in the Actes Act. 16.14 it auayleth not one iot wherefore flesh and bloud reuealeth not Christ vnto vs but our Father which is in heauen It remayneth nowe wée weight and consider what commoditie and profite wée ought to reape by this doctrine to what vse it ought to serue vs. First if God be the authour and fountaine and sole giuer of all knowledge faith and all other heauenly gifts it must kindle in vs an earnest and feruent desire to prayer to desire him to giue vs knowledge and fayth and vnderstanding for that otherwayes we cannot attaine therevnto The consideration of this heretofore hath moued the saintes of God to be feruente in prayer vnto almighty God for the obtaining of these graces Among others how often and how vehemently doth the Prophet Dauid praye for this at Gods hands as in the 119 Psal Psal 1 19 18.27 33 34 35 36. Open thou mine eies O Lord that I may see the wondrous things of thy law make me to vnderstand the way of thy commandements so shall I talke of thy wondrous workes And againe Teach me O Lorde the way of thy statutes and I shall keepe it vnto the end giue me vnderstanding and I shall kéepe thy law make me to goe into the path of thy commaundements encline my hart to thy testimonies c. and in the 51. Psalme Psalm 51. that God would make him a cleane heart and renew a right spirit with in him that he would throughly wash him and clense him from his sinne And the Apostle S. Paul prayeth not onlye for himselfe but for the Churche of the Ephesians Ephe. 1.16 17.18 that the GOD of our Lorde Iesus Christe the father of glory might yéeld vnto them the spirite of wisedome and vnderstanding through the knowledge of him that the eyes of their vnderstanding maye bée lightened that they maye knowe the hope of his
although they teache that Adam through his fall lost part of that excellent knowledge of pure and heauenly thinges wherewith he was endewed at his first creation was greatly wounded both in minde and will thorough his disobedience and that nowe he is not able to perceiue do these things which God commaundeth him to vnderstand practise without the helpe of God yet do they not ascribe that whole ignorance and blindnesse vnto the minde of man neither yet that deadly wounde of sinne whereby all power and abilitie to attaine either to the knowledge of God or practise of righteousnes is taken from vs which by these titles of right they ought Our light with them in heauenly matters is in some part darkened but not cleane put out our vnderstanding diminished but not extinguished the image of God it was appaired but not vtterly defaced the frée will of man to good it was wounded weakened but not quite taken away But further we say that our knowldge is become plaine ignorance our light darknesse our righteousnesse sinfulnesse our libertie and freedome seruitude and bondage the image of God the image of Satan that we are not onely depriued of all goodnesse but further defiled with all naughtinesse that our former power and abilitie was not onely shaken and weakened through the fall of our first parentes but that we are vtterly become vnable impotent to knowe or do any good thing and of all abilitie and readinesse to commit all sinne and wickednesse Most iust then and true is that accusation wherwith Paul chargeth all mankinde in generall Rom. 3.10 that there is none righteous no not one that there is none that vnderstādeth none that séeketh God that all are gone out of the way that we are become altogether abhominable that there is none that doth good no not one our mouth to be as an open sepulchre our tongues to be vsed to deceit the poyson of aspes to be vnder our lippes our mouth to be full of cursing and bitternesse our feete to be swift to shed blood nothing but calamitie and destruction to bée in our wayes that we know not the waye of peace no feare of God to be before oure eyes Thus it is apparant what the Apostle S. Paul thought both of Iew and Gentile and in them of all men considered in himselfe to be corrupt abhominable without vnderstanding and thereof he concludeth he could not be iustifyed by the lawe but by faith in Iesus Christ So that euident it is sauing to him that will not know how the spirit of God hath in general most plainely and plētifully depriued the whole progenie of mā of all knowledge of God 〈◊〉 all goodnesse yea of all abilitie to attaine therevnto yet for our further assurance herein that this thing may be yet more manifest and cleare vnto vs the holy ghost hath not only in this generall sort as I say in the beginning taught this doctrine but hath euen in particular so denyed that vnto vs as it cannot but compel euery man to confesse the truth therof For to the obtaining or doing of any thing ther be thrée things requisite the minde to thinke and conceiue it the will to atchiue it and the execution thereof And if any of these points be wanting what can be perfourmed or done by vs but neither to doe nor to will neither yet to thinke lyeth in our power how farre are we therefore from hauing power or abilitie either to come to the knowledge of Christ or to do any good thing The first Christ himselfe witnesseth in the first of Iohn Ioan. 15.5 Sine me nihil potestis facere without mee ye are able to doe nothing Saint Augustine August in Ioan. weigheth presseth these wordes notably Non enim inquit sine me difficulter potestis c. Christ saith Austine saith not without mee ye can hardly do any thing neither said he without me ye cannot absolue or finish any thing or doe any matter of great weight but he saith simply without mee ye can do nothing The power therefore to do any thing is flatly denyed man in this place by the iudgement of that auncient and learned father In like manner to will any thing lyeth not in vs but it commeth by the operation and working of Gods spirit So testifieth the Apostle Paul in the second to the Philippians Philip 2.13 it is God which worketh in vs both the will and the déede and that euen of his good pleasure that is of his méere mercie and good will toward vs. If by the giftes and power of nature we were able to do this the Apostle would not ascribe it to the particular operation of God especially in them that be iustified But yet further what séemeth more frée and at our libertie then thought yea euē that also is denyed vs for to think any good thing lyeth not in vs. So sayeth the Apostle Paul in the seconde to the Corinths ◠Cor. 3.5 We are not sufficiēt of our selues to thinke any thing as of our selues but all our sufficiencie is of God Wherfore if both in generall sort the scripture thus determineth the naturall man to be nothing but darknesse that in him there is no vnderstanding that his heart is as hard as a stone that of himselfe he is dead in sinne and vnrighteousnes that he is not able to perceiue those things which appertaine to the spirite of God that they cannot once enter into his heart or minde but also in particular sort doth denye him the power to do to will or to think any thing we may well conclude against the Philosophers Pelagians and Papistes with our Sauiour Christ that flesh bloud hath not reueiled either to Peter or to any other of the children of God neither yet can do either in whole or in parte that Christ is the liuing God which confession containeth the summe of Christian religion What then is the true and perfect cause of this knowledge whensoeuer we attaine thereunto that is expressed also vnto vs by Christ in the Euangelist to be God who openeth reuealeth this vnto vs for as he denyeth it to flesh and bloude so doeth he ascribe the cause thereof to his Father which is in Heauen For confirmation whereof although many I may saye infinite testimonyes may bee brought out of the holye Scriptures yet for that the declaration of the former poynte hath beene the proofe of this in so cleare a matter it shal be sufficient to auouche one or two manifest places for the further establishing thereof Among other that which is sayde by Ezechiel must néedes most manifestly and clearely declare and proue this point For the Prophet shewing what great mercies and benefites he would bestowe vpon his people he promiseth a newe heart will I giue you a newe spirit wil I put within you I will take the stonie heart out of your bodie and will giue you an heart of flesh And
calling and what the riches of his glorious inheritaunce is in the Saintes These thinges as the opening of the eyes the vnderstanding of the waye of Gods commaundementes the making vs to goe in the path of them the creating of a cleane hearte the renewing of a righte spirite the clensing of sinne the inclination of oure heartes to his testimonies they woulde not haue craued so constantlye at Gods hande by earnest and humble prayer if they had not bene perswaded they came onelye from him to be his méere giftes Secondlye as the meditation of this oughte to make vs to praye to obtayne so hauing atteyned by his goodnesse to anye of these benefites it shoulde excite vs also to thankefulnesse after the example of all Gods Children and of our Sauioure Christe who giueth thankes to his father Lorde of heauen and earth Mat. 11.20 because he had hid his gospell from the wise and men of vnderstanding and had opened it to babes Thirdelye hauing receyued anye lighte of knowledge and graces of GOD wée must haue a greate care in vsing them to encrease his giftes in vs to prouoke God through our thankefulnesse to bestowe his mercyes in moste humble manner vppon vs. Mat. 13.12 For whosoeuer hath to him shall bee giuen but whosoeuer hath not from him shall bee taken awaye euen that whiche hée hath it cannot neyther oughte it to ingender sloothfulnesse in vs because GOD giueth and worketh all in all for moste true and excellent is that warning which Saynte Augustine giueth in his Booke De correptione gratia Aug. de Correptio gratia cap. 2. Non se itaque fallant qui dicunt vt quid nobis predicatur c. That is Let not sayth Augustine them deceiue themselues who saye Wherefore is it preached and taughte vs to eschew euill and to doe good if wee doe it not but it be GOD which worketh in vs both the will and the deede but rather let the faithfull know that they are led with the spirit of God that they may doe that they ought to doe and when they haue done it they may giue thanks to him that caused them for they are driuen to the ende they should endeuour to worke not that they should doe nothing themselues Fourthly and last of all this putteth vs in minde of our owne want and imperfection of our blindnesse and ignoraunce wherby we are driuen to acknowledge our owne miserye to humble our selues before the Lorde to prayse God in his giftes we sée in our brother and not to contemn and despise them whome we sée to want nor to be proude and loftie for any thing in vs but to geue the whole praise and glorye to God alone Thus noteth Augustine verye well in his booke De bono perseuerantiae Cap. 63 6 Nos volumus sed Deus operatur in nobis velle August de bono perscuerantiae cap. â—3 6 nos operamur sed Deus operatur in nobis c. that is We will but God worketh in vs to will we doe but God worketh in vs the déed after his good pleasure this is profitable for vs to beleeue and to say that is godly and true that our confession may be humble and lowly the whole may be giuen to God and in his sixte chapter of the same booke he sayth Tutiores viuimus si totum Deo damus non autem nos illi ex parte nobis ex parte committimus wée liue or deale the safelier if we giue the whole to God and not partlye to him and partly to our selues The Apostle S. Paule hereof beateth downe the pride and vainglorye of the Corinthian Doctors in that whatsoeuer they had they had receiued it of God For so he reasoneth 1. Cor. 4 7. What hast thou that thou hast not receiued if thou hast receiued why reioycest thou as though thou hadst not receiued it If the knowledge of this doctrine work these effects in vs then shall we haue learned this lesson that Christ here teacheth vs to good purpose otherwise it shall auaile vs no more then to sée the meate whereof we may not féede shall nourish our bodies or to beholde the gold which we may not vse shal serue our turne To conclude on this part one onelye caueat is to be giuen that we take héede that we abuse not this doctrine and maner of spéeche as the Euthusiasts Anabaptists and the family of Loue to the contemning or neglecting of the preaching of the word of God who for as muche as here and in diuerse places besides it is sayde that God reuealeth the misteries of his kingdom vnto vs and worketh all things by his holye spirit therof haue they condemned the vocall preaching of the word and haue fled to priuat inspirations reuelatioÌ„s dreames and fantasies whereby they haue ben lead into diuers dangerous heresies But wée must this learn vnderstaÌ„d that although god reueleth his wil vnto vs and worketh both knowledge fayth by his holy spirit yet doth hee it not but by that meanes hee hath appointed that is by the ministerie of his word and therefore Esai Esai 59.21 the Prophet ioineth in the promise of God made both the word and the spirite together My spirite that is vpon thée and my words which I haue put in thy mouth shall not departe out of thy mouth of thy séed nor out of the mouth of the séed of thy séede sayth the Lord from henceforth for euer Where we sée he ioyneth both the word the spirit together they are not to be sundered The Apostle Paul plainly teacheth to the Romains Rom. 10.14.17 that no man can beleeue in him of whome hee hath not heard and that they cannot heare without a preacher that faith commeth by hearing and hearing by the worde of God And in the 4 to the Ephesians Ephe 4.10 he testifieth that when Christ ascended vp into heauen he led captiuitie captiue gaue gifts vnto men that he therefore gaue some to be Apostles some prophets and some Euangelists some pastors and teachers to what end he expresseth it to that gathering togither of the saints for the work of the ministery for the building vp of the body of Christ If beléefe faith in him cannot come but by hearing the word of god preached his ministers in his church be appointed by him that the saints might haue all thinges necessarie to the edifying of the bodye of Christ what impietie is in these Anabaptisticall spirites eyther to condemn or neglect this so excellent not only an instrument but euen the sole ordinarye meanes God hath appointed to his church to work our saluation Paul in the 5 to the Thessalonians Thes 5.19 giueth warning that we quench not the spirit but therewithal he ioyneth that we despise not prophecying he himself though he was rapte vp vnto the thirde Heauen where he hearde wordes which cannot bée spoken 2. Cor. 12.2 which