consciences that as the Father the Son and the holy Ghost are one God so our faith which beleeueth is one faith our knowledge which apprehendeth this mysterie is one knowledge that is with the same obtute of faith I beleeue in God the Father with the same and no other I beleeue in GOD the Sonne and God the holy Ghost And with the same light of knowledge I know one I know all three Neither doth this Vnion rest here to make our faith one and our knowledge one but to make the knowers one for which our Lord prayed That all which shall beleeue in Christ through the Gospell preached by his Apostles may be one as the Father is in Christ and Christ in the Father that they also may be one in vs. I in them and thou in mee that they may be made perfect in one This then we must take for certaine that in reading this Scripture we must of necessitie vnderstand God the holy Ghost with God the Father and God the Sonne as S. Augustine teacheth Ordo verborum est vt cum patre et filio consequenter spiritum sanctum intelligamus quia c The order of the words is saith hee that by consequence wee must vnderstand the holy Ghost with the Father and the Sonne for the spirit is the substantiall and consubstantiall charity of both the Father and the Sonne because the Father and the Sonne are not two Gods neither are the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost three Gods but the Trinitie it selfe is one God Neither is the Father the same person that the Sonne nor the Sonne the same that the Father is nor the holy Ghost the same that the Father and the Sonne whereas the Father the Sonne and the Spirit are three and this very Trinitie is one God Wee haue then by the grace of Christ in these words A Catechisme or Enchiridion for a Christian man contayning in it all the mysteries of saluation all the articles of our faith For at that very instant that wee beleeue God to be the Father maker of the world almighty the onely true and liuing God wee beleeue the incarnation of Iesus Christ we beleeue in the holy Ghost the resurrection from the dead the remission of sinnes we beleeue the holy Catholique Church the communion of Saints and whatsoeuer is written in the law and the Prophets all the contents of the Gospell This one knowledge hath all knowledge in it for as life in that instant that it is life giueth spirit motion seeing tasting feeling and desire to preserue life so as soone as we haue this knowledge wee haue with it all heauenly wisedome and vnderstanding we need not be perswaded to beleeue the Scriptures wee haue the light the feeling the tast of heauenly things and as the light of this Sunne which directeth my going in one place shineth to mee in all places in the house in the field in the Sea in the Desart and in all deepe places so the light of the knowledge of God and Iesus Christ lightneth to mee all things that were in darknesse leadeth me out of all doubts and errours and illuminateth all things that are in heauen and earth But that you mistake me not I doe not deny when we haue receiued this faith but that we haue our farther growing in Christ and encrease in godlinesse by hearing and reading the word by meditation by prayer by receiuing our daily bread and drinke of life in the Sacraments by walking by motion by exercise and labouring in our most holy faith The thing I entend is to shew that all these spring from this fountaine and moue from the power of this life For our bodily life cannot consist or continue without daily foode therefore it is naturall to life to hunger for it daily and by foode wee receiue strength and in our strength we trauaile and labour and doe the things which belong to this life This then is my purpose to shew that all heauenly gifts and powers of the spirit are of the nature of faith So the Apostle By faith we haue an entrance into this grace wherein we stand But first wee liue by faith The iust shall liue by faith By faith we feed therefore the word of God is most properly called the word of eternall life which is the word of faith which wee preach And this word must be mixed with faith and be as meat digested in the stomack of our soules The word did not profit them in whom it was not mixed with faith By this faith we eate the flesh of Christ and drinke his blood which is the bread of life By faith wee are nourished as said Paul of Timotheus which hast beene nourished vp in the words of faith In faith we grow When your faith shall encrease In faith wee haue our strength Strong in the faith By faith wee stand Thou standest by faith By faith we walke For wee walke by faith and not by sight By faith we worke as Saint Paul saith The worke of your faith in power By faith wee resist Satan Whom resist being stedfast in faith By faith wee fight Fight the good fight of faith By faith we conquer and ouercome This is the victorie which ouercommeth the world euen your faith See how S. Paul ascribeth to faith all the patience labours workes striuings assurance hope and the victories of the Saints in the whole Chapter which is the eleuenth to the Hebrewes But here the Scripture speaketh of knowledge not of faith No it cannot vnderstand this knowledge without the light of faith For our knowledge of God is the issue and birth of our faith In all earthly things knowledge maketh faith for all the wise men of this world beleeued no farther then they were led by reason but of heauenly things faith maketh the knowledge for these are aboue reason and captiue our vnderstanding Therefore Saint Paul By faith wee vnderstand c. And Saint Peter I beleeue and know that thou art Christ the Sonne of the liuing GOD. Therefore our faith hath her perfection in this life and knowledge doth surrender to faith heere In the world to come faith shall surrender to knowledge and faith shall bee no more Wee beleeue not heere in part wee know but in part now but wee beleeue all things Then in the life to come vvee shall know all thinges as vvee are knowne Then as Saint Paul and Saint Peter ioyne faith with knowledge so doe wee heere and more then that with Christ himselfe in this Chapter the twentith verse vvee take them both for one for so hee prayeth that they vvhich beleeue in him may bee one euen all that shall beleeue by the preaching of their that is the Apostles word that they be one as hee and his Father are one Now let vs goe forward Hypocrates said truely of the Art of Physicke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
Christi the law of Christ for tables of stone tables of flesh Writing my law in their hearts For circumcision of the flesh Circumcision of the heart in the spirit For annoynting annoynting You haue an oyntment from him that is holy For washing washing so S. Paul Such were you thieues couetous c. but you are washed but you are sanctified Wee haue for outward the inward sprinkling Let vs draw neere c. sprinkled in our hearts from an euill conscience and washed in our bodies with pure water For sacrifice sacrifice to offer spirituall sacrifices to God by Iesus Christ. For Altar we haue an Altar We haue an Altar whereof they haue no authoritie to eate which serue in the Tabernacle For high Priest Iesus Christ which is an high Priest after the order of Melchisedech for euer For Lambe Lambe Behold the Lambe of God which taketh away the sinnes of the world Blood for blood The blood of Iesus Christ washeth away our sinnes Temple for Temple The Lambe is their Temple And for all Christ which is our law our circumcision washing sprinkling annoynting saerifice altar our high Priest our passeouer our temple the fulnesse of all in all To whom with God the Father and God the holy Ghost three persons and one God be all fulnesse of praise honour and glory now and for euer AMEN THE VVAY TO ETERNALL LIFE The seauenth Sermon 1 IOHN Cap. 17. Vers. 3. And this is life eternall that they know thee to be the onely very God and him whom thou hast sent Iesus Christ. WHen the Lawyer stood vp and tempted Christ saying Master what shall I do to inherit eternall life he was made answere him selfe out of the morall law Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thine heart with all thy soule with all thy strength and thy neighbour as thy selfe And heere is set downe the vtmost bound of our actions but if any man should aske but what knowledge is required to eternall life our Sauiour himselfe answereth This is eternall life to know the Father to be the onely very God and him whom he hath sent Iesus Christ. So here is the vtmost limit of our knowledge This Scripture then refuteth the vanity of Sciences to which men are by nature most propense and prone and for all Arts Sciences Learning Wisedome commendeth to vs one which is the Art of a Christian to know the true and liuing God These two compasse in and containe within them all Christian duty knowing and doing first we know God then wee loue him for ignotinulla cupido there can be no desire of that we know not after the Greek Prouerbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Of seeing commeth louing Such as is our knowledge such is our loue If we know God but little we can loue him but a little the more we know him the more we loue him if we know him not at all we cannot at all loue him It is rooted in the nature of all things to desire that which is good and whosoeâ—…er desireth the good doth not rest his desire in any subordinate good for the desire will striue and presse forward for the soueraigne good that good to which all other goodnesse is subordinate neither can it haue rest till it haue attayned to this supreame end of all things Now albeit many desire the good apparant for the supreame good yet the desire in the false entendeth the true good as we see in the heathen people which worshipping false Gods did entend in them the worship of the true and onely God It is another principle in nature for euery thing which hath life to desire and doe all that it can to keepe it selfe from dying for if our life should perish what could the good of life profit vs for no good no not the soueraigne good could any wayes aduantage him that held by no tenure of life to enioy it Here then wee haue the supreame good made manifest to our vnderstanding which good is the true God and to a good eternall wee haue a life proportioned which is eternall that wee may neuer dye to our good nor our good to vs. You shall not then expect that I speake of this Scripture by way of diuision sithence the subiect of my Text is the true and perfect Vnion for other Sciences wee learne first by learning the parts and then the whole This Science wee haue first by being taught the whole the mysterie of the Trinity and then in it all the parts of a Christian life It is all one knowledge for all to know one life for all to seeke one God for all to beleeue in and there is but one way to come to this life which is by knowing the true and onely God I haue heard of a dangerous harbour in our Seas at whose mouth at Goodwins sands out of which the Pilot cannot make forth but hee must sinke in those sands vnlesse he so steere his Ship that he bring two steeples which stand off so euen in his sight that they may seeme to be but one Doubtlesse wee cannot make way in our faith without sinking into endlesse errour vnlesse wee beleeue God the Father and God the Sonne to be the same in substance and the onely true God But is not the holy Ghost with the Father and the Sonne one substance and the same true and liuing God yes but he is our Pilot to guide vs in this way Therefore the Scripture saith They that are led by the spirit are the sonnes of God And in another place Walke in the spirit And againe If you be led by the spirit Therefore Christ himselfe saith of the spirit He shall teach you all things If all things then this truth the ground of all truth the knowledge of the Father and and the Sonne because the spirit searcheth all things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 euen the deepe things of God Neither ought wee more to doubt that the spirit is God because hee brings vs to Christ then that Christ is God because hee brings vs to the Father No man commeth to the Father but by the Sonne for then wee should likewise doubt whether the Father were God because he brings vs to Christ Euery man that hath heard and learned of my Father commeth to me And no man can come to mee except it be giuen him of my Father For this is that clarification of which our Sauiour speaketh in the first verse Father clarifie thy Sonne so doth the Sonne glorifie the Father verse 4. and the holy Ghost which proceedeth from the Father and the Sonne clarifie both the Father and the Sonne that all three persons may be glorified of vs all and that nothing may be more cleare illustrious to our faith then this summe and ground of all truth The Trinitie in Vnitie and Vnitie in Trinitie is to be worshipped So hence we may ascertaine our
him Doubtlesse such trials are necessary for vs that as the loue of God bearing soueraignty in our hearts should make all the loues and delights of our life sweet so the feare of God in vs exceeding all other feares should make all the euills of this World to seeme lesse bitter Now as touching our purpose We see Abraham which had beene sufficiently tryed before in bearing his Crosse now put to the highest triall of all Whether he can sustaine to sacrifice his Sonne He had passed a long Pilgrimage before these things through many banishments and difficulties to fourescore yeares of Age he held his troubled life in Care in Euils in Danger in Bitternes in Feare He was twise driuen to depart the land to which he was called by promise and for necessity of Famine to flie to Aegypt his deere Wife was twise plucked out of his bosome He warred with foure Kings not without great danger of his life his Wife continued barraine on whose issue the Hope of his life attended When he had a Sonne by Hagar he is driuen to abandon him Now Isack is Borne he hath the Promise sealed in his bosome he hath quiet and rest in his old age But see God thundreth from Heauen and rowseth Abraham out of the onely ioy and content of his life Abraham take now thy only Sonne Izack whom thou louest Let Abraham teach vs what our life is He which bore the greatest loue to God what did hee but sustaine the greatest Triall Hee which held as a great Captaine in the hoste of God the buckler of Faith before vs all how notably doth hee shew the danger of so many sharpe encounters by so many dints of temptation and the impression of so many fiery darts of the Diuell Now as through Faith he ouercame in all so by him wee are taught that our life is nothing else but a certaine order and ranke of temptations where when one endeth another beginneth wherefore the Wise man saith My sonne when thou wilt come into the seruice of God stand fast in righteousnesse and feare and prepare thy soule to temptations But let vs not feare those euills which neuer linne mouing and tumbling vs vntill they haue set vs vpon the Rocke which is higher than they Let vs not feare that fire which can burne nothing but our drosse Let vs not feare those wounds which can let forth nothing but our corruptions but let vs brandish the sword of the Spirit against all spirits against the spirit of the flesh which seeketh sweet things against the spirit of the world which coueteth vaine things and against the lying spirit which was a murtherer from the beginning The iust shall liue by faith By Faith here iust Abraham liued by the Faith in which he offered his sonne Isack he ouerthrew the tentation which otherwise had ouerthrowne him Si credis caues si caues conaris conatum tum neuit Deus voluntatem inspicit luctam cum carne considerat hortatur vt pugnes adiuvat vt vincas certantem spectat deficientem sublevat vincentem coronat If thou haue Faith saith Saint Augustine thou wilt attend to thy Faith and God knoweth thy endeuour and considereth thy striuing with thy flesh and looketh into thy will and exhorts thee to the fight and helpes that thou maist ouercome and beholds thy striuing and proppeth thee when thou art falling and crowneth thee when thou hast ouercome But come we to the temptation it selfe where finding it said that God proued Abraham we learne that God hath his manner of tempting and prouing vs but such as is for our good and the exercise of our faith whose end is no other than to bring forth the light of good workes and a more sweet sauour of our life Neither is that of Saint Iames repugnant which saith No man is tempted of God but of his owne concupiscence For his purpose is onely to refute their damned blasphemy which to acquite themselues would make God the Author of their sinne therefore Saint Iames telleth vs that we must ascribe the causes of sinne to our owne concupiscence For the roote of them is from our owne heart For albeit Satan instill his poison and kindle with his bellowes a fire of euill desires in vs yet it is our owne flesh that is first mouer and our owne will which we obey For as corrūption could not by the heate of the ayre ambient enter into our bodies if our bodies did not consist of such a nature as hath in her selfe the causes of corruption No more could sinne which is a generall rot and corruption of the soule enter into vs through the allurement or prouocation of outward things if our soules had not first of themselues receiued that inward hurt by which their desire is made subiect to sinne as the womans desire was made subiect to the husband and as the Philosophers say the Matter to the Forme Now the forme of this temptation Moses setteth down in the highest sort whereas God doth seeme to shake the faith of his word in the heart of his holy seruant by a contrary engine of the same word To this God citeth Abraham by name twice to obedience that hee might haue no doubt who is the Author of the temptation Had he not beene certainely perswaded that it was the voyce the word of God with which hee stood charged to offer his sonne Izak hee might most easily auoyde any other temptation or whatsoeuer Art or subtilty the Diuell might haue vsed to batter his faith Now hauing no other standing but in the Word no other sword to fight against distrust he seemeth to be entrapped in his standing and with the same Sword himselfe is wounded with which hee should haue hurt the enemy For beloued brethren if this Sword being but taken from vs we must needs fall what shall wee doe when God seemeth to strike at vs with the edge thereof Now this was Abrahams case Let vs then heare the Word speake Take thy sonne Izhak whom thou louest c. We see with what griefe and resisting we endure the searching or cutting of our naturall affections though sinfull how then must it grieue him to vndergoe the rasing out of tender pitty of fatherly compassion which not onely were planted by Nature in his heart but were fed and cherished by Gods owne word If Zipporah could say to Moses thou art a bloudy husband for causing her to circumcise her son might not Abraham vrged by commandement to sacrifice his sonne say This is a bloudy word If the child had beene commaunded to haue attempted some hard thing against the father the like difficulty of execution had not ensued For albeit the commandement biddeth the sonne to Honour his father whereas no word of command vrgeth the father to honour the sonne This is done to no other end but to require the loue of children to
of which himselfe was ignorant this honour doth the truth of God require of vs to bring all our senses and wits to nothing to be of it selfe sufficient without meanes to be aboue all difficulties and lets whatsoeuer As therefore when he before expected Izhak from the dead womb of Sara in hope he went beyond hope so now apprehending the same quickening power of God which was able to inspire the ashes of his dead sonne he passeth out of the Laborynth and Maze of the temptation And albeit God tendering our infirmities doe not so seuerely racke and examine our faiths yet it pleased him to shew an example thereof in the father of all the faithfull to bring vs at the least to the common triall thereof For Faith which is more precious than gold cannot without triall take deepe roote downeward nor flourish vpward But this triall touching the Promise leaues not Abraham yet For hauing giuen off his own affection to Izhak and departed with fatherly pitty he must seem to reiect the loue of God which he beheld in Izhak which was to him as a glasse of life and the pledge of all Gods graces and fauours and further the very name of Izhak must moue him which is by interpretation Laughter and telleth him he hath no ioy left He then which was giuen only for matter of joy and comfort being taken away must needes leaue him to sorrow and griefe of heart Eliak being tyred out with afflictions in the heauines anguish of his spirit cryed out to God It is enough Lord take away my soule what am I better than my Fathers Might not Abraham so farre sifted the triall now boyling in the fornace of his heart cry it is enough Lord take away the tentation But now hauing answered all doubts to God and his conscience hee must answere the world and the speeches of men For what will others say An injust father a Butcher of his childe I his owne wife and houshold seruants will condemne him and cast his obedience to GOD vpon him as an action of most vile reproach and extreame cruelty Thus when hee had vanquished the Diuell and Distrust within hee must answere feares and shames and fight without and this was no doubt no small temptation Yet must Abraham farther carry the racke in his heart three dayes iourney in which what is he himselfe but continually sacrificed He must behold his sonne all this while whose sight bindeth all his woes together hee must drinke in Bitternesse with his eyes which cannot be suffered to depart from their griefe To which the words of Izhak My father heere is wood and fire but where is the Lambe for sacrifice make his wounds bleede afresh so that now Abraham is like Ionas in the belly of the Whale in the bottome of the Sea hauing all Gods mighty waues and surges ouer his head Yet that his triall may want no part of extreame agony and anguish the Action it selfe were able to draw out of his eyes flouds of teares and to make the sinews of his armes shrinke in the execution and to make an heart of stone to bleede For albeit in the former trialls hee departed not from his obedience yet it might haue beene that when hee looked vpon the pale face of his onely sonne Izhak which he loved and all these circumstances of sorrow and ruth anew and freshly were presented him and his one heart must endure all these temptations now joyned together like a Wedge to sunder his soule and spirit I say it might haue beene that his resolutions would haue staggered his pitties and compassions which hee cast out returning againe Hee must 〈◊〉 his deere and tender sonne Izhak with cords he must how him on the bloudy Altar to dye in the place of a Beast Hee must first hauing killed him take his bloud and sprinckle it vpon the Altar hee must cut him in pieces and pull out his entralls and wash them and wash his legges and put them vpon the other pieces and his head and burne them all to cinders and doing this he must not blinne hee must shew no face of sorrow And thus wee haue the aged Sire binding his tender childe bound with cordes and hee with a strong arme vnsheathing his sword lifteth his hand on high to fetch downe a mortall stroke on the neck of Izhak when the Angell of God spake Abraham Stay thine hand All this Abraham did at the Commandement of God He did it as if he had had Gods heart and Gods hand for albeit Izhak was not thus slame yet because God onely hindred the execution God alloweth the worke for done and the Scripture beareth witnes by Faith Abraham offred his sonne Izhak And Saint Iames Was not c Abraham iustified by faith when he offered his sonne Izhak Iames Chap. 2. Verse 21. To come then to our second part Wee see in our father Abraham a notable example of obedience He shutteth his eyes to all things else and onely openeth them to Gods word He maketh a way to serue God through all lets through all fleshly impossibilities and being in this way hee trampleth vnder him his owne nature and beateth a path for Gods word out of his owne heart Finally hee regardeth not what men say nor what his owne thoughts can say but hauing receiued his mandate posteth on his journey suffering Gods wisedome to reason for him and Gods omnipotent power and prouidence to worke for him For Abraham was now such a man as might haue hoped for rest in his flesh hee might haue said Lord I haue serued thee these hundred yeares in sufficient trialls of my loue and obedience now I am old giue me now immunity let me be no longer prest Againe he had accesse to God and familiarity he knew God was pittifull and mercifull and easie to be intreated and yet he neuer spake one word for himselfe nor his sonne Izhak He complayned not of his griefe he defired not to haue the burden lessened but as if he had the feete of an Hinde runneth three dayes journey by the way of the commandement till a new Post from Heauen ouertaketh and stayeth him and Gods owne mouth comforted him Thus he which beleeued and obeyed hath found to his and our endlesse comfort that all the trialls through which it pleaseth God to leade vs are no other than steps and staires to raise vs higher into his grace and fauour For the issue of the temptation was to winne a farther obedience from Abraham that God might lift him vp higher and make his Couenant with him irreuocable by swearing by himselfe As if God should say Thou art not yet Abraham so great as I will make thee I haue purpose to aduaunce thee higher Thou mightest be contented with this opinion and forme of obedience but I will ring it further and make thy name more glorious Thus Abraham by thinking to glorifie God hath magnified himselfe and turned his obedience to God to
infinite difference bewixt Gods teaching and mans teaching which driueth away our sinnes as the winde the mist which ouercommeth our ignorance as the light the darknesse which consumeth our euils as fire the wax and the Sunne melts the Snow which couereth our nakednesse as the Heauens couer the earth which createth our newnesse as he created heauen and earth of nothing See the Apostles being taught by the spirit which were idiots and simple men as was knowne to all men are not onely at the instance repleat with all heauenly knowledge themselues but are made the onely Doctors and Teachers of all the world beside And cannot that Son which made those silly fishermen the lights of the world by one whole infusion of faith lighten my closet and chamber I meane the secret corners of my heart Heare we what Saint Paul saith God that commanded the light to shine out of darknesse is he which hath shined in our hearts to giue the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Iesus Christ. But you will obiect the Apostles had the gift of that knowledge by miracle and those gifts were extraordinary and now they cease euery man that will haue knowledge now must eyther learne of others or seeke it in his booke I deny not but that those gifts which are gratis data giuen freely and not gratum facientia as is the distinction of the Schoole-men not iustifying or making a man acceptable to God of which sort were the gifts of tongues and vnderstanding all Scriptures I say I doe not deny but they are ceased and were giuen onely to the Apostles and Ministers and some others by imposition of the Apostles hands in the primitiue Church for these are not giuen them which receiue them for their owne saluation but for the saluation of others and we haue the vse and collation and benefit of the same gifts being by their preaching brought to the knowledge of God but this I say the gift of faith which is giuen vs by which we are inwardly regenerate and know God though it be ordinary and shall be euer in Gods Church to the end of the world yet is it of higher power and greater miracle for regeneration of euery Soule that is grafted in Christ speaketh as much to the prayse of Gods power and glory as the creation of heauen and earth made of nothing and this is wrought in vs by which wee are made the sonnes of God in the same instant as was that knowledge extraordinary and by God immediately and by Gods free gift and in all that are saued alike absolutely necessary for all that are saued Lastly we can shew this by examples of them which beleeued Zaccheus a Publicane an Heathen man the first houre he beleeued heareth Christ say vnto him This day is Zaccheus a childe of Abraham The Thiefe is admitted to Paradise for one confession Lord remember me when thou commest into thy kingdome Christ our Lord replyeth Verily verily I say vnto thee this day thou shalt be with me in Paradise The soule and bodie-sicke Woman in one houre goes away sound thy faith hath made thee whole The Eunuch in that houre that he beleeueth Iesus to be the sonne of God is baptised Three thousand are conuerted to Christ at one Sermon and that same day were added to the Church This ground of Scripture was there all to be beleeued No more did Saint Paul require of the Iaylour but this Beleeue in the Lord Iesus Christ and thou shalt be saued and thine household This was eternall life this is eternall life this euer shall be eternall life to beleeue c. Thus we haue the way of life made compendious and playne and that â—…um necessarium that one thing which is necessary cleere and euident at the first opening of the Scriptures for as God hath so ordered for our bodily life that those things which make not for necessity but for lifes beauty onely and ornament are abstruse and hard to finde and stâ—…ut vp in the bowels of the eaâ—…th or hidden in clests of the Rockes or in the bottome of the Sea as Pearles and Gold and pretions stones because they are neyther necessary nor fit for all men but those things that are of lifes substance and are necessary for our being and sustenance are ready and offer themselues to euery mans hand as ayre and water and corne and fruits of the earth so many things with which the Spouse of Christ may be adorned and beautified he buried as it were in deepe and prefound sense of Scripture which yet many by continuall meditation and study doe dig forth like pearles and precious stones but that without which our soules life cannot haue her being or subsisting those things which are the very bread and drinke of our soules viz. to know the true God and Iesus Christ whom the father hath sent that I say is so plaine perspicuous and easie to finde in holy Scriptures that we cannot misse of eternall life vnlesse we will deny our selues to it What then was thy purpose O Sauiour Christ to set downe this one rule and ground for all to end all controuersies to stay all disputation to take away all doubts to cut off all schismes and factions to build vs sure vpon the rock to set the marke of all trueth high in the tower of the Scriptures to make plaine the way to Heauen When a way is vnknowne to a farre country where is much treasure many will seeke it some by climbing Mountaynes some will venter the Desart some will seeke passage by Sea some by Land and some by East and some be West but when discouery is made of a passage and the way is knowne being made playne and easie no man will seeke dangerous circuits and windings but passe by the knowne way For this way to eternall life was vnknowne to the world some climbed vp by the steepe of their owne workes some wandred in the desarts of mens doctrines some had blinde Phylosophers for their guides some seducing Southsayers some were led by the light of the creatures some sounded the deepe of mans reason Iesus Christ hath made this way straight and knowne and discouering the neerest cut or passage sayth this is it haec est to beleeue the Father of Christ the onely very God and him whom he hath sent Iesus Christ. Now that we may not doubt let vs stand and inquire of the passengers let vs aske our Father Abraham this was his way as our Lord Iesus said Abraham desired to see my day and saw it Let vs aske the Prophets To him all the Prophets beare witnesse Let vs enquire of the law The Law was our Schoolemaster to Christ. Aske the Apostles all the blessed Martyrs this was the onely poynt they sealed with their bloud that Christ was God Aske our Lord Iesus I heare him say
and learne to examine and iudge and condemne your selues What then Either doe those things which you haue beleeued or else confesse against your selues that you haue not beleeued at all For Christ is the end of our faith which is the beginning of a godly life We that haue heard Christ preached are beyond hearing and are come to doing This then remayneth Loue one another frequent diuine Prayers visite the sicke releeue the poore receive the Sacraments auoid contentions lay aside idle questions haue peace and concord one with another giue glory to God It is not hard to know what to doe but to doe what we know Wee may learne that in one Sermon which all our life is not enough to put in practise They which gathered Manna aboue their measure which was an Homer full it stanke and turned to wormes This doth our lusting and greedinesse of knowledge vvhen our measure is full and vvee are not content breede Schismes and factions and make vs stinck one in anothers nosthrils VVhy doest thouseeke far Why search for hidden thinges this one Homer full I beleeue in God and him whom he hath sent Iesus Christ is able to sustaine thy soule to eternall life In this thou hast the substance sweetnesse of all whatsoeuer lyeth eyther hidden or scattred in the volume of the Scriptures The whole Scrptures are Manna but that which feedeth my soule to life eternall is this faith in Christ As then he that had filled his Homer full had beene ridiculously absurd to thinke he should want because he saw so much lye scattered in the mountaynes and in the plaine fields so should we be dangerously deceiued if we should not thinke that the knowledge of God the Father and his Sonne were sufficient for vs to eternall life because there are so many things contayned in the holy writ which our vnderstandings haue not gathered This was Saint Peters Homerfull Thou art Christ the sonne of the liuing God This was Saint Paul his Homer full I esteemed to know nothing but Christ and him crucified This measure they delt to all that beleeued Wee preach Christ. Then let vs not onely take our sufficient sustenance from this liuing bread which descended downe from Heauen and which cryeth in all our eares This is the will of the father that he that beleeueth in mee should haue euerlasting life but let vs take out of this word euen our compleat armour and learne to fight with this sword against all our enemies all our euils and the gates of hell and the Diuell If your aduersaries deny you to be of the true Church and will seeke to examine your hold say you hold in Capite in Fee by fayth in Iesus Christ you hold by the head and whosoeuer holds by the head is a true member of Christ his body If they obiect but the Church is built vpon an hill confesse it and shew them the hill the diuinitie of Iesus Christ that hill of Peters Tu es Christus This hill heere haec est vita aeterna Why hop you so high O ye hils This is Gods hill this hill is Iesus Christ himselfe which is God and God is not onely a Rocke and an high Hill to those that serue him but they that trust in him shall be rockes themselues and high and stedfast as mountaynes as Saint Peter was If they will offer to make your faith void by vrging their succession of Popes and Priests as if your Ministers had beene at a fault in their succession and ordination or if home aduersaries as Familists or Brownists or Barrowists vrge and prâ—…sse your Ministers as not lawfully called answere these hence The Scripture is not carefull to answere in this poynt it is the succession of true doctrine which concerneth vs not of men for God will not haue our life in him depend vpon a quirke or misse in mens callings but on faith in Christ. Of this I am seased and am interessed in life eternall I will no more dispute of the meanes to it then I will of my faith did they which preached Christ to mee preach of pride or enuy or contention or gaine this is my sure gaine Christ is preached of this I am assured No man can say Iesus is Christ but by the holy Ghost As true as I beleeue this Article so truly I know God the Father in heauen was my teacher This I know Whosoeuer confesseth that Iesus is the sonne of God in him God dwelleth of this I am assured Whosoeuer beleeueth that Iesus Christ is borne of God This record all the diuels in hell shall neuer ouerthrow o God hath giuen vs eternall life and this life is in his sonne and he that hath the sonne hath life This is a serious poynt to haue life eternall to haue God my teacher to haue God dwell in mee to be borne of God vpon this will I build I will not tamper about successions Farther if as now it is vsuall with too many any seeke to seduce you or trouble your faith with questions of Canons or Church-order or Discipline or such like say that you had rather build straw and stubble vpon the foundation then set the foundation vpon straw and stubble In these words is the foundation the ground it selfe of all true Religion we will not tamper about reparations or couerings this is the body it selfe I fight not for the shadow Heere is the compleat armour of a Christian I will not passe how it be guilded or enamelled Finally in trouble in sorrow in sicknesse in persecution in prison in danger by Sea in danger by Land in feare against height against depth and whatsoeuer may seeme to shake our faith or wound our conscience or discomfort our spirit hold we vp this confession that our Sauiour Iesus Christ is God and man Let vs say to Death it selfe this is life eternall to Satan this is the onely true and liuing God to Sinne this is Iesus Christ the onely begotten sonne of God oppose wee to hell and hell gates this faith in Iesus Christ which hath opened to vs Heauen and Heauen gates To whom with God the Father and God the I holy Ghost three persons and one God be ascribed all Honour Power and Glory now and for euer Amen FINIS a 〈◊〉 4. 1. b Iohn 6. 〈◊〉 â—…at 4. 4. c Iohn 6 〈◊〉 d Cor. 2. 4. Hom 〈◊〉 in Mâ—… a Mat. 21. 〈◊〉 b Mat. 9. 36. c Luk. 13. 37. d Esa. 63. 3. e Ier. 8. 8. f Psa. 〈◊〉 6. g Nom. 25. 1â—… h Eâ—… 7. 1â—… i Mat. 3. 14. k Pro. 26. 10. * Gen. 37. 22. l Gen. 39. m 2 Sam. 16. 4. n 2 Sam. 14. 20. o 1 Sam. 28. Aeneid 7. p Rom. 12. 24. a Luke 23. 5. b Luke 2â—… 13. c Eccles. 7. 1â—… d Math. 5. 44. a Rom. 3. 15. b Iliad 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Psal. 57. 4. b Prou. 25. 18.