starte for the best Wee had reason to say for our selues courage to defend our selues against all them that did deale with vs but now the spirite draweth vs into the presence of God it letteth vs see that we haue to doe with God and that our strength is weakenesse in respect of him Then doth our harte beginne to fayle vs then doe wee lay our handes on our mouthes and dare not answere nay then doe wee quickly take vp our crosse because the Lord himselfe hath done it Beholde here how the spirit worketh beholde how sinne is corrupted and who so can beholde here this in himselfe may assuredly say that the spirit of God is in him that it is not in vaine within him nay that it is mightie and liuely in operation in his heart The third note and effect is the bringing on forwarde of this worke vnto iustification for when the spirite hath brought vs thus farre then doth it beginne to open vnto vs a doore vnto the graces and fauour of God it doth put into our mindes that there is mercie with God and therefore stirreth vs vp to seeke mercie at his handes afterwarde it doth let vs see how Christ suffered to take away the sinnes of the worlde that in the righteousnesse of Christ wee may looke to be iustified before God And this it doth not let vs see only but doth effectually worke a sure perswasion of it in our heartes and confirmeth the same by two notable effectes The first is a ioy most vnspeakeable and glorious wherewith our hearts must needs be wholly taken vp and rauished when wee see our selues by the righteousnes of Christ of the free mercy and grace of God redeemed from death deliuered from hell and freede from the fearefull condemnation of the wicked The second is the peace of conscience which indeede passeth all vnderstanding While sinne and the guilt of sinne remained there was no peace nor rest no quietnesse to be founde but feare within terrours without and troubles on euery side But when sinne is once nailed to the crosse of Christ when the guilt of sinne is taken out of our consciences and the puninshment thereof farre remoued then must needes ensue great peace for our accusers dare not proceed against vs our sinnes are forgiuen vs and God is at one with vs and for this we haue the warrant and testimonie of the spirit Can flesh and bloode perswade vs of it can any creature assure vs how God is affected towardes vs no doublesse And therefore where this ioy and peace is there must needes be the holy ghost the author and worker of the same for as no man knoweth what is in man but the spirit of man which is in him so none knoweth the will of God but the spirit of God and therefore it is the spirit of God that must certifie our hearres and spirites of the same And hereof there doth arise that which wee take as the fourth note when we finde it in our selues to wit The life and nemblenes that is in vs to doe good for when a man doth finde fauoure from God for the forgiuenesse of sinnes then the loue of God constraineth him that ioy which hee conceiueth inforceth him and putteth life into him for the performance of those thinges which are pleasing vnto God then hee beginneth to finde himselfe not onely reclamed from euill but also applyed and framed to that which is good then is his vnderstanding inlyghtened to see into the mysteries of godlinesse and into that great worke of his redemption and into whatsoeuer concerneth the sauing health of his soule then is his iudgement reformed and he is made able to iudge betweene false religion and trewe betweene the workes of the fleshe and of the spirit betwene that which is good and that which is euill and displeasing in the sight of God Then are his affections in some good measure altered his desire is set not vpon earthly but vpon heauenly thinges his ioyes are not in the eaâ—th but in the heauens his anger is wasted and spent not vpon his owne priuae cause and quarrels but vpon his owne sinnes and vpon whatsoeuer hindereth the glory of his God This is the life of God in him thus he liueth that hath receiued the spirite and thus he leadeth his life continually for they that haue receiued the spirite are led by the spirit and do liue accordingly bringing forth the fruites of the spirite But this hath weakenes ioyned with it and men through frailtie may sone fal and therefore their life is sayde To be hid in Christ because in full and perfect manner it doth not appeare Therefore if notwithstanding these frailties and falles wee will know whether wee still retaine the spirite of God wee must search our selues and trye our hearts by these rules First if when through frailtie wee haue fallen for who is hee that falleth not We will then know whether by our fall we haue lost the spirite of God or no let vs see what liking or mislykinge wee haue of sinne for it after our fall wee doe holde our former hatred of sinne and the oftenner wee fall the more thorough and deadly hatred wee conceiue against sinne vndoubtedly that frailetie hath not as yet depriued vs of the spirite Secondly come and see how it standeth with thy sorrow for so long as thy sorrow encreaseth for thy sinnes it cannot bee thought that sinne and the fleshe haue ouercome and vtterly quenched the spirite in thee Thirdly try thy care and if thou grone in a godly care both how thou mayst bee able to wage battaile against sinne in the plaine fielde and how thou mayst preuente sinne in all his pollicies thou hast a further assurance that sinne although it be as great as Goliah yet it hath not hitherto preuailed against thy poore and little Dauid I say against those fewe and small graces which the good spirite of God hath bestowed vppon thee but the last is most certaine and that is this When thou art carefull to redeem that which by thy fall thou hast lost hast a care to runne so much faster forwarde by how much more thou hast beene letted by thy fall then it doth appeare that the spirite is in thee yea liuely and mighty in operation and such as shall neuer be taken from the vntill the day of Christ. Thus may wee in some good and competent measure try and prooue whether wee haue the spirite of GOD or noe for where these fruits are to bee founde there is also the spirite of GOD. For further confirmation whereof wee may note the manner of speach where hee saith Quenche not the spirite Wee doe commonly vse to say the fire is quenched when the light and heate thereof is taken away and indeede nothing can properly be saide to be quenched but the fire Now whereas the Apostle saith Quench not the spirite he giueth vs to vnderstande that the spirite is in some respect like vnto
fire therfore if we do but a litle consider of the nature of fire we shal a greate deal better iudge of the spirite And among others these properties we finde to be in the fire First of all it will burne vp and consume things that may bâ— burned and consumed and therefore lighting vpon shawe stubble stickes or such like it bringeth them to ashes and doth make them as though they had not beene at all Secondly it doth purge and purifie those things that can abide to be purged and this it doth first by taking away the superfluity of drosse that hath ouer couered the thing to be purged Then by fyning the thing it selfe and by making it purer and purer Thirdly it giueth light euen in the most dimme darkest places And last of all it giueth heate and with all doth as it were put life into those thinges which are capable of life for whilest a man is frozen and starued for colde hee is numbde and as it were without life but being broughtto the fire he is hâ—tt he is reuiued he is cheared and then becometh actiue nimble These are the properties of fire and these doe in some manner sort resemble and shadowe out vnto vs the workes and effectes of the spirite for first of all when the spirit of God seaseth vpon a man and entreth into his soule then it beginneth to burne to wast and consume in him those things that will be wasted after this sort euill affections noysome lustes other stuble which is in man by the spirite of God are consumed and burned Secondly it doth purge vs from grosse sinnes and daily more and more doth purifie vs that we may be a cleane and holy vessell and Temple for him to rest and dwell in Thirdly it is a shining lampe euer burning and continually giuing light vnto vs in that way which we haue to walke And lastly it doth set vs on heate and inflameth vs with a zeale of Gods glorie with a care of our duety and with a loue of all mankinde yea withall it putteth life and lust into vs to walke in that good way which it doth leade vs and to doe all those good workes which may glorifie God or be commodious vnto men Thus we see what likelihoode there is betweene the â—pirite and fire for which cause the spirite in the scripture is compared vnto fire nay it is sometimes called fire for Iohn saith That our Sauiour Christ shoulde baptise with the holy ghost with fire that is with the holy ghost which is like vnto the fire Therefore as truely and as certainly as we may say that there is fire where we see strawe and such like thinges consumed or golde and siluer finely purged or great light in darke places or great heate in bodies that were nummed before euen so truely wee may say and so certainly we may perswade our selues that the spirit of God is in vs when we see our coruption consumed our soules purged from the drosse of sinne our heartes inâ—ightened and made hot in walking and working according to that light The second question to be considered is whether that man which hath once tasted of the spirite may loose it and haue it quenched in him To this it may be saide that because the spirite of God commeth to and worketh in diuers men diuerselie in diuerse measures therefore wee must consider of the diuerse woorking of the spirite and then frame our answere accordingly First then there is a lighter and lesser worke of the spirite which may be quenched in them that haue it and that this inferiour or lesser kinde of woorking may bee taken away appeareth plainelye by the parable of the seede which our Sauioure CHRIST propoundeth for there besides them that receiue the worde into good grounde and bring foorth fruites some an hundreth some thirtie some sixtie folde he doth also make mention of some others that receiued the worde and yet continued not And what had not these the spirite of God in them yes doubtlesse for they receiued the worde yea they receiued it gladly that which is more they beleeued that which they had receiued Beholde then three fruites of Gods spirite in these men and yet they continued not for they beleeued indeede but their faith was temporarie it lasted but for a time and after a time it vanished away and the spirite departed from them for eyther the pleasures and profites of this life did drawe out the graces of God and drie them vp or else the fierie heate of persecution did quite consume them More plaine and notable for this purpose is that in the sixt to the Hebrewes for there the Apostle faith That some may taste of the holy ghost and thereby be made to taste of the good worde of God to be inlightned to receiue heauenly giftes yea and to tast of the power of the life to come and what then surely the Apostle saith That if such fall it is impossible they should be renewed giuing vs to vnderstand that euen they which haue receiued the holy ghost that haue beene inlightned that haue receiued heauenly giftes haue tasted of the power of the life to come eueÌ„ such may fall away and the spirite may be quenched in such There is a second kinde of working of the spirite which is a more thorough and effectuall working which can neuer be taken away from them that haue receiued it This the Apostle Peter describeth when he saith That the chosen of God are begotten againe of the immortall seede of the worde This is not a bare receiuing or a light tasting of the word but it is a deepe tast of the same whereby we are begotten and borne againe The Apostle Iohn setteth downe an other note of it saying That they that are thus borne againe cannot sinne that is they cannot make an occupation of sin they câ—nnot fall flat away by sinne and why Euen because the the seede of God abideth in them euen that seede wherewith they were begotten to a liuely hope of life euen that seede doth abide and will abide vnto the ende Who so is begotten again by this seed and hath this seede abiding in him the spirite hath wrought that in him which shall not be taken from him and therefore our Sauiour Christ saith The worde that I speake is spirite and life And in an other place he saith that none shall take his sheepe from him for the father is mightier then all and therfore in another place he saith That it is impossible that the elect should be seduced Thus then we see the question is answered namely that there is an inferiour working which may be lost and a more effectuall woorking of the spirite which can neuer be taken away from them that haue it And this must not seeme strange to vs neyther must we bee offended that the Lorde should take some and leue others or that he shoulde beginne in some and not bring his
tempered speech of the Apostle to the sorcerer Repent that if it be possible thy sinne may be forgiuen thee Where hee doth not wholly discourage him because it may bee his sinne may be pardoned neither yet too boldly incourage him in that without repentance he sheweth it altogether impossible to be pardoned And that we be not too preposterous in our consolations let vs bee warned by the blasphemous speech of that detestable Arian who of late yeares was put to death at Norwich This hellish heretique a little before he should be executed afforded a fewe whorish teares asking whether hee might bee saued in Christ or no When one tolde him that if he truely repented he should surely not perish he brake out most monstrously into this speech Nay is your Christ so easily to be intreated indeede as you say Then I defie him and care not for him Oh how good a thing had it beene not to haue cast this precious stone to this swine Oh how safe had it beene to haue dealt more bitterlie and to haue dwelt more vehementlie on the conscience of this caytife Now to attaine some discretion in curing this wounded spirite wee must learne wisely to iudge both of the person afflicted and of the nature of his affliction First we may note whether it be a man or a woman because we may vrge more fearfully the vse of the law to a man as beeing the stronger vessell And as Sathan knewe the woman to be most easie and frameable to be wrought vpon at his first temptation so is hee not ignorant that shee is the weaker partye to sustaine any temptation nowe Then let vs consider whether they that are thus humbled haue knowledge or no Because if they haue no knowledge they thinke trouble of minde to be so strange a thing as neuer anie before had it if they haue knowledge then Sathan is readie to accuse them of the sinne against the holy Ghost as though euery sinne done against knowledge were a sinne of presumption Further we are to enquire howe strong or weake they are that if they be sorely stricken we cease to humble thē any further if they be not sufficiently wounded then to touch thē with some deeper sense of sin Also we must be circumspect to finde out whether by nature they are more fearful melancholy or no As also whether they be vsuall sinners or haue falne once of infirmity that so vpon their disposition inclinatiō we may builde our speeches the better To these it is good to adde the consideration of the persons age estate ability as if the party be troubled for worldlines whether he be not a great housholder if he complaine of vncleannes whether he be not a yoong man vnmaried if he be hūbled with couetousnes whether he be not old because diuers countries callings ages conditions estates of men haue their diuers peculiar sinnes which we must rightly discerne Howbeit of what sex soeuer they are men or women of what complexion soeuer the are of what knowledge to discerne sin of what degree of commiting sinne of what age authority wealth estate or condition soeuer they are it is good to marke that there be many who are more troubled for the vexation and disquietnes of their minde beeing distempered then for the vilenes and horriblenes of their sinne committed who are wounded more with the feare of shame with the feare of beeing mad or with the feare of running out of their wittes than with the conscience of sinne Which thing if we find in them it is our part to trauell with them that they make a lesse matter of the outward shame more conscience of the inward sinne Neyther must we here forget to make a distinctiō between our speeches vsed to the hūbled in the very time of their extream agony burning a gue of their trobles those speches which we vse to them the fit beeing past because the one and former requireth more consolation and lesse exhortation the other and latter would haue vs more aboundant in admonishing and more sparing in comforting when we may wisely admonish them to beware of sinne which so procured their owne woe In this breathing time it is also expedient to exhort them that for some season vntill they shall finde greater power of regeneration they would tye themselues to some holy orders and godly vowes whereby they may either be furthered in mortifying some speciall sinne which for that they coulde finde no power against it did most grieue them or strengthened in some special grace the want wherof did also wound them But before we launch deeper into this sea of particular tentations and beginne to founde the dangerous passages of naturall corruption and originall sinne the troublesome froath whereof doth almost ouerwhelme many poore pilgrims it shall be good to giue this caution that both in these and in the former troubles men woulde be still againe admonished patiently to beare with a wounded spirit albeit it fall out so that they be somewhat pettish seeing the holy Ghost speaketh so fauourably of them saying A wounded Spirit who can beare And surely our practise in other thinges by the lawe of equitie may vrge this at our handes For if men by the light of reason can see it to bee a duetie conuenient not furiously to controle but meekely to suffer and wisely to put vp the vnaduised speeches of a man distempered in braine by reason of some burning ague or such like violent and vehement sicknes we may easily gather euen by the same rule of reason not so seuerely to censure the impatient speeches of him who by reason of some parching Feuer of the spirit is disquieted in all partes of his minde and hath all the veynes of his heart as it were in a spirituall agony vexed Wherfore both vnsauory for want of godly wisedome and vncharitable for want of Christian loue are their murmuring obtrectations which say what Is this the godly man Is this hee that is so troubled for his sinnes Why see how pettish he is nothing can please him no bodie can satisfie him Consider O man if thou canst beare with a fraile body that thou must much more beare with a fraile minde Consider O man that this his pettishnes doth more wound him to the heart than any iniury thou couldest presse him with And therefore seeing he afflicteth his owne soule for it thou needest not adde any thing to his affliction and to exasperate his grieuous smart Consider that it is a blessed thing mercifully to bethinke vs of the estate of the needy and that to rub a fresh wound to streine a bleeding sore is nothing else but with Iobs friends to bring a new torment wher there is no need of it If the wise father doth rather pittie than rebuke his childe when by reason of sicknes the appetite is not easily pleased euen so if we purpose to doe any good with an afflicted minde
humbled with blindnesse of minde hardnes of heart to beleue certainly the trueth of God his promises in generall and to reuerence the seruants of God which bring the glad tidings of saluation and to long after the comfortes vsing the meanes of the word and praier the Sacrament of the supper and the companie of gods children contrarie to hope vnder hope yea without anie present feeling all this is a certaine argument that gods spirit is with such therefore with you This estate although it bee verie grieuous yet it is neuer dangerous much lesse is it fearefull vnlesse any be so wilfull that they perseuere continue in desperate refusing al good meanes vnlesse they perseuere I say for that through the spirituall aduersarie his forceable power wherby God suffereth him sometime for a season to winnow them as wheate they are so be witched and intoxicated that they are carried by violent force of teÌ„ptation to waxe wearie of or to refuse all meanes of comfort by fittes yea almost to haue no desire at all vnto them yea sometimes to speake veie euill of them But all this is but temptation and therefore GOD will bee mercifull vnto them for Christ his sake Thus Iob cursed the day of his birth and wished to be strangled Ieremie almost repented that euer he preached in the name of the Lord both scarcely abstaine from blasphemie Dauid moued with the spirit of ambiâ—ion though dutifully admonished wilfully wâ—nt onin numbring the people Peter also vain gloriously presuming of his own strength being most wisely and effectually preadmonished of his weakenes euen by our Lord Iesus yet wittingly rusheth as a horse into the battell and then very cowardly yeeldeth yea doubly denieth yea strengtheneth his sinne with a threefold coard and fasteneth it with banning and cursings and yet all these obtained mercy most bountifully For why as Sathan had desired to winnow them so our Lord Iesus praied for them that their faith though it was vehemently assaulted yet shoulde not be ouercome although it was battered yet that it should not be destroyed and though it was oppressed yet that it should not be extinguished And heere bee you fully perswaded that albeit Luke 22.31 the words seeme to runne as belonging but to Peter Vz. I haue praide for thee that thy faiâ—h should not faile yet he praied for the rest of the Apostles yea for all the faithfull For first he saith not Simon sathan hath desired to winnow thee but you Why then saith hee I haue praied for thee Verelie because he should more grieuously offend than the rest although their offence was verie great therfore his and our most blessed Sauiour applied to him the promise but did not appropriate it vnto him only and restrained it from the rest Compare with this place Iohn 17.20 and you shall see that the heauenly verity affirmeth that he praied not onelie for the Apostles but for all those that should beleeue through their word yea farther Our lord Iesus Christ was yesterdaie is to day shalbe for euer And as the forefathers were baptised into him and did eate his flesh and did drinke his blood so was his praier effectuall euen to them vnder the law much more to vs vnder grace And when you can finde testimonie in your heart that when you would doe well euill is present with you and that you do the euill you would not then do not you it but sin in you when it leadeth you captiue Much more when sathan works with all buffeting you assure your selfe that God hath pittie on you that the vertue of his power shall be perfect in your weaknes If you beleeue according to your faith it shalbe done vnto you But you will say you cannot beleeue that this vile crooked hardnes of your heart can be remitted renued euen this was the seconde pointe which in the former part of my letter I gaue you to vnderstand was the cause of your excessiue distresse I beseech you I charge you in the name of our lord Iesus Christ that you wil not willingly lie nor offer iniurie to gods spirit nor to your selfe who hath receiued it Tel me what is the reasoÌ„ why you thinke you haue no faith Verely because you haue no feeling nor any other fruites thereof as you thinke Welâ— first then agree with me heerein as you must if you will not disagree with the truth that feeling is but an effect and fruite of faith and therefor theremay be faith without feeling as wel as thecause may be without the effect the tree without any appearance of fruit yea of sap for a season And as a man sore wounded and diseased may for a season be depriued almost of all operations of the naturall life to the outward shew and to his owne iudgement and feeling so may a spirituall man beâ—ore wounded by saâ—han and diseased by the present feeling of his sinful corruptions specially in temptations that he may thinke yea appeare to others that the life of the spirit is not in him Thus Peters faith did not wholly faile as you haue heard or else the praier of our Sauiour preuailed not Thus when Dauid declared that his heart was vncleane and his spirit crooked or vnstable and that he had lost the ioy of his saluation and the spirite of libertie or adoption yet hee praieth that God woulde not take his holy spirite from him therefore hee was not depriued of the spirite of sanctification Heere seemeth to bee repugnance but there is not anie hee was depriued indeede for a time of the graces of the sanctifying spirite but not of the holy Ghost where with hee was sanctified which graces as God restored vnto him so I am perswaded he will do vnto you Yea and I doubt whether you are depriued of them but onely that partlie Melancholy partly Sathan working therewith make you doe iniurie to your selfe and to the graces of the spirite in you which I beseech you to take heede of But the messenger cannot stay and therefore I cannot write as I would eyther of this or of the remedie which you should vse which heere after I will as God shall enable me and I pray you let me vnderstand as I requested in the beginning of your estate in perticular somewhat more and that by this Bearer if you can because he is of your acquaintance and will bring it to me faithfully Onelie I adde nowe vnto that I haue written of hardnesse of heart at large that you must diligently obserue the worde Create which Dauid vseth declaring that hee had no feeling of heart To this ioyne that which the Prophet Esay speaketh in the person of GOD. I create the fruite of the lippes to be peace peace as well to him that is farre off as to him that is neere Therefore in faith you may as well pray with hope to obtaine as did Dauid therfore say with him often and with
make no more application the holy annointing which you haue receiued will bring the old mercies of God vpon others and vppon your owne soule vnto remembrance and leade you into all truth which shall bee requisite for your saluation Put your trust in the Lord and be you assured beleeue his ministers you shall prosper The Lord Iesus came not to breake the brused reede nor to quench the smoaking flaxe his grace shall bee euer more sufficient for you and his vertue shal vnto the end manifest it selfe in your weakenes Now therfore I beseech him to preserue your body soule spirit vnto his most glorious appearing Faithfull is he that hath called you promised who wil also performe it Amen From my house in London in Warwicke lane Anno 1591. Feb. 24. Yours in Iesus Christ as he haâ—h beene Richard Greenham A letter consolatory written to a friende afflicted in Conscience for sinne Grace and peace in Iesus Christ. MY very good and louing friend in the Lord Iesus I vnderstand by M. H. who ofte trauelleth into those parts that you require of mee letters of comfort for reliefe of your afflicted and distressed conscience Wherein I could bee glad to performe any deutie that is within the compasse of my poore abilitie But your best and soundest comfort as I take it lieth in those that haue them selues bene exercised with that triall who from the comforts of Christ that haue abounded in them are best able to comfort those that are in like sort afflicted by the hand of God Agine I haue written vnto you many times of this argument If my letters remaine with you they may alwaies speake for mee that which I am able to say to that point If you require more then I haue written before this then were it reason you should sende mee my former letters that I might knowe where to begin that which remaineth My leasure is not great as you knowe and there is nothing whereinto I enter more vnwillingly then into this labour of writing Yet that you may vnderstand that I haue not altogether forgotten your ould loue towardes me nor haue suffered mine affection towards you vtterly to decaye I will indeauour at once as briefelye as I may to remember vnto you so far as I can call to minde the summe of all that I haue written vnto you heretofore The question as I take it that that lieth in controuersie betweene your coÌ„science and the enimie is of the assurance of your saluation Wherein I would haue you first to consider what is or at any time past hath beene the testimony of the Spirit of God vnto your spirit and then I doubt not but either from present sence of the same spirit of God crying in your heart Abba Father or from the remeÌ„brance of the daies of old wherin you had a coÌ„fortable assurance of Gods fauor you shal be able to repel the force of this temptation coÌ„sidering that the holy Ghost caÌ„notly that God whom he loueth vnto the end he loueth because his gifts calling as the Apostle saith are such as whereof he doth not nor caÌ„not repeÌ„t him TheÌ„ coÌ„sider the nature of faith which how weak vnperfect soeuer it be it caÌ„not be denied eueÌ„ by Sathan himselfe to be faith according to that which is saide I beleeue Lord helpe thou my vnbeliefe And if you haue faith euen as a graine of mustard seede c. that Faith apprehendeth Christ Iesus in whome there is all sufficiency of saluation and in whome wee are compleat so that whatsoeuer scruple ariseth from our selues or is inforced of the enimie from any imperfection that is in vs it neede not at all to dismay vs because wee saue not our selues but are saued by him who is made vnto vs from God wisdome righteousnes sanctification and redemption that who so glorieth should glorie in him And in deede there is no surer refuge when the enimie distresseth vs then renouncing our selues to professe the onely name of Christ Iesus who died for our sinnes and rose againe for our iustification For if the enemie shall say wee haue sinned our answere is Christ hath died for vs yea is risen againe yea is ascended into heauen c. If he say we want the righteousnes of the law we must answere Christ hath fulfilled the lawe that wee by him might be made the righteousnes of God If hee say wee are in nature corrupt and therefore both vnworthy and vnfit for the kingdome of heauen we must answere him with the wordes of Christ himselfe for there sakes haue I sanctified my selfe Fynally whatsoeuer shalbe obiected against vs by the enimie our answere must bee that in Christ all the promises of God are yea and in him they are Amen That all fulnes dwelleth in him and that in him wee are perfected so that wee may boldly say with Saint Paul there is no damnation to those which are in Christ Iesus If Sathan his importunitie and impudencie will not thus bee answered we must ende all disputation with him by our selues and send him vnto Christ who amongst other parts of his office towardes vs performeth also this for vs both before his heauenly father and against all our aduersaries that he is our aduocate to pleade and defende our cause which yet is not so much ours as his owne because the question is not of our merits or satisfactions which we freely renounce but of the merite of his obedience and of the value of his death vnto the saluation of those that beleeue in him So shall wee at once stoppe vp the mouth of the enimie when refusing to pleade our own cause we referre our selues vnto Christ whome wee knowe to bee the wisdome of God and able to answere all that can possibly be obiected against vs. For seeing Sathan is a wrangling and subtill sophister it is our furest and safest dispatch to break of all dispute with him and to send him thither where he may receiue his best answere and we neede not to doubt but he that hath answered the iustice of God and canceled the obligation that was against vs before his heauenly father will easily defeate whatsoeuer the olde serpent our accuser the Deuill is able to alledge against vs. But if wee cannot so auoide his assault but needes we must enter the combat with him let vs take vnto our selues that courage that becommeth the souldiors of Christ and in the name of the Lorde Iesus manfully oppose our selues knowing that hee which hath brought vs into the battell will both saue vs and deliuer vs out of all dangers Then if the enimie shall say that wee haue no faith and therefore haue no interest in Christ we may answere that our beleeuing dependeth not vpon his testimony it is enough that our selues doe know and feele by the grace of God that wee doe beleeue As for him we doe the rather perswade
Lorde woulde not take away his holy spirite from him howe can these two stande together first to pray that a new spirite may be created in him and then that the spirite of God may not be taken from him Surely the spirite it selfe was still in him and therfore he prayeth that it may not be taken froÌ„ him but the graces gracious working of the spirite they were deade and gone and therefore hee prayeth that they may bee renewed in him By this then we see that the very chiefe graces of the spirite may be quenched euen in the most godly when they fall into sinne But yet that no libertie may be taken hereby let vs a litle consider what griefe and punishment they procure to themselues that do by any means loose the graces of the spirite First of all we must know that though the spirite of God cannot be goâ—ten by our labour yet it causeth vs much labour and we must vndergoe much trauell and suffer much trouble before the spirite of God do take possession of vs now when the graces of the spirite are lost all this our labour seemeth to bee lost and what griefe is it to see the whole labour and trauaile of a man to vanish and come to nothing Secondly when a man receiueth the spirit of GOD and by the same spirite is assured that his sinne is forgiuen him and that hee is in the fauour of GOD there doth arise in his hearte a great ioy in the holy Ghost a ioy I say that is vnspeakeable and glorious and this ioy is lost and gone when the graces of Gods spirite are gone with how greate griefe and woe they know that in any measure haue tasted of it Againe when the graces of the spirite are choaked in men then they haue no hart to doe good they haue no affection to goodnesse but all is gone and they are made for the time as it were an vnprofitable burthen of the earth What griefe can be greater then this What sorrow can sinke more deepe then that a good man should be cleane withholden from doing good Moreouer it is sure that when the giftes of the spirit are in this sorte gone then hee that was most righteous before may soone fall into greate sinnes yea and which is more they shall also suffer the reproch of their sinnes For this is a part of the couenant that GOD made with his That though he will not take his mercies vtterly from them yet he will visite their sinnes with the rodde and their iniquities with scouâ—ges and what griefe this is the example of Gods children may shew vs what griefe was it to Noah become a laughing stocke to his owne sonne what heartbreaking to Dauid by his owne son to be thrust froÌ„ his kingdome so grieuous were those punishments laid vpon them that if without anye respect of hell or heauen we coulde consider of them wee had rather want all the pleasures of sinne which they enioyed then wee woulde beare the reproch and feele the paine which they suffered Last of all when the graces of the spirite of GOD are once decayed they can neuer be repaired and recouered but with much sorrowe and greate daunger for it cannot but breede much sorowe of hearte to remember his former sinnes to examine and see the greatnesse of them to apply Gods iudgements to them and to prouoke himselfe to sorrowe for them This is as it were to goe thorough the pikes and through a purgatorie in this present life and yet this must bee done before wee can recouer Gods graces againe Againe it is a very dangerous thing for in such cases men are brought as it were with Ionas into the bottome of the sea and as Dauid saith into the deepe waters so that all the surges and waues doe passe and flow ouer him Now wee know what danger it is for a man to bee thrust ouer heade and ears into the deepe waters and therefore they that are in such a case are in great danger wherefore all these things considered the losse of all our labour the losse of all true ioye the vnfitnesse to doe good the readinesse to sinne the griefe and danger that ensueth thereof will or at the least wise may cause vs to bee ware how wee quench the spirit And this is the vse of the Doctrine in humblinge of of vs which also doth furthermore serue to comfort vs knowing that we may suffer a greate decay of GODS graces yet by the rodde or by the worde of GOD or by both they shall bee renewed in vs againe And thus much of this commaundement that the Apostle giueth here that wee shoulde not quench the spirite FINIS The Seconde Sermon preached by M Richard Greenham It is thus written Acts 2. Vers. 37.38 37 Now when they heard it they were pricked in their hearts and said vnto Peter and the other Apostles Men and brethren what shall we doe 38 Then Peter saide vnto them amende your liues and be baptized every one of you in the name of Iesus Christ for the remission of sinnes c. IN this portion of the holy booke of God is set down to vs an effecte or rather a fruite of Peter his sermon which hee made for the answering of the sclanderous reports of the Iewes at what time they saw the wonderfull giftes of GOD sent downe vpon the Apostles In which sermon the Apostle had pricked their consciences whith shewing them their sinnes telling them of a suretie that their iniquities was the cause of Christ his death whereby a certaine care began to be wrought in them insomuch that being thus troubled they enquired and saide men and brethren what shall we doe whereupon afterward followed the second Sermon of Peter wherein he exhorteth theÌ„ to coÌ„tinue in their repeÌ„tance teacheth vs that if our sorrowe be good we must go forward therin Further he sheweth theÌ„ to this end that they must beleeue that beleuing they may be baptised that being baptised they might receiue the gifte of the holy Ghost Lastly it is manifest how they hearing that sermon first receiued the doctrine and after perseuered in the practise of the same Briefely therefore three thinges are here to bee noted First the fruite of the former Sermon of Peter contained in these wordes Now when they hearde it c. Scondely the summe of a new Sermon of Peter in these worde Then Peter saide vnto them amende your liues c. Thirdly is set downe the fruite of their obedience In the former part of this Chapter wee may knowe the wonderfull workes of GOD that the Apostles who were neuer brought vp in scholes speake with diuers tongues which when the multitude hearde some are saide to maruaile and to be astonied some mocked them and saide They are full of new wine But when Peter with greate boldenesse of spirite had in this Sermon which hee made set the truth of God against their false accusations and had preached against their
daily renued This repentance is figured in baptisme both in that we must die to sin and bury it and also that we must rise againe to newnes of life for a man cannot die to sin but by the vertue of Christ his death neyther can he rise to righteousnes without the power of his resurrection Now we must know that as our sinnes are forgiuen so we must also receiue Gods spirit If God promiseth mercy to our children much more to vs if we beleue and receiue his promises if to them which are a farre of much more to them that are neare And yet though we haue been baptised an hundred yeares and haue not receiued the holy Ghost we may die in our sinnes Some vnderstand by the gift of the holy Ghost the graces of God bestowed on the Apostles but in my iudgement their opinion is not sound because that was a particular thing giuen only to them of that time this promise is generall and respectes all posterities We are then to note that repentance is a continuall course of sorrowe and if we haue this in trueth then may we boldly seeke for comfort out of Gods woâ—d and from his ministers and looke what comfort they giue vs on earth the same shal be sealed also in heauen Wherefore as it is requisite continually to till the ground if we will haue fruite and daily to eate if we will liue so in spirituall things we must be humbled with continuall sorrow that we may be refreshed with daily comfort in Christ in whose name let vs pray Our father c. FINIS Certaine wise and graue Counsels and Answers made by the same author of the former argument VNto one that was much tempted with vnbeliefe he gaue this counsell When the temptation commeth either fall downe in prayer say Lord thou makest me to possesse the sinnes of my youth and this temptation is of very equity howbeit O Lorde grant I may by wisedome herein make this temptation an holy instruction and suffer me to possesse my soule in patience Oh turne this to thy glory and my saluation I see and confesse what hath beene in mee a long time by that which now sheweth it selfe in me and that thy grace hath hitherto kept vnder this corruptâ—on yet Lord I beleeue yet Lord I will beleue helpe Lord my vnbeliefe Thy name be praised for this seale of thy loue and pledge of thy spirit that in this vnbeleefe I am grieued as in my beliefe I am wont to be comforted And though my olde and secret sinnes deserue that I should not onely be giuen ouer to infidelity but also that it should be in mee without griefe and remorse yet Lord forgiue my sinnes newe and olde forgiue my vnthankâ—ulnes Lord increase my faith and grant good father that when thou shalt restore to mee the gifte of grace againe that I may vse it in feare and shew it by fruites Or if this doe not preuaile giue your selfe with all humblenes to read the word of God especially his promises and be still attending vpon the meanes waiting when the Lord shall inlarge your hearte Or if this do not helpe goe to some faith full brother confesse your state to him acknowledg your weaknes to him and be not ashamed to giue God the glory by shaming your selfe and opening your corruption to him that so hee may pray for you whose praier according to the promise of God made to his holy ordinaÌ„ce herein Iames. 5. vndoubtedly shall be heard in the appointed time Thus hauing praied by your selfe and with another and vsed the meanes of reading for your recouery though you haue not present release yet in meeknes of mind patience of your spirite go to your calling knowing that your praiers and the word of God being as seede must haue some time betweene the sowing of them and the reaping of the increase and fruite of them Aboue all reason not with your temptations dispute not with the Deuill as though you coulde preuaile of your selfe And as I would not you should dispute with your temptation so I would not you should despise it For in both are extremities If you take it too much to heart or maruell how you should ouercome such a temptation it will make you dull or desperate If you account of it to little and maruell how such thinges should come into your head which was not wont to be so it will make you not to striue and you shall be swallowed vp before you be aware If you account of it too fearefully Sathan will oppresse you before you beginne to fight If you account of it too lightly the deuill needs not to wrestle with you you will ouerthrow your â—elfe Therefore feare in respect of your selfe fight boldly in Christ tremble at your owne corruption but rest and trust in Christ your saluation If still you are tempted and no body by you write your temptation and offer it to God by prayer and promise to him that you will aske counsell of his worde at the mouth of his minister when he shall giue you iust occasion If all this helpe not comfort your selfe with this pledge of election that you are ioyed when you feele your beliefe and that you are grieued least you shoulde displease God by your vnbeliefe and know that as there is a vicissâ—tude of the meanes of saluation which you must vse so there is also a vicissitude of temptations wherof this is one agianst which you must striue 2 Vnto one that was tempted with worldly shame and thought the distemperature of his minde and bodie proceeded thereof he saide on this sorte Fist know that Sathan hath not an absolute power but a power by permission to try vs against which we must arme our selues by faith which will assure vs that eyther the Lorde will mitigate our temptation if our power and patience be not great or else if he enlarge the tryall he wil increase our strength and retch it out according to the proportion of our temptation Wee must also pray that the Lord giue not out that measure of leaue to the diuell which we giue out to sinne to worke rebellion in vs against his maiesty but that he would rather make Sathan a Surgeon to shew vs our sinnes then a Sregeant to confound vs for our sinnes It is the pollicie of the aduersary to perswade many that the weaknes of their body and feeblenes of their braine proceedeth of their temptations when indeed it commeth of the vnstaidnes of their mindes wandering too much after the motions of the diuell in that they not resting on the word nor depending on Christ nor contenting theÌ„selues to be tryed nor coÌ„forting themselues by meditatioÌ„ attend to much coÌ„for to often with the diuels illusions and temptations and so they comeplayne of the effectes and not of the causes of their temptations beeing more grieued for their present sufferinges then for their sinnes past The roote of this worldly shame is
pride and hautinesse of minde which is a priuie euill and hardly will be beaten into the head of them that are infected therwith But sure it is that we wold neuer be so grieued for the losse of a thing if we did not too much desire it and too immoderately vse it whilst wee had it Iohn 12 42. Which sinne of haughtines the Lord seeing in his children that they are more humbled with the losseof worldly credit then with the sence of their sinnes and the losse of their glory â—ee striketh them with the wante of that thing which is most precious vnto them because they made no conscience of that honor which is most precious vnto him Wherefore this is the best remedie rather to be grieued that we feele not our sinnes to be pardoned with God then that we are knowne to be sinners amongst men and that we be ready to shame our selues that God may haue the glory acknowledging shame and confusion and the whole hell of temptations to be due vnto vs and glory praise compassion to be only the Lords For this is a speciall marke of the child of God by temptations rightly humbled when he is ready to shame himselfe for his sin that he may glorifie God in his mercy 3 Vnto one that thought himselfe to haue â—inned against the holy Ghost he saide Sathans temptations follow our affections For if we lightly account of sinne he bleares our eyes still with Gods mercies if we beginne to make a conscience of sinne he loadeth vs with the iudgements of God being as ready now to aggrauate the sinne more then it is in it selfe as before he woulde extenuate it to make it seeme lesse then it was Howbeit said he to the man thus afflicted I will saye vnto you as Samuel saide to the people after they had confessed themselues to haue sinned against God with a great sinne True it is said Samuel not flattering them in their iniquities Ye haue sinned greatly notwithstanding if ye will feare the Lord and serue him and heare his voice and not disobey the word of the Lorde ye shall follow the Lord your God But if ye will not obey the voyce of the Lorde but disobeye the Lordes mouth then shall the hand of the Lord be vpon you 1. Sam. 12.14 So I will not lessen your sine but I say you haue sinned with a great sinnne before the Lord in that you made a mocke of the worde which you knew yet if you turne to the Lord in feare and serue him your sinne is remissible howsoeuer Sathan chargeth your conscence that you haue done euill against your owne knowledge For although euery sinne against the holy Ghost is against a mans conscience knowledge yet euery sinne against our knowledge and conscience is not against the holy Ghost For then Dauid and Peter had sinned against the holy Ghost for they sinned after the holy Ghost was come vpon them which is not true as may appeare by their godly repentance ensuing Some sins are against knowledge but of humane frailty some are against knowledge of a rebellious obstinacy These last are the persecutions of the spirit of God as he is the power of God Those first are not so precisely against the holy ghost but against God the Father the Sonne the holy Ghost the one which may be repented of is remissible the other which is without repentance is irremissible wherfore in that you quake and are affraid least this sin be in you would reioice in God if it were not in you If you purpose to leaue your former sins in trueth henceforth turne vnto the Lord I dare assure you that as yet you are free from this sinne 4 Vnto one afflicted in mind he gaue this coÌ„fort First if you haue knowledge be thankful for it desire the lord to giue you faith if you haue faith which vndoubtedly you may haue though not rightly discerning your selfe you presently perceiue it not you must wait on the Lord for feeling of it And though it may be you shal tarry the lords leasure long yet surely he wil giue it you in time In the meane time assure your self that the greatest faith is when there is least feeling Because it is easy for euery one in glorious feelings ioies vnspeakable to beleue but when a man feeling no sensible coÌ„fort in the Lord can notwithstanding beleeue in the Lord by saith wait on him this mans faith is very great 5 He gaue this aduise to one against the deadnes of the mind that ouertaketh the godly first search the cause whether it be for some euill thing done or for some good thing not done so leauing some means of saluatioÌ„ vnused whether for some sin seene but not repented of or some sin repented of but not souÌ„dly or for vnthankfulnes Secondly vse the remedy please not your selfe in it but rouse vp your selfe as froÌ„ a sluÌ„ber which willingly you would shake from you cal to mind the special greatest mercy of God vse the means Thirdlie in the meanes offer your selfe to God waiting â—umbly patiently for the time of deliuerance neither esteming to much or to little of your afflictions 6 To one that coÌ„plained of the hardnes of his hart he said You must wait for coÌ„fort know that you can now no more iudge of your selfe than a man sleeping can iudge of thinges which he did waking or a man wandring in the darke can discerne of bright colours For as the one may whilest he was waking doe exccellent things and yet nowe neyther himselfe knoweth of them nor any other can espie them in him the other may be enuironed with fresh and flourishing colours yet for want of light can haue no vse of his eies nor pleasure in the obiects so you haue done great good things whilst god gaue you a waking heart to put them in practise and the light of his spirit to discerne his graces in you though now you haue neyther the sight nor sence of them And this is the thing that deceiueth and disquieteth many they look for that discerning of theÌ„selues wheÌ„ the graces of God are more cold which they had when gods spirit wrought in the swetest fullest measure in them And because there is some intermission of the work of their new birth they thinke there is a â—lat amission in theÌ„ of the spirit of God But as it is a token of a mind to presumpteous infatuated in time of a dead security to perswade our selues still of that safety in hauing those graces which somtimes we had so it is a signe of a minde abiect too much dispairing to thinke that because we haue not in present feelings these ioyes glorious vnspeakable which we haue had therfore we neuer had theÌ„ heretofore or that we shall neuer haue theÌ„ again hereafter 8 He saide to a godly Christian much inuaying against our vnbeleefe I doe not now suspect
feare and trembling how they make their first entrie into a mans heart how they gather strength how they agree with our corrupt nature in what degrees they come to some growth how the spirit of God doth resist them what bee the meanes best to preuaile against them And thus if thou make thy profite by them thou shalt so wonderfully search and descrie by seuerall veines the body age and sleight to of these tentations in others by an holy experience which God hath taught thee in others that besides that thou shalt lay forth mens secrete corruptions as if thou wast in their bosomes thou shalt be able also by the seede of sorrowe in thy selfe to begette an vnspeakeable ioy in others who in time may bee tempted as thou now art Thinke moreouer and besides that such is the efficacie of sinne that they who are now noe Papistes Heretiques Adulterers or Theeues may for their secure contemning and foolish passing ouer of these tentations sent vnto them sodainely shortly after fall into them because they woulde not seeke to make some vse of them nor confesse before the Lord both their pronenesse worthinesse to fall into them But if wee will humble our selues in such tentations and learne by them meekely to discerne the corruptions of our hearts we shall not onely persently deliuer our selues from perill but bee also further enabled to assist others herafter in the lâ—ke danger But some will oppose against these things which wee haue deliuered Doe you thinke it a remedie to cast downe them that are already humbled This is rather to bee a Butcher than a builder of a mans conscience To whome I answeere that I desire Preachers to bee Builders and not Butchers and it is one thinge generally to apply and another perticularly to lay the medicine vnto the wound it is good to begin with searching first and to purge the sore by the vineger of the Lawe and after to supple it with the oyle of the Gospel Both which must bee done in wisedome vsing them to some in greater to some in lesser measure For as some hauing nothing but a decay of nature and no mortall humor neede rather restoratiue than purging medicines So some rather troubled for some spirituall wants than for grosser sinnes neede not so much the sharpe threatnings of the Lawe as the sweete promises of the Gospell But if the bodie through some extraordinarie repletion hath gotten some greate surfet not so much to the weakening of nature as to the threatning of imminent death and therefore requireth rather some stronge purgation than comfortable and cordiall medicines then the soule brought almost to deathes doore with some extraordinary sinne is rather to be boared and pierced with the denouncing of Gods iudgements than otherwise But because we would deale more plainely lesse confusedly it is good in our accesse to afflicted consciences to lay these two grounds First we must perswade the persons humbled that their sins are pardonable and their sores curable And after that this visitation is not so much a signe of Gods wrath and anger as a seale of his mercie and fauoure in that it is not either blind or barren but plentifull in good effects and fruitefull in Godly issues The former how needfull it is the experience of so many almost as haue bin throwne downe is a sufficient witnes who haue had this as a tagge tyed to their tentations that neuer any were so plagued as they none euer had the like temptations The Lord will surelie make an end of theÌ„ in some strange and vnknowne tentation Wherein they are notvnlike vnto men fallen into some dangerous disease who thinking to be without the fadome of the Phisitians skill and not to be within the compasse of things recouâ—rable adde a second and sorer griefe vnto their former Wherefore as these men seeme to be halfe healed when any man of knowledge can be brought who by experience hath cured the like maladie in like degrees in others So then the sorrowfull soules are not a little by hope refreshed and strengthned to loke for some ease when they see none other tentation to haue ouertaken them than such as hauing fallen into the nature of man haue fouÌ„d mercie at the handes of God that he might bee feared This ground worke framed it is good to build vp and repaire the decayed ioy of the minde partly by the Law to make a preparatiue for these ioyes if the minde not truely humbled is not fit truely to be comforted and partly by the gospell if the conscience kindly throwne downe is become a fit subiect to aply the sweet promises of God in Iesus Christ vnto it And here again to answere them that denie the law wholly or at all to bee vsed when we would breed comfort in one I demand whether if it be necessary to maintaine the righteousnes of Christ it be not also as necessary to preserue the righteousnes of the Law Seing the righteousnes of the Law of vs not fulfilled wil draw vs vnto the righteousnes of Christ to vs imputed And sith the righteousnes of Christ to vs imputed is neuer throughly truly esteemed vntill we se the righteousnes of the law of vs to be vnperformed Again if our Sauiour Christ did foreshew his Disciples that the first work of the holy Ghost at his coÌ„ming should be to conuict the world of sinne to make men knowe that without Iesus Christ their is nothing but sinne and then that he should rebuke the world of righteousnesse that they might see how Christ dyed not for his owne sinne but for the sinnes of others I see not why it should not be verie conuenient first to lay open the righteousnes of the lawe that men may see their sinnes and then the righteousnes of Christ that men may see their sins discharged in him Besids where the Lord saith by his Prophet At what time soeuer a sinner doth repent of his sins from the bottome of his heart I will put all his wickednes out of my remembrance it may wel be gathered that there must be a souÌ„d sorrow for sin goe before and then true ioy of sinnes pardoned may the more frely by vertue of his promise be both hoped for loked for afterward Moreouer seeing all the promises of God in the gospel are coÌ„mended vnto vs vnder the title and tenor of restoring sight to the blinde hearing to the deafe strength to the Lame health to the Sicke and life to the Deade it is manifest not onlye that there is noe disease of the soule which Christ cannot heale but also that wee must first finde our selues blinde deafe dumbe lame sicke and deade before hee will meddle with vs because they that are whole neede not the Phisition and hee came to call sinners not the Righteous to repentance Now to doe this in wisedome by neither pressing the conscience too seuerely nor releasing the conscience more vnaduisedly it shalbe a safe way to vse the well
good opinion you haue of me then for any greate matter I am able to performe I shalbe ready to offer any office of loue vnto you as God shall inable mee and so farre forth as I shall bee at any time instructed in your perticular estate in some letters sente from you by conuenient messengers That which I perceiue presently by M. S. letter is that you are afflicted with the blindnes of your mind and hardnes of your heart which cannot be moued either with the promises of Gods mercies or feare of his iudgements nor affected with the loue delight of the things which bee good nor with the hatred and loathing of the euill Great cause you haue of griefe I confesse but no cause of dispaire dare I grant because I am perswaded that your perswation is somewhat false partly for wante of a sounde iudgement of your estate and partly for some defect of faith somewhat through your owne default First therefore know you for a certaintie that this is no other tentation than such as diuers of Gods children haue beene humbled with and afterwarde haue had a good issue out of it and if it please God to moue ye to credit me I my selfe haue knowen others as deepely this way plunged as you can be Remember therfore that God is faithfull and will not suffer you to be tempted aboue that which you shall be able to beare And yet farther to confirme you heerein the holy scriptures do recorde that this way God heeretofore hath humbled his owne people in whose person the Prophet Esay lamentably complaineth O Lord looke down from heauen behold from thy dwelling place of thy holines and of thy glorie Where is thy zeale and thy strength the multitude of thy mercies and of thy compassions They are restrained from me And afterwardes O Lord why hast thou made vs to erre from thy waies and hardened our heartes from thy feare And in the next chapt Wee haue beene alas an vncleane thing and all our righteousnesse is as filthy cloutes and we all doe fade as a leafe and our iniquities as the winde doth take vs away and there is none that calleth vpon thy name neither that stirreth vp himselfe to take hold on thee for thou hast hid thy face from vs and hast consumed vs because of our iniquities And before Wee grope for the wall like the blinde and we grope as one without eies we rore like beares and mourne like doues So complaineth Ezechias in the bitternes of his soule Like a crane or a swallow so did I chatter I did mourne as a doue And when Dauid crieth Create in me O God a cleane heart renue in me a right spirit Restore to me the ioy of my saluation establish me with thy free spirit doth he not declare that his heart was vncleane his spirit crâ—ked the ioy of his saluation lost and himselfe subiect to â—he spâ—rit of bondage so that wanting the spirit of liberty or adoption he could nâ—yther cry Abba Father nor haue any power against sinne Tâ—us you see how Gods children may be blinded in minde and hardened in heart for a time so that they feele in themselues the grace of the holy spirite to be as it were perished and dead Faâ—ther to releeue the infirmitie of your iudgement in this case because I know it may much distresse you you must vnderstand that there bee two kindes of hardnes of heart the one which is not felt nor perceiued The other which is perceiued felt and of the former that there be two sortes the first which is most fearefull when any doe purposely resist the motions of Gods spirite and wilfully refuse the meanes of their saluation of which the Prophet Zachary speaketh 7.11 They refused to harken and pulled away their shoulder and stopped their eares that they should not heare yea they made their heartes as an Adamant stone least they should heare the law and the wordes which the Lord of hostes sent in his spirit by the ministery of the former Prophets The outragious sinne of these men the Prophet Esay expresseth in these their owne fearefull termes we haue made a couenant with death and with hell we are at aâ—reement though a scourge runne ouer and passe through it shall not come at vs for we haue made falshoode our refuge and vnder vanitie are we hidden This was a fearefull estatâ— indeede yet for all that no man can say but some of those hauing hardened their â—eartes might bee and were afâ—erward conuerted The other kinde of hardnes of heart which is not felt not perceiued or if percâ—iued yâ—t not felt which albeit it is lesse fearefull yet it is dangerous enough is in such as although they wilfully resist not Godâ— spirite in good meanes yet securely carâ—lesly and willingly they lie in sinne without any â—emorse of iâ— or true tast of good thinges Such was Dauid his estate for the space of a yeare before Nathan the Prophet ame to reproue him and rouse him from his lulled sleepe Both these kindes I am perswaded you are free from otherwise than in temptation Sathan may sometimes mooue yee thereunto The other kinde of hardnes of heart which is perceiued and felt is of two sortes the one in them which are desirous of meanes whereby they may be releeued although they do finde small or no ease at all in themselues for a time Of this kinde the Prophet Esay in the name of some of gods people complained And such was Dauids state Afâ—er that Nathan had reproued him and gods spirit began to to worke wiâ—h him yet he crieth out as ye heard before of the losse of gods graces and when he saith that God will accept of no sacrifices be they neuer so many nor precious without a contrite heart and broken spirit he sheweth that for a time euen aâ—ter the prophâ—t had reproued him he wanted both This is your case and therefore you are in the state of saluation for Dauid was in this case euen after he had confessed his sinne and had receiued absolution and pardon from God by the ministerie of Nathan although he neuer felt ioy thereof nor true griefe for the other yet because in trueth of heart he confessed his finne as my trust is you doe and was certainlie perswaded of the pardonablenesse of iâ— by gods mercie athough he was farre off from the feeling it or applying it to his wofuâ—l conscience his state was good verie well to be hoped of And you must know be perswaded that those things which are written of gods saints namelie of Dauid Peter such others are examples for vs if we will stay our selues vpon the word of God in the ministerie of his seruants wait vpon the Lords good time till he come neerer vnto vs by his spirit neerer I saie for he is come alreadie vnto you or it may be he neuer went from you because to be grieued
Gods people O Lord thou art our Father wee indeed are clay but thou art our maker and wee are the worke of thy handes c. Know also God can cause wolues lions leopards c. to dwell louingly with lambes calues and kids c. that which is vnpossible to men is possible with God euen to cause a cable rope to go through a needles eye that is to change the hard heart of the vnbeleeuing couetous wretched man much more yours yea know you that all things are possible to him which beleeueth Cry then I beleeue O Lord helpe my vnbeliefe and I dare promise you in the name of our Lord Iesus Christ that you shall haue your hearts hesire in goodnes Thus abruptly I must ende I coÌ„mend you to God the word of his grace which is able to builde you vp and giue you the right of inheritance among them that are sanctified And the very God of peace sanctify you throughout that your whole spirit soule and body may be kept blamelesse vntill the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ. Faithfull is hee which hath called you which will do it Amen I pray you pray for me I trust as I haue so I shall pray for you and much more Yours in Christ Iesus to vse in any neede R. G. An other Comfortable Letter by Master R. G. to Master M. BRother beloued in our Lord Iesus Christ seeing you haue had heeretofore not onelie knowledge but also experience of Gods gracious and mercifull goodnes in Iesus Christ of your owne vnbeliefe and of Sathans subtlenes I could meruaile why you should giue such place and not keepe your ground no furer if I were not much acquainted with such occurrences I know not therfore whether with wordes of rebuke or of comfort I should seeke to relieue you Because I cannot come vnto you my counsell and desire is that you would come vp to London the next Tearme at the farthest that so I might aske of God to frame my speech to your Good In the mean season I beseech you to call vnto minde that which you cannot be ignorant of that in the lawe sacrifices were offered for Gods people not onely at their first entrance into couenant with the Lorde but also afterwardes manie times and that not only for sinnes committed by ignorance but also by errour that is forgetfulnes frailenesse retchlesnes carelesnesse c. If you haue not Tremelius his translation by you you must take heede of the english that hath ignorance for they failed that so translated it It is manifest that the sinne of errour is there opposed against the sinne committed with an hie hande that is to blasphemie with contempt of God and making his lawe of none effect but to bee in vaine Which sinne Iam sure you are most farre off from I would you were as farre off from vnbeliefe and distrust That Gods children may fall after their calling into diuers foule faultes may appeare by many proofes First in the Lawe when the Lord speaketh in his Maiestie and proclaimeth his glory yet in howe many wordes commendeth he his mercy and for howe many seuerall sortes of sinnes Doth not Esay the holy Prophet call the people of his daies the people of Gomorrha and their Princes the Princes of Sodome Doth not he accuse them as grieuous transgressors both of the first and second Table and yet doth afterwardes promise them that though their sinnes were as crimson they shall be as white as snowe though they were redde like scarlet they shall bee as woole Doth hee not charge them that they were sunke deepe in rebellion and yet exhorteth them to returne vnto the Lorde Yea doth he not charge them not onelie with rebellion but also with vexing the holy spirit of God And yet reade what is written Pray as there you may learne Esay tenth Chap. fiue sixe c. What doth not the holy Prophet Ieremie shewe that Ephraim was as an vntamed Calse c. yet so soone as he mourned and was ashamed of himselfe doth not the Lord shew that his bowels of mercy were troubled for his estate Doâ—h not the Lorde offer mercy vnto the prophane and forgetfull transgressors of his holy couenant Is not this part of the couenant made with all the sonnes of Dauid in Christ Iesus that if they not onely omitting many good things but also commit rebellions iniquities that though hee may visit them yet it shall bee with the rodde of his children and that his mercy hee will not take from them nor break of his couenant made with them in Iesus Christ Therfore remember that the holy promises threatnings precepts examples are written that we should not sinne but if any man sinne we haue an aduocate with the father Iesus Christ the iust he is the reconciliation of our sinnes not for our sins onely but for the sinnnes of the whole world Doth not the blessed Apostle Paule charge the Corinthians whom he affirmeth to bee rich in Christ and destitute of no spirituall gift to be more carnall then spirituall yet babes in Christ yea to be falne Into idolatry committing of euill things fornication tempting not only of God but of Christ yea murmuring against them yet doth hee not heerein comfort them that no temptation hath token hold on them but such as appertaineth to man that God will be mercifull vnto Dauid praieth against presumptuous sinnes that they should not raigne ouer him Signifying though he sinned presumptuously yet if he did not perseuer in presumption obstinately without desire to repent that such sinne or sinnes were pardonable Nowe the Lords couenant towards his in Iesus Christ is not to deale after their sins nor to reward theÌ„ after their iniquities much lesse will he not regard in wrathful displesure their infirmities For if he should so marke what is said or done amisse who were then able to abide it But with him is mercy in Iesus Christ that he may be feared Therfore lift vp your hands which hange downe strengthen your weak knees say vnto your soule why art thou so cast down and vnquiet within mee I will yet trust in Iesus Christ and waite vpon the mercifull graces of God purchased by his merites Consider that true humilitie a riseth of faith in Iesus Christ and that is true faith that ingendreth humilitie as we may not diminish our sinnes so may wee not too much aggrauate them nor diminish Christes merits haue euermore in your minde the example of the prodigall sonne who saith not I am not thy sonne but I am no more worthie to be called thy sonnes he saith not let me bee thy bondslaue nay hee saith not let me bee thy hyred seruant but let me be as one of thy hyred seruants his father came and met him fell on his necke c. So shall it come to you good brother I neede
our selues of faith because he saith that we beleeue not knowing that he is not only a murderer but also a lieâ— from the beginning and the father of lying Now he that was neither ashamed nor afraide to charge God himselfe with vntrueth will make lesse scruple to deale falâ—ly with vs that therfore we vtterly reiecte his witnesse as the witnes of a notorious treacherous deceauer vnworthie all credit and whome we cannot beleeue euen in the truth it selfe without danger For which cause he was so oftentimes silenced by our Sauiour Christ and his Apostles euen then when after his deceiuable man the bare witâ—es vnto the truth Againe when the quâ—stion is of our faith in Christ wether we beleeue in him or not we must beware that we stand not here vpon perfection of knowledge which in the best Diuines is vnperfect nor vpon the perfection of our perswasion which in all flesh is mingled with imperfection It is enough for our present coÌ„fort to the silencinge of our aduersarie that we haue a coÌ„pitent knowledge of the misterie of our saluation by Christ far remoued from that ignorance and implicit vnderstanding which Sathan hath planted in the kingdome of Antichrist For perswasion also we acknowledge that partly by the corruption of nature and partly by his assalts by the grace of God it is such as the same is oftentimes assailed shaken Yet faileth not nor falleth vnto the ground but standeth inuincible against all his atteÌ„pts inuasions whatsoeuer And finally for that faith wherby we rest for our saluation vpon Christ Iesus we glory not in our own strength but we say euery one for himselfe whiâ—h him in the Gospell wee beleeue Lord helpe thou our vnbeliefe For if faith be as it is in deede a repose setling placing and putting of our trust and confidence for saluation in Christ whome the father hath sealed Then we doubt not to prooue against Sathan and all his instruments of inside litle that wee doe beleeue and that the weakenesse of our faith wich we willingly acknowledge and that remnant of vnbeliefe which yet hangeth vpon vs is so farre off from dismaing vs that it is both a warning and motiue vnto vs of great force to sturre vs vp and to set vs a worke by all good meanes to establish and to increase our faith wherein wee finde the good hand of the Lord not to bee wanting vnto vs and his eares not to bee shutte vp against our prayers in which wee alwaies say with the Apostles of Christ Lord increase our faith If it shall be obiected that because we haue not the same sence and feeling of faith which some times we had as Sathan himselfe could not then deny therefore wee haue nowe noe faith but haue vtterly lost the same wee may answere the argument followeth not for euen in many diseases of the bodie it is so with them that haue them that they seame little better then dead corses and yet there is life in them which hidden for a time after is recouered and raised vp againe so it is many times with the children of God that being ouerborne and distressed with extremitie of affliction and temptation they seeme for the time both to themselues and others to haue lost the life and light which once they enioyed Yet so it is that when the tempest is ouerblowne and the gratious countenance of the Lorde againe beginneth to shine vpon them the faith which was as it were hid for the time taketh life and sheweth forth it selfe plainly prooueth that as the trees when they bud in the spring time and bring fourth their fruit ware not dead in the winter as they seemed to be so the faith of Gods childreÌ„ springing a fresh after the stormy winter of temptation declareth manifestly that it was not dead when it seemed so to bee but was only respited for the time that afterward it might bring forth more fruit wheras the afflicted soule desireth nothing more then to beleeue though it feele not a present operation of comfort by faith euen that desire argueth a secret sence that caÌ„not easily be discerned together with assurance of better estate in time to come according to that of our sauiour Christ. Blessed are they that hunger thirst after righteousnes for they shall be satisfied that of the blessed virgin he filleth the huÌ„gry with good things but the rich he hath sent empty away Also that bewaling deploring of vnbeliefe which is found in the afflicted is not only a steppe vnto their former comfort but a certaine proofe demonstration of the returne thereof For the Lorde working by his spirit in the hearts of his children gronings that cannot be expressed therby assureth them that in his good time hee will heare them and grant their requestes And so much the more we may be perswaded hereof because the loue of God towards vs as it began not of vs as S. Iohn sayeth so it depeÌ„deth not vpoÌ„ vs but vpoÌ„ the truth constaÌ„cie of him with whom there is no change nor shadow of change Againe the temptation it selfe froÌ„ which our afflictioÌ„ doth arise though it haue of it selfe a most bitter sharp tast euen vnto the wounding of our soules neare vnto death yet hath it also in it argument of coÌ„fort the Lord himselfe out of darknes raising vp light vnto his children For euenby this that Sathan so busily and so fearcely assaileth vs it doth appeare that as once helost his possession in vs and was cast out by one more mighty then himselfe which is Chirst so now he findeth no peaceable entrance but a strong mighty resistance that therefore there yet remaineth such part of the former worke he could not hitherto ouerthrow nor shall be able foreuer which is the secret seede of faith still sustained nourished by the spirit of god when we would think it were vtterly extinguished For as the fire when it wrasteleth with the water throwne vpon it ceaseth not till it haue ouercome so this resistance of the spirit against the flesh will not cease vntil the full victory be obtained sathan himselfe troden vnder our feete Neither is there any more sure testimony either of our present deliuerance begun or of our full perfect victorie in time to come then this that by the worde of God we do though but weakly resist the tentations of the enimy continue in the battaile against him mourning in deed traualing vnder the bouâ— then of afflictioÌ„ but yet standing vpright before the enimie so that he caÌ„not fully preuaile against vs much lesse ouerthrow destroy vs. But here one thing must carefully be loked vnto that we be not so far discouraged either with want of feling or ouerborne with desire of that we haue not as we forget what mercy hertofore we haue receiued When Iob so earnestly as on would thinke impatiently wiseth the good
beginneth in the hart theÌ„ce floweth into our whole life wee nothing doubt but God who hath giuen vs ioy in the holy Ghost and thereby a loue vnto him and vnto his Lawe will further confirme and strengthen vs that we may be vessels of honoure vnto his name and glorifie the Gospell of our profession with fruites agreable and according thereunto Yea the thoughts meditations and desires of the hearte are deedes before God and principall parts of that obedience which he requireth at our handes And therefore if the faithfull man should be taken awaye by death before he hath done any of the outward workes of the Lawe yet shoulde not his faith be without fruites in that being sanctified in the inward man he doth now in soule and spirit serue the Lorde and desireth abilitie and opportunitie in acte to doe his will and to honour his namâ— as appeared in that penitent malefactor that died with our Sauiour Christ. Another thing I am to admonish you of that you be not as the couetous men of the world who so gape vpoÌ„ that they further desire as they consider not but rather forget that which they alreadie haue and hauing much indeede in ther opinion haue nothing and to all purposes and vses doe as well want that which they haue as that which they haue not So it oftentimes happenneth to the deare children of God that whilest they looke and breath after that which they haue not yet attained vnto they forget and neglect that which they haue receiued and vse it not to their comfort and reioycing as otherwise they should This ouerreaching and importunite of theirs Sathan abuseth against them from the opinion of hauing nothing to blinde their eies not to see the present grace and goodnes of God towardes them It is true that the Apostle saith that in the course of Godlines and religion we may not thinke we haue attained the goale or are come vnto the ende of our rase but forgetting that which is behinde vs and preassing on vnto that which is before must contende as to a marke vnto the reward of that most high calling of God in Christ Iesus But he speaketh it not to this ende that we should not in thankfulnes acknowledge the former mercies of GOD bestowed vpon vs or not vse them vnto our comfort as testimonies of his loue and fauour toward vs But that we may not stay in our present profiting but add dayly a new and fresh increase that as from a larger and greater heape of benefits we may more and more assure our selues that we are beloued of God and shall inioy the inheritance of his kingdome When the Apostle saith work your saluation c. and laboure to make your callinge and election sure though the meaning be not that we should put confidence of saluation in workes yet it telleth vs that the workes and fruites of our faith are testifications of Gods spirit dwelling in our hearts more eâ—ident and pregnant then that Sathan himselfe can or dare deny them We may not suffer our selues to be so ouerborne of the enimie vnder the colour of zeale and desire to doe well as not to remember wherein the Lorde hath alreadie giuen vs some parte of well doing not so to striue vnto that wee haue not as to forget that which by his grace we alredy haue But rather with all thankfulnesse acknowledging the goodnes of God from thence assure our selues of the continuance and finishing of the worke begun In the courses of the worlde as slownesse getteth nothing so preposterous hast looseth all It is the subtiltie and malice of the enimie when hee cannot houlde vs with himselfe to hasten and push vs on so fast and so headelong as by rashnes wee may fall into that which by forwardnesse wee had escaped Good thinges to come therefore wee must holde them in hope and pursue them in peace but the good wee haue already attained vnto we must so farr reioice and comfort our selues in as from thence wee may be able to sustaine and support our cause against the enemy and from that we haue to let him vnderstand that wee doubt not of that which remaineth that the Lord wil both coÌ„tinue and confirme the woorke of his owne handes not forsake the same vntil it be accomplished in his kingdome of glory Thus I haue in great hast and confusedly set down so much as presently came vnto minde of those thinges which often heretofore I haue written vnto you humbly beseching the father of all mercy and God of al consolation who hath annointed you with the oyle of his grace sealed you with his spirit of adoption and geuen you a sure earnest and pledge of euerlastinge â—aluation to increase vppon you and in your heart the measure of faith and multiplie your fruites in all maner of well doeing make you stronge against the face of your enemie and crowne you with victorie in the daye of battaill that you may praise his name in the day of your deliuerance glorifie him in the whole course of your life and finally enioye with the rest of his saincts that eternall kingdom of glorie prepared for all those that loue and feare him Amen A Sermon preached by M. Richard Greenham vpon these wordes Quench not the spirit 1. Thessa. 5.19 ALl the doctrine of the Scriptures may be briefely referred to these two heades First how we may bee prepared to receiue the spirit of God Secondly how the spirite may bee retained when wee haue once receiued it And therefore Saint Paul hauing laboured to instruct the Thessalonians in the former part of this Epistle how they may receiue the spirit doth here teach them how to keepe and continue this spirit vnto the ende and this the Apostle doth by giuing them a charge and commaundement that in no wise they doe quench the spirit thereby doubtlesse teaching that as the shuÌ„ning of euill is the first steppe vnto goodnes so the readie way to continue the spirite of God in our heartes is to labour that it bee not quenched Now the Apostle vpon greate and weightie consideration doth here deliuer this precept For first of all though all those be worthely and iustly condemned that neuer tasted of the spirite of God yet as our sauiour Christ saith A more iust and fearefull condemnation is like to come vppon them that hauing once receiued it doth afterwardes loose the same againe Moreouer without this spirit of God noe holy exercise can haue his full effecte For the worde worketh not where the spirit of GOD is wanting prayers haue no power to pearce into the presence of God the sacraments seeme small and seely thinges in our eyes and all other orders and exercises which God hath graunted and ordained for man they are vnprofitable to man where the spirit is not present to conuey them into our hearts there to seale vp the fruite of of them Last of all we are fitte to receiue no good
grace at Gods handes nay wee doe not esteeme Gods graces when we haue not the spirit to teach vs to set a due price vpon them for speake of the Law or of the Gospell of sinne or of righteousnes speake of Christ or of our redemption iustification by him yea speake of that huge and heauy waight of glory wher with the elect of God shall bee crowned all this mooueth not wee are little affected therewith vnlesse God giue vs of his good spirit to profit by the same The Apostle ther forewith good reason gaue this precept and wee for many greate causes are to listen vnto it least by any meanes the spirit of God be quenched in vs so we depriue our selues of all these fruites Now whereas the Apostle saith Quench not the spirit it may appeare he speaketh to those that had alredy receiued the spirit For as the fire caÌ„not be said to be queÌ„ched where it is not so they cannot be sayd to quench or loose the spirit which haue not as yet receiued it Then knowe that this precept doeth properly beelong to them that haue receiued the spirit of God and they especially are to make a special vse of it for the other it cannot profite them vnlesse that as the seede lying in the ground a long time doth afterwarde budde and become fruitfull so this continue in their mindes tyll they haue tasted in some good sorte of the spirite of GOD and then breede in them some carefulnesse that they doe not quench it Well then to them that haue felt and founde the spirite of GOD in them to them saith Sainte Paul in this place Take heede that yee quench not the spirite Of this if wee doe somewhat seriouslye consider these two questions will offer them selues and soone arise in our minde First how wee may know whether we haue the spirit of God or no Secondly if wee haue it whether it may bee lost againe or no which if they bee well and sufficiently answered they will doubtlesse giue greate force vnto this precept For the first then if wee will know whether wee haue the spirit or no wee must surely vnderstande that as hee knoweth best that he hath life which feeleth it in himselfe so he best knoweth whether we haue the spirit of God that feeleth the spirit working in him And if wee will further know by the peculiar working and effectes of the spirite then let vs marke these First of all if there bee nothing in man but the nature of man if nothing but that may bee attained by the art and industry of a man then surely in that man is not the spirit of God for the spirit is from God it is from aboue it is aboue nature and therefore the Apostle doth set the spirit of God against the spirit of the world when he saith we haue receiued the spirit not of the worlde but of God Besides the spirit of God is eternall and endureth for euer but all the doings and deuises of men they perish and in time they haue an ende Therefore though a man haue wisedome with greate knowledge though in wit and skill hee passe and excell the common sort of men yet if from aboue he haue not beene inlightned if from heauen his wisedome hath not bene sanctified his knowledge shall decay his wisdome shall wyther like grasse hee hath not as yet tasted of the spirit of God that endureth for euer And therefore saith S. Paul We teach the misteries of God which none no not the Princes and the men of this worlde which are aboue others most excellent are able to vnderstande Secondly consider whether in hee there bee any alteration or change For the wise men which were experâ—e in nature coulde say that in euery generation there is a corruption And wee see that the seede sowen is much changed before it growe vp and beare fruite Then needfull it is that in regeneration there be a corruption of sinne so that as seede in the ground so sinne in our mortall bodies may decaye that the new man may be raised vp the spirit of God takeing possession of our soules Therefore the Euangelist Iohn doth make this the first worke of the spirit that it shal rebuke the worlde of sinne and this so needefull that without it there is not the spirit of God neither yet can Christ come and enter into that man Hereof it was that Christ compared the Iewes to Children in the market place who would not daunce though they were piped vnto and the reason was because they had not first learned with Iohâ— to mourne for they that by the preaching of Iohn learned to lament their sinnes and for their sinnes were â—pensiue in their owne soules they receiued Christ they dauÌ„ced and did reioyce to heare the ioyfull tydings of the Gospell Therefore Christ saith That whores and harlots entred into the kingdom of heauen seeing they lameÌ„ted their sins before the proud Pharisies which were tuched with no remorce for their sinnes And for the same cause it is that Christ calleth vnto him them onely that labour and are heauie laden teaching â—hat if they finde not sinne to bee a heauie loade and burthen to them they haue not the spirit of God neyther are they fitt to receiue Christ. Then to be rebuked of sinne is the first worke of the spirite which the spirite worketh in vs by these degrees First it raiseth vp in vs a great and generall astonishment by reason of all those greate and enormous sinnes that wee haue committed and this doth strike vs downe it doth terrifie vs and houlde vs amazed woonderfully then it dealeth with vs more perticularly and besides that it bringeth vs vnto a speciall griefe for speciall sinnes it doth bereaue vs of our cheefe desires and bringeth vs out of conceite and liking with the best thinges that are in vs for then it doth display before vs the vanitie and darkenesse of our vnderstanding how vnfit and vnmeete wee are to vnderstande and conceiue those things that do aboue all others especially concerne vs then doth it let vs see the peruerse corruption of our iudgement that before God and in thinges belonging to GOD wee bee as bruite beastes not able to discerne thinges that differ nor to put a sound difference betweene good ad euill then doth it let vs see that our reason is vnreasonable nay that it is hurtfull vnto vs a greate enimie to faith and a greate patrone of infidelitie and vnbeliefe When it commeth to our affections it turneth them vpside downe it turneth our myrth into mourning our pleasure into painefulnesse and our greatest delight into most bitter griefe If it doe proceede further and come once to the hearte and to the stomacke and courage that is in vs then it cutteth vs to the quicke then doth it at once throwe vs downe in humilitie vnder the hande of GOD for while wee had to deale with men wee were as stoure as any and woulde not
in yeelding obedience as euer they were parents in the meane time not seeing that children therefore rebell against theÌ„ because they rebell against God nor hous-holders perceiue that seruants doe not their dueties to them because they doe not their duety to God Are we lesse wrathfull and more mercifull are we lesse riotous and filthy defilers of our flesh and are we more sober chast and holy are we lesse giuen to oppression to hard dealing one with another and more iust righteous and carefull to maintaine the good estate of our brethren Are we not backbiters slaunderers or sowers of discord causers of contention â—mong our neighbours beeing farre off from mainteyning loue vnited and the good name of our brethren The cause why we cannot see further into these things is because we flatter our selues and because we compaire our selues with our selues with others but not with the rule of Gods word Let vs then learne to accuse our selues and to iudge our owne consciences For if God see vs condemne ourselues he will not condemne vs if we accuse our selues God will not suffer Sathan to accuse vs if we iudge our selues God will acquite vs from the fearefull iudgment to come if we be displeased for our sins God will be pleased in Christ his righteousnesse On the contrary whilest we lie in our sinnes we lie in our owne blood if we iudge not our selues God will both iudge vs and be reuenged of our sinne he wil set our house on fire he will send enemies he will sende earthquakes he will sende famines to make vs to consume our goods he will make friends foes he will sende sicknes and sorenes vpon our bodies a troubled spirit into our soules he will send vs an ill name thus will he bring plague vpon plague vntill we repent come to a feeling of our sinnes And why doth God all this because we wil not come to iudge our selues For this cause saith the Apostle 1. Cor. 11.30 that is because we iudge not our selues many are weake sicke among you many sleepe 31. for if we would iudge our selues we should not be iudged 32. but when we are iudged we are chastined of the Lord that we shoulde not be condemned with the worlde Likewise the Prophet Psal. 89. 30.31.32.33 But if his children forsake my lawe and walke not in my iudgments if they breake my statutes and keepe not my commandementes Then will I visite their transgression with the sword and their iniquitie with strokes yet my louing kindnes will I not take from him neyther will I falsifie my trueth For as a father withdraweth from his child sometimes his loue whippeth him with the rod of correction so the Lord dealeth often with his children scourgeth their naked conscience God doth iudge his here but his enemies will he iudge in the world to come if we be not punished here the punishment wil be as a thunderbolt in the day of iudgmeÌ„t Hast thou bene afflicted not profited will not a litle crosse serue thee a greater shall come to thee will not a few troubles turne thee to God then many shall come vpon thee If a man be not troubled for sin here it is the way to hell if he be troubled here it is the way to heauen And as they which haue not bene troubled hauing had a little ioy shall haue eternall paine so they which here haue had a little paine shall after haue euerlasting ioye They that are corrected and haue profited by it are afflicted of the Lord in mercy but they that be vexed and amende not receiue a token of Gods further wrath Wherefore we must not looke to feele comforte in the remission of sinnes vnlesse we also haue sorrowe for committing our sinnes For neuer any of gods children were comforted throughly but they were first humbled for their sinne lawfully To the working of which humiliation wee must remember Gods iudgements shewed on others hath God destroyed the whole world for sinne and can he not or will he not destroy thee for sinne hath he ouerthrowen whole nations and will he suffer thee to lie still in thy sinnes See how full Hell is alreadie and yet daily we runne headlong thither Consider also how great thy sinne was that could not be cleansed but by the bloode of Iesus Christ Oh how soule was that sinne that nothing else could wash it but Christ his hart blood oh how great was our guiltines that were ransomed by such a price How greate was the sore that needed such a salue howe deepe was the wound that needed such a medicine O louing kindnes and vnspeakeable loue towards vs Shall Christ be slaine for our sinnes and we not slaye sinne in our selues Shall Christ die for our sinnes and sinne as yet is not dead in vs Shall Christ be crucified for vs and will we not crucifie sinne in our selues Shall Christ haue his hearte pricked with a speare and shall not we haue our harts pricked with sorrow This is the true vse and meditating of Christ his passion We are wont to defy the Iewes for accusing Christ we spit at Iudas for betraying Christ and we condemne Pilate for condemning Christ but we are much more to be at defiance with our sinnes which accused him before the iudgement seat of God we are to accuse our selues who haue and daily doe betray him we must condemne our selues whose sinnes haue condemned him But if neither the iudgements of God hell nor the crosse of Christ can moue vs then let vs examine our selues how we can reioyce in Christ. It followeth to speake of the counsell of Peter Repent as if he should say I know your heartes are pricked how be it I will shewe you how it is the pollicy of the Diuell to make these good motions quickly to waxe dry in you he will stay you from perseuering you must therfore endeuoure to continue in this godly sorrow The Apostle saw that this sorrow which as Paule witnesseth is not to be repented of was well begunne in them but in continuing his sermon still to that effect he sheweth that our sorrow must be also continuall Many sorrow as hath beene shewed but in a worldly sorrowing which bringeth eternal death not in a godly griefe which bringeth repentance Wherfore we are to note that repentance beginneth in vs continueth and endeth with sorrow Now if it might be it were expedient to shew what repentance is In one word Repentance is not a bare leauing of sinne but an vtter condemning and misliking of that sinne which we haue left For though we haue left it yet Sathan may make vs to sorrow for it many yeares after yea euen at the point of death ' Dauid had left his sinne but it caused him to sorrow an whole yeare after Iosephs brethren had forsaken and almost forgotten their sinne yet it troubled them and grieued them thirteene yeares after Our pricking of heart therfore must be continued and
be preferred to the chiefest places but if promotion come not then their profession is forsaken and their Religion laide aside And yet that is not all for eyther they waxe prophane in their life or haereticall in their opinions Doe the children of God loue on this manner No the holie Ghost which they haue receiued in effectuall manner doth shedde the seede of loue in their heartes and doth worke in them a speciall liking of his goodnesse of his righteousnesse and of his holines and therefore of sincere affection they loue him As the naturall childe loueth his father naturally and though his father beate him yet beareth he it and still loueth him so do the children of God deale They haue powred into them as Saint Peter saith a godly nature so that they do freely loue God their father and though he afflict them or crosse them in their desires yet they loue him and in loue performe their obedience vnto him continually therefore Iob sayeth Though he kill me yet will I trust in him They therefore are saide to haue receiued a free spirite and to serue God in the liberty of the spirite And who seeth not this to be a plaine and manifest difference betweene them therfore we may well take it as a thirde marke or rule whereby to proue and try our selues The fourth and last rule is in considering the worke and effect which Gods mercie receiued doth worke in vs for heerein doe the wicked shewe their wickednesse two waies First on the right hande the mercies of God do work in theÌ„ a wonderfull contentation but not such as causeth them to returne the glory vnto God nay rather it is such as causeth them to take all glory to themselues for the graces of God doe puffe them vp and make them proude and conceyted in themselues Heereof there ariseth a greate securitie which bringeth first neglect and afterwarde contempt of all good meanes wherby they shoulde growe vp in goodnes On the left hande others offende beeing neuer pleased nor contented with that they haue nay indeede forgetting and lightly esteeming that they haue and still desiring newe These men besides that they be vnthankfull they doe also murmure and grudge against God are neuer pleased with him Between these two doe the children of God holde a middle and euen course and therefore wee shall see these thinges in them First a sight and an acknowledging of the wantes which doe mooue them as Saint Peter saith Like newe borne babes to desire the sweete and sincere milke of the worde that thereby the graces they haue may be increased and their other wantes may be supplied and so farre are they from beeing puffed vp with pride that they reioyce when their pride may be pulled downe or their hautinesse abated eyther by some sharpe rebuke or by some fearefull threatning or by some moderate correction from the Lorde For they knowe that if it were needfull for Saint Paule to be buffited and that by the minister of Sathan to the intent that his pride might be beaten downe then it is much more needfull for them after sundry waies to be humbled Besides they doe not onely desire the worde but they also waite vppon the Lorde vntill it pleased him to worke further in them thereby and this wayting is as earnest as is theirs who hauing watched all the night doe waite and looke for the dawning of the day Secondly as they see their wantes so also they see that grace they haue receiued and are for that time will appayde and contented therewith and therefore as their wantes do humble them so the graces of God receiued do comfort them and as their wantes do call vpon them and cause them to seeke more so that they haue doth prouoke them to be thankefull for that they haue receiued See then a quite contrarye course of the wicked and those that of sinceritie doe worship God See I say howe contrarily the graces and giftes of GOD doe worke in them And therfore from the consideration heereof we may well draw a fourth rule wherby to make triall and examination of our selues So to conclude this poynte in a worde when a man by the spirite of GOD hath beene inlightned vnto a certaine and sufficient knowledge of Gods will when he findeth his affection chiefly and aboue all other things set vppon GOD when he findeth a pure and sincere loue of God in his heart not for wages but for the worke of grace which after an vnspeakable manner doth moue him thereunto and when hee doth thankefully acknowledge mercies receiued as he doth carefully attend and waâ—te vppon the Lord till he bestow some greater measure of graces vpon him Then may he be vndoubtedly perswaded that he hath found the spirite working in him in a more effectuall manner and that therefore it shall neuer be taken from him But what then may such men cast off all care No for vnto them doth saint Paule giue this charge That they doe not quench the spirite And not with out cause doth he giue them this charge for though the spirite it selfe can neuer be taken vtterly from them yet doubtles if they waxe proude if they grow secure if they fall into sinne the graces and giftes of the spirite may decaye and die in them their cleare vnderstanding their feeling their affection and all may be gone so that in their owne iudgement and in the iudgment of others it may seeme that they haue quite quenched and put out the spirite Neyther must this seeme so strange for if the image of God which was more perfectly placed in Adam then it is now in vs If I say thâ—s image might quite be lost and blotted out as we see it was then no maruell if the graces of the spirit of God be for a time as it were dead and drowned in vs. And that we may be the lesse offended herewith the scriptures doe offer vnto vs such examples of men as hauing bene once effectually called and truely borne againe haue yet aâ—terwarde through some sinnes lost the graces of the spirite such were the Galathians for they were truely called and effectually regenerate by the spirite and Gospell of God as may appeare by this that for the wordes sake they reuerenced the Apostle as the Angell of God yet they were shared with false doctrine and fell very dangerously to the choaking and quenching of the graces of Gods spirite in them The spirit it selfe was not taken from them nay Christ did still continue in their heartes but yet for want of godly graces he was as it were without fashion and forme so that the Apostle did as it were trauell againe vntill Christ was fashioned a newe in them Dauid also vppon the committing of his sinne was brought into the like case therefore in the 51. Psal. he prayeth That God will create in him a newe spirit What was the spirit quite gone no for by and by in the same Psalme he prayeth That the