Herod might indeed truly rejoyce at the Preaching of Iohn but I shall detect his joy and shew it to have been meerly carnal and so wholly set upon the respects of this life that it had no dependency at all on that to come And to begin the discovery aright we must first observe his Faith which I take or rather find to be Temporary the fame that Saint Mark describes chap. 4th at the 17th verse They have no root in themselves and endure but for a time my Authority is Beza â—…adebat hic semen in saxosa loca saith he The sowers seed sell here upon stony ground The servant must not be above his Master and therefore as Christ sometimes Preached to hard and obdurate hearers that received not the word so kindly into their hearts as that it could take due root in them so must Iohn be content to do Now this Temporary Faith although we may well enough stile it true Faith as Truth is opposed to Hypocrisie because it was not feigned yet doth it as much differ from the nature and excellency of that which justifieth as Ismael did from Isaak he was no counterfeit child of Abraham but yet begotten upon a bond-woman So these Faiths the Temporary and Iustifying Faith do both proceed from the same Spirit as from the same Father or Author of them But you know that Sun the Holy Spirit I mean imparts his influences diversly unto men and after different measures viz. according as he stands affected to the subject which he works upon No man can say that Iesus is the Lord but by the holy Ghost saith Saint Paul 1 Cor. 12. and yet the devils themselves constrained no doubt thereto by the evident power of Gods Spirit non dicunt tantum sed vociferantur as one saith they do not onely speak it but proclaim it I know who thou art saith the unclean spirit in Saint Mark chap. the 3. even the holy one of God Here are different works of the Spirit you see even upon reprobate and damned creatures But Spiritus Paracletus erit vobiscum saith Christ of the elect Iohn the 14th They shall receive the Spirit not of Illumination only but of Comfort The Scripture 't is confessed stiles them both by the name of Faith but the one is a bare assent only unto the Doctrine preached the other is a confident application of it wee saith that elect Apostle have confidence by Faith in him Ephes. 3. at the 12th verse Lastly they both produce a gladnesse this pure and Spiritual out of a sense of the forgivenesse of Sins being justified by Faith we have peace with God Rom. 5. at the 1. that other impure carnal and only stirr'd up by the force of some Worldly motives So were the Philosophers at Athens most gladly desirous to hear the Doctor of the Gentiles not because their Souls were joy'd with the soundnesse of his Doctrine but because their ears listened after Novelties 'T was a story to them that seem'd to deserve attention to hear of a Deity Incarnate of a God crucifyed and that to the Immortality of the Soul which they had learn'd from nature the Gospel now added the Resurrection of the Body The strangenesse of such Doctrine as this must needs delight and give satisfaction no lesse to a Curious than to a Godly Auditour How could the Doctrine of Christian liberty but be welcome to many irreligious and loose people in Hierusalem how could that news want ready entertainment that promised such absolute and present freedom both to themselves from the bondage of those annual ceremonies and to their children also from the pain and peril of Circumcision Iustification by Faith must needs joy them that are loath to be at the charge of good Works and free remission of Sins is so plausible a Theme that I fear it makes many think they are scarse put to the trouble of Beleeving How many joyful hearers do these times afford who yet never in their life desired much lesse laboured to attain a sense of the forgivenesse of Sins Their joy imployes it self about other matters The Preacher 's eloquent perhaps and then his pleasing periods command their attention Perhaps he 's bitter and then they are tickled with the display of their Neighbours vices and begin to take it for a kind of Innocency that other men are as bad as themselves Nay are they not those that presse with eagernesse into these Assemblies only that they may find wherewith to busie their detracting humours Here he wanted Art there diligence these lines were too carelesse that strain too affected Quibus plus Displices si ominem sine aspiratione dixeris saith St. Austin quam si hominem oderis men that had rather you should break a Commandement than offend a Grammar rule and think it a greater fault to mispronounce a mans name than to murther his reputation But let such Auditours know animis non auribus loquimur as Seneca hath it we speak to your consciences not to your ears and desire not so much to please as to save your Souls I much wonder therefore at our English Arminius I mean Thompson in the 5. chapter of his Diatriba that makes the difference according to Scripture as he pretends between the wavering or Temporary and Iustifying Faith to be only temporis tantum aut gradus non rei et essentiae that is that they differ not essentially and in nature one from another but gradually and in respect of time durance and perseverance only So that Temporary Faith with him so long as it continues is as true Faith as that which continues for ever And hence indeed it follows easily that a man though qualifyed only with that fading imperfection of a Temporary Faith yet for the time that such Faith continueth in him must needs be justified before God and when it fails that his Iustification also ceaseth and is broken off and so the Title of his Diatriba is made good de interscisione Gratiae c. But surely the Truth is farr otherwise Those things are distinguish'd essentially and in nature that differ as I have shewed these to do that is to say first in the cause The Temporary Faith proceeding only from some general and inferiour operation of the Holy Spirit commonly incident unto reprobates and wicked men who doubtlesse feel many times Impulses and as it were Knockings of the Spirit at the dore of their hearts which yet are never opened to any true Conversion whereas Iustifying Faith proceeds from that supreme and most special working of the Spirit which is proper to the Elect and alwayes effectual to Salvation Secondly they differ in the things themselves or in their Definition That viz. Temporary Faith being only a bare assent unto the Doctrine preached This a confident and lively application of it to ourselves and to our own Souls Thirdly in their effects This to wit Iustifying Faith being the Fountain and Source of true Spiritual joy and comfort
times be verified of that City what was observed of her being yet in Paganism Roma magnam sibi assumpsisse videbatur Religionem quae nullam respueret falsitatem T is the acknowledgment of Leo the great as they call him one of her own Prelates in his first Sermon upon the Nativity of Saint Peter and Saint Paul Rome saith he therefore thought her self to be above all other Cities in the world chiefly Religious because she became the common receptacle of all their Idolatâ—…ies And what else is her practice at this day she 's willing to professe the name of Jesus and therein joynes with the Christians she 's content to impart Divine worship to Images and therein concurres with the Gentiles Besides she 's factious too for the daily repetition of expiatory sacrifices and therein accords with the Jews themselves So that it may seem now a point of injustice to deny the Roman Church the Title of universal seeing she so friendly communicats with all Religions I but yet Rome will still seem Orthodox for all this and hath learn't from her Doctors of Transubstantiation at least to evade and delude where she cannot satisfy Let my Apostle then in this Text nay in a solemn discourse of two whole chapters not barely pronounce alone which yet were more than enough where such a Majesty dictates the words let him not I say barely pronounce but logically prove and conclude that Christ can but once be offered up shee l make him understand it de sacrificio cruento onely of the bloody Sacrifice of the Crosse not of that unbloody one of the Altar and so with the same words both corrupt his sense and yet seem to condescend to his conclusion Thus doth Truth never suffer more dangerous attempts than when she falls into the hands of learned impiety But my Text soon quits her by the suggestion of this one interrogatory After Christ his bloody passion remains there a conscience of sinnes or no ex parte victimae do our affrighted thoughts as yet inform us that the greatnesse of our sinnes exceeds the sufficiency of his oblation if so then is the sacrifice of the Crosse as insufficient as were those of the Jewes but if this doubt be absolutely removed which my Apostle cleerly enough insinuates in the Text then is their sacrifice of the Altar as Sacrilegious as were those of the Gentiles For what can more derogate from that Divine Attonement than that it should stand in need of a daily supply what other thing were this than to Crucifie again the Lord of life for he must in some sort be daily slain that 's daily offered and so shall the Romane Priests supply the like place at this day under the Pope which the Roman Souldiers once did under Pilate But they yeeld you 'l say perhaps the oblation of the Crosse to be most absolute and that the sacrifice of the Masse is onely requisite to make us capable or actually partakers of those Benefits which the sacrifice of the Crosse obtained for us at Gods hands and which the wisdome of God found good to conveigh unto us by that means viz. by means of the Mystical and unbloody sacrifice of the same body in the Masse what 's this one sacrifice required to apply another and by consequence a third will be necessary to apply the second and so we shall runne multiplying of sacrifices in infinitum for what shall hinder where shall we stop an absurdity as hatefull to Religion as nature Indeed should God have given us his sonne in sacrifice and yet have denied us a participation in his sufferings what had it been but to have dealt with his Church 〈◊〉 the Poets feign that Iupiter did with their Tantalus that is shewed her onely the means of her recovery and indeed to torture her rather than releeve her For there can be no more bitter affliction than to be barr'd the enjoying of that good which is in our view and whereto a probable hope hath already intitled us God therefore as he is rich in mercy so is he bountifull in declaring it and he that hath not spared his Son to save us denies not his holy Spirit to testifie unto us the Truth of our recovery No sooner then doth the Court of Heaven by virtue of this remedy pronounce us Iustified from our sinnes but it presently dispatcheth the Spirit of Comfort to bear that joyfull newes to our afflicted souls that we are there inâ—…old for the Sonnes of God Rom. 8. 16. And while our soul is afforded due entertainment by those sweet acclamations of Abba Father it puts to silence all clamour of conscience and makes her smile who was wont nothing but to frown and threaten Then the blood of Christ growes Eloquent and speaks better things to us than that of Abel for that spake only vengeance upon sinne committed this speaks nothing but salvation upon sinne pardoned The remedy thus applyed cures this conscience of sinnes too ex parte reatus for there can remain no more guilt no fear of punishment where the holy Ghost himself vouchsafes to testifie that Christ hath satisfied what we have deserved But Alas we oft times dispossesse this Spirit and suffer wickednesse to encroach upon his Territories and then how can it sing the Lords Song in a strangeland â—…ow can that be a fit place for the Ditties of Sion where Babylonish iniquity hath usurp'd the scepter No when we sinne that is grieved and silent and where the Spirit tunes not the Anthemes of peaâ—…e Conscience will not be long to towl the sad grones of desperation Thus are our very souls subject to relapses being as lyable to the distempers of sinne as our bodies are to the assaults of sicknesse And must we then yet seek a further remedy doubtlesse such a pretence is wholy inconsistent with my Apostles Doctrine {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} To cure all conscience of sinne we need with him but one purgation but once to be purged Indeed it is true both in the point of justification and in that of the passion we can but once be justified but once be purged yet may the sense of these benefits be subject to reiteration For a righteous man though he be alwaies justified yet doth not perhaps alwaies feel it we can but once be purged yet we oft lose the sense of this remedy and it requires yet a further cure to make us become certain of our recovery Against this Disease viz. uncertainty and doubtfullnesse of our justification were those tears of David in the 51. Psalm Lord saith that Royal penitent restore unto me the joy of thy salvation laetitiam exoptat saith one not untruely non justificationem he prayes not for justification but Comfort that God would then impart unto him on earth the joy of that sentence which questionlesse was long before pronounced in Heaven If therefore with that good King thou art desirous to cure this conscience of sinne that is to
repossesse and recover again the happinesse of thy decaying Comforts repent as he did mourn weep pray yea let thy soul â—…e yet more afflicted A strange remedy you might think to cure involuntary sadnesse by mourning willingly were it not therefore to be esteemed the more availeable because humane wisdome counts it foolish and improper But true Religion prescribes Antidotes many times as full of wonder as health Wouldest thou live a Christian life thou must dye to thy own affections and inordinate lusts wouldst thou recover again the losse of thy spiritual comforts thou must mourn and be yet further afflicted for Sining Let therefore thine eyes become fountains of tears and mingle thy drink with weeping let the Sorrâ—…ws of thine afflicted soul out cry the guilt of thy wounded conscience so he that hath not disdain'd to take thy body to be his Temple may be pleasd also to accept of thy Tears for sacrifice Nor do I still enjoyn thee to call a Confessor to witnesse as if thy Repentance were of necessity to be as legal as thy Testament if thou wilt confesse onely to that Judge who alone can absolve thee yet sure I am in case of great distresse open and free confession to a lawfull Minister is most availeable both to cure a conscience of sinne as also to attain a sense and feeling of their forgivenesse although the sentence of the Minister 't is confessed be of it self no Absolution For example who knowes not that Gods word barely spoken is of it self able to challenge our belief yet hath Divine goodnesse been so indulgent to humane infirmity as to make words visible for our sake that is to ordain sacraments which are commonly and not unfitly called by Divines visible words and to make us sâ—…e that in a Sacrament which we could but hear only from a preacher that so our weak Faith might stand the more firmly being supported by the evident information of more senses than one Although therefore the promise of remission of sinnes at what time soever a sinner repents him of his sinne Ezek. 18. should be as persuasive as 't is certain and induce into us a confidence of forgivenesse no lesse easily and effectually than the words sink into our ears yet hath God been pleased also to invest his Ministers with the power of the keies to the intent that seeing a man clothed with our own flesh to represent his person and now ready as from his mouth to pronounce our absolution our thoughts might be quickned our spirits revived and our consciences become as free and exempt from doubting as his promise is from mutability or change You know 't is the very Tenour of our great Commission sealed unto us by that King of Kings our most Blessed Saviour in the 20. of St. Iohns Gospel Receive the Holy Ghost whose soever Sins yee remit they are remitted unto them Not that these words imply a Iudiciary power for in that sense the Pharisees themselves were Orthodox none can forgive sins but God only yet do they at least give us Authority to declare what God hath promised and at least to publish Absolution though not decree it Of what efficacy then you 'l say is this declarative power if it be but only to make a bare narâ—…ation of forgivenesse to a penitent Sinner 't is no special power 't is â—…o more than every Christian may do yea ought to do towards his Brother in case of spiritual distress and so by consequence it will follow upon this supposition that in the case of that crying Adultery Davids Conscience might have been sufficiently pacifyed with the good words of any common Israeâ—…ite as well by Hushai the Kings â—…riend as by Nathan the Prophet But we must know in these cases of Conscience there 's somewhat more in a Prophets word than in a Courtiers Hushai may do David good service in case of Treason perhaps and in preventing the outward danger of an Absaloms conspiracy but in case of Sin Nathan is most fit to be called to Counsel and 't is his word not Hushai's that shall best appease the inward clamours of an accusing Conscience A friend may advise best for the Government and State of his Kingdom but for the ordering and setling the peace of his Soul let the Prophets words be heard I say in this case let the Prophet be heard for his words are in a special manner accompanyed with Gods own promise He will perform the Counsel of his Messengers Isa. 44. at the 26. verseâ—… Amongst all the Sons of men we are said in Scripture to remit Sins not that we have of our selves an absolving power but that our words might give the greater satisfaction to afflicted Consciences that when we speak upon good grounds they might be as fully assured of their remission as if we indeed had forgiven them So Calvin upon that place of Iohn in the 3d. of his Institutions We cannot then of our selves remit the crime yet God hath given us power to cure the Conscience it lies not in us to acquit it dâ—…eth to comfort a Sinner which Truth is yet further illustrated by that Text in the 18 of St. Matthew's Gospel whatsoever yee shall loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven First we loose on earth and then God in Heaven But what you 'l say doth the Ministerial Act go before the Principal may we declare what God hath not yet decreed that were to play the Kings Interpreter while he is silent or to publish a proclamation before it be penn'd These seem to be great inconveniences We must therefore understand that upon the hearty and true contrition of a penitent Soul first God himself decrees his Absolution then after his humble Confession the Minister doth publish or pronounce it to which Act of the Minister God by promise adds the assistance of his persuading Spirit and so the Sinner becomes certain of the remission of his Sin In this sense therefore it is true that we are first loosed on earth and then in Heaven because that after the Ministerial Absolution pronounced here on earth our Consciences do by the Spirit obtain an undoubted assurance that we are loosed in Heaven Thus have I shewed you what this one remedy is to wit Iustification by the bloud of Christ the manner how we attain a sense of it the inward Testimony of the Holy Ghost the means how to recover this Testimony when upon our Sins we seem to lose it humble Confession of our Sins sometimes to God only sometimes to his Ministers also and this either private or more publike as the case of the Penitent requireth And of this Confession to the Minister I insisted somewhat the more largely because indeed to be as my Text speaketh once purged of sinne and yet to have a conscience not duly sensible of this benefit I mean the benefit of Absolution by the lawfull Ministry is but with those blinded Anamites to be in the midst oâ—… the people of God