perfecte in Christe at the sight of whome our most gracious father who notwithstandinge is a continuall enemy to al vnclennesse and filthynesse may holde himself appeased as he that is both singularly iust and singularly mercifull Quest But why dooth he not sanctifi vs fully out of hand Answere Nay rather you may maruel at his goodnes in y he drepeth any litle drop of regenerating grace into any man And yet why he should delay the full sanctifiynge of vs vnto another worlde there be many causes wherof the chéefe are twoo The one is for that wee be but of a weake faith therfore as much as in vs lieth we hinder the effectualnes of the holy ghoste The other is that in as muche as we be saued by mere grace not by works he y glorieth shoulde glory onely in the lord For if this holinesse were perfecte in vs then shoulde our rightuousnesse also bée perfect or cleauing in vs and so consequently Christ should not substantially properly bée our Sauiour but onlye an instrument to dispose vs after suche maner as we might afterwarde iustifye our selues by our owne rightuousnes which is flatly the foule detestable errour of the halfepelagian Sophisters Que. You saye then that betweene our sanctification our rightuousnes ther is such a proportionable resemblaunce that looke how great the one is so great also is the other An. Yea in deede For trewe sanctification cannot bée ydle and suche as a fruitefull trée is suche also is the verye fruite of it Wherfore inasmuche as our vnderstandinge is partlye inlightened with the knowledge of the trew god wee doo also partlye knowe him Forasmuch also as wee partlye assent to Gods promise and applye the same to our selues therefore wee doo partly beléeue And because our will is partly chaunged therefore we partly will well worke well Que. VVhat meane you by this partly An. That is to say not perfectly but only so farfoorth as wée bee borne anewe so as in one selfsame ground howbeit in diuers respectes there is cleannesse and vncleannes light and darkenesse beliefe and vnbeliefe good will and will declininge from good and spirite and fleshe Quest VVhat meane you by Spirite An. All the powers in man aswell superior as inferior so farforth as they bee sanctified or regenerated Quest And what call you fleshe Ans In a man that is not regenerated I meane thereby the whole man euen as muche as is of him wythin and wythout from toppe too toe And in a man that is regenerated I meane agein al his powers so farfoorth as they bée not sanctified or regenerated Quest But Iohn saith that the children of god sinne not An. The same sayeth also that they are â—yars whiche say they haue no sinne Therefore they be said not to sin bicause that although sinne dwell in them yet it reigneth not in them For the spirit fighteth in them against the flesh at length shall gette the vpper hande And in consideration hereof the regenerated onelye may rightly saye the euill that I would not doo that doo I and the good that I would doo that doo I not Quest Euen the natural reason that is in any man vnregenerated dooth oftentimes striue against his lustes And thou knowest that vertue consisteth in subdewinge the vnreasonable parte of the minde vnto reason An. What is to be thought of the Philosophicall vertues I haue aunswered afore I graunt there is a certaine warenes a certaine conscionablenes lefte in man to reprooue and after a sorte also to restraine the headinesse of the affections too the intente that euerye man maye bée vnexcuseable And therefore as for the philosophicall distribution aâ— it were of the partes of the soule and the thinges that y write coÌ„cerning meannesse I not onely reproue thâ— not of any vntruthe but also praise and commend them as remnants of y image of god Neuerthelesse I saye y the distribution of mans partes whyche the holye ghost teacheth vs is farre after another sorte matchinge the naturall man the spirituall man the inner man and the outter man the new man the old man and the flesh and the spirit one against another And in those names by whiche vice is noted he betokeneth also euen the souerein and ouerrulinge part of y mind whiche the philophers make so great account of and finallye whatsoeuer man hathe of nature without the grace of regeneration Que. Is not reason reason then Ans Yes vndoubtedly and it alwayes becommeth better sighted by serchynge but yet it is alwaies faultie till it bée regenerated For first formest euen wheÌ„ it vnderstandeth and discerneth the good it vnderstandeth it not ne discerneth it not as it ought and shoulde doo by reason on of the original corruption which the Philosophers could not so much as once â—…istrust Moreouer in many euen of the â—…eightiest matters it not only séeth not the truth but also vtterly and of set purâ—ose fighteth against the truth Quest I beseeche you confirme these thinges with examples Ans I will. Although the Philosophers write many things notably and very exâ—ellently concerning God the souereigne good yet notwithstanding which of theÌ„â—ll hath by his naturall insight perceiued â—he one substance of the Godhead in the thrée persons And yet there is none other knowing of the souerein good that 〈…〉 either true or that worketh saluation Que. But yet it is sayd that Trismegistus specially the disciples of Plato taught â—ome such like thing Aunswere It may bée that some men haue come to â—ome darke knowledge of this misterie â—…eliuered ouer by the Patriarks written 〈…〉 holy writings but away with y toyes â—f those men y séeke for the truth of these â—hings in y writings of the philosophers For when they come to the poinet to lay â—…rth the nature of god after they haue said many thinges accordinge to truthe hoâ—… sodeinlye do the cunningest of them slyâ— away to fondnes as the Apostle ryghtly sayth For from whence comes theyâ— multitude of gods from whence commeth their deuidinge of the godhead inâ—â— greater goddes and lesser goddes From whence comes the frantyckenesse of the Epicures From whence comes the stoicall necessitie too binde euen the god â–ª head it selfe FroÌ„ whence hath Aristotle his dotages dreaming that the worlde iâ— without beginning and without ending and takinge awaye all particuler prouidence And yet I wyll ouerslyp other toyes innumerable confuted in so many places by Aristotle himselfe To whom I pray you may we wyte the comming in of all superstitions but too this noble Ouer ruler Furthermore if wée come downe vnto man whiche of the philosophers coulde know himselfe seyinge hée knewe not the originall of the firste man and his fall Yea truely what can be imagined more awk more brainsik or more monstruous than the sayinge which many men cease not to father vpoÌ„ Aristotle the wittiest of all
For seynge that this manhoode of his was ioyned too the woord by personall vnion yea and so ioyned as it was moste holy in it selfe who caÌ„ think if y said humane nature be considered without the charge of mediatorship which is not of it selfe coincident too the manhoode but inioyned to the sonne by the father of his owne good wyll and willinglye vndertaken by the sonne I say who can thinke that there was anye defaulte in this manhoode whiche hée had taken vnto him so as it should not foorthe wyth haue byn moste woorthye of the euerlasting lyfe euen from the very fyrst moment of the saide vnion Therefore this his beinge bounde too the performance of the lawe is not properlye by nature but of good will nor simplye for that Christ is a man but bycause he béecame man for our sakes which condition he vndertooke of his owne accorde and performed it not in his owne behalfe for by good right he was moste blessed already but in our behalfe for whom it was his will to become subiecte too the lawe to the intent to redéeme them that were vnder the lawe Furthermore sée how vncertaine a sayinge that is whiche thou spakest laste of all concerninge the satisfyinge for our synnes For that is euen the chéefest parte of hys obedience or fulfillynge of the lawe as wée haue prooued a little afore So then if he fulfilled the lawe in his owne béehalfe you must néedes confesse that he dyed for his owne sake also Quest You say then that we be iustified before god that is to say that we be couÌ„â—ed and denounced rightuous beecause Christes obedience is imputed vnto vs â—hich consisteth chiefly of two partes â—amely of satisfaction for our sinnes â—f full performance of all rightuousnes â—f the lawe An. I say so Quest To what purpose then is Christ furthermore made our sanctificatioÌ„ for doubtlesse he that is accepted for rightuous is also accounted for holy Ans Whosoeuer is rightuous muste also of necessitie be holye but not contrarywise except there come newe grace too the former graces after the maner that we haue auouched the terme Rightuous too bée taken in this present matter that is too wyt for suche a one as not onely is not hild for a transgressor of the lawe because his sins be clensed away in Christ but also hath fulfilled the rightuousnesse of the lawe in him To bée shorte I saye that this holinesse is the goodnesse and vncorruptnes of his person and y this rightuousnesse whereof wee intreate as now and whereof the beléeuers are termed rightuous in themselues is not the rightuousnesse that commeth by imputation but the imp of that holinesse so as the former is as the trée and this other is as the fruite of it â–ª After this sorte was Adam created holye that is too saye good and faultlesse and hée had also béecome rightuous if he had kept the lawe whiche his creator had appoyncted him Que. But al men are corrupt by nature An. Agein except Christ the second AdaÌ„ who was conceiued by the holye ghost too the ende y the nature of man might in him not onely recouer the clennesse which it had loste but also be aduaunced too a degree of goodnes far higher without measure For the fyrste Adam was but created after the image of God but the latter Adam is also God bycause he is vphild in the euerlasting sonne of god who hath by vnutterable meanes sanctifyed the nature that he hath taken vnto him and that is doone too the intent the same should also make vs holy Quest And wherefore do you call christ the second Adam An. Bicause y like as Adam was created too the end y al men should be borne of him by naturall generation So christ â—ath taken mannes nature vpon him â—oo the ende that all suche as beleeue in â—im should bee spiritually borne a new 〈…〉 him by grace Quest VVas it not ynough for vs to be â—orne once by naturall meanes Ans Yes as apperteyning to this lyfe 〈…〉 respect wherof it were a folie to think wée bée borne any oftener But for asmuch as Adam hath put himself in daunger of dubble death both for himself and for his ofspring it behoued vs eyther to perishe or too bee borne againe intoo euerlasting life after a far other sorte And therefore this other Adam is geuen vs that both holinesse and euerlasting life might flowe spiritually out of him intoo vs by grace like as sin and death were sprede into vs from the first Adam bodily and by nature Quest Layforth yet more plainely this sanctification of ours in Christ Ans That thing is sayd too bee sanctified or made holy whiche is sorted out from the common vncleannesse that it may bee moste pure and wholly consecrated vntoo God the vtter enemy of all vnclennesse After this sort is our nature sanctified or halowed in Christe euen from the very instant of his conception and that too the intente to sanctify vs whiche thing is done two wayes For first like as I sayde that wee be accounted throughly rightuous afore god by imputation of Christes rightuousnes not in ourselues but in him too whome wee bee vnited by faith Euen so also I say that by the imputation of his perfect holinesse and sowndnesse our persones are accounted throughly holy and sound and so consequently are acceptable too the father not in ourselues but in christ Further I say that the force and efficacie of this moste pure holinesse which is in the fleshe of Christe floweth euen in too vs by the working of the holy Ghost in vs so as we be halowed in ourselues that is to say wee bee segregated from the defilinges of this worlde and serue God both in spirit and body Which benefite is euerywhere in the scriptures called Sanctification or holinesse regeneration or newbirth Illumination or Inlightening the new man the new creature and the Spirite or Spiritualnesse Que. you say then that this latter sanctification is not a thing without vs nor ours by imputation only but a new indowment perfectly greffed stickinge in vs bestowed vpon vs in christ by the mere grace of the heauenly father and wrought in vs by the vertue of the holy Ghoste An. So say I. Que. What neede then haue wee of the other sanctification of our nature which is imputed to vs An. Forasmuch as this holinesse that sticketh in vs is but onely begonne in vs according as it appeareth by the continual debate betweene the flesh and the spirit euen in the best sort of men Therfore to the intent our persones may bee acceptable vnto god and so coÌ„sequently the thing that proceedeth from vs may please him for the life of holy men is as it were a continuall offringe vp of themselues wherunto the Apostle exhorteth vs there had neede to steppe in a farre other holinesse namely the same whiche is moste full and
thinges so euer he doth no man the is in his right wittes wil deny but it is good namely either to punishe the bad or to benefite the good Now let vs alledge examples That Ioseph came by Gods prouidence intoo Egipte and was aduaunced there vntoo great preheminence that hee might bee the preseruer of the Churche both hee himselfe sayeth it and the matter it selfe declares it And what instrumentes did the lorde vse too the compassinge of the matter Euen Sathan who stirred his brethren againste their most innocent brother the very wicked inteÌ„t of the same brethren the couetousnesse of the merchantmen and the lust of a moste mischeuous woman All these sinned most gréeuously in asmuche as they were the beginners of their owne doings But God vsing wel those moste vngracious instrumentes which thought vppon no such thinge defended his seruauntes from the famine settled them in a fruiteful soile nurtured his faithfull seruaunt Ioseph and finallye aduaunced him too the highest degrée of honour Is it not a moste rightfull worke of gods iustice that naughty persons shoulde fordoo themselues So punished he the Madianits vsinge thervntoo the spirit of discorde and the vngracious wilfulnes of the murtherers themselues so as they made assaulte one vpon another doubtles with a wicked minde but yet by the rightful iustice of god It was good that Dauid shoulde bee chastised euen after his sinne was acknowledged and forgiuen It was good also that Achitophilles trecherie Absolons trayterous minde shoulde bee discouered and sorely punished To the performance of these matters y lord vseth the outrage of sathaÌ„ Achitophells own falshartednes and Absolons owne traiterous ambition horrible lecherie and vnnaturalnes by which euill instruments the lord executed many thinges excéeding well For hee shewed howe muche hée mislyketh whooredome and craftinesse hée chastised Dauid fatherly hee punished Achitophell by his owne handes and finally he made Absolon to cast away himself The scripture beareth witnesse y our being tryed and consequently our chastisement is of the good wyll of our heauenly father that thereby he maye be glorified and his power made perfect in our weakenes And except we bee of that minde what comfort is there for the godly in so great myseries For in the triall of Iob after this maner there is vsed the spitefulnesse of Sathan and the couetousnes and excessiue crueltie of the robbers Sathan therfore dyd sinne in heaping so manye myseries vpon the seruaunt of god and the robbers did wickedly in stealinge awaye another mannes goodes But the Lorde did excéeding well in triynge his seruant and in shewinge the all sathans attemptes againste the churche are in vaine Finallye you will not denye but that the excellentest of all Gods workes was the re-emption of maÌ„kinde For the father deâ—uered his owne sonne for our sinnes â—y his foredetermined purpose and by â—he foreappointment of his eternall orâ—inance according as Peter the church â—f Ierusalem saye and the father is hée â—hat hath not spared his owne sonne for â—ur sakes And what maner of instrumeÌ„â—es hath he put too the performinge of so great a matter Surely the woorst that â—oulde be for no good maÌ„ could haue fouÌ„d â—n his hart too pursew a giltles person â—nd much lesse to betraye him condemne him crucifice him Namely euen the malice of Sathan who was entered into the harte of Iudas the cursed couetousnes and treason of Iudas himselfe the moste desperate enuye and vnrecouerable malice of the Iewes and finally Pilates nicenesse and vntowarde dealinge So is there none of these whiche sinned not moste heynouslye and all of them were payde afterwarde wyth most sore punishement at Gods hand for the same And yet in the meane whyle by thys selfesame worke he saued vs from sinne and death Que. But hereby there seemeth not any other thing to be gathered thaÌ„ that the purposes of euill persones are turned by God to a contrary ende An. Yes hereby also it is coÌ„cluded that God mooueth euen the euill wel effectually to bring his owne worke to pasâ—e by them But you must beare in minde that whiche I haue sayde namely y god dooth in suche wiâ—e mooue euill persons well too bringe his owne good worke about not as a hammer or a hatchet in aworkemans hand which are tooles that can do nothinge at all of themselues but in suche wise as the euill persons doo also mooue themselues ill too will amisse and to do amisse bicause that they themselues are the woorkinge causes of their owne euill dooinges Nowe also this muste bee added that God truely worketh in the good and by the good and that hée woorkes by the euill but not in the euill Quest VVhat difference then is there in these little woordes Ans Vndoubtedly greate For God vseth both the one and the other as instruments as ofte as he listeth and therfore he is rightly sayde too woorke his worke as well by the one as by y other But God worketh in those only whom he breatheth vppon with his holy spirit and whom he ruleth with his holy spirit eyther strengthening them in goodnes namely the Angells and the men that bee regenerated or else indewing them with new goodnesse as when he sanctiâ—teth his seruantes first of all But as for the rest he worketh not in them by doâ—ing any thing within them himself but giueth them vp to be moued and misruled partly by their own lustes and partly by the deuill howbeit in such wise as theyr lewdnesse can neyther will nor worke any thing but that which he â—ath most rightfully ordeined Question VVhat thinke you then of the name of permission or sufferance Answere If by the name of Sufferance there bee ment that difference which I spake of euen nowe namely that God woorketh not in the euyll persones but leaueth them vp to Sathan and to their owne lustes I myslyke it no whit But if Sufferance bee matched agaynâ—â— willingnes I reiect it first as false anâ— secondly as vtterly against reason That it is false it is manifest by this that iâ— god suffer anything to bee done againâ—â— his will then surely is he not God that is to say Almighty But if he be said to suffer a thinge as though he were recheâ— lesse how farre are wée of from the opinion of Epicure It remayneth then that looke what he suffereth to bee doone he suffereth it willyngly Willyngenesse therefore is not to bée matched agaynst Sufferance Agayne if it bee false it must néedes also be against reason And I say that this absurditie may appeare sufficiently too any héedefull person by this that the Aucthors of the distiction wherby Sufferance is matched agaynst willingnesse doo by that meane not only not attein to that which they would that is to wit that god should not be accounted the author of euill which thinge wee acknowledge with al our harts but also bryng the flatte contrary
too his rightfull vengeance for to whom is he detter either he destroyeth them out of hande or else pacientlye giuing them respit that they maye not bée altogether without taste of his goodnes either he voutsaueth not too call theÌ„ at all or he calles them no further but too make them the more vnexcusable Herevpon it commeth to passe that being left vp too their owne lustes they harden themselues vntill they haue filled vp the full measure of wickednes and then they passe awaye vntoo iudgement In what wyse these causes of the dampnation of the reprobates doo come to passe besides the ordinance of God who forsaketh the reprobates and deliuereth them vp too Sathan and too themselues as that the whole blame doth notwithstaÌ„ding sticke altogether in themselues I haue shewed already in dew place Quest Then must the vessels of mercye praise the lord and the vessels of wrath blame themselues But whither maye I flee for succour in the perilous temptation of perticular election Ans Unto the effectes whereby the spirituall life is certeinlye discerned and so consequently our electioÌ„ like as the lyfe of the bodye is perceiued by feelinge and mouing For wee that walowe as yet in the puddle of this worlde are not able too lyfte vp our selues vntoo that souereyne lyght excepte wee mount vp by those steppes whereby God draweth his chosen vntoo him accordinge too hys foresaid euerlasting ordinance as whom he hath created to his own glory Therefore that I am chosen I shall perceiue first by y holinesse or sanctificationbegon in mée that is to say by my hating of sin and by my louing of rightuousnes Here vnto I shall adde the witnes of the holy ghost comforting my concience like as Dauid said why art thou heauye O my soule why doost thou gréeue thy selfe Put thy trust in the lord Hereto perteineth the earnest minding of Gods benefytes which though it rather frayeth vs than comforteth vs for a time whyle we thinke therwithall vppon our owne vnthankefulnesse yet at the length it must néedes lyft vs vp forasmuch as therein are alwayes too bée séene the manifest tokens of his free and vnchangeable fatherlye loue towardes vs not shadowed but playnelye expressed Upon this Sanctifycation and comforte of the holye Ghoste wee gather fayth And therby wee ryse vp vntoo Christe to whom whosoeuer is geeuen is of necessitye chosen in hym from afore all worldes and shall neuer bee thruste oute of the doores Question VVhat if those witnessinges be faint Answere Then it beheueth vs too knowe that wée bée tryed and therfore that our sluggishnesse is then most too be found fault with Yet withstanding our hartes must not in any wise shrinke but wee must strengthen theÌ„ with those indefinite promises and throw dartes at our aduersarie agein For although the incounter of the fleshe ageinst the spirit doo comber our consciences with great doubtinges of the trewnes of our fayth specyally as ost as the spirit seemeth too quayle and in a manner too bee quite quenched yet notwithstandyng it is certeyne that thys spirite whiche setteth it selfe truelye thoughe but faintlye ageynst the assaultes of the fleshe is the spirit of adoption the gift whereof is not too bee repented of For otherwyse the electe myght peryshe and they that bee once iustifyed myght fall away from Christ Wherevppon it woolde folowe either that God is chaungeable or that the sallyng out of his ordynance is vncertein wherof none of both can bee imputed too God without blasphemie Quest But the garlond is geueÌ„ to those onely that holde out Ans I graunt so And therfore whosoeuer is elected craueth perseuerance and obtaineth it Quest Think you then that the spirit of adoption is neuer shaken of Ans I confesse that the spirit is now and then interrupted in sore temptations that the testimonies of his dwellinge in vs are oftentimes so brought a sleepe that hee seemeth to bee quite gone from vs for a time But yet for all that I say he is neuer quite taken away for needs must gods determination of sauing his seruaunts stand sure and therfore when â–ª time serues at length the mistes of the fleshe are chaced away and the gladnesse of the lordes sauinge health alwayes restored which shyneth as the Sonne into the troubled consciences of the elect Finally I say that trewe fayth and the effectes thereof are in likewise interrupted in the elect as the powers of y mind bee hindered in them that haue the sleepye disease or in drunkenmen in whom the soule is not taken awaye for there is great oddes betwene the sleepy disease or drunkenuesse and very death and yet that they which haue the spirit of Adoption haue an assured pledge of eiernall life Therefore in this most daungerous incounter the same thing wherwith Satan assayleth vs both can and must warrant vs assured victory For except the spirit of adoption which is also the spirite of holiâ—â—esse rightuousnesse faith and life were present in vs there should bee no striuing in vs but sin should reygne quietly at his pleasure For the man that is not indued with that spirit saith thus I doo the euill that I haue a mind vnto I do no good nor I haue no list too do it But the man that is regenerated and so consequently elected howbeit as yet still wrestling sayeth thus I doo the euill that I wold not I do not the good that I woold doo Wo is mee who shall deliuer me out of the body of this death And in crying out in this wise the elect person casteth hys Anchor in the verye Throne of God the father whom he beholdeth in the preached woord and in the Sacramentes Finally when the elect shall haue gotten the full victorye in the other world he shall say thus I doo the good that I woold doo and I doo none euill nor none I list to doo Question VVhat if a man neuer feele the testimonies of such spirit in himselfe Answere Yet must it not bee deemed that he is one of the number of the reprobates For the lord calleth those that bee his at what time he himself listeth And therefore such manner of men must bee sent away too the woord and the Sacramentes where they maye heere God speaking and alluryng synners vntoo hym For although they receyue not the fruite and operacion of those thynges for a tyme yet must they incorage themselues and also bee diligently styred vp by others too continewe in heeringe the word of God euen ageinst their wills then one tyme or other they shall obteinâ— that whiche the Lorde as yet deferreth not too the intent too cast them of but contrarywise too sharpen their desyrâ— and earnestnesse Quest I would therefore that wee might talke amonge ourselues concerning the Sacramentes also about the which in especiallye there is nowe adayes so greate strife betweene the churches Ans Truly I refuse not so to doo Notwithstandinge