perish and that therefore there can bee no certaintie made of the continuance of it For nothing can separate vs from the loue of God wherewith hee loueth vs in Iesus Christ our Lord. Who hath redemed vs with his blood Hee saith Aug. who hath bought vs for so great a price will not that they should perish whom hee hath bought Master Tyndall saith thus Christ is thine and all his deeds are thy deeds Christ is in thee and thou in him neither canst thou be daÌ„ned except Christ be damned with thee Wee conclude therefore according to the trueth that as Iustification is irreuocable so it is discerneable Let him doubt sath M. Philpot of his faith that listeth God giue we alwaies grace to beleeue that I am sure of true faith and fauour in Christ And so much concerning iustification the second meane ordeined for the execution and demonstration of â—â—ds eternall Election â—rga Dei bonitas veniam noÌ„ dimidiabiâ— Aut nihil aut totum to lachrymaÌ„te dabis CHAP. VI. What sanctification is All the causes of it are expressed Four effects of it The subiects termes and time of it Nine properties thereof Ten tokens of it THE third thing wherein the Apostle placeth the execution of the decre of Election is Glorification Whom he hath foreknowne predestinated effectually called and iustified them â—e hath also glorified Glorification is the communication or free donation of true holinesse and happinesse to them that are elected called and iustified For glorie comprehendeth in it both holines happinesse Holines is one degree of happinesse and happines is the highest degree of holinesse No man is holy but the same is happy and no maÌ„ can be happy but he must bee holie Grace is the inchoation of glorie and glorie is the consummation of grace He that sits in the throne of grace is truely intituled to the crowne of glorie and it is one point of glorie to be a man of grace A gracious man may be rightly stiled a glorious man Glorification then comprehendeth in it two things Sanctification in this world and the collation of eternall happinesse in the world to come Of both these we will intreat in order Sanctification or Regeneration is a benefit of God whereby our corrupt nature is renewed to the image of god by the Holy Ghost Polan Part. The lib. 1. Or sanctification is an inward change of a man iustified wherby the image of God is restored in him Hippocrates saith of Phisick that it is an adiection and a subraction Adiection of things wanting and a Subtraction of things redounding in the bodies of men Euen so sanctification is a remouing of the corrupt humors of our soules and an adiection or infusion of spirituall graces which are wanting It was excellently said by one The wise men saith he which were expert in nature could say that in euerie generation there is a corruption And we see that the seede sowen is much changed before it grow vp and beare fruit Then needfull it is that in regeneration there be a corruption of sin so that as the seed in the ground so sinne in our mortall bodies may decay that the new man may be raised vp the Spirit of God taking possession of our soules Now this transformation of a man is very requisit to saluation For without holines no man shall see God If wee will not liue to God by grace vpon the earth wee shall not liue in glorie with him in the heauens If wee will not die to sin in this world wee shall not escape death the wages of sin in the world to come If we doe not liue to God in holinesse in this life wee shall not liue in happines with God in the life to come It is not onely necessary in him that is to be saued that sinne be abolished by remission but that it bee likewise mortified by regeneration Neither is it onely requisit that a man stand righteous by the imputation of righteousnesse but that a man also be righteous by the infusion of righteousnes Sanctification is not deriued to vs from our parents For parents must be considered two waies First as they are Man the children of Adam Secondly as they are holy men sonnes of the second Adam and thus they doe not beget their children though their holinesse bee a meanes to make them to be reputed holy with men and accounted the children of the Church But they produce their children as they are men and corrupted in their father Adam and so conuey nature corrupted in Adam to them although they be regenerated Take wheat make it as clean as you can sowe it and it will come vp not as it was sowen but in stalk blade and eare and it brings vp as much chaffe as euer it did though none vvere sowen with it Euen so parents though sanctified by grace do bring forth childreÌ„ that are vnholie But the fountaine and proper Efficient of our sanctification and holines is almightie God whose workemanship we are created in Christ Iesus vnto good workes and who in mercie hath translated vs out of the kingdome of darknes into the kingdome of his beloued sonne in whom he hath quickned vs through his loue and hath lifted him vp with his right hand to giue repentance vnto Israel And albeit our Sanctification be the worke of the whole Trinitie yet it is immediately performed by the holy ghost therefore by a peculiar epithet hee is called Holy and we are said to be borne of the Spirit who is also compared vnto seede and vnto fire and vvater Vnto seede because of his vertue as it vvere of seede the faithfull are renevved and created nevv men that beeing dead to sin they might liue vnto God Vnto fire first because he doth eat out the drosse of sin and consume our lusts and so refine vs secondly because he doth enlighteÌ„ our mindes and shine like a lamp shew vs the way wherein wee ought to walke and lastly because he doth set vs on heat and inflame vs vvith a zeale of Gods glorie vvith a care of our duetie and vvith a loue of all mankinde And vnto Water because he doth refresh vs extinguish our spiritual thrist and because he doth vvater vs being destitute of all the iuice of life and make vs fertill and finally because he doth wash avvay the filth of our hearts and is povvred out like vvater vpon Beleeuers In like maner also he is compared to the Northerne and Southerne windes to the Northerne because he doth pinch dry the luxurious humours of our hearts and coole the vnnaturall heate and swelling pride of our soules and kil those wormes of wickednes which ly as it were at the very roote of our hearts And to the Southerne because hee doth comfort vs with his warme blasts and moisten vs with his sweete showers and dissolue our frost bitten
them Whom 〈◊〉 hath fore-knowen and predestinated them he calleth Fourthly the redemption from sinne and miserie and the righteousnesse which is by Christ is theirs and theirs alone Is 53.6 12. 1. Cor. 1 30 Gregorie saith well Pro electorum vitâ— vsque admortem se tradidit author vitae The Lord of life laied downe his life that they might liue which were elected vnto life And Angelome saith Quae est gens in terra alia what other people is there in the earth praeter populum electum besides the elect for which God the sonne of God vouchsafed to come into this world as into Egypt that taking vppon him the shape of a seruant he might redeeme vnto himselfe with his blood an acceptable people studious of good workes Fiftly they onely are adorned with the speciall graces of the spirit they onely are sanctified and renewed Isidore saith Spirituall grace is not distributed vnto all sed tantummodo electis donatur but is giuen to the elect onely Nature saith Augustine is common to all men but not grace Sixtly saluation belongs to none but to them Rom. 11.7 What then Israel hath not attained that he sought but the Election that is the Elect hath obtained it and the rest haue been hardened Faith in Christ is theirs onely and he that beleeueth in him shall be saued but he that will not shall be damned As the Elect are the onely true members of the Church militant so they shall be the onely members of the Church triumphant Therefore wee may boldly say with the Psalmist Blessed is that Nation whose God is Iehouah euen the people that he hath chosen for his inheritance Blessed is the man whom thou chusest and causest to come vnto thee Seuenthly none of the Elect shall be whollie seduced nor vtterly decline and perish For Christ takes it for granted that the Elect cannot be seduced and saith concerning his sheepe I giue vnto them eternall life and they shall neuer perish neither shall any plucke them out of mine hand And the Lord hath promised to stand by them and to put his feare into their hearts that they shall not depart from him Surely saith the Psalmist the Lord will not faile his people nor forsake his inheritance Gregorie saith that temtation doth hide the light of righteousnesse in the heart of the elect oftentimes sed non interimit but puts it not out and makes it pale quiuer sed funditus noÌ„ extinguis but doth not extinguish it altogether Saint Augustine saith well Peters faith failed not in his heart when open confession with the mouth failed him Eightly God doth cause his Angels to protect and guard them The Angel of the Lord pitcheth round about them that feare him and deliuereth them And as Paul speaketh they are ministring spirits sent foorth to minister all for their sakes which shal be heirs of saluation Augustine saith This also I esteeme a very great benefit in that the Lord hath giuen me an angel of peace to keepe me from my birth to my death Ninthly God shall send his Angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his Elect from the foure windes and from the one end of the heauens vnto the other Christ also when he comes to iudgement will set them on his right hand and say Come yee blessed of my father take the inheritance of the kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world But hee will place the Reprobate on his left hand and pronounce vnto them the dolefull sentence of condemnation saying Depart from me ye cursed into euerlasting fire which is prepared for the Deuill and his Angels Tenthly the Elect shall iudge the Reprobate Know ye not saith Paul that the Saintes shall iudge the world Know ye not that wee shall iudge the Angels Their faith and pietie shall condemne the wicked and bereaue them of excuse and as the Iustices sit about the Iudge at the Asâ—ses so shall the Elect attend vppon CHRIST at the last iudgement and shall subscribe vnto his sentence and applaud his proceedings Moreouer all men but especially all ministers ought to indure all things for their sakes I suffer all things saith Paul for the Elects sake that they might also obtaine the saluatioÌ„ which is in Christ Iesus with eternall glorie Againe God will auenge his Elect though he seeme slow in reuenging those wrongs that are done vnto them For they that touch them doe touch the apple of his eie Furthermore God for the loue he beareth to his Elect hee will shorten the dayes of crueltie and calamitie For the Elects sake saith Christ which hee hath chosen hee hath shortned those daies of tribulation Moreouer the Elect fight with the Lambe against Antichrist and his kingdome which shall by the Lambe be ouercome For he is Lord of Lords and King of Kings and they that are on his side are called and chosen and faithfull Besides the Elect need not dread death and damnation For as the Apostle speaketh Who shall laie any thing to the charge of Gods Elect It is God that iustifieth who shal condemne Finally the Elect may bee assured in this life of their eternall election vnto life Therfore Peter exhorts vs to make our Election sure and the holy Ghost sets downe the notes of those that are the true members of the Church and shal rest vpon Gods mountaine Now this certaintie may bee had two wayes First by the inward testimonie of Gods spirit which giues testimonie to our spirit that wee are the sonnes of God Secondly be the effects of election as are the fruits of the spirit mentioned by Paul which God appropriateth vnto his Elect and which are as a ladder by which we may assend as it were vp into heauen easily discerne if we bee elected Because as one well saith Election includeth the means therefore we must determine of it by the meanes The Apostle saith that whom God foreknew he did also predestinate to bee like to the image of his sonne and doth call iustifie and glorifie them Therefore by conuersion we may hence inferre that those are elected whom he doth conforme vnto his sonne and effectually call iustifie and regenerate these being necessarie meanes by which God doth accomplish his eternall election Now this prerogatiue is the greater and more to bee respected for these reasons First because the Elect may haue better assurance of his election to saluation then anie man can haue of the things hee holdeth in this life by seale writing witnes or any other way that Law can deuise or prescribe Secondly the longer wee liue the better we may be assured the longer this assurance is inioyed the stronger we may finde it Thirdly this certentie doth beger exceeding ioy For what can raise the like ioy in our hearts as this that wee know that we
Yee are saith Peter a chosen generation that ye should shew foorth his vertues that hath called you And againe As hee which hath called you is holy that is God so Iude 1. But here we must beware that wee doe not separate the persons For it is a worke common to the Trinitie One saith well God the Father doth call vs in Christ by the Spirit for he is absolute Lord of all his Creatures and therefore he may call out of the kingdome of darkenesse into his owne kingdome whom he will His instruments are the Ministers of the word and therefore are called Conorkers Fathers Sauiours His ordinary outward meanes is the preaching of the Gospell Hee hath called you by our Gospell saith Paul The Law serues to prepare the heart for grace but it is the oyly drops of the Gospell that by the power of the Spirit doe soften the heart and make it supple and pliable it like Balme doeth reuiue and comfort the heart The Gospell is the power of God that is the instrument of Gods power to saluation to all that beleeue Afflictions also losses crosâ—es sicknesse good examples and the like are by Gods blessing good preparatiues of grace but the preaching of the Gospell is the proper instrument of the Spirit for the effecting of grace By it God speakes to the eare of the soule and by it as by a Pipe hee conueyes his graces into the cisterne of our hearts Now GOD when hee calles a man performes a double worke of grace First he doth illuminate vs by his holy Spirit infusing a new and heauenly light into our minde being so blind before as that it neither saw nor could see the things which doe belong to the spirit of God The naturall man saith Paul perceiueth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishnesse vnto him neither can he know them In like manner also in the will which is altogether peruerse and wholly fallen from God he worketh an vprightnesse and in all the affections a new holinesse Hence proceeds that new man which is created after God in righteousnesse and true holinesse Secondly he causeth vs being enlightned and thus changed to apprehend his mercy to desire and affect our amendement and to answere vnto his call like Dauid VVhen thou saidst Seeke yee my face mixe heart answered vnto thee O Lord I will seeke thy face When God had pierced Dauids eare with the augur of his Spirit he answered Lo I come The primary cause or the foundation of this vocation is the free grace of God For this Vocation is of gift and not of merit of Grace and not of Nature God calling whom he will and againe whom he will either not calling or not calling them effectually The Apostle saith that hee hath called vs with an holy calling not according to our works bâ—t according to his own purpose grace The meritorious cause of this effectuall Calling is the merits of Christ For Christ hath merited in our behalfe that the Holy Ghost should bee sent into vs to illuminate and adorne our hearts with his graces The matter whereof this Vocation doth consist is a speciall powerfull and inward worke of the Spirit The forme and as it were the life and soule thereof is the illumination and information of the mind and an efficatious bending conforming and working of the heart wil whereby it becomes obedient to the voice of God and returnes as it were an audible and liuely Eccho into his eare The end is double first the glory of God and the commendation of his mercie to whom we must ascribe both grace and nature and of whom we haue receiued our soules and bodies yea and the very soule of our soules which is his Spirit The second end of this vocation is our deliuerance and translation out of ignorance infidelitie sensualitie and rebellion vnto spirituall grace and glory For we are called out of darknesse into light that we might walke in light and no longer serue the Prince of darknesse We are called out of the world vnto God to the end that wee should relinquish the lusts of the world and serue God that walking vprightly before him in this world wee may reigne like Princes with him in the world to come The effects and fruites of this Calling are a reformed iudgement a fleshy heart a yeelding vnto the Lord a sâ—ight from the works of darknesse an attentiue and hungry eare a spirituall relishing and receiuing of the solacious and sweete promises of the Gospel When a skilfull Musitian hath once strung tuned and strucke his instrument it sends out many pleasant and sweet soundes so when the Lord hath once breathed his Spirit of life in at the nostrils of our soules when he hath once tuned the strings of our sinfull hearts and hath toucht them with the finger of his spirit he makes them send forth many delectable and harmonious sounds wherein he takes delight When Christ had cried to Lazarus being dead and said Lazarus Come foorth He forthwith reuiued and came foorth of the graue So when Peter had said to dead Tabitha Tabitha arise She opened her eies immediatly and sate vp Euen so when he shall vouchsafe to call a man with his powerfull voice and shal effectually speake vnto the heart and say Arise thou that sleepest in thy sinne come foorth of the graue of iniquitie stand vp and walke in the wayes of righteousnes his call is so mightie and his word so powerfull and vnuanquishable that the man to whom hee doth so speake must needs awake arise come foorth and walke The voice of the Lord saith Dauid is mightie the voice of the Lord breaketh the Cedars it deuideth the flames of fire it maketh the Wildernesse to tremble and discouereth the Forrests These are the effects of that voice In like maner the voice which God speaketh to the eare of the soule in his effectuall Vocation is so mightie and so glorious as that it rendeth the heart and makes it tremble it discouereth the soule and diuides in twaine and peirceth into the most secret places of it And looke as at the sound of the seauen Trumpets the wall of Iericho fell flat downe and as at that efficatious voyce of Christ saying I am he his enemies that came to apprehend him went away back-ward and fell to the ground euen so when Gods voice shall sound in a mans eare and when Christ shall speake effectually vnto the heart the walles of hell shall reele and totter the fortresses of iniquitie shall be ruinated the castles of sinne shall be cast downe our spirituall enemies shall bee driuen backeward the strong man Satan shall bee fettered and his cursed workes dissolued These are the admirable effects of this glorious voyce these are the worthy workes of Gods effectuall Calling We may therefore iustly say The voyce of the Lord is mightie The voyce
Lord thus doth thaâ— we might exercise and take notice oâ— our spirituall wisedome and Christian fortitude and magnanimity in defeating the wiles of sin and the plots of the Diuell and in contending like couragious Kings against all our spirituall aduersaries and finally in disdaining to giue place to the flesh that abominable and filthy wretch Fifthly the Lord doth hereby demonstrate his liberty and absolute authoritie ouer vs that he is not bound vnto vs by any bond of duetie to perfit his graces in vs in this life For then it should be iniustice in him not to do it But God is righteous in all his waies and holy in all his vvorkes and can not offer the least iniustice Sixthly God thus doth to manifest his mercie to vs to teach vs thankfulnesse to him who pardoneth our weake obedience and accepteth of our poore holinesse imperfect perfection There are with God two courts of Iustice The first is the Kings bench where there is strict iustice the other is the Chancerie where there is a mitigation of that strict course of Iustice In the first Court there is none found iust in the second court of acceptation some are accepted for iust men In this Court God accepteth our vnperfit holines our poore indeauours our weake resolutions our imperfect desires motions and meditations if they be faithfull and entire and directed to the right ends and for his Christ doth pardon all their defects Which argueth mercie on his part claimeth gratitude on ours Lastly the Lord thus doth to demonstrate his prouidence and power in protecting and conseruing vs against so many puislant pernicious enemies as we are begirt with notwithstanding our great vnworthines weaknesses and imperfections And so much for the seuenth property of Sanctification Eightly this worke of the Spirit is neuer cleane extinguished The gifts of God are without repentance The graces of God are not in his children as morning mists but as well builded tovvers to continue all assaults As he hath beguÌ„ the worke of sanctification so he will make an end of it For what should hinder His good will is constant his might is ouer all Sin Sathan and all the enemies of our soules whatsoeuer are with him as chaffe before a whirlewinde or as flax before a flame of fire His eie is waking and allseing his wisedome is infinite his essence euery where and his mercie endureth for euer What then can what shall hinder his worke He hath ioyned vs to Christ who shall disioyne vs He hath wedded vs vnto himseâ—fe what can diuorce vs He is with vs who can be against vs Christ is our King and we are his subiects we neede not therefore doubt of his fauour and protection He is our Architect hee hath built vs vpon a rocke and hath said that hell gates shall not preuaile against vs. Wee are the Temples of Gods spirit who is no idle nor regard lesse Inhabitant Our holinesse I confesse may suffer an eclipse and be diminished but it shall neuer be fully wasted and abolished For God will confirme vs by his grace He saith Augustine who makes men good doth make men to perseuere in good And therefore out state by Christ is surer then our condition was in Adam For though he was made perfectly good yet he had not the grace of perseuerance in that good But to vs it is giuen to perseuere Beleeuers are of the bone flesh of Christ novv there is no part of the bone and flesh of Christ that dieth They that are sanctified are reserued vnto Christ and therefore they shall not fall away from Christ They beleeue in Christ but faith as Chrisostome saith is petra fixa infracta a rock fixed and inuiolable It will shine like a starre in the night of aduersitie and sauours most like Camomell when it is troden vppon Hope is the anchor of the soule it wil endure both windes and waues And loue is strong as death Charitie saith Austen vvhich may be left vvas neuer true Whosoeuer is borne of GOD sinneth not neither can he sin because he is borne of God If a sanctified man cannot sin with a full swinge of the will and if hee cannot liue long in sin without repentance then assured he cannot fall from grace and perish It is our Fathers good pleasure to giue vs the kingdome of heauen and therefore we shall not misse it It remaineth theÌ„ as an vndoubted trueth that the work of sanctification shall neuer be demolished and that a sanctified man shall neuer perish Master Bradford saith well Our blindnes and corrupt affections doe often shadovv the sight of Gods seede in Gods children as thogh they were plain Reprobates Whereof it commeth that they praying according to their sense but not according to the truth desire of God to giue them againe his Spirit as though they had lost it and he had taken it away which thing God neuer doth indeede although he make vs to thinke so for a time And so much for this eight property Ninthly sanctification may be discerned The childe of God may be sure of his new birth The Apostle saith know ye not that ye are the Temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you know ye not that your bodie is the Temple of the Holy Ghost that is in you know ye not your owne selues how that Iesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates It is possible then that these may be knowne Know for a certaine saith Master Bradford that as the Diuel goeth about nothing so much as to bring you in doubt whether you be Gods child so vvhatsoeuer shâ—ll moue you to admit that dubitation bee assured the same to come of the Diuell This assurance of our Sanctifiâ—ation may be obtained not onely by the inward suggestion of the holy Ghost assuring our spirits of the same but also by certaine vndoubted testimonies and tokens of it some whereof will here annex First He that committeth sin is of the Diuel but vvhosoeuer is borne of God sinneth not Wherefore if we doe not commit sin with full consent of will if when we doe sin we doe not continue in it but recouer our selues by true repentance as Peter did then may we know that we are not the Diuels slaue but Gods childe Secondly vvhosoeuer beleeueth that Iesus is that Christ is borne of God It is then a certaine token of a mans regeneration to beleeue distinctly that Iesus the sonne of Marie is that anointeâ— king priest and prophet which God hath raised vp for the saluation of hiâ— soule and of the rest of Gods Elect. Thirdly Euerie one vvhich â—ouetâ— him vvhich did beget loueth him also vvhich is bâ—gotten of him Whosoeuer therefore doth truely loue the childe of God for his fathers sake doth loue God himselfe And euerie one that loueth is