gift which is as farre out of his hands and from him by nature as the lusts of his youth are neare him by nature And therefore he should be so much the more diligent and earnest in begging this gift the nearer he knoweth these lusts to be to him and the further he knoweth this gift to be from him by nature Of these two points as the Lord shall assist me by his holy Spirit I thinke to speake at this time And first concerning the lusts of youth I vnderstand by them whatsoeuer motions raging flames or vicious affections or whatsoeuer euill inclinations a yong man is addicted to from all these lusts and enticements youth ought to flee as there is no vice vnder the Sunne vnto the which youth is not too much subiect For our corruption so long as we liue in this world is neuer idle but in what age that euer we be our corruption is perpetually fertile bringing forth euill thoughts euill motions euill actions out of vs But chiefly our corruption is fertile in our youth in the time of our youth chiefly and most of all is our corruption fertile and abundant for then the bloud of man burneth then the affections are in a rage and he hath no power of himselfe to controlle them But he is caried hither and thither as his owne appetites command him In such sort that it may be counted a miracle a speciall worke and blessing of the Almighty God to see a youth passe ouer his yong yeares without a notable inconuenience either to body or soule or both without some notable scarre as we speake For there is no youth there is none that tooke flesh that was begotten of man but in his youth he is subiect to one vice or other and there are few but they are subiect to many but there is no youth that euer proceeded of the wombe of a woman but in his youth before his calling he is subiect vnto one vice or other The affection of the which vice what euer it be whereto he is subiect is in seruitude commandeth him as ordinarily requireth obedience of him as ordinarily as any master requireth of his seruant And the heart of that man the minde of that man the body of that man are as ready to yeeld obedience to that vice affection as any seruant or slaue in the earth is ready to yeeld obedience to his maister As for example if any man be inclined vnto aspiring and addicted in his heart to promotion if he would be in worldly honour in such sort that that vice commandeth him in this point ambition hath as ordinaâ—y a command of him as mighty and potent a command to enioyne him as any master hath ouer his seruant In like maner if a mans heart be set vpon the drosse of this world vpon the paltry that is in it couetousnesse commandeth that man as ordinarily and more constantly then any master is able to command his seruant If a man be addicted to the pleasure of his flesh to defile his body that lust commandeth that man as ordinarily and more continually then any master can do his seruant And so fareth it in all the rest of the vices looke to what vice thou hast addicted thee in seruice the affection of that vice ordinarily commandeth thee The ground of this floweth from the heart of man and from the nature of man which is corrupted in the first Adam For such is the condition and estate of the heart of man so long as we remaine in our naturall estate That the heart of euery man of euery woman that euer was begotten and borne carrieth about in it the feede of all kinde of vice and impiety That vice is not so monstrous nor that wickednes so vgly which our eares or any of our senses abhorre to heare or see but the seede of that same vice lurketh and lieth naturally in the heart It is true indeede that all these seedes do not budde out that all these seedes spring not that men burst not foorth into all high impieties in their externall and outward actions but there commeth a restraint into the soule whereby we are restrained from these same actions whereunto some men burst foorth and shew what they are to the world This restraint whereby I abstaine and thou fallest in I keepe close and thou burstest forth cometh no more of my nature nor of thine that doth the turne but of the grace prouidence of the mighty God For if God had no meanes to restraine the impiety that is in the hart of man but euery man as his hart carieth him bursteth forth in euery impiety how would it be possible that a society could be kept how would it be possible that a Church could be gathered how would it be be possible that any man could haue company or any conuersation amongst men Therefore the Lord that one society might be kept that out of this society a Church might be gathered doth restraine the impiety the seedes of impiety that lieth lurking and hid in the heart of euery man The wayes whereby he restraineth impiety and holdeth the seeds of impiety choked that they burst not out are two he restraineth the impiety that lurketh in the heart either by Discipline or by seuere punishment and good execution of lawes Or he restraineth this euill lurking in the heart by the worke of his own Spirit The restraint that coÌ„meth by Discipline and execution of lawes doth not take away the tyranny of sinne it taketh not away the absolute command and soueraignty which sin hath it holdeth wicked men in aw it maketh them to keepe an externall society and holdeth them in some honesty and ciuill conuersation but it taketh not away the soueraignty and empire of the affections The restraint againe which is made by the Spirit of God by the Spirit of Christ Iesus which we call the Spirit of sanctification the restraint that is made by this Spirit taketh away the soueraignty and tyranny which mine affections had before it came it taketh away the dominion and kingdome which mine affections had before it came In such sort that where the worldling is restrained from the outward impiety against his will I by the power of the Spirit of Christ Iesus abstaine willingly But take heede I pray you the coming of the Spirit of God into mine heart and minde suppose it take away the full empire and soueraignty whiâ—h mine affections had in my soule before it came yet it taketh not away the lodging dwelling of sin in my soule But suppose mine affections and sinne dwell not as a King dwell not as a Prince as an absolute commander to command the powers of the soule the members of the body to put his will in execution as he had wont to do before suppose he dwell not as a King yet he lodgeth in the soule as a companion he dwelleth as a companion with the Spirit of
seruant nor the murtherer because he is your kinsman nor the oppressor because he is your dependant therefore in time lay them aside and let the execution declare that no man is spared for feare or fauour Thus farre for the first point The next point that we haue to speake of is that the thing that Youth should chiefly seeke after straitlie pursue and follow the Apostle here sets downe to wit they ought to seeke after the gift of repentance seeing it is the Spirit that must mortifie the lusts and affections of the youth they should seeke the Spirit of repentance This gift of repentance here is called the gift of God And that euery one of you may vnderstand the better what this repentance meaneth For suppose this doctrine sound in your eares daily yet it soundeth not in your hearts there are few that is their hearts haue a feeling what the spirit of repentance meaneth to bring you therefore to the better feeling and to the better knowledge of it we shall keepe this order in deducing of it First we shall marke the word it selfe Secondly we shall examine the parts of it Thirdly we shall let you see who is the worker and who is the efficient cause that worketh it Fourthly by what instrument it is wrought Fiftly who is the author and the giuer of it And last of all how many sorts of true repentance there are As for the word it self if ye will take heed to the force of it and take heed to the signification of it it hath this force taken generally to signifie a sadnesse for the thing done such a dolor for the thing done so that it would gladly haue it vndone againe I call it a sadnesse for the thing done whether it be good or euill or howsoeuer it be it would haue it vndone againe taking the word generally it signifieth this dolor The Apostle 2. Corinth 7. setteth downe two sorts of dolor two sorts of sorrow or dolor raised in the heart of man he calleth the first sort a worldly dolor or sadnesse he calleth it no doubt a worldly dolor and sadnesse because it is conceiued for a worldly respect because it is conceiued for a worldly and fleshly end when a man beginneth to be sorowfull for the thing that is done not so much for Gods cause or for any reuerence he beareth to the infinite maiestie of God whom he hath offended as for the present paine that is vpon his bodie for the present griefe that is in his conscience or for any worldly or fleshly respect In this case where God is alwaies neglected where the sorrow is not for Gods cause that is a worldly and an earthly sorrow And this kind of sorrow I can call no other thing but a blind terror vexation and anguish of conscience I call it blind in these respects first by reason they see no issue for their estate no doubt were the more tollerable if they saw any hope of ease that they might haue some rest and ease in their conscience but they are alwaies blind all sight of rest is taken from such a conscience It is blind also in respect they know not from whom it cometh who it is that striketh them with this that they may come vnto him by amendment They see not that it cometh from God and as they are ignorant of this they are ignorant of the cause that procured it They are ignorant that their owne sinne and wickednesse is the cause that procured it so the ignorance of these three maketh it to be a blind tormēt and this kind of torment which I call a blind torment either it is increased in a high degree or else it is mitigated that they may suffer it When it is increased into an high degree desperation is the end of it and it maketh them as Iudas did to lay hands on themselues Sometimes againe it is not so increased but it is mitigated that they may beare it and then by peece peece it vanisheth And so soone as it departeth so soone departeth their sorrow and their teares and at the departure of their paine as their teares depart so returne they to the puddle out of which they came as the Sow doth and to the same vomit which they spewed out as the Dog doth So this dolor and torment turneth not the heart it altereth not the soule but mooueth the soule for the present that by reason of the paine And if the paine were away they would returne to the same sinnes wherein they offended God oft before as greedily as euer they did So that they mourne not for the sinne but for the presence of the paine The example of this we haue in Esau he wept bitterly for a while so long as he felt any dolor but after that the dolor was remooued he went backe to his old sinnes againe And what did he he addressed himselfe to anger his father worse then euer he did and specially in choosing of his wife which testifieth that his dolor was but for a worldly respect So I say this worldly dolor is either conceiued for the present paine and torment that is vpon the conscience as we haue an example in Cain for in his repentance wherfore sorrowed he Not that he had offended God not that he had displeased so gracious a Father but for the greatnesse of his paine and crieth out My paine is greater then I can suffer Mine iniquitie by the which I vnderstand this paine either my paine must be made lesse or I am not able to beare it So I say this kind of sorrow is either conceiued for the present paine or for a worldly and ciuill respect Beside this sorrow therefore there is a godly sorrow which the Apostle also setteth downe in that same seuenth Chapter And this godly sorrow is an earnest sorrow a true sorrow not fained nor counterfeit And as it is true and earnest so it is conceiued not so much for the present paine torment that is vpon the mind and conscience as no doubt the paine torment that is vpon their soule mooueth them to it but it is not so much conceiued for any present paine as for Gods owne cause that they haue offended so gracious a God who was so louing so mercifull and had such pitie and compassion vpon the multitude of their sinnes And therefore they set aside all creatures forget creatures although against them also they haue offended and they runne to God onely seeke mercie for their sins at him onely and put their trust in him onely So ye see Dauid Psal 51. as if he had offended none in the world but God onely he turneth to the maiestie of the liuing God and saith Against thee against thee onely haue I sinned and done euill in thy sight Now there is no doubt but he had offended against the man whom he slue against the wife of the man whom he had defiled Yet
not in our hearts nor breedes not in our nature No this gifâ— of faith is not at mans command nor vnder his arbitrement as if it were in his power to belieue or not to beleeue as he pleaseth It is the gift of God poured downe freelie of his vndeserued grace in the riches of his mercie in Christ. That it is a gift ye see clearelie 1. Cor. 12.9 where the Apostle saith And to another is giuen faith by the same Spirit As also Philip. 1.29 For vnto you it is giuen for Christ that not onely ye should belieue in him but also suffer for his sake So faith is the gift of the holy Spirit and this gift is not giuen to all men and women as the Apostle plainlie declareth All haue not faith This gift though it be giuen it is not giuen to all but is onely giuen to the Elect that is to so many as the Lord hath appointed to life euerlasting This gift where-euer it is and in what heart soeuer it be it is neuer idle but perpetually working and working well by loue and charitie as the Apostle affirmeth Gala. 5.6 This gift where-euer it is is not dead but quicke and liuely as the Apostle Iames testifieth in his second Chapter And to let you know whether it be liuely and working or not there is no better meanes then to looke vnto the fruites and effects that flow from it And therefore that ye by your owne effects may be the more assured of the goodnesse of your faith I will giue you three speciall effects to obserue by the which ye may iudge of the goodnesse of your faith First looke to thy heart and cast thine eye on it If thou hast a desire to pray a desire to craue mercy for thy sinnes to call vpon Gods holy Name for mercy and grace if there be such a thing in thy heart as a desire to pray if thy heart be inclined and hath a thirst to seeke after mercie and grace though the greatest part of thine heart repine and would drawe thee from prayer yet assuredly that desire that thou hast in any measure to prayer is the true effect of the right faith If thou haue a heart to pray to God though this desire be but slender assure thy selfe thy soule hath life for prayer is the life of the soule and maketh thy faith liuely And why Prayer is Gods owne gift it is no gift of ours for if it were ours it would be euill but it is the best gift that euer God gaue man and so it must be the gift of his owne holy Spirit and being his owne gift it must make our faith liuely Without this thou art not able nor thou darest not call vpon him in whom thou beleeuest not as the Apostle saith Rom. 10.14 For if I intreate him by prayer I must trust in him Then prayer is a certaine argument of iustifying faith and beliefe in God for I cannot speake to him much lesse pray to him in whom I trust not And though the heart be not fully resolued and well disposed yet if there be any part of the heart that inclineth to prayer it is a sure gage that that part belieueth The second effect whereby thou shalt know whether faith be in thee or no is this Obserue and aduise with thy selfe if thy heart can be content to renounce thy rancour to forgiue thy grudges and that freely for Gods cause Canst thou do this And wilt thou forgiue thy neighbour as freely as God hath forgiuen thee Assuredly this is an effect of the right Spirit for nature could neuer giue yt. There is nothing whereunto nature bendeth it selfe more then to rancour and enuy and there is nothing wherein nature placeth her honour more greedily then in priuy reuenge Now if thy heart be so tamed and brought downe that it will willingly forgiue the iniurie for Gods cause this is the effect of the right Spirit This is not my saying it is the saying of Christ himselfe in the Euangelist Math. 6.14 where he thus speaketh If ye do forgiue men their trespasses your heauenly Father will also forgiue you And in the fifteenth verse But if ye doe not forgiue men their trespasses no more will your heauenly Father forgiue you your trespasses So that Christ saith He that forgiueth wrongs shall haue wrongs forgiuen him but he that will reuenge his wrongs wrong shall be reuenged vpon him Therefore as thou wouldest be spared of thy wrongs done vnto the mightie God spare thou thy neighbour I will not insist examine whether ye haue faith or not examine it by prayer examine it by the discharge of your owne priuie grugdes for if ye want these effects a heart full of rancour a heart voide of prayer is a heart faithlesse and meete for hell The third effect of faith is compassion Thou must bow thy heart and extend thy pity vnto the poore members of Christ his body and suffer them not to want if thou haue for except ye haue this compassion ye haue no faith Examine your selues by these three effects and if ye find these in any measure though neuer so small you haue the right faith in your hearts the faith that ye haue is true and liuely and assuredly God will be mercifull vnto you This faith of ours though it be liuely yet it is not perfect in this world but euery day and euery houre it needeth a continuall augmentation it craueth euer to be nourished for the which increase the Apostles themselues Luke 17.5 said Lord increase our faith And Christ himselfe commandeth vs to pray and say Lord increase our faith I belieue Lord helpe my vnbeliefe Then by Christ his owne command we plainely see that this faith needeth continually to be nourished helped and it cannot be helped but by prayer therefore should we alwayes continue in prayer That this faith should be helped and that we should be perpetually vpon our guard in feare and trembling to get it augmented the terrible doubtings the wonderfull pits of desperation into the which the dearest seruants of God are cast do dailie teath For the best seruants of God are exercised with terrible doubtings in their soules with wonderfull stammerings and they shall be brought at some times as appeares in their owne iudgement to the very brinke of desperation These doubtings and stammerings let vs see that this faith of ours would be perpetually nourished and that we haue need continually to pray for the increase of it It pleaseth the Lord at sometimes to let his seruants haue a sight of themselues to cast them downe and to let them see how vgly sinne is It pleaseth him to let them fall into the bitternesse of sinne and to what end Not that he will deuoure them and suffer them to be swallowed vp of destruction Though Hezekiah cryeth out That like an hungry Lyon the Lord is like to deuoure him and bruise him in peeces yet the Lord suffers him not to
despaire And though Dauid cry I cannot away with this consuming fire I cannot endure the fire of the Lords iealousie yet he despaireth not But the Lord casteth his seruants very low To what end To the end that they may feele in their hearts and consciences what Christ suffered for them on the Crosse in soule and body Yea we would thinke that there had bene plaine collusion betwixt the Father and the Sonne and that his suffering had bene no suffering except we felt in our soules in some measure the hell which he sustained in fullmeasure So to the end that we might clearely vnderstand the bitternesse of sinne that we might know how farre we are indebted to Christ who suffered such torments for our sinnes and that we may be the more able to thanke him to praise his holy Name he suffers his owne seruants to doubt but not to despaire he forgiues their doubtings he forgiues their stammerings and in his owne time he supports them and brings vs vnto the waters of life These doubtings as I haue often said may lodge in one soule with faith for doubting and faith are not directly opposite onely faith and despaire are opposite and therefore faith and despaire cannot lodge both in one soule For despaire ouerthroweth the pillars of hope and where there is no hope there can be no faith But as for doubting it may lodge it will lodge and hath lodged in the soules of the best seruants that euer God had Marke the speech of the Apostle We are alwaies in doubt saith he but we despaire not So doubting and faith may lodge both in one soule And from whence floweth this doubting We know that in the regenerate man there is a remnant of corruption for we haue not our heauen in this earth though we begin our heauen here yet we get it not fully here And if all corruption were taken away what should there want of a full heauen here So it is onely begun in this life and not perfected therefore there remaines in the soule a great corruption which is neuer idle but continually occupied This corruption is euer bringing forth the birth of sinne more or lesse euery sinne hurts the conscience a hurt conscience impaireth the perswasion so comes in the doubting For there is not a sinne that we commit but it banisheth light and casteth a mist ouer the eye of our faith whereby we doubt and stagger in our sight and were it not that the Lord in his mercie taketh vs vp giueth vs the gift of repentance and maketh vs euery day as oft as we sin to crie as oft for mercie and so to repaire the losse that we haue of faith to repaire the losse that we haue of the feeling of mercie we would wholly put out that same light But it pleaseth the Lord though we be euery day sinning to giue vs the gift of repentance and by repentance to repaire our faith to repaire the sense and feeling of mercie in vs and to put vs in that same state of perswasion wherein we were before Therefore if God begin not continue not end not with mercie in that very moment that he absâ—racts his mercie from vs we will decay So we must be diligent in calling for mercie we must be instant continually in seeking to haue a feeling of mercie Thus much for thâ— doubting Now howsoeuer it be sure and certaine that the faith of the best children of God is often subiect to doubting yet it is as sure and certaine that it is neuer wholly extinct albeit it were neuer so weake yet it shall neuer vtterly decay and perish out of the heart wherein it once maketh residence This comfort and consolation the Spirit of God hath set downe in his word to support the troubled heart That howsoeuer faiâ—h be weake yet a weake faith is faith and where that faith is there will euer be mercie Ye haue in Romanes 11.29 that the gifts and calling of God are without repentance But among all the gifts that are of this sort faith is one of the chiefest therefore it cannot be reuoked againe Ye haue in Iude 3. That faith was once giuen vnto the Saints Once giuen that is constantly giuen neuer to be changed nor vtterly taken from them The Lord will not repent him of this gift but the soule which he hath loued once he will loue perpetually It is true and certaine that the sparkles of faith which are kindled in the heart by the Spirit of God may be obscured and smothered for a long time they may be couered with the ashes of our owne corruption and with our owne ill deeds and wickednesse into which we daily fall It is true that the effects of a liuely faith will be interrupted and that thy lusts and affections will preuaile for a long time so that when thou lookest on thy selfe vpon the iudgements of God that hang ouer thy soule and bodie when thou lookest vpon thy dissolute life and on the anger of God against this dissolute life in the mind in the heart and conscience of him that hath so smothered and oppressed his faith it will oft times come to passe in his owne iudgement hauing his eyes fixed on himselfe onely that he will thinke himselfe to be a reprobate to be an outcast and neuer able to recouer mercie Where this corruption bursteth forth in this grosse manner after that the Lord hath called thee looke how soone the Lord beginneth to waken thee againe incontinent thou fixest thine eyâ—s vpon thine owne life and entrest into a deepe consideration as well of the weight of thy sinne as of the weight of the wrath of God which thou seest following thereupon and art loath to remit these cogitations to thinke vpon the deepenesse of the mercie of God Resting on these considerations it cannot but come to passe that in thine owne iudgement thou art an out-cast And yet God forbid it were so for though these sparks of the Spirit be couered by the corruption that is within thy soule yet these sparkles are not wholly put out And to let you see that they are not extinguished though they breake not forth in the outward effects that the world may know thee to be a faithfull man as heretofore yet these sparkles are not idle thou shalt find them not to be idle in thee As for confirmation of my argument that howsoeuer our bodies are let loose to all dissolution after our effectuall calling within vs in our soules that yet the sparkles are not idle ye see that though the fire be couered with the ashes yet it is a fire there is no man will say that the fire is put out though it be couered No more is faith put out of the soule though it be so couered that it neither giue heate nor light outwardly An example of this we haue clearely in the Prophet Dauid after his lamentation in that Psalme of Repentance Psal. 51.11 he prayeth
He changeth the affections and inclinations of my soule he changeth the faculties and qualities of my soule And though our hearts and minds be made new yet the substance of them is not changed but onely the faculties and qualities are changed in respect of the which change we are called new creatures and except you be found new creatures ye are not in Christ. Now to come to the point This secret coniunction is brought to passe by faith and by the holy Spirit by faith we lay hold on the bodie and bloud of Christ And though we be as farre distant as heauen and earth are the Spirit serueth vs as a ladder to conioyne vs with Christ As the ladder of Iacob which reached from the ground to the heauen to the selfe same vse serueth the Spirit of God to conioyne the bodie of Christ with my soule Then obserue the whole in a word What maketh you to haue any right or title to Christ Nothing but the Spirit nothing but faith What should be your studie then Seeke by all meanes possible to get faith that as Peter Acts 15.9 saith your hearts and consciences may be sanctified by faith And if you endeuour not as well to get faith in your hearts as in your minds your faith auaileth not What auaileth the faith that fleeteth in the fantasie and bringeth a naked knowledge without the opening of the heart and consent of the will So there must be an opening of thy heart and consent of thy will to do that thing that God commandeth or else thy faith auaileth not Then striue to get faith in your hearts and minds and doing so ye do the duties of Christians This is not done without the diligent hearing of the word and diligent receiuing of the Sacrament Then be diligent in these exercises and be diligent in prayer Praying in the holy Ghost that he would nourish your soules inwardly with the bodie and bloud of Christ That he would increase faith in your hearts and minds and make it to grow vp more and more daily vntill you come to the full fruition of that blessed immortalitie Vnto the which the Lord of his mercie bring vs and that for the righteous merits of Christ Iesus To whom with the Father and the holy Ghost be all honour praise and glorie both now and euer Amen THE FIFTH SERMON VPON THE LORDS SVPPER 1. COR. 11.23 For I haue receiued of the Lord that which I also haue deliuered vnto you to wit that the Lord Iesus in the night that he was betrayed tooke Bread c. WE haue heard wel-beloued in Christ Iesus in our last exercise what names were giuen to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper as well in the Scriptures as by the Ancients of the Latine and East Churches we heard the chiefe ends wherefore and whereunto this holy Sacrament was at first instituted we heard the things that were contained in this Sacrament what they were how they are coupled how they are deliuered and how they are receiued we heard also some obiections that might be obiected to the contrarie of this doctrine we heard them propounded and as God gaue the grace refuted we heard how the faithfull soule is said to eate Christs body and drinke Christs bloud We heard the manner how Christ is or can be receiued of vs. And we concluded in this poynt That Christ Iesus the Sauiour of mankinde our Sauiour cannot be perceiued nor yet receiued but by a spirituall way and apprehension Neither the flesh of Christ nor the bloud of Christ nor Christ himselfe can be perceiued but by the eye of faith can be receiued but by the mouth of faith nor can be layd hold on but by the hand of faith Now faith is a spirituall thing for faith is the gift of God powred downe into the hearts and minds of men and women wrought in the soule of euery one and that by the mighty working and operation of the holy Spirit So the onely way to lay hold on Christ being by faith and faith of it owne nature being spirituall it followeth therefore that there is no way to lay hold on Christ but a spirituall way there is not a hand to fasten on Christ but a spirituall hand there is not a mouth to digest Christ but a spirituall mouth The Scriptures familiarly by all these termes describe the nature and efficacy of faith We are said to eate the flesh of Christ by faith and to drinke his bloud by faith in this Sacrament chiefly in doing of two things First in calling to our remembrance the bitter death and passion of Christ the bloud that he shed vpon the crosse the Supper which he instituted in remembrance of him before he went to the Crosse the commandement which he gaue Do this in remembrance of me I say we eate his flesh and drinke his bloud spiritually First in this point in recording and remembring faithfully how he died for vs how his bloud was shed vpon the crosse This is the first point a point that cannot be remembred truly except it be wrought by the mighty power of the holy Spirit The second poynt of the spirituall eating standeth in this That I and euery one of you beleeue firmely that he died for me in particular That his bloud was shed on the crosse for a ful remission and redemption of me and my sins The chiefe and principall point of the eating of Christ his flesh drinking of his bloud standeth in beleeuing firmly that that flesh was deliuered to death for my sinnes that that bloud of his was shed for the remission of my sinnes and except euery soule come neere to himselfe and firmely consent and agree and be perswaded that Christ died for him that soule can not be saued that soule can not eate the flesh nor drinke the bloud of Christ. Then the eating of the flesh and drinking of the bloud of Christ standeth in a faithfull memorie in a firme belief and in a true applying of the merits of the death and passion of Christ to my owne conscience in particular There were sundry things obiected against this kind of receiuing I will not insist to repeate them But beside all the obiections which ye heard obiected against this kinde of spirituall receiuing by faith they say If Christ his flesh nor his bloud be not perceiued nor receiued but by the Spirit by faith in the Spirit then say they ye receiue him but by an imagination if he be not receiued carnally nor corporally but onely by the Spirit and by faith then is he not receiued but by way of imagination conceite and fantasie So they account faith an imagination of the minde a fantasie and opinion fleeting in the hearts of men I cannot blame them to thinke so of faith For as none can iudge of the sweetenesse of hony but they that haue tasted of it so there is none can discerne nor iudge of the nature of faith but they that haue felt it
God in me to that part of my soule which the Spirit of God hath reformed in me In such sort that sinne dwelleth in me and it hath his owne will his owne wit his owne counsell out of my minde which he followeth As on the other side the reformed part of me hath his owne will his owne counsell his owne wisedome and vnderstanding in me which he followeth So that all the rest of the dayes of my life there is a continuall battell betwixt these two willes the will of sinne and flesh dwelling in my soule and the will of the Spirit of God and of the reformed part of my soule sinne perswading me to do euill the Spirit of God perswading me to do heauenly things This part suggesting holy thoughts and motions the other part suggesting wicked thoughts and motions And this is the estate of euery man in this earth that hath entred into society with the Spirit of God To take vp this matter that the long discourse of it carrie vs not from our purpose There is no youth yea more then youth there is no age nor part of mans life but carrieth the owne affections the owne vices and imperfectionâ— with it vnto the which affections and vices euery one of vs are either slaues and seruants rather then enemies seruants without contradiction to sin rather then enemies vnto it without battell All the powers of the soule and members of the body in that man where Christ hath not begun to worke content and agree to the euill action runne in a rage to the performance of the will of the flesh For thou art either an ordinary slaue and seruant to sinne or else thou art a contradictor of sinne And this contradiction sheweth the battell that ye haue within your selues It is true that in the naturall man reason and the light that is left in nature maketh some opposition but not long For she is vnarmed destitute of power and therefore the power of darknesse that is in the affection blindeth the eye of reason incontinently To flie from thy selfe to flie from thy affecions it is not possible for thee except that grace come downe out of the heauen except the Spirit of Christ giue thee eyes to see and perceiue that these same lusts of thine these affections of thine which thou thoughtsts in the folly of thy youth to be no sinne except that he giue thee eyes to see that they are sinne thou will neuer condemne them For this is the custome of the naturall man if he burst not forth into the outward actions which are to plainely daÌ„ned in the Law of God his inward lusts appeare to him to be no sinnes and it is onely by the light of the Spirit of Christ by the knowledge wrought by the Spirit of Christ that he beginneth to see clearely that all his affections and his lusts are vtterly damned in the sight of God and are sinnes And this sight first maketh vs flee from them for we would neuer part with our lusts and affections if the Spirit of God did not let vs see the vglinesse of them And beside this vglinesse it maketh vs to feele in our hearts and to taste of the bitternesse of them where the diuel and our corruption made vs to thinke that they were sweete oft before When the Spirit beginneth to rip vp our hearts and to discouer the secrets of our hearts and blindnesse of our minds it maketh vs to feele the vglinesse and bitternes that is in them and this is the first thing that euer maketh man to repent and giueth him a conscience of sinne and maketh him to haue an earnest desire to flie from himselfe and the lusts of his youth If thou flie not in time and take not on this flight in due season when thou art called to flie as now thou art called to flie by the word of God which giueth thee a cleare light an eye to see from whence thou shouldest flie If thou learne not now to flie â—o question thou and thine affections shall both perish These same affections wherin thy soule through long custome so delighted shall putrifie thy soule shall corrupt thy soule more and more shall bring thy bodie the tabernacle wherein thy soule lodgeth to greater and greater decay waste thy conscience subuert thy faith and spoile thee of thy white garments whereby onely accesse is granted thee to the throne of grace and in the end shall bring euerlasting destruction on soule and bodie both Except therefore thou learne to flie there is no escaping from euerlasting death both in bodie and soule therfore this flight is necessary And now it is time that euery one of you beg the Spirit of God that ye may flie For if ye knew those terrors of conscience the fire of Gods wrath and the feare of hell damnation whereunto the heart of euery man is subiect for all the kingdomes of the earth ye would not take in hand to offend so mightie and so gracious a God But such is the deceit and false pleasure of sinne and such is the canker venime which the diuel hath spewed into our hearts that it shutteth our eyes letteth vs not see the vglinesse of sinne nor taste of the bitternesse thereof Therefore euery one of you in the feare of God examine your affections examine your minds and see whereunto ye are addicted suspect euer your affections what euer enticement they haue to cloke the same with suspect euer the motion of them for the diuell is in them for when they appeare to be most quiet yea wholly rooted out and extinguished the stumps of them sticke in the soule and a verie slight obiect or short idlenesse will kindle them againe So they would euer be handled like yong Toades for they are the worse by ouer great libertie And as this should be done in euery man especially it should be done in publike men men who are placed in publike offices and must discharge them in some measure to the glory of God to the contentment of his Church weale of his people As we ought to do this so chiefly they ought euer to suspect their affections lest giuing place to their affections they make them to peruert iustice for what is it that peruerteth iustice but affection So these affections in publike persons would be chiefly eschued Then ye see the exhortation riseth clearely to you my Lord who are now placed to beare a peece of charge and gouernment in the absence of our Prince that ye my Lord cast away your affections and burie them vnder your feete and let iustice strike indifferently where it should strike Let no communitie of name alliance proximitie of bloud or whatsoeuer it be mooue you to peruert iustice but let euery man be answered according to the merit of his cause Except these affections that accompanie great men be remooued no question ye must peruert that place Let not the theefe passe because he is your