the world that hee gaue his sonne to redeeme it If God had not beene mercifull man had beene miserable and therefore saith Peter Blessed be God which according to his mercy hath begotten vs againe to a liuely hope Secondly wee are iustified sanguine vel obedientia Christi by the blood and obedience of Christ. 1. Vt materia iustitae nostrae As the mater of our iustification 2. Vt causa formalia iustificationis nostrae as the formall cause of our iustification 3. Vt causa impulsiua meritoria as the inpulsiue and meritorious cause Thus the obedience of Christ is the matter the forme and impulsiue cause of our righteousnesse From the redemption of Christ there is freedome from death reconciliation with God the gift of righteousnesse and the inheritance of the kingdome of heauen Thus all the vertue of our iustification depends vppon the life and death of Christ Neither could our death be dissolued without Christs passion nor our life restored without his resurrection Thirdly we are iustified ex fide of faith vt causa instrumentali in nobis as the instrumentall in vs whereby we apprehend the righteousnes of Christ by faith apply the same vnto vs. To cōclude it in a word here is misericordia Dei the mercy of God promising 2. satisfactionem Christi the satisfaction of Christ meriting 3. fidei faith beleeuing and thus stands our righteousnesse Which distinction the Church of Rome refuseth saying wee are iustified by an inherent righteousnesse wherein two false points of doctrine are maintained First that there is some meritorious cause in vs of this righteousnesse Secondly that we are free from sinne for so are their owne words that we are not reputed iust but are made iust indeede But to the meritorious cause in man I answere in Augustines wordes God crowneth thee but in mercy for thou wast not worthy whom God should call or being called to bee iustified and being iustified to bee glorified If thou pleade thy merits God saith vnto thee examine thy merits and see if they bee not my giftes Where then is the meritorious cause in man Hoc est non in nostris recte factis this lyeth not in our well-done deedes sed in tua bonitate situm est but in thy goodnesse O God that we are made righteous And for the perfection of iustice I answere with the same Augustine Our iustice in this life consisteth rather in the remission of sinnes then perfection of vertue Take comfort then O Christian For if God iustifie who shall condemne who is able to lay any thing to the charge of Gods chosen Why then should wee feare For tius quod non est non est poena peccatum remissum non est Ergo peccatum remissi non est poena That which is not hath no punishment forgiuen sinnes are not Ergo forgiuen sinnes hath no punishment as saith the Apostle wherefore let vs goe boldly to the throne of grace If thou wouldest bee healed hee is thy Physition if thou burnest with feauers hee is a fountaine to coole thee if thou art pressed downe with iniquitie he is thy righteousnesse if thou feare death he is thy life and if thou desirest heauen he is the way Is God thus good thus mercifull as to iustifie vs being sinners what will hee doe for vs then being iustified and this is the proper righteousnesse in this place There is a righteousnesse of sanctification for as Christ is our iustice so is he our holinesse And as many as haue put on Christ haue crucified the flesh with the affections and lustes whereby a man is righteous in his life and conuersation So saith Iohn whosoeuer is borne of God sinneth not That is as Piscator notes non dat operam peccato not giuing them to worke sinne for these two goe together iustification and regeneration as Dauid saith Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth no sinne there is iustification and in whose heart there is no guile this is sanctification Happy men in whom two kisse one another where the dewes of iustification are destilled down and the sweet flowers of sanctification doe spring vppe And yet such honour haue all his Saints iustification peace of conscience ioy in the holy Ghost and sanctification of life Thus God raines downe his mercies vpon his Saints which be the Charter of heauen the couenant of grace and the assurance of glory musicke to the eares splendor to the eye odour to the smell daintaies for the tast pleasures for the sense and solace for the soule And seeing it is now high time to leaue you here will I leaue you for I cannot leaue you better then where I haue you And so I cease to speake of that which you shall neuer cease to enioy The persons now remaine to bee spoken of lacem you but I passe ouer this with silence hauing spoken of them before And now I call heauen and earth to record that this day I haue set before you life and death a blessing and a curse and haue sounded out the voyce of Boanarges and the voyce of Barnabas by the voyce of Boanarges I haue laboured to plowe vppe your sinnes in the doctrine of repentance by thundring out Gods iudgements in the voyce of Barnabas I haue laboured to helpe you to reape the haruest of Gods promises in the voyce of consolation and in all this I haue not beene partiall neither fearing the great nor fauouring the meane And now all I desire at your hands is a thankefull acceptance of my paines and a ready obedience of my exhortation which if I finde I shall thinke grace to be in your soules zeale in your hearts iustice in your handes and holinesse in your liues and so looking for the haruest of my labours I commit my words of exhortation to your practise and my wordes of consolation to your comfort and your selues to the blessed trinitie to God the father which loned vs so sweetly to God the Sonne that bought vs so dearely and God the holy Ghost who sanctifies vs so purely three glorious persons but one immortall incomprehensible onely wise God be giuen and ascribed from men and Angels in heauen and earth with soule and spirit all praise honour glory might dominion and maiestie at this present hencefoorth and world without end Amen 6 JY 53 Esa. 44. 3. Man patt with all creaturs Obserue Luk. 16. 19 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pto. 10. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Man a diuine earth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iohn 15. 5. Doct. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pro. 4. 23. 〈◊〉 4. 14. Heb. 13. 9. Luk. 21. 34. Re. 1. Rom. 10. 10. Psal. 112. 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 King 22. 31. Iohn 13. 2. Esa. 29. 13. Matth 13. 9. Matth. 7. 17. Leuit. 22. 19. Exod. 23 2. Heb. 10. 22. Heb. 12. 24.
a coniunction copulatiue ioyning of things together and this is ruach Elohim God the Spirit In a word the Father hath but one respect that is he is produceus non productus producing and not produced The Spirit hath one respect likewise hee is productus produced not producens producing But the the Sonne hath two respects that is he is productus a Patre vna cum Patre producens spiritum sanctum produced from the Father and is one with the Father producing the holy Spirit This is the Trinitie in vnitie and the vnitie in Trinitie three Persons yet but one God And now what is it that you would haue Is it Power to protect you Mercy to forgiue you and Grace to sanctifie you Then seeke eth Iehouah for as Salomon sayde get wisedome get vnderstanding so get Iehouah and get all things For they alone possesse all things which possesse the possesser of all things Well might Dauid say our helpe standeth besham Iehouah for there we haue power and protection mercy and redemption grace and sanctification But this is a Sunne so glorious that wee are not able to behold it a Sea so deepe we cannot sound it and a maiestie so great wee cannot comprehend it I must say with Barnard To enquire of the Trinitie is a peruerse curiosity to beleeue and to hold as the holy Church holdeth is faith and securitie to see it as it is is most perfect and chiefe felicitie And now I say vnto you as Alanus saide to his auditours who told them that hee would open the misterie of the Trinitie and when hee was to speake hereof at the time appointed saide Sufficit vobis vidisse Alanus It is sufficient that you haue seene Alanus So it is sufficient that you haue heard thus much of the incomprehensible Trinitie and this great glorious name Iehouah Eth Iehouah wee will not so let him goe but as Iacob would not let the Angell goe before hee had got a blessing so we will not giue ouer till we haue found the Lord for though we cannot come neere him because of his glory yet let vs tread in his footsteps and that will bring vs to him at length For as the onely way to come to the sea is to follow the streame to the nearest way to follow the Lord is to follow him in his word and this will bring a man peace at the last saith Dauid And this is that which the Lord commaunded saying Seeke mee and you shall liue but seeke not Beth. el. His meaning is that they should obey his word and follow the same and not Ieroboams calues at Beth el. This was commended in Iofiah which sought the Lord that is the will and word of the Lord to doe accordingly Which thing beingsoneedful that the apostle saith Proue that good and acceptable will of the Lord that is to doe it for this is truely to seeke the Lord. When Christ said Seeke the kingdome of God and his righteousnesse hee meaneth that we should doe that righteousnesse And whosoeuer thus seekes the Lord shall finde him to his comfort But here take heede you seeke him not in Poetry Philosophie or in Historiographie for non est hic He is not here The wisedome of the world knew not God in the wisdome thereof Therfore well might the Apostle say Take heede that no man spoyle you through Philosophie A disease whereof many are sicke hauing more delight and being better experienced in humane stories then in godly Diuinity In the one they are cunning in the other they are ignorant When they come to the word they must doe as men that want their sight which put on their spectacles before they can reade so these must turne to the Table before they can finde the Booke Surely it is not like there can be a strong faith when the knowledge is so weake The men of this age are taken with a kinde of giddinesse in the braine and are sicke of curiositie in Religion more ready to enquire after Melchi sedecs father then the way to finde God Much like Adrian who would needes know who was Euandars nurse and great grandfathers granfather to Priamus Maximus reports that Eucledes who being asked wherewith the gods were delighted answered for other things I know not but this I am sure of they hate all curious persons It was strange that the Iewes should forsake the Manna and loue the Garlike and Onions of Egypt But more strange it is to see the men of this time to forsake the word of God and to loue the foame of mens inuentions How are our Sermons now despised if they bee not garnished ouer with historie or Philosophie How many come hither rather for affected wordes then to learne how to practise obedience and to fill their eares with curiositie rather then their hearts with grace There is no great difference betweene the foode of the body and the foode of the soule for good meate must be set out with floures good clothes with toyes and so sound Diuinitie with history These are seekers but for deuils diuintie Looke on the drunkard and you shall finde him a diligent searcher not for the Lord but for strong drinke Hee beginnes with the Sunne-rising and continues till it set and often hee calles for a candle because the whole day is too short and there he and others search till neither witte in their heads grace in their soules nor money in their purses is to be found The adulterer is a searcher not after the Lord but harlots He seekes all in the darke by owle-light lest the chaste birds of honestie should see him and wonder at him and at length findes a bodie going to the graue full of sores and a soule going to hell miserably sinfull The Incloser is a great seeker but to the poore mans cost and his beasts destruction he hedges in the poore mans Common and keepes pasture from his beast and so he is a murderer both of man an beast Not long since by God such an Incloser was strucken dead suddenly from heauen in the very acte of his sinne I could name him I will not The Ingrosser is a great seeker euen to the foure corners of the Land but in all this inambulation hee cannot or will not find the Lord not so much as set a foote in the path of obedience like those dogs running by the riuer Nilus not once giuing a lap at Iacobs Well These seeke not for grace but graine and commodities like the Pharises that compasse sea and land to fill their ware-houses with commodities Surely wee neede not complaine for want of bread were it not for these Inclosers The ambitious man is a diligent seeker hee lookes high and seekes in the ayre yet not for the Lord but for the honour of promotion like Haman that seeke to ride on the Kings horse and thinke the highest step of promotion too low for them
extra nos these intra nos vero spiritu Dei inscripta Written by the very Spirit of God For God hath sent the Spirit of his Sonne into our hearts whereby wee crie Abba Father And though the sound of saluation delighteth the eare yet the ioy and sweetnesse is in the heart Deus est mel in ore God is hon is in the mouth Melos in aurc Musicke in the eare iubilum in corde and ioy in the heart Veniet veniet dies indicy vbi plus valebunt pura corda quam astutia verbis conscientia bona quam marsupia plena quandoquidem index ille nec verbis falletur nec donis flecteur The day will come the day of iudgement will come when cleane hearts will more auaile then crastinesse in words and a good conscience then a full purse seeing that the Iudge will neither be deceiued with words nor mooned with gifts If then a good heart shall bee of such worth at that day it is principally to be regarded in this lise Now before we passe-from this note with mee here the hypocrites which haue onely the outside of greatnes like stage-players which appeare like Kings vnto others themselues being no better then beggars These hypocrites serue the Lord in shew not in trueth Christians onely in name Saints onely in shew These are painted boxes wherein are hid deadly poysons vnder Iesabels painted face a whorish behauiour These cleanse the outside but within is a denne of theeuish affections O generation of vipers how should ye escape the damnation of hell Vnto this purpose serueth that storie wherein I reade of Hercules which begot Scithes on a monster whose vpper parts were like a woman and her lower parts like a viper Me thinkes the hypocrite resembles this monster his vpper parts shall be like a woman I meane his smooth and splendent words but his lower parts or if you will his heart is like the viper For as historians report the viper eates a way out of the belly of her damme with the danger of her life that bred her so the hypocrite eates vp the bowels of his mother the Church that brought him foorth crying out against disorders abroad whiles there is none at home in his owne heart I speake not against professors but against hypocrites to whom I say as Chrysostome said Aut esto quod appares aut appare quod es Either be as thou seemest or appeare as thou art I would to God they would bee either open enemies that so we might beware of them or faithsull friends vnto Christ and his Church These are sicke of wantonnesse in religion and are so hote about the question de modo that it is to be feared the enemy steales away the matter of religion out of their hearts It is strange to see if that wee will not shew our selues refractarie wrangle about shadowes and speake against authority our sermons are hissed at and our persons are derided These are prosessors of note when they speake bitterly their names cary it away strongly with our scandals Note here the proud persons with their top and top-gallants that build towers in the ayre and a heauen on earth whiles there is a hell in their consciences The proud person is Deo odibilis diabolo similis and sibi damnabilis Odious vnto God like the deuill and damnable to himselfe witnesseth the saying of the Apostle God reiecteth the proud and giueth grace to the humble Eucry proud man is an idolater because he loues his pride and makes that his God no maruell then if hee be reiected For Nemo potest Dominis rocte seruire duobus No man can serue two masters God and Pride Yet the proud man will and if either be vnserued God shall he will be sure to couer his backe with externall brauerie whether God line his soule with grace or no. You shall see many of these gallants put a whole inheritance into a trunke and metamorphise a whole mannour into a sute of apparel And no maruell when the best farme in it will doe no more then pay for a paire of shooe-strings besides a band in the fashion starched with the deuils liquor and in the punke colour to beautifie it And now they flourish it out in brauery what with their curled haires painted faces and foolish if notfooles coates Thus shine they like starres thinking themselues to be Gods among Saints when God knowes and I feare they be but deuils among men I conclude with the authour to the Hebrewes It is good to haue the heart established with grace and as Seneca saith It is better to haue a soule furnished with grace then a bodie decked with glorious apparell that so wee might be like vnto Nathaniel of whom it is said Behold a true Israelite 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in whom there is no guile Ioh. 1. 47. But I haue not yet done with the subiect New fallow your fallow it was plowed before but for the sowing of euill seede The husbandman in the countrey can better vnderstand this then the citizen The maner of the husbandman is to fit his tillage according to his seede The ground wherein he sowes Barley Oates Pease and Tares needeth but one yeeres plowing whereas the ground where Wheate and Rye is to be sowen hath two yeeres plowing During the time that it lies plowed and not sowen it is called fallow ground Such is this fallow ground of their hearts which was made ready for the sowing of iniquitie As the same Prophet witnesseth Cikerbu cattannur libbam For they haue made ready their hearts And as another Prophet witnesseth They lie in waite for blood Likewise Dauid sayth That they lie secretly as a Lyon in his denne Thus the wicked not of infirmitie but of meditation and deliberation runne into sinne Prauus vsus vix aboletur A wicked vse is hardly abolished Assidua consuetudo vitium in naturam conuertit saith Augustine A continuall custome conuerteth vice into nature For it is a pastime to the wicked to doe euill whereas the godly hath no delight in sinne Seneca by the light of nature could say that Bonus animus nunquam erranti obsequium accommodat A good minde neuer reacheth the helping hand vnto error Insomuch that the heathen said that Bona cupido animi bonus Deus est A good desire in the minde is a good God Whereas the minds of the wicked are bent to commit sinne with greedinesse as Salomon saith Come say they let vs lie in waite for blood Of purpose you see not by infirmitie notwithstanding the Lord by the Prophet pronounceth a woe against them that imagine wickednesse vpon their beds There are two things that make the wicked thus bent in their minds to sinne The first is the corruption of nature which is corrupt of it selfe and iudges those things to be good which are euill and those things euill which are good As the Apostle witnesseth The naturallman knowes not
from man it is damnable to reb God for the thest is so much the greater by how 〈◊〉 God is greater then man and spiritual riches better then temporall Let Dauid be brought foorth for the condemnation of these which concludeth that it is a greater sinne to robbe a poore man then a rich Where Dauid concludeth that hee that had stollen the poore mans sheppe should die you may apply it thus Man is rich God is poore for man hath six dayes allowed him God but one what a shame is it then to steale that one day from God and to appropriate the same to our owne pleasure O great ingratitude that cannot be content to allowe that vnto God which cost thee nothing what wouldest thou doe if it should cost the somewhat hauing sixe dayes canst thou not finde in thy heart to let God haue that one day that hee hath reserued to himselfe What wouldest thou doe if God had taken sixe to himselfe and giuen thee but one yet euen then it had beene a sinne to haue taken any part of those daies from him hen much more now Sinne is tollerable in none and lesse tollerable in some The poore hath no law to prophane the Saboath much lesse the rich These are rich if not too rich and what neede haue veluet coates to steale the Saboath or any part thereof from God These are silken theeues and rather then they will abate any thing the Saboath shall goe to wracke God shall be dishonoured and his word despised If I should tell you that there were man slaughter euery Saboath day in the Exchange you would abhorre it but I say vnto you there is worse for the Saboath day is broken a greater sinne then murther But these will appologise for themselues that it is after they haue beene at the Church well grant it be so yet tell me whether that be not a breach of the law to wound a man though he kill him not or to couzen by craft though he robbe not by force or to lust though the adultery be not committed So then I conclude though we prophane not the whole day yet if any part thereof be prophaned it is a breach of the precept And that it may appeare so turne your considerations to that of Esay Wherein the Lord teacheth vs two things 1. negatiuely a. affirmatiuely Negatiuely he doth dehort vs from two things the one is externall that we should doe no actions belonging to this temporall life either of profit or of pleasure saying Turne away thy foote and speake no vaine word Thus as he doth prohibite the externall prophanation of it so he doeth the internall prophanation also Namely that we should not thinke our owne thoughts And affirmatiuely he commaundeth the sanctifying of the Saboath saying if thou turne away thy foote one the Saboath from doing thine owne will on mine holy day and call the Saboah a delight to consecrate it as glorious to the Lord and shalt honour him not doing thine owne wayes nor seeking thine owne will nor speaking a vaine word That you may see the greatnes of this sinne note how the holy Ghost makes this the marke and period of a wicked man Then the land shall enioy her Saboaths Hereby shewing that the wicked are ripe in their wickednesse when they beginne to prophane the Saboath With this compare the saying of Amos. Though they were wicked and cruell and greedy after gaine in the selling of their wares yet would they stay till the Saboath was past Hereby shewing that the breach of the Saboath is a greater sinne then the destruction of the poore You will say that these are strangers that haue their inambulation in the Exchange Well it is so and what of that shall they haue a tolleration thereby to prophane the Saboath Remember that God made one lawe for the Iewe and the stranger and by my consent if they will not be obedient to our law they should haue no benefit by it but I must leaue them to authoritie I haue almost done with the subiect there is but one field more But how is my heart oppressed with sudden passion to transport you into this fielde sowne with a shewe of puritie a hot profession of religion and I hope also with vprightnesse of heart yet there are dangerous teares of murmuration that are ready to choake this good corne and of necessitie must be plowed vppe I speake not this to dull the edge of your profession but rather to sharpen your loue and to ripen your iudgement in true godlinesse For non auditores sed factores legis not the hearers of the lawe shall bee iustified but the doers nec eadem profitentes sed eidem obedientes not professors but performers shall bee glorified Thinke not that I am so far void of charity to condemne these as hypocriticall mocke-gods that altogether run out of the way but steppe aside with one foote whereas they should turne neither to the right hand nor to the left Giue me leaue to say as the holy Ghost saith to the Church of Ephesus I knowe thy workes thy labour and thy patience and thy faith I knowe these haue the fruite of the spirit they are diligent to heare the word conscionable to keepe the Sabbaoth vsing holy exercises in their samilies and hauing a great measure of prayer the Lord increase it an hundred fould more then it is Yet I haue somewhat against them They are too vnnaturall children speaking euill of their mother and those that are in authoritie darting forth male volent speeches slanders and imputations against the gouernours and gouernment both of our Church and common-wealth and disgorging themselues to the great scandall of Religion and griefe to our Clergie Shall the poyson of aspes bee found vnder your tongues you that should defend vs by your speech to offend vs in your words One blowe of you Israelites wounds vs deeper then an hundred stripes of the Edomites If it had beene our enemines that had done vs this dishonour we could well haue endured the same But it is you O professors I that haue lifted vp your hilles against vs. O let me say as God saide by Hosea Though Israel play the Harlot yet let not Iuda sinne Though Papistes seeke to blowe vs vp the Brownistes to forsake vs the Deuill to tempt vs the flesh to rebell the world to allure and the wicked to perfecute vs yet let not zealous professors reuile vs let not Iehosephat ioyne with Ahab and take part with the enemies of the Lord least a curse follow It seemes strange vnto me to see how our endeuours are rewarded with vngratefulnesse Be we learned eloquent powerfull zealous painefull and godly in life yet all our labours are requited with a depart from vs we know you not Why Because we are conformalists so that one herbe of this kinde shall spoyle the whole pot of pottage Our conformitie to established orders shall dull the edge
Agnitio peccati ct irae Dei The knowledge of sinne and of the wrath of God This knowledge is so needfull that without it we neuer flee from sinne witnesse that saying of Paul I had not knowne sinne but by the lawe for I had not knowen sinne except the lawe had said Thou shalt not lust By which it appeareth that by the iudgement of Paul concupiscence was no sinne and therefore hee in a happy and blessed estate as he saith in the 9 verse iudging himselfe to bee aliue and therefore sarte from repentance for his concupiscence because he did not see it to be a sinne But when the knowledge of sinne came by the Commaundement then hee rent his heart with contrition vers 10. And as he found this in himselfe so he commands it vnto others instructing them to meekenesse that are contrary minded proouing if God at any time will giue them repentance that they may come to the knowledge of the trueth The like course Peter tooke with the Iewes to make their sinnes appeare vnto them that so he might drawe them to repentance which hee could not haue done without the sight of sinne for the whole neede no. Physitian saith Christ. No man will seeke to the Physitian before he feele his disease no man will repent before hee beleeues himselfe to be a sinner Nemofacit Legem nisi qui credit Legi No man doeth the Lawe but hee that beleeues the Lawe saith Ambrose Who will grieue for his sinne before hee sees that hee hath sinned In this sense a man may say as the Eunuch said when Philip asked him if he knew what he read How can I without a guide So may we well say how shall sinners repent before they knowe their sinne Therefore the counsell of Ieremie is to be followed Let vs search and try our wayes to finde out our sinnes for he that hideth his sinne shall not prosper but he that confesseth them shall haue mercy The way to get pardon of sinne is first to know them 2. to repent for them This is the first effect of the plowe to discouer our sinnes To haue an acknowledgement of sinne these things are requisite First a skill in the word of God for there hee hath read a Lecture vnto vs both of good and euil sinne and vertue distinguishing the one from the other and painting them both out in their seuerall collours For that is it that is able to make it man wise vnto saluation Dauid asking this question of God Wherewith shall a man redresse his wayes Answere is made By taking heed vnto thy word for nothing doeth make sinne manifest what it is but onely Gods word The Deuill can but he will not Sinne is the lawe of his kingdome whereby it is gouerned and therefore this is to be obserued that the Deuill neuer taughtman to practise any thing but sinne as witnesseth the word of God and therefore farre from making sinne known vnto vs. The like proofe you may haue out of History as Augustine notes Does Paganorum nunquam bene uiuendi sanxisse doctrinam Those Gods of the Pagans neuer established the doctrine of liuing well for they neuer had care of those Cities that gaue them diuine honour And as the Deuill can and will not so nature is blind and cannot Therefore if the blinde lead the blinde they both fall into the ditch There is a kinde of Sympathie betweene sinne and nature onely the word of God can doe it The second thing that is necessary for the acknowledgement of sinne is the illumination of Gods spirit to worke true vnderstanding and iudgement in vs. Paul prayes that the God of our Lord Iesus Christ that father of glory might giue vnto vs the spirit of wisedome that the eyes of our vnderstanding might bee onlightened that we might knowe what the hope is of his calling and what the riches of his glorious inheritance is in his Saints and what is the exceeding greatnesse of his power towards vs. So that it is grace that giues vs true vnderstanding to iudge betweene sinne and vertue It is not the Preachers voyce that serues the turne Non verbis hominis fit vt intelligatur verbum Dei facit deus vt intelligatis The words of man cannot make man to vnderstand the word of God but it is God that maketh them to vnderstand Hereunto tend the wordes of Christ. I will send the holy Ghost and hee shall reprooue the world for sinne no man sees sinne in others nor in himselfe that he should reproue it but by the spirit The third thing necessary whereby we may come to the acknowledgement of sinne is a diligene searching into our selues and an examination of our actions as Dauid saith I haue considered my wayes and 〈◊〉 my feete into thy testimonies for it is not enough for vs to consider sinne in others as Horac saith Cur in amicorum vitium tam cernis acutum Quamaut aquila aut sorpous Epidarlins Why doest thou into thy friends ill cariageprie With a quicke Eagles or a serpent eye No let the eyes of our vnderstanding bee looking into our selues as they said to Dauid See to thine owne house O Dauid So I say to thine owne heart O Christian to finde out thy particular sinnes Thus you see that the knowledge of sinne is needfull and you see also how to come to the knowledge thereof Now hauing seene how the spirituall and terrene plow doe agree in the first part let vs come vnto the second which is how the terreno plow doth teare and rent the ground So the spirituall plow teareth vp the soule that there is dolor propten peccatum offensum Deum A sorrow for sinne and for offending God wherein the heart is exceedingly greeued insomuch that no man can expresse the sorrow thereof For awounded spirit who can beare saith the wiseman and a sorrowfull mind drieth vp the boanes And yet this wounded spirit and sorrowfull mind wee must endure For the godly heart is neuer void Vuohospite recedoute alius statim subintrat One guest being gone another straight comes in Thus he is vexed that is to say haled and hurried by strong and violent force Of which Augustine saith Nihil est miserius misere non miser ante seipsum nothing is more miserable then a miserable soule not to comprehend her 〈◊〉 miserie O great is the sorrow of such a plowed soule That as Barnard saith Si msipsum 〈◊〉 speico 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Si inspecio me ipsum fere non quaeo If I looke not into my selfe I know not my selfe If I looke into my selfe I cannot indure my selfe So that they say with Dauid Out of the deepe I cried vnto the Lord. And this is the state of the poore penitent soule The consideration hereof teacheth vs that the dolor of heart is no true marke of reprobation for then God would not exhort hereunto as here he doth Sorrow is the
to the contrary goe and sinne no more Secondly hee pardons both a poena culpa from the fult and punishment we deny not but that the Church may pardon the punishment but not the fault for that is proper onely to God Thirdly he pardons such as he neuer sawe and cannot tell whether they haue repented them of their sinnes or no whereas pardon is to be granted to such as repent them of their sinnes And to fill vp the measure of his iniquitie Mandanius Angelis quarenus animas omnium accedentium Wee commaund the Angels to carry all the soules of them that come to Rome this yeere out of Purgatory into Paradise Et concedimus cruce signatis vt ad eorum vota duas vel tres animas quas vellent è Purgatorio liberarent And wee grant to all those that haue taken vpon them the holy Crosse to deliuer two or three soules at their pleasure out of Purgatory And surely could it bee prooued that the Pope could forgiue sinnes I would presently turne Papist And here let mee acquaint your vnderstanding with the author of these pardons who as I finde was Gregory the first for hee proclaimed that whosoeuer would come to Rome to visite the Temples should haue cleane remission of sinnes Then came Boniface the 8. and made the yeere of Iubile or grace euery hundred yeeres with the like promises Then after him came Clement the sixt and brought it from an hundred yeeres to fiftie with the same promises Plaenariam indulgentiam full remission of all their sinnes apaena et culpa toties quoties But the thing obseruable is this why so great a benefite as this as they say did sleepe so long before it was knowne either it could not be found or they were very vnmercifull to keepe the people in sinne and might haue freed them of the same But now pardons being found note the manner not a iot without money for no penny no pater-noster And here two things must bee looked vnto first that wee keepe the Popes fauour secondly that wee haue large purses or wee may goe without pardons For conclusion the true Church of God is taught that pardons are not to bee bought with gold and siluer but with the blood of Christ. What should I speake of their pilgremages vnto lying vanities their stewes established by authoritie a hell aboue ground where lust the daughter of idlenesse hath accesse to whoredome or their Masses Cloystered Nunnes single life treasons murthers and a world of the like whereby they are abominable to God odious to man and comparable to the deuill Their Religion damnable their practise blood and crueltie and themselues famous for villany Thus then you see the Papist walke not after the word of righteousnesse no holy Scriptures are reiected and in stead thereof is come darkenesse and darkenesse hath bègot ignorance and ignorance hath begot error and his brethren See these prodigious spirits are they which are contemners of God despisers of his word persecuters of his Saints and sacrificers to the deuill I am glad I am rid of them let them goe but God giue vs grace neuer to followe them 〈◊〉 wee home to our selues and see whether wee can finde any among our selues which walke farre wide from the word of righteousnesse And here first I will beginne with the Vsurer whose arte is crueltie and therefore God did prohibite the same as too barbarous and diabolicall to be in the Church of God Therefore when thou lendest money to the poore thou shalt not bee as a vsurer to them Now if you would knowe what vsury is the text saith it is nashak whereof commeth neshek which signifies to bite or gnawe Well saith the vsurer now I see it is lawfull to take vse so that it be not to the hurt of the borrower whereby to bite him But stay a little and hearken vnto God what hee saith more of this by the Prophet he shall liue for euer which hath not giuen vpon vsury where the word tarbith is vsed which is to encrease and it comes of rabah to multiply So that to bee an vsurer is to take more then hee puts forth and to take encrease is to bite there being no more difference betweene nashak and rabah but this rabah is to take encrease and nashak is the nature of it namely to bite So then you see he which taketh increase for his monty is a biter and so doeth Ambrose obserue Such are the benefites that you rich men bestowe you giue out little and require much againe such is your kindnesse that you vndoe them whom yee helpe This is the nature of vsurie The persons to whom they might not lend vpon vsurie were their brethren And by brethren in this place is ment brethren of nation as Paul saith I haue great heauinesse for my brethren that is for the nation of the Iewes And to these it was not lawfull to lend on vsury not one Iewe to another Iewe. Now by the same rule it is nor lawfull for one English man to lend to another and so of other nations But the chiefe ende why God forbids to lend to their brethren was to shew that in the Church this diabolicall arte should not be vsed As for idolaters and enemies to Religion they might lend to such on vsury and for the rooting out of these wicked ones but among themselues it might not be vsed And this statut-law remaineth still vnrepealed The like I might speake of stage-playes drunkennesse pride adultery swearing lying murdering I haue not yet done with this word of righteousnesse Gods word is called righteous first because of the author which is God Holy men spake as they were mooued by the spirit of God and from God that is perfect there is no euill and filthy thing And for this ende the Prophets cryed the mouth of the Lord the mouth of the Lord to shewe that God was the author thereof which may bee prooued thus 1. Est antiquitas the antiquitie which is before all writing as God is before all creatures 2. Hormonia pulcherima the most sweete hermonie and consent betweene Moyses the Prophets and Apostles which though they liued many yeeres differing yet doe they all agree in one thing 3. the true accomplishing of those things spokē of by them 4. the ouerthrow and downefall of those that haue opposed themselues against their sayings all which doe plainly demonstrate that God is the author of them Secondly they are righteous because they are instruments to bring vs vnto righteousnesse The whole Scripture is giuen vs by inspiration and is profitable to teach to instruct in righteousnesse that the man of God may bee made perfect to euery good worke Now where the effect is holy the cause must needes be righteous Thirdly Gods word must needes be righteous because it teacheth a doctrine which is holy pure righteous c. Is Gods word righteous then well note the blasphemie of
Christi aduentu By consummation and glorification of the Church in the second comming of Christ and vntill then we must seeke the Lord. The last pare the ende VVE are come now by your patience to the last branch of our text And teach you righteousnesse where in obserue 1. the propertie of it Teach 2. the forme of it Rightcousnesse 3. the persons You. The propertie of the worke comes first to be handled Raine This part would bee better vnsoulded by some Phylosopher then by me Raine is impression that commeth of much cold vapour and moist gathered into a body of a cloude drawne out of the earth or waters by the heate of the Sunne into the middle region of the ayre whereby cold it is so knit together that it hangeth vntill either the waight or heate cause it to breake Some thinke the raine and cloudes are not aboue nine miles in height Albertus Magnus saith they are but three miles in height and some thinke that they be but halfe a mile and some againe by Geometricall demonstrations make it aboue fiftie miles to the place where the cloudes and raine are gathered but not to be too curious to seeke for that whereof we haue no neede To conclude sometime they are higher sometime they are lower according to the waight thereof where they breake to the great feare and no lesse danger of man and beast but to come to the true raine here intended Raine the word iorch doth signifie to raine yet a supernaturall showre which makes glad the city of God Gods word is compared to raine and is this raine fo saith the Lord my word shall droppe as the raine Likewise his spirit is compared to raine I will power water on the dry ground And fitly is his word and grace comcompared to raine 1 Raine is called Imber and hath that name of Imbuendo for it springeth and tempereth the earth and maketh it beare fruite Man is compared to earth and the word and grace to raine If this raine be not showred downe vpon this earth it is vnfruitfull therefore to make this earth fruitfull God sends downe the showers of this raine vpon it as the operatiue meanes and working cause to make the hearts of men fruitfull in faith loue and the like and their liues full of good workes And to this belongs the saying of the wise man Arise O North and come O South because in these two places are the signes which concerne the water and the earth as Taurus Virgo and Capricornus which are in the South and be earthly signes The other are Cancer Pisces and Scorpio in the North and bee watery signes Now when the earth of mans heart and the raine of Gods grace doe meete there followes a fruitfull haruest 2 Raine is called Pluuia and hath that name of pluralitate pluralitie of drops and that drop after drop that the earth might receiue it the better A droppe is part of a cloude being broken which destilleth downe droppe after droppe A fit embleme of this supernaturall raine which from one cloude the spirit destilleth into the hearts of men grace after grace and gift after gift Man hath not all the graces of God at the first but by degrees as the Apostle saith We must first haue milke and then strong meate first a lesse grace then a greater and after that full perfection Regeneration is compared to a birth where first the braine is made then the heart after that the liuer then the sinewes arreryes and pipes and lastly the handes and feete And thus is it in the spirituall birth first knowledge and vnderstanding then faith and repentance after peace of conscience and ioy in the holy Ghost and lastly full assurance of all Gods mercies 3 Raine is a maker of peace for often wee see the windes and other elements in an vproare where by the stout Cedars are bowed to the ground Towres and Castles trembling and the waters roaring But now comes a showre of raine from the cloudes and mittigates all this fury Euen so when since the conscience Gods wrath and the terrors of hell accuse vs within and Gog Magog Moab and Ammon I meane wicked men persecute vs without then are wee in great feare and trembling But now comes a showre of grace and mittigates all feares and secures vs from all terrours 4. Raine is Medicus a good Phisition hauing a powerfull efficacie to cleanse the ayre when by infectious fogges and contagious vapours it is corrupted washing away with the showres thereof all the noysome putrifaction euen so when the iudgement and vnderstanding are infected with the filthy fumes of errours and heresies and the trueth almost stifled then commeth a shoure of grace and cleanseth the soule from all these infectious fogges 5. Raine mollifieth the hard earth and makes it more apt for tillage whereby the bowels of the earth are cut with coulters and shares Euen so the hard and obdurate heart of man is made soft and apt to euery good worke by the showres of Gods grace Happie earth whereon this raine falles that is so operatiue and donum omnium donorum maximum A gift farre aboue all other gifts Ioreh of iarah and signifies to teach as well as to raine For while we liue in this world we are in the schoole of Christ and haue need of teaching and the chiefe teacher is the Spirit of God as Christ The comforter whom the Father will send in my Name shall teach you all things outward meanes without this will doe no good For Paulmay plant Apollo may water yet it is God which teacheth by the Spirit or otherwise all is in vaine For Non verbis hominis sit vt intelligatur verbum Dei facit Deus vt intelligatis The wordes of man cannot make man to vnderstand the word of God but it is God that maketh them to vnderstand The outward ministery worketh no grace in the hearts of men It is but a subordinate meanes and causa instrumentalis The instrumentall cause and not causa efficiens The efficient cause Therefore sayth the Apostle Haue you receiued the holy Ghost Intimating thereby that if they wanted the Spirit they could haue no faith for Hoc est opus Dei This is the worke of God Gods assisting grace and the ministery of man must go together else thereis no power in our perishable voyces to effect your consciences Breake away this Analogie and vertuall association of the spirit from the word and you shall bee like those women euer learning but neuer able to come to the knowledge of the trueth Learne then First to follow the counsell of Christ to giue God the things that belong to God and to Cesar that which belongeth to Cesar. If by the ministerie of man you haue gotten some good measure of knowledge faith loue repentance and the like forget not your duetie to the messengers of God Haue them in singular respect for their workes