Fathers will knowne vnto men and is that partie concerning whom the Father gaue his word that he would send him into the world to saue sinners The third person in the godhead is the holy Ghost who proceedeth from the Father and from the Sonne and therefore is the Spirit of them both and he is in either of them both also both the Father and the Sonne are in him Hee is called the Spirit not so much to signifie his nature as to shew his proceeding because he is spired that is as it were breathed from the Father and from the Sonne He is called holy not onely because of the holines of his nature which is all one with the Father and with the Sonne but because he doth sanctifie that is maketh holy all those which shall be saued Rom. 1.4 All and euery outward worke of God commeth from the Father thorough the Sonne and by the holy Ghost The Father beginneth euery worke of himselfe working in and through the Sonne also in and by the holy Ghost Therefore the making and beginning of heauen and earth is intitled vnto him The Sonne worketh in and from the Father in and by the holy Ghost Therefore the redemption and Sauiour-ship goeth in his name because he tooke vnto him a bodie and a soule and so being both God man purchased our saluation and saueth vs in and from his Father in and by the holy Ghost Ioh. 4.19 The Son can doe nothing of himselfe Mat. 12.28 But if I cast out deuills by the spirit of God c. The holy Ghost worketh in and from the Father in and from the Sonne and so by himselfe finisheth euery worke of God specially the sanctifying and cleansing of them which shall bee saued and therefore he is called the sanctifier or the cleanser Thus much of the three persons in one God Now whereas the Lord saith I am thy God the meaning is I saue thee from all euill and bring thee to euerlasting blisse Gen. 15.1 But what proofe haue I that the Lord is my God He further saith Which haue brought thee out of the land of Egypt out of the house of bondage These words were indeed first spoken written vnto the children of Israel whome God deliuered out of the slauish bondage and great miserie which they had long endured vnder King Pharaoh in Egypt Now I ought to take the same words as spoken of God vnto me for as God made the Isralites to passe through the red sea and therein drowned the Egyptians so he caused me to be baptized and sprinkled with water in his name euen in the name of the Father and of the Son of the holy Ghost so by an holy sacramentall signification made me passe through the red sea of Christs blood wherein all the enemies of my saluation are as if they were drowned so disabled that vnlesse I foolishly yeelde vnto them they cannot preuaile against me Rom. 6.3 Neither did God onely giue vnto me that outward signe and seale of saluation but also when I was able to vnderstand caused mee to heare yea and to read yea and in some good measure to perceiue the gospel of his grace wherein hee proffered vnto me his gracious loue and therewithall such a portion of his heauēly blessings in Iesus Christ as should make me to be louely and pleasing in his sight But vpon what condition did God proffer this grace vnto me Vpon this condition Exod. 20.3 Thou shalt haue none other God before my face These words being considered together with the verse next before doe containe a double condition First that I shall take the Lord to be my God Secondly that I shall haue none other to be my God beside him How should I take the Lord to bee my God By performing these foure duties First to be continually mindefull that I am before his face Gen. 17.1 Secondly to esteem his fauour to be my only felicity and therefore aboue all things to loue him and desire to enioy his fauourable kindnesse Luk. 14.26 Thirdly to be alwaies verie fearefull of displeasing him Prou. 28.14 Fourthly to settle all my trust and confidence in him Ier. 17.5.6.7 How haue I performed these duties First I haue not been mindfull of Gods presence for both being alone and in companie my minde hath been so far from that dutie as if there had been in my beleefe no God at all Secondly I haue all my life long more esteemed loued and desired worldly pleasures and profits yea vain toies and trifles then the fauour of God I haue a farre off thought vpon God as of a thing at the furthermost ende of all the world and therefore mine affection was alwaies wedded vnto things which seemed to be nearer vnto me though indeed nothing can bee so neere vnto me as he is for in him I liue and mooue and haue my beeing Thirdly I had now and then some small feare of God but it suddenly vanished away and therefore I plunged my selfe into a sea of sinne not making conscience of one thought word or deed among a thousand Fourthly I had no right trust in God for that can not bee without the feare of God I oftentimes vsed vnwarrantable meanes to helpe my selfe And so doe none that rightly trust in God This hath been the inside of my life not only before but also euer since I entred into the Ministerie And withall mine heart I wish that I had no fellowes for I am afraid that I haue very many If such there be I humbly intreate them to take true knowledge in how dangerous a state they are I trust that God hath pardoned my parents and bringers vp The ground of all my miserie next after the euill inclination which I brought with mee into this world was the euill seasoning of mine heart in my tender yeares Beeing a little boy I was trained to delight in a dogge a cat therfore I remember the dogges name yet and haue loued dogges and cattes euer since Those and other vaine things I was enured to loue when mine heart should haue been taken vp and filled with the loue of God I was feared with bugg-beares and sprits when I should haue been framed to feare God Also I was accustomed to take a pride in this and that to be angrie and reuengefull against some one thing or other to mocke scorn misse-call and speake naughtie words vnto such or such an one Thus commonly for ought that I know are the hearts of children seasoned and thus their soules are died in the blacke colour of hell Beeing inwardly thus behaued I was a little taught outward religion That is to say the Lords Prayer and the Creede by rote to goe to Church vpon Sabbath dayes and heare seruice yea after that I could read to answer the Minister in the saying of Psalmes c. Hauing done thus what heard seruice yea helped to say seruice said the Lords Prayer and the Creede and so forth Oh! I thought I
What was the reason that when a woman said vnto Christ Luk. 11.27 Blessed is the wombe that bare thee and the pappes which thou hast sucked I say what was the reason that our Lord made her this answer 28. Yea rather blessed are they that heare the word of God and keepe it I say againe why did he say so if it be better for people not to heare then to heare Gods word By the way bee it remembred that the Sonne of God saith It is a blessednes to heare Gods word and the Pope who taketh vpon him to be the deputie of the sonne of God he saith it is not a blessednes he forbiddeth it If any vnderstanding conscionable Romane catholike were betweene God and his owne soule to tell what he thinketh to be the maine cause why the Pope doth not allow Gods word to be commonly bought and sold in Italie Spaine c. and so to bee read in churches my conscience giueth me that he would say thus It is very likely that thereby many would bee drawne from his obedience and many things which are nowe in great request among the people should then bee despised As surely as the Lord God liueth I take this to be the main cause A great number of things in that religion could by no means stand if the book of God were commonly to bee had in the peoples owne language Therefore they are not suffered to heare God speake I appeale to the conscience of euery man whether it be likly that those things which are of God shall bee put out of request by the word of God It is not likely it is quite contrary I doe most humblie intreat all English men and women I entreat them in the sight of our Lord Iesus Christ that they will forbeare to beleeue the Romane religion vntill it haue Gods word and church-seruice read and said in peoples owne languages When you come to publike seruice call it masse or what you will are you not of the company that there ought to ioine in praier vnto God why then is not your prayer in your owne tongue why is it in Latine Let any man answer as I aske the question in the feare of God what reason is there that people should pray or ioine with any praying in a language which they vnderstand not Is it not much to be feared that Satan the Prince of darkenes hath a strong hand in this to keep poore people in blindnesse and ignorance I haue vpon my conscience and in charity without any thought of personall reproch vnto any one made bold to say thus much If any in zeale of that religion haue a minde to say so much yea tenne times so much to mee let him speake in the feare of God and in charitie and spare not Or if he list to flie vpon me with words of choller I will ioyne with him to say much more against my selfe then he can and yet leaue him to iudge himselfe without me When I am minded to reade any part of Gods booke I must kneele downe before the face of God and pray thus O most gracious and merciful Lord God thou hast of thy great goodnesse vouchsafed to giue vnto me thine holy Bible which is able to make me wise vnto saluation I do humbly thanke thee for it and heartily I beseech thy blessed Maiestie to giue me the grace that I may feruently reade it rightly vnderstand it and diligenty marke it thorough Iesus Christ thine onely Sonne my Lord and Sauiour Amen Besides the meanes and helpes to vnderstand the Scriptures as the proportion of Religion contained in the creed and commandements the circumstances of each seueral place and the comparing of one place with other places reading of expositions and hearing other mens iudgements our Sauiour giueth a very notable direction for the attainement of speciall aide from the spirit of God and it is a ready way for a man to come to the knowledge of the truth touching any necessarie point in controuersie And this it is To the Iewes doubting whether Christs doctrin were of God yea or no hee said If any man will doe the will of God he shall knowe of the doctrine whether it bee of God or whether I speake of my selfe Ioh. 7.17 The conscionable practise of those duties which are very plainely set downe in Gods word will in and through Iesus Christ be a meanes to procure vnto vs a gracious and comfortable inlightning of our minds to vnderstand the minde and meaning of God in his word daily more more for the secret of the Lord is with them that feare him and he will shew them his couenant Psal 25.14 If I come to a place of Scripture hard to bee vnderstood I will marke it and so stay my selfe in hope of grace from God at his good pleasure Reading any part of Scripture very leasurely and heedfully I must endeauour to take speciall knowledge of some principall notable points and then commend them vnto the blessing of God thus O most mightie and mercifull Lord God I do most humbly and heartily thanke thee for that thou hast made me in reading this part of thy Bible to vnderstand and mark this this c. I beseech thee that if I haue mistakē any thing I may haue grace to see mine error and to leaue it I beseech thee that those things which I haue rightly vnderstood I may well remember and as neede shall require profitably vse to thy good pleasure and glory in benefiting my selfe and others through Iesus Christ thy onely Sonne my Lord and Sauiour To whome with thee O Father and with the holy Ghost three persons and one onely good Lord God be all praise honour and glorie for euermore Amen Thus much of Gods word And God spake all these words saying Hee that made one commaundement made all the rest therefore I must not presume to breake any one of them but if I will not bee confounded I must vprightly intend and carefully endeauour to bee obedient vnto all the commandements of God Psal 119.6 Exod. 20.2 I am the Lord c. This word Lord in the Iewes language is called Iehouah and signifieth such a one as is of himselfe and giueth beeing vnto all things else specially vnto his own promises which hee most faithfully and powerfully performeth in due time This wonderfull Lord is thoroughly knowne of none but himselfe yet vnder his gracious correction I do thus conceiue of him The Lord Iehouah is a spirit single durable vnmeasurable mightie wise holy blessed and glorious God is a spirit Ioh. 4.24 A spirit hath not flesh and bones Luk. 24.39 Then how is man saide to hee like vnto God In the nature and properties of the soule Why doth the Bible sometimes speake of God as if he had eies eares hands c. It speaketh according to our capacitie because God would haue vs to be plainely and fully perswaded that he hath sight hearing knowledge power
had done enough and enough my heart being farre from God and not once assaying to come neere vnto him Here I would aske a question of the common sort of people young and old I would aske you for no harme Is not this your religion I meane to say your praiers to heare seruice I will not put in to say seruice without any special stirring of your heart not actually minding that you are in talke with God nor so affected as they who perceiue themselues to be so neere vnto euen before the face of that Almightie King who is terrible vnto the Kings of the earth they are his seruiters I take that blessed God to witnesse against my soule if I speake vncharitably or idlely I am perswaded that I haue good reason to feare that a great many of you haue little religion in your hearts but content your selues with saying and hearing and some outward ceremonies Then I can tell you what religion is the fittest for you Euen that which you call the old religion for that wil so furnish you with outward workes and ceremonies that you shall not dreame of medling with your heart You see the deuoutest of them can swallowe downe into their soules lying forswearing murther and treason They make no bones of such matters And why Because the ceremonie-law of Rome serueth their turne I speake vpon my conscience for the glorie of my Lord God and for the good of my countrey It pleased God that specially by the meanes of M. William Olney of Tachbrooke neere Warwicke who tooke me from my poore parents I was in some sort continued at schoole About foureteene or fifteene yeares of age I fell into acquaintance with diuerse that fauoured the Popes religion among whom one lent me a booke thus intituled A defence of the censure giuen vpon two bookes of William Charke and Meredith Hanmer ministers which they wrote against M. Edmund Campian priest of the societie of Iesus and against his offer of disputation This little booke beeing one of the most dangerous bookes that euer I read for they bee little ones that either doe good or harme vnto the greatest number of people did thoroughly distast me with the Protestant-religion before religion was in mine heart A principall case of my distast was the many euill reports which with great pretence of truth it signifieth touching the liues of Luther Caluin and Beza bringing in this reason withall that the authors and beginners of an extraordinary reformation in the Church of God should at the least be ordinarie honest men in life and conuersation which those men were not if that booke be true Here I humbly entreat all people to take knowledge of two things which I haue found true by experience First it is not safe for a man to betake himselfe to this or that side in controuersie of religion vntill his heart and life bee setled in some vprightnesse of obedience vnto God Can a man iudge of colours before he bee borne No. Then how can a man rightly discerne the truth in questions touching the mysterie or secret of godlines he not beeing renewed by the spirit of God Although he haue great learning or depēd vpon the iudgement of great learned men yet Sathan the deuill will haue an hand in him because they which doe not conscionably obey God are subiect to be wrought vpon by him Eph. 2.2 The second thing that I would desire you to take knowledge of is this When a man is well assured that he is entred into a conscionable course of obeying the commandements of God which is the practise of repentance to settle his iudgement touching this or that controuersie in religion hee must not bee lead by the sermons or books or liues of men but principally hee must apply himselfe vnto the grounds of his faith which are two God and Gods word How shall he apply himselfe vnto God By verie often humble and earnest prayer that he will vouchsafe for Iesus Christs sake to giue him the spirit of reuelation the inlightening of minde to perceiue the holy truth S. Paul telleth vs plainly that the secrets of God cannot be rightly known but by the spirit of God 1. Cor. 2.10.11 And our Lord Iesus hath giuen vs this assurance that if we doe earnestly pray vnto God for the holy Ghost hee will giue him vnto vs Luk. 11.5 6 7 8 c. How shall a man apply himselfe to the word of God In following the example of the Iewes that dwelt at Berea who when S. Paul preached vnto them receiued the word with all readinesse But how They searched the Scriptures dayly whether those things which S. Paul deliuered vnto them were so as he said yea or no Act. 17.11 And for your encouragement see what followed Act. 16.12 Therefore many of them beleeued If any say hee cannot vnderstand the word of God I answer he may bee sorrie and ashamed to say so for to what end hath God giuen his word but to be vnderstood euen of very simple folke for of all the books in the world there is none that hath more plainenesse in it then the booke of God hath Many fine schollers haue no minde to reade Gods word because it is so plaine It is certainely one of the maine drifts of Sathan the deuill to make people beleeue that Gods word is hard to bee vnderstood because he would not haue them to vnderstand it for he knoweth that nothing in all the world is so great an hinderance vnto him as Gods word beeing vnderstood Now I will goe forward in my confession I went first to Oxford and then to Cambridge At Oxford I was in Gloster Hall about foure yeares first and last at Cambridge I was in Emanuel Colledge not so long but to that Colledge I am singularly bound Afterward I tooke vpon me to be a schoolemaster and then entred into the ministerie in the yeare of our Lord one thousand fiue hundred nintie and sixe The next yeare after vpon the commendation of diuerse reuerend Ministers in Kent namely my fatherly friend Doctor Milborne of Seuenoke M. Bust of Penshurst M. Deiose of Chiddingstone M. Smith of Chelfield I obtained of Archbishop Whitegift a generall licence to preach I haue beene a minister eighteene yeares and so much more as since the sixeteenth day of May last for as vpon that day Doctor Young Bishop of Rochester gaue mee orders at Bromeley in Kent All this while vntill this verie yeare one thousand sixe hundred and foureteen my heart continued in that inward behauiour wherwith it was first possessed in my childhood Now let me goe backe againe and make report how the Father of mercie hath striuen with me from my youth yea and nowe in good and comfortable measure blessed be his name vanquished the setled wickednesse of mine heart Euer since I had any vnderstanding of Gods will something hath been working vpon my mind perswading me very earnestly to forsake sinne and wholly to submit my selfe