workes If ye mortifie the deeds of the flesh yee shall liue Rom. 8.13 If yee sowe to the Spirit you shall reape of the Spirit life euerlasting Gal. 6.8 I answere hereunto that there are some conditions The conditions of the Gospell are not couenantâ— binding 〈◊〉 merit but simple conditions according well with mercy simply conditionall that doe well stand with grace Such are those conditions whereon they onely interceding we promise and vndertake to doe a matter or bestowe a kindnesse on any As Goe with me to such a place and I will giue thee hidden treasure Come to me to morrow and I wil giue thee an hundred pound There are other conditions which haue the reason of a cause meritorious Such doe not onely intercede but deserue vpon contract as much as wee promise as Doe my worke well and I will pay you truely Of this kinde are those conditions which are contained in the Law Doe this and thou shalt liue As for the other of the Gospell they are onely bare and simple conditions which deserue nothing but must intercede and precede the bestowing of eternall life And heere it were worth our labour to consider the grounds of merit 4. Grounds of the merit of workes laid by Papists which the Papists lay downe in the chiefe of their arguments They are these First Christs Merit Secondly our Adoption Thirdly our Workes Fourthly Gods couenanting with vs. But none of these are sufficient to establish merit But they are false ones For first we cannot merit as children eternall life because it is our right by birth No child can be said to merit the inheritance to which hee is borne and how doth any merit that which is his right already Nor doe our workes of themselues merit when all obedience is but a witnesse of our thankefulnesse nor is there any proportion betweene the duety and the inheritance Neither yet as they are died with the bloud of Christ or doe come from his spirit For as they are of Christ dwelling in vs by his spirit so are they also from our selues hauing a Law of sinne dwelling in vs and lusting against the spirit which make them to be done imperfectly and by halues But this say they maketh them the more meritorious because they bee done with the greater difficultie Yea but this is a doctrine which the Apostle knew not For then hee needed not to haue cried out in that respect O miserable man that I am c. and to flye to Christ that he might escape condemnation as he doth Rom. 7.24 25. And for their couenant it is not a couenant binding vs to doe any thing meritorious toward the obtaining of life but onely a simple condition requiring some thing to be done before the full fruition of glory but well agreeing with and no way hindering mercy It is further obiected that life euerlasting is a reward and that rewards are deserued Answ All rewards are not due vpon nor giuen for desert there is a reward giuen by fauour Rom. 4.4 There are rewards of fauour as well as desert When Paul saith that to him that worketh the reward is counted not by fauour but by debt doth hee not insinuate so much that some oft receiue euen liberall rewards onely vpon the fauour of the donour And our Sauiuiour saith Luke 6.32 And if yee loue them that loue you what thankes shall ye haue c. The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth a gratuitie as it were and a reward of free fauour importing thus much that what reward men haue of God euen vpon their best seruice it is but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a gratuitie no 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no debt vpon desert Lastly they say that which is giuen according to workes is deserued by workes But so is eternall life Answ That indeed which is giuen according vnto workes as the meritorious causes thereof that may wel be said to be deserued by works But now eternall life is not so giuen but is bestowed according to workes as they are testimonies of our faith Workes haue a reward not as merits but as testimonies of Faith whereby we rest on Christ onely for our saluation and for whose sake onely beleeued on they expect eternall life Vses 1. It sheweth the prerogatiue of the faithfull Now for the vses of this point First it doth shew vs our prerogatiue that we haue by faith and should excite vs to reioice therein yea to long and labour fully to enioy it What is then the prerogatiue of such as beleeue Surely as Saint Paul saith of the Iew Rom. 3.2 much euery manner of way For thereby wee are brought out of dismall darkenesse to walke in the light of Gods countenance and truth wee are translated out of the wofull condition of eternall death to life and immortalitie both which are brought to light for vs to behold and enioy by the Gospell 2. Tim. 1.10 wee are made aliue to God exalted to the dignitie of Gods sonnes and daughters Who are thereby Gods children heires of life called to the hope yea inuested with some possession of euerlasting life And are not these great preferments aboue the residue of mankinde who through vnbeliefe abide still in death and misery Are not these worthy dignities for earth and ashes as wee are to attaine to Behold saith Iohn 1. Ioh. 3.1 what loue the Father hath shewed vs that wee should be called the sonnes of God Yea it is an honour and dignitie Which is a great dignity so to be Iohn 1.12 When Saul did offer vnto Dauid to make him his sonne by the marriage of his daughter it did seeme too high an honour for him whose parentage was meane for to accept Seemeth it vnto you saith he a light thing to bee a Kings sonne in law seeing I am a poore man and of small reputation 1. Sam. 18.23 What an vnspeakeable dignitie is it then that by faith wee obtaine to bee the sonnes of the great King of heauen and earth are made his heires and adopted into fellowship of eternall life and glory with Iesus Christ For God dealeth not with vs as Abraham did with his base sonnes so to call them vnto whom he gaue gifts and then sent them packing Gen. 25.6 God doth not so turne off his faithfull ones but he receiueth and keepeth them in his family and admitteth to be partners in the inheritance witâ—â—is Isaac euen with his Christ who is the heire of all things It is then an inheritance that by faith we are bâ—gotten too and such a one as is immortall vndefiled and neuer fading It is life that we obtaine life I say which of it selfe is most sweet chiefely to such as we were who were condemned to die and could looke for nothing but death and such a life as is both accompanied with all fulnesse of ioy peace glory and happinesse and shall also euer endure Now then this being our prerogatiue how should
a weake and feeble faith doth as truely and entirely if not more as the strongest Nay let mee say more for the comfort of such as are weake in faith If they haue but a true desire to beleeue He is enioyed euen by a desire to beleeue and cannot yet in an expresse and explicite manner beleeue on Christ they haue Christ and enioy him vnto righteousnesse and the pardon of their sinnes If a man should want hands to receiue his Princes Pardon tendered to him it would suffice to entitle him vnto it and the benefit thereof To shew his will to accept it euen so will God in rich mercy accept in a broken and humbled soule a desire to beleeue for faith it selfe and thereby shall they become possessed of Christ with all his merits to the saluation of their soules Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousnesse for they shall be satisfied Math. 5.6 3. It accordeth grace faith in our iustification Lastly this doth shew how grace and faith doe well agree in our iustification Workes cannot stand in this matter with Gods grace as they are vrged to merit any thing toward it For that it is not wholly of grace which in the least degree doth come of merit But faith as it doth iustifie vs doth bring nothing of its owne to present to God and to make the beleeuer righteous it doth chalenge nothing for its owne worth but doth seeke all righteousnesse in Christ alone Since faith doth seeke for all from Gods grace in Christ doth onely take Christ for its righteousnesse as he is ordained and giuen by the grace of God doth onely present him and his obedience and plead Gods grace and mercy promised in him It doth nothing derogate from the Kings grace in giuing a Pardon to his subiect and from hauing the whole praise of his safety that his subiect doth receiue and plead the same for his life nay rather hereby doth the subiect proclaime to all men that he hath no other meanes to scape the gallowes but the gracious pardon of the King Euen so faith doth not any thing obscure Gods grace toward vs but rather aduance it For can a poore sinner giue larger testimonie and more amply set out the glory of Gods grace then when disclaiming himselfe and his best workes as filthy clouts he doth wholly flye vnto and relye vpon Iesus Christ his obedience and Gods gracious pardon of his sinnes by and through him And if the life and safety of a Malefactor saued by the Kings pardon notwithstanding his receiuing of it be wholly ascribed to the grace and mercy of the Prince how much more must our saluation notwithstanding that we beleeue in Christ be the praise glory of Gods rich grace whose grace it is first to prepare and offer Christ vnto vs and saluation in him and then also to giue vs faith which otherwise wee could neuer haue to receiue and beleeue on him It followeth should not perish but haue life euerlasting We are now at length from the meanes come to consider the benefit which doth stand on two parts as hath beene before touched 1. in deliuerance from that miserable state wherein we were should not perish 2. in conferring great good vpon vs but haue euerlasting life The first thing that heere we may obserue is what wee are before and without faith euen lost wretches Doct. 8. We are by nature lost wretcthes It is by faith in Christ that wee are kept from perdition which teacheth plainely that by nature before the Lord hath quickened vs by faith we are all children of perdition But of this more largely and more fitly in another place Doct. 9. Secondly therefore obserue that though wee bee by nature dead yet by faith we are quickened By faith we are quickned and entitled to eternall life and made partakers of life euerlasting So Christ verse 36. of this chapter Hee that beleeueth in the Sonne hath euerlasting life And chapter 5.24 Verely verely I say vnto you Hee that heareth my word and beleeueth in him that sent mee hath euerlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but hath passed from death to life And Iohn 17.3 This is eternall life to know that is with the knowledge of faith thee to bee the onely true God and whom thou hast sent Iesus Christ. For Christ is our life For Christ is our life whom by faith we possesse our life is in him Col. 3.4 And therefore whosoeuer do beleeue in him haue life through and with him As 1 Iohn 5.11.12 From this principle we may see the same conclusion to be gathered God hath giuen vs life and this life is in his Sonne he that hath the Sonne hath life he that hath not the Sonne hath not life But to see this better how by faith we come to haue life euerlasting we must consider that we haue it either in regard of the beginning or of the accomplishment and perfection If once we bee brought to beleeue in Christ life eternall is then begunne in vs 1 Eternall life is by faith begun in vs Iohn 7.38 Hee that beleeueth in mee out of his belly shall there flowe riuers of water of life And the nature of these waters is such that they neuer let the soule thirst againe but they are in the beleeuer a well of water springing to eternall life Neuer to be extinguished Iohn 4.14 Neither let any man except That they shall be so vnlesse a man cast them vp againe for that cannot bee since if they could be cast vp how should they then be a well in a man still springing to euerlasting life By faith we receiue the promised spirit Gal. 3.14 By faith we haue Christ liuing in vs. Eph. 3.17 Who since hee cannot dy as the Apostle teacheth Rom. 6.9 wee must not thinke that this life begunne once in any member can vtterly bee extinguished For this life is a fruit of the spirit the first resurrection a life in substance all one with that blessed and glorious estate which vvee shall enioy It is an eternall life euen for the qualitie and condition of it and not onely by reason of the promise of God the merit and intercession of Iesus Christ Secondly 2. Thereby wee obtaine euen heere the fulnes of it If once we beleeue wee also come to haue the fulnes of life euerlasting and that 2. waies de facto or de iure in regard of the thing it self in very deed or in regard of right vnto it For euery beleeuer hath in very deed the fulnes of life glory thogh not in himselfe yet in his head Christ Iesus Hee may say My head Iesus Christ is glorified In deed in Christ who is glorified for vs. and I in my head sit in heauen Thus the Apostle speaketh Eph. 2.6 God hath raysed vs vp together and made vs sit in heauenly places in Christ Iesus Secondly 2. In right
we hauing right thereunto wee haue the accomplishment of glory when wee beleeue in regard of right and propriety thereunto When first wee beleeue then we are intituled to life euerlasting Euen as the title to an outward inheritance followeth vpon the birth so the right and hope of this kingdome doth follow our spirituall birth By our spiritual birth None that are not begotten of God by water and the spirit shall enter into the kingdome He hath begotten vs vnto an inheritance 1. Pet. 1.3.4 Now the Lord begets vs his sons daughters when he giueth vs to beleeue For first the good pleasure of God resteth on his naturall and onely begotten Sonne on whom when we come to lay holde by faith we are then made sonnes Iohn 1.12 Yea sons accepted Eph. 1.6 And being sonnes accepted vvee are heires As Gods sons and heires euen ioynt-heires with Christ. Rom. 8.17 The glory of heauen is therefore called by the name of Adoption because it followeth thereon and is the thing to which we are adopted By faith therefore when we obtaine to be the sonnes of God wee also thereby obtaine that euerlasting life which is to be reuealed Which truth that wee may cleare somewhat better obserue with me briefely these three things First then Christ hath merited life euerlasting no lesse for vs For Christ hath merited it for vs. then righteousnes as Heb. 10.19.20 By the bloud of Iesus we may be bold to enter into the holy place by the new liuing way which he hath prepared throgh the vaile that is his flesh And Heb. 9.15 Through the death of the Mediatour wee which are called receiue the promise of the eternall inheritance Secondly 2. Faith doth apprehend it also as well as righteousnes faith applies and apprehendeth the one as well as the other We are saued by grace through faith Eph. 2.8 It is the Apostles meaning that faith doth looke vnto and lay holde euen of saluation it selfe which we haue of Gods grace as well as of any benefit tending thereunto And if it be obiected that hee speaketh not of life euerlasting which is laid vp for vs in due time to be reuealed but of the present saluation and redemption whereof heere wee are partakers I answer It is manifest in the verse going before what he meaneth by saluation euen specially the treasures of glory God hath raised vs vp together and made vs sit in heauenly places c. For wee are saued by grace through faith 3. Faith doth euer rest vpon it vntill wee come to enioy it Thirdly Faith doth not onely beginne to apprehend it and then leaue vs to workes that wee may attaine it but faith doth still apply life vnto vs till wee are iustified and saued By faith we stand and reioyce vnder the hope of the glory of God Rom. 5.2 Wee are kept by the power of God through faith vnto saluation which is to be reuealed 1 Pet. 1.5 So that our faith neuer giueth ouer till wee haue this saluation euen the end of our faith And these considerations doe sufficiently shew that faith is it or rather Christ receiued by faith by for which we are righteous and accepted yea and at length attaine life euerlasting The opinion of the Papists touching life eternall Now let vs consider a little what is the sentence of the Papists in this poynt The Papists then confesse that life is merited by Christ and is made ours by the right of inheritance so farre wee go with them Yea touching works they holde many things with vs that no works of themselues can merit life euerlasting 2. that works done before conuersion can merit nothing at Gods hand and merit of works much lesse life euerlasting 3. that there is no merit at Gods hand without his mercy no exact merit as often there is amongst men all these are true The point whereabout wee dissent Our dissent from thâ—m is that with the merit of Christ and free promise they vvill haue the merit of works ioined as done by them who are adopted children That which directly must be opposed vnto this is that Gods gracious promising Gods grace and any merit of workes cannot stand together and giuing it to vs in Christ cannot stand with the merit of our workes And the Scripture herein is so euident As it is euident by the Scripture that some of the Papists are forced to deny this coniunction of a double title vnto life eternall For in the fourth of the Romanes 4. the wages cannot be counted both by meere fauour and also by debt and desert and Rom. 11.6 If it be of grace then not of workes for grace then were no grace In which place obserue this that fauour and grace are meant and to bee taken for the rich grace of God which is now made manifest in Christ For otherwise there is a grace which may stand with workes It was grace that God did couenant with man in Adam that had hee stood in righteousnesse hee should haue deserued eternall life but the riches of grace of meere grace cannot abide one worke as meritorious to be coupled with it If any heere except The Apostle speaketh of workes of the Ceremoniall Law or done by force of nature not by the grace of Christ I answere that in the first place Workes of grace being excluded from iustification the Apostle reasons of the workes of Abraham being now iustified and euen in the flower and prime of workes Further we may see plainely Ephes 2.8 9 10. that grace doth exclude al works of regeneration We are saued saith the Apostle by grace not by workes What workes Such as are ceremoniall or done in our naturall state No nor by workes of regeneration euen such good workes as we are created to in Christ Iesus And marke heere the reason of the Papists All our workes say they come from the grace of God in vs and are from Christ dwelling in vs Ergo it hindreth not the grace of God nor Christs merit that we haue them and merit by them Now the Apostle doth inferre the quite contrary Our workes euen our best workes cannot saue vs. Why For they are not ours but they are of God whose workemanship we are being by him created vnto them Gal. 3.11 12. And faâ—th and the Law being opposed Further The iust doth liue by faith Ergo he cannot liue by doing For The Law is not of Faith Nor is faith of the Law neither can these two be conioined As Gal. 3.18 If the inheritance be of the Law it is no more by the promise but God gaue it freely by the promise Marke heere that there is such opposition betweene workes and grace that a thing cannot bee together a donatiue of mercy and deserued by working If any thing bee ioined with Christ as together meritorious of righteousnesse and life it abolisheth Christ But why then doth God promise life euerlasting to
life that hath most excellent glory riches and happinesse ioined with it prepared and giuen vs through faith in Christ Is it not a base minde in a man that is owner or at least heire of most sumptuous and stately palaces to couet the poore cottages of beggers that stand by the high way side and repine if he cannot get them What will satisfie vs if heauen and etenall life cannot Doubtlesse Dauid made account that in this possession he was as well as heart could wish The lines saith he Psal 16.6 are fallen vnto me in pleasant places yea I haue a faire heritage So also is it very strange to see a godly man toile and moile for earthly matters in feare of want Feare not little flocke for it is your Fathers pleasure to giue you a Kingdome Not doubt of earthly necessaries when God hath giuen vs an heauenly kingdome saith Christ Luke 12.32 What is it that we are bid not to feare The want of foode raiment and earthly necessaries which are mentioned in the former verses And why Because our Father in heauen doth meane vs a kingdome For what hath God prepared an eternall life for vs and will he not maintaine this temporall Hath he purchased heauen and the glory of it for vs and will hee see vs perish for want of earthly things There is not any earthly father that doth with great summes of money purchase large possessions for his sonne and meaneth to bestow on him his whole estate who will neglect to finde him with foode and raiment and giue him such maintenance as is fitting Perhaps he will keepe him somewhat short during his nonage and not let him haue his purse alway full of money for his idle expenses vntill he haue wit how to lay it out and manage so great an estate So heere God doth not giue to his children outward things alway in that fulnesse that they desire because they haue not vnderstanding in this their nonage to dispose of them and it might be dangerous to feede their humours but if by faith we can once see that he hath meant vs his kingdome and appointed eternall life for vs it is foule distrust to doubt that hee will forsake vs and put vs to our shifts for our earthly necessaries 4. It is an incitement to faith Fourthly it must excite vs highly to prize faith and make vs looke about to get faith and how to grow in it Peter 1. Pet. 1.7 calleth faith a precious thing yea much more precious then gold And surely there is not a more precious iewell in the world then it is by which we obtaine Christ and all his riches As by which we obtaine saluation in Christ are drawn out of deaths dungeon quickened with a spirituall and interessed in eternall life It is not all the gold of America nor Rubies of the Ocean that can doe this for vs No there is no other grace of the Spirit but faith which can help vs to this benefit possesse vs of Christ and entitle vs to heauen For as we can onely see the light of the Sunne with the eye and take our foode with the mouth so is it faith onely And that onely by which we can see Iesus Christ and enioy him for our righteousnesse vnto life Yea Which is its speciall dignity aboue other graces there is more moment in a weake faith to our saluation then all other graces though they were perfect in vs. Light and heate cannot be separated in the Sunne Nor can faith loue repentance and other graces be found single in a godly soule But had a man perfect repentance knowledge and loue these could not saue him if there were not faith to apprehend Christ for his satisfaction and a propitiation for his sinnes A dimme eye to looke on the Brazen Serpent was of more auaile to a poore Israelite stung with a fiery serpent then the vse of all his other members For what would the swiftnesse of his feete strength of sinewes nimblenesse of hands c. stand him heere in stead if he had not an eye to looke on the Brazen Serpent So without faith we lye dead in sinnes and cannot but perish of the mortall stings which Satan hath giuen It it onely faith in Christ that can cure our soules of them and make vs heere to liue vnto God and hereafter in all happinesse with him FINIS A Pillar erected on the Graue and inscribed to the deere memory of that learned and godly Diuine Mr. PAVL BAINE By I. E. SOme Men in shape are Diuels and other some Mis-shapen monsters we may truely say Brute beasts full oft in humane shape doe come Whom carnall sense and furious rage doth sway The forme and name of Men many retaine That come farre short of the right humane straine Againe Some babes are demy-men I know In whom of man some ruder lines appeare But to mans stature few there are that grow Or the ripe nature of a man doe beare In troupes of men to finde a Man at Noon With Torch-light were a taske not easily doon Aye me deare Baine what treasure then we had Whil'st thou amongst vs didst aliue remaine And by thy death which good men made so sad What losse vnvalued doe we now sustaine Ah harmefull Death what Age shall vs requite So great a dammage and so foul despite Deere worthy Baine a man complete to be And more then any one meere man I finde The vertues which in most we single see As choyse Ingredients were in him combin'd Him to set forth though made of humane bloud A rich Pandera of diuinest good Rare is a faithfull zealous Christian More rare good conscience and great learning meet One of a thousand proues a godly man A learned Scribe a skilfull a discreete A watchfull Pastour Teacher excellent Such who can finde vnlesse Paul Baine be meant There was in him a blamelesse innocence A feruent zeale sound iudgement pearcing wit Not vulgar learning moouing eloquence An vnderstanding of deepe points to it An hart high-mounted farre aboue the sky Yet low as earth in true humility O Death I nere should cease of thee to plaine Who of such treasure hast vs now bereft Did not our losse turne to his greater gaine And had he not a world vnthankefull left Which sets at nought as drosse and basest Mine Most precious Pearls and of the brightest shine Worthy Elisha when thy Master deere In flaming coach was rapt vp vnto God Thou did'st obtaine that O thou happy Seer His doubled spirit on thee might make abode Oh! well were mee if so within my brest But halfe the spirit of this blest Saint might rest I. E.