a knowledge of God in his word and a knowledge of God by his holy Spirit working in our hearts our consciences will then go further and excuse or accuse vs according to the light that is in the word So that the conscience is not acquired or obtained at what time we are enlightened by the working of the holy Spirit hearing of the word of God but our conscience is borne with vs is naturall to vs and is left in the soule of euery man and woman and as there are some sparks of light left in nature so there is a conscience left in it and if there were no more that same light that is left in thy nature shall be enough to condemne thee So the conscience is not gotten or begun at the hearing of the word or at that time when we begin to reforme our selues by the assistance reneâ—ing of the holy Spirit but euery man by nature hath a conscience the Lord hath left it in our nature and except that this conscience be reformed according to the word of God that same naturall conscience shall be enough to condemne thee eternally therefore I say flowing from a knowledge of the minde Last of all I say accompanied with a certaine motion of the heart and we expresse this motion in feare or ioy trembling or reioycing In very great feare if the deede be exceeding heynous and the stroke of the conscience be very heauie then the conscience neuer taketh rest for guiltinesse will euer dread But if the deede be honest godly and commendable it maketh a glad heart and maketh the heart euen to burst out into ioy So to be short in this matter for I purpose not to make a common place of iâ— ye see that in euery conscience there must be two things First there must be a knowledge and next there must be a feeling whereby according to thy knowledge thou appliest vnto thine owne heart the deed done by thee So that as the word it selfe testifieth it ariseth of two parts of knowledge according whereunto it is called science and of feeling according whereunto the Con is added and it is called Conscience Then the word conscience signifieth knowledge with application This conscience the Lord hath appointed to serue in the soule of man for many vses to wit he hath appointed euery one of your consciences to be a keeper a wayter on a carefull attender vpon euery action done by you So that that action cannot be so secretly so quietly nor so closely conueyed but will thou nill thou thy conscience shall beare a testimonie of it thy consciencâ— shall be a faithfull obseruer of it and one day shall be a faithfull recorder of that action So the Lord hath appointed thy conscience to this office that it attends and waits vpon thee in all thy actions Likewise the Lord hath appointed thy conscience and placed it in thy soule to be an accuser of thee so that when thou dost any euill deed thou hast a domesticall accuser within thine owne soule to finde fault with it He hath also placed it in thy soule to be a true and stedfast witnesse against thee yea the testimonie of the conscience resembles not only a testimonie or witnesse but the conscience is as good as tenne thousand witnesses The conscience also is left in the soule to do the part of a Iudge against thee to giue out sentence against thee and to condemne thee and so it doth for our particular iudgement must go before the generall and vniuersall iudgement of the Lord at that great day And what more He hath left thy conscience within thee to put thine owne sentence in execution against thy selfe This is terrible he hath left it within thee to be a very to torture and tormentor to thy selfe and so to put thine owne sentence in execution vpon thy selfe Is not this a matter more then wonderfull that one and the selfe same conscience shall serue to so many vses in a soule as to be a continuall obseruer and marker of thy actions an accuser ten thousand witnesses a Iudge a Sergeant and Tormentor to execute thine owne sentence against thy selfe So that the Lord needeth not to seeke a Sergeant out of thine owne soule to arrest thee for thou shall haue all these within thy selfe to make a plaine declaration against thy selfe Take heede to this for there is neuer a word of this shall fall to the ground but either ye shall find it to your comfort or to your euerlasting woe And this secret and particular iudgement that euery one of you carries about you abideth so sure and so fast within you that do what ye can if ye would imploy your whole trauaile to blot it out thou shalt neuer get it scraped out of thy soule If ye were as malicious and were become as wicked as euer any incarnate diuell was vpon the earth yet shall ye neuer get this conscience altogether extinguished out of thy soule but will thou nill thou there shall as much remaine of it as shall make thee inexcusable in the great day of the generall iudgement I grant thou maist blot out all knowledge out of thy minde and make thy selfe become euen as a blind man I grant also that thou maist harden thy heart so that thou wilt blot out all feeling out of it so that thy conscience will not accuse thee nor find fault with thee but thou shalt haue a delight in doing euill without remorse but I deny that any degree of wickednesse in the earth shall bring thee to this point that thou maist do euill without feare but still the more that thou doest euill and the longer thou continuest in euill doing thy feare shall be the greatâ—r you in despite of the diuell and in despite of the malice of the heart of man thy feare shall remaine And though they would both conspire together they shall not be able to banish that feare but that gnawing of the conscience shall euer remaine to testifie that there is a day of iudgâ—ment I grant also that there shall be a vicissitude and that feare shall not alwaies remaine but shall be sometimes turned into securitie neither shall that securitie alwâ—ies abide but shall be turned againe into feare so that it is not possible to get this feare wholly extinct but the greatâ—r the securitie is the greater shall thy feare be when thou art wakened Thirdly I grant that this feare shall not be blind for from that time a man by euill doing hath banished knowledge out of the mind and feeling out of the heart what can remaine there but a blind feare When men haue put out all light and left nothing in their nature but darknesse there can nothing remaine but a blind feare So I grant that the feare is blinde for neither know they fâ—om whence that feare cometh what progresse it hath wherunto it tendeth where nor when it shall end therefore they that are this way misled
because the Lord of heauen hath his eye continuallie vpon the conscience the eye of God is neuer from the conscience and heart of man as I proued to you by diuerse places Next because this God hath chosen his lodging and hath set downe his throne to make his residence in the conscience Therefore that he may dwell in cleannesse ye ought to haue a regard to his dwelling place Thirdly he is the Lord yea the onely Lord of this conscience who hath power onely to controlle who onely hath power to saue or to cast away therefore that it may do good seruice to thy owne Lord thou oughtest to take heede to thy conscience And last of all in respect that the health of thy soule standeth in the estate of thy conscience and if thy soule be in good health thy bodie cannot be ill therefore in respect that the soule and body depend vpon the estate of the conscience euery one of you should carefully looke to your consciences I will not amplifie this but leaue it to your memories how the health of the soule and welfare of the soule should be kept Next I come in the third and last place to the points in the which euery one of you should trie and examine your consciences And as ye may remember I set downe two points wherein ye ought to put your consciences in triall First to know whether your consciences were at peace with God or not Secondly whether your consciences were in loue and charitie and in amitie with your neighbour or not In these two points chiefly ye must trie and examinâ— your selues To know whether ye be at peace with God or not ye must first trie whether ye be in the faith or not as the Apostle saith whether ye be in the faith of Christ or not For being in the faith and iustified thereby of necessitie ye must haue peace with God Then the next care must be to trie your faith and to see whether ye haue faith or not Faith can no waies be tried but by the fruits Faith cannot be iudged of by me that looke vpon it onely but by the effects Therefore to trie whether ye be in the faith or not marke the fruits Take heede to thy mouth take heede to thy hand take heede to thy words and to thy deeds for except thou glorifie God in thy mouth confesse to thy saluation and except thou glorifie him also in thy deeds and make thy holy life a witnesse of thy holy faith all is but vaine all is but meere hypocrisie Therefore to know the sinceritie of thy faith thou must take heed that there be a harmonie betweene thy hand thy mouth and thy heart that there be a naturall consent that thy doings preiudge not thy heart that thy mouth preiudge not thy heart but that mouth and hand may testifie the sinceritie of the heart If the heart the hand and the mouth consent and agree in one harmonie together no question that heart that breaketh forth into so good fruits is coupled with God there is no question the light of thy actions the beames shining of thy life shall make the name of thy good God to be glorified Therefore the whole weight of thy triall stands chiefly vpon this point to see whether we be in the faith or not to trie and examine whether Christ dwell in vs by faith or not for without faith there can be no coupling or conioyning betwixt vs and Christ without faith our hearts cannot be sanctified and cleansed and without faith we cannot worke by charitie so all depends on this onely And therefore that ye might the better vnderstand whether ye haue faith or no I was somewhat the more exact in this matter and I began to let you see how the holy Spirit createth faith and worketh faith in your soules hearts and minds I began to shew you what order the holy Spirit kâ—pt in forming in creating this notable instrument in your hearts minds Not onely how he ingenders and begins faith but also how he entertaineth it how he nourisheth it And I shewed you the externall meanes and instruments which he vseth to this effect To beget faith in our soules the holy Spirit vseth the hearing of the word preached by him that is sent and the ministerie of the Sacraments as ordinary meanes and instruments which ordinarie meanes are onely then effectuall when as the holy Spirit concurs inwardly in our hearts with the word striking outwardly in our eares and with the Sacrament outwardly receiued And except the holy Spirit grant his concurrence to the word and Sacrament word and Sacrament both will not worke faith So all dependeth vpon the working of this holy Spirit the whole regeneration of mankind the renewing of the heart and of the conscience depend on the power of the holy Spirit and therefore it behooueth vs carefully to imploy our selues in calling vpon God for his holy Spirit By the same meanes and no other that the holy Spirit begetteth faith in vs by the same meanes he nourisheth and augmenteth that which he hath begotten And therefore as we got faith by the hearing of the word so by continuall and diligent hearing we haue this faith augmented and nourished in vs. And from hence I tooke my exhortation that if ye would haue that spirituall life nourished in you and if ye would haue a further assurance of heauen of necessitie ye must both continually diligently heare the blessed word of God Now it resteth that euery one of you carefully apply this doctrine to your owne soules and enter into the triall of your owne consciences to see if this faith as I spake be begun in your hearts and minds or not how farre or how little the holy Spirit hath proceeded in that worke trie with me and I with you The first effect of the holy Spirit whereby ye may trie your minds whether ye be in the faith or not is this Reuolue in your memories and remember if at any time it pleased the Lord in his mercie to turne the darknes of your minds into light to cause that naturall darknesse which was within you to depart through the which darknes neither had ye an eye to see your selues what you were by nature nor yet had ye an eye to see God in Christ nor any part of his mercie Examine I say whether this darknesse of the naturall vnderstanding be turned into light by the working of the Spirit or not If thou art become a child of the light a child of the day if thou art become as the Apostle speaketh light in the Lord if there be this alteration made in thy mind that whereas naturally before it was closed vp in daâ—kenesse whereas it was filled with vanities and errors wheras it was closed vp in blindnes If the Lord hath at any time inlightened the eye of thy mind and made thee to see thine owne misery to see the vglines of thine owne nature to see
the haynous sins in the which by nature thou liest If he hath granted to thee â—n insight of thy selfe in some measure and on the other side if he hath granted thee the remedie and hath giuen thee an insight of the mercie of God in Christ Iesus if thou hast obtained an insight of the riches of his grace in Christ no doubt the holy Spirit hath begun a good worke in thee a worke which will bring forth repentance which in his owne time he will perfect So this is the first care which ye ought to haue and the first point wherein ye ought to examine your minds to see if there be any light in it whereby ye may know your miserie haue an insight of the free mercie of God in Christ Iesus This being done that thou findest a sight of these two in thy mind fâ—om thy mind go to thy heart and as thou hast tried thy mind so try thy heart And first examine thine heart if it be altered or not that the will of it be framed and bowed to Gods obedience that thy affection be turned into the life of God and be poured out on him as it was poured out on vanities on filthinesse and on the world before Trie whether the ground of thy heart and the fountaine from whence thy motions and affections proceede be sanctified or not for from a holy fountaine holy waters must distill from a holy fountaine holy motions holy cogitations and sanctified considerations must flow Trie then and examine your hearts if the Spirit of God hath wrought any such reformation as I speake of in your hearts or not And that ye may perceiue the working of the holy Spirit the better in your hearts and consciences for the holy Spirit hath his chiefe residence in your hearts I will declare vnto you the fiâ—st effect that euer the holy Spirit bringeth forth in the heart in framing it in mollifying it and in bowing it vnto the obedience of God You shall know the working of the holy Spirit by this effect namely if your minds see and behold what is ill see behold what is good perceiue and discerne your owne miserie and your sinnes which haue brought this misery vpon you and withall perceiue and behold the riches of the mercie of God in Christ Iesus If as your minds see these two your hearts be reformed and prepared to loue the sight of them and as you see in your minds the mercy of God and that in Christ if ye haue hearts to desire mercy if ye haue a thirsting and earnest desire to be partakers of mercy where this desire thirst is there the holy Spirit is he hath no doubt opened the heart On the other side if as thou seeest mercie thou seest thy misery if as thy mind seeth thy miserie it seeth also the fountaine from whence thy miserie floweth to wit from thine owne sinnes if then thy heart also hate this the holy Spirit is there if as thou seest sinne which is the cause of thy miserie with the eye which is giuen thee in the minde thou hatest this sinne with thy heart no question the holy Spirit is there And as thou hatest it if also thou sorrow for it for it is is not enough to hate it if thou lament not the committing of it and with a godly sorrow deplore it the holy Spirit is there And thirdly if with thy lamenting thou hast a care and a study to eschue that sin for what auailes it to lament if like a dogge returning to his vomite thou fall into that same gulfe againe Therefore where there is an hatred of sinne a sorrow for sinne a care and a studie to eschue sin no question the holy Spirit hath opened the heart and is working out that pretious instrument Obserue all this in a word all the operation of the holy Spirit and working in the heart and by this examine thine heart See and perceiue it the holy Spirit hath entred so farre in thee to worke in that hard heaâ—t of thine an earnest and a diligent studie a carefull solicitude continually to be reconciled with the great God whom thou hast offended Is there such a thing as a thirst as a desire to be at amity with him whom thou hast offended to be reconciled with the God of heauen whom thou hast offended by thy manifold transgressions where this care and studie of reconciliation is if this care studie of reconciliation be in the heart there is no doubt but the heart that thirsteth for this reconciliation is heartily content not onely to renounce sinne to renounce all the impieties that separated thee from God but the heart that is endued with this thirst will be heartily content to renounce it selfe to cast downe it selfe as stubboâ—â—e as it was before to cast downe it selfe at the feete of the mighty God and be wholly content at all times after to be ruled by his holy will Not to follow it owne lust it owne will and appetite as it did before but to resigne it selfe wholly into the hands of the mighty God to be ruled by his will at his pleasure and to obey his commands And except ye finde this disposition in your owne hearts to acquire your selues to renounce your selues it is a vaine thing for you to say that ye haue a thirst to be reconciled So the greater thirst of reconciliation that we haue and the more that the care study thereof groweth the greater that the apprehension of my misery of the deepe gulfes and very hels whereunto my soule is subiect increaseth in my soule the more earnest would I be to be reconciled And to be reconciled I would not stand for the renouncing of the lusts of my heart but I would renounce my heart the obedience of the will and desire why Because I see I must die for euer except the Lord reconcile himselfe with me I see the huge deepes oceans of all misery into the which I shall fall in the end except inmercie the Lord reconcile himselfe with me To eschue these miseries and inconueniences is there any question but the heart that hath any sense and is touched with them will most willingly endeuour to acquite it selfe Againe seeing the Lord hath taken paines to deliuer me out of the deepe miserie in the which I had drowned my selfe and hath purchased my redemption by so deere a price not with gold nor with siluer or any drosse of the earth but by such a wonderfull meanes by such a pretious price and rich ransome looking to the greatnesse of our misery and to the greatnesse of the price whereby he hath redeemed vs what heart is it but would willingly renounce it selfe to get a part of that redemption and to be deliuered out of that hell wherein we are presently and wherein we shall be in a greater measure hereafter except we be reconciled So thâ—n with this there is ioyned a disposition in the heart whereby the
in the institution and it is contained in these words This is my bodie The Promise craueth faith as the Command craueth obedience so the Promise craueth beliefe Therefore come not vnto the Sacrament except ye bring both faith and obedience with you If thou come not with a heart minding to obâ—y Christ at the least more then thou wast wont to do thou comest vnto thy owne damnation And if thou bringest a heart void of faith thou comest vnto thine owne damnation So let euery one that cometh vnto the Sacrament bring with him a heart minding to do better that is to obey and belieue Christ better then he did in time past Except ye bring these two in some measure come not vnto the Sacrament for whatsoeuer thou doest except it flow from faith it can profite nothing Thus farre briefly concerning the word Now it will be demanded what neede is there that these Sacraments and seales should be annexed the word wherefore are they annexed seeing we get no more in the Sacrament then we get in the word and we get as much in the very simple word as we get in the Sacraments Seeing then we get no new thing in the Sacrament but the same thing which we get in the simple word wherefore is the Sacrament appointed to be hung vnto the word It is true certainly that we get no new thing in the Sacrament nor we get no other thing in the Sacrament then we get in the word for what more wouldest thou craue then to get the Sonne of God if thou get him well Thy heart cannot wish nor imagine a gâ—eater gift then to haue the Sonne of God who is King of heauen and earth therefore I say what nâ—w thing wouldest thou haue for if thou get him thou gettest all things with him thy heart cannot imagine a new thing besides him Wherefore then is the Sacrament appointed Not to get thee any new thing I say it is appointed to get thee that same thing better then thou hadst it in the word The Sacrament is appointed that we may take better hold of Christ then we could in the simple word that we may possesse Christ in our hearts and minds more fully and largely then we did before in the simple word That Christ might haue a larger space to make residence in our narrow hearts then he could haue by the hearing of the simple word and to possesse Christ more fully it is a better thing For suppose Christ be one thing in himselfe yet the better hold thou hast of him thou art the surer of his promise The Sacraments are appointed that I might haue him more fully in my soule that I might haue the bounds of it enlarged that he may make the better residence in me This no doubt is the cause wherefore these Seales are annexed to the euidence of the simple word They serue to this end also to seale vp and confirme the truth that is in the word for as the office of the Seale hung to the Euidence is not to confirme any other truth then that which is in the Euidence and though ye belieued the Euidence before yet by the Seales ye belieue it better euen so the Sacrament assures me of no other truth then is contained within the word yet because it is a seale annexed vnto the word it perswades me the better of the same for the more the outward senses are wakned the more is the inward heart and minde perswaded to belieue Now the Sacrament wakneth all the outward senses as the eye the hand and all the rest and the outward senses being mooued no questâ—on the Spirit of God concurring therewith moues the heart the more The Sacraments are then annexed vnto the word to seale vp the truth contained in the word and to confirme it more and more in thy heart The word then is appointed to worke beliefe and the Sacrament is appointed to confirme you in this beliefe But except ye feele the truth of this inwardly in your hearts except ye haue your heart as ready as your mouth thinke not that any thing will auaile you All the seales in the world will not worke except the Spirit of God concurre and seale the same truth in your hearts which the Sacrament seales outwardly except he make cleere the sight of thy minde inwardly and worke a feeling in thy heart both word and Sacrament shall lose their fruite effect which they should haue All the Scriptures are full of this the whole Scriptures of God are but a slaying letter to you except the Spirit of God concurre to quicken inwardly Therefore your whole indeuour should be to prease to feele Christ inwardly in your hearts that finding him in your hearts and seeing him in your minds both word and Sacrament may be effectuall If not your soules remaine dead ye are not translated fâ—om that death wherein ye were conceiued Therefore all the study of Christians should be when they see the Sacraments and heare the word to labour to finde and feele in their hearts and minds that which they heare and see and this I call to finde Christ quick in your owne soules This cannot be except ye sanctifie his lodging for if all the corners of thy soule remaine a dunghill Christ cannot dwell there and therfore exept ye study for continuall growth in sanctification and seuer your selues from euery thing that seuers you from Christ it is not possible that he can liue or dwell in you This is a great lesson and it is not possible to do this except as I haue said a stronger come in and possesse vs and make vs to renounce our selues Then the seales had not bene annexed to the word except for our cause for there is no necessity on Gods part that God should either sweare or confirme by seales the thing tâ—at he hath spoken for his word is as good as any oath or seale But the necessity commeth of vs there is such a great weaknesse in vs that when he hath sworne and set his seales vnto his word we are as neere to belieue as if he had neuer spoken a word So to helpe our beliefe our weaknesse and inability that is in vs for we are so vnable by nature that we can belieue nothing but that which is of our selues and the more we leane vnto our selues the further we are from God I say to helpe this wonderfull weaknesse whereby we are ready to mistrust God in euery word he hath annexed his Sacraments and besides his Sacraments he sweares the things that concerne most our saluation As in the Priesthood of Christ Psal. 110.4 he will not speake onely but he sweares and that for our weaknesse and infirmities but yet if he abstract the ministery of his Spirit all these meanes will do no good Now the last thing is how the Sacrament is peruerted how we are defrauded of the fruit effect therof Two sorts of faults peruert the
moued him to do Now beside the retraction the force of his prayer appeareth in the health of his bodie in lengthning of his dayes in giuing him a prosperous and sure estate and last in confirming it by such a wonderfull signe that the like was neuer heard nor seene before Iudge ye then what is the force and effect of the prayer of a faithfull man The second thing that I marked was this the wonderfull inclination that the Lord hath to mercie how well he answereth to his names and stiles whiles he is called a God of compassion a God of exceeding and infinite mercie The third thing that we marked on this suddainnesse was that strict and entire coniunction that standeth betwixt the faithfull soule on the one part and God on the other part to wit the coniunction is so strict that it maketh God as present to the faithful soule as if heauen and earth were coupled together Thâ—s coniunction by faith maketh Christ our helpe to be as neare in time of neede as if he had placed his throne of grace in the bed where we lie Ye see how swiftly the Kings prayer mounteth ye see how swiftly the answer returneth ye see in such a celeritie the matter is dispatched as if there were no distance betwixt heauen and earth Then by this it clearly appeareth that there is no distance of place that can make the Lord consume time in doing of his will Also there is no distance of place neither thicknesse of walls that can hold the Lords presence from the faithfull soule but he is as present to the faithfull soule as any corporall obiect is to the bodily eye There is no obiect so present to the bodily eye as the Lord is present to the soule Thus farre we proceeded in the first circumstance Vpon this we gathered and let you see where the King lay It behoued him to haue bene layed in his owne house And we shew also that this was a signe of the fauour of God that he should be diseased there where he might be best eased without trouble to others As to the giuer of the gift it is God for there is no good gift but it floweth from him As to the bearer it is Isaiah not of necessity for the Lord is not bound to any second instruments but of a voluntary and free obligation he hath obliged himselfe to vtter his power and to worke by them Here I wished you in my exhortation be diligent hearers of the word be not deceiued with your foolish conceits I will reade as good at home better I say the Lord will not worke by thy reading when thou contemnest the ordinary meanes he hath bound him to his instruments that by hearing faith shall come he will not worke by his Spirit except thou heare Heare the word therefore as long as the Lord giueth thee grace and continueth it He hath bound himselfe to grant faith by hearing and not by reading in contempt of hearing As to the preface we shew it differed from the former preface in two poynts First there was mention here made of Dauid which was not in the other and consequently of Christ in whom the comfort of the King stood and on whom all the comfort of the olde Testament is grounded without whom there is no true comfort Secondly in this preface he is called Dauids sonne not onely by nature but by grace and therefore the whole promise of grace made vnto Dauid iustlie appertaineth to him whereas otherwise if he had bene his sonne by nature onely the promises of grace had no more concerned him in particular then they concerned his father Achas But because by grace he was made the sonne of grace therefore the promises of grace iustlie appertaine to him Here we did let you see that it is not carnall generation which we draw from our parents that maketh vs the sonnes of God faithfull as they are but the generation of the promise in following the trade of their faith we are made the sonnes of our faithfull predecessors There was two things marked in the preface First the Prophet returneth not vntil he got a command The lesson is this to office-bearers in their calling to enterprise nothing in Gods affaires vntill they get his owne aduice The other thing we see in him a wonderfull and ready obedience to God For suppose the Prophet saw his threatning in an instant of time to be turned in mercy yet he is not angry but reioyceth to see the Lord worke so with this King Vpon this we gathered a lesson for teachers They should not be moued greatly when they see the Lords threatnings in an instant of time if it were possible turned in mercy I thinke there is none as I spake then but they will be exceedingly reioyced to see these threatnings which are threatned against these bloudy butchers against these adulterers against these oppressors and sacrilegious persons there is none I thinke but he will be exceedingly reioyced to see the Lord worke so that the Minister haue as great occasion to comfort as he had to threaten I thinke also that there is none that feareth God who will not reioyce to see the Magistrate who is the ouerseer and should take order with these bloudy men there is none but he will reioyce to see the threatnings which are iustly pronounced and shall as iustly light if they be not preuented to be turned in mercy But surely there is no hope of it for iniquity groweth so and it is come to such a maturity that surely the Lord from heauen will take vengeance on it if the Magistrate put not to his hand in time On the other part we learne of Isaiah to blow mercy when the Lord biddeth and to sound iudgement when the Lord biddeth for seeing the Lord hath appointed vs to be his mouth we must not speak what we please for so we are not the Lords mouth but our owne mouth So he that taketh vpon him to be his mouth let him sound as the Lord biddeth him In the Narratiue he saith he heard the Kings prayer And as he heard the Kings prayer so he heareth the prayers and seeth the teares of the oppressed of this land which the Magistrate should both heare and see And as he heareth them so he hath gathered their teares in his viole and in his owne time he will prouide a remedy Lastly he pronounceth three things vnto him health of the body length of dayes and a sure and prosperous estate which neuer entred in his minde to seeke And therefore I exhorted him that was present and you all what so euer ye want seeke it of God seeke it in Christ Iesus whether it be for the soule or body in him are placed full treasures for both if ye keepe you in the fauour of God and keepe you in his protection nothing shall hurt you And by the contrarie if ye lose his fâ—uour ye shall lose all Thus farre we proceeded in our
him ready It is foolish false to thinke that preparation to death is a furtherance to death No the contrary is true The readier ye are to die the more able ye are to liue the lesse shall be your anguish when the Lord calleth As to the reasons I will not insist in them onely the last reason that maketh death to be so fearefull to this good King was the great loue which he had to the Church that was in his country the great care which he had of his faithfull subiects who should lacke by his death his mercifull protection And in this I did let you see that the country had an exceeding blessing where the Prince is so carefull for the Church in his country and of his faithfull subiects that in his death he hath mind of them and is grieued to depart from them As on the other side the Church must be as heauily cursed where the Prince hath no regard of the Church in his country nor of his faithfull subiects As to the reasons I will not stand precisely in iustifying of them all I thinke as the word soundeth that there is some thing worthy of praise and commendation in them and some thing worthy of dispraise and reproofe For so farre as they flow of faith and of the good spirit of God no question they are worthy of praise and so farre as they flow from the Kings vnruly affections they are worthy of dispraise And surely it appeareth by the words that his affections had bene somewhat vnruly Well the lesson that I gathered was This is the profite that we reape of these preposterous affections they draw our loue from God to the creatures And ere these affections can be drawne from the creature they bring such a griefe vnto them as it were another death Therefore the thing that we craued was that ye should set your affection vpon God The truth of loue is in God and therefore it becometh you to bring your hearts from the creature vnto God and imploy your affection vpon him in whom onely is solid ioy Thus farre we proceeded in our last exercise Now in the words which I haue read he returneth to his complaint and he taketh vp his lamentation againe in the first part of the 12. verse he vttereth his trouble wherein he was In the end of that verse and in the verse following he vttereth the great rage furie of his sicknes And in the 14. verse he letteth vs see what he did in this great rage and extremity of his disease Then to returne to the 12. verse I say in the beginning of it he returneth to his lamentation and he vttereth his complaint as he had wont to do bursting out after this manner Mine habitation saith he is departed and transported from me As if he would say my life is to depart and the Lord is to transport it to another part I see death is instant and the Lord is cutting off this present life of mine He letteth vs see the maner how his life is to be transported by two similitudes The first similitude he taketh from a shepheards tent The second similitude he taketh from a Weauer and his web As to the first similitude he sayth his life is to be transported from him like a shepheards tent Looke how the tents of shepheards are remoued transported and remoued so saith the King he saw his life to be subiect to the same transportation It is knowne to you all that reade histories that in the East hote countries as namely among the Tartars and Arabians where the shepheards in the sommer seasons remaine vnder tents so often as they remoue their flocks they remoue their tents And in our owne countrie here when our shepheards remoue their flockes they remoue their other necessaries alluding to that same custome so would the King say look how these tents are remoued in the sommer season transported my life is subiect to the same condition Of this similitude we haue matter full of good doctrine For this similitude doth first teach vs that there is nothing more instable vncertaine then is the life of man here beneath There is nothing more subiect to instability then this life which we liue in this body For as to the nature of tents ye see whether ye call them tents pauillions or tabernacles all is one by experience there is nothing more vnstable nor vncertaine to dwell in then is a tent For why it lacketh a ground it lacketh a foundation and stability and in stead of a ground it leaneth onely to certaine pinnes which enter not deepely into the earth and consequently by the lightest blast of euery wind they are blowne vp and when the pinnes faile the tent falleth So the King would teach vs by this similitude that this life of ours lacketh a ground lacketh a foundation and lacketh a stabilitie And therefore the King in this comparison would send vs to the life which hath the sure ground foundation and stability he sendeth vs to that kingdome which as the Apostle Heb. 12. saith cannot be shaken by no kind of stormy blasts And as I remember Heb. 11 9.10 there in these verses the Apostle maketh a flat opposition betwixt these tents that lacke a ground and the City of God saying that as tents and tabernables lacke a foundation and ground so the City of God on the contrary hath a ground and a foundation and in steede of one he calleth them in the plurall number foundations Looke saith he to the City that hath the foundations whose craftsman and builder is the God of heauen He expoundeth himselfe what he meaneth by the foundations in the last verse where he saith Such a kingdome as cannot be shaken that is whose ground is so sure that it cannot be shaken nor totter by no processe of time nor stormy blasts Then the first lesson that ye haue from this part of the comparison is this Learne to seeke for the City that hath sure foundations seek for the City that can not be shaken The Lord giue you grace so to do In the other part of the comparison he letteth vs see that so long as we are in this life we haue no pernament abode nor certaine remaining whereunto we may leane For as ye may perceiue by the historie of Genesis the Patriarkes dwelled in tens to testifie vnto vs two things First to testifie that they were no countreymen there nor natiue borne men of that country but strangers and pilgrimes in that country and as they professed themselues that they were not onely strangers of that countrey but counted themselus strangers so long as they remained on the face of this earth The second thing that they testified by dwelling in tents is that they were minded not to remaine there it was not their purpose to fixe their staffe as we speake there But they were vpon their iourney and seeking the way that leadeth homeward the way that
they will hazard both bodie and soule There is none but they see this and haue cause to lament it I cannot but be rauished in admiration when I see these two to wit the more that light is offered our hearts are the harder the more that light groweth and knowledge increaseth conscience decayeth as if knowledge and conscience could not dwell both in one country The more light increaseth the more well doing decayeth which testifieth that the darknesse wherein the Papists liued keeping a conscience in respect of vs shall rise and condemne vs that in so great light haue lost all conscience This is a part of my wonder Now what must follow of this The Apostle Heb. 6. letteth vs see that the ground which is often watered and refreshed with raine in due season and in the meane time bringeth nothing foorth but briers and thornes which are onely meete faggots for the fire shall be burnt vp in the Lords iudgement To apply this howsoeuer the iudgement be delayed of necessity there remaineth an vtter burning vp which consumption must be the greater the greater that the light is For the greater light the greater contempt and the greater contempt the heauier must the iudgement be And surely I looke with my selfe and am in a constant expectation that except matters proceede otherwise in this countrie then they haue done it shall be made a spectacle to all other countries in the earth Thus farre we proceeded in our last exercise Now in the end of the 16. verse he continueth and he prayseth that same blessed word of God from other effects which he found in his owne person and in the end of this verse he saith By the benefit of the word I haue obtayned health of bodie For as sicknesse had taken all strength from me and had spoiled me of my force by the benefit of the word I am restored to my strength to my force and wealth againe Yea not onely by the benefit of the word am I restored to my health but by the same benefit I am preserued in my health and continue therein So that looke from the beginning First he ascribeth the life of the bodie to the word Secondly he ascribeth the life of his soule to the word he ascribeth the health of his bodie and soule to the word And last of all he ascribeth the continuance of the health of bodie and soule to this word What comfort is there to be found but it is in the word What comfort can a Christian heart wish but it is in the word Yea I say more it is not possible to the mouth nor to the heart of man to expresse the comfort which the soule hath in this word It is not possible to the mouth to vtter the ioy which it worketh in them in whom this Spirit is effectuall Notwithstanding all this great benefit that floweth of the word let vs see who runneth to this word to seeke comfort If we looke to the prophane multitude yea to the best of vs all there is neuer a one that runneth to this word vntill all worldly comfort do faile vs But when nature and all naturall meanes hath left vs then we run as it were compelled to the word yea we are so late in running that oft times we get an euill answer when we come and the gates are violently shut vppon vs as they were on the foolish virgins Well the word is daily and continually sounded Therefore seeke to get comfort of this word in time Looke that ye heare this word with great reuerence and studie to practise it dayly more and more in your daylie life and conuersation Now in the 17. verse of this Chapter he noteth the time First when he fell into this disease Secondly he letteth vs know the manner how he was deliuered As to the time when he fell into it he saith it was in time of peace after he was deliuered from the hands of Sanacherib and when he was at ease in great wealth and abundance and as he himselfe confesseth when he was beginning to forget God and to abuse the great benefit of his deliuerie at that same time God beginneth to pull his eare and he casteth him out of the hands of a fearefull warre into the hands of a terrible plague I marked in the entry of this Chapter some things vpon this circumstance And therefore I content me onely with this obseruations We may perceiue by this same circumstance how hard a thing it is to flesh and bloud to beare the cup of great wealth and long health euen Yea it is a thing altogether impossible to flesh to beare the cup of prosperitie and health equally any long space but except the Lord exercise vs by one exercise or other hold vs in awe and tune our eare like fed horse we begin to repine Therefore I say seeing this is a common sicknesse vnto all flesh as I haue spoken we haue to seeke our counsell of Agur the sonne of Iake who fearing to fall into these inconueniences desireth two things of God first he prayeth that he will remooue all vanitie and lying words from him that is that he will remooue and forget his sinnes and deliuer him from euill Secondly that he will neither tempt him with ouer great abundance nor yet with ouer great pouerty that he would not tempt him with ouer great abundance lest should forget him nor yet with ouer great pouertie lest he should speake euill of him but chiefly he craueth of God that he will grant vnto him his daily bread that is vnto euery one of vs according to the nature of our calling and estate so much of these temporall goods as he knoweth meetest for his glory and our saluation Then to eschue the inconueniences of abundance which do make vs forget God of pouertie that maketh vs to blaspheme God beg of God that he would grant you your dayly bread But I pray you what maruell is it that a wealthy and glorious King in the time of his greatest prosperitie should fall into the ignorance of God What maruell is it that a King who commonly taketh vnto him an absolute power and hath none about him but flatterers for the most part and who continually drinketh in vanitie at all his senses like water what maruell is it that lie fall into the ignorance of God when we see our owne meane Lords who are not Kings to fall into such proud contempt that they are alwaies readie as appeareth to take vp open warres against God so that Iulian was no greater profest enemie then they are like to be if they continue Suppose a King fall into this ignorance of God what maruell is it seeing that these meane Lords in very meane wealth do the like yea and the greater Well this King was chastised in the mercie of God that he should not fall into the condemnation of the Reprobate And that man if he be not chastised in time by the
mirrour of the word is but a dim mirrour and a sealed letter to all men as Isaiah calleth it It cannot profite vs. Therefore there is no way to seeke God truely but in the mirrour of his owne word and Spirit coniunctly that is by the word piercing the eare and the Spirit piercing the heart The word to work outwardly and to pierce the eare and the Spirit to worke inwardlie an eye in the minde and to open adore in the heart Where this coniunct and ioyned working is it cometh to passe that the veile of ignorance is taken out of our mindes it cometh to passe that our hard hearts are mollified it cometh to passe that the filthines of our affectiōs are mortified it cometh to passe that our soules are renewed our conscience getteth this boldnesse that with ioy we dare open these mouthes of ours which otherwise we durst neuer open and call the Father of Iesus Christ Our Father This heauenly reuelation we haue by the working of the worde and Spirit coniunctly and still the more we get of the Spirit the more clearely we see him and the better know we our God Then let vs come to the matter by this heauenly reuelation of God by his word and by his Spirit it cometh to passe that God is well knowne in Iudah that is in his Church And of this good knowledge which is no other thing but faith againe it cometh to passe that his name is great in Israel that is that his name is greatly praised highly extolled and his remembrance is euer continually in memory in Israel By the name of God here God himselfe is vnderstood for in so many good effects as God vttereth himself toward his Church as many names he giueth to himselfe whereby he may be praised of her As for example when he promiseth vnto his Church freely grace and mercy his Church giueth him a name and calleth him mercifull When he keepeth his promises and vttereth himselfe a faithfull God to his Church his Church giueth him a name and calleth him a true God When he deliuereth his Church out of danger and sheweth himselfe a mighty God terrible against his enemies the Church giueth him a name and calleth him a potent God and so foorth in the rest of his effects So that by the name of God is vnderstood here God himselfe as God maketh himselfe to be known in his wonderful works and effects Then to take vp the doctrine of this first benefit we see this heauenly familiar reuelation of God only and no other thing maketh this God well knowne in Israel Of this heauenly and familiar reuelation springeth true knowledg which is no other thing but our iustifying faith and of this iustifying faith benefite of knowledge springeth a continuall praysing and louing of God for these two further others mutually the true knowledge of God and the true praysing of God God is well knowne in Iudah Therefore his name is greatly praised there So that it is not possible but that man who knoweth God rightlie must praise him truely God is not like our countrymen For many of our men where they are best knowne they are worst loued It is farre otherwise with God for where he is best knowne he is best loued And this loue can neuer be idle but must burst forth in praises and thanksegiuing of him whom it loueth For these two follow others mutually the true knowledge of God and the true praysing of God Now let vs see and let vs turne ouer this argument vpon our selues and see if the consequence be true in vs. This countrey no waies praiseth God nor magnifieth his name and therefore it followeth he was neuer well knowne here his name is not great in Scotland Therefore it is a sure token that his goodnes was neuer well felt in Scotland Surely if a multitude of benefites might haue moued vs to haue altered our taste we might long since haue tasted the sweetnesse If a multitude of miracles and many wonders might haue made him to haue bene knowne among vs there are more shewed to vs and more wonderfull then euer was shewed to Pharaoh But God knoweth what we haue profited both in our knowledge and in our feeling For as to our knowledge in our hearts whatsoeuer we professe in our mouthes for all that is come and gone we are for the most part asking with Pharaoh Who is the great Iehouah that we should obey him And on the other part we doubt as much of his Son the Sauiour of the world so that we are still asking with the blindeman Iohn 9. Who is the Lord that we should beleeue in him I say if marueilous or wonderous workes might haue moued vs to know praise him he hath shewed a worke lately which euen the more we heare of it it is the more marueilous And yet I am assured a great part of the circumstances that should aggrauate this matter are not as yet come to our knowledge We are assembled this day for that end and to praise him for this benefite that his name may be great in Edinborough The Lord grant that euery one of you in some measure may burst forth in thansgiuing that ye may answer to our expectation as God hath giuen you grace And on the other side accursed be he as he is accursed from the heauen that presenteth himselfe here to scorne God that cometh here and bringeth not his heart and minde ready prepared in some measure to praise him I stand not here vpon the degrees of preparation howsoeuer it be so it be true otherwise here I pronounce him accursed from the heauen that cometh not here to praise God in some measure Since these corporall Sacrifices ceassed in the which God was honoured there is no spirituall Sacrifice more acceptable to him then the Sacrifice of thanksgiuing For as to this Sacrifice it sanctifieth not onely our owne persons but the whole creatures appointed to the vse of our persons For that which is true in meate and drinke is true in all the rest of the creatures of God ye see by your experience dayly that your meate and drinke is made wholesome to your nourishment by thanksgiuing to God after dinner and supper and so oft as ye refresh your bodies This that is true in these creatures is true in all the rest of the benefits of God So this proposition abideth firme Thankfulnesse to God sanctifieth the whole benefits of God It is not possible but a good conscience must praise God in some measure A good conscience cannot cast off the memorie of God and his benefits altogether but in some measure it must praise him Therefore that we may possesse this great worke and benefite of our deliuerie in the mercie and fauour of God and with his blessing in a good conscience let vs in some measure giue him praise therefore Surely the longer ye looke in this benefit and the more ye weigh it
Diuers opinions concerning the presence of Christs body in the Sacrament How a thing is said to be absent and present How the body of Christ is present Our difference with the Papists to whom the words ought to be directed c. SERM. VI. Out of Isaiah 38. Intreating of Hezechiahs Sickenesse v. 1.2.3 Sheweth that the greatest are not exempt from great and sore trials That Hezechiahs disease was though not in the greatest extremity that which we by an emphasis call the Sickenesse Why God thus visiteth his children The time when the King fell into this disease What is our duty in the like case of distresse from the Prophets plaine dealing with the King That the Prophet as appeareth was not too rigorous in his denuntiation in adding affliction vpon affliction to the King The Kings excellent behauiour in this Sicknesse His gesture in the same expressing the signes of a good conscience His recourse in extremitie to the same great power which now did smite him seeme to be his enemy our lesson from thence SERM. VII On Isa. 38.4.5.6 Intreating of Hezechiahs Sicknesse sheweth The speedy issue and hearing of the Kings prayer our lessons from thence It is a mercy to be visited at home as this King was The author of the Kings comfort was God vsing the meanes of his minister and word Why mention is made of Dauid in this comfort the King receiued Why Dauid is called the Kings Father Our lessons from this preface That the Lord is neare the prayers of his children That as this King receiued more then he asked from God so for the most part do all the Saints SERM. VIII On Isaiah 38.7.8.9.10.11 Intreating of Hezechiahs sicknesse Sheweth why the King sought a signe how some refuse signes How the signe was shewed Why the Signe was wrought in the Diall Why in the bodie of the Sunne What profit is to be gathered of signes By whose power this signe was wrought The force of prayer The Kings thankfulnesse for the benefit receiued A short summe of the Kings life Our lesson from thence The Kings song shewing first when he was troubled The diuersitie of the feare of death in the godly and wicked The way to eschue the feare of death The reasons why death seemes now so grieuous to the King A censure of these his reasons SERM. IX Out of Isaiah 38.12.13.14 Intreating of Hezechiahs sicknesse Sheweth the similitudes whereby the King amplified his present lamentation Why the Patriarks conuersed in tents Our vses thence The extremitie of the Kings disease Why God suffereth his children to fall into such extremities Our lessons thence By what meanes the King in this extremitie seeketh vnto God Why the King sought the prorogation of his dayes In what respect it is lawfull to seeke the prolonging of our dayes That faith and doubting may remaine in one soule If Christ in his agonie had contrarie voyces no maruell this King had also How this King teacheth vs to pray in extremitie SERM. X. On Isaiah 38.15.16 Intreating of Hezechiahs sicknesse Sheweth the Kings thankefulnesse in three things That a good conscience giueth thankes for euery thing receiued How the King expresseth the greatnesse of the mercy receiued What effects this mercy did breede in him How the sweetnesse of this mercy did make him burst forth in praise of the word How a man shall know if the Spirit of life be begun in him How the Spirit is saiâ— to be nourished in vs and how banished c. SERM. XI On Isaiah 38.16 to the end of the chapter Intreating of Hezechias sicknesse Sheweth how from the other effects of the word the King continueth to extoll the same The time when this King did thus fall sicke The manner of the Kings deliuery That sin is the onelie thing punished in the wicked and purged in the godly That remission of sinnes cureth all diseases That when God forgiueth sinnes he also forgetteth them That God onely forgiueth sinnes The cause and reasons why God did forgiue this King his sinnes Doctrine from thence why the Lord worketh by meanes and secondary causes SERM. XII Out of Psalme 76 From 1. to the 8. ver Intreating of the great deliuery in 88. from the Spanish tyranny Sheweth the purpose of the Prophet in this Psalme what is meant by the name of God That the true knowledge and praises of God accompany each other The profite which cometh to vs by thankesgiuing That it is a mercy to haue God neare vs and to dwell with vs. The place of this ouerthrow What that is which driueth God from any place How this victory was obtained How the Lord is said to rebuke Gods former dealing with his Church To what end the Lord appointeth enemies vnto his Church How of Gods great mercyes followeth admiration SERM. XIII On Psalme 76.8.9.10.11.12 Intreating of the former subiect Sheweth that God onely did this great worke The effects that this great work brought forth One lesson from thence The time of this great iudgment The times of Gods sitting and rising To what end God commonly riseth An obiection of the Church preuented Exhortation to thankefulnesse That we should vpon extraordinary mercyes chiefly stirre vp our selues to the same SERM. XIIII On Psalme 40. preached in a publike fast enioyned by authority The parts of this Psalme In the 1. part from Dauids experience diuerse obseruations How Hope differeth from Faith The life of hope Hope and mourning may stand together How to obtaine patience in trouble How to know when God heareth our prayer though he grant not instantly our sute How constant mourning in trouble vnto God argueth certaine deliuerance Why the Lord delayeth to helpe his seruants The end why our prayers are heard Two sorts of abusing the grace of God SERM. XV. Out of 2. Tim. 2.22 preached at the publike Repentance of the Earle Bothwell in the Church of Edinborough Sheweth the summe and meaning of the words what these things be which all yong men should flie What is meant by the lusts of youth Whence the restraint of sinne doth come By what meanes the Lord restraineth sinne in vs. What things yong men should seeke after The definition and sorts of Repentance In what respects wordly sorrow is called a blind terror What godly sorrow is A caution to be obserued in Repentance What the greatest sinne a a man can commit is The effects of godly sorrow The manner of Repentance Why some parts of Repentance haue the name of Mortification and Viuification That in the worke of Repentance the diuell stayeth nothing more then our sincere confession of Sinnes A caution to beware of Presumption That there be two sortes of Repentance c. SERM. XVI Out of 2. Tim. 2.13 In way of an Exhortation to a Prouinciall Assembly Sheweth at whose hands the Pastor ought chiefly to seeke approbation How to obtaine true approbation The weight of ministeriall function The groundworke of the ministery Whereupon it consisteth What it is to rule in the
Image which we lost nor to leaue vs in this earth but it pleased him to giue vs a better Image and beside that to place vs in heauen there to remaine with him for euer Now resteth his mercie and grace here No But that this saluation which he hath alreadie purchased brought about by his Sonne our Sauiour Christ Iesus might be wholly accomplished hauing nothing wanting in it as he redeemed vs in his owne person perfectly so he makes this same redemption to come to our knowledge makes vs sure of it in our consciences and to this end what doth he As by his death he purchased our full redemption so he makes it knowne vnto vs he intimates it vnto vs by our inward calling letting vs both finde and feele in our heaâ—ts what he did in his body for vs. For our Lord when he makes his seruants to proclaime this redemption and to intimate it to our consciences he workes this Iewell of faith in our soules which assures vs that the Son of God hath died for vs. For what could it auaile vs to see our redemption to see our saluation and our life a farre off if a way were not found out and a hand and meanes giuen vnto vs whereby we may apprehend that saluation applie it to our selues What can it auaile a sicke man to see a drugge in an Apothecaries shop except he may haue it and apply it to his sicke bodie So to the end that this worke of our redemption and saluation may be fullie and freelie accomplished looke how freelie he hath giuen his onely Sonne to the death of the crosse for vs as freelie hath he found out this way and meanes and offered vs this hand whereby we may take hold on Christ apply him to our soules This meanes to conclude is faith There is not a way nor an instrument in the Scriptures of God whereby we can applie Christ to our soules but onelie the instrument of faith therefore faith cannot be enough commended Turne to faith and it will make thee turne to God and so conioyne thee with God and make all thine actions well pleasing vnto him There is no good action that we do though it seeme neuer so good before the world but it is abhomination before God if it be not done in faith and will further our condemnation hauing faith all the creatures of God are seruiceable vnto vs they must all conspire to the furtherance of the worke of our saluation As on the contrarie wanting faith there is none of the creatures of God but shall be enemies vnto vs and conspire to our damnation For faith conioynes vs with the God of heauen and makes vs heauenly This Iewell of faith seasons all the gifts and graces which God giueth vnto vs all the riches of the earth is of no value to my soule without faith And what auaileth it any man to haue all the knowledge and wisedome in the earth without faith For the diuell hath all this knowledge and is not the better What auaileth it me to conquer all the Monarches kingdomes and whole riches in the earth what can all these auaile my soule Nothing but accuse me if I want faith Therefore all the benefits and gifts of God without faith auaile nothing but to augment our miseâ—ie All the gifts and graces of God are abused without faith faith onely maketh thee to vse the benefits and graces of God rightly Faith only should be sought kept and entertained here in this life hauing faith all the rest of Gods graces are profitable vnto thee for this Iewell keepeth them all in order and maketh them all fruitfull whereas wanting this iewell there is nothing here on earth but it will testifie against thee Let vs then speake of this faith how it is wrought in you I take my ground out of the Euangelist Iohn 6.44 where our Sauiour saith No man can come to â—e except the Father which hath sent me draw him In the which words we see clearly that except we be drawne except we be compelled except we be thrust except of vnwilling we be made willing by God the father it is not possible for vs to come to his Sonne What is the reason of this that the Spirit of God must draw vs and make vs willing or euer we come to God Because by nature we are not onely wounded and lanced by sinne and iniquitie but as the Apostle sheweth Ephes. 2.1 We were wholly dead in trespasses and sinnes yea obseâ—ue how voide any dead bodie is of a naturall life so voide are our soules though they be liuing the naturall life so voide are they of the life of God of that heauenly and spirituall life whereunto we in this life do aspire vntill such time that the Spirit of God draw our hearts and minds that is quicken our hearts and minds No it is not a drawing as we commonly speake it is a very quickning of a dead thing It is a quickning of that thing which was void of the life of the Spirit Then except the Spirit of God draw vs that is quicken vs with that spirituall and heauenly life it is not possible for vs to come to heauen And except he nourish this life which he hath begun it is not possible that we can stand in this life So the Spirit of God is said to draw vs that is to begin this life in vs and by the same holy Spirit to continue and nourish this life in vs. Now by the drawing of the Spirit our soules are quickned and by the drawing of the Spirit I vnderstand no other thing but the framing and creating of faith in our soules which makes vs new creatures Now let vs see what order the Spirit of God keepeth in drawing vs and informing and creating this faith in our soules First of all I deuide the soule into no more parts then commonly it vseth to be deuided that is into the heart and the mind Our mind then being â— cloud of darknesse altogether blind naturally there being nothing in that mind of ours but vanitie error and ignorance whereby we vanish away can neuer long continue in any good resolution or purpose what doth the Spirit of God The first worke that euer the Spirit of God doth he taketh order with the mind and what doth he to the mind He banisheth darknesse he chaseth out vanitie and blindnesse that naturally lurketh in the mind and in stead of this darknesse he placeth in the mind a lâ—ght a celestial and heauenly light a light which is resident in Christ Iesus onely Then the Spirit chaseth out that cloud of mist and darknesse and placeth light in the mind And what worketh he by this light We getting sanctified vnderstanding incontinent he makes vs to see God not onely as he is God the Creator of the world but also as he is God the Redeemer and hath redeemed vs in his Sonne Christ Iesus Now before I obtaine this light
apprehension of the meate and drinke that is the foode of the body so there is two sorts of apprehension of the body and bloud of Christ Iesus which is our meate and drinke spirituall Of meate and drinke corporall there is an apprehension by the eye and by the taste that while the meate is present vnto you on the table your eye taketh a view of that meate discerneth it and maketh choice of it and not only the eye but also the taste discerneth the meate and the taste approouing it that is called the first apprehension Now vpon this which is the first the second apprehension followeth that is after that ye haue chewed that meate swallowed it and sent it to your stomacke where it digesteth and conuerteth into your nouriture then in your stomacke ye get the second apprehension But if your eye like not that meate neither your taste like it the second apprehension followeth not for thou wilt spet it out againe or reiect it preferring some other meate vnto it that thou likest better That meate which thou likest not enters neuer into thy stomacke and so it can neuer be conuerted into thy nourishment for it is onely the second apprehension of the meate that is the cause of the nourishment of the body in our corporall foode so that if ye chew not this meate and swallow it it feeds you not then it is onely the second apprehension that nourisheth our bodies It is euen so in spirituall things so farre as they may be compared in the foode of Christ Iesus who is the life and nouriture of our soules and consciences There must be two sorts of apprehension of Christ Iesus The first apprehension is by the eye of the mind that is by our knowledge and vnderstanding for as the eye of the body discerneth by an outward light so the eye of the mind discerneth by an inward and renewed vnderstanding whereby we get the first apprehension of Christ. Now if this first apprehension of Christ like vs well then the next followeth we begin to cast the affection of our hearts on him we haue good will to him for all our affections proceede from our will and our affections being renewed and made holy we set them wholly vpon Christ. We loue him and if we loue him we take hold of him and digest him that is we apply him to our soules and so of this loue liking of him the second apprehension doth follow But if we haue no will to him if we haue no loue nor liking of him what do we Then we reiect him and preferre our owne Idoll and the seruice of our owne affections to him and so the second apprehension followeth not We cannot digest him and if we digest him not that spirituall life cannot grow in vs for marke in what place the eye serues to the bodie in the same roome serueth knowledge and vnderstanding to thy soule and looke in what place thy hand and thy mouth thy taste and thy stomacke serue vnto thy body in that very place serue the heart and affections vnto thy soule So that as our bodies cānot be nourished except our hands take and our mouthes eate the meate whereby the second apprehension may follow likewise our soules cannot feede on Christ except we hold him and embrace him heartily by our wils and affections For we come not to Christ by any outward motion of our bodies but by an inward motion apprehension of the heart For God finding vs all in a reprobate sence he bringeth vs to Christ by reforming the affection of our soules by making vs to loue him And therefore the second apprehension whereby we digest our Sauiour will neuer enter into our soules except as he pleaseth the eye so he please the will and the affection also Now if this come to passe that our wils and affections are wholly bent vpon Christ then no doubt we haue gotten this Iewell of faith Haue ye such a liking in your minds such a loue in your hearts of Christ that ye will preferre him before all things in the world then no question faith is begun in you Now after a thing is begun there is yet more required for though this faith be formed in your minds in your hearts and soules yet that is not enough but that which is formed must be nourished and he who is conceiued must be entertained and brought vp or else the loue that is begun in me by the holy Spirit except by ordinary meanes it be daily entertained and nourished it will decay except the Lord continue the working of his holy Spirit it is not possible that I can continue in the faith And how must we nourish and keepe faith in our soules Two manner of waies First we nourish faith begun in our soules by hearing of the word not of euery word but by hearing of the word of God preached and not by hearing of euery man but by hearing the word preached by him that is sent For this is the ordinarie meanes whereunto the Lord hath bound himselfe he will worke faith by the hearing of the word and receiuing of the Sacraments And the more that thou hearest the word and the otfner that thou receiuest the Sacraments the more thy faith is nourished Now it is not onely by hearing of the word and receiuing of the Sacraments that we nourish faith The word and Sacraments are notable of themselues to nourish this faith in vs except the working of the holy Spirit be conioyned with their ministerie But the word and the Sacraments are said to nourish faith in our soules because they offer and exhibite Christ vnto vs who is the meate the drinke and life of our soules and in respect that in the word and Sacraments we get Christ who is the foode of our soules therefore the word and Sacraments are said to nourish our soules As it is said Act. 2.42 The Disciples of Christ continued in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship breaking of bread and prayers by these meanes entertaining augmenting and nourishing the faith that was begun in them Then the holy Spirit begets this faith workes this faith creates this faith nourisheth entertaineth this faith in our soules by hearing the word preached and by the receiuing of the Sacraments which are the ordinarie meanes whereby the Lord nourisheth vs and continueth this spirituall foode with vs. For obserue by what meanes the spirituall life is begunne by the same meanes it is nourished and entertained as this temporall life is entertained and nourished by the same means whereby it is begun Then seeing by these meanes the holy Spirit begets this worke of faith in our soules it is our duty to craue that he would continue the worke which he hath begunne And for this cause we should resort to the hearing of the word when it is preached and to the receiuing of the Sacraments when they are ministred that we may be fedde in our soules to life
to God in these words Cast me not away from thy presence And what addeth he And take not thy holy Spirit from me Had he not lost the Spirit by his adultery and murther No for he would not haue said then Take it not from me but Restore it to me It is true that he vseth the like in the verse following Râ—store me to the ioy of thy saluation Not that he wanted the Spirit wholly but that the Spirit lacked force in him and needed strengthening and fortification it would be stirred vp that the flame of it might appeare Therefore I say in that Dauid speaketh so plainly after his adulterie and murther Take not thy Spirit from me it is a certaine argument that the faithfull haue neuer the Spirit of God alwaies taken from them in their greatest dissolutions The second point is this How proue I that these sparkles are not idle though the outward effects be interrupted As Dauid felt this in his conscience so euery one of you may feele it in your owne consciences The Spirit of God in mans heart cannot be idle but these sparkles during the time that the bodie is let loose to all dissolutions these sparkles are accusing thy dissolution are finding fault with thy manners these sparkles suffer thee not to take the pleasure of thy bodie without great bitternesse and continuall remorse And these sparkles where they are will make the soule wherein they dwell to vtter these speeches at one time or other once in the twenty-foure houres Alas I am doing the euill which I would not do if I had power or strength to resist my affection if I might be master of my affections I would not for all the world do the euill which I do Againe if I had power to do the good which I would do I would not leaue it vndone for all the world So these sparkles though they haue not such force and strength presently as to resist the affection abstaine from doing euill deeds yet perpetually in the heart they are finding fault with thy corruption and suffer thee not to take thy pleasure without paine but last of all force thee to vtter these speeches If I had strength to resist I would not do the euill which I do Where these speeches are no question they are the words of a soule which the Lord hath begun to sanctifie and being once sanctified in despite of the diuell and of the corruption that is in vs this faith shall neuer perish but if the whole soule without contradiction with a greedy appetite and pleasure be carried to euill and hath no sorrow for it that soule is in an ill estate I can looke for nothing in such a soule but death except the Lord of his great mercie preuent it But where this remorse and sorrow and such speeches are in the soule that soule in the time that God hath appointed shall recouer strength The Lord shall neuer suffer those sparkes to be wholly taken away but in his owne time he shall fortifie them and make them to breake out before the world in good works The Lord in his owne time will sanctifie them he will scatter the ashes of corruption stirre vp the sparkles and make them to breake out into a better life then euer they did before as ye may cleerely see that Dauids repentance hath done more good to the God then if he had neuer fallen Thus farre concerning the effects Though the effects of repentance be interrupted yet those sparkles are not extinguished For there is no man will thinke that the fire which is couered with ashes is extinguished but being stirred vp in the morning it will burne as cleerely as it did the night before There is no man will think the trees that now in the time of Winter want leaues fruite and externall beauty to be dead There is no man will thinke the Sunne to be out of the firmament though it be ouershadowed with a clowde of darkenesse and mist. There is great difference betweene a sleeping disease and death for men are not dead though they be sleeping and yet there is nothing liker vnto death then sleepe As there is great difference betwixt a drunken man and a dead man so there is great oddes betwixt the faith that lieth hid for a while and vttereth not it selfe and the light that is vtterly put out When we breake not forth into outward deedes God forbid that we should thinke that these sparkles are whollie extinguished Indeede the soule which is visited after foule and haynous backslidings from his calling and against his knowledge before this soule recouer the former beauty it is in a strange danger For if the Lord suffer thy corruption to get loose in such sort that it carry thee as it will and by all meanes possible maketh thee to labour to put out the sparkles of regeneration when the Lord beginnes to challenge thee or to make thee reÌ„der an account of this life past the soule of that man when it is challenged is in great danger So that no question when the Lord beginnes to lay to your charge your dissolute life the contempt and abuse of your calling assuredly your soules are so neere to the bâ—inke of desperation that there can be nothing neerer For wilt thou looke to God Thou wilt see nothing but his anger kindled as a fire against thee Wilt thou looke to thy selfe Thou wilt see nothing but sin prouoking his anger thou wilt see the contempt and abuse of thy calling enlarging his anger thou wilt see nothing but matter of despaire And what is the best pillar and surest retreat whereupon such a soule that is so neere to the brinke of desperation may repose I will shew you the helpe whereupon When thou art assaulted by all the greatest tentations thou canst imagine when there is nothing before thee but death when thou seest the diuell accusing thee thine owne conscience bearing him witnes against thee thy life accusing thee and the abuse of thy calling accusing thee whither shalt thou go Looke backe againe to thy forepast experience cast ouer thy memorie and remember if God at any time and in any measure hath loued thee if euer thou hast felt the loue and fauour of God in thy heart and conscience Remember if euer the Lord hath so disposed thy heart that as he loued thee thou louedst him and hadst a desire to obtaine him Remember if euer the Lord hath so disposed thy heart that as he loued thee thou louedst him hadst a desire to obtaine him Remember this and repose thine assurance on this that as he loued thee once he will loue thee euer and will assuredly restore thee to that loue before thou departest this life The heart that felt once this loue of God shall feele it againe and looke what gift or grace or what taste of the power of the world to come that euer the Lord gaue to his creatures in this life to
that same degree of mercy he shall restore his creature before it depart this life So the soule that is tossed with high assaults and great dangers where present things will not helpe it is necessary that it haue recourse vnto things past and keepe in memory the fore-past experience of mercy which the Lord hath freely shewed towards that soule This same memory shall be so pleasant to the soule that it shall stay it presently from desperation and vphold it vnto the time the Lord pacifie that heart and giue comfort to that soule which being done that soule shall see that howsoeuer God was angry he was angry onely for a while I speake these things not that I thinke that euery one of you hath tasted of them yet in some measure the seruants of God must taste of them and ye that haue not tasted of them may taste of them before ye die And therefore whether ye haue tasted or not tasted of them it cannot be but profitable for you to locke vp this lesson in your hearts and remember it faithfully that if the Lord at any time strike at your hearts ye may remember and say with your selues I learned a lesson To looke backe vnto my forepast experience and thereon to repose And though ye be not touched presently your selues yet when ye visite them that are troubled in conscience let these things be proposed to them as comforts vse them as medicines most meete to apply to the griefe of the inward conscience and so ye shal reape fruite of this doctrine and possesse your soules in a good estate Thus farre for the first point wherein euery one of you ought to try and examine your owne consciences The second point is this Try whether ye haue loue towards your neighbour or not For as we are coupled with God by faith so by the band of loue we are coupled with our neighbour For loue is the chiefe and principall branch that springs from the roote of faith Loue is that celestiall glew that conioyneth all the faithfull members in the vnity of a mysticall body And seeing that religion was instituted of God to serue as a path-way to conuey vs to our chiefe felicity happy we cannot be except we be like vnto our God like vnto him we cannot be except we haue loue For as it is 1. Iohn 4.8 God is loue So seeing God is loue it selfe whosoeuer will resemble him must be endued with the oyle of loue This onely one argument testifieth to vs that this loue is a principall head whereunto all things that are commanded in religion ought to be referred To spend long time in the praise of loue I hold it not necessary seeing the holy Scripture resounds in blasing the commendations of it but that we speake not of any thing ambiguous I will let you see how this word is considered taken in the Scriptures Loue is considered either as a spring or fountaine from whence the rest proceedes that is for the loue whereby we loue God And as loue cometh first from God and is poured by his holy Spirit into our hearts so it first redounds vpward and strikes backe vpon himselfe for the loue of God must euer goe before the loue of the creature Next we take this word for that loue whereby we loue Gods creatures our neighbours especially them that are of the family of faith And thirdly it is taken for the deedes of the second Table which flow from this loue Now when I speake of loue I speake of it as in the second signification to wit as it is taken for the loue of our neighbour And taking it so I call loue The gift of God poured into the hearts of men and women by the which gift we first loue God in Christ our Sauiour and next in God and for Gods cause we loue all his creatures but chiefly our brethren that are of the family of faith the children of one cōmon Father with vs. We will examine this definition I say first the loue of God as it cometh from God it returneth to God as it comes down from him so it strikes vpward to him againe And is it not good reason And why Let thy heart fixe thy loue as long as thou wilt vpon the creatures thou shalt neuer be satiate nor thy affections shall neuer be content except thou lay hold on God but if once thou loue God in thy heart and cast thy affections vpon him once takest hold on him the longer thou louest him the greater safetie and contentment shalt thou haue thou shalt not thirst for any other For as to the creatures there is neuer a creature that God hath created but it is stamped with his owne stampe and euery creature beareth his Image and looking to the Image of God in the creature should it not draw thee to him that thou fixe not thy heart vpon the creature For his owne Image in his creature should leade thee to himselfe And therefore the more that thou knowest the creatures and the greater varietie of knowledge that thou hast of them the more should euery particular knowledge of them draw thee to God and the more shouldest thou wonder at thy God and know thy dutie towards him And seeing that delight floweth from knowledge and euery knowledge hath his owne delight as the varietie of knowledge that ariseth from the creature should make the mind to mount vp to the knowledge of God so the varietie of delights that arise vpon the diuersitie of this knowledge should moue the heart vpward to the loue of God and the heart getting hold of God and being seised with the loue of God and the mind being occupied with the true knowledge of God so soone as heart and mind is full of God the heart is quiet and the mind is satisfied So that the more this knowledge groweth in the mind the greater contentment thou hast and the more the loue of God groweth in thy heart the greater ioy and reioycing hast thou in thy soule And why In God ye haue not onely all the creatures but ye haue himselfe beside the creatures and therefore in God ye haue all the knowledge and delight that can arise of the creatures and besides the creatures ye haue God himselfe who is the Creator And so I say the minde of man can neuer quiet it selfe in the knowledge nor the heart can neuer settle it selfe in the loue of naked creatures in respect they are flowing and vanitie as Salomon calleth them But in the infinite God rightly knowne and earnestly loued the mind shall finde a full rest and the heart shall haue a perfect ioy For our affection is so insatiable that no finite thing will satisfie it nor there can be no solide setling vpon the thing that is transitorie So the loue ought to mount vpward first to God in whose face the heart shall find full and perfect ioy The second argument
that I vse is this Seeing there is onely one precept left by our Master in recommendation to be obserued by vs namely That euery one of vs should loue another therefore our wise Master vnderstanding well that where loue was there needed no more lawes that the life of man by loue onely behooued to be most happie left onely the same in chiefe recommendation and taketh vp the whole Law and Gospell in one word Loue. And if the heart of man were endued with loue his life might be most happy and blessed for there is nothing maketh this life happie but the resemblance and likelihood that we haue with God The neerer we draw to God the more blessed is our life for there cannot be so happie a life as the life of God In the first Epist. of Iohn 4.8 God is loue therefore the more we are in loue the more neere we are to that happie life for we are in God and partakers of the life of God When I speake this ye must not thinke that loue in God and loue in vs is one thing for loue is but a qualitie in vs and it is not a qualitie in God There is nothing in God but that which is God so loue in God is his owne essence therefore the more that ye grow in loue the neerer ye draw to God and to that happie and blessed life For there is nothing more profitable more agreeable conuenient vnto nature then to loue and aboue all things to loue God And therefore it is that God and his Angels are most happie and blessed because they loue all things and desire euer to do good On the other side there is nothing more vnhappie nothing more noysome more hurtful that eateth vp nature more then to burne with enuie and hatred and therefore it is that the diuels are most miserable who torment themselues with continuall malice and hatred burning with a vehement appetite to be noysome vnto all creatures So as the life of the diuel is most vnhappie because he is full of enuie and malice so our life will be most happie if we be full of loue I will no further speake of loue Onely if ye haue loue marke the effects of it set downe 1. Cor. 13.4.5.6.7 verses which effects if ye haue not in some measure ye haue not true loue I end here Ye see in what points euery one of you ought to be prepared Ye must be endued with this loue and ye must be endued with faith and if ye haue these in any small measure go boldly to the hearing of the word and to the receiuing of the Sacraments This is the preparation that we allow of I grant the Papists haue a preparation far differing from this and therefore they can haue no warrant from the word of God Last of all seeing that we are commanded to trie our selues he that lacketh knowledge cannot trie himselfe a mad man cannot trie himselfe a child cannot trie himselfe therefore they ought not to come to the Lords Table All these things being considered aright he that hath faith and loue in any kind of measure let him come to the Table of the Lord. And all these things serue as well for the hearing of the word fruitfully as for the receiuing of the Sacrament Therefore the Lord of his mercy illuminate your minds and worke some measure of faith loue in your hearts that ye may be partakers of that heauenly life offered in the word and Sacraments that ye may begin your heauen here and obtaine the full fruition of the life to come and that in the righteous merits of Christ Iesus To whom with the Father and the holy Ghost be all honour praise and glorie both now and for euer Amen THE THIRD SERMON VPON THE SACRAMENTS IN GENERALL 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. THere is nothing in this woâ—ld nor out of the world more to be wished of euery one of you more to be craued and sought of euery one of you then to be conioyned with Christ Iesus then once to be made one with the God of glorie Christ Iesus This heauenly and celestiall coniunction is purchased brought about by two speciall meanes It is brought about by meanes of the word and preaching of the Gospell and it is brought about by the meanes of the Sacraments and ministration thereof The word leadeth vs to Christ by the eare the Sacraments leade vs to Christ by the eye two senses of all the rest which God hath chosen as most meete for this purpose to instruct vs and bring vs vnto Christ. For that doctrine must be most effectuall and mouing that wakeneth and stirreth vp most the outward senses that doctrine that wakeneth not onely the eare but the eye the taste the feeling and all the rest of the outward senses must moue the heart most must be most effectuall and piercing in the soule But so it is that this doctrine of the Sacraments moueth stirreth vp and wakeneth most the outward senses therefore it must be if we come well prepared vnto it most effectuall to stir vp the inward senses of the dull heart But there is a thing that ye must euer remember there is no doctrine neither of the simple word nor yet of the Sacraments if Christ abstract his holy Spirit that is able to moue therefore when euer ye come to heare the doctrine whether it be of the Sacraments or of the simple word craue of God that he would be present by his holy Spirit or otherwise all the doctrine in the earth will not auaile you Alwayes this doctrine of the Sacraments stirres vp and wakens most the outward senses there is no question therefore but it is an effectuall and potent instrument to waken prepare and stirre vp our hearts Then to let you see what the word Sacrament meaneth and to remoue the ambiguity of it it is certaine and out of all question that the Latine Diuines who were most ancient did interpret the Greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the word Sacrament and they vsed the Greeke word not onely to signifie the whole action of the Supper of the Lord and the whole action of Baptisme but they vsed the word Mystery to signifie whatsoeuer is darke and hid in it selfe and not frequented in the coÌ„mon vse of men as after this manner the Apostle calleth the vocation of the Gentiles a mystery This coniunction which is begun here betwixt vs Christ is called a mystery the Latine Interpreters call it a Sacrament to be short ye wil not find in the book of God a word more frequent then the word Mystery But as for the word Sacrament wherby they interprete the Greeke word we find not this word by the same Diuines to be taken so largely neither is
The reason wherefore I call them signes is this I call them not signes by that reason that men commonly call them signes because they signifie onely as the Brâ—â—d signifies the bodie of Christ the Wine signifies the bloud of Christ I call them not signes because they represent onely but I call them signes because they haue the body bloud of Christ conioyned with them Yea so truly is the bodie of Christ conioyned with that Bread and the bloud of Christ conioyned with that Wine that as soone as thou receiuest that Bread in thy mouth if thou be a faithfull man or woman so soone receiuest thou the bodie of Christ in thy soule and that by faith and as soone as thou receiuest that Wine in thy mouth so soone thou receiuest the bloud of Christ in thy soule and that by faith In respect of this exhibition chiefely that they are instruments to deliuer and exhibite the things that they signifie and not in respect onely of their representation are they called signes For if they did nothing but represent or signifie a thing absent then any picture or dead Image should be a Sacrament for there is no picture as the picture of the King but at the sight of the picture the King will come in your minde and it will signifie vnto you that that is the Kings picture So if the signe of the Sacrament did no further all pictures should be Sacraments but in respect that the Sacrament exhibites and deliuers the thing that it signifieth to the soule and heart so soone as the signe is deliuered to the mouth for this cause especially it is called a signe There is no picture of the King that will deliuer the King vnto you there is no other image that will exhibite the thing whereof it is the image therefore there is no image can be a Sacrament Then in respect the Lord hath appointed the Sacraments as hands to deliuer and exhibite the thing signified for this deliuery and exhibition chiefly they are called signes As the word of the Gospell is a mightie and potent instrument to our euerlasting saluation so the Sacrament is a potent instrument appointed by God to deliuer vs to Christ Iesus to our euerlasting saluation For this spirituall meate is dressed and giuen vp to vs in spirituall dishes that is in the ministerie of the word and in the ministerie of the Sacraments And suppose this ministerie be externall yet the Lord is said to deliuer spirituall and heauenly things by these external things Why Because he hath appointed them as instruments whereby he will deliuer his owne Sonne vnto vs. For this is certaine that none hath power to deliuer Christ Iesus vnto vs except God and his holy Spirit and therefore to speake properly there is none can deliuer Christ but God by his owne Spirit he is deliuered by the ministerie of the holy Spirit it is the holy Spirit that seales him vp in our hearts confirmes vs more and more in him as the Apostle giueth him this stile 2. Cor. 1.22 To speake properly there is none hath power to deliuer Christ but God the Father or himselfe There is none hath power to deliuer the Mediator but his owne Spirit yet it hath pleased God to vse some instruments and meanes whereby he will deliuer Christ Iesus vnto vs. The meanes are these the ministerie of the word and the ministerie of the Sacraments and in respect he vseth these as meanes to deliuer Christ they are said to deliuer him But here ye haue to distinguish betweene the principall efficient deliuerer the instrumentall efficient which is the word SacrameÌ„ts keeping this distinction both these are true God by his word God by his Spirit deliuereth Christ Iesus vnto you Then I say I call theÌ„ signes because God hath made theÌ„ potent instruments to deliuer the same thing which they signifie Now I go to the thing signified and I call the thing signified by the signes in the Sacrament that which Irenaeus that old Writer calleth the heauenly and spirituall thing to wit whole Christ with his whole gifts benefites and graces applied and giuen to my soule Then I call not the thing signified by the signes of Bread and Wine the benefits of Christ the graces of Christ or the vertue that floweth out of Christ onely but I call the thing signified together with the benefits and vertues flowing from him the very substance of Christ himselfe from which this vertue doth flow The substance with the vertues gifts and graces that flow from the substance is the thing signified here As for the vertue and graces that flow from Christ it is not possible that thou canst be partaker of the vertue that floweth from his substance except thou be first partaker of the substance it selfe For how is it possible that I can be partaker of the iuyce that floweth out of any substance except I be partaker of the substance it selfe first Is it possible that my stomach can be refreshed with that meate the substance whereof neuer came into my mouth Is it possible my drought can be slackned with that drinke that neuer passed downe my throat Is it possible that I can sucke any vertue out of any thing except I get the substance first So it is impossible that I can get the iuyce and vertue that floweth out of Christ except I get the substance that is himselfe first So I call not the thing signified the grace and vertue that floweth from Christ onely nor Christ himselfe and his substance without his vertue and graces onely but ioyntly the substance with the graces whole Christ God and man without separation of his natures wiâ—hout distinguishing of his substance from his graces I call the thing signified by the signes in the Sacrament for why if no more be signified by the Bread but the flesh and bodie of Christ onely and no more be signified by the Wine but the bloud of Christ onely thou canst not say that the body of Christ is Christ it is but a part of Christ thou canst not say that the blood of Christ is whole Christ it is but a part of him and a peece of thy Sauiour saued thee not a part of thy Sauiour wrought not the worke of thy saluation and so suppose thou get a peece of him in the Sacrament that part will do thee no good To the end therefore that this Sacrament may nourish thee to life euerlasting thou must get in it thy whole Sauiour whole Christ God and man with his whole graces and benefites without separation of his substance from his graces or of the one nature from the other And how get I him Not by my mouth It is a vaine thing to thinke that we will get God by our mouth but we get him by faith As he is a Spirit so I eate him by faith and beliefe in my soule not by the teeth of my mouth that is a vaine thing Be it that
man But Christ Iesus hath locked vp and reserued the ministery of this heauenly thing to himselfe onely therefore there are two giuers in this Sacrament the Minister giueth the earthly thing Christ Iesus the Mediatour giues you the heauenly thing in this Sacrament For Christ in giuing the earthly thing wil not vse his owne ministery immediately nor the ministery of an Angell but only the ministery of an earthly man And as for the dispensation of his owne body bloud he will not giue it either to heauenly creature or earthly man but he keepeth this ministery to himselfe and he dispenseth his owne body and bloud to whom and when he pleaseth And why If any man in the world had power to giue Christs body bloud no question this man should haue power to clense the heart conscience for the bloud of Christ hath this power with it and consequently should haue power to forgiue sins Now it is onely God that may forgiue sinnes and therefore it is not possible that the ministery of the heauenly thing can be in the power of any man Example we haue in Iohn the Baptist Math 3.11 Saith he not The ministery that I haue is of the element I am commanded to minister the element of water onely but as for the ministery of fire and of the Spirit Christ hath reserued it vnto himselfe Therfore looke not to get the Spirit at mans hands but at the hands of Christ himselfe onely And without this inward ministerie the outward ministerie is not worth a straw For my outward ministerie yea suppose it were the ministerie of an Angell and suppose Christ were present in the flesh to minister vnto you these outward things except he conioyne the inward ministerie of his Spirit therewith it auaileth nothing it may well be as a processe against you in the day of that generall assemblie but to your saluation it will neuer profit you Therfore this ye ought alwaies to pray for that the Lord would water your hearts by his holy Spirit as he watereth your eares by the hearing of his word Then there are two offerers the Minister offers the signe Christ Iesus offers himselfe the thing signified The three persons one God offer the Mediatour or the Mediatour offers himselfe and that by the power and vertue of his owne Spirit As there are two offerers two persons that offer and giue the Sacrament and thing signified by the Sacrament so these two are offered and giuen in two actions Christ who is the heauenly thing is offered and giuen vnto you by an inward secret and spirituall action which is not subiect to the outward eye The signe againe is offered and giuen in an outward action after a corporall and visible manner As there are two sorts of actions so there are two sorts of instruments whereunto the signe and the thing signified are offered for the thing signified that is Christ is neuer offered to the mouth of my bodie the bloud of Christ the flesh of Christ whole Christ or the Spirit of Christ is not offered either in the word or in the Sacrament to the mouth of my bodie Let the Aduersaries find me that in any part of the Bible that there is any other manner of receiuing Christ then by faith and let them haue the victorie So there is not an instrument as I told you neither hand nor mouth to receiue Christ but faith onely As Christ who is the thing signified is receiued by the hand and mouth of faith so the signe which signifieth Christ is receiued by our owne naturall mouth and hand Ye haue a mouth in your heads and in your bodies as proper to receiue the signe as faith is to receiue Christ. So the signe and the thing signified are offered and giuen not to one instrument but to two the one to the mouth of the bodie the other to the mouth of the soule Now marke by what way these things are offered and giuen by the same way they are receiued as the signe is corporall and naturally offered to a corporall instrument so is it receiued after a corporall and naturall manner for thou must take the Bread and Wine either by thy hand or by thy mouth The thing signified is not taken after a corporall manner but after a secret and spirituall manner and as it is offered so it is taken There can be nothing clearer then this the one is taken after a naturall manner the other after a secret and spirituall manner So in this last part ye haue these things to marke to distinguish betweene the outward action and the inward betweene the signe and the thing signified and to keepe a proportion and analogie betweene the inward and the outward actions ye may surely perswade your selues that if ye be faithfull Christ is as busie working inwardly in your soules as the Minister is working outwardly towards your bodies looke how busie the Minister is in breaking that Bread in pouring out that Wine in giuing that Bread and Wine vnto thee as busie is Christ in breaking his owne bodie vnto thee and in giuing the iuyce of his owne bodie after a spirituall and inuisible manner So keepe this distinction and ye may assure your selues that by faith Christ is as well occupied towards your soules to nourish thē as the Minister is outwardly towards your bodies Keepe this and ye haue the whole Sacrament Then from this discourse and deduction you may learne a double matter whereof the Sacrament consisteth It standeth on two sorts of materials that is of an earthly matter and of an heauenly matter the signe and the thing signified And as there is a double matter in the Sacrament so the Sacrament must be handled after a double manner by an outward action and an inward action keepe the distinction in these things betweene the signe and the thing signified and ye shall not easily slip in the vnderstanding of the Sacrament This being said concerning the generall consideration of the Elements for all this yet appertaineth to the Elements it resteth that we speake somewhat concerning the word which I call the other part of the Sacrament I meane and vnderstand by the word whereunto the Elements are annexed that thing which quickneth this whole action which serueth as it were a soule and giueth life vnto the whole action For by the word and appointment of Christ in the word the Minister knoweth what is his part the hearer knoweth what is his part euery one is prepared how to deliuer and how to receiue the Minister how he should deliuer and the hearer how he should receiue So the Institution of Christ is the quicking of the whole action for all the action is warranted from the Institution set downe in his word In the Institution of Christ there are two things chiefly to be considered a Command and a Promise The Command is this where he saith Take eate The Command requireth obedience There is a Promise also
suffer a coniunction looke how farre it will suffer a coniunction so far are they conioyned Seeing then ye must obserue the nature of the things that are conioyned first marke the thing signified what the nature thereof is marking that ye shall see that the thing signified is of a spirituall nature or a heauenly and mysticall nature Then may ye conclude that this spirituall thing will suffer a spirituall coniunction a mystical and secret coniunction Againe obserue the signe The signe of his nature as I haue told you hath a relation vnto the thing signified and the thing signified of his nature hath a relation vnto the signe So then the signe and the thing signified will suffer to be conioyned by a mutuall relation both the signe and the thing signified in respect they haue a mutuall relation the one vnto the other they will suffer themselues to be conioyned by a relatiue coniunction Now if ye aske me what sort of coniunction is betweene that Bread and Wine and the bodie and bloud of Christ to tell you in a word I say it is a secâ—et and spirituall coniunction such a coniunction as standeth in a mutuall respect betwixt the Bread and the bodie of Christ and betwixt the Wine and the bloud of Christ then I say it is a secret and a spirituall coniunction Ye would not be so inquisitiue of this coniunction if it were corporall visible or locall if you saw them both before your eyes you would not aske how they are conioyned or if thou didst see them both in one place But because you see but the one with your eyes and the other is hid this maketh the coniunction the more difficult to be vttered and vnderstood And how is it possible that ye can conceiue this secret hid coniunction except you haue the eyes of your mind illuminated by the Spirit whereby ye may come to the right vnderstanding But if ye haue any insight into these spirituall matters that come by faith this coniunction will appeare as clearely by the eye of your faith as the physicall coniunction doth to the eye of your body Now to haue this matter made more plaine there is another coniunction which serueth to make this coniunction very cleare namely the coniunction betwixt the word which I speake and the thing signified by that same word As if I speake to you of things in this language which ye vnderstand be it of things past though neuer so long since of things to come though neuer so farre off of things absent though neuer so farre distant yet so soone as I speake the word whether it be of things past or to come the thing it selfe will come into your mind The word is heard no sooner by your eare but the thing signified by the same word cometh into your mind What maketh the thing signified though absent to come into my mind This could not be except there were a coniunction betweene the word and the thing signified by the word As for example if I speake of the King who is now a great way distant from vs I pray God blesse him ye will no sooner heare the word but the King who is the thing signified by the word will come into your mind If I speake of things past though they be already expired yet the thing signified will presently come into your mind so there is a coniunction ye see betweene the word and the thing signified by the word Marke this coniunction and ye shall get the nature of the coniunction and coupling of the signe which is the thing signified in the Sacrament For obserue what sort of coniunction is betweene the word and the thing signified by the word the same sort of coniunction is betweene the Sacrament which is seene to the eye of your body and the thing signified by the Sacrament which is seene to the eye of your soule onely As for example so soone as thou seest that bread taken in the hand of the Minister thou seest it not so soone but incontinent the body of Christ must come into thy minde these two are so conioyned that they come both together the one to the outward senses the other to the inward senses This is not enough now because in the institution ye are commanded to go further and not onely to looke to that bread and that wine but to take that bread and that wine incontinent as your hands take the one so your heart takes the other as your teeth eates the one so the teeth of your soule which is faith eates the other that is applyeth Christ vnto your soule So ye see there is a coniunction here secret and mysticall and therefore Christ cannot be conioyned but by a secret and mysticall coniunction The coniunction betweene Christ and vs is a secret and mysticall coniunction which the Apostle in the fift of the Ephes. calleth that spirituall coniunction full of an high mystery this coniunction cannot be taken vp at the first So seeing the coniunction is secret and spirituall and not perceiued but by the spirit of God all is as nothing except ye haue some portion and measure of his Spirit All that is taught in the word and Sacraments will neuer do you good will neuer carry your soules to heauen except the Spirit of God illuminate your mindes and make you to finde in your soules the thing that ye heare in the word Then learne this seeing the word cannot be vnderstood but by the spirit of God craue that the Loâ—d would illuminate the eyes of your mindes by his Spirit and be you as carefull to get the Spirit as ye are carefull now in the hearing of the word Thus farre concerning the coniunction Now ye haue heard how the signe is conioyned with the thing signified what remaineth for you to know This rests yet to know how the signe is receiued how the thing signified is receiued whether they be both receiued with one mouth or not whether the signe and the thing signified be receiued after one fashion and maner or not And marking the diuerse maner of receiuing the diuersity of the instruments ye shall not easily erre in the Sacrament The signe and the thing signified are receiued by two mouthes for ye see the signes that is that bread and wine whereunto they are giuen they are giuen to the mouth of the body Then the mouth of the body is the instrument that receiueth that bread and that wine which are the signes As that bread and that wine are visible and corporall so the mouth and instrument whereby they are receiued is visible and corporall The thing signified by the bread and wine is not receiued by the mouth of the body no the Scripture denieth that plainely but it is receiued by the mouth of the soule Then there are two mouthes that bread and that wine which are the signes are receiued by the mouth of the body Christ who is the thing signified is receiued by the
lying in the farthest part of England if ye haue a good title to it the distance of the place cannot hurt your title so I say the distance of place hurts not my title and my right that I haue to Christ. But though he be sitting at the right hand of the Father yet the title and right that I haue to him makes him mine so that I may say truly this Christ is my property Then Christ is not made mine because I fetch him out of the heauens but he is mine because I haue a sure title and right to him and hauing a sure title and iust right to him the distance of place how farre soeuer it be can no wayes hurt my title nor right but where-euer he be he is mine because I haue a right and title to him Yea not onely haue I a title to him but this title is confirmed to me For as I get a title to him in the word and if I got not that title to him in the word I durst not come to the Sacrament so in the Sacracrament I get the confirmation of my title I get the Seale which confirmes my title Then to come to the point Christs body is sitting at the right hand of the Father and yet he is mine and is deliuered to me because I haue right to his body be it where it will he was borne for me giuen to mee and deliuered to me So distance of place hurts not the surety of my title as propinquity of place helpes not the surety of the same Though Christ would bow the heauens and touch thee with his body as he did Iudas yet this could not helpe thee for if thou hast not a title to him thou darest not call him thine So it is not the neerenesse nor proximity of place that maketh Christ mine It is onely the right that I haue to him I haue right to him onely by faith So by faith onely Christ is made mine But they thinke they haue gotten a great vantage of vs if we be so farre from Christ as the heauen is from the earth but this shall be answered by Gods grace I haue a title to his bodie his bodie is distant from my bodie yet his bodie is not distant from me that is from my soule I say his bodie and my soule are conioyned It is a strange ladder that will reach from the earth to the heauens yet let me tell you there is a cord that extendeth from the earth to the heauens and coupleth me and Christ together and this is onely true faith By true faith Christ though he be in the heauens is coupled and conioyned with me who am here on earth I will shew you this by a similitude Is not the bodie of the Sunne in the firmament It is impossible for you to touch the bodie of the Sunne yet the bodie of the Sunne and ye are conioyned How By those beames that shine on you by that light that shineth vpon you Why may not the bodie of Christ then though it be in the heauens be conioyned with me that am on earth namely by the beames by the light and gladnesse that floweth from his bodie My bodie and Christs bodie are conioyned by the vertue and power flowing from his bodie which vertue and power quickneth my dead soule maketh me to liue the life of Christ to begin to die to my selfe and euer the more I die to my selfe the more I liue to Christ. This coniunction now is the ground as I told you of all our felicitie and happinesse and I haue made it cleare to you at this time so far as God hath giuen me insight Alwaies ye see this coniunction is brought to passe by two speciall meanes by the holy Spirit by faith If there be no other meanes but these two what needest thou a carnall or a visible coniunction Faith is inuisible and the Spirit is inuisible therefore thou canst not see it nor take it vp with the eye of thy bodie The power of the holy Spirit is so subtile secret and inuisible that thou canst not perceiue it nor take it vp with the eye of the bodie and it will worke great effects in thy soule or euer thou perceiuest his working In respect therefore that the meanes of this coniunction are so subtill secret and spirituall why thinkest thou to get a sight of this coniunction with the eye of thy bodie why imaginest thou such a carnall coniunction as this which would do thee no good if thou hadst it Knowest thou not that the Spirit that coupleth vs and Christ is infinite so that it is as easie for the Spirit to couple vs and Christ how far distant soeuer we be as it is easie for our soules to couple our head and the feete of our bodies though they be distant Then seeing this coniunction is the ground and fountaine of all our happinesse and seeing this ground of happinesse is so substill and so spirituall what is your part Remoue all your outward senses remoue all your naturall motions remoue your naturall discourses and your naturall reason and follow the sight and information of the Spirit of God Craue that it would please him to illuminate your vnderstanding that by the light of his Spirit ye may see clearely the spirituall coniunction Except the eye of the Spirit be giuen you to perceiue this spirituall coniunction it is not possible that ye can get any insight in it But if the Lord of his mercie will bestow some measure of his holy Spirit vppon you out of question ye shall soone come to the vnderstanding of it and ye shall thinke the time happie that euer ye heard this word Except ye haue some part of this Spirit it is not possible that ye can be spirituall That which is borne of flesh and bloud will remaine flesh and bloud except the Spirit come in and make it spirituall Therefore ye must be borne againe of the Spirit ye must be borne in the bodie of Christ his Spirit must quicken you This is called the quickning and liuing Spirit of Christ by Iohn And so soone as the Spirit cometh what doth it It chaseth away darknesse out of the vnderstanding whereas before I knew not God now I see him not onely generally that he is a God but that he is my God in Christ. What more doth the holy Spirit It openeth the heart as well as the minde and what doth it there Those things whereon I bestowed the affections of my heart and imployed the loue of my soule are by the working of the holy Spirit made gall to me he maketh them venome to me and to be as deadly hated of me as poyson He worketh sâ—ch an inward disposition in my soule that he maketh me to turne and flie from those things whereon I imployed my loue before and to imploy it vpon God This is a great perfection Alwaies in some measure he makeâ—h me to loue God better then any other thing
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
and women are baptized into one bodie of Christ. That is we are conioyned and fastened with one Christ by the meanes saith he of one Spirit not by a carnall band or any grosse coniunction but onely by the band of the holy Spirit That same holy Spirit that is in him is in euery one of vs in some measure and in respect one Spirit is in him and in vs therefore we are accounted all to be one bodie and to be members of one spirituall and mysticall bodie And in the same verse the Apostle saith We are all made to drinke into one and the selfe same Spirit that is we are made to drinke of the bloud of Christ. And this bloud is no other thing but the quickning vertue and power that floweth from Christ and from the merits of his death we are made all to drinke of that bloud when we drinke of the liuely power and vertue that floweth out of that bloud So there is not a band that can couple my soule with the flesh of Christ but onely a spirituall band and a spirituall vnion And therefore it is that the Apostle 1. Cor. 6.17 saith He that is ioyned vnto the Lord is one Spirit And Iohn saith That which is borne of the Spirit is Spirit So it is onely by the participation of the holy Spirit that we are conioyned with the flesh and bloud of Christ Iesus That carnall band whether it be the band of bloud which runneth through one race or the carnall touching of flesh with flesh that carnall band I say was neuer esteemed of by Christ. In the time that he was conuersant here vpon earth he respected nothing that band for as he witnessed himselfe by his owne words he neuer had that carnall band in any kind of reuerence or estimation in respect of the spirituall band But as for the spirituall band whereby we are coupled with him by one Spirit he euer esteemed of this band in the time that he was conuersant on earth in a word he hath left the praise and commendations of the same To let you see how lightly he esteemed of the carnall band of bloud and alliance which we esteeme so much ye may see in the eight of Luke 20.21 for there they coming to him say Master thy Mother and thy brethren stand without and would see thee ye shall heare his answer vnto them how little he esteemed of that carnall band in the 21. verse in a manner denying that band he saith My Mother and my brethren are those which heare the word of God and do it As if he would haue said It is not that carnall band that I esteeme it is not that carnall coniunction that I reuerence it is the spirituall coniunction by the participation of his holy Spirit whereby we are mooued to heare the word of God to giue reuerence to it and obey it This carnall band was neuer profiâ—able as that in the 8 of Luke doth plainly testifie for if the touching of Christs flâ—sh had bene profitable the multitude whereof mention is made in that Chapter that thrusted and preased him had bene the better by their carnall touching But so it is that there was neuer any of them the better by their carnall touching therefore the carnall touching profiteth nothing Saith not Christ himselfe Iohn 6.63 to draw them from that sinister confidence they had in the flesh onely My flesh profiteth nothing It is the Spirit that quickneth To touch him by the holie Spirit and by faith in thy soule this touching by faith hath euer bene profitable and we haue a plaine example of it in the same Chapter Euen so the poore woman that had long bene diseased with a bloudie issue the space of twelue yeares and had wasted and consumed the greatest part of her substance in seeking remedie she found no helpe by the naturall and bodily Physition at the last by vertue of the holie Spirit working faith in her heart she vnderstands and conceiues that she is able to recouer the health of her bodie and the health of her soule from Christ Iesus who came to saue both bodie and soule And vpon this perswasion which she had in her heart that Christ could cure both bodie and soule she came vnto him and as the Text saith she preased through the multitude to come to him and when she was come it is not said that she touched his flesh with her hand in case the Papists would ascribe the vertue which came out of him to her carnall touching but it is said that she touched onely the hemme of his garment with her hand and with faith which is the hand of the soule she touched her Sauiour God and man And to let you vnderstand that she touched him by faith he saith to her at the last Go thy way thy faith hath saued thee She touched him not so soone by faith but incontinent there came a power out of him which power and vertue she felt by the effect of it in her soule and our Sauiour felt it when it went from him The effect whereby she felt it was the health of her soule and the effect whereby he felt it was the going from him And so soone as he felt it go from him he saith Who is it that hath touched me Peter who was euer most suddaine answereth and saith Thou art thronged and thrusted by the multitude yet thou askest who hath touched thee Our Sauiour answers againe It is not that touching that I speake of it is another kind of touching There is one hath touched me who hath drawne a vertue and power out of me the multitude taketh no vertue from me The poore woman thinking she had done amisse and perceiuing she could not be hid came trembling and said I haue done it He answered her at the last and said Depart in peace thy faith hath saued thee Thy faith hath drawne out a vertue and power from me that hath made both thy soule and thy bodie whole So that this touching of Christ hath euer bene profitable is shall be profitable like as the touching of Christ with the corporall hand hath neuer bene is not nor euer shall be profitable And why Christ is not appointed to be a carnall head to be set vpon the necks of our bodies that he may do the office of a carnall head thereunto to furnish naturall motions and senses to our bodies No the Scriptures call not Christ a naturall head but the Scriptures call him a spirituall head to be set vpon the necke of our soules that is to be conioyned with our soules that out of him into our soules may distill holy motions heauenly senses and that there may flow out of him to vs a spirituall and heauenly life Then the Scriptures call him a spirituall head as they call vs a spirituall bodie and as the life which we get from him is spirituall so all our coniunction with him is spirituall And in respect he
worketh that same operation in my soule which the carnall head doth in my bodie therefore he is called a spirituall head therefore he is called the head of his Church because he furnisheth her with spirituall motion and senses which is the life of the Church So to be short there is nothing in this coniunction carnall there is nothing grosse in it there is nothing that may be compassed by our naturall iudgement and vnderstanding And therefore whosoeuer would attaine to any small in-sight of this spirituall coniunction betweene Christ and vs of necessitie he must humble himselfe earnestly pray for the Spirit otherwise it is not possible to get any vnderstanding no not the least apprehension how the flesh of Christ and we are conioyned except we haue some light giuen vs by the Spirit that is except our hearts be wakened by the mighty working of the Spirit of Christ this shall remaine as a dead closed letter vnto vs. So ye are to craue that the Lord in his mercie would waken you illuminate your vnderstandings and make you to haue a spirituall light to discerne of these spirituall things Next ye must studie and be carefull to remoue all vaine cogitations earthly fantasies when ye come to heare so high a matter ye must cast off all filthie thoughts ill motions and care of the world and ye must shake off all things that clog your hearts Thirdly ye must come with a purpose to heare the word to giue diligent eare to the word with a sanctified heart to receiue it with a purpose to grow and increase in holinesse as well in bodie as in soule all the daies of your life And coming with this purpose no question the holie Spirit shall reueale those things to you which ye want And though this word passe and bring no commoditie for the present yet the holie Spirit hereafter shall reueale to thee the truth of that which thou hast now heard This then is the end of all Be present in your hearts and minds and let your soules be emptied of all the cares of the world that they may receiue that comfort which is offered in the hearing of the word Now I come to the defining of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper I call this Sacrament An holy Seale annexed to the couenant of grace and mercie in Christ. A seale to be ministred publikely alwaies according to the holy institution of Christ Iesus that by the lawful ministery thereof the Sacramentall vnion betweene the signes and the thing signified may stand and this vnion standing Christ Iesuâ— who is the thing signified is as truly deliuered to the increase of our spirituall nourishment as the signes are giuen and deliuered to the body for our temporall nourishment Now let vs examine the words and parts of this definition First of all I call this Sacrament a Seale because this Sacrament serueth to the same vse to our soules that a common seale doth to a common Euidence As the seale which is annexed to the Euidence confirmes seales vp the truth contained in the Euidence so this Sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ confirmeth and sealeth vp the truth of mercy and grace contained in the couenant of mercy and grace for this respect it is called a seale It is called An holy Seale Why Because it is taken from profane vse whereunto that bread serued before and that bread is applyed to an holy vse There is a power giuen to that bread to signifie the precious body of Christ Iesus to represent the nourishing and feeding of our soules And in respect it serueth now in the Sacrament to so holy an vse therfore I call it an holy seale This is not my word it is the Apostles Rom. 4.11 where he giueth the Sacrament the same name and calleth it a seale And further if the wisedome of Christ in his Apostle had bene followed and if men had not inuented new names of their owne for this Sacrament but had contented satisfied themselues with the names which God hath giuen by his Apostle that Christ himselfe hath giuen to this Sacrament I am assured none of these controuersies and debates which neuer will ceasse had fallen out but where men will go about to be wiser then God and go beyond God in deuising names which he neuer gaue vpon mens owne inuention such debates haue fallen out A lesson by the way that no flesh presume to be wiser then God but let them stoupe keepe the names which God hath giuen to this Sacrament Thirdly I say annexed to the Couenant annexed and hung to the Charter because it cannot be called a seale properly except it be hung to an Euidence What it is by nature the same it remaineth and no more if it be not annexed to some Euidence it is onely the hanging of it to the Euidence that maketh men account it a seale not being esteemed except it be hanged to the Euidence Euen so it is here if this Sacrament be not ministred and ioyned to the preached word to the preaching of the couenant of mercy and grace it cannot be a seale but what it is by nature it is no more As by nature it is but a common peece of bread so it is no more if it be not annexed to the preaching of the word and ministred therewith as Christ hath commanded Therfore I say the seale must be annexed and hanged to the Euidence to the preaching of the word for the confirming of the Euidence otherwise it is not a seale But it is not so with the Euidence which is the word of God for ye know any Euidence will make faith though it want a seale and it will serue to make a right if it be subscribed without a seale but the seale without the Euidence auaileth nothing Euen so it is with the word of God though the Sacraments be not annexed to the word yet the word will serue the turne it serueth vs to get Christ it serueth to ingender and beget faith in vs and maketh vs to grow vp in faith But the seale without the word can serue vs to no holy vse therefore I say the seale must be annexed to the word preached to the couenant of mercy and grace Now it followeth in the definition that this seale must be ministred publikely Wherefore say I publikly To exclude all priuate administration of this Sacrament For if this Sacrament be administred to any priuately it is not a Sacrament Why Because the Apostle calleth this Sacrament a Communion therefore if ye administer it priuately ye lose the Sacrament For this Sacrament is a Communion of the body and bloud of Christ therefore of necessity it must be by way of communication and so the action must be publikely ministred Secondly this Sacrament must be publikely ministred because Christ Iesus who is the thing signified in this Sacrament is no such thing as pertaineth to one man
little vertue in the syllables or pronouncing of the words themselues So we denie that there is any vertue inclosed in the syllables or resident in the word But we say that there is a power conioyned with the word and this power is not resident in the word but is resident in the eternall word in the essentiall word whereof Iohn the Euangelist maketh mention Chap. 1. The word which was from the beginning that is the Sonne of God Christ Iesus We say there is not a dram weight of this vertue power resident in anie creature that euer God created but it is only resident in Christ Iesus And therefore there floweth no vertue from the sillables nor from the words that are spoken but from Christ and his Spirit who giueth the vertue to those words So we differ in this we say that there is not any vertue resident in the sillables we say that the sillables and pronouncing of the sillables worke nothing but we say that the vertue is resident in the person of the Sonne of God and he worketh by his owne word Now we say that there cannot be such a monstrou change as to say the whispering of so many words should change the owne substance of the bread pull downe the substance of the bodie of Christ and put his bodie in so narrow a compasse we say that cannot be And this I shall proue by these three rules namely By the veritie of the flesh of Christ Iesus By the articles of our beliefe And by the true end of the institution of this Sacrament And so we shall see by Gods grace the infinite absurdities that follow vpon their opinion The first principle that I lay is this Seeing that Christ Iesus the Sonne of God in the time appointed tooke true flesh of the wombe of the Virgin vnited himselfe with our nature in one personall vnion to the end that our nature which fel altogether from integritie in the first Adam might recouer the same in the second Adam yea not onely the same but so much the greater as our second Adam excelleth the first in all degrees And in respect he tooke on him a bodie like vnto ours in all things sinne excepted of necessitie it must follow that the definition of a true bodie and the inseparable properties thereof must be competent to him But these are the inseparable properties namely to be in one certaine place to be finite circumscribed visible and palpable for all these concurre quarto modo as the Logicians say to a bodie so that they cannot be separate from the subiect without the distraction thereof Then I reason on this manner A true humane bodie is in a certaine place Christ Iesus bodie is a true humane bodie therefore it is in a certaine place I call a place a certaine condition of an instrumentall bodie whereby it cometh to passe that where-euer the bodie be of necessitie it is limited within that place and while it is there it cannot be elsewhere If you would haue the probation of my Proposition from the Doctors reade Augustine to Dardanus speaking of this same bodie of Christ. Take away a certaine roome from the bodies and they shall be in no place and if they be in no place they are not The same Augustine writing vpon Iohn in his 30. Treatise saith The bodie in the which the Lord did arise of necessitie must be in a place but his diuine efficacie and nature is diffused euery where And in his third Eple he saith How much soeuer the bodie be or how little soeuer the bodie be it behoueth to occupie the bounds of a place And besides these tâ—e historie of the Acts proueth most euidently Christ his bodie to be in a certaine place as Acts 3.21 the words are these Whom the heauens must containe vntill the time that all things be restored which God had spoken by the mouth of all his holy Prophets Though I need not to insist in the probation of these things yet I proceede Secondly then I reason after this manner A humane bodie is finite and circumscribed but the bodie of Christ is a humane bodie What warrant from the Doctors haue I for this I leaue many purposely and will alledge onely Augustine who writing to Dardanus Belieue saith he Christ to be euery where in that he is God but onely to be in heauen according to the nature of a true bodie And in his 146. Epistle I belieue saith he the bodie of Christ to be so in heauen as it was on the earth when he went vp to heauen But it was circumscribed in a certaine place on the earth Ergo it is so in the heauen And consequently it cannot be in the Masse-bread and in heauen both at one time The last reason is this A humane bodie is visible and palpable but Christ hath a humane bodie and he is corporally present as they say therefore Christ his bodie is visible and palpaple I proue my Proposition by Christ his owne words taken out of Luke 24.39 In the which place to perswade the Apostles of the veritie of his bodie and to proue euidently that it was not fantasticall he vseth the argument taken from these two qualities and he commandeth his Apostles to feele and see giuing them thereby to vnderstand that as these two senses are the most certaine of all the rest so are they most able to discerne whether he was a bodie or a Spirit As if he would haue said If I be visible and palpable ye may be out of doubt that I haue a true bodie For as the Poet saith which Tertullian citeth also to this same purpose Tangere enim tangi nisi corpus nulla potest res By these arguments it may be euidently seene how this Transubstantiation may no way stand with the veritie of the bodie of Christ Iesus And as it fights wiâ—h the flesh of Christ Iesus so it repugnes dirâ—ctly the articles of our faith For in our Beliefe we professe that Christ ascended out of this earth to the heauen where he sits at the right hand of the Father where he gouerns and directs all things in heauen and earth from the which place he is to come at the last day to iudge the world This article teacheth vs that he hath changed his dwelling which he had amongst vs on earth and is ascended into the heauens where he sits at the right hand of his Father and shall remaine there according to the testimonie of Peter which I cited out of the Acts 3.21 vntill the last day If he sit at his Fathers right hand and be to remaine in heauen vntill the last day then is he not corporally in the bread But the article of our beliefe saith That he sitteth at the right hand of his Father and Peter saith in that place that the heauens must containe him vntill the last day Therefore this Transubstantiation is directly against the articles of our Beliefe and the manifest
I beseech them seeing that reason failes them that they fight not against God for maintenance of a lie how old soeuer it be for the diuell is old enough and yet he could neuer change his nature But let them rather glorifie God in confessing these speeches to be Sacramentall Then what is the reason and ground wherefore the Papists pull downe the substance of the body of Christ and the bloud of Christ and make the very substance to be corporally really and substantially in the Sacrament The reason is this Because they cannot see by their naturall iudgement nor can vnderstand by their naturall wit the truth of this to wit how Christs flesh and bloud caâ— be present in the Sacrament except he be present to their corporall mouth and stomacke If they had the light to informe them that Christ might be present in the Sacrament and not to the hand to the mouth or stomack they would neuer think of such a monstrous presence as they imagine to be there But being destitute of the spirituall light they follow their naturall reason and make a naturall and carnall presence So that ye haue this lesson to nore from hence There is no man that hath not the spirit of God to vnderstand this word This is my body but out of question he will do as the Papists do that is he will vmderstand it carnally And so they misknowing the right meaning of it it is no marueile though and we differ in this matter For will you aske of a Papist first if the true body of Christ be there or if the true flesh and bloud of Christ be there he will say it is there will you aske him wherein he will say in and vnder the accidents of the bread and wine vnder the hew and roundnesse of the bread will you aske him againe by what instrument it is receiued He will tell you by the mouth and stomacke of the body So this is their grosse vnderstanding of the body and bloud of Christ. Will you aske of the Vbiqueter if the true body of Christ be present he will say it is will you aske if it be in with or vnder the bread he will answere It is in the bread contentiuè that is the bread containes it will you aske him to what instrument it is offered he will answere that the bodie of Christ is offered to the mouth of our bodie and that the bloud of Christ is offered to the mouth of our body as the Papists do Will you know of vs how Christ Iesus his true body bloud is present We wil say that they are spiritually present really present that is present in the Lords Supper and not in the bread we will not say that his true flesh is present to the hand or to the mouth of our bodies but we say it is spiritually present that is present vnto thy spirit and faythfull soule yea euen as present inwardly vnto thy soule as the bread and wine are present vnto thy body outwardly Will you aske then if the body and bloud of Christ Iesus be present in the Lords Supper We answer in a word They are present but not in the bread and wine nor in the accidents nor substance of bread and wine And we make Christ to be present in this Sacrament because he is present to my soule to my spirit fayth Also we make him present in the Lords Supper because I haue him in his promise This is my body which promise is present to my faith and the nature of faith is to make things that are absent in themselues yet present And therefore seâ—ing he is both present by faith in his promise and present by the vertue of his holy Spirit who can say but that he is present in this Sacrament But yet the word would be explained what we meane by the word present how a thing is said to be present and absent And knowing this ye shall finde all the mater easie I say things are said to be present as they are perceiued by any outward or inward sense and as they are perceiued by any of the senses so are they present and the further they be perceiued the further present and by what sense any thing is perceiued to that sense it is present As if it be outwardly perceiued by an outward sense that thing is outwardly present As for exaÌ„ple if it be perceiued by the outward sight of the eye by the outward hearing of the eare by the outward feeling of the hands or taste of the mouth it is outwardly present Or if any thing be perceiued by the inward eye by the inward taste and feeling of the soule this thing cannot be outwardly present but it must be spiritually and inwardly present to the soule So I say euery thing is present as it is perceiued So that if you perceiue not a thing outwardlie it is outwardly absent and if ye perceiue not a thing inwardly it is inwardly absent It is not distance of place that maketh a thing absent nor propinquity of place that makes a thing present but it is onelie the perceiuing of any thing by any of thy senses that makes a thing present and the not perceiuing that makes a thing absent I say though the thing it selfe were neuer so farre distant if thou perceiue it by thine outward sense it is present vnto thee As for example my bodie and the Sunne are as farre distant in place as the heauen is from the earth yet this distance stayeth not the Sunnes presence from me why because I perceiue the Sunne by mine eye and other senses I feele it and perceiue it by the heate by the light and by his brightnesse So if a thing were neuer so farre distant if we haue senses to perceiue the same it is present to vs. Then the distance of place makes not a thing absent from thee if thou hast senses to perceiue it likewise the neerenes of place makes not a thing present be it neuer so neere if thou hast not senses to perceiue it As for example if the Sunne shine vpon thine eyes if thou be blinde it is not present to thee because thou canst not perceiue it A sweete tune will neuer be present to a deafe eare though it be sung in the eare of that man because he hath not a sense to perceiue it and a well told tale will neuer be present to a foole because he cannot vnderstand it nor hath no iudgement to perceiue it So it is not the nearenesse nor distance of place that maketh any thing present or absent but onely the perceiuing or not perceiuing of it Now the word being made cleare aske you how the bodie of Christ is present To giue our iudgement in a word as ye haue heard from time to time he is present not to the outward senses but to the inward senses which is faith wrought in the soule For this action of the Sacrament and
Spirit of God offer the contrarie occasion will not be a thousand times more ready to comfort And therefore the Lord in his mercy giue you grace Sir that ye may haue that testimony of a good conscience to vphold you without the which there is no true comfort But alas when I looke on the misery and calamity of this Country I am almost out of hope for why Your subiects haue gotten such a custome of sinne and euil doing whereby they haue drawne on such an habite and hardnesse of heart that nothing is pleasant to them but that which is displeasing to God and nothing displeasing to them but that which is pleasing to him What is it I pray you that custome wil not bow What is it that custome will not alter What is it that continuall vse will not harden There is no potion so bitter-tasted in the beginning but if thou vse it a litle while it shall appeare not so bitter continue yet further in it it shall appeare nothing bitter at all go forward yet in it and in the end it shal become sweete suppose in the beginning it were most bitter Euen so it standeth with that miserable man that casteth his whole delight in ill doing that he hath such a custome in euill doing that nothing is pleasing to him but whiâ—h is displeasing to God and nothing displeasing to him but that which is pleasing to God For the mischieuous custome of euill doing banisheth light out of the minde· And as it banisheth light out of the minde it so banisheth all feeling out of the conscience and in stead of light cometh darknesse and in stead of feeling cometh hardnesse Now the conscience being hardened the minde being darkened what remaineth but a desperate and an obstinate condition like to the diuell who is said to be bound in chaines vnder perpetuall darknes This is wonderful that such continuall thundering of these threatnings is not able to moue them But it is no maruaile for there is no words will moue them yea it is impossible to the bloody man or oppressor to refaine from time they be once giuen ouer to sinne For from time the sinne hath gotten superiority in them as Peter sayth it commandeth them more absolutely then a Prince would command his subiect for sinne hath made them such slaues and they are so carried with impotency of their affections that they dare no more refraine from the seruice of sinne then a good seruant from his masters seruice I pray God that he so multiply the Spirit of gouernment vpon you Sir that holy vnction of Kings that we may once see this great insolency that breaketh out in so great contempt condignly punished that ye may keep your conscience pure and holy Thus much concerning the thing that is to be eschued in Ionas Now followeth another lesson to be learned in the person of Isaiah ye see Isaiah is ready to do what the Lord commandeth When the Lord biddeth him blow the blast of iudgement he bloweth it When the Lord biddeth him come he cometh when the Lord biddeth him go he goeth Then the lesson is this We that are the Trumpetters of the Lord we must not blow as our affections and men bid but as the Lord biddeth vs we must not sound the retreate when we should sound the march nor we must not sound the march when we shauld sound the retreate We must not sound iudgement when the Lord biddeth sound mercy and we must not sound mercy when the Lord biddeth sound iudgement But now the sinnes of the Land craue that all pulpits sound iudgement Therefore iudgement must be sounded There is no way to auert this iudgement but that euery man according to his calling put to his hand to reforme according to the bounds and power that is committed vnto him And the best way were that ye that are Noble men concurre with your Prince and his Maiestie concurre with heart and hand to repaire the ruines of this Country Thus farre for the second lesson Now he subioyneth the Narratiue In the Narratiue he sayth to the King That the Lord hath heard his prayer and hath seene his teares as if he would say Suppose thou lay in thy chamber turned thee to the wall yet I heard all the words that thou spake and I saw all the teares that distilled from thee And suppose it was not in the temple yet all was manifest to me This is a great comfort Then the lesson in generall is this In all places and to all estates the Lords eare is euer fastned to the cryes of his owne he seeth their teares and he heareth their words And suppose he be not alway as ready to dispatch them as he was to Hezechia yet he leaueth them not but he susteineth them in the meane time by the comfort of his spirit and in the end he granteth them their petition so farre as is sufficient And if it be according to his will he giueth them more then they sought If this be true that the Lords eare is present to heare the prayer of his owne and his eye to see their teares will not the Lord be moued at the cryes of them that are oppressed with these bloudy men It is wonderfull that no threatning nor denunciation will moue these men but if euery teare be powred in the Lords viole and euery word heard of the Lord how much more shall euery drop of bloud be in the Lords viole What is the reason that these bloody men will not giue eare The reason is this they haue layed this ground and vpon this false ground they build all their false conclusions with Atheists that there is not a God and vpon this ground they build all their mischieuous workes But I would demand of these men that haue layd this ground if there be not a God whence floweth this feare and terror of conscience this trembling and vnquietnesse which gnaweth them if there be not a God how is it that they are so tormented Suppose they haue banished knowledge out of their minde feeling out of their conscience all that should feare them out of their heart yet they haue euen this feare trembling in their soule And it is not possible to banish this feare do what they can yea the more murthers they commit the greater is their feare So where men thinke to make themselues sure by slaughter it is the high way to cast themselues in greater vnsurety and make their heart more fearefull then it was From whence come these torments but from God forewarning them of Hell and these are the beginning of hell to thee in this life Which if God would let off the all full measure they would not faile to put violent hands on themselues thinking thereby to get an outgate to their soule for they thinke if the soule were out of this bodie it should be in a better case where in the meane time
whole world he bringeth him into such dangers that whereas nature and naturall meanes could haue no place he deliuereth him so miraculously by such wonders to make all the world to stoupe Another end was this that this good King might be honored of all the world whom God so honored For good reason it is that those whom God so honoreth they should honour These haue bene the two ends why God hath wrought so many miracles in the person of this King For ye heard how wonderfully in the night by his Angell he destroyed a hundreth and fourescore thousands of persons this is a wonderfull thing and now when he had fallen in the hands of a terrible plague so that there is none able to helpe it yet the Lord healeth him extraordinarily and he confirmeth it by such a wonder that the like was neuer heard of or seene before In deede we reade in Iehoshuashs time that the Sunne was made to stand in the firmament but to go backe by so many houres and degrees it was neuer heard of nor seene before Looke then if these signes serued not to the honor of God and vnder God to the honor of his seruant The profite that is to be gathered of signes properly called signes instituted by God stands in the representation for there cannot be a signe properly except it represent in some measure the thing signified by it There must be some conformitie and proportion or else it is not a signe as Augustine saith But this signe whereof we speake is miraculous and supernaturall and therefore hath no such relation as Sacraments haue But yet there may be a proper and secret relation espied in it which is this for it appeareth well that God would let vs see and let the King see by the working of this signe that looke how easie it was to him to bring backe the Sunne which had but two houres to his going downe to that same place where he rose in the morning as easie it is to him and farre easier to bring backe the Kings life which had but two houres to the time of death to a fresh morning of youth againe and to a ioyfull age It is as easie to God to worke the one as the other And so we may take vp the end why these signes and such like wonders was wrought by Christ in establishing of the new couenant The end no doubt was to strengthen our faith which we haue alreadie receiued by the preaching of the Gospel for signes are not giuen to create in vs faith they are not giuen to begin our coniunction with Christ it is the preaching of the Gospell that beginneth this coniunction Signes are giuen as seales to enlarge and confirme this our coniunction And as the Apostle saith well Heb. 2. signes serue to two two ends first to beare witnesse to the truth secondly to confirme the faith of the beleeuer This ye see clearely in our Sacrament the Sacrament of the Supper This Sacrament was not appointed to make our coniunction first with Christ we haue not entry vnto Christ by this Sacrament but it maketh vs to possesse Christ whom we had alreadie in some measure It maketh vs to possesse him more fully and extendeth the bounds of our narrow heart that he may be the more largely receiued of vs so of this signe the King hath great comfort I grant there is greater comfort to be had in the word then of the signe and greater comfort to be had of the working of the Spirit within then of either of them yet it is as true that euery one of these bringeth their owne comfort There is greater comfort to be had of the word then of the signe and yet the signe hath the owne comfort There is greater comfort to be had of the Spirit then of the word and yet the word hath the owne comfort And there is no word able to vtter and far lesse any heart able to receiue that comfort yea not halfe the quarter of that comfort which is prepared for them that loue God So this signe suppose there be not so great comfort vttered by it as by the word yet it hath the owne comfort Thus farre concerning the signe it selfe As to the third thing the manifesting of this signe it is not by the vertue or power that flowed out of Isaiah suppose he was an instrument for the text resolueth this clearely where it is said This is the signe of the Lord besides this it is certaine that there is no force nor vertue in any creature yea not in the diuell himselfe to worke any true wonder but in God himselfe onely For why there is no signe or wonder which is a true wonder but it passeth the force bounds and compasse of nature Therefore there is no creature able to worke any wonder For why they are bounded within the compasse and bounds of their nature and therefore as to all these wonders and miracles which are wrought by the diuell and the Pope his vicar they are false and lying wonders I say it not but the Apostle saith it 2. Thess. 2. that the coming of Antichrist shall be in the mightie power of the diuell in the which he shall worke false wonders and lying signes And as all the rest are false and lyes so these legs and armes which ye see in the entries and porches of their Churches are manifest lies and deceits of Sathan Now as to the manner of the working of this miracle it it is said in the 2. Kings 20. that it was procured by the Prophets prayer It is â—aid there that the Prophet prayed that the Sunne should be brought backe So the prayer of the Prophet preuented before it came to passe Now that same very thing which the Lord was purposed to do and promised to do yet he wil do it in such sort that he wil haue the Prophet first to aske it Now this letteth vs see clearely that there is no merit in our prayers there is no such force or worthinesse in our prayers as to merit any thing but the Lord promiseth freely and as he promiseth freely so he performeth it as freely Then wherefore will he haue vs to pray Because prayer is a part of the worship of God he will haue vs to feele what the want of benefits is he will haue vs exercised in this part of duty that when we get them we may vse them so much the more to his glory What the prayers of this Country specially the prayers of the Church of this towne haue purchased in the withdrawing of the Lords threatning and chiefly of the last threatning I meane that huge Nauie of ships I think now the manifest effects declare But what honour God hath gotten for it our manners since that time clearely testifie For if yee looke to the growth of sinne more ougly sinnes were neuer committed then since that fame ceassed So I say he is mad and voide of all
city country are defiled with these vices procuring so farre as in them lieth an euill end to their owne soules It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of God and yet so many as let them loose to these vicâ—s must fall into his hands For it cannot be but the wrath of God from heauen must be powred vpon such vngodlinesse And there is none who hath powred forth his loue and taken himselfe to these vices but surely â—xcept he be wonderfully preuented he shal perish in his sinne And this is not one of the least iudgements of God For Iohn 8. it is counted one of the most terrible iudgements when the Lord threatneth the Pharisies that they shall perish in their sinne If the word which is now sounded might haue bene able to haue called men backe surely it hath bene clearely and continually sounded but when I looke to the effects it appeareth well that this word hath bene sounded to the hardning of the greatest part and to seale vp their iudgement against the day of the Lords wrath which day they haue blotted out of their minds and put out of their knowledge that they should not see it The Lord nourish this light by his Spirit in vs whereby we may see that there is a heauen and that there is a hell that seeing the danger we may prease to eschue it and seeing the felicitie we may haste vs to embrace it Would God it were so Thus far for the first part of the similitude He goeth forward and he saith He hath cut him off from his beame or from the throombs that go about the beame as ye call them As if he would say after this manner As the Weauer doth cut off the web from the throombs of his beame so the Lord hath taken resolute purpose to cut off my life from his beame In this changing of the persons he letteth vs see a great discretion and knowledge in himselfe he ascribeth the cutting off to God but he taketh the cause to himselfe he ascribeth the chastisement to God but he taketh the sinne which is the cause of the chastisement to himselfe and he acknowledged God to haue his beginning in this worke and himselfe to haue his hand in it also he acknowledgeth God to be a doer as in all works God hath his working And there is no worke so abhominable as it floweth from the instrument but as it floweth from God it is both holy and iust So this wise King taketh the cause of his chastisement from God to himselfe Happie is he that in time condemneth and iudgeth himselfe that he may eschue the condemnation of God Thus far concerning the first part of our diuision Now in the end of this verse and of the verse following the King setteth downe the great furie and rage of his sicknesse It was a pestilent feauer and so the raging furie behooued to be exceeding great He vttereth the vehemency of his disease in the words following and he speaketh as if he would say after this manner If God hold on as he beginneth by the same sicknesse ere night he will make an end of me And in the verse following he saith I propound to my selfe and I looked for it That like a deuouring Lion he should bruise my bones he should bruise them shortly yea ere night For I take all this to be spoken on one day The words indeed the terrible disease of the bodie excepted vttereth more For it is not possible that so good a King could haue spoken so of God except he had felt some other thing then any distresse in his bodie So in vttering of these voyces he letteth vs see that he had the paines of soule and trouble of conscience ioyned with the disease of his bodie and that he felt God to be as it were a consuming fire it is not possible that he could haue vttered such voices of God as to call him a deuouring Lion except he felt another kinde of feuer then any naturall feuer Ye see Dauid when he is in the like extremitie of bodie and soule he crieth Psalme 6. that his bones are vexed and do quake for feare Of all the diseases that can come vpon any person no question the disease of the soule and conscience is the greatest And of all the diseases and troubles that ouertake the conscience no question this is the greater when with the sight of sinne which is enough and more then enough for any to sustaine when with this sight there is a feeling of the wrath of God ioyned O! then this sicknesse is insupportable when with the sight of sinne is ioyned a touch and feeling of the wrath of God Mercifull God if the horror be not exceeding great and terrible so tâ—at it is a wonderfull matter that the soule can stand vpon any assurance of faith but it should incoÌ„tinently run to desperation Yet it is true that there is neuer a one of the chiefe seruants of God but he hath had experience of this either lesse or more and he hath bene touched with the feeling of that hell which the reprobate shall haue in a full measure The ends why the Lord suffereth his deare children to be in such extremities are these to let them see expresly what Christ hath suffered while as he suffered the full weight of his Fathers wrath inflamed against their sinnes And not onely against their sinnes but also against the sinnes of all the elect He casteth them I say into this extremitie to let them see what Christ hath suffered for them how far they are bound to Christ and how precious that redemption purchased by his bloud should be vnto vs. For it is not possible that any man can make much of that benefite which they know not to be a benefit so it is not possible for you to make much of heauen except you haue had some taste of hell And therefore it is that he sendeth his seruants to heauen euen by the gates of hell to let them see that there was no conniuence betweene the Father and the Sonne For it might haue bene thought as many of the wicked thinke that there had bene a conniuence betweene God the Father and his Sonne Christ And therefore I say he letteth them taste of these distractions and pangs of hell that they may say I see he hath felt hell in another sort that hath redeemed vs from hell And where that I cannot sustaine this which is tempered in a small measure it hath bene a great burden indeed which our Sauiour hath sustained whilst he sustained hell for our sinnes and for the sinnes of the whole elect O then this exercise is to let them see how far they are bound to God The dissolute life of the prophane multitude letteth vs see clearely that there is neuer a one of them that haue knowne the meaning of this article and this is a sealed letter to manie of you all Therefore it is that
some roote of infidelity abiding stil in them to vtter voices sometimes full of doubting and sometimes full of faith Thus farre for the first Now againe to testifie that the soule hauing faith hath bene subiect to doubting and as faith is on the one part so doubting is on the other this is a thing that hath bene in all the seruants of God and shall be to the end of the world The example of this ye haue in Dauid ye haue the example of it here in Hezechiah in all the rest of the good seruants of God Then suppose many of you know not what I say yet keepe the lesson in memory for it shall stand you in great good steede For this is sure that suppose the paines of the body be great yet there is as great difference betwixt the paines of the body and the paines of the soule as is betwixt God and the creature Ye would choose rather all the torments of the body that can be deuised ere ye felt one touch of the consuming wrath of God in the soule But yet these words will not effect it for words will not mollifie the heart except the Lord by the power of his Spirit worke in the heart And therefore I haue to craue of God ye haue by your prayers to assist me that ye be not vnfruitefull hearers of the word but seeing there is a Hell ye may study to preuent it Now last of all ye see the King learneth you a new fashion of prayer and I beseech you marke it When the extremity is so great that he may not vtter nor speake distinct voices and his speech is taken from him yet he leaueth not off to pray but hath recourse to his lamenting mourning conterfeiting the distinct voices of the Doue Crane Swallow by this diuersitie of tunes vttering his great anxiety And what fashion of prayer is this I say this kinde of sighing mourning and lifting vp of the eyes is as good language to God as any language spoken by the tongue He vnderstandeth the meaning of thy sigh and grone better then thou vnderstandest me that speakest And how is this It is his owne Spirit that raiseth these sighs grones that moueth these mournings And I pray you knoweth he not the meaning of his owne Spirit This the Apostle declareth Rom. 8. He knoweth the meaning of his owne Spirit and therefore whether this Spirit moue vs to sigh to mourne or to speake the Lord vnderstandeth all alike Then learne this forme of prayer when the Lord visiteth you with sicknesse in such sort that the vse of the tongue is taken from you and ye may not lift vp your hands to praise him nor lift vp your eies to looke vnto him yet let your moane be made yea further suppose the heart would not make moane with the mouth yet let the mouth suppose it hath no helpe honour and glorifie God Yea I say more suppose the case stand so as it may be that the heart be contrary to prayer and the mind will not assist the mouth to pray yet ere God be not honoured let him be honoured with the lip if the mouth wil not do it let the hand do it And euery member in like maner to the which the Lord haâ—h giuen leaue let theÌ„ honor God because euen this striuing against the hardnes of the heart and prouoking of it with the outward members of the body is pleasant to God no doubt it is he who giues this will as a speciall grace howbeit we get not incontinently the performance If ye can learne this it is not possible that ye can want prayer for prayer is such as sometimes is vttered by teares sometimes by sighes sometimes by words and sometimes by gesture And euer let thy Spirit be well occupied musing vpon God and spirituall things and whether thou eate whether thou drinke take thy rest or what euer thou do let thy Spirit haue euer thy minde on God comfort thee with this When the Lord visiteth thee with such kinde of disease that thy tong is taken from thee let the rest of thy members honour him And if ye be not so diseased your selfe yet in your visitation comfort others herewith assuring them that this kinde of language is as well vnderstood as if it were spoken with the tongue I end here This king is not exempted from trouble he is not exempted from tentation both of body and soule There is none that cast them to liue godly but of force they must suffer trouble There is none that will make them for heauen but of all estates prince or people or what euer they be they must walke in the strait way As to them that walke in the broade way they shall grow worse and worse as the Apostle saith till they come to such an height vntill at the last the Lord anger them by the same sinnes whereby they anger him For this is his iust iudgement that as thou hast angred him by Adultery he shall anger thee by the same sinne Hast thou angred him by blood he shall anger thee by bloud also Hast thou angred him by blasphemy he shall anger thee with the punishment of blasphemy Hast thou angred him with drunkennesse he shall anger thee with the punishment of drunkennesse For euery sin hath the owne punishment in the selfesame Then as ye would eschue the punishment of sinne so cast you to eschue sinne that so farre as the Lord will giue you grace ye may keepe your selues free And so ye shall haue not onely ioy long dayes here but euerlasting ioy after this purchased to vs in the righteous merits of Christ Iesus To whoÌ„ with the Father the holy Spirit be al honor praise glory for euer euer Amen THE TENTH SERMON VPON ISAIAH CHAPTER 38. 15 What shall I say For he hath said it to me and he hath done it I shall walke weaklie all my yeares in the bitternesse of my soule 16 O Lord to them that ouerliue them and to all that are in them the life of my spirit shall be knowne that thou causest me to sleepe and hast giuen life to me IN our last Sermon welbeloued in Christ Iesus the King returned to his wonted griefe and tooke vp his old lamentation againe vttering his trouble in these words My habitation is departed and transported from me as if he should say my life is ready to depart death is instant and my remouing is at hand he sheweth the maner of his remouing by two similitudes the one similitude is taken from a shepheards tent the other from a Weauer and his web As to the first looke in what maner we se the sheepheard tents flitted and remoued after the same manner I see my life to be flitted and remoued In the which we are taught not to settle our standing here nor to fixe our anker here but that we may be ready to remoue because we are vnder
As the faithfull againe see the Scriptures and looke to that perfection that is required therein looke to the progresse and increase of faith that is required therein and see on the other side their great wants how farre we are from this progresse how is it possible but the soule must doubt Againe laying aside this trial and looking downe vpon our behauiour to these sinnes that are in our flesh and to the lusts whereunto our hearts are inclined and to the angrie face of God against sinne how is it possible but we must doubt Therefore I conclude There is neuer a seruant of God but in their soules they had this doubting looking on themselues they doubted looking on the mercy of God in Christ Iesus they beleeued That notable vessell acknowledged himselfe to be subiect to this doubting 1. Cor. 4.8 where he saith We are alwaies in affliction but not in distresse we doubt but we despaire not That good vessell acknowledged doubting onely he denieth despaire He granteth that this doubting hath place in the soule with faith but not despaire seeing despaire cutteth the pillars of our hope and consequently of our faith Therefore it cannot remaine in the soule with faith Vnder doubting he comprehendeth all other errours stammerings and wrastlings whereby the soule is troubled wrastling betweene hope despaire But all these imperfections are freely pardoned in the righteous merits of Christ or else there were no place of saluation for vs. I wished those who knew this to cōfort themselues with it they that had not experience of this to remember the lesson that they might make vse thereof if at any time it shall please the Lord to assault them with these terrible visitations The last lesson that we gathered of the last part was this We learned of this King to make our recourse to God in our greatest anguish of body and soule and when the benefite of our speech and tongues are taken from vs that we cannot pray to God in distinct language yet not to leaue off but make recourse vnto him by sighing of the heart by lifting vp of eies by continuall groning moning and lamentation that in these things God may be glorified for it is true the Lord knoweth the meaning of thy sigh and sob as well as thou knowest this language which I speake And how is this because they are raised by his owne Spirit and are the works of his owne Spirit and I pray you knoweth he not the meaning of his owne Spirit Therefore when the benefit of the tongue is taken from you that ye may not praise him with your tongue then let euery member of the body and soule concurre to praise him as long as there is any of them free There is none exempted from these troubles there is none can enter into the kingdome of heauen except first he taste of these troubles There is no estate Emperour King or Prince that looketh for life but he must enter in that narrow way Only they that are appointed for damnation walke in the broad way but terrible is the narrownesse that abideth them in the end They haue a short time of largenesse to be recompensed with euerlasting straitnesse Therefore their estate is rather to be lamented then enuied Alwaies ye that make you for the citie that hath her foundations for the kingdome that cannot be shaken ye should not be wearie to go forward in the narrow way but what euer trouble he hath laid vpon the soule or bodie let vs take it in patience for these are the pledges of mercie such as make conformitie betweene vs and Christ Iesus in whom onely is true comfort and saluation Thus farre we proceeded in our last exercise Now in that which I haue read he entreth into the second part of the song And first he bursteth out of hand as it were into the praise of God then after he sheweth the benefite which he hath receiued and the wonderfull comfort which he hath gotten of God And in respect that this comfort did flow from the word of promise he taketh occasion in the 16. verse to praise the word of God And in the 17. ver he noteth the time when he fell into this disease and in the end of that verse he letteth vs see the maner how he was deliuered Now to returne to the 15. verse I say while as the King is musing and pawsing vpon the greatnesse of the benefite rauished in an admiration of the wonderfull works of God he cannot containe himselfe but he bursteth foorth in these voyces of praise and thanksgiuing What shall I say A patheticke and cutted kind of speech signifying that his heart was so stuft and swolne his tongue would not serue him to expresse the matter What shall I say As if he would say Where shall I borrow any words to expresse the matter Where shall I borrow praise that I may answer so great goodnesse and kindnesse as I haue found in my particular in this God of mine I turned not so soone vnto him and the teares distilled not so soone from mine eyes but he accepted my person he granted my health and promised me his fauourable and mercifull protection all the rest of my dayes How am I able to meete these benefits in word much lesse in deed Yea it is not possible to the tongue to vtter that which the heart thinketh But suppose I cannot as I would I shall praise thee as I may and as thou hast giuen me the grace A notable kinde of thanksgiuing learned of his predecessor Dauid who when he was in like case vsed the like forme of praise saying What shall I render to God for all his benefits A forme of praise wherein this good King granteth three things first he granteth this ingeniously that the benefit which he receiued was free freely bestowed on him without any procurement of his Yea he acknowledged that he procured the quite contrarie Secondly he granteth that he hath nothing in himselfe to meete this benefit yea not one word much lesse a deed yea scarsly is he able to render praise for it Thirdly he testifieth that suppose he may not in such measure as his heart would and as the worthinesse of the benefit required burst foorth in the praise of this great God yet he would not be idle And surely suppose he speaketh few words yet in these few he giueth the signes of a more thankfull heart then if he had spoken a cart full of words or vttered millions of words It is not the babling of the tongue that the Lord looketh to but he looketh and hath an eie to the inward disposition of the heart he looketh to the constitution of the spirit because he is a Spirit And therefore the Lord liketh of this Kings heart suppose his words would not serue him Since those corporall sacrifices in the old law ceassed there is not a spirituall sacrifice more acceptable to God then is the sacrifice of
praise and thanksgiuing for the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiuing sanctifieth not only thy person but all the benefits which the Lord bestoweth on thy person For that which is true in meate and drinke is true in all the rest of the benefits which are pledges of his mercy in Christ Iesus Now the Apostle testifieth in the 4 to Timothie first Epist. 4. verse that thanksgiuing sanctifieth our meate and drinke and maketh it both holy and wholsome As this is true in these creatures so it is true in all the rest of the benefits and blessings of God So when I looke on this thanksgiuing I am mooued yea I am compelled to marke three things in it first I am mooued to marke the wonderfull goodnesse of God Secondly our horrible ingratitude Thirdly the great arrogancie of the enemies of God the Papists First then I say ye may easily see the goodnesse of God in this forme of praise who when he may require our life our soule and bodie and the whole actions of our life for his benefits yet he is content with a simple kind of praise and thanksgiuing in such sort that if the heart be good suppose we babble with words yet it is acceptable to him As this sheweth his kindnesse and wonderfull mercie on his part so on our part it sheweth our horrible ingratitude that albeit little will content our God yet we will not bestow that little on him it cometh neuer in our mind to thinke it much lesse to do it in deed So this is an intollerable ingratitude vpon our part This ingratitude maketh it come to passe that we possesse his benefits with an euill conscience This maketh it come to passe that the curse of God hangeth ouer all your riches which curse ye either see in your daies or else it is seene after you in your prodigall posteritie And this is onely by reason ye are vnthankfull to God for his benefits I am assured and this ground cannot deceiue me there is none of you that hath purchased any benefit in a good conscience but ye will thanke God for it for a good conscience will neuer shake off the memory of God altogether So when ye forget to thanke God it is an euident argument that the benefit is purchased in an euill conscience For the which cause the curse of God is hanging ouer your riches Which appeareth either in your time or suppose the Lord be long-suffering in your posteritie Then to testifie that the benefits are well come by be thankfull to God for them and purchase nothing but that whereof ye haue a sure warrant in your conscience Now the third thing that I am mooued to marke I say this letteth vs see the horrible arrogancy of the Papists who thinke that they can not onely be thankfull for his benefits in word but also they are able to do him one good turne for another in deede and when after their maÌ„ner they haue satisfied him they make a superplus which they call works of supererogaâ—ion Those their works of supererogation are a superlatiue follie and madnesse which cannot be expressed that whereas the best seruants of God found in experience that by word they were not able to satisfie him they thinke by their deeds to satisfie his infinite goodnesse But I leaue them and go forward He sheweth in the next words the greatnesse of the benefit and he taketh it vp briefly vnder two words after this manner He hath said it and himselfe hath done it he said it in his promise he did it in keeping of his promise he both said and did it himselfe that the whole glorie of the worke might appertaine to him he said it freely for I procured the contrary he kept it as freely for the Lord is true suppose all the world be false Ye see how properly he taketh vp vnder these two words the mercie and truth of God the mercie of God in promising the truth of God in keeping and peâ—forming of his promises The mercy of God in promising freely for he is debter to no man and therefore whatsoeuer he promiseth he promiseth freely for there is none of vs can make claime to any better condition then the naturall branches might haue made claime to and if ye list to reade of their naturall inclination ye haue many places of Scripture and in speciall I send you to Deuter. 32. Exod. 32. Isaiah 48. For there speaking of the Iewes the Lord saith I foreknew thy stubbornnesse I saw the sinewes of thy necke were of brasse and thy face of yron I foresaw that thou wouldst remaine false and vnfaithfull yet notwithstanding I made my promise freely vnto thee and as freely as I made it I kept it as feely It is I it is I saith he in the 43. of Isaiah that putteth away thine iniquities it is I that for mine owne name sake calleth not thy sinnes to memorie If this be true in the naturall branches how much more is it true in vs Then we haue nothing to lay betwixt vs the iudgements of God but his mercie freely offered vs in the bloud of Christ Iesus It is God saith he that hath done this As if he would say all the rest are lyars onely God is true and ere he faile in one iot of that he saith he is able to make the world turne vpside downe and to inuert the order of nature as ye may see in the former part of the Chapter in bringing backe of the Sunne by ten degrees And therefore this teacheth vs that there lacketh not in God neither a power nor a will onely on our part there lacketh an hand an instrument to receiue and belieue the promises And therefore suppose there be carts full of promises and as sure promises that there can be nothing surer it is not possible that these promises can auaile any thing except the Spirit prepare a way for himselfe except the Lord create in the soule faith Therefore all your care and diligence should stand in this to craue that with the hearing of the word the Lord would conioyne the working of his Spirit that faith being wrought and the heart being opened fully we may leane and repose stedfastly on the faithfull promises of God In the end of the verse he sheweth a blessed and happie effect which issued out of this notable benefit he saith I shall henceforth all the rest of my yeares walke ouerpassing the bitternesse of my soule As if he would say by this benefit the griefe of my conscience and the terrors and troubles of my soule are remoued He maketh no mention of the rest of the benefits of the health of his bodie of his sure and prosperous estate which was both promised and giuen vnto him But he touched that which troubled him most the griefe of his conscience was the thing that troubled him most and therefore he maketh mention onely of it This bitternesse made such a deepe impression
in his soule that in the 17. verse he calleth it bitter bitternesse he hath no words to expresse this bitternesse what euer it was Where the iudgements of God make such a print in the soule it is long ere sinne can blot it out and so long as the memory of the iudgement remaineth it is easie to be thankfull it is easie to go forward in doing some part of our duty it is easie to stand in aw that we fall not into the hands of God but when we blot out this memory we returne to that same puddle out of the which we were deliuered Therefore I commend to you to craue of God a sanctified memory that ye may kepe fresh the iudgements of God which either ye haue seene in others or felt in your owne bodies that the feeling of these iudgements may serue you to be thankfull to him and may make you to stand in aw and beware to fall into the hands of a consuming fire Now this King finding this benefite so sweete he is compelled to burst forth in the praise of the word of God which brought forth so good an effect And first he praiseth it generally from the good it doeth vnto all men Then he prayseth it in particular from his owne particular experience comfort which he receiued in his owne person This doctrine is necessary and notable for these times First then he praiseth the word from the good it worketh in all flesh By these things sayth he men liue that this by the force of these words it commeth to passe that we enioy the benefite of this naturall life wherby we liue in this body vpon earth For the Lords word calleth on things that are not as though they were and his word maketh them to be By his word he created heauen and earth by his word he gaue man life and breath and whatsoeuer is necessary to him By his word he assigned to him the earth the seasons and bounds of his habitation To this end that man being created according to the image of God he might seeke God and no doubt he is not farre from euery one of vs For as the Apostle sayth Act. 17. In him we liue moue and haue our being And as this is true in this naturall life so is it as true in the entertainment of this life for by the benefit of this word we are sustained For our life standeth not onely in meate and drinke but in euery word that proceedeth out of the Lords mouth Mat. 4. that is in euery thing wherunto the Lord giueth power to nourish For it is the Lords word that giueth power to nourish vs. And suppose meate and drinke were remoued the Lord is able to make stones to nourish vs. This good King acknowledged this good effect to come of the word and therefore he praiseth the word Now after he had praised it from the generall effect he goeth forward and praiseth it from his owne particular experience and he saith in the conclusion of these things The life of my soule standeth that is in thy saying and doing in thy truth and mercy in thy promising and keeping thereof standeth the life of my soule as if the King would say Not onelie haue I this naturall life which I liue in this miserable bodie by the benefite of the word but I haue a more precious life the life of my soule and spirit which discerneth me from the rest of mankind which putteth me in a better estate then the rest of the world which maketh mine heauen to begin here which neuer shall end For as there is a life and death of the body so there is a life and death of the soule The life of the body may be conioyned with the death of the soule and the death of the body may stand with the life of the soule The life of the body standeth in the presence of the soule the life of the soule standeth in the presence of the Spirit of life Except the soule be borne againe by the Spirit of life ye shall neuer see the face of God before the soule be quickned by the Spirit of life it remaineth a dead carion dead in sinne dead in the lusts of the flesh as the Apostle saith Ephes. 2. Colos. 2. And consequently there remaineth but a carriō both in soule body the soule being as void of a spirituall and heauenly life as a carion is of a naturall life The words of the Apostle in that place in sundry places are Dead in sinne dead in trespasses and in the vncircumcised lusts of the flesh Where death hath place life must be wholly extinguished and where death hath place there can neither be halfe life quarter life nor a breath of life But so it is that death hath place in our soule by nature Therefore by nature there cannot be so much as a sparke of that heauenly life in it And if there be not so much as a sparke of life in it where is that halfe or quarter life whereof the Papists speake They will not haue it dead but lamed or crooked The Apostle saith in plaine tearmes that it is dead and therefore that spirituall life must be wholly put out and consequently all kind of will to good and all sight of God in Christ is banished away this death of the soule remaineth perpetually in vs vntill such time that the participation of the Spirit of life which is in the body of Christ Iesus free vs from the law of sinne and from the law of death which is in our owne nature Rom. 8. Now would ye know whether your soule liueth or not Would ye perceiue whether this Spirit of life be begun in you or not I will giue you certaine effects whereby ye may examine the life of the soule There are many effects giuen vs in the Scriptures as namely Gala. 6. But I leaue them choose three speciall effects whereby euery one may discerne of the life of the soule There is first that inward peace of conscience There is next that ioy and reioycing vnder trouble There is thirdly a loue of God a loue of vertue and an hatred of vice where euer any of these three hath place there the soule liueth where thou findest thy conscience refreshed and thy soule recreate from the great terrors manifold pangs of sinne no question the soule liueth for this is the effect of the right Spirit and this is the right peace whereof the world is ignorant that passeth all naturall vnderstanding The more thou makst this peace to grow the more thou liuest in thy soule The more this peace groweth the more sinne decayeth the more thou castest out all that baggage of sin that troubleth the quiet estate of the conscience In a word the onely thing that troubleth the soule that disquieteth the conscience and that we haue to cast out is sinne For sinne is the onely thing that seuereth vs from God in whom there
is onely true peace and quietnesse to be found Therefore our exercise should chiefly stand in this to expell this enemy and monster sinne and to possesse that sauing iuice and wholsome peace that passeth all vnderstanding The second effect whereby we may know that the soule liueth is the ioy and reioycing vnder trouble For we know by experience that trouble of it owne nature cannot bring forth this ioy but bringeth forth the contrary effects as sadnesse heauinesse and sorrow Now where the Spirit is so disposed that we reioyce vnder trouble this is a sure argument of the blessed Spirit the Spirit of life which onely quickneth the soule and this ioy maketh vs not onely to reioyce in trouble but to glory also as sayth the Apostle For surely the crosse of Christ is our onely ioy the shame of Christ is our onely honour Hereby we perceiue the great glory that the Lord hath called vs to that not onely he maketh vs to beleeue his word but to suffer for him also onely ye haue to take heede to your troubles For this ioy accompanieth not all troubles but onely those troubles that are suffred for Christs cause for righteousnesse sake are vnderserued For those troubles that are deserued the like ioy is not to be found in them The third effect whereby we may know that the soule liueth is the loue of God and hatred of euill Where this loue is kindled in the soule where we beginne to know God to loue him and to taste of him for it is not possible that we can loue him except we haue a taste of his sweetnesse this loue make vs like to God for God is loue as Iohn saith If loue dwell in thine heart God dwelleth in thine heart and this loue is a sure pledge of the life of the soule where this loue is of necessity also there must be a hatred of euill Now trie and examine if the Spirit of life hath wrought these effects in thy soule in any measure if it were neuer so small it is a sure argument that this life is begunne and the life which God hath begunne he will perfect it If the loue of God were neuer so litle and the hatred of euill were neuer so little if any of these effects were but in a small measure ye may be sure that Christ dwelleth in your hearts by faith and that the soule liueth Ye that feele this as I would that ye all felt it prease to nourish and strengthen this life not weary in well doing but go forward in working the works of the Spirit Sow not in the flesh go not forward in the lusts and appetites thereof for ye may learne of the Apostle what aduantage this labour bringeth to wit shame and confusion death of the body and death of soule Rom. 6. But on the contrary go forward in nourishing of the Spirit and in well doing Sow in the Spirit and as the Apostle sayth ye shall reape an euerlasting and incomprehensible life This Spirit then is said to be nourished and corroborate in our hearts when we nourish the light and knowledge of God in Christ Iesus when we edifie our selues in our most holy faith and continue in the exercise of prayer As by the contrary we banish this light of the good Spirit and by our euill doing we banish the knowledge of God in Christ whē we put out this light diminish our perswasion and leaue off the exercise of prayer For by the same meanes whereby the soule liueth they being remoued the soule dieth Therfore those that would liue this way they ought to nourish the knowledge of God they ought to be exercised in well doing in hearing of Gods word in edifying them in their most holy faith and in continuall crauing of grace and mercy by prayer Now the King sayth he hath this life and he hath experience of the good word in this for I take this to be a different life from the other whereof he spake before to wit this is the life of the soule which proceedeth of the word of promise for this word is the power of God to saluation to all them that beleeue Rom. 1. Set your hearts saith Moses Deut. 32 vpon this word for it is not a vaine word it is your life and felicity The words which I speake sayth our Master Iohn 6. are Spirit life And from this Iohn calleth him the word of life the bread of life Peter saith whom shall we go to for in thee are the words of life It is he that hath life in himselfe Iohn 5. From this also it is said 1. Cor. 15. that as the first Adam was made a liuing soule so the second Adam was made a quickning Spirit and by reason we are made participant of this spirit by the ministery of his word therefore it is called the word of the Spirit by the same reason we that are his Ministers are counted the Ministers of the Spirit as the Apostle calleth vs 2. Cor. 3. They that would reade further of the praise of this word I remit them to the 19. Psalme where the properties of this word are exactly set downe I will end here Who so looketh vpon the precious effects of this word and on the other side looketh vpon our vnhappy behauior I am assured it would astonish any Christian heart to behold how the Lord can suffer our contempt so long as he doth For formerly whereas there was skarsly crummes of this bread of life to be had in this countrie men sought it out diligently and ran to haue it with such zeale that they compassed both sea and land they spared neither trauell nor cost but forcibly as it were thronged and thrusted in and made irruption in this kingdome But now when it hath pleased the Lord to offer vnto vs great plentie of this foode we so despise the bountie and liberality of this good God that we turne this great grace and mercie of his into iudgement and vengeance vpon our owne heads And as to the greatest part of the multitude they disdain it so spitefully that they had rather embrace the leauen of the Pharisies and draw them to that company where they can haue no other foode but songes maskes mummings and vnknowne Languages And so thinke to feed their soules by the mockery of God Now as to the Gentlemen Earles Lords and Barrons they are so drunken with sacrilegde that ere they will part with these goods they had rather part with the life of their soule yea when it cometh to this that the word cannot be entertained but by their expences they make no choyse but had rather lose their soules an hundred times ere they would bestow a halfepenny vpon the Church This is true in the greatest part so it is the Lord that wonderfully continueth the light amongst vs that keepeth a face of a ministery in Scotland There is no good entertainment but a very great pouerty in the most part
must redound backe to him that gaue it Therefore the nearer the soule is conioyned with God it praiseth him so much the more Now after the death of the bodie the soules of the faithfull are more straightly coupled with God therefore after death they praise him the more Where Christ hath dwelt once in this life suppose the bodies die and be resolued in powder by reason of sinne yet the soule liueth by reason of righteousnesse Yea suppose the body be dissolued yet that Spirit of life that dwelt in the soule raiseth thy soule to heauen euen as the Spirit of life that dwelt in Christ Iesus raised his bodie from the graue And as the Spirit of life is the onely cause that made vs to praise him in our bodies so that same Spirit maketh vs to praise him out of these bodies by reason suppose we be absent in bodie yet are present in our soule with the Lord. For the words Rom. 8 are these If Christ dwell in you suppose the body be dead by reason of sinne yet the Spirit is aliue for righteousnesse sake The meaning of the words is suppose they that are departed leaue off to praise the Lord in their bodies and in the earth which he calleth the land of the liuing yet they leaue not off at all Now of this I shall marke one or two things Take vp the end wherefore the Lord deliuereth any person citie or country from any trouble within or without the chiefe end of his deliuerie is this That that person citie or countrey may serue as an instrument to preach his benefits to sound his praise and to render vnto him heartie thanks for it Are our sinnes forgiuen vs to this end is there any countrey or any citie set at libertie to this end that we should prouoke God to anger by heauier sinnes againe Is this the end wherefore he forgiueth sinnes Is this the end wherefore he bestoweth his benefits that we should vse them as weapons to fight against himselfe Is not this rather the high way to kindle him to greater seueritie and to sharpen his furie against our selues Yea and what exception I pray you can we vse in his greatest seueritie seeing we haue prouoked it our selues I speake it to this end there is not a person in particular nor any in generall but of naturall knowledge they will say There was neuer a greater benefit bestowed on a countrey then in releeuing vs of the feare of that barbarous Nation he must either confesse this or he is an asse This benefit if it were rightly measured and considered reade ouer the Scriptures conferre benefit with benefit miracle with miracle all circumstances being well considered ye shall finde that since the children of Israel came through the red Sea there hath not bene a greater To what end deliuered he vs is it that we should prouoke him with greater sinnes Looke since the feare of these strangers past what sinne is there but this countrey hath defiled her selfe with it See ye not slaughter in greater measure oppression murther without any mercie see ye not all law and equitie trampled vnder foote And briefly see ye not this confusion risen to such a height that euery Lord in his owne bounds is a King what sort of birth I pray you shall this confusion bring foorth At the last it must bring foorth one of these two of necessitie and take heeed ye may chance to see it except the Lord preuent it Either the supreme magistrate and inferiour magistrates must concurre in one voyce to put an end to this confusion or the confusion out of doubt shall put an end to him I am assured one of these two must follow for the weight of his wrath which hangeth ouer this land is insupportable the earth is not able to beare this birth of our iniquitie and if there were no other punishment as I haue often said the earth shall be compelled to spue foorth the inhabitants ere God want meanes to punish As this is true in the countrey in generall so it is as true in this Citie in particular for it neuer came yet for the most part in your hearts to thanke God aright for your deliuerie Therefore the Lord is beginning to let you see that he can raise strangers men who haue the hearts of strangers among our selues he hath meanes enough in the middest of our owne bowels to punish this countrey suppose he seeke not strangers But indeed in this late brag of our neighbour Lord he desireth you to go backe to the consideration of the greatnesse of the last benefit And if ye acknowledge it rightly and be thankfull for it there is no domesticke force ye neede to regard For as to the force that can proceede any way from that man ye know it And surely it would appeare to me that that man hath sold himselfe to iniquitie and the end will declare it except the Lord preuent him with his vndeserued grace which I desire most heartily Although in the meane time suppose there be peace promised yet stand ye on your guards and let it not come to passe by your misbehauiour and backwardnâ—sse that the glory of God and the libertie of this Citie be impaired in any wise but stand on your guardes that as this Citie hath bene a terrour to euill men before-time so it may terrifie him also For no question where God and a good quarrell concurre that side shall haue the vpper hand This onely by the way For it becometh me of my dutie to maintaine the good cause and to instruct you in this point of your dutie The second thing that I marke ye see the glorie of God is euer conioyned with the life of his owne so that we cannot aduance Gods gloâ—ie but we shall further our owne saluation and we cannot neglect the one but we shall neglect the other Seeing thâ—n that these two are necessarily conioyned for Gods sake let euery one remember to set forward the glorie of God in his life so farre as he may according to his estate and calling This life is so miserable in it selfe and there is none that seeth the confusion of this countrey to grow so fast that can looke for any redresse of these things in his own time So here beneath is no comfort all runneth on to such a desolation and miserable confusion that of all liues of the earth our liues were most miserable if we had not a sight of a better For all ioy to be looked for here beneath is taken away Well I leaue this second part and come to the last The third part of this song is in this 20. verse which is the conclusion of the whole song In this conclusion the King testifieth that he will not onely praise God for the present for the benefit which he hath receiued but he maketh a solemne promise that so long as he liueth he will neuer forget this benefit all the dayes of his life
mighty hand to her great comfort to his glory and to the perpetuall ouerthrow of his and her enemies that haue assailed her No doubt but some singular and particular deliuery hath giuen occasion to this notable song albeit the forme of the song is generall and may serue well to the vse of the Church in all ages following to the end of the world For these benefits wherefore the Psalmist praiseth God in this Psalme they haue bene common they are common and shall be common benefites to the Church so long as she is absent in the body from the Lord For he hath giuen the custody of his word to no other society in the earth but to his Church he dwelleth with no other company of men but with the company of faithfull men and women he taketh the defence of no other sort of people in the earth but of these faithfull men These people haue felt in experience his inward outward deliueries both in soule body the Church of this country at this day that she standeth on foote and that she hath liberty to assemble and that now she hath a mouth and voice to praise him she hath this God to thanke onely and not any flesh vnder the Sunne Therfore I say addres your hearts euery one of you in some measure to do this for surely ye had neuer better occasion theÌ„ ye haue at this time All men I know are not alike disposed yet were neuer more vnfit For I know there is a sort of men who thinke themselues by this deliuery disappointed who in their hearts are as sorowful of the Sparniards case as they theÌ„selues are of these I look for no praying There is another sort of men who were neuer touched with the danger and these men cannot be moued with the deliuery for he that saw not the perill it is not possible that he can esteeme of the deliuery There is thirdly another sort of men who both saw the perill sighed for the perill and desired the deliuery This sort of men will praise God for the benefite of deliuery Surely in this we haue all occasion to thank God that commandement hath passed from Church and King that all knees shal bow and do reuerence to this God whether they do it fainedly or truly to themselues be it said whether they do it vnder pretence or sincerity to themselues be it said for the weale and profite will redound to themselues onely Although we that feare God haue great occasion to praise him that his name is glorified this day suppose it be feinedly This Psalme hath three speciall parts In the first part he propoundeth certaine benefites in the which the Lord shewed himselfe both gracious mercifull to his Church In the second part he praiseth God for a singular deliuery for a worke more then wonderfull a worke in the which the Lord shewed himselfe to be a mighty preseruer of his owne and a terrible reuenger on his enemies a worke accomplished by his owne vertue and force onely without the support of any creature liuing In the third part he setteth downe an exhortation to the Church to grow in thankefulnesse towards God to grow in thankefulnesse towards him that he may grow in mercy and sauour towards her and that he may grow in anger and hatred towardes his and her enemies These are the parts of this Psalme In the first part there is first propounded a chiefe and principall benefite wherein still the Lord sheweth himselfe exceeding gracious towards his people the benefite is this that he hath reuealed himselfe so plainly and so familiarly to her besides all the rest of the world In such sort that he hath made her acquainted with him and made himselfe well knowne to her For first the Lord hath reuealed himselfe to his Church by a speciall and particular reuelation beside that generall reuelation which is knowne in the whole worlde for as to this generall reuelation which is knowne to the world it serueth nothing to our instruction profite nor erudition but serueth rather to our conuiction that the Lord may haue within vs a testimony of our iust condemnation And therefore beside this generall reuelation whereby he hath reuealed himselfe vnto all flesh he hath manifested himselfe to his Church by a speciall and particular reuelation beside that common light and naturall vnderstanding he hath opened himselfe to vs by an heauenly light supernaturall vnderstanding which heauenly light vndâ—rstanding maketh vs first the children of light and of the day which heauenly light discerneth vs from the rest of the world who are darkenesse and the children of the night as the Apostle calleth them For this heaenly light and supernaturall vnderstanding whereby we see God is proper onely to the true members of Christ Iesus who are his Church none hath this eye of Faith but they onely It is so proper to them that it seuereth them from all other societies in the earth whether they take vnto themselues the name of the Church or are altogether enemies therunto This supernaturall light and vnderstanding is offered by the word is giuen vnto vs by the Spirit of God for the naturall man as long as he remaineth in his naturall estate caÌ„not perceiue the things of God For why the greatest light and greatest wit that is in our nature is the greatest enemy that this heauenly light wit can haue as we haue in the Apostle writing Rom. 8. The best wit yea that which we call the bâ—st wit that is in a naturall man it counteth the word of God foolishnes And therfore seeing the world by her own wisdome yea the greatest Philosopher in it by his owne knowledge could not know God this God was moued by that same light and wit which the world counteth foolishnesse to make men to know him in Christ Iesus to their eternall saluation This wit I say is offered to vs by his word and giuen by his Spirit onely For as there is no man knoweth what is the minde of man toward hm except the spirit of the mans selfe or he to whom this spirit reuealeth it so there is none knoweth the wisedome of God nor knoweth his mind toward him except the Spirit of God and they to whom this Spirit communicateth the matter Of this Spirit he hath powred vpon his owne Church whereby he hath reuealed himselfe more plainely to her and giuen her a clearer sight of him then all the rest of the world can haue For as to that sight which we haue of God which is common to vs with the rest of the world in the mirrour of his workes it faileth vs in the very entry we lose it in the threshold it is choked and suffocate by the mischiefe of our affections within vs. Againe as to that sight which we haue in his word take once his Spirit from the word that this word be but a slaying letter and not a quickning Spirit the
light This spirituall light is so proper to the Church that it discerneth her from all false Churches vpon the face of the earth for as the Apostle saith Faith which is no other thing but this light appertaineth not vnto all but this gift of iustifying faith is nothing else but that very light which is giuen to those who before all eternitie were appointed for saluation This speciall reuelation is not obtayned or purchased by any naturall force for so it were common to all men It is not purchased by naturall wit or vnderstanding for the wisdome of this world cannot know those things that are of God Yea the wisedome of the world is the greatest enemie to the wisedome of God and the wit of the world esteemeth the wit of God to be plaine foolishnesse This light is not gotten by the sight of the works of God or by looking vpon this great Vniuerse we get a light indeed by looking on the works of God but this light conueigheth vs not a far off we lose it in the threshold in the very entrie it is choked by our affections and the vile appetites that are in vs do choke it Now we get not this supernaturall light onely by the outward ministerie of the word no seuer me the Spirit from the word the word is nothing else but a minister of death to my soule and a slaying letter it serueth for nothing but to be a further testimonie of my iust condemnation Therefore this heauenly light whereby we are made heires of heauen and the children of God is purchased by the word and Spirit of God ioynctly By the word striking and piercing the eare outwardly and the Spirit penetrating the heart inwardly So where these two are conioyned that heauenly light is wrought and it is an earnest-pennie of thy euerlasting saluation Of this light and reuelation it cometh to passe that God is well knowne in Iudah that is in his owne Church and of this knowledge it cometh to passe that his Name is great in Israel that is his praise is highly extolled and his name renowmed among all them that know him rightly By the Name of God is vnderstood God himselfe as he maketh himselfe knowne in the wonderful works which he worketh as when he hath mercie on his Church he is called a mercifull God when he keepeth his promises he is called a true God when he deliuereth her mightily he is called a potent God And so as many works as he worketh so many Names he hath Now of this reuelation cometh the knowledge of God For except the Spirit of God take away the ignorance of our hearts it is as impossible for me to know God rightly as the dumbe element Except this veile of ignorance which sticketh so fast vnto our hearts be taken off that in time the mighty power of God may be reuerenced there remaineth no further sight then serueth vnto our eternall condemnation Therefore the Spirit must concurre mightily to take off this veile of ignorance that our hearts and minds being renewed we may begin to be new creatures in Christ Iesus Of this knowledge it cometh to passe that God is reuerenced and his praises are sounded for it is impossible that these who know God aright but they must praise him and reuerence his Name God is not like the great men of this countrey for they where they are best knowne there are worst loued But God by the contrary where he is best knowne he is best loued And this loue of God can neuer be idle but it must burst foorth into his praises So these two are ioyned together the Spirit of God bringeth knowledge which knowledge is helpefull to faith and true faith euer praiseth God Then examine your knowledge from the effect the praise of God and see whether the knowledge of God be in this countrey or not This conclusion must hold fast where God is highly praised he is well knowne and the contrary must hold as fast where God is no waies praised he is not knowne there Assume now But so it is that he is no waies praised in this countrey Therefore he was neuer well knowne of vs his goodnesse and mercie was neuer well tasted of vs. And surely if multitude of benefits or multitude of miracles might haue made God knowne to vs we haue had our large part Yea to omit all the rest I thinke though there were no more but this deliuerie past it is a sufficient argument to mooue the hearts of all creatures to praise his name But such is our horrible ingratitude that for lacke of praise we bring not onely a curse vpon the benefit but a curse vpon our owne persons And therefore mine exhortation is now as then That with such hearts as the Lord hath giuen vs we be readie to sound his praise for this great deliuerie the thankfull memorie of this last benefit shall be the readie way to purchase the next therefore with thankfull hearts let vs praise him And where they are not so disposed as the worthinesse of the benefit requireth let vs beg mercie for our euill disposed hearts let vs desire pardon for our vnprepared hearts and wish that it would please the Lord to sanctifie them further and further to his owne praises that being couered with his mercifull protection we may at all times rest vnder his wings and sauegard so that we shall be sure to assaile the enemy when he pleaseth Thus farre for the first benefit The second benefit wherein the Lord shewed himselfe gracious toward his people is this he made his residence with this people which he did with no other nation of the earth he taketh his abiding at Shalem as the tokens and ensignes of his presence did testifie God maketh his residence with no sort of people in the earth but with his Church he hath espied out and select to himselfe a people among all the nations of the earth and with them he hath made his residence It is no strange language to say that God hath chosen a people to himselfe and doth make his residence with such a people For albeit the maiestie of God fill and replenish both heauen and earth and his power reach euery where yet is it as true our God dwelleth euery where he hath selected a sort of people a number of persons with whom he maketh his residence And among all nations he selected this nation of the Iewes vnto whom he gaue the visible ensignes of his presence and in whose hearts he dwelt Now it hath pleased him in mercie to translate his Tabernacle to make his residence with vs and he hath chosen a few of the hearts of this countrey where he hath begun his dwelling place for God dwelleth now in the hearts and consciences of his owne by his holy Spirit and surely so he hath dwelt with vs these 30. yeares and in such puritie that he hath not done the like with any nation in the earth He hath
the word haue I to do this what warrant haue I of his mouth for thus doing And finding a warrant of Gods word and of his Spirit going together thou art sure But where the conscience giueth a testimony without the warrant of the word it is a deceiuing testimony without the warrant of the word it is a deceiuing testimony Therefore conioyne these two Try narrowly in your doings if the word and the Spirit go together And if these two be ioyned they shall stand as two witnesses with thee The greatest impediment that stayeth men from the conioyning of these two in their doings is the affection they haue to their own person the affection and loue they haue to themselues hindreth this trill For we see that such is the superiority and dominion which that affection hath that it carrieth reason whither it pleaseth and it is so strong that it suffereth not the grace of God to enter into vs but moueth man to giue obedience to the wickednes of her lust of appetite and to say Ere I will want the seruice of my lust pleasure of mine appetites I wil make subiect rather the word to mine appetite then subdue my appetite to the word so to want my pleasure Iudge ye what conscience this is They make the word to serue their appetites and neuer suffer the word to mortifie their appetites And of this what cometh to passe By this kind of dealing it cometh to passe that at last they lose their conscience so that it can neither accuse nor excuse because they are cast asleepe ly in this dead sleepe till they be wakened with a terrible wakening by God the righteous iudge from heauen Take heede for this is the truth And at that wakening he shall make the terrours of these same sinnes which if they had followed counsel they might haue eschued terrribly to ouerwhelme them Now the conscience is at quietnesse and rest and holdeth thee in security But alas it is a festered security The inward heart is full of filth which filthinesse shall bring such terrours in the end with it that it shall multiply thy torments and so oppresse thee except in time thou search out the bottome of thy conscience Therefore be not deceiued as ye are come into this world to serue glorifie him so euery one in your owne rankes and callings be vpright Ye deale vprightly in you calling when ye haue the warrant of the word for the warrant of the word is not changeable it cometh not vnder alteration But once haue the warrant and haue it full So whosoeuer obtaineth the warrant of the word in this world that blessed mouth shall be a warrant to them in a greater place Then take heede to this terrible iudgement looke in time that out of time it ouertâ—ke thee not with a terrible wakening Now to come to the ninth verse In this verse he noteth the time when this great iudgement was wrought vpon the enemies and he sayth it was wrought when God arose it was not done when God sate for the whole time when he sate his enemies were spending their time in raging murder oppression blood as now ye may see the great men in this country raging who are his enemies Then all the time that God sate his enemies were aloft And this long sitting of God what did it whereas it should haue drawn them to repentance it confirmed them in their pride increased their malice Well God ariseth at the last and when he ariseth he striketh them with a terrible iudgement He bringeth in God here after the manner of earthly Iudges after the custome of our Iudges For first they sit downe they try seeke out and aduise and after aduisement they resolue and after aduisement and resolution they rise vp giuen iudgement and pronounce the sentence Euen so the Prophet bringeth in God after the same manner sitting and after sitting arising and pronouncing the sentence Then the Lord ye see hath his time of sitting his time of rising The time of his sitting I call the time of his patience the time of his long suffering the time of his benignity whereby he allureth yea if it were possible his very enemies to turne vnto him And I call the time of his sitting the time of his delay of the execution of his iudgement I call the time of his rising the time of his execution the time of his hote wrath and the time of the declaration of his righteous iudgement vpon flesh The Lord hath both these times and they who abuse the time of his sitting shall not be able to escape the time of his rising Senacherib abused the patience and long suffering of Gods sitting but he escaped not his rising as he did beare him witnesse All doctrine should be applied to our present estate all mens consciences are asleepe and except they be now wakened in time terrible shall that wakening be which they shall haue when the terrours thereof shall oppresse them Therefore it is good that this matter of terror were presented in time to waken the conscience For by the way the biting conscience is not the worst of all sort of consciences but the biting conscience is in the second ranke for the conscience that biteth thee and accuseth thee sendeth thee to seeke remedy And the more that it hasteth thee the sooner thou purchasest remission of thy sinnes and peace in the body and blood of Christ Iesus So of all consciences the biting conscience is not the worst but is in the second ranke it sendeth thee to seeke remedy Onely of this beware that thou furnish not matter to her biting by increasing of further corruption but euer cast out sin wherby God is offended and this biting nourished and in the end thou shalt finde a true pacification and a taste of the right peace that floweth from Christ Iesus which peace passeth all vnderstanding To come to the particular The Lord is not risen as yet in this country albeit he hath sitten long And why hath he sitten but to see if his enemies will repent And hath this taken effect No for he hath not greater enemies in any part then the great men in this countrey where his word is so clearely preached So that the greater the knowledge is the greater is the contempt and the greater the contempt is the heauier must the iudgement be that abideth them Now in all this time of the Lords sitting what are they doing They are burning and scalding slaying and murthering and vsing all kinde of oppression and raging so as if there were not a King in Israel Well the Lord sitteth not to this end that they should abuse his patience he sitteth not that they should be confirmed in their cruelty that they should lose their knowledge or thinke that either there were not God or God were become like themselues Alwayes I say this is not the end wherefore he sitteth but he sitteth onely to this
of God at the last he shall neuer come out So in time let euery one beware to abuse the grace of God this way but beg a liberty and a renewing of the Spirit that that which is pleasing to him may be also pleasing to vs and that which is displeasing to him may be displeasing to vs. The last thing that I marke is this whereof cometh this willingnesse and free offering of our selues to the seruice of God Dauid noteth it in a word It proceedeth not of externall worshipping but of the boring of the eare except the Lord had prepared the eare of his heart it was not possible for him to haue brought with him a mind or a will to serue God Then this willingnesse is wrought by the Spirit of God and not onely this willingnesse but the doing and execution of his will is wrought by the Spirit of God For by nature we are hard hearted and more vnfit then brute beasts to do the Lords will And therfore whosoeuer would be partaker of the grace of the new Testament let him looke into himselfe how farre his will is reformed For the more we submit our will â—o the will of God the more we are partakers of the grace of the new Testament So long as we make the will of man a rule to our will we testifie that we haue not tasted of the grace of the new Testament Onely then are we partakers of the grace of the new Testament when the Spirit of grace boweth our will and maketh it to obey in some part the will of God For I meane not that our whole will can obey the will of God It is not possible so long as we are here that we can runne one way if the affections could runne one way and bend themselues wholly to God in a maner we should possesse life eternall in this life But so long as we are here we are compassed with two wils from the which proceedeth â—wo sorts of motions affections and cogitations In this battel the regenerate man continueth to the end I require not a perfection of the will or a perfection of the heart but I desire a delight in the law and in the loue of God a will to loue and a preasing more and more to subdue our will to the loue of God Where this resisting is the battell is and where a battell continueth there is a true Christian who at the last shall get the victorie Resist thy wicked will resist the motions thereof resist the cogitations thereof and sorrow for the actions thereof if thou resist the motions and cogitations thereof thou art in good estate It is onely the consenting to the actions and performance thereof that maketh thee guiltie before God Suppose thou hast euill cogitations motions yet if so be thou resist them thou art not guiltie before God But if tâ—ou consent and performe the appetites of sinne the action will bring guiltinesse and guiltines will banish light and light being banished God is banished The obedience of sinne banisheth a good will and placeth in stead thereof an euill will so the perfection of a Christian in this life standeth in resisting To trie night and day that thou consent not to the actions of thy wicked will O then it is a matter of great consequence to subdue tame that great idoll of euill will We may speake of it as we please and say that we are able to do it but of all the works of the earth it is the greatest for such is the stubbornnesse of our will that it will do nothing but what it liketh it selfe Well the perfection of a Christian standeth in striuing we must either striue or we shall not be crowned Therefore let euery one beg of God that he would worke by his Spirit in this life that he may resist the motions and cogitations of his heart that he would arme him against the enticements thereof that resisting here we may be crowned hereafter In the last part of the Psal. he returneth to prayer and as he had found the mercifull deliuerie of God in time past so he desireth that the Lord would continue the same mercie toward him in time to come and vndertake his protection against the troubles that were to ensue as well as he had done against the troubles past In this part he letteth vs see this lesson which if it were well learned might stand vs in great stead the whole course of our life to wit That the whole life of man in this earth as Iob saith is a continuall tentation and the end of one miserie is but an entrie to a greater so that our whole exercise should be to praise God for fauours past and to pray to God for times to come that in praysing and prayer our life being continually spent we might hold Christ Iesus who in life and death is exceeding aduantage To whom with the Father and the holy Spirit be all honour and praise world without end So be it THE FIFTEENTH SERMON VPON THE SECOND CHAPTER OF THE SECOND Epistle to Timothie beginning at the 22. verse preached the ninth of Nouember 1589. at the which time â—he Eaâ—le Bothwell made his publike repentance in the Church of Edinborough 22 Flee also from the lusts of youth and follow after righteousnesse faith loue and peace with them that call on the Lord with pure heart 23. And put away foolish and vnlearned questions knowing that they ingender strife 24 But the seruant of the Lord must not striue but must be gentle toward all men apt to teach suffering the euill men patiently 25 Instructing them with meekenesse that are contrary minded proouing if God at any time will giue them repentance that they may know the truth 26 And that they may come to amendment out of the snare of the diuell which are taken of him at his will IN these two Epistles which the Apostle directeth vnto his Disciple Timothie he taketh a very great care to informe Timothie that he may behaue himselfe accordingly in all his proceedings that he might behaue himselfe as well in his owne person as in his office towards others beside In his owne person in respect he was a yong man yong in yeares although though no other way yong neither yong in knowledge nor in manners but somewhat yong in yeares In respect of his youth and of the imperfections that accompanie youth In respect of the continuall follie whereunto youth is drawne he biddeth him first remember that he take heede to his youth that he be not caried with those vices with those affections and lusts that vse violently to carry yong men away As towards others he willeth him to haue a discretion foresight of their estate to discerne the persons with whom he hath to do And first of all that he consider whether these persons be friends or aduersaries whether they be of one familie with himselfe in the familie of faith or otherwise strangers as
among men that they were very curious disputers subtill reasoners moued doubts vpon euery thing chopped changed with the truth of God as if it had bene the prophane word of man at the last they began to moue questions raise some doubts vpon the very articles of our beliefe And the spirit of the diuell to carried them forward that from doubting at the last it came vnto a plaine defection They denied the article of the resurrection in particular So they did not onely lose themselues and poysoned the Auditorie but they peruerted the truth of God so farre as in them lay From these mens example the Apostle forewarned his Disciple and in him euery Pastor that they beware not onely of this vaine iangling about wordes specially in matters of conscience but chiefly beware of the roote fountaine from whence they spring to wit of that naturall selfe-loue which we nourish all in our bosomes and are so loth to part with in our whole life And we haue an example before our eies in our time of a man going about to make himselfelfe great and to get the praise of men who in the end not onely hazarded his own estate but endangered the estate of the whole Church so far as lay in him So as the example of Hymenaeus was meete to moue Timothie to beware of such a vice euen so let the example of our Hymenaeus which is yet in our eyes moue vs that we fall not into the like snare that we cast not only not to hunt for the praise of men but also that we apply vs to eschue the root and fountaine from whence it springeth to wit that naturall selfe-loue whereof euery one of vs hath a portion And since we are entred into the schoole Christ let vs study to learne that one lesson to renounce our selues The Lord giue vs hearts to learne it and make vs to be borne againe in this life and to renounce our selues in this life which are not the workes of man but the singular works of God renewing man Now as he hath shewed him what he shall eschue and that this is the vice which he should chiefly flie so in this 15. verse he beginneth to admonish him that the contrary of it is the chiefe vertue which he should embrace and the onely thing which he should aime at during his whole life to wit he should Study to be approoued of God For seeing there is no workman but he wisheth to sute his worke to be allowed of this is a common instinct in vs with the rest to seeke to be approued therefore the Apostle informeth him and admonisheth him what sort of approbation he shall seeke at whose hands he shall seeke it and after what manner he shall come by it So for the present we haue these three things to speake of Of the sort of approbation that a Pastor should seeke at whose hands he should seeke it and how and after what manner he shall obteine it As to the sort of approbation it must be spirituall godly flowing from the Spirit of God and not from flesh and blood And as it must flow from the Spirit of God and not from flesh and blood so must he seeke it at the hands of God onely and not of any creature liuing Study to be allowed of him for why suppose men would allow of thee thou art not the more approued For if thou in stead of others shouldst praise thy selfe thou art neuer one haire the better For if a man honour himselfe saith our master Iohn 8. his honour is nothing worth and he whom men commends sayth the Apostle 2. Cor. 10.15 is not approued but onely he is approued whom God commendeth Therefore let vs not seeke honour one from another but let vs seeke the honour which cometh from God onely let vs studie to be approued of him onely for obtaine we his approbation we shall get the other two for there is but three in all For if God approue vs he shall make our owne conscience approue vs. And haue we our owne conscience and God within our conscience to allow of vs we haue two of the best for these two will neuer leaue vs they will stand by vs here and when it cometh before an higher Tribunall they wil make vs ioyfull And as to the third sort which is by men where these two go before we shall haue the Church of God no doubt and good men to upproue vs. For where God and conscience calleth a man inwardly this God maketh his Church by their testimony to ratifie his calling outwardly As ye see he commanded the Church to separate Paul Barnabas to the worke whereunto he had called them inwardly so obtaine we his approbation we shall haue all the three Therefore let vs looke to none but his we looke to his approbation when we looke to our selues then honoureth he vs when we honour him When we seeke nothing but him then seeketh he vs and our weale And it is for better for vs that he seeke our good then that we our selues seeke it For he can and may seeke it best Therefore let vs studie to seeke God and his honor that God may seeke vs and our honor And will we looke who hath sent vs forth who employeth vs who made vs Embassadors in stead of Christ we shall find that we ought to studie to please none but him We are not subiect to render account to any but to him To him we are subiect indeed therefore it is necessarie that we studie to be approued of him Now to come by his approbation the Apostle sheweth vs what way we may proceede how we shall behaue our selues namely that we do two things First that we studie that is that we haue a sound care to present our selues before him Next that we studie to present our worke of the ministery before him as he would say that we studie to take heed to our selues and to our office To our selues that we be good Christians to our office that we be good Pastor for he will neuer be a gooâ— Pastor that is not a good Christian Therefore the first thing that he must take heed to is to his person that he studie to present himselfe get accesse to his countenance and stand before him Now there is no standing before God but in puritie and by puritie of the heart it is the pure heart only that looketh vpon God and standeth before him For Blessed are the pure in heart saith our Maister Math. 5. for they shall see God The heart againe is no way purged but by faith so it is by faith onely that we stand present our selues vnto God The good Pastor to get himselfe approoued must studie for the increase of faith and sanctification For he shall neuer teach with authority and power except he feele in himselfe the thing that he would haue wrought in others how shall he prease to sanctifie others
kings life shewed in two similitudes 1. Similitude Doctrine to be gathered of the first similitude Why the Patriarkes dwelled in tents The second similitude Application His words beside the diseaâ—e of the bodie vtter the disease of his soule Why the Lord suffereth his children to fall into the disease of the soule Application By what waieâ— Hezechiah sought God Why the K. sought the prorogation of his dayes In what respect it is lawfull to seeke the prorogation of dayes First lesson Whether faith and doubting may be in a soule or not What the Apostle comprehendeth vnder doubting Doctrine The contrary voices that Christ vsed in his trouble The King teacheth vs how to pray in extremity Note Repetition Diuision Three things that the King granteth in his thanksgiuing Sacrifice of thanksgiuing haue succeeded to corporall sacrâ—fices of the law In thanksgiuing three things are to be marked A good conscience thanketh God euer for his benefits The King sheweth the greatnesse of the benefit receiued Deut. 32. Exed 32. Isa. 48. Isa. 43. An effect which issued out of the benefit The sweetnes of the benefite maketh him to burst forth into the praise of the word first in generall next in particular Math 4. How a man shall know if the Spirit of life be begun in him How the Spirit is said to be nourished in vs how he is said to be banished 1. Cor. 15. Recapitulation Application Diuision Application The manner how the King was deliuered Sin is the only thing that is punished in the wicked purged in the godly Lesson Remission of sinnes cureth all diseases When God forgiueth he also forgetteth God onely forgiueth sinner The cause that moued God to forgiue him his sinnes The reasonâ— wherfore the Lord forgaue him his sinneâ— They that are dead in their body leaue not off the execise of praise in â—heir soule 1. Obseruation 2. Obseruation Why the Lord worketh by means and second causes First end Second end Third end The purpose of the Prophet in this psalme Exhortation to be thankfull The diuision of the Psalme A mercy that God is neare vnto his people What is meant by the name of God in this place The true knowledge of God and the true praise of God accompany others mutually Application The profite thâ—t redoundeth to vs of giuing thanks A Prayer Verse 2. A mercie for God to lodge with his people Application A Prayer Diuision Application What is it that dislodges God What is meant by the moâ—ntâ—ines of prey Lesson Verse 5.6 How this victory was obtained How the Lord is said to rebuke Gods formall dealing with his Church What are the ends wherefore the Lord appointed enemies to his Church First end 2. end 3. end Verse 7. The end of his mercy is admiration Conclusion Recapitulation Diuision Verse 8. God onely did this great worke The effects of this great worke Vse Verse 9. The time of this great iudgement The time of Gods sitting He answered to an obiection of the Church Answer Exhortation to thankfulnesse Hope How hope differeth from faith The life of Hope Doctrine Hope and mourning may stand together How to know when God heareth our prayer though he granteth not instantly our suite Notâ— Constant mourning in trouble assures certaine deliuerance Note Lesson Lesson Why the Lord delayeth to helpe his Seruants He that belieueth shall not make hast A mysticall meaning The Prophet and Apostle reconciled Lesson The end why our prayers are heard Lesson Two sorts of abusing the grace of God Note Euil thoughtâ— make vs not guiltie if resisted Lesson The heads to be intreated of in this Sermon What is the chiefe thing that young men should flee What is meant by the lusts of youth Whereof cometh the restraint of sinne Why the Lord restraineth impiety Note Note An exhortation to the Lord Bothwell Whaâ— things yong men should chielfly seeke after Heads to be intreated of repentance Definition of repentance Two sorts of repentance In what respects the worldly sorrow is called blind terror What is the godly and right sorow A caution to be obserued in this part of repentance What is the greatest sinne a man may commit The effects of this godly dolor Why this part of repentance is called mortification Note A feeling and hope of mercie goâ—th before conuersion Why this part of repentance is called viuification There nothing that the diuel staieth more nor our confessioÌ„ A caution to be obserued in this part of repentance Two sorts of repentance Conclusion M. Patrik Adamson late Bishop of S. Andrewes The heads to be intreated of What it is to rule in the Lord.
yet in setting foorth of this wonderfull iudgement and in the 8. verse he letteth vs see that this great and terrible iudgement was wrought by the power and force of God onely it was done extraordinarily from the heauen by himselfe onely So that the whole world saw the finger and hand of God in it Then in the beginning of this eight verse I say he maketh it knowne that he did it onely and in the end of the verse he letteth vs see what his iudgements wrought in the hearts of men In the 9. verse he letteth vs see the time when it was that it pleased him to worke it and to what end he wrought it In the 10. verse he letteth vs see whereunto the great furie and rage of the wicked serued and in the end of that verse he meeteth with an obiection which the Churâ—h might haue made And in the last two verses is contained the conclusion of the Psalme Then to rerurne to the 8. verse in the beginning thereof the Prophet maketh it knowne that it was God onely that did this worke immediately without the imployment of any creature And therefore this manner of execution testified to the whole world that God onely was the chiefe doer of it Then the chiefe reason that moued God to do this extraordinarily and immediatly with his owne hand is this Although our God hath infinite wayes and as many meanes in his hand at all times ready to destroy his enemies yet such is the malice of man and the enuy of the Diuell that possesseth man to the glory of God that so long as God worketh his worke ordinarily and imployeth this or that instrument in doing of his worke so long man spoyleth God of his Glory and spoyleth him of a part of his praise So that man will sometime ascribe the glory to his owne industry and wit or to fortune or to one occasion or other so that ere they suffer God to haue his whole glory they will giue a part of it to any creature of the earth For this cause the Lord worketh extraordinarily and from heauen that the mouthes of all the world yea of the very enemies may be compelled to say and this confession must be wrung out of them that it is the finger of God that wrought this without the support of any creature After what sort he wrought this ouerthrow I wil not dispute in particular whether it were by lightning thunder earthquake vpon this I insist not The generall is sure and certaine that it was a worke that flowed from heauen immediatly Now he sayth in the end of the verse that this terrible iudgement brought forth two effects in the hearts of men First it brought forth a wonderfull feare and secondly it brought forth a great silence their tongues were taken from them The earth feared and was still By the earth the inhabitants of the earth is vnderstood or if we will hold vs in our particular the remanent of Senacheribs army is vnderstood I meane the remanent of the armie that were saued from the iudgement This remanent beganne to feare and be afraid with a terrible feare and the tongues of them that were so stout the night before held themselues quiet They that lifted and hoissed their armes the night before prouoked God as it were to the combat after the sight of this iudgement they haue their hands to seeke and they who boasted so much of their valiantnesse and filled the very earth with their blasphemies the night before when they saw this terrible iudgement were silent and had not a word to speake It is wonderfull the Lords manner of doing and proceeding is a hid manner of doing against his enemies and few perceiue the fashion of the bringing about of his iudgements For ye see he taketh his enemies in an instant at vnawares whilest a man is in the height of his pride he bereaueth him of his counsell he bereaueth him of his force and spoyleth him both of heart and hand in such sort that he hath no wit to deuise more then an Asse and hath not a hand to performe any more then if he wanted hands So he bereaueth him of his policy exquisite iudgement And how is this done It is by a blinde feare that he striketh them with he casteth them into such anguish and blindnesse of minde that they neither see God who is the striker nor can finde any way out but are cast into a desperate estate and vtter darkenesse remedilesse And so it commeth to passe that these miserable men lay violent hands on themselues thinking that the soule which now is in prison as it were will be in a better estate if it were out of the body but alas they are deceiued So I say the iudgement of God when it lighteth how long soeuer it be delayed terrible shall it be when it lighteth on the enemie It is a fearefull thing to cast our selues willingly into the hands of a consuming fire Therefore now seeing ye haue courses in hand ye should take good heede to your courses looke well about you and be diligent to know whether ye be on Gods side or against him Ye againe that are not practisers and meddle not with high matters take heede how ye walke in your owne calling Looke vnto your trade ye that are Merchants looke vnto your dealing ye that are Lawyers how croked or how straight ye are ye that are Lords and Iudges with what conscience ye proceed in your vocation and marke this Looke to his word looke what profite ye haue made of his word examine your calling by his word And if ye examine your calling by his word this way ye shall find the fruite or losse of your calling but if ye depend on the testimony of your conscience without the examination and rule of his word ye will be deceiued for many do this and say I am not troubled in conscience I am sure my conscience presseth me not when in the meane time they runne a wicked course trie not their calling by the blessed word of God but looke onely to the estate of their conscience which in such euill affaires flatters them they thinke themselues sure enough O but thou art deceiued and why Thy conscience may be deceiued as well as thou And how Thy conscience can giue thee no better warrant of thy doing neither to accuse nor to excuse but as she is informed So that if she be rightly informed she will giue thee a right warrant but if she be euilly informed she will giue thee as euill a warant and flatter thee So that of a slight informatioÌ„ she wil giue as slight a testimony There is no right information but that which proceedeth of the word therefore seeing now ye haue the word so clearely taught vnto you ye should trie and examine your callings by this word See what this word biddeth you do try in particular and say What warrant of