conscience of thine owne vnworthines or any thing else wring from thee thy stedfast faith in Christ but beleeue against sense and reason and hope against hope as Abraham did This is the promise of God beleeue in Christ and thou shalt be saued Indeed it pleaseth God many times so to trie his seruants for the exercise of their faith as that their triall seemeth to oppugne his promises But yet notwithstanding the promises are firmely to be beleeued and we are to be perswaded that when any thing doth happen vnto vs contrarie to the promise and the Lord shewes himselfe vnto vs otherwise then the promise soundeth as our Sauiour shewed himselfe to the woman which was a Cananite Matth. 15.23.28 that it is but a trial whereby the Lord howsoeuer hee exerciseth vs for a time will yet doe vs good in the end Deut. 8.16 and therefore we are not to let goe our hold or suffer the promise which is our staffe and stay to be wrested out of our hands Rather let vs imitate Abrahams faith in this place who when hee was commaunded to kil his sonne in whose seede hee had many promises yeelded indeed to the commandement and yet held him to the promise Though Isaac be consumed to ashes yet shall the promise of God concerning his seede bee performed So Iob when he was so grieuously afflicted as that in his own sense and opinion of others he seemed to be cast out of Gods fauour yet saith he though he kill me I will beleeue in him In like sort when as God promiseth life to all that beleeue yet we die we must beleeue that although we die yet wee shall liue Ioh. 11.25 In a word we must learne by Abrahams example to giue credite to the truth and power of God rather then to our owne sence and reason For he is true and therfore will hee is omnipotent and therefore can performe his promise SecoÌ„dly our faith must be fruitful as Abrahams was and we are to manifest it by good works that the Lord may say of vs as he did heere of Abraham Now I know that thou fearest God c. for although good works do not concurre with faith to the act of iustification as anie cause thereof yet they concurre in the subiect that is the partie iustified as necessarie fruits of his faith and testimonies of his iustification And therfore Abraham although he were iustified before God by faith without works as Paul saith that is absolued from his sinnes and accepted as righteous vnto life yet he was iustified not only in that sence by faith but in another sence that is declared to be iust by works as Iames saith But to this purpose most effectuall is S. Iames his argument in the second chap. By such a faith as Abraham was iustified must we be iustified but AbrahaÌ„ was iustified by such a faith as brought forth good works as appeareth by this example and was not an idle or dead faith and therfore that faith wherby we must be iustified must bring forth good fruits or els it is not a liuely a true but a dead counterfeit faith by which no man can be iustified For howsoeuer faith alone doth iustifie because it alone doth apprehend the righteousnesse of Christ whereby we are iustified and not loue or any other grace yet that faith which is alone doth not iustifie because it is not a true faith For euen as the bodie without spirit or breath is iudged to be dead so faith which is without works is dead And to conclude howsoeuer the promise of saluatioÌ„ is made to faith yet the sentence of saluation shall be pronounced according to our works and therefore let vs be carefull as Abraham was to shew our faith by our workes For good works are as it were the euidence according to which the Lord wil iudge of our faith in so much that where hee findeth none hee will say Depart from me you cursed into euerlasting fire And where hee findeth workes giuing euidence to our faith he will say Come you blessed of my father inherite the kingdome which is prepared for you from the foundation of the world To which kingdome let vs beseech him to bring vs who hath so dearely purchased it for vs euen Christ Iesus the righteous to whom with the Father and the holy Ghost be all praise and glorie both now and euermore Amen FINIS Errata Pag. 16. lin 10. reade as he knoweth he can answere pag. 27. lin 21. reade when as pag 41. lin 9. reade not deliuer lin 10. not be present Luk. 16.22 1. Pet. 1.9 Affectum tuum inquisiui non factum exegi Ambros. In voto probaui quod in facto renui August de tempore Serm 73. 1. Pet. 2.11 Iam. 1.14 Ephes. 6.16 Rom. 1.24.26.28 Exod. 15.32 Ephe. 4.19 Heb. 4.13 Vaâ—in apud â—ezâ—m De Sancta Trin. lib. 1. De temporâ— Serm. 72. De tempore Serm. 72. Ibid. Matt. 26.41 De tempore serm 73. God in trying his seruants obserueth a Geometricall proportion This was saith Philo lib. de Abrah 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the most forcible motiue of loue because as he saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 parents dote as it were vpon those which are late borne De tepore Serm. 73. Gal. 4.22.23 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Philo. Iphigen Plin. 35.10 See Tully in Oratore Leuit. 1.5.11 Eph. 6.17 Sacrificing of men Psal. 106.37 Mich. 6.7 August de temp ser. 72. 1. Cor. 15.22 Heb. 9.27 Foelix orbis soret si omnes fic fierem parricidae Zeno. Veronens Neither must that trouble vs that he is called Nagnar vers 5. which is translated a child for so are the two seruants called vers 3.5 whom Philo supposeth to haue been 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the ancientest in the familie and Iosua when he was as the Hebrewes thinke 56. yeeres old Exod. 33.11 and Dauids souldiers 2. Sam. 1.15 Chrysost. tom 2. ser. 33 A caption in respect of their vnderstaÌ„ding taking that properly which was spoken by a Synecdoche vve wil returne and a prophecie in respect of the holie Ghost directing his speech according to the euent Serm. 73. De tempere 1. Ioh. 5.4 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Serm. de temp 72. Eccles. 2.1 My sonne if thou wilt come into the seruice of God prepare thy soule to teÌ„ptation Iam. 1.12 2. Thess. 2.10.11.12 Vers. 10. Matth. 7.24 Rom. 12.1 De temp serm 72. Num. 22.8.9 Ioh. 3.14.15 16. Mat. 16.16 Luther in Gen. 22. Job 13.15 Iam. 2.18 Iam. 2.26 â—att 25.34
may see their owne weaknes that seeing it they may be humbled and being humbled they may be more feruent in prayer more circumspect of their waies and as it were more iealous ouer their owne hearts Thus the Lord afflicted the Israelites in the wildernes that hee might tempt them and know what was in their hearts whether they would obserue his precepts or not that is that by their afflictions and trials he might discouer vnto them their owne weakenes and vnabilitie to keepe his law and that they by this means might be driuen vnto Christ Deut. 8.2 The like may be said of Ezechias 2. Chron. 32.31 whom the Lord left to himselfe for a time that he might tempt him and know whatsoeuer was in his heart On the other side men sometimes excelling in humilitie are defectiue in thākfulnes too much preiudging their own gifts and therefore the Lord bringeth them also to triall that they seeing his graces in themselues may be thankfull vnto him for them What shall we say then Sic ergo ignarus est Deus rerū c. saith Augustine Is God therefore so ignorant of humane affaires so vnacquainted with mens hearts that hee should by tempting seeke to finde men No but that man should finde himselfe For as hee also saith there are many things in a man hidden and vnknowne vnto himselfe which are not manifested or made knowne but in temptations And as the Lord by tēptations maketh men knowne to themselues so also to others First in respect of their frailtie that we by their example may become more circumspect especially if they whose example we behold were better and stronger then our selues For if Dauid if Ezechias if Peter when they were tempted bewrayed their weaknes how had we need to watch and to pray that wee enter not into temptation Secondly in respect of their faith and constancie that wee seeing their good examples may both glorifie God and stirre vp our selues to their imitation But as touching the tried seruants of God such as Abraham and Iob were this may be said in briefe that the Lord trieth them that his graces in them as their faith loue obedience constancie patience may be manifested not onely to themselues both to minister comfort vnto them and to stirre them vp to thankfulnes but especially to others vnto whom the Lord propoundeth them as notable patternes to be imitated For euen as schoolemasters sometimes call forth some of their most toward schollers and take exact triall of them partly to approoue their owne paines and partly to stirre vp their other schollers to greater diligence so the Lord maketh choise of some of his principall seruants of whom he taketh exquisit triall to manifest his graces in them both to themselues and also to others who comparing their own wants with their perfections and perceiuing how farre short they are of that perfection which they are to aspire vnto may be stirred vp to a daily increase in pietie And to conclude this point with Augustine Serm. 72. de temp where hauing shewed that Abraham was tempted that he might be the better knowne to himselfe he addeth And if Abraham were knowne to himselfe yet hee had not been knowne to vs. Verely he was to be manifested either to himselfe or to vs. To himselfe that hee might know wherefore to giue thankes to vs that we might know either what to begge of God or what to imitate in the man So much may suffice to haue spoken of the proposition wherein wee haue discussed these three questions first whether the Lord who is here said to haue tempted Abraham to kill his own sonne doth tempt any man vnto euill and secondly if the Lord tempt none to euill then in what sense he is said to tempt Abraham namely to try or proue him and thirdly to what end the Lord who by himselfe knoweth all things tempted and proued Abraham which Augustine briefly noteth Vt manifestetur mundo qui iam notus fuerat Deo That he might be manifested to the world who was alreadie knowne to God Now we are to proceed to the narration wherein this great triall of Abraham is declared And in the narration we are to consider two things the actiō of God tempting and the behauiour of Abraham when he was tempted The action of God is twofold his vocation or call whereby hee prepareth Abraham to vndergoe this triall vers 1. Secondly his commandement whereby he trieth him vers 2. As touching the former Seeing the thing here inioyned to Abraham namely that hee should with his own hands kill his sonne Isaac and offer him for a burnt sacrifice was in shew not onely most cruell and vnnatural but also repugnant to the commaundements and promises of God therefore this is to be presupposed as a most certaine truth and taken for granted that Abraham was as certainly and infallibly assured as a man can be certaine of any thing that it was the Lord himselfe which gaue him this commandement For if Abraham could but haue suspected that it was not the Lord which spake vnto him how easily might he yea and how resolutely ought he to haue repelled this temptation as being not so likely to be a serious commandement of God as an instigation of Satan who might seeme thereby to prouoke him to murder his only sonne and by sacrificing him to cut off the promises concerning the blessed seede of Isaac But the Lord so fully enlightened his minde so powerfully affected his will so certainly assured him of the truth of this reuelation as that he could not possibly once doubt thereof To this end the Lord speaketh familiarly to him and calleth him by his name Abraham that he might duly attend and aduisedly cōsider who it was that spake vnto him And then hauing receiued his answere Here am I wherein Abraham shewed himselfe not onely assured of the person that spake to him but also resolued to put in execution whatsoeuer he should commaund then I say he propoundeth the commaundement whereof I am now to speake But first with this protestation that it containeth the greatest triall that euer any meere man was exercised withall and indeed farre greater then I in my weaknes am able to set forth vnto you according to the worthines of the matter Neither are you to maruell hereat as though the Lord dealt hardly with Abraham whom thus hardly he tempted nor yet to please your selues that you are not tried after the same measure For seeing the Lord is faithfull and suffereth none of his children to be tempted aboue their strength therefore hee proportioneth their temptations and trials according to the measure of grace bestowed vpon them Hence it is that the best seruants of God haue endured the greatest trials and accordingly Abrahams strongest faith is proued by the greatest triall whereas the weaker faith of others is exercised by easier temptations For what Schoolemaster that seeketh by triall to encourage or approue his scholler and
of griefe if hee were not present and in his sight or more opportunitie to grieue if hee were a little absent and out of his hearing but without shew of passion accompanieth him to the very place where he buildeth an Altar coucheth the wood vseth no doubt some effectuall speech to perswade his sonne when it cannot be sufficiently marueiled how he could perswade himselfe hauing perswaded him he bindeth him after the manner of sacrifices Ne impatientia doloris victima calcitraret Lesse through impatience of griefe his sacrifice should kicke or sting as Augustine saith hauing bound him hand foote hee laieth him on the Altar vpon the wood stretcheth out his hand taketh his knife with purpose presently I tremble to speake it presently I say to cut his throate to dismember his body and after to set fire to the wood that as a whole burnt offring he might be consumed leauing nothing to himselfe in apparance of all his hopes and expectations but a few ashes But blessed be God in the very nicke as he was giuing the fatall wound as appeareth by the sudden crie of the Angell Abraham Abraham hee is staied from his purpose and commended for his obediēce euen as if he had sacrificed his sonne the Lord to whom obedience is more acceptable then sacrifice 1. Sam. 15.22 accepting of the sincere will and earnest endeuour of his seruant for the deede it selfe But although Abrahams obedience was singular yet his faith which was the ground of his obedience and his victorie in the temptation was more wonderfull and therefore the Apostle saith Heb. 11.17 By faith he offred Isaac For Abraham had receiued a double oracle from God the one a promise concerning Isaacs seede the other a commaundement concerning the burning of him to ashes before he had any seed These 2. oracles in mans reason are cōtrarie one to another and nothing but faith can reconcile them How then was Abraham to behaue himselfe in this repugnancie of Gods oracles He knew certainly that the commandement was the word of the Lord and therefore resolued whatsoeuer should come of it to obey it and to commit the euent to God and of the promise he could not doubt but that it also was the very oracle of God and therefore resolued to beleeue it assuring himselfe that although Isaac before hee had any seede were consumed to ashes yet notwithstanding God would performe his promises concerning Isaacs seede But how can this be If Isaacs seede must inherit the land of Canaan and Christ himself must come of his seed then must he liue vntill he haue seede and not be consumed to ashes before he haue any if he die and be burnt to ashes before hee haue seede according to the commandement how shall his seede be multiplied or Christ come of it according to the promise Yet such was Abrahams faith that he assuredly beleeued that although Isaac were consumed to ashes before he had any seed yet the promise concerning his seede should be performed and in this assurance of faith in the promise hee readily resolutely and constantly obeyed the commandemēt But how could he obey the one and yet beleeue the other seeing the one is contrary to the other I answere Abraham assuredly beleeued that God as he is true and faithfull and therefore willing to keepe his promise so in respect of his omnipotent power and alsufficiencie he is able to make good his word being indeed able to doe any thing but to denie himselfe or to goe backe from his word And therefore doubted not but that as hee had receiued his soone from the dead and barren wombe of Sara as similitude of death for thus those words Heb. 11.19 may also be expounded so also the Lord would in respect of his truth and faithfulnesse and could in respect of his power euen out of those ashes restore him vnto life that his seed might be multiplied and all nations of the earth might account themselues happie in his blessed seed And this is testified by the Apostle Heb. 11.17.18.19 By faith saith he Abraham offered vp Isaac when he was tempted and he that had receiued the promises which were to be fulfilled in his sonne and his posteritie offered his only begotten sonne To whō it was said In Isaac shall thy seed be called For he considered or rather concluded that God was able to raise him vp euen frō the dead from whence he receiued him also after a sort For as Procopius saith he pondered in his mind that saying of the Apostle that God who had made Sarah of barren fruitfull could also raise vp Isaac from the dead And therfore as Augustine saith he beleeued whē Isaac was to be borne and mourneth not for him when he was to die his hand is lifted vp to sacrifice him that he might be dead whose heart was lifted vp to beleeue that he might be borne Abraham doubted not to beleeue when Isaac was promised he doubted not to offer him when he was required againe neither was his religion in beleeuing contrarie to his deuotion in obeying And again Credidit suscepturus filium credidit occisuru◠He beleeued when he was to beget his sonne he beleeued when he was to kill him vbique fidelis nusquam crudelis euery where faithfull no where cruell And therefore as another saith In spe non denegabat Deo quod contra spem acceperat ab eo In hope hee denied not to God which against hope he had receiued from him And thus by vndoubted faith in the truth and power of God Abraham reconciled the repugnancie betwixt the commandement and the promise and so approued his singular obedience to the one and his admirable faith in the other in respect of both is propounded to vs and to all posteritie as a most notable patterne to bee imitated For beloued wee are to know that these things they were written for our profit and therefore we must not be idle hearers of this story concerning Gods prouing Abrahams approuing his faith and obedience but we are to apply the same to our vse and edification And first from Gods prouing of Abraham wee are to learne that it is his maner to trie the sonnes of men and by triall to make knowne what is in them that men might labour aforehand to be sound and to lay a good foundation against the day of triall For if men bee indued with grace the Lord will not haue it smothered but by triall to bee manifested to his glorie their comfort and good example of others If men be vnsound and leade their life as it were vpon a stage he will by triall vnmaske them that their hypocrisie may be detected detested And although none may looke in these dayes to be tempted as Abraham was by a particular commandement from God because howsoeuer the Lord in former times spake 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 at sundrie times and many wayes to the Fathers yet in these latter times he hath