to force men tyrannically to our opinions in lesser matters but leave them to Gods time of revelation And lastly as this hope of revelation is promised so are wee to expect it and waite for it for to him that hath more shall be given and therefore let them that have beginnings of grace bee comforted to walke on and for those that are not entred let them not be discouraged God will reveale But upon what condition it followes VERS 16. Neverthelesse whereto wee have already attained let us walke by the same rule THe word Neverthelesse some reade it Onely as if it were a condition but it implyes both a precept and a condition shewing that those that looke for revelation of further knowledge and goodnesse they must walke according to that measure of knowledge they have The word Rule implyes in generall the Scripture more particularly a company of sound truthes concerning faith love and hope There is a great Bible which is the whole Word of God the little Bible is the grounds of Religion and these are not onely to be understood in the Booke but comprehended and invested in our understanding and affections and according to these we must walke Truth is no guide to us being onely in the Booke but as it is seated in the heart But le ts come to some observations first we may learne that God out of his goodnesse hath left to his Church a rule of faith and manners there is a rule whereby men must walk otherwise should we be in a labarinth of errors continually having no other light but this torch-light of Nature to guide us in this thick darknesse wherein we are by nature The properties of this rule are divers First it s a fixt and unchangeable rule and therefore we must bring all to it not it to all Secondly this rule is a perspicuous and cleere rule thy word is a lanthorne to my steps and a light to my pathes Thirdly this rule is homogeneall all things therein are spirituall all holy all pure and therefore when the question is about Religion we must have recourse thereto as the onely absolute compleat rule And therefore we must know this rule and then be led by it for the word Rule implyes that there must bee a thing to be ruled else what needs rule or to what use should it serve an instrument is in vaine without use its true many men make religion and Scripture but a meere object of discourse But their example ought to be no rule to us if we looke to be saved it must be by walking according to this rule and therefore a Christian life is no licentious life though hee be freed from the law yet must he serve God day and night therefore it is that the Christian prospers not nor thrives in this world because he will not lie nor sweare nor have a broad conscience as the children of this world have that take all occasion and scope to bee rich but a Christian lives by rule he hath little and it is blest to him for he lookes at riches and profits of another kinde In the second place wee may observe that a Christian walketh by this rule he thinkes it not sufficient to take a step but keeps a right course stedfastly onward But how may this bee done may some men say I answer let us use the meanes as first let us treasure up the word in our consciences let us get the rule within us get the articles of faith and assurance of the promises and let this bee betimes whiles we are yong it s the ordinarie cry the Scriptures are hard they cannot understand them But what 's the reason they are bred up in earthly businesses and are stuffed with them so as they finde no place for the Word and its a miracle to see men thus brought up to live by this rule Secondly when wee have once treasured up the knowledge of these things wee must learne to apply them upon severall occasions for where no practice is there knowledge is idle and makes us worthy of more stripes many have generall truthes in their mindes but comming to apply them they finde a great want David knew adulterie was a sinne and Peter knew it was dangerous for a man to relye on himselfe yet how foulely did they fall Thirdly let us compare our experience with our rule wee shall finde there is nothing therein but is fulfilled that there is no suffering but for some sinne or other and that besides heaven hereafter God rewards particular obedience here with particular rewards and particular sin with particular corrections we shall know that his judgements are not scarcrowes the worke of the wicked is accursed but it shall goe well with the righteous and by this meanes we shall bee incouraged to good and scared from bad courses Fourthly bee inquisitive and watchfull over our particular steps take and heare admonitions and instructions and bee inquisitive after them those that are otherwise minded no marvaile if they like libertines spurne against all instruction and advice and accordingly feele the smart of their wayes before they see it Fifthly get a wonderfull jealousie over our hearts wee often offend in thoughts and desires which God the searcher of the heart lookes into and we must therefore be jealous of idle thoughts and words not only of othes for so an hypocrite may be But loose persons will say O this is an unpleasant course we must bid all joy farewell when we come to this I answer no the wayes of wisedome are wayes of comfort and pleasure God approves of them and our consciences will tell us so and thereby will fit us for life or death and will so settle us that no estate shall bee unwelcome to us and as Psal. 50.23 To such as order their conversation aright God will shew his saluation and as in the text fore-going God will reveale himselfe more and more so as if we be faithfull and conscionable in little wee shall have greater matters revealed to us and and contrarily if we be unfaithfully and carelesse God will take from us the key of knowledge and the use thereof and will give us up to foule vices even sinnes against nature as he punished the Gentiles and to beleeve lyes as Paul sayes 2 Thes. 2.11 And will answer us as he did the Idolaters even according to their multitude of Idols Ezek. 14.4 So as would we have favour in our sinnes and teachers that shall bolster us up in them and not crosse our vaine courses God will let us have our hearts desire but we must know this is an unevitable way to a desperate estate and therefore marvaile not so much at the loose liver because of his good breeding for as they desire the ill so they have and are justly punished therewith VERS 16. Let us minde the same thing OBserve here that wee are not only to walke sutable to others but wee must minde the same
minde as of bodie Fourth it implies a doing studio imitandi with an earnest desire to be like him for he that doth that which God commands and not as expressing his desire of imitation he is no follower and therefore in all our actions wee ought to desire to be like God and indeavour to expresse in action what we desire and to this end wee are to search for examples and patternes in the Scripture for those that are more excellent for the most excellent in all kindes are the best rules for others and because in many things we offend all let us follow the examples of men no further than they follow Christ 1 Cor. 11.1 And it was one end of Christs incarnation that he might bee an example unto us As I your Lord and Master have washed your feet so yee ought to wash one anothers feet and learne of me for I am meek Hence we may gather the ground why we have not only rules in Scripture to live by but also examples For first they shew that the things commanded are possible to bee done Then they shew us the way and meanes more plainly how to doe them Thirdly they shew how gracefull acceptable they are when they are done So as the Scriptures are not penned altogether in a commanding fashion but have mingled sweet alluring examples for there are foure wayes of teaching rule reason similitudes and examples The two former injoynes but workes not on the affections similitudes are but slight onely examples conformes us in a most sweet alluring manner And therefore wee ought to be exemplarie as to follow others and especially those that are above other they should be burning and shining lights as starres giving light to passengers in the darknesse of this world to this end observe some meanes And First reverence not onely the eye of God but of weake Christians Maxima debetur puero reverentia We are to be awfull of our carriage that we may give no ill example to them and to this end we are to know that wee shall give account for those sinnes that wee either cause or suffer others to fall into if wee may hinder them give therefore no offence or scandall to the little ones Secondly Labour to denie our selves in liberties especially when we are in the presence of such as will take scandall and to this end labour for the grace of love which will cause us to indure much and put up many things which we count injuries Thirdly in our carriage wee are so to demeane our selves that wee shew wee value esteeme and respect those with whom wee converse for else our actions being visible to others they will seeme to be done out of a selfe respect and so will not affect or worke on them Grace will teach us to honour the meanest as those that may bee deerely beloved of God who also may excell us in many excellent qualities and in some kinde of grace may also goe beyond us Secondly if wee be bound to give good example then woe to the world for offences what shall become of those who wound and vexe continually the hearts of those with whom they converse Many are in hell propter alienum peccatum In the eyes of God who knowes the heart and intentions sinne is committed before it be acted and therefore it s all one whether thou committest it or not But it s not thus before men for when it is committed it turnes to scandall and opens the enemies mouthes and grieves the spirit of God in his children the Prophets complaine hereof and wee may observe God correct his children most to keepe them from scandâ—lizing others and that others may beware of scandall so Davids sinne was pardoned yet because hee gave scandall the childe died Thirdly as wee must give good example so wee must indeavour to take good from others example and to this end First wee must eye them and prie into their actions for this end hath God left us a continuall succession of examples Secondly we must eye them not to observe their weaknesses to uncover their shame for this is a poysonous disposition proceeding even from the divell neyther are wee to observe them thereby to take libertie to the flesh from their ill example but wee are to eye them as we view glasses to deck and adorn our selves by them and to compose our selves in a good course Thirdly in imitation we are to observe the best and the best of the best and not to compare our selves with those that are inferiour to us for he that thinks himself good by comparison he is not good as a runner will not conclude he runnes swiftly beeause he hath out-runne a lame man And therefore St. Paul sayes else where Brethren follow mee as I follow Christ propounding to himselfe the most excellent patterne of all Christ Iesus Contrariwise he blames the Corinthians because they measured themselves by themselves 2 Cor. 10.12 Fourthly wee must learne truthes before wee practice for the best have their blemishes so that wee must learne to know how to avoid them The Papists urge us with the succession and universalitie of their Church No say we it is the doctrine that must trie the Church whether it be true or false for men are Mensura mensurata it s the doctrine is Mensura mensurans the measure measuring whereby our actions ought to be squared and framed aright The Papists urge us with an implicite faith Alas what example what imitation can there be when they know not what to imitate they know not what the Church beleeves and and yet they must beleeve as the Church beleeveth Fifthly wee must labour to have soft hearts sanctified with grace and molified for a stonie hard heart will receive no impression and to this end are wee to use the meanes to imbrace the word to receive the Sacraments and to pray that God would open our eyes and soften our stonie hearts Sixthly wee are to looke to everie one that hath any good thing worthy of imitation as those that delight in gardens where they heare of any choise flowers they will have a slip for their owne garden thus it should bee with us where we see any flower of any grace get that and place it in our owne gardens in every Christian there is something immitable and something that may further us and therefore this Apostle longed to see the Romans that hee might be comforted by their faith 1 Rom. 12. It is with the Church as with the firmament ever some are rising and some are fitting let us looke to the starres of our time and walke by their light It s not enough that wee can commend the Martyrs for that is ordinarie as it was with the Iewes in Matth. 23.29 though they builded the sepulchres of the Prophets if they had beene alive together with them they would have persecuted them and therefore Christ saith they killed the Prophets And the ground of
by private friends Nay canst thou desire this search that thou maist know thy â—inne more and more for this end that thou mayst truely hate it with a more perfect hatred Canst thou truely appeale to God as Peter did to Christ thou knowest that I love and preferre thee above all It is a sure signe of thy sinceritie which the world cannot have and therefore when they see their sinnes laid open they spurne at the ordinances and spite the Minister and their true friends that put them in minde of their faults accounting them as their onely enemies Surely they shall never be able to indure the search of God hereafter and the last day when he shall lay them open they shall be overcome with shame A fourth signe is That at the houre of thy death this spiritual worshipping of God will give thee content when nothing else can Thou mayst say with comfort as Hezekiah did Lord remember how I have walked before thee in sinceritie When down-right affliction comes outward verball profession vanisheth with all the comforts thereof then perisheth the hope of the hypocrite Two things upheld Iob in comfort in his great extremity he was first assured that his redeemer lived and secondly he knew his innocency in those things that his friends charged him with and such times will fall on us all either at the time of death or before when nothing but innocencie and sincerity shall be able to uphold us Labour therefore for sincerity and spirituall worship Worship God in spirit but let it be done outwardly also But first bring thy heart and intention to what thou dost and that will stirre up the outward man to its duty and for the performance hereof follow these directions First learne to know God aright For worship is answerable to knowledge for how can we reverence God aright when we know neither his goodnesse nor his greatnesse how can we trust on God when we see not his truth in the performance of his promises in the Scriptures and in our owne experience those that doe not these know not God for as the heart affects according to knowledge So also its true in divinitie as we know his justice wee shall feare as we know his mercy wee shall love him and as we know his truth we shall trust on him Psal. 9.10 They that know thy name shall trust in thee and in other places of the said Psalme the Lord is knowne in the judgement he executeth vers 16. Secondly know God to be the first mover and cause of all men ordinarily feare the creature attributing that to it which belongs to the Creator But God he is the giver of all and Christians looke on the secondary means as to the first author and ground of all the rest they behold the Magistrate as in God feare them no otherwise but in the Lord. Atheists they will not sticke at any sinne whatsoever to get the love of those that may bring them any worldly commodity A Christian hee pleases and seekes the love of him that can make enemies friends when he lists and when it s for our good he knowes in him we live move and have our being Thirdly make much of spirituall meanes God he works by meanes by his word attend to it it works love feare joy and reverence in us and therefore no marvaile if those that neglect these meanes are not acquainted with these graces of Gods spirit 4 Fourthly Lift up thy heart to Christ the quickening spirit 1 Cor. 15. Our hearts naturally are dead Christ is our life when thou art most especially called to love to feare to humilitie pray to him to move thee and yeeld thy selfe to him and then shalt thou pray in spirit as it is said in Iude 20. heare in spirit doe all in spirit doe outward workes of thy calling in spirit for a true worshipper will out of spirituall grounds doe all outward works of his particular calling as well as the workes of his generall Christian vocation Let us therefore doe all things from our hearts to God and to our neighbour else will not God accept of our workes It is the Iew inwardly who shall have praise of God The want of this sincerity hath extinguished the light of many a glorious professour and thereby hath brought a great scandall upon the true worshippers of God in spirit VERS 3. And rejoyce in Christ. THe word rejoyce implyes a boasting or glorying of the heart manifesting it selfe in outward countenance and gesture as also in speech it also implies a resting on and contenting in the thing we glory in proceeding from an assurance that we glory in a thing worthy of glory for they are fooles that delight in bables Observe hence therefore That those that will worship Christ aright must glorie in him For the worship of Christ is a thing that requires incouragement and nothing can worke this incouragement like the glorying in Christ and therefore Paul in the first part of his Epistle to the Romans having shewed that God had elected them freely and had begun the worke of sanctification in their hearts he comes in the 12. Chapter I beseech you saith he present your selves as a holy living and acceptable sacrifice to God And in Tit. 2.11 The grace of God teacheth by incouraging us to deny ungodlines to walk unblameably soberly righteously and godlily in this present world And therefore whensoever wee grow dull or dead think of the great benefits that we have by Christ and it will quicken us and all our performances In the next place observe That Christ is the matter and subject of true glory and rejoycing and onely Christ for they well goe together a full and large affection with a full and large object boasting is a full affection the object is every way as full First as he is God and man he is God full of all things he is man full of all grace and void of all sinne he is Christ anointed to performe all his offices he is a Prophet all-sufficient in all wisedome in him are the treasures of wisedome he teaches us not onely how to doe but he teaches the very deed he is our High-priest he is the sacrifice the altar and the Priest and he is our eternall Priest in Heaven and on earth on earth as suffering for us in Heaven as mediating for our peace Who shall condemne us it is Christ that dyeth yea rather that is risen againe who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us Rom. 8.34 He is also our King he is King of all King of kings and Lord of lords a King for ever and at all times subduing all rebellions within us and all enemies without us and he is all these so as none is like him and therefore is worthy of our glory Secondly Christ is communicative in all these he is Prophet Priest King for us he is God man he is Christ for us he
of abundance and he may live in the world though not to the world which is a dutie easily spoken of yet not easily performed neither was it easily wrought in our Apostle who being a persecutor of the Church was powerfully altered and changed from Heaven and thus doth God deale with his children whom hee doth first cast downe and afflict that they may finde by experience that these outward things can stand us in no stead it may be hee suffers them to fall into some grievous scandalous sinne that they might see the bodie of sinne that lies in them and seeing no good nor help in themselves their desires are stirred up to the imbracing of some better thing wherein they may finde comfort then doth God reveale Christ to us to whom he will have us to flie and say Lord what wilt thou have mee to doe So as this power of changing our selves is not in our selves but it is an almightie power If we thinke therefore that wee are selfe-lovers goe to God present thy selfe in the meanes and then our eyes shall be opened to see and discerne good and evill For God hath promised to annex his spirit to the use of the meanes if that wee in obedience submit our selves to them VERS 8. Yea doubtlesse and I count all things but losse THe words containe a kinde of correction as if in few words he had said All things whatsoever I formerly boasted in nay my very priviledges I count them not onely dung but I doe count them to be losse to me nay I have suffered the losse of them all in comparison and for Christ my â—ord Yea I desire to expresse the earnest intention of my affections by my desire to win him to know hâ—m to be found in him and to formable to his death In generall observe The Apostles resolution and zeale his assured certainty his large heart being not able to expresse his affection but by many words viz. his love of Christ and hate of all outward things whatsoever Therefore we also in maine fundamentall points must be resolute carrying a full saile as in the truth of the thing there is a certainty so in us there must be an assured perswasion thereof For even from these uncertaine irresolute hearts comes Apostacie men being not grounded are carried about with every winde of doctrine and hence also comes different measures of grace in Christians some say with Paul Doubtlesse others are of doubting hearts But the end of the word is to settle us Ephes. 4.13 And though it be never so true yet if we not beleeve it though the foundation be sure yet if we not build on it the tru hand force of it is not good unto us In the second place fâ—om the Apostles example We are to learne in fundamentall truthes to be zealous The Apostle speaking of any thing that â—eâ—kes competition with Christ for value how doth he vilisie it that he hath not words sufficient to eâ—prâ—sse his fervent hatred thereof For zeale is such an affection as causes a constant hatred against any thing that opposes that which we intirely love even such a hatred as will cause us not to indure to heare of it And God therefore promiseth Ephraim he shall so abhorre Idols as he shall not have to doe with them And indeed a jealous God and a zealous heart doe well agree when wee have to doe with any one that opposes God in his â—ruth we are not to be cold but to be zealously affected In the third place Wee are to learne to bee large hearted in expressing our affection wee beare to the truth and therefore we are to bee ashamed of our shortnesse of breath in speaking or meditating of Gods honour and glory and his truth But particularly from our Apostles esteeme wee may learne That Gods children have sanctified and regenerate thoughts and esteemes For with new soules they have new eyes new senses new affections and judgements what they saw before to be gaine they see now to be losse Beasts we know conceive not of mens matters neither doe weake simple men of state matters that which weake silly men admire the Apostle scornes and contemnes Moses accounted of the afflictions with the children of God more than of the pleasure of Egypt We may observe this as a marke to know our estates by what is high in thy esteeme is honour riches pleasure or the like thou art not yet throughly sanctified for if thou wert thou wouldst have a sanctified judgement But some may say did Paul esteem all things to be losse yea his good workes I answer good workes in their own nature are good but weighing them with Christ as Paul did they are also drosse and dung Secondly it teaches us that wee are not righteous or justified by any workes ceremoniall or morall either before or after our conversion The Papists alledge works as meritorious we contrarily doe disclaime them As to that purpose I say they you meane ceremoniall works we say no we meane also morall For Paul was unblameable as concerning the works of the law and yet counts them dung O say they St. Paul meaned those works before his conversion and not those after his conversion I answer yes all things in respect of Christ I doe now account them as drosse and losse To prove this the fuller If nothing after conversion bee perfect then cannot they intitle us to heaven but all our best works in state of regeneration are imperfect to prove this See the examples of David a man after Gods owne heart Psal. 143.2 None righteous in thy sight and who can say his heart is cleane And Esay 64.6 Wee are all as an uncleane thing and all our righteousnesse as filthie ragges O but Bellarmine sayes the Prophet speakes this in the person of the wicked I hope he will not put the Prophet into that number for he saith wee and our and our righteousnesse not our ill deeds and all our righteousnesse Nay of himselfe in particular Esay saith as much in Esay 6.5 And besides the wicked doe not use to pray as the whole Chapter is to that end And Daniel also includes himselfe in his confession Dan. 9.20 And to prove this by reason We know that weake and corrupt principles must needs produce imperfect effects now the principles of all our motions are evilly affected our understandings memomories affections all are corrupt and weake Corruptions make combates in all parts of the soule and body in whatsoever therefore we doe there is flesh and spirit and their owne Authours agree hereunto as Ferus and Catharen a Cardinall of their owne sayes there is donatajustitia and inhaerens When the question is what we must leane to it must be onely on Christ and his righteousnesse wherewith from him we are indowed And a Pope of theirs Adrian the fourth saith that all our righteousnesse is as the reed of Egypt which will not onely faile us if we rest on it but will pierce our