the Lord walk in him rooted and built in him and stablished in the faith In like manner the scripture speakes of loue of patience of hope of holynes of righteousnes and all other christian vertues The reason of this forme of speache in scripture is because of the double use and benefit both of Christ himself and all other spirituall graces in him The first use is of practise the second of preservation For the first these graces are necessarie to be in us to enable us to all christian duties who of ourselvs are not sufficient as of ourselves to doe so much as think any good according to that of Christe speaking of himself without me ye can doe nothing And touching faith it s said of the Apostle That without faith its impossible to please God Heb. 6. So that neither we ourselvs nor anie of our actions can be acceptable to God even although they be the actions commaunded by God unlesse beleeving we doe them by â—aith yea not onely are they not acceptable but it is impossible to us to haue any strength or ability to doe them according to Gods will without faith for that mighty power of God through Christ whereby we are made able to doe all things is not in any but in those that beleeve According to that saying of the Apo. praying for the Ephesians That the eies of their understanding might be enlightened that they might know what is the exceeding greatnes of Gods power towards us that beleeve cap. 1. v. 18 19. And again speaking to the Colossians he saith Wee are buried together with Christ in baptisme in the which we are also raysed together with him through the faith of the effectuall operation of God who hath raysed Christ from the dead cap. 2. ver 12. And therefore Iohn in his first epistle doth attribute our victorie over the whole world onely to our faith saying All that are born of God overcommeth this world and this is the victorie that hath overcome the world even our faith For who is it that overcommeth this world but he that beleeveth that Iesus is the sone of God 1 Ioh. 5. 4. 5. And the Apostle to the Hebrewes chap. 11 attributeth all the strength of all the children of God in doing good and obaying God onely to their faith through which faith as saith the Apostle they subdued kingdomes wrought righteousnes obtayned the â—romise stopped the mouthes of â—yons quenched the violence of fire escaped the edge of the sword of weake were made strong waxed valiant in battell turned to flight the â—rmies of the aliants the women â—eceaved their dead raysed to life other also were racked and would not bee delivered that they might â—eceaue a better resurrection and others haue beene tryed by mockings â—nd by scourgings yea meorover by bonds and imprisonment they were stoned they were hewen a sunder they were slaine with the sword they wandred up and downe in sheepes skins and in goats skinnes being destitute afflicted and tormented all which they did endure and suffer onely by faith by which they all obtayned good report It is clear therefore for such practises and all other obedience whatsoeuer it is necessary that a Christian haue faith in him without which he hath no strength eyther to doe oâ— suffer any thing to the glory of God his owne salvation 2. It s expedient that as he must haue faith in him for practice so he must be in the faith for his preservation for as nothing can enable him to doe good but faith so nothing can preserve him from all evill unto salvation but faith onely within the compasse limits whereof except he remaine enclosed he cannot avoyd evill therefore is it that the Apostle chargeth every one in the house of God that no man presume to bee wise aboue that which is meete but that every man bee wise unto sobriety as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith this measure of every mans faith being unto him the onely rule and just measure both of his actions and sufferings seeing whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne for which cause the Apostle defines the life of a Christian to bee the life of faith in the sonne of God Galatians 2. 20. Therefore for the better keeping our selves from all the assaults of sathan wee are commanded to put on as an armour given us from God these Christian vertues truth righteousnes peace hope and aboue all faith whereby wee may be able to quench all the siery darts of the diuell to stand against all his assaults Ephesians 6 10 11. And in another place wee are exhorted by the Apostle as the elect of God holy and belooved to put on the bowells of mercies kindnes humblenes of mind meekenes long-suffering loue c. And finally whatsoeuer wee shall doe in word or deed to doe all in the name of the Lord Iesus which is asmuch as to will us to doe al in faith Colossians 3 12 c. For as God doth not exercise his power in us to the prastise of good but by faith So doth he not imploy his power to keepe us unto salvation but by faith also as is plaine by the words of Peter saying that wee are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation 1 Ep. 1 5. Thus faith is both the power of God within us to strengthen us to all goodnes and the armour of God upon us to keepe and couer us from all evill For which cause as wee must abide in Christ and Christ must abide in us unto salvation So must wee also abide in faith and faith in us since Christ is neither in us nor wee in him nor liue wee in him nor he in us neither keepeth hee us nor wee him except by faith aloue Now the reason why the Apostle doth not will us to â—ry if faith be in us but rather if wee bee in the faith is not because both bee not necessary or that the one can possibly bee without the other seeing the union betwixt us and the graces of God in Christ is like to our communion with Christ himself for as he is in us and we are in him so are wee in his graces and gifts and they are in us even as he is in the father and the father in him but the cause moouing the Apostle to speak so is this because our finding of our selves in the faith is the most cleare evidence of the power of Christ in the ministry to our salvation for then it is effectuall when not onely it doth work faith in our hearts but also doth make us walke in it so that as in our knowledge will or affection inwardly even so in our deeds externally we manifest this faith Not going in any thing beyoÌ„d the measure of that faith which God hath given us and to speake the truth it is a wofull error in many Christians to satisfie themselvs with a conceyt that they beleeue
thē to proove examine his words are proove yourselues examine yourselvs The question being of the power of Christ in Pauls ministry he referreth the tryall thereof to his hearers in themselvs which he would never haue done if the question concerning this power in all mens preaching were not to be decided rather by that which is felt by experience in the hearers than by any thing whatsoever in the Teacher Divers singular uses we haue of this poynt First touching the true knowledge of the nature of all spirituall things It must be taken from the tryall and experience which we have of them in onr selvs which is the true limits and bounds as well as the ground foundatiō of all true knowledg of God and all things belonging to salvation For how excellent and superemminently good soever they be in themselvs our mindes can rise no higher in apprehending and knowing them then the experience and sence is which wee receive of theire force and effectuall working in and upon ourselvs And this is true not onely in the supernaturall knowledge of God heavenly things but also in so far as nature it self can apprehend of God this is manifest by the Apostles words to the Romans when he sayth that which might be known of God is manifest in men themselves For which cause he justly concludeth the Gentiles to haue beene vniust detayners of the truth of God and therefore most justly punisht from heaven because knowinug God they did not glorifie him as God neither were thankfull For it is most certaine that there can bee no true judgement of these things that are spirituall and so no way subject to the apprehension of earnall sences but onely from the sence and seeling of our soules according to the measure of working whereby it pleaseth God by his spirit to make our soules sensible of his nature and goodnes which wee never can rightly esteeme of vntill by his blessed gospell begetting us again to a liuely hope of an inheritance immortall vndefyled and that withereth not he powreth in by his spirit aboundantly in our harts his loue and peace that passeth all vnderstanding neither can wee ever acknowledge the blessed word of God to be the power of God vnto salvation vntill that by experience wee find it to bee that which the Apostle describes it to bee in us viz. a living word mighty in operation and sharper then any two edged sword and piercing into the devision of our soule and of our spirit the joynts the marrow and judging the verie thoughts and intents of our harte so that wee may justly conclude that no man hath any more true knowledge eyther of God the gospell or ministry thereof then so far as in himself he hath felt by proofe and experience their efficacy and working upon himself Moreover this teacheth us another lesson touching the true course of mens tryall in matters spirituall and specially of the vertue and power of any mans ministry it is apparent that the Corinthians did narrowly marke the Apostle himselfe in his outward estate and in his vtterance and eloquence in all which they externally found nothing in their carnal judgmēt but basenes weakenes and words of no valew but in the meane time they did not marke the mighty work of that weake mā by his seeming weake words in their owne harts inwardly which made them perverse and sinistrous Iudges of his ministry the vertue and power whereof is not to be discerned by ought that outwardly can bee perceaved eyther by the eye in behoulding the speaker or by the eare in hearing his eloquence but onely by the inward sence and feeling of their owne harts and spirits And this serves to correct two great vices in our judging first concerninge the persons and 2 concerning the matter Touching the persons its a common vice to bee busie in taking notice in judging of others but not of our selves whereas our mindes ought to bee still examining our selves not others for as sayth the Apostle who art thou that judgest another mans servant hee standeth or falleth to his owne Lord and not unto thee and the scriptures of God continually warne us to absteyn from judging of others and still to judge and tax our selvs least wee be judged and in judging others to begine first at our selves because thereby we shal be the more able to giue righteous judgment of others for as Christ sayth how can a man say to his brother let me cast out a mote out of thine eie behould there is a beame in his owne eie Mat. 74. For how shall a man see to cast out a mote out of his brothers eie unto the time that first he hath cast out the beame out of his owne eie For Christ himself shewes that with what judgment wee judge others wee shal be judged and with what measure wee meat unto others it shal be measured againe to us Besides that the judgment of others is not left unto us by the Lord but reserved unto himself and therefore the Apostle counteth it a very small matter to bee judged by the Corinthians or any mans judgment touching his fidelity in his ministry but this Apostle earnestly invites us to judge and examine our selvs and sheweth to the Corinthians that if wee judged our selves wee should not bee judged of the Lord with his temporall plagues as infirmities sicknes and temporall death by which the Lord did chastise the Corinthians for not judging and examining thēselvs before they did eat of the Lords bodie And this duety of not judging others but our selvs is the more carefully to bee observed by us because as we shall heare afterwards every faithfull Christian is able by the spirit of God given him to discerne of himself his spirituall estate aright but as concerning others although in the judgment of charity wee ought to esteeme well of all that professe Christ yea euen of those with whom wee refuse to converse for disobedience in them whom still according to the rule of the Apostle wee are not to esteeme as enemies but to admonish as brethren yet the infallible knowledge of their estate in Christ is only known to God who only knoweth who is his owne The 2. errour concerning the matter of our judgment is hereby likewise corrected wee see and perceaue this to bee a common folly in men to looke upon the person of the preacher upon his gifts and utterance and still to be censuring all men to bee eyther good or bad preachers according as they find them to satisfie or displease their judgment in their gifts of knowledge vtterance or eloquence and so often fall in a wofull errour in contemning the best applauding the worst whereas the matter of all true judgment of preaching consists not so much in the matter or utterance of the preacher as in the power of that which is spoken which power is
this knowledge in his disciples as also why the world is destitute of it speaking concerning the spirit saying whom the world cannot receaue because it sees him not neither knowes him but yee know him because he dwelleth with you and shal bee in you Iohn 14 17. This place being conferd with the former two teacheth us 3 speciall things touching the estate of a true Christian The 1 is that they are not ignorant of the things of God nor of any grace or blessing spirituall given them by God in Christ the 2 is That all this knowledge is taught thē by the spirit of God which is given them remaines within them The 3 that both the gift of this spirit and knowledge by him proceedes from this that God hath not left us in the world nor in the estate of servitude bondage but hath taken us out of the world and by reconcyling us to himself in Christ hath made us his friends as Abrahā was The use of this is to convince the doctrine of the papisticall church of falshood whereby they maintaine that a Christian truely called can haue no certaine knowledge whether he bee in the estate of grace or not for if the Apostle urge the Corinthians by this speciall knowledge of their owne being in the faith and of Christs being in them to bee witnesses of the power of Christ in his ministry toward them it must necessarily follow that both they and all others called as they were must haue vndoubted knowledge of themselves that they are in the faith and Christ in them otherwise Christs argument before alleadged could not bee true when he saith that his disciples did know the spirit of truth because he dwelt with them and should be in thē which argumēt teacheth us thus much that the saints cannot bee ignorant of any gift or grace of God which dwelleth with them and is in them so that wee may Iustly concluded that a Papist houlding the former position for a truth must bee both faythles and gracelesse seing if eyther faith or grace were in them they could not be ignorant of them neither can they haue anie evasion by their old argument of the necessitie of some speciall revelation from God For this which we haue said before compared with the words of Iohn doth fully answer them saying If we receive the witnes of men the witnesse of God is greater For this is the witnes of God which he testifieth of his sonne He that beleeveth in that sone of God hath witnes in himselfe By which words we are plainly taught that faith can never be without the testimonie both of those three which beare record in heaven to wit the Father the Word and the Holy-ghost nor of these three witnesses which beare record in earth viz. The spirit the water and the bloud and therefore that it must follow that everie true beleever hath a most undoubted revelation of his salvation and blessed estate in grace and on the contrarie that whosoever hath not this vndoubted warrant is faithles indeed seeing as saith the Apostle whosoever beleeveth in the sonne of God hath this witnes of the Father of the Word and of the Holy ghost which are in heaven of the spirit and of the water and of the blood which are in earth then which there can be no revelation of greater force to confirm the certaintie of ones salvation For if according to Gods owne law at the mouth of two or three witnesses every matter shal be established how much more must a true beleeving christian know the certaintie of his salvation who hath it witnessed vnto him and that within himself by those sixe witnesses before mentioned of which none can lye and this is so much the clearer by that which Iohn in the same place speaketh ver 13 saying these things haue I written unto you who beleeve in the name of the sonne of God that ye may knowe that ye haue eternall life Whereby he utterly annulleth that blind argument of the Papists seing it enforceth thē eyther to confesse that they know they haue eternal life or then plainely to confesse that they beleeue not in the sonne of God for faith and knowledge of salvation are two unseparable adjuncts and ever such knowledge as is not builded upon a doubtfull opinion or conjecture but which is buylt upon the unfallible testimony of the six witnesses mētioned before Wee conclude therefore this point with the confortable use thereof to all true beleeving Christians viz. that they rejoyce always I say againe with the Apostle that they rejoyce always seeing their salvation is sure and that it s given unto them to knowe that it is sure Thus much for the Apostles argument for remooving of all pretence of ignorance Now followes the 2 point of tryall which is whether Christ bee in them or not but it s propounded in another manner then the first for touching faith he willd them to try if they were in it but this last he propounds as a thing which he would haue them undoubtedly to acknowledge and no marveil for the effects are more easie to be known then their causes now Christ he dwells in our hearts by faith and therefore wee can never have a true evidence that we beleeue untill we find that Christ is assuredly within us for this cause wee said before that this 2 point of tryall was the meane to know the former Moreover the Apo. subjoins this point unto his former argument whereby he remooves all pretence of Ignorāce purposely to teach us both whē and wherein it is that a Christian comes to know himself to bee in the faith and so receaves experiēce of the power of Christ in the ministry of the Gospell to his salvation whereof before wee spake wee will first somewhat consider the order of the Apostles words Wee see that in the first place he puts them to the tryall of their faith as being the evidence of the power of Christ in his ministry toward them to their salvation 2. In this examination he brings them to the acknowledging of themselves as the proper effect of true faith in all true beleevers 3. He brings thē to the acknowledgment of Christs presence in their hearts as the onely true testimony of the first proper matter of the 2. For if any man thinks he beleeves not having Christ within him he is miserably deceaved and if any man think he knowes himself to bee the child of God except he find himself and Christ united by faith pittifully abuseth himself by his owne judgment This order therefore of the Apostles proceeding teacheth us this lesson what way and by what meanes it is that wee come to the knowledge of the mighty power and outstreched arme of God in the ministry of his word to our salvation in the which 3 things are principally to be marked Our faith our selvs and that in our selves which makes us know our selves by faith to bee