hath not been revealed to them C. I confess I thought thus within my self but I was willing to hear your opinion but when you said a little before speaking of the Church that it was wheresoever men did believe or should believe wherefore made you that addition should believe M. Because at all times and in all ages many are elected to this kingdom which are not yet called not compelled by faith to enter as were Saul Cornelius the Centurion and Sergius Paulus the Proconsul and innumerable others whose vocation and ingress was by the Lord for some time deserred who because they were from all eternity appointed to this kingdom are therefore all Citizens and Members of this heavenly Common-wealth this is manifest by these and others who the goodness of God being revealed are afterwards received into this kingdom C. They say that Cornelius oponed a passage into this kingdom by his prayers and Alms-deeds and this they confirm by those words of the Angel to him Thy prayers and thy Almes are come up for a memorial before God M. The abettors of such fancies are contumelious to God and ignorant of the Scriptures they reproch God for they rob him of his Honour and give the glory to man they are ignorant of the Scriptures not discerning an open truth Their errour ariseth partly from a non-consideration of the words preceding and subsequent which if they had perpended they had never dashed against this Rock What hath St. Luke written in the beginning of this Chapter That Cornelius was a devour man and one that feared God with all his house which gave much Almes to the people and prayed to God alway Afterwards those men that were sent by Cornelius give him this Character that he was a just man feared God and of good report among all the nation of the Jews Who now doth not plainly see that his piety to and his fear of God are first commended then his Almes and good deeds are spoken of he was a Religious and a good man and therefore gave many Almes to the poor and prayed to God alway which were the fruits and effects of his piety Therefore it is said he was of good report among the Jews But from whence came these good effects Not from his good deeds for the tree must be good before the fruit can be good as our Lord saith Matth. 7. For the cause cannot follow the effect any more than a daughter can bring forth her Mother But who made him Religious and just and fearing God Who but he that circumciseth the foreskins of our hearts That taketh away our stony hearts and giveth us hearts of flesh and new Spirits Ezech. 11. He I say made Cornelius both Religious and devout and were not these things declared unto Peter by the Divine oracle of God for when he supposed that all the rest of the Nations were alienated from the benefit of the Gospel the Angel telleth him Those things which God hath purified call not thou unclean Acts 10. Here God witnesseth that he had purged prepared and consecrated Cornelius to himself And although it was spoken because of Cornelius yet the words concern all those that God hath chosen and adorned with the beautiful knowledge of the Gospel And whereas it is said that his prayers and giving of Almes went up to God as a memorial nothing more is intended but that God heareth the prayers of the Godly that their good works are acceptable to him and that he hath them in remembrance as flowing from himself the Fountain of all good gifts And where it is said that he was frequent in prayer it is evident that this proceeded from a Divine inspiration For as Paul saith We know not what we should pray for as we ought but the Spirit it self maketh intercession for us with unutterable groans Rom. 8. Now if he was endued with the Spirit of God as certainly he was and that his Almes-deeds and his prayers were accepted it is as certain that he had saith without which it is impossible to please God as St. Paul doth most plainly teach Rom. 10. And if he had the illustrations of Faith then his heart was purified and cleansed as Peter testifieth of Cornelius and other Gentiles in St. Luke saying That God had enlightened them by his Holy Spirit and purged their minds by Faith C. I perceive that by degrees you have come to the right explication of the truth but there is yet one thing to be enucleated for Peter saith Of a truth I now perceive that God is no respecter of persons but in every nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted by him Act. 10. Here he sheweth that by good works a man is reconciled to God M. This speech of the Apostle meaneth nothing else but what diverse other holy sentences do teach that God in his election of and his Love to mankind hath regard onely to their goodness and glorie not to their original their pedigree their country their sex their age their merit or any other personal attributes This truth is exemplified in the person of Cornelius whom God called being an alien and dignified him with a place in his kingdom The signs of Election are an ingenuous and a reverential fear of God like to that of obedient children towards their parents from whence there ariseth in them a confidence and a stedfast perswasion of the love of God to them and from thence again groweth a delight in the Law of God a complacency in the works of righteousness he that is accepted by God he feareth he honoureth loveth and trusteth in God for it behoveth that the person of that man be gracious and acceptable whose duties or offices of Love are accepted for no performances are acceptable from him against whom we entertain a prejudice or aversation of this we have experience in the common civilities of life but with God there is no prejudice for he is the searcher of the heart And John saith Whosoever doth work righteousness is born of God Also Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ he is born of God that is therefore some men live justly some man believeth Jesus to be the Christ because he is justified by God and endued with holiness and righteousness by him for unless he thus be born of God he is unable to perform any thing justly and rightly or to believe that Jesus is the Christ This the Lord himself confirmeth upon Peters confession that he was the Son of the Immortal God Verily saith our Saviour flesh and bloud hath not revealed this unto thee but my Father which is in Heaven Now there is this difference between Divine and humane justice he that is not justified by God may execute humane justice for fear of punishment expectation of glorie or hope of other reward but no man is exercised in heavenly justice who is not first justified purged by Faith and assisted with grace Therefore it is no wonder that whosoever
the intent to the similitude for by such a preposterous accomodation many absurdities would follow In this collation therefore our Lord Christ intending to shew us all those impediments by which we are chiefly withdrawn from the worship of God the principal part whereof is the hearing and the practising of the Word preached borroweth a similitude from the Sower reckoneth up those things that retard and hinder the growth of the seed and doth accomodate them to the Heavenly seed which is the word of God Then he nameth three general impediments the devil tribulations and the cares of this life and at least with one of these is every man tormented and persecuted yet doth the word of God take root and bring forth fruit in a plentiful manner C. In what place M. In the good and fertile ground C. But which is that good ground if three parts be scattered one by the way another upon a rock and a third part falleth among thorns M. Even that ground by the way side that rock and that thorny place when that Spiritual Husbandman shall have driven away the fowls of the air shall have removed that rock and burnt up those thorns Did not Paul fall by the way did not Peter dash upon this rock and was not Matthevv choaked with these thorns yet Paul became an elect Vessel and the Apostle of the Gentiles Peter the chief Pastour to the Jevvs a Feeder of Christs sheep and lambs and Matthevv both an Apostle and an Evangelist Therefore the drift of that similitude was onely to teach the success and event of that Heavenly Doctrine not to imply any thing of the final condition of the Saints or reprobates although we may gather from this very similitude and those things that follow in the same chapter that the number of the Elect shall be the greater because the Paucity hath respect unto the Jevvs of whom as we shewed before were to be gathered out from all parts of the world and preserved as the seminary of the Kingdom of Christ This also may be gathered from that most plentiful increase of the good ground which was the Apostles and the other Disciples Also from the grain of Mustard-seed which although it be the least of all seeds when it is grown it is the greatest among herbs and becometh a tree so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof Also from the leaven which though it be little yet being hid among many measures of meal it leaveneth the whole lump all which collations and resemblances do lively express the power and energie of the Word of God and are as so many Declarations and Manifestations of the greatness and largeness of the Church Triumphant but if any man should reply that by this similitude sour sorts of hearers are demonstrated unto us yet were it inconsequent to infer from hence a Paucity of Believers Let us suppose an hundred Auditours ten whereof by the devil snatching away the seed become unprofitable Again ten others fall off by a persecution spring up against the Word Lastly ten more revolt through love of riches now the other seventy bring forth good fruit some fifty some sixty some an hundred fold some six hundred fold and by this reason do not all things fitly correspond and is not the comparison firm C. It will be firm indeed but then the division of the hearers are not distributed into equal parts M. Our Saviour himself hath not so divided them nor commanded any such division but onely said thus and thus the seed fell And what gross malignity would it be in us to wrest the words of a merciful Saviour to a rigid interpretation For if this doth not happen amongst us in ordinary sowing and husbandry that the greater part of the seed doth utterly perish certainly we must not imagine so of the Heavenly seed sowed plentifully in our hearts by the liberal hand of that Spiritual Husbandman C. Truly Maynardus according to your premonition I judge the Scriptures should be interpreted according to the context scope and meaning of the speaker and what you have answered concerning the intent of our Lord in these Parables I approve as very proper and genuine And with the opening of these places I am so affected fitted and enabled to understand others that I will onely object one or two and pretermit the rest yet are they very few I come then to that place which makes most men of that malignant opinion concerning the salvation of mankind I mean the place which is at the conclusion of the two Parables one of the Vine-yard the other of the Marriage of the Kings Son where it is in both places most clearly said Many are called but few are chosen M. You say right when you call it a malignant opinion I will add an envious and a dangerous opinion driving men violently into desperation and such errours they might soon and easily avoid if they would observe that Law of interpretation which I mentioned before for in the Gospel if all the sayings of our Lord Christ were throughly weighed it would be confessed that the greater part of them had reference to the Jews for as he himself witnesseth to them chiefly was he sent I was not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel St. Paul also in the 15. to the Rom. saith Jesus Christ was a Minister of the circumcision for the truth of God to confirm the promises made unto the Fathers Therefore he was diligent with all care to perform his ministery in calling them teaching them exhorting them warning them healing their sick affecting them with benefits convincing them with miracles for all which bowels of compassion towards them they afflicted him reviled him crucified him killed him all which things he would undergo first that he might accomplish his embassage then that the benefit of his death and the glorie of his resurrection might redound to all nations and people that should receive with Faith these glad tidings of their Salvation For I do not deny but the Doctrine of the Son of God rightly and faithfully received to be the Doctrine of all times ages places and persons but this I would that those Texts and sayings which are accomodated to particular persons places and times should not be applied to the universality of men and time For not all things belong to all men after one and the same manner as they are commanded and spoken to some If you desire an example take that of the young man who desired leave to burie his Father to whom Christ answereth Follow thou me and let the dead burie their dead Therefore hereafter let none take care to see their friends well buried I will not care for the dead when either the glorie of God or the necessity of the living command my assistance Our Saviour bad them that were cured of the Leprosie to shew themselves to the Priests Therefore must they now that are healed of the itch
feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted of God because the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom and a good understanding have all they that keep his Commandments With this fear as with salt the Lord doth season their hearts and preserve from corruption even whilest they are ignorant of him those that he purposeth to call into his kingdom This inchoation of their liberty is afterwards perfected in the time of their vocation by the preaching of the Gospel and by Faith C. I have received full satisfaction and I hope hereafter that both my self and others will give greater credit to the Oracles of God then to the perverse opinions and interpretations of men M. Now that we may conclude this digression I say that wheresoever or whensoever such are found in that moment of time they have attained to this Sanctuary this propitious year of Jubilee Onely as it is written Let us call upon the name of the Lord and we shall not be disappointed Also Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall escape Joel 2. Also The name of the Lord is a strong tower the righteous flyeth unto it and is safe Prov. 18. To this tower this sanctuary the Lord himself beckneth the poor the miserable the wretched the desperate sinners in this sweet invitation Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will ease you These are the wayes the secrets of holy state and the Divine Policies which our King useth for the Instanration of his kingdom And if the kingdoms of the earth are enlarged by such artifice how much more shall we think the kingdom of Heaven to be dilated which is far more capacious more firm and more easie of access C. Truly I suppose it will infinitely exceed the kingdom or rather the dungeon of the Devil even as much as there are more who wish and desire ease impunity Honour and Salvation then who are in love with labours punishments servitude ignominy and death eternal and certainly but few men will precipitate themselves into these calamities when they may with such facility redeem themselves from the fear of them And although a small industry onely seemeth necessarie to the prevention of these endles torments yet we see but few men that contend to get to this refuge this most pleasant Citie and what should be the cause of this slackness this dulness this indiligence is to me altogether unknown M. The cause is manifest First that which I named before to wit that the new reason of state which our King maketh use of in the administration of his affairs deceaveth those that with the judgement of men seek after this citie as gloriously visible and conspicuous Secondly the Church is congregated and constituted out of this holy Sanctuary by the preaching of the word and the administration of the Sacrament and these being concealed from the greater part of the World by this means this citie for a long time was kept hid and so little taken notice of that it was scarce discernable who were the true Citizens But as soon as the glad tidings of the Gospel have arrived then we see them flock to this citie as in the time of Christ and his Apostles For when Christ himself had said that the kingdom of God was at hand and after that he had exhorted men to bring forth fruit worthie of repentance he then called them all unto him with that joyful summons Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you ease Of this joyful invitation this liberal year the Prophet Isaiah foretold when speaking in the Person of Christ he saith I am endued with the Spirit of the Lord Jehovah hath Anointed me and sent me to declare joyful tidings to heal them of broken Spirits and to give liberty to them that are in bondage sight to the blind to deliver the oppressed out of their streights and to preach the joyful year of the Lord. The Apostles also those faithful Embassadours of Christ did invite all mortal men to this great benefit this most blessed kingdom Old things are past away behold all things are become new and all things are of God who hath reconciled us to himself in Christ Jesus and hath given to us the ministerie of reconciliation to wit that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself not imputing their trespasses unto them and hath committed to us the word of reconciliation Now then we are embassadours for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs stead be ye reconciled to God for he hath made him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him But shortly after false Apostles and counterfeit Embassadours brought in humane traditions and began to lay upon mens shoulders the burthen and heavy yoak of the Law which things did deject not erect mens minds did terrifie them not allure them did wound them not heal them from whence 〈◊〉 came to pass that few made their approach to this kingdom or if they drew near they soon returned and departed For the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is not propagated and advanced by the sword but by preaching by the energie of the Spirit by good example patience charitie meekness justice temperance constancy goodness faith lenity long-suffering and all those blessed and peaceable fruits of the true Spirit of God So our Lord himself so his Disciples propagated the truth and sowed the Heavenly Doctrine of Christ in mens hearts For our Lord as Hilarie told Constantinus Augustus did rather teach than exact a knowledge and confession of himself and giving Authority to his precepts by the frequent attestation of miracles he despised a will that was any other way compelled to acknowledge him And full of truth are these words for nothing so free as the judgement in Religion For Religion flourisheth by sound reason and strong perswasion not by fear and threatnings It is defended preserved by dying not by killing by patience not by cruelty by justice not by butchery by faith not by fraud rotten policy For he that will establish Religion by imperious ordinances force doth not seek to defend it but to violate and pollute it But because we see the night approaching Caelius unless you have ought to interpose I shall descend to such places of Scripture as seem to favour this my opinion of the amplitude of the kingdome of God C. I have not the least doubt remaining and I earnestly intreat you before the night prevent us to hasten to those proofs as the chief end of our meeting M. In the first place therefore weigh diligently that magnificent promise of God made to Abraham so often repeated and inculcated God promiseth and confirmeth his promise with an oath that he will make his seed as the dust of the earth so that if a man can number the dust of the earth then