translated And thus much is spoken briefely for the question of the laylour Now let vs consider of the Apostles answere Beleeue in the Lord Iesus and thou shalt be saued and thy houshold This is their aunswere hee was not so ready to aske but they are as ready to satisfie his demaund Christes Disciples are like Christ he in the 10. of Mark answered thus to him that demaunded what he might doe to inherite eternall life Hoc fac et viues This doe and thou shalt liue And heere the Apostles gaue like aunswer to this Iaylour Doe this and thou shalt be saued Beleeue in the Lord Iesus Heere wee are to learne by this example of the Apostles to be helpful to our neighbours or whom so euer we find fit for the Kingdome of God wee ought to furnish them with all spirituall knowledge wee must like Peter strengthen them that are weake when we our selues are strong But we see the contrary practised for the greatest part are apt to draw men froÌ„ God and from his truth as the Athiests Papists of these times who straine their endeuours to make others like themselues Boni malos volunt esse bonos vt sint sut similes Mali contra bonos volunt esse malos vt sint sui similes More then a good many can be apt to say with Chora The people are all holy and whereto serues this precisenes They vvould perswade men that they are too good when they are stark naught They will be straight-wayes in the extremity before they haue attained the mediocrity Like the lazie trauailer that sittes downe in the midst of his iourney or like him that running in a race giues ouer in the midst of his course and suffers others to get the goale before him This is the reluctation betweene the holy and vnholy the children of light and the children of the darknes Good men striue to be holy themselues and to beget holines in others but the wicked striue to be naught and to make others worse than themselues And the deuill comes in to act vp the tragedy and so he rageth and so sinne suggesteth so the weaknes of man yeeldeth because he hath not faith in which only we can ouerthrow the world The Apostles sinding this Iaylour in the way of his saluation do help him forwards and doe support his weaknes as Christ caried the lost sheepe vpon his shoulders as the mercifull Samaritane did lay the man that lay by the way side robd wounded vpon his owne beast Beleeue say they in the Lord. This may seeme to be a lesson soone learned and the gayning of heauen a matter of short and easie surprize if it may be obtayned only by beleeuing in the Lord Iesus Indeed the answer is short but the matter of substance included therein is great for as one tree hath many braunches and one branch many blossoms so this one answer hath many circumstances All which being duly considered we shall be forced to acknowledge it a matter of greatest difficulty and that we haue neede to call vpon Gods spirit for his special furtherance in this great frame of our spirituall building For it is not giuen to all to beleeue in the Lord Iesus nay it is giuen but to a fewe to those onely whom the Father hath sealed for that purpose Yea euen the best of vs to whom the Lorde hath giuen most talents of his rich graces may say notwithstanding looking vpon our imperfections Lord wee beleeue helpe our unbeleefe and the spirit is willing but the flesh is weake Faith in the strongest wil be found to be but a deficient faith as Peters was when he began to sinke God will haue it to be so to the end we should haue recourse to the fulnes that is in Christ That when we see our faith weakned or wounded wee should doe as they did who were bitten by Scorpions cast vp our eyes to Christ the brazen serpent who will not cease since now he is lifred vp to draw vs vp also vnto himselfe Beleeue in the Lord Iesus Asour Sauiour told Martha one thing is necessary so the Apostles tell this Iaylor one thing is necessary to furnish him for the Kingdome of heauen euen faith Belecuâ— onely and thou shalt be saued To beleeue is to giue consent in thy hart to the worde of truth to subscribe therevnto by an vnfained profession to yeeld all Christian obedience aunswerable to the measure of grace giuen vnto vs. This faith is begotten in vs by the immediate gift of God and increased in vs by the word of God read and preached God giues the word and the word giues faith and faith giues saluation The Iewes reade the Scriptures and they heard Christ preaching vnto them euery Sabaoth in their Sinagogues yet they beleeued not because the vaile was not taken from them and they were still in theyr sinnes to shew that faith is the speciall gift of God and all cannot receaue it which makes so many to withstand the truth in vngodlines Where it is said heere Beleeue onely and thou shalt be saued Wee learne that faith is the onely principall instrument whereby we apprehend Christ and so consequently our saluation For without faith it is impossible to please God and so without faith it is impossible to be saued Heere may the Papistes lay their handes vpon theyr mouthes for they are no longer In architectura totuÌ„ artificiuÌ„ attribuitur architecto non arti non instrumentis Olâ—uÌ„ et ignis duo sunt sed cohareÌ„t in vno lamâ—adâ—o Make your 〈◊〉 sure by good workes In facto noÌ„ pto facto able to maintaine theyr doctrine of Good-workes in the act of iustification They would haue vs acknowledge with them that fayth without workes is not sufficient to iustifie but with our sayth say they our works must be coÌ„current Which is a manifest errour and this place conuinceth it True it is that fayth neuer goeth alone but is alwayes accompanied vvith good-works as the heate is neuer separated from the fire but in the act of iustification faith alone must be coÌ„sidered otherwise Christ dyed in vaine Homines meritum quid esse potest 〈◊〉 vt ait vaus hommis desperatio aut vt aâ— alter Dei miseratio For what is mans merrit but as one authour saith mans desperation Or as another saith the mercy of God VVho can say My hart is cleane Can the infant or the tender babe newly drawne from the wombe In no wise they cannot For quis dabit mundum ex immundo semme Of vncleane seede vvhat cleannesse can come Num adult us vt sunt annorum sic vitiorum incrementa In youth as yeeres multiply so vices increase Cum omnia feceritis dicite vos esse seruos in vtiles When ye haue done all you can say ye are vnprofitable seruants Si dixerimus nos volumus respondet Apostolus Deus dat velle si dixerimus nos facimus at vt facimus Deus
hee told them They knewe not that which belonged to their peace Which had they knowne it had brought them to the knowledge of all the rest They knewe not Christ by the preaching of the word they receiued not the Gospell of peace They yeelded no obedience to the worde of truth nor did shewe any carefull practise in reforming their liues accordingly These people of Ierusalem liued in securitie and at ease they liued in peace euery man vnder his owne Vine and vnder his own fig-tree And they soothed vp themselues in this their securitie assuring themselues that this great citty beeing the Lady of so many Prouinces the light and beauty of all Asia and all kings glory so strongly sortifyed so richly furnished and vvith so many people replenished should neuer bee brought to vtter desolation Such is the naturall corruption of men generally to be carelesse and not once to thinke or aduise themselues of future calamities so long as it goeth well with them so long as they are fatted with the aboundance of Gods blessings These inhabitants of Ierusalem were not so prouident nor so wise as the prophane Phylosophers notwithstanding they liued then when wisedome cryed in their streets Sapientis est in otio de negotio cogitare a wise man ought in time of peace to think vpon warre So is it verifyed vvhich vvas spoken by our Sauiour The chyldren of this world are Luke 16 8. wiser in theyr generation then the chyldren of light These carelesse Iewes abused their peace because they sought no meanes to contitiue it For they killed the Prophets and stoned theÌ„ that were sent vnto them Yea when Christ himselfe came among them they crucified him to seale vp theyr securitie to theyr greater ouerthrow And howe then could this people know theyr peace vvhen they contemned and euill intreated him that was the onely authour and maintainer of theyr peace Thys Peace contayneth in it all other blessings And therefore Christ onely nameth it in this place as the very continent of all the rest The excellencie whereof may appeare in those speciall commendations of it Before his departure hee commended vnto them Peace My peace I leaue vnto you Luk 24 36 When he was risen againe hee commended peace vpon his byrth-day the Angels proclaimed peace and the Gospell is Luke 2 14 called the Gospell of peace Therfore haue peace and thou hast all the blessings that God hath and want onely this peace and thou art worse spoiled of Gods graces than euer was Iob of his chyldren and goods Oh if thou hadst knowne c. Here it may be proclaimed againe which once was vttered by that voyce of maiestie proceeding from God himselfe in the 34. of Exodus The Lord the Lord strong mercifull and gracious slowe to anger and aboundant in mercy and truth See howe Christ our Sauiour trauaileth with mercy in this place and laboureth to be deliuered Oh if thou hadst knowne Yet hee offereth mercy to Ierusalem if Ierusalem would haue repented Oh that yet they would turne and be saued Shall I say since they will perrish let them perrisht nay surely saith Christ I will yet wash Naaman seauen times more to clense him of his leprosie if hee vvill be clensed In the 51. of Ieremie ninth verse saith the Lorde I woulde haue cured Babell So Christ in this place saith I would haue cured Ierusalem but alas she will not be cured All the precious balme in Gylead will not suffice to recouer Ierusalem the prayse of the world In this thy day He calls it Ierusalems day to shewe that God giueth all men a time and now is our day and our time therefore vse the time and abuse not Gods lenitie For the night will come when no man can worke And therfore it is sayde To day if you will heare his voyce But if you will not to day I will not to morrow Beholde as when I called you woulde not heare so when you call I vvill not heare saith the Lord. A day consists but of a morning an euening and a noone and hee that hath the longest time permitted him hath but a day Defer it not then in any case since thy time in which thou maist turne to God is so narowly scantled If thou lose the morning of thy life lose not the noone and if thou be so carelesse a sinner as that thou puttest off thy conuersion till the euening of thy life yet euen then reclaime thy selfe before the sunne of Righteousnes doe set when it can shine no more vnto thee But thou shalt haue a happier successe in my iudgement if thou begin betimes like Abraham in the morning of thy life to sacrifice thy selfe to GOD. For wee haue an old saying it is a true saying A good beginning makes a good ending And qualis â—ua sâ—ns ita As a man liues so commonlie he dies Euery man would be gladde to die vvell as Balaam desired to die the death of the righteous but hee had no care to lyue the life of the righteous And therfore though he could prophecie to others yet hee could not prophecie to himselfe nor sore-see his owne end Farre otherwise did Dauid that propheticall King carry himselfe and may stande as a rare president not for Kinges onelie but for priuate men also he began his day betimes and so continued it to the end At euening morning and at noone will I prayse Psal 55. 17. thee Thys forslowing the time and continuall running on in sin making vp the score of iniquitie is heere imbrayded vnto these Iewes The tyme of grace was offered them the time of visitation vvhen the Lorde called vpon them for repentance but they repented not The Turtle the Crane and the Swallowe knowe theyr appoynted times yet Israell knoweth not his time God sent his Worde they neglected it his Prophets them they slewe his ovvne Sonne and him they crucified Still they were carelesse like the olde worlde before the flood And so GOD shut them out of Tyme for that vvhen they had Time they abused the commoditie thereof in the world If these people had considered of theyr peace they had not prouoked Christes eyes to distill into teares But as fast as Christ drevve them forwardes sinne and sathan drew them backwards euer-more sounding in their eares this so pleasing and so plausible a lesson It is not yet time time is not yet See howe continuance of sinne breedes custome when custome entereth Gods grace auoydeth and so the Temple of God becomes a denne of theeues For Consuetudo peccandi tollit sensum peccati Custome in sinne takes away al sence and feeling of sinne and so beeing once past sence and feeling the body becomes dead without motion life or soule in it Note the degrees of sinne in sinfull men first they grow wicked then obstinate then desperate like Caine posting it from one sinne to another at last a griping worme of conscience seazeth vpon theyr soules as
waâ—ed in a carefull consideration mâ—â—â— needes work mightily in the chyldren of God and driue them to acknowledge with S. Iohn in this place That â—eereâ—â—â—◠〈◊〉 indeede These first words in the Text how bare and naked so euer they may seeme at the first front or blush do carry in them matter of moment they must run in our mouthes if we sound them rightly and significantlie with a kinde of Emphasis Thus if you require to know the loue of God why heere you may learne it Saint Iohn tels you that heeâ—e-in was the loue of God made manifest in that he sent his sonne c. You are bought with a price saith the Apostle the words make but a bare shewe but they are very significant as if hee shoulde haue sayd A price with a witnes So heerein is loue that is a loue vvith a witnes For God so loued vs that he spared not his onely Sonne but gaue him for vs all to death Him that knewe no sinne God made to be sinne for vs that we should be made the righteousnes of God by him It is not possible for vs to expresse the greatnes of this loue of God in this behalfe for it is infinite it is as great as God is great whose glory filleth the world the heauens the earth and the creatures No man can vnderstand this loue but they that haue the beneâ—â—â—e of it I meane the redeemed of the lord as no man could learne the Elders newe song â—uâ— the 〈◊〉 forty foure thousand which were brought from the earth Reuel 14. This loue of God we all doe behold like the brightnes of the Sunne whose fierie beames and christall rayes proceeding as from the Father of all lights passe forth to the ends of the world But where be they that in beholding this loue of God this sunne-bright cleerenesse of Gods rich grace will bee ready with the Wise-men to present vnto God all holie vvorshyp Where is the rich thankfulnes aunswerable to this rich grace VVee read of â—enne Lepers that vvere clensed and of the tenne but one returned to giue thanks So we are all clensed by the bloode of Christ but scarce one of ten returnes to giue thankes to him that clensed him thereby to testifie our dutifull affection to Christ as Christ testified his to vs in laying downe his life for the many sealing vp remission of sinnes by his blood The sicke is cured but he hath forgotten the Physition that cured him The diseased is deliuered and the mortall wounde is salued but the Patient now become a whole man remembers neyther his sore nor yet the Physition Heerein is loue not that we loued God Saint Iohn in speaking of this loue doth not presently acquaint vs with the particularitie of this loue but hee first suspendeth the matter the rather to drawe from vs attention and carefulnes Before I proceede to tell you what thys loue is I will first tell you what it is not A thing that is sought for being presently found is no longer thought on and so if the Apostle should vppon the sudden discouer to vs this so great a mistery of Gods loue it would be but lightly regarded Therefore hee offers it and yet drawes it backe againe and then presents it againe stil offering and yet with-holding to make vs the rather long after it with a more eager and feruent affection Like children in this respect vvho the more they be denyed of that they woulde haue the more they cry do neuer leaue crying till it be giuen them Not that we loued God The loue I meane sayth Saint Iohn is not the loue that you meane It is not vaine loue nor selfe-loue nor carnall loue nor the loue of the worlde nor the loue of honours nor the loue of pleasures nor the loue of riches it is none of all these for this is our loue but I am to tell you of Gods loue It was not loue in vs but in God was this loue that caused Christ to come vnto the world Nay there was in vs no loue at all the contrary was in vs euen hatred and enmitie therfore it is sayd cum hostes essemus And therefore well might the Apostle make this conclusion against vs not that we loued God And wee our selues doe iustifie the truth therof in our selues for we know that we loue our lusts and our vanities and the world more then God Adams corruption hath trans-fused it selfe into Adams children euen all his posteritie God had giuen him all the kingdoms of the earth and placed him in Paradice this worlds heauen heere God exhibited plentifull testimony of his loue but Adam could shewe forth no loue to God for this so prooued by his wilful disobedience The taste of one Apple made hym forget both himselfe and God his Maker And haue not our pleasures the same soueraigntie ouer vs. Iudas solde his Maister for thirtie pence he loued his mony better then his Maister and many Mammonites now whose cares are vppon theyr coffers and whose mindes are vppon the bagge as Iudas was if they would not be corrupted with mony to betray Christ yet they could be contented to betray the members of Christ theyr brethren and neighbours for fewer shekels of filuer then Delilah tooke from the Princes of the Philistims No man would willingly be leprous yet many worldlings that are carried away with the loue of riches could be coÌ„tented to buy a leprofie with lesse then two bags of siluer 2. Reg. 5. as Gehazie did Esau as hee had an earthly name so vvas he earthly minded his prophanenes is laid open to all eyes where it is registred of him that hee solde his birth-right for a messe of pottage And he is no lesse infamous for so dooing then hee that burnt Dianas Temple at Ephesus or that Tyrant who harped Nâ—â—o at Romes flames That Esau is long agoe dissolued into earth and dust but out of his ashes others like him are risen vp like Cadmus brood and the same prophannes that was in Esau is growne vp with them Many Edomites liue now that can be content to sell a better patrimonie then he did euen their spirituall inhearitance which they should haue in Christ and all for the transitory pleasures of this life To be short we should loue God onelie principally before all things We should loue God more theÌ„ our parents our countrey our friends our selues c. Hee that loueth Father or mother or sister or brother or wife or â—hyldren or kinsfolkes more then mee saith our Sauiour Christ is not woorthy to be my disciple This ought to be but wee cannot yet apply our selues to this loue which Christ doth here so necessarily require We are all like Demas loth to part with the world like the young rich man in the gospel who was vnwilling to leaue his possessions he loued his vvealth better than Christ And therefore vvhen Christ bad him folow him he chose rather to folow the
when he cryed out in greefe anguish of his soule Why doost thou turne away thy face and why forgettest thou my Psalm 30. tribulation And in another place Christ suffered Peter to sinâ—k to be in danger of drowning before he would stretch out his hand to support him As heere hee sent not his Angell to deliuer him forth of prison till the verie night before his execution And when they were past the first and second watch they came to the yron gate which opened vnto them of it owne accord This is a further circumstance of his miraculous deliuerance They passed throgh all the watches and the watch-men neuer perceiued it They came to the yron gate and it opened voluntarily Sencelesse thinges made shewe of pittie when neither King nor people could yeeld compassion The chaynes linkes fell from him before and heere the yron gate giues way to Peter both working out together his deliueraunce These things must admonish vs of the forcible effect of prayer Haec effrinâ—at carceres soluit catenas ferreas aperit portas impetrat liberatores angelos Prayer it is that breaketh the strongest prysons looseth the yron bands openeth the well-barred gates draweth the Angels out of heauen to come to the earth to worke our deliuerance Nowe I knowe of a truth that the Lorde hath sent his Angell and deliuered mee out of the hand of Herod and from all the wayting for of the people of the Iewes Heere is layd downe Peters thankfulnes after his deliuerance Hee acknowledgeth the louing kindnes of the Lorde who had so graciously set him free from the tyrannie of his enemies that thirsted after his blood We must learne by this example to giue thanks for what-soeuer benefits God shall powre vpon vs. For to receiue Gods benefits and not to be thankfull for them is to contemne God in them The Lorde expecteth no retribution at our handes Quis enim dedit ei Who hath giuen vnto him as the Apostle speaketh Yet hee will haue vs to he thankfull that is the speciall dutie that he requireth of vs. Who so offereth me thankes hee honoureth me and to him that ordereth his conuersation aright will I shew the saluation of God If one man doe pleasure or gratifie another there will be an expectancy of thanks at least and shall not the Lorde much rather require the same of vs from whom we receaue our selues our liues and all that we are worth the bread we feede vppon the ground we tread vpon the light wee looke vpon all comes from God and what-soeuer is within vs or without vs all temporall and spirituall graces whereof each one is more worth then a thousand worlds The consideration whereof caused the prophet Dauid to call vpon himselfe others for this thankfulnesse in his Booke of psalmes saying O that mâ—n would praise the goodnes of the Lord and that they woulde tell out the wonders that bee dooth for the chyldren of men Hee calleth all the blessings of GOD Mirabilia Wonders all haue in theÌ„ matter of admiration the rather to stamp in vs an impression of gratitude We haue well waded vnto this thankfulnesse when wee haue learned to say with Dauid and with the like spirit that he did I will make it knowne to the worlde what God hath doone for my soule Psalm 84. All the day long will I be telling of his wonderfull workes Thus haue you briefely heard the summe of thys historie of Peters imprisonment his deliueraunce You haue seene on the one side the people solliciting Herod consenting to the death of Peter They in theyr wicked purposes and the King in his cruell practises conspired his ouerthrow But on the other side the congregation of the faithfull powred forth their important peticions for Peter and these more strong then the yron bands preuailed for his deliuerance Prayer went vp from them and the Angell came downe to him and so was Peter deliuered Herode of his purpose disappointed the Church comforted Gods Name highly magnified Heauens High-way ACTS 16. 30. 31. Syrs what must I doe to be saued And they said Beleeue in the Lorde Iesus and thou shalt be saued and thine houshold THese words consist of question an aunswere The occasion of the question grewe thus noted in the precedent verses When Paule and Sylas had beene imprisoned in the Citty of Philippi for the testimonie of Gods truth and beeing now in the lowest dungeon it pleased the Lorde to worke theyr deliuerance in a miraculous manner as appeareth in the 26. verse For suddainly there came an Earth-quake so that the foundation of the pryson was shaken and anone all the doores opened euery mans bands were loosed and the Iayler beeing striken with a great terror would straight-wayes haue slaine himselfe had not Paule staid his fury Where-vppon after a more sober consideration finding all the prisoners to bee there euery man sure and forth-comming and withall acknowledging the mightie power of God he comes in great humility before Paule and Silas he brought them forth and sayd Syrs what must I doe to bee saued Where we are to note the suddaine and strange yet not so strange as powerful and mighty operation of Gods Spirit in this Iaylor He who euen nowe would haue spoyled himselfe seekes to saue himselfe hee that but now was most desperate is becom deuoute and most desirous to be informed in the way of his saluation So in a moment hee becomes of an heathen man a Christian man as if hee had beene made anewe his affections cleane changed his wicked resolution altered his crueltie turned to Christianitie All thys came vpon him in a moment as vvisedom came vpon Saul when a kingly spirit vvas giuen him Sirs what must I do to be saued Heere it is verified I came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance And again I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israell Behold the power of God in his effectuall calling of sinners Saul in his greatest rage when hee tyrannized most against Gods Saints was vpon a suddaine made of Saul a persecuter Paule a professour The same powerfull Spirit wrought in the conuersion of Zacheus making him of a publican a zealous Christian So of stones God can and still dooth raise vp chyldren to Abraham as in this place he wrought in thys wicked and cruell saylor nowe to seeke the meanes of his saluation He who ere-whiles had chained others is nowe chayned vp himselfe and by the mighty power of God driuen to seeke releefe at his handes whom before hee despised and shut vp in the basest place of his house Feare made him runne to the Apostles as shame draue Adam to the fig-trees And he who before was lofty and proud disdainfull nowe stoopes downe and humbles himselfe and discouers his ignorance as Adam did his nakednes Sirs what must I doe to be saued It is a voyce of passionate fearefulnesse