our nature vpon him became the mediator between God and man so also now still in heauen he is remayning an intercessour for vs to the father in our needes and necessities whatsoeuer And this his continuall intercession for vs amongest other things doth manifestly declare that which a good Christians conscience doth oft tell him of euery night whē he goeth to bed euery morning when he riseth and euery houre when he thinketh on his so many duties that he oweth to the Lord that questionlesse he hath not such a righteousnes in him as euery sinneful Papist prateth of but in deede in account before God hath no more true goodnes then proud men can haue and howe much that can be let the hūble iudge But towching perfection or imperfectiō of righteousnes more distinctly it shal be saide in that which followeth Of the regenerate mans imperfection yet remaining and of an impossibilitie of the exact keeping of the law Ovr Sauiour preferreth common strumpets Mat. 25.31 Luc. 15.3 prophane Publicanes and grosse sinners before proud Pharisaicall boasters Yea the very Pelagiā in shew is better thē the hauty Pharisey though also somuch the worse because in words he is more modest confessing his vnworthines yet in harte beleeuing the contrarie and recknoning of a naturall perfection and of a fautlesse integritie But who taught him to make a diuorse betwixt his tung his harte if his hart be pure why dissemble his lips if his lips speak truth why doth his hart dissent The Lord resisteth the proude in hart and the lying lipps he will destroy Psal 12.3 This fine tricke of hypocrisie the Papist hath borowed of the Pelagian For they be of great familiaritie and neare kinne and therfore may be bold one with an other Aske any Papist one or other whether he thinke himselfe righteous or no he wil say no and deny it with open protestatiō Aske him what he thinketh of an other he wil answer if a man will contend endeuour thereunto the Lawe is not so harde but it may be done and fulfilled VVorkes of supererogation Rhem. not 1. Cor. 9.16 nay he will go farther and defend a greater perfection to be in Friers Monkes Iesuits c. then God either of his wisedom could or of his iustice would commaund in his law But aske the Prophets Esaie Daniel and Dauid Psal 31.6 Daniel 9.7 Esa 64.6 what their iudgement is and these because they are of an other spirite will make a diuerse aunswer that there is not a Sainte but doth pray to be pardoned shame and confusion belongeth to all the verie righteousnes of man is as a stayned cloth Vnto these last wordes out of the Prophet Esaie Lib. 6. cap. 22. Maister Stapleton agnizeth that Now adayes the writers of his owne side haue aunswered admodum varie very variously But is it possible I had thoght Papists could not haue iarred or varied on iot one from an other for so they can falsly brag I graunt the spirit of an interpreter may be examined iudged by others 1. Cor. 14.32 For men are men and being diuerse because all haue not all truth in such measure and knowledge of euery circumstance they may write diuerslly But what is the cause of this their so great varietie in a matter not hard Verely Bert. de pro pri verb. lib. 18. cap. 68. no meruaile if you run sidelong and a slant like a hare down an hill or to and fro some one way some an other and not furth out right and directly all when you come near a text that maketh after you and in pursuit can not but ouertake and quite ouerthrow your errors To omit all others because you omitte them to how take you M. Stapleton the Prophets meaning to be Marry that their former righteousnes in the corrupt times vnder Achaz Manas was stayned with their latter vnrighteousnes thē aboūding not that the wordes concerne the workes of the Iewes that were good then or may be applyed to the righteousnes of Christians now and that the Prophet speaking as of himselfe among others withall doth but after the maner of Preachers reprehēding the peoples vices seeme to include them selues with the rest howbeit they be free from such popular enormities So you say maister Stapleton and a mā would thinke to the purpose altogeather if he see no more then you doe or no farther then you are disposed to shew him The Prophet doth not preache but pray in this place and he giueth furth the confession of the whole Churche as may clearly appeare by these wordes Esai 64. vers 8.9 c. O Lorde we are all thy people c. It is true that they had not onely stained but changed their righteousnes into vnrighteousnes the place of iustice into a lodge of murtherers their wine into water their goulde into drosse c. Yet in the Prophetes prayer there was more then this For the Lorde being prouoked to iust wrath by vniust dealinges as he will punish their grosser faultes so will he not pardon the imperfections of their best vertues except they be content in humilitie to prostrate themselues confesse their own vnworthines not onely when they openly sinne but also when they seeme to do well to serue him most Iob. 9.28 So Iob a iust man yet feareth nothing more thē his works Esay knoweth with how true wordes he conceiueth his prayer Let not M. Stapleton reply herein also that Esay includeth himselfe generally in tearmes and not in truth For a man cannot abide a false rich begger specially if he knew him to be rich and yet heare him to protest his pouerty crauing reliefe nedeth none But howsoeuer man may be deceaued or perswaded with the hypocrisie fained teares of importunate dissemblers certainly God will not be mocked As we beleeue so must we pray so did Esay whose praier is therfore written that it might be a pattern to all posterity to beleeue pray confesse in like maner Neither doth the exāples of Noe Iob Zac. the like disproue that which we auouch that the righteousnes of the best being exactly tried at the touchstone of the Lawe shal be found drossie impure and euen as a defiled garment which is not cleansed but with that sope which purgeth all And woe worth them who euer that seek to admixe their own sweat with the blood of Christ Noah was a iust man No◠that is was iustified in expectation of the Messias to come and very iust was he in comparison of the iniquities of the old worlde vnto whom he was a preacher of righteousnes and godly life Genes 6.8 but the Arke that he made was a tipe of his saluation to be sought for in Christ for whose sake he founde grace fauour in the eyes of God Likewise Iobs confidence was not in him selfe Iob. but in that he certainely knew that his redeemer liued in whome
maner to keepe man frō entring to so frō eating of the tree of life Where is now reach furth thine hand to death vnto life c. wheras he is barred frō the better which is life In cōsidering this place of Iesus the son of Syrach Cap. 15.14 also beholding the canonical scriptures wherein the auncient blisfulnes of man is described as his agilitie of body his habilitie of minde perfection in both I know not howe I cannot but recorde a prophane storie or two Milo Crotoniata when in his weake old age he beheld such as himselfe had bene Cic. in Cat. Maio. yong men mightily contending at some exercise of strength he cast his eye and looked vpon himselfe wept saide These armes were armes once but now they are drie and dead are not Likewise Alexander the great at one time whē he had cut but his finger Plutar. de discrimen amici aedulator at other times perceiuing his affectiōs subiect to choler lust the like faults though his flatterets bore him still in hand that he was a gods son a god in deede he tolde them no the gods were not wont to bleede with paine liue at pleasure fancifully as himselfe did These stories neede litle application if we consider our weakenesse and conceiue aright of our infirmities these flattering colours that want the oyle of Gods truth wherewith they labour to paint out our deformednes to Godwarde woulde soone be washed away and come to nothing The best and fayrest shewe at the first sight for free will is that of water and fire life death good bad set before mankinde in Adam But looke vpon the place directlie albeit it be not Canonicall scripture and therefore not sufficient to informe thy faith Hiero. praefat in libr. Solom Idem ad Le tam. Ruff. in expositione in Symb. or to be alleadged in a doubtfull matter looke vpon it with a single eye and by way of comparison consider thereby thine owne power In the place thou shalt finde the first worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the beginning to referre thee to an other time as hath bene declared and as Augustine doth shewe Hyp. lib. 3. cap. 11. Stapl. lib. 2. cap. 15. Iosu 7.19 and the wiser Papists see well enough and of thyselfe O fraile and mortall man speake the truth shame the Diuel and so consequently glorifie God And if thou hast but a sparke of humblenes thou wilt franckely confesse that thou art farre from the libertie which these wordes importe And as for vs what can it auaile vs to debase mans corruption if it were as good or better then they make it haue we not equally our partes therein as well as they If our fieldes had no blasted corne our gardens no weedes our garmēts no spots our trees no shriueled apples if our flesh were spirite and not flesh our wisedome right and our will free what harme can the protestant take for yeelding to these things if they were true Onely we know that the friends of nature are enemies to grace 2. Cor. 3.5 and that all our sufficiencie or aptnes is of God and therefore nothing but insufficiencie in man And this being known shall it not be acknowledged or may we ioyne with them that are at variance with God in his word which teacheth a quite contrary lesson shewing that the very frame of mās hart is only euill alwayes only euill Gen. 6.5 therfore perfitly naught in no part good alwayes euill ergo neuer good therfore extreamly bad whether we respect the nature of sinne or continuance in sinning Moses hath the like place in sounde of words to that out of Ecclesiast Deut. 30. much alleadged in euerie particular circumstance vrged driuen further then the Prophete meaneth or in truthe can be maintained where of the commaundement which in Deut. is cōmaunded it is protested before heauen earth that it is not hid from the people or far of in heauen or beyonde the sea but neare vnto thē in their mouth in their hart life death blessing cursing are set before the people they cōmaunded exhorted to chuse life Here say free will men here is an electiō or choice a free wil. Choose life neither is the matter hard to do life death cursednes blisse are set before vs it is in vs to receaue either reason so say they for if we might not dissent or consent but were at a point to what ende serueth the exhortation or if we coulde not consent to good which is the harder thing why are we commaūded to choose life to embrace it and to consent thereunto and to doe accordingly In all this I note three thinges that the aduersary would inferre first a knowledge of the Lawe then a will to receiue it and thirdly an abilitie to put it in practise A knowledge he proueth by these wordes it is neere thee not aboue thee nor beyonde thy reach not distant in place thy mouth can talk thereof thy harte meditate thereupon A will he sheweth because of the worde choose An abylity for that these meanes are to the ende the Law be done Discou of haer transl cap. 10. obeyed executed and put in vre vt facias illud M. Gregorie Martins great skill in grammer can vrge this matter no farther All this being graunted the presumptuous Papist is neuer the neare his purpose to proue a free will or any other abilitie in the naturall man For first God speaketh to a people whome he had chosen and called and whom he had culled out of all the rest of the partes of the worlde A long time who knoweth not this God was chieflie worshipped amongst a few in the familie of Abraham his race 4. Esd 5.23 that vinearde only was his allother trees were the trees of a forsake forest He toke and selected frō out of al the multituds of men that only peculiar people whō he loued gaue a law his statutes ordināces he made known vnto them Psal 147.20 Matth. 15.26 to other nations he did not so The childrens bread was made for children whō he had made his children and not for dogges No vncircumcised person no Cananitish foote might treade within his courts But of this his people not only the heads elders and officers Deut. 29.11 but also the drawer of water and wood cleauer were such as vnto whō the Lord reueiled himselfe in familier maner And hence commeth the knowledge that is here spoken of hence also is the willingnes of a good choise when God by the hande of his spirite did circumcise ther hartes paring away the obstinacie of nature enduing them with faith Deut. 30.6 embracing Christ so in him fulfilling all that is required And thus doth S. Paul expoūd this text the word is neere thee c. calling it the word of faith which was
of our sinnefull demerits and in his rewards proposed we record wherunto we were created and agnize from whence we fell And because we finde an impossibilitie in the Law Rom. 8.3 Iob. 14 4 and no remedie in nature we do not as men redie to be drowned catch at euery straw that cannot help but appeale to the throne of grace and lay handfast only vppon his endlesse fauour and euerlasting mercie that exceedeth all his works I dwell vpon their chiefe places and reasons of theirs longer then the intent of a briefe treatise may seeme to permit The rather because one of our late writers dareth auouche Alen. apol of Eâ—ngl Semi c. 5. p. 59 with what face let the world iudge that in our shew of aunswer we further their cause rather then our own we only looke backward a little and barke and fly from the light and bay at them As if this were all that might be done in a mater of truth And such are their crakes of victorie in disputing c. But I gesse few of theÌ„ can speake better then the most best of them haue written Neither is it likely they canne do more in the valleyes then in the mountaines I mean they can not do more with their tongs disputes now theÌ„ their betters haue hertofore done with their pen writing By the bysh of SaruÌ„ M. Nowell D. Calfild others Wherin they haue receaued ful iust answer VVherfore no cause of fe are for all their in finit and intolerable vauntes For mine owne part I speake the truth ly not eueÌ„ before Christ that witnessed a good witnesse vnder Pontius Pilate as in few I haue declared mans vndoubted imperfection out of the word of God Hosius contra Brent prolo Mart Eisen de Eccl. vind Pigg Hierarch Sand Monar vis Stapl. de doct pr. c. so in reading the aduersaries bookes namely touching this matter of mans corruption I finde that as all their labour elswhere teÌ„deth only to the aduancing of human poÌ„p vnder the name of the church so vnder the title of nature they contend chiefly for the setting vp of man flesh in extenuating original sinne in excusing concupisceÌ„ce in praising the works of infidels in vpholding the wisedom and will of corruption To speake of all that hath bene latelie written Stapl. de vniuers Iusti ficationis doctr 1582 were to generall The las that I haue seene and the largest is Maister Stapleton whom I quote often in the margeÌ„t The man I remember to haue bene of the Colledge wherof my selfe am now In respect whereof and in Christian charitie I wish him the best And if Samuell may awake Elie 1. Sam. 2.23 if the younger may warne the elder to that end I haue thus called vppon him and pulled him by the sleeue that he go not away in a sleepe He knoweth Elie suffred his children to breake his owne necke Verily the fancies and affections that are bred in of man if he cocker them vp they will bring him to a worse end then Elies was or if he correct beat them lightly but with a fether this will not amend the children of Belial or the sonnes of Adam Elie demaunded of his sonnes why did they such such things Do no more my sonnes it is no good report that I heare of you which is that you make the Lordes people to trespasse yet more theÌ„ speaking roughly he did not but let them haue their ful fourth in sinne as if he had chidde them with his toung and stroked them fayrely on the head with his hand Wherfore God denounceth that he loued his children aboue him and therefore he woulde do a thing in Israell wherof whosoeuer should heare his two eares should tingle at it So the Papist can not but confesse say The issue ofspring of nature corrupt can not be but corrupt As the mother sinne is so are the daughters of sinne Of a thistle a prick of a bramble commeth a bryer And namely as concupiscence in the vnregenerat man for some causes must needes be sinne Stapl. lib. 3 cap. 3 so in the regenerate no good report there goeth of it neither yet of mans wisedome nor of his will The Papist can chide a little on this fashion but yet the naturall man will honor his children and make of him selfe more theÌ„ of his maker For he telleth euery man to speake a word of that Suprae pa. 9. which in order was touched before albeit concupiscence be euill and sinne yet is it not so properly and in precise maner of speaking but only because she leadeth the way to sinne as it were causeth the Lordes people to transgresse Stap. l. 4. c. 5 Likewise mans wisedome is darknesse for sooth in the Gentils and his will stonie and obstinate that is say they onely depraued Fie vpon such fondnesse fie maister Stapleton If our willes were onely depraued and but some way prone to euill and not perfitly imperfit and past all good had the holy Ghost no softer wordes to shewe the imbecillity therof but by stone and brasse and yron c. And S. Paul when he telleth the Ephesians that they were once darknesse in deed they were Gentils what theÌ„ what doth that distinction help The vnregenerat mans father is an Amorite Ezech. 16.3 and his mother an Hittit all men are Gentils or in as bad case as any man may be if they be respected in them selues not lightned by his spirit instructed by grace And as for concupisceÌ„ce is it sin only because she teÌ„pteth not in proper termes of speaking A foolish woman a sinneful is described in Solomon to be troublefom Prou. 9.13 She is ignorant and knoweth nothing sitteth at the dore of her house entiseth them that passe by out of the right way These properties proue the sinnefulnes of the womaÌ„ sufficiently properly All which appeare to be in the concupisceÌ„ce of man The one is as ignoraÌ„t as busie as the other Only the one prouoketh openly sitteth at her dore allureth to her the other lurketh in thy bosom and therfore is the more dangerouse and neuer the lesse sinnefull but to all purposes to be taken as a natural sinner But hereof before more at large These figg leaues then fetcht out of the orchard of mans braine will not couer betweene God vs. Lib. 1. cap. 4 Your selfe M. Stapleton and others begin to mislike both certaine schoolmen and certaine late writers for falsly maintayning naturs ability in preparing her selfe meritoriously toward God ingeniously you confesse the hissing out of the opinion of merits de congruo of deserts of conueniency God grauÌ„t that as he hath begunne that good work so he vouchsafe to make it perfit in you more more in great measure that you may see and detest the length breadth infinit deepenesse of mans naturall transgressions and
excellent sentence full of cōfort and speciall confidence M. Stapleton would qualifie it but can not therfore thought it better to misreporte it otherwise then he found it in Bernard him selfe Lib. 9.14 and first of all he misquoteth the place 6. for 61. but that may be the negligence of his Printer and so woulde I easily thinke if there were no ill dealing otherwise Secondly he sayth this confidence is taken not for a confidence but so farre furth as it is opposed to an astonishment as if when I did a thing confidently I did it only not with astonishmēt Wheras a man astonished is past doing but doing confidentlie is doing and doing with great boldnes Thirdly for fidenter he saith fideliter changing Bernardes worde and fourthly he saith fideliter-dico as if Bernard spake of faithfull speaking and not of cōfident vsurping and taking specially in the singuler number ego I and properly mihi to my selfe take from the bowels of Christ what is wanting to my selfe The reasons of this his assurance Bernard yeldeth elswhere Serm. 3. de frag septē vpon three strōg cōsideratiōs of the loue of Gods adoptiō the truth of his promisse and abilitie to performe and thē he pronounceth that he knoweth whom to beleeue in beleeuing how to be assured In truth if we either rest or reckon of your selues so as M. Stapleton requireth we cast the anker of our hope in an vnstable place and not vpward into heauen as the Apostle teacheth and then no meruaile if hope be no hope fayth not faith For what scripture euer teacheth vs to hope or beleeue in our selues Accursed is he that maketh flesh his arme or putteth his trust in man either in himselfe or in an other man in him selfe for that is a daungerous pride in an other that is as Augustines word is an inordinate humilitie inordinate humilis non leuatur Hom. 84. de temp periculose superbus praecipitatur The proude man wil hurle down himselfe hedlong but the inordinate humble no man can hold vppe Wherefore pride dispaire and folly be far from vs. Our hope faith and helpe is only in the name of the Lorde We are ashamed of our selues of men like our selues but not of the hope which is in vs toward him The matter is weightie yet would I be loth to be ouer long I will ende with remembrance of a storie out of the booke of Nombers Numb 13. where Iosue sent certaine to suruaie the lande of Chanaan who vpon their returne reported of the goodnes of the lande much but more of the strength of the people of the crueltie of the inhabitants of their stature like giāts and in comparison that Israell were but grashoppers their towns meruelously defensed and that euerie way it was impossible to goe vp and preuaile against it But Caleb whom the Lorde had indued with a better spirite comforted the people on the contrarie side and saide cheerfullie Come let vs go vppe vndoubtedlie we shall possesse it litle considering the strength of the people or their crueltie or the wals of ther cities but onely rested vpon the promises of God and therein he stayed him selfe and would oft haue stilled Israell Semblably notwithstāding the force of all the worlde the difficulties of flesh and bloude the subtelties of sinne the arguments that certaine aduersaries like Iosues spies make against vs yet if we haue Iosues faith we must relie vpon the Lorde and in the ende we shall obtaine a better land then the land of Chanaan euen the land of the liuing with the liuing God He that somtime doubteth may remēber he is a mā but because he is also a faith full man he must not cōtinue therein but shake away distrust cōquere al doubts be well armed with the shild of faith against all assalts The faithles they are at an other pointe they ame vncertainly without a marke beat the aire bath themselues in the pleasures of the worlde for a while in the end they dy as they liued they liued without hope perish euerlastingly But we who are beleuers know we ar beleuers as August speaketh For faith is no fancy as we are risen againe in newnes of life in this life so shall we be receaued againe to life eternall in the life to come our conuersation and trafficke is aboue our hartes are set on heauen heauenlie thinges we are frindes with God distance of place diuersities of periles and doubtes of daungers can not disioyne or cause distrust for we also shall finally dye as we liued we liued in his feare and reuerence we dye in his faith he is our God God and therefore able our God and therefore willing to bring his promises all to passe one daie and in the meane season there can happen nothing neither inwardly nor outwardely but it may be patientlie borne quietly disgested and with suffrance passed ouer knowing alwayes as the Prophet saith that the time shall come either in this worlde or in the worlde to come when all shall confesse verily of a truth there is frute for the righteous doubtles there is a God Psal 58.11 that iudgeth the earth The teeth of the cruell the iawes of the Lion the arrowes and all the argumentes of proude imaginations shall come to nothing we shal certainely be saued Of sanctification in this life and the meanes of direction therein ACcording to the order which I proposed to my self to shew furth the frenes of Gods grace and fauour it remaineeth in this place next to speake of sanctification For albeit S. Paul maketh it no expresse linke of that chaine wherein God doth all in all and wherewith out of al cōtrouersie there can be nothing in man yet where he speaketh of mās duty to God he shewethe euer necessarilie that they who are iustified by faith in Christ are likewise sanctified by his spirite For being manumitted or freed from sinn by Christ we are there withall made the seruaunts of God to bring furth fruts vnto sanctificatiō Their owne Roffensis saw somewhat when he sayde fides iustificat ante partum Stapl. lib. 8. cap. 31. Illyr in cla par 2. tract 6. Faith is the mother works of sanctificatiō are the children The mother doth iustifie in order before the children be borne and then shee bringeth furth a godly ofspring who like good childrē cherish their mother and comfort her with naturall respect againe That no man mistake me it woulde be obserued that the word sanctification is taken either for iustification in Christ who is our wisedome our righteousnes sanctification or else for holynes of life in Christiās who hauing receaued the spirit of adoption a measure of grace are sanctified renued in their minds reformed in their liues dying to the world liuing vnto God Both these sanctificatiōs ar ours For Christ is ours therfore his holines his righteousnes are ours also But there is a
they selfe but giue it me Prouer. 23. bestowe it not vpon pleasures which fester nor vpon meates wherin is excesse nor vpon riches which will take the wings of the eagle soone fly away nor in honours which man enioying becam a beast nor in any corruptible vain thing vnder heauen Giue me thy harte sayth the wisedome of God and he will teach thee to vnderstand and follow righteousnes and iudgement and equitie euerie good path And as for riches honor pleasures c. know this godlines is great riches and as the highest honor as the true and perfit pleasure what not that good is Direction in the way of sanctification out of the word of God and by his spirite And now for directiō herein in the way of godlynes whō should we rather follow then God him selfe c. not the vaine wordes of others but as the Apostle aduiseth walking as the children of the light bringing furth the fruites of the spirite Wherin we may note that to vaine words we must oppose the worde of God and that the fruites of the spirite are specified to be good works to teach vs from whēce good workes come The one sometimes is distinguished frō somtimes conteined vnder the other The word serueth to direct in the right way and whereby we discern who are out of the right way The spirit is Christes vicar on earth and as Christ him selfe the sonne of righteousnes and the day star in our hartes a consuming fire of all distrust and burning vp the very rootes of disobedience and of all the stumbling blockes in the world The one of these lightly is neuer receaued without the other For the worde is vnprofitable without the Spirit The Spirit of God leadeth into all truth The things of God no man knoweth but the Spirit of God But yet the Spirit of Christ to them that haue age and opportunitie neuer commeth but with the word The Anabaptist The Atheist The Papist There are three especial enemies of this word of God and therfore enemies to the rule of goodnesse and to the leuell of all sanctimonie The first is the fantasticall Anabaptist that dreameth of Reuelations the second is the wilfull Atheist that thinketh the worde of God to be to troublesome it hindreth his fancies it forbiddeth his delightes and stoppeth all the bathes of his vaine pleasure it talketh to much of sanctification The third enemie is the wilie Papist subtiller then all the beasts of the earth beside he knoweth his coine is adulterate and therefore he feareth the touchstone his chaffe wolde not be winnowed And no maruaile For wold false prophets be sifted or vaine spirites be brought to their triall Wherefore the man of sinne goeth about to disswade mē from hearing and reading this worke of God and in steede of the waters of the Scriptures they haue digged vp puddles of wilworshiping and such like mud fitter for the horse and camel then for Christian souls in roome of the light of Gods word they haue substituted false mocklights of their owne in place of virgin wax they haue giuen vs tallow in roome of a candle they haue reached vs a snuffe the candle of the Lords word they haue detained vnder a bed or a bushell that the faithfull men might neuer knowe what they did nor discerne what they beleeued As if to beleue well were to beleue a mā knew not what or to liue wel were to liue in ignorance and to do the works of darknesse And yet they pretend great reason for all this and so did he that said of one that could be mad with reason I can not debate the controuersie I shall but touch a reason or two The worde is vncertaine the worde is obscure ergo not to be read and heard absolutely of all c. Vncertaine I know not what is blasphemie if this be not Where in what place dare they thus speake in the Church of God before whome before the Congregation of Saintes The word is as a candle which giueth light both to the house and sheweth withall what it selfe is is it then vncertaine but it is obscure So you saie We aske to whom we aunswere to them that perish It is harder somwhere then in some to stir vp thine attention therfore it is commaunded Search the Scriptur dig for wisedome seek for knowledge as after siluer and gold Be it that it be obscure Yet as that saying in great part is most false so is the reason most faultie The candle burneth dimme therfore toppe it It is a good argument There is a knotte in the weeke therfore open it that the light may haue easier entrance It is a fit reason But the candle burneth obscurely therefore put it out or throw it away or anie such like cōclusion is starke naught Yea the more obscure the Scripture is the more it must be laboured the more incessantlie studied because it is that wherein we knowe is life euerlasting and the way of life which is sanctification To let go them that will not heare vs seeke after this waye there are of those that seeke sundrie sortes Some seeke onlie to the end they maie be knowen to be verie skilfull men in good thinges this is an ambitiouse vanitie some only to know this is fond curiositie some to enstruct them selues this is true wisedome and some to edifie others and this is perfit charitie The two former sorts are naught the two later holy and good For true religion and perfit holinesse is made neither of bragging wordes or peeuish fancies but this is true deuotion to visit the sicke the widow the fatherlesse to keepe a mans selfe blameles from the soile of the world He that neuer saw hony may talke think how sweete a thing it is but he that tasteth therof can better tell what a gratious tast it hath in deede Again there ar others that though they cared litle for seeking them selues yet are they content to let others alone with such matters But all their care is as they are caried awaye with some conceit or other They rise vp early in the morning and go to bed late and eate their bread in great care to compasse purposes But alas what meane they Suppose thou be a Monarch a noble a marchant man or what thou wilt if thou gaine all and lose a good conscience and thereby thy soule thy losse is greater then thy gaine Thou art a iollie fellow in thy countrie a king of a welthie land a peere in a Realme thou canst preuent foes ioyne in with mighty friends al the sheaues of the field must bow to thé the Sunne and the Moone must stoupe at thie presence or if thou be a meaner man as of a towne and corporation thou canst cudgell and compasse matters conuey things at pleasure or if thou be a priuate occupier or a man of trade thou canst buy cheape and sell deare all these
and the like are but miserable comforts in the day of death or iudgment One sanctified soule then will be more worth then innumerable sinners O Lorde sanctifie them and vs with a liuely vnderstanding of thy trueth Thy word is the truth teach vs O Lorde good wayes therin that we may know do thy will I will record a storie Dauid being certified of Saules death among his lamentations he breaketh foorth on this wise 2. Sam. 1 O tell it not in Gath publish it not in the streetes of Ascalō lest the daughters of the Philistines reioyce lest the children of the vncircumcised triumph Gath and Askalō were of the chiefe cities of the vncircumcised Dauid wisheth that Saules death might be concealed from them that it might not be told to the enemies of Saul and of God With like affection it is to be desired that ether there wer no Sauls at al or that they might die either obscurely or liue otherwise then to the slaunder of the profession they seeme to be of but in truth are not They that haue dwelt or dwell in Gath Askalon in Louain Doway Rōe or Rhemes the enemies of vs of our Land and of our God wil be glad to hear that he which is reckoned a iustified man by faith were yet a prophane person like Esau in the race of his life The streame of sinne is strong and carieth the world with it but he that thinketh he standeth let him take heede he fall not If a piller fall the house is in daunger if a mightie tree fall it beareth downe manie bowes and sprigges with it O what a shame were it for anie that haue begun in the spirit to ende in the flesh to reioyce in the light and afterward to loue darknes more then light to receiue as it were a portion of faith and then to mispend it The children of the vncircumcised will make great triumphes when they shall heare hereof supposing they haue gayned much when they can finde a man that hath fallen from his God but to the godlie what sorrowe is like to this where such euentes are found Wherefore let euerie man looke to his wayes stand to his watch that he offend not God neither that he giue place to Sathan cause of ioy to the aduersarie or of griefe to the godly that he defile not him selfe driue away the spirit receaue the word in vaine stayne his profession and that he be not like the Asse and Mule that carieth on his backe wheate or breade or wine and yet eateth onelie chaffe and drinketh nothing but water To carie the name of a Christian is little woorth except you feede on the properties of Christianity expresse them in a good life For not to talke of Christ but to liue in Christ is indeede to be a Christian vnto whom it may shold be said as it was vnto Mary thou shalt beare a sonne and thou shalt call his name Iesus For they that heare Goddes word with pure affection Luc. 8.22 and bring foorth the frutes of the spirit they are as it were Christes brethren and as deare as his mother and after a sort his verie mother as in the wōb of whose faith Christ is conceiued and in whose holie life Christ is spiritually born into the world dayly And this is true sanctification allwayes to be perfourmed in vs taught in the word imprinted by the Spirit graūted of God through the merites of Christ in whose name we pray euer to be sanctified more and more continually And euē as Anna praied that God would giue her a man child and she would giue him the Lord againe so wee pray that God will make vs his holy adopted children But the benefit of this holinesse and of this adoption as likewise of our creation when we were not of our iustification when we were naught and of all things else as he giueth them vs so we must giue them him againe render all the praise to him alone the onely giuer of all good giftes who is to be blessed for euer both for all and of all So be it Of Glorification in the life to come and of sobriety in certaine questions that are moued therein WHen sanctification endeth in this life then glorification entreth taketh his beginning for the life to come And then when we shall haue escaped all the ginnes of mortalitie when the times of temptation shall be passed ouer when the streame of this world shall haue quite rūne out his course then this corruption of ours shal be endued with incorruption the olde Phoenix shall be renewed and euen as Moses did put his leprouse hande into his bosome Exod. 4.7 and pulleth it foorth a cleane and a sound hande so this fraile flesh of ours that is sowen in dishonour 1. Cor. 15 and must rotte in the mould of the earth shall yet rise againe in honour with great perfectiō in that gloriouse day Sainct Paul sheweth that there were amongst the Philippians Phil. 3 that walked much amisse in number manie in conditions earthly minded men seruants to their bellie and enemies to the crosse of Christ therfore in fine whose iust end was to haue an heauie doome a deserued damnation But speaking of him selfe and of the godlie he saith our consolation is in heauen from whence we looke for a Sauiour euen the Lord Iesus who shall change our vile bodies that they maie be like his gloriouse bodie according to the working wherebie he is able to subdue all thinges vnto him selfe Wherein these four points are expressely set downe the conuersation of Christians to be heauēlie their expectation to be of Christes appearing in the cloudes the glorification to be euen of our verie bodies and because no man should doubt of the issue thereof after he had set downe the former three in the fourth place mencion is made of the omnipotent power of God Reu. 14.13 Wherefore without all question as the spirit saith in the reuelation Blessed are they that die in the Lorde for they neither frie nor freese as the Papistes suppose in purgatorie but rest from their labours Nowe to die in the Lorde is to die either in his cause quarell for righteousnesse sake or otherwise in his faith and feare and in the course of their calling And to die is to be dissolued Eccl. 12.7 the bodie to the earth from whence it was taken and the soule to be rendred into the hands of God that gaue it Thy dead saith Esay Esay 26 O Lorde shall liue euen as my body shal they rise againe Awake and sing ye that dwell in the dust For thy dewe is as the dewe of herbs and the earth shall cast vp her dead Not that all the dead but that the Lords dead shall liue the second life And not who dye in their sinnes and in olde Adam but who die in the Lorde and who liued in Christ and Christ in them and