vncertaintie all his life but especially in the houre of death must needes disquiet him And truly when a man shall haue done many thousand workes yet his heart can neuer be at quiet as it appeareth in the yong man who though he had laboured all his life to fulfill the law thereby to be saued yet distrusting all his doings he asketh further of our Sauiour Christ what he might doe to be saued Furthermore it is the doctrine of the church of Rome that there is nothing in the regenerate that God can hate and that they are inwardly pure and without spot A doctrine that will make any Christian conscience despaire For if a man shall fall to examine himselfe he shall find that he is solde vnder sinne compassed about of sinne he shall see his particular sinnes to be as the haires of his head at the sight and feeling of which he shall finde that there is much matter in him worthie of hatred and damnation too He beeing in this case will beginne to doubt whether he be the child of God or not and perseuering in this doubting he shall be driuen to despaire of Gods loue towardes him considering that he cannot find any such purenesse in himself as the doctrin of the church of Rome requireth Lastly experience it selfe teacheth that the Romish religion can bring no peace to the conscience in that some for the maintaining of it haue despaired As Francis Spira who against his owne conscience hauing abiured the truth and subscribed to the doctrine of the Romish Church most fearefully despaired of his saluation which could not haue beene if that doctrine had beene agreeable to Gods word which is spirit and life to the receiuer For the same cause Latomus a doctor of Louane despaired crying that he was damned because he had opposed himselfe to the knowne truth This also befell Gardner at his death as the booke of Acts and Monuments declareth The third argument THat religion which agreeth to the corruption of mans nature a Reprobate may truly professe it the religion of the Church of Rome agreeth to the corruption of mans nature therefore a reprobate may truly professe it The proofe I Neede not stand to prooue the proposition the assumption is rather to be confirmed which first I will prooue by induction of particulars First that a man should be iustified by works is an opinion setled in nature as may appeare in them that crucified our Sauiour Christ for when they were pricked in their hearts at Peters sermon they saide Men and brethren what shall we doe to be saued and this said the yong man before named not what should I beleeue but what should I doe to be saued So then in them it appeareth that it is a naturall opinion of all men to thinke that they must be saued by doing of somewhat A Papist will say though this be naturall thus to thinke yet it may be good for there is some goodnes in nature I answer that the wisdome of the flesh is enmitie to Gods wisdome Rom. 8.7 and aâ—l men by nature are nothing but flesh for naturally they are the children of wrath Secondly the worshipping of god in images is a great matter in the Church of Rome but this manner of worshipping is nothing but a worke of the flesh which thus I prooue Idolatrie is naturall and a worke of the flesh but to worship God in images is idolatrie The children of Israel when they erected the golden calfeâ— they did commit idolatrie and yet they did not worship the calfe it selfe bâ—â— God in the calfe For when the calfe was made they proclaimed an holy day not to the calfe but to the Lord. And Baal that detestable idol was nothing but the image of God as appeareth in Hosea the prophet At that day saith the lord thou shalt calme no more Baal It remaineth therfore that to serue God in an image is a work of the flesh and altogether agreeth to the vile corruption of nature Thirdly pride and a desire to be a aduanced aboue other is a naturall corruption to this agreeth the Popes primacie his double sword and triple crown yet the outragious pomp of that seate is as a paire of bellowes to kindle the concupiscence and to make the hidden sparkes of pride to breake out into a great flame Fourthly Doubting of Gods prouidence mercie is a naturall corruption in all men to this agreeth and from hence issueth that foolish and vaine opinion concerning doubting of our saluation and of the remission of sinnes Fiftly selfe-loue and selfe-liking are naturall corruptions to this agreeth that doctrine of the Papists not ouermuch to abase our selues but to maintaine freewill by nature and to thinke that we haue so much goodnes that we are able to prepare our selues to receiue and in some sort to merit grace Sixtly idlenes and riotousnes is a naturall corruption and to it very fitly answereth the great number of feasts of holy daies of halfe holy daies which the Church of Rome vseth Seuenthly Couetousnes is a naturall corruption and to the feeding of this vice serueth Purgatorie a fire of great gaine which in very truth if it had not burned very hot the fire in the Popes kitchin had burned very colde hitherto serue Pilgrimages saying of Masses and selling of pardons for money Eightly to be at libertie is the desire of nature answerable to this is that opinion that the spiritualtie is to be exempted from subiection to Magistrates Ninthly to commit adulterie is naturall to this agreeth the Stewes and the permission of simple fornication Tenthly ignorance is a filthy corruption in nature this the Church of Rome maketh the mother of deuotion and it is inioyned the lay man as a meanes of his saluation for he must beleeue as the church beleeueth he is not bound to know XI Infidelitie is naturall and to this agreeth that they call vpon Saints and Angels the Lord hauing commanded them to call vpon him in the name of Christ what argueth this els but hearts distrusting Gods goodnes and guiltie consciences XII Images in the Church of Rome came from infidelitie because men in reason could not perswade themselues that God was present vnlesse that were made manifest by some signe and image Which thing the Israelites declared when they said to Aaron in the wildernes in Moses absence Make vs gods to goe before vs. XIII Satisfactions for sinne are naturall for wicked men when they haue offended God they haue alwaies vsed some ceremonies to pacifie God with which when they haue performed then they thinke they haue done enough XIV The church of Rome saith that the Scriptures are darke obscure the blind man findeth fault with the darknes of the sunne If the Scriptures appeare to any to be obscure the fault is not in the Scriptures but in the blindnes of the minde of him which readeth and heareth them XV. Lastly pardons open
followed of all though it may be the applying of it as Iob well perceiued is mixed with follie Here it may be alleadged that in the pangs of death men want their senses and conuenient vtterance and that therefore they are vnable to pray Ans. The very sighes sobbes and gâ—ones of a repentant and beleeuing heart are praiers before God euen as effectuall as if they were vttered by the best voice in the world Prayer stands in the affection of the heart the voice is but an outward messenger therof God looks not vpon the speach but vpon the heart Dauid saith God heares the desires of the poore againe that he will fulfill the desires of theÌ„ that feare him yea their very teares are loud and sounding praiers in his eares Againe faith may otherwise be expressed by the Last words which for the most part in theÌ„ that haue truly serued God are very excellent coÌ„fortable and full of grace some choise examples whereof I will rehearse for instructions sake and for imitation The last wordes of Iacob were those whereby as a prophet he foretold blessings and curses vpon his children and the principall among the rest were these The scepter shall not depart from Iudah and the lawgiuer from betweene his feete till Shilo come and O Lord I haue waited for thy saluation The last words of Moses are his most excellent song set downe Deut. 32. and the last words of Dauid were these The spirit of the Lord spake by me and his word was in my tongue the God of Israel spake to me the strength of Israel said Beare rule ouer men c. The wordes of Zacharias the sonne of Iehoida when he was stoned were The Lord looke vpon it and require it The last words of our Sauiour Christ when he was dying vpon the crosse are most admirable and stored with abundance of spirituall grace 1. To his father he saith Father forgiue them they know not what they doe 2. to the thiefe Verily I say vnto thee this night shalt thou be with me in Paradise 3. to his mother Mother behold thy son to Iohn behold thy mother 4. and in his agonie My God my God why hast thou forsaken me 5. and earnestly desiring our saluation I thirst 6. and when he had made perfect satisfaction It is finished 7. and when bodie and soule were parting Father into thy hands I commend my spirit The last words of Steuen were 1. Behold I see the heauens open and the Sonne of man standing at the right hand of God 2. Lord Iesu receiue my spirit 3. Lord lay not this sinâ—e to their charge Of Polycarpe Thou art a true God without lying therefore in all things I praise thee and blesse thee and glorifie thee by the eternall God and high Priest Iesus Christ thine onely beloued sonne by whome and with whome to thee and the holy Spirit be all glorie now and for euer Of Ignatius I care not what kinde of death I die I am the bread of the Lord and must be ground with the teeth of lyons that I may be cleane bread for Christ who is the bread of life for me Of Ambrose I haue not so led my life amoÌ„g you as if I were ashamed to liue neither doe I feare death because we haue a good Lord. Of Augustine 1. He is no great maÌ„ that thinks it a great matter that trees and stones fall and mortall men die 2. Iust art thou O Lord and righteous is thy iudgement Of Bernard 1. An admonitioÌ„ to his brethren that they would ground the anchor of their faith and hope in the safe and sure port of Gods mercie 2. Because saith he as I suppose I can not leaue vnto you any choise example of religion I commend three things to be imitated of you which I remember that I haue obserued in the race which I haue runne as much as possibly I could 1. I gaue lâ—sse heede to mine owne sense and reason then to the sense and reason of other men 2. When I was hurt I sought not reuenge on him that did the hurt 3. I had care to giue offence to no man and if it fell out otherwise I tooke it away as I could Of Zuinglius when in the fielde he was wounded vnder the chinne with a speare O what happe is this goe to they may kill my bodie but my soule they cannot Of Oecolampadius 1. An exhortation to the ministers of the Church to maintaine the puritie of doctrine to shewe forth an example of honest and godly conuersation to bee constant and patient vnder the crosse 2. Of himselfe Whereas I am charged to bee a corrupter of the trueth I weigh it not now I am going to the tribunall of Christ and that with good conscience by the grace of god there it shall be manifest that I haue not seduced the Church Of this my saying and contestation I leaue you as witnesses and I confirme it with this my last breath 3. To his children loue God the father and turning himselfe to his kinsfolkes I haue bound you saith he with this contestation you which they heare and I haue desired shall doe your indeauour that these my childreÌ„ may be godly and peaceable and true 4. To his friend comming vnto him What shall I say vnto you Newes I shal be shortly with Christ my Lord. 5. being asked whether the light did not trouble him touching his breast there is light enough saith hee 6. he rehearsed the whole 51. psalme with deepe sighes from the bottome of his breast 7. a little after Saue me Lord Iesus Of Luther My heauenly father God and father of our Lord Iesus Christ and God of all comfort I giue thee thankâ—s that thou hast reuealed vnto me thy sonne Iesus Christ whome I haue beleeued whome I haue professed whome I haue loued whome I haue praised whome the Bishoppe of Rome and the whole companie of the wicked persecuteth and reuileth I praie thee my Lord Iesus Christ receiue my poore soule my heauenly father though I bee taken from this life and this bodie of mine is to he laid downe yet I knowe certainely that I shall remaine with thee for euer neither shall any be able to pull me out of thy hand Of Hooper O Lord Iesus sonne of Dauid haue mercie on me receiue my soule Of Annas Burgius Forsake me not O Lord least I forsake thee Of MelaÌ„cthon If it be the will of God I am willing to die and I beseech him that he will graunt me a ioyfull departure Of Caluine 1. I held my tongue because thou Lord hast done it 2. I mourned as a doue 3. Lord thou grindest me to powder but 〈◊〉 sufficeth me because it is thine hand Of Peter Martyr that his bodie was weake but his mind was well that he acknowledged no life or saluation but onely in Christ who was giuen of the father to be a redeemer of mankind and
is that euery seruant of God must take heede howe hee trauels into such countries where Popish religion is stablished least hee partakes in the sinnes and punishments thereof Indeede to goe vpon ambassage to any place or to trauell for this end that wee may performe the necessarie duties for our speciall or generall callings is not vnlawefull but to trauell out of the precincts of the chnrch onely for pleasures sake and to see strange fashions hath no warrant And hence it is that many men which goe forth in good order well minded come home with crased consciences The best traueller of all is he that liuing at home or abroad can goe out of himselfe and depart from his owne sinnes and corruptions by true repentance FINIS An aduertisement to all fauourers of the Romane religion shewing that the said religion is against the Catholike principles and grounds of the Catechisme GReat is the number of them that embrace the religion of the present Church of Rome beeing deceiued by the glorious titles of Vniuersalitie Antiquitie Succession And no doubt though some be wilfully blinded yet many deuoted this waie neuer sawe any other trueth Nowe of them and the rest I desire this fauour that they will but weigh and ponder with theÌ„selues this one thing which I will nowe offer to their considerations and that is That the Romane religion now stablished by the councell of Trent is in the principall points thereof against the grounds of the Catechisme that haue beene agreed vpon euer since the daies of the Apostles by all Churches These groundes are foure the first is the Apostles Creed the second is the decalogue or tenne commandements the third is the forme of praier called the Lords praier the fourth is the Institution of the two Sacraments baptisme and the Lords supper 1. Cor. 11.23 That I may in some order manifest this which I say I will begin with the Symbole or Creed And first of all it must bee considered that some of the principall doctrines beleeued in the Church of Rome are that the Pope or Bishop of Rome is the vicar of Christ and the head of the Catholike church that there is a fire of purgatorie after this life that images of God and Saints are to be placed in Churches and worshipped that praier is to bee made to Saints departed their interceffion to be required that there is a propitiatorie sacrifice daily oâ—â—ered in the masse for the sinnes of the quicke the dead These points are of that moment that without them the Romane religion caÌ„not stand and in the councel of Trent the curse Anathema is pronounced vpon all such as denie these or any of them And yet marke the Apostles Creede which hath bin thought to containe all necessarie points in religion to bee beleeued and hath therefore beene called the kay rule of faith this creed I say hath not any of these points nor the Expositions made thereof by the auncient fathers nor any other Creede or confession of faith made by any councel or Church for the space of many hundred yeares This is a plaine proofe to any indifferent man that these be new articles of faith neuer knowne in the Apostolike Church that the fathers councels could not find any such articles of faith in the books of the old and new testament Answer is made that all these points of doctrine are beleeued vnder the article I beleeue the Catholike Church the meaning whereof they wil haue to be this I beleeue all things which the Catholicke church holdeth and teacheth to be beleeued If this bee as they say we must needes beleeue in the Church that is put our confidence in the Church for the manifestation and the certentie of all doctrines necessarie to saluation and thus the eternal trueth of God the Creatour shall depend on the determination of the creature and the written word of God in this respect is made vnsufficient as though it had not plainely reuealed all points of doctrine pertaining to saluation And the ancient Churches haue beene farre ouerseene that did not propound the former points to be beleeued as articles of faith but left them to these latter times 2. In this Creede to beleeue in God and to beleeue the Church are distinguished To beleeue in is pertaining to the Creatour to beleeue to the creature as Ruffinus hath noted when he saith that by this preposition in the Creatour is distinguished from the creature and things pertaining to God from things pertaining to men And Augustine saith It must be knowne that we must beleeue the Church and not beleeue in the Church because the Church is not God but the house of God Hence it followes that we must not beleeue in the Saints nor put our confidence in our workes as the learned Papists teach Therfore Eusebius saith We ought of right to beleeue Peter and Paul but to beleeue in Peter and Paul that is to giue to the seruants the honour of the Lord we ought not And Cyprian saith He doth not beleeue in God which doeth not place in him alone the trust of his whole felicitie 3. The article conceiued by the holy Ghost is ouerturned by the transubstaÌ„tiation of bread and wine in the masse into the bodie and blood of Christ. For here wee are taught to confesse the true and perpetuall incarnation of Christ beginning in his conception and neuer ending afterward and wee acknowledge the trueth of his manhood and that his bodie hath the essentiall properties of a true body standing of flesh bone hauing quaÌ„titie figure dimeÌ„sions namly length breadth thicknes hauing part out of part as head out of feet feet out of head being also circuÌ„scribed visible touchable in a word it hath al things in it which by order of creatioÌ„ beloÌ„g to a body It wil be said that the bodie of Christ may remaine a true bodie yet be altered in respect of some qualities as namely circumscription But I say againe that locall circumscription can no way be seuered from a bodie it remaining a bodie For to be circumscribed in place is an essentiall propertie of euery quantitie and quantitie is the common essence of euery bodie And therefore a bodie in respect of his quantitie must needs be circumscribed in one place This was the iudgement of Leo when hee said The â—odie of Christ is by no meanes out of the trueth of our bodâ—â— And Augustine when he said Onely God in Christ so comes that he doth not departâ—â—o returnes that he doth not leaue vs but man according to bodie is in place and goes out of the same place and when he shall come vnto another place he is not in that place whence he comes To helpe the matter they vse to distinguish thus Christs bodie in respect of the whole essence thereof may be in many places but not in respect of the whole quantitie whereby it is only in one place But as I haue
This is performed when as any one by the instinct of the holy Ghost doth purpose will desire and endeauour to relinquish his former sinnes and to become a new man Psal. 119.112 I haue applied my heart to fulfill thy statutes alway euen vnto the ende 1. Ioh. 3.3 Act. 11.23 Who when he was come and had seene the grace of God was glad and exhorted all that with purpose of heart they would cleane vnto the Lord. The fruit of Repentance is a Christian conuersation wherein are brought forth fruits worthie amendment of life Matth. 3.8 Bring yee therefore forth fruits worthie of repentance A Christian conuersation is such a course of life whereby we following Christs example doe by him performe new obedience to God Math. 11.29 Take my yoke on you and learne of me that am meeke and lowly in heart and ye shall finde rest vnto your soules 1. Pet. 4.1 For as much as Christ hath suffered for vs in the flesh arme your selues likewise with the same minde which is that he which hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sinne 1. Pet. 2.21 For hereunto are ye called for Christ also suffered for vs leauing vs an ensample that we should follow his steps 1. Pet. 3.10 11. If any man long after life and to see good daies let him refraine his tongue from euill and his lippes that they speake no guile Let him eschew euill and doe good let him seeke peace and follow after it There are two parts of new obedience the deniall of our selues and the profession of Christ. Math. 16.24 If any man will follow me let him forsake himselfe take vp his crosse and follow me The deniall of our selues consisteth partly in Christian warrefare partly in the patient bearing of affliction CHAP. 40. Of Christian warfare CHristian warfare is concerning the right way of fighting in the spirituall battell The partes thereof are the preparation to battell and the combate it selfe To the preparation we must vse the complet armour of God Eph. 6.13 For this cause take vnto you the whole armour of God that yee may be able to resist in the euill day and hauing finished all things stand fast The parts hereof are especially sixe I. Trueth II. Iustice. III. Euangelicall obedience IV. Faith V. The word of God VI. Continuall and feruent prayer with watching Eph. 6.14 Stand therefore and your loynes girded about with veritie and hauing on the brestplate of righteousnesse 15. And your feete shodd with the preparation of the Gospell of peace 16. Aboue all take the sheild of faith wherwith ye may quench all the fierie dartes of the wicked 17. And take the helmet of saluation and the sword of the spirit which is the word of God 18. And praie alwaies with all manner praier and supplication in the spirit and watch thereunto with all perseuerance and supplication for all Saints 1. Pet. 5.8 Be sober and watch for your aduersarie the deuill as a roaring lyon walketh about seeking whome hee may deuoure The combate is a mutuall conflict of them that fight spiritually The warriours are the tempter and the Christian souldier Ephes. 6.12 For we werestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities against powers and against the wordly gouernours the princes of the darkenesse of this world against spirituall wickednesses which are in high places The Tempter is the prince or his helpers The prince is Satan and his angels which are spirituall wickednesses in high things His helpers are the flesh and the world The conflict of all these is temptation whereby man is prouoked to cōmit such wickednes as is hurtfull to the saluation of his soule 1. Pet. 2.11 Dearly beloued I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims abstaine from fleshly lusts which fight against the soule In the Souldier two things are to be considered his resisting and his fall Resistance is an action whereby the souldier doth withstand temptation through grace working inwardly in him 1. Ioh. 2.14 I write vnto you babes because ye haue knowne the father I haue written to you fathers because ye haue known him that is from the beginning I haue written to you yong men because ye are strong and the word of God abideth in you and ye haue ouercome the wicked 1. Pet. 5.8 Eph. 6.16 Psal. 91.13 Thou shalt walke vpon the lyon and aspe the young lyon and the dragon shalt thou tread vnder feete To confirme this these preseruatiues which follow are very necessarie I. When thou art tempted to sinne doe not onely abstaine from it but earnestly loue and followe after the contrarie Ioh. 8.44 II. Neuer yeeld or consent to Satans wordes whether he speake the truth accuse falsely or flatter dissemblingly Ioh. 8.44 Yee are of your father the deuil and the lusts of your father ye will doe he hath beene a murderer from the beginning and abode not in the truth because there is no truth in him when he speaketh a lie then speaketh he of his owne for he is a lier and the father thereof Mark 1.24 And cried with a loud voice and said What haue I to do with thee Iesus the sonne of the most high God And Iesus said Hold thy peace and come out of him Act. 16.17 Shee followed Paul and vs and cried saying These men are the seruants of the most high God which shewe vnto vs the waie of saluation c. August Serm. 241. III. One temptation is to be looked for after another and then especially when our enemie after he hath set his snares is at rest for the deuill neuer maketh an ende of his malice 1. Pet. 5.8 The fall is whereby the souldier through infirmitie fainteth being subdued by the power of the enemie Gal. 6.1 Brethren if a man be fallen by occasion into any fault ye which are spirituall restore such a one with the spirit of meeknesse considering thy selfe least thou also be tempted To this appertaineth the spirituall remedie A remedie is a thing hauing aptnesse to restore him which is fallen to his former estate Gal. 6.1 And here two things must alwaies be thought on I. If there be a willing mind euery one is accepted for that grace which he hath not for that which he hath not 2. Cor. 8.12 For if there be first a willing mind it is accepted according to that a mā hath not according to that he hath not II. In all these things whosoeuer will lead a godly life in Christ the power of God is to be made perfect through their infirmitie 2. Cor. 12.9 And hee said vnto me My grace is sufficient for thee for my power is made perfect through weakenesse very gladly therefore will I reioice rather in mine infirmities that the power of God may dwell in me 10. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities in reproches in necessities in persecutions in anguish for Christs sake for when I am weake then am I strong CHAP. 41. Of the first Assault ASsaults are threefold The first is about the
cause but for that it so pleased him Rom. 9.18 V. If this opinion should be true then would it follow that men should be condemned for nothing else but incredulitie the which is not so Ioh. 3.36 Christ speaking of vnbeleefe saith not that for it the wrath of God came vpon man but remaineth vpon him And why should we daily aske pardon for our sinnes if nothing but incredulitie or vnbeleefe condemned vs nay although that there were neuer any contempt of the Gospell yet that corruption of originall sinne were sufficient enough to condemne men VI. Also that admiration which Paul hath Rom. 9.20 O man who art thou which disputest with Godâ— doth plainly shew that the cause of the decree of God in reiecting some is vnsearchable and that it doth not at all depend vpon any foreseene contumacie towards the grace of God offered in the Gospel For if it were otherwise we might easily giue a reason of Gods decree August epist. 105. saith very well Who saith he created the reprobates but God and why but because it pleased him but why pleased it him O man who art thou that disputest with God! Some Diuines perceiuing that this is an hard sentence they goe about to mitigate it in this sort The matter say they or obiect of predestination is a reasonable creature and that not simply or absolutely considered but partly as it fell partly as of it selfe it was subiect to fall and thereupon God preordaining men from euerlasting considered them not simply as he was to make them men but as they were such men as might fall into sinne and againe be redeemed by Christ and after called to the light of the Gospel The efficient or first motiue cause was not any foreknowne cause either this or that but the meere will of God For he disposeth all things not of and by his foreknowledge but rather according to the same But these things albeit they may seeme to be subtile deuises yet are they not altogether true Reasons I. The potter when he purposeth to make some vessell doth not consider the clay and regard in it some inherent qualitie to make such a vessell but he maketh it of such and such a forme to this or that vse euen of his alone free-will and pleasure II. Rom. 9.21 Hath not the potter power to make of the same lumpe one vessell to honour and another to dishonour In which place we may not vnderstand by the name lumpe all mankinde corrupted and fallen and so to be redeemed in Christ for then Paul would not haue said that God made vessels of wrath but rather that he did forsake them after they were made III. This seemeth preposterous that God did first foreknow mankind created fallen and redeemed in Christ and that afterward he ordained them so foreknown to life or to death For the ende is the first thing in the intention of the agent neither will a most skilfull workman first prepare meanes by which he may be helped to doe a thing before he hath set downe in his minde all the endes both such as are most neere and them that are very farre off Now we know this that mans creation and his fall in Adam are but meanes to execute Gods predestination and therefore are subordinate vnto it but the ende of Gods decree is the manifestation of his glorie in sauing some and condemning others Therefore we may not once imagine that God did first consult of the meanes whereby he determined to execute his decree before he deliberated of the election and reprobation of man The IIII. errour Gods calling to the knowledge of the Gospell is vniuersall yea of all men and euery singular person without exception The Confutation This is a very vnreasonable position Reasons I. God would not haue all men called Math. 20.16 Many are called but few are chosen He saith not that all but many are called Christ in his Disciples first ambassage chargeth them that they should not preach to the Gentiles of his comming and to the Cananitish woman he saith It is not lawfull to giue that which is holy vnto dogges Mat. 13.11 It is not giuen to euery one to know the mysteries of the kingdome of God Rom. 16. 25. The mysterie of the Gospel whether it be meant of Christ or the calling of the Gentiles was kept secret from the beginning of the world II. There be many millions of men which haue not so much as heard of Christ. Act. 14.16 God in times past suffered all the Gentiles to walke in their owne waies III. The greatest part of the world hath euer beene out of the Couenant Eph. 2. 12. Ye were I say at that time without Christ and were aliants from the common-wealth of Israel and strangers from the couenants of promise and had no hope and were without God in the world but now ye are no more strangers and forrenners but citizens with the Saints Obiect They are said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not simply alienated but abalienated from God now how could they be abalienated except either they or their predecessors had beene in the couenant Ans. The Gentiles are not said to be abalienated from the couenant but from the common-wealth of Israel because that God had then by certaine lawes rites and ceremonies vtterly seuered and distinguished the people of the Iewes from all other nations Obiect This generall calling is not to be vnderstood simply of the ministerie of the word but of the will of God deliuered presently after the fall in his vnwritten word but afterward in his written word and this all men ought to know although many through their owne default know it not Ans. But the Scriptures were committed to the custodie of the Church of God and euery one was not credited with them Rom. 3.2 Vnto the Iewes were of credit committed the Oracles of God 1. Tim. 3. 15. The Church is the pillar and ground of truth Psal. 147. 19. He shewed his words vnto Iacob and his statutes and lawes to the house of Israel 20. He hath not dealt so with euery nation therefore they haue not knowne his lawâ—s Psal. 76. 1. The Lord is famous in Iudea and in Israel is his name great Obiect The couenant of Grace was made with Adam and Eue and in them all mankind was receiued both into the Church and couenant and also called to the knowledge of God Ans. I. This reason wanteth euen common reason and sense to say that God giuing his promise in the daies of Adam and Noah did in them call all mankind that should come after II. Adam before his fall did indeede receiue the grace both for himselfe and for others also and in the fall he lost it both for himselfe and for all others but after the fall he receiued the promise for himselfe alone and not for the whole world otherwise the first Adam should not onely haue beene a liuing creature but a quickning spirit the which is proper to the second
Creede beeing a summary collection of things to bee beleeued was gathered briefly out of the word of God for the helping of memory and vnderstanding of men I adde that this Creede is concerning God and the Church For in these two points consisteth the whole summe thereof Lastly I say that it is gathered forth of the scripture to make a difference between it and and other writings and to shew the authoritie of it which I will further declare on this manner There bee two kinde of writings in which the doctrine of the Church is handled and they are either diuine or Ecclesiasticall Diuine are the bookes of the olde and newe Testament penned either by Prophets or Apostles And these are not onely the pure word of God but also the scripture of God because not onely the matter of them but the whole disposition thereof with the style and the phrase was set downe by the immediate inspiration of the holy ghost And the authoritie of these bookes is diuine that is absolute and soueraigne and they are of sufficient credit in and by themselues needing not the testimonie of any creature not subiect to the censure either of men or Angels binding the consciences of all men at all times and beeing the only foundation of faith and the rule and canon of all trueth Ecclesiasticall writings are all other ordinarie writings of the Church consenting with Scriptures These may be called the word or trueth of God so far forth as their matter or substance is consenting with the written word of god but they cannot be called the scripture of God because the style and phrase of them was set downe according to the pleasure of man and therefore they are in such sort the word of God as that also they are the word of men And their authoritie in defining of trueth and falshood in matters of religion is not soueraigne but subordinate to the former and it doth not stand in the authoritie and pleasures of men councels but in the consent which they haue with the scriptures Ecclesiasticall writings are either generall particular or proper Generall are the Creedes and confessions of the Church dispersed ouer the whole worlde and among the rest the Creede of the Apostles made either by the Apostles themselues or by their hearers and disciples apostolicall men deliuered to the Church and conueied from hand to hand to our times Particular writings are the confessions of particular Churches Proper writings are the bookes and confessions of priuate men Nowe betweene these we must make difference For the Generall Creede of the Apostles other vniuersall Creeds in this case not excepted though it be of lesse authoritie then scripture yet hath it more authoritie then the particular priuate writings of Churches and men For it hath beene receiued and approoued by vniuersall consent of the Catholike Church in all ages and so were neuer these in it the meaning and doctrine can not be changed by the authoritie of the whole Catholike Church and if either the order of the doctrine or the wordes whereby it is expressed should vpon some occasion be changed a particular Church of any country can not do it without Catholike consent of the whole Churche yet particular writings and confessions made by some speciall Churches may be altered in the words in the points of doctrine by the same Churches without offence to the Catholike Church Lastly it is receiued as a rule of faith among all Churches to trie doctrines interpretations of scriptures by not because it is a rule of it selfe for that the scripture is alone but because it borroweth his authoritie froÌ„ scripture with which it agreeth And this honour no other writings of men can haue Here some may demand the number of Creedes Ans. I say but one Creede as there is but one faith and if it be alleadged that wee haue many Creedes as besides this of the Apostles the Nicene Creede and Athanasius Creed c. I answer the seuerall Creedes and confessions of Churches containe not seueral faiths and religions but one and the same and this called the Apostles creede is most ancient and principall all the rest are not newe Creedes in substance but in some points penned more largely for the exposition of it that men might better auoid the heresies of their times Further it may be demanded in what forme this Creede was penned Ans. In the forme of an answere to a question The reason is this In the Primitiue Church when any man was turned from Gentilisme to the faith of Christ and was to be baptised this question was asked him What beleeuest thouâ— then he answered according to the forme of the Creede I beleeue in God c. And this maner of questioning was vsed euen from the time of the Apostles When the Eunuch was conuerted by Philip he said What doth let me to be baptised Philip said If thou doest beleeue with all thine heart thou maist Then he answered I beleede that Iesus Christ is the sonne of God By this it appeares that although all men for the most part amongst vs can say this Creede yet not one of a thousand can tell the ancient and first vse of it for commonly at this day of the simpler sort it is saide for a prayer beeing indeede no prayer and when it is vsed so men make it no better then a charme Before we come to handle the particular points of the Creede it is very requiâ—ite that we should make an entrance thereto by describing the nature properties and kindes of faith the confession and ground whereof is set forth in the Creede Faith therefore is a gift of God whereby we giue assent or credence to Gods word For there is a necessarie relation betweene faith and Gods word The common propertie of faith is noted by the author of the Hebrewes when he saith Faith is the ground of things hoped for and the demonstration of things that are not seene For all this may be vnderstood not onely of iustifying faith but also of temporarie faith and the faith of miracles Where faith is said to be a ground the meaning is that though there are many things promised by God which men doe not presently enioy but onely hope for because as yet they are not yet faith doth after a sort giue subsisting or beeing vnto them Secondly it is an euidence or demonstration c. that is by beleeuing a man doth make a thing as it were visible beeing otherwise inuisible and absent Faith is of two sorts either common faith or the faith of the Elect as Paul saith he is an Apostle according to the faith of Gods elect which also is called faith without hypocrisie The common faith is that which both elect and reprobate haue and it is threefold The first is historicall faith which is when a man doth beleeue the outward letter and historie of the word It hath two parts knowledge of Gods word and an
custodie of God Fewe or none can practise this and therefore when any euill befalls them either in bodie or in goods or any other way whatsoeuer then they presently shewe them-selues rather beastes then men in impatience For in prosperitie they had no care to put their trust in God and therefore in aduersitie when crosses come they are void of comfort But when a man hath grace to beleeue and trust in God then he commits all into Gods handes and though all the world should perish yet he would not bee dismaied And vndoubtedly if a man will bee thankefull for the preseruation of his goods or of his life he must shewe the same by committing all he hath into God hands and suffer himselfe to be ruled by him Nowe followes the consolations and comforts which Gods Church and children reape hereby Hee that beleeues in God and takes God for his God may assure himselfe of saluation and of a happie deliuerance in all daungers and necessities When God threatned a plague vpon Israel for their idolatrie good King Iosiah humbled himselfe before the Lord his God and hee was safe all his daies And so King Hezekiah when Senacherib the King of Ashur offered to inuade Iudah hee trusted likewise in the Lord and praied vnto him and was deliuered Whereby wee see if a man puts his whole trust in God he shall haue securitie and quietnesse as Iehosaphat saide to the men of Iudah And our Sauiour Christ when hee was vpon the crosse and felt the whole burden of the terrible wrath of God vpon him cried My God my God why hast thou forsaken me And it appeareth in the Epistle to the Hebrewes that Christ was heard in that he feared whereby we are giuen to vnderstand that they shall neuer be vtterly forsaken that take God for their God And King Dauid hauing experience of this vseth most excellent speeches for this ende to shewe that the ground of his comfort was that God was his God And it is saide that Daniel had no manner of hurt in the Lyons denne because he trusted in the Lord his God And contrariwise such as distrust God are subiect to all miseries and iudgements The Israelites in the wildernesse beleeued not God and trusted not in his helpe therefore God was angrie and his fire was kindled in Iacob and wrath came vpon Israel God the Father Almightie Some haue thought that these words are to be coupled to the former without distinction as if the title of God had beene proper to the first person the Father and not common to the rest◠and thus haue some heretickes thought But in deede there must a pause or distinction be made that the name or title of God may bee set in the fore-front as common to all the three persons following For that is the very intent of the order of this Creede to teach vs to beleeue in one God who is distinct into three subsistances or persons called the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost And here offers it selfe to bee considered euen one of the greatest mysteries of our religion namely that God is the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost and againe that the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost are one and the same God Some at the first may possibly say that this cannot stande because it is against all reason that one should bee three or three one The aunswere is that indeede if one and the same respect bee kept it is not possible but in diuers considerations and respects it may And thus the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost are three namely in person and againe they three are one not in person but in nature By nature is meant a thing subsisting by it selfe that is common to many as the substance of man consisting of bodie and soule common to all men which wee call the humanitie of a man is the nature of man By person is meant a thing or essence subsisting by it selfe not common to many but incommunicable as among men these particulars Peter Iohn Paul are called persons And so in the mysterie of the Trinitie the diuine nature is the godhead it selfe simply and absolutely considered and a person is that which subsisteth in this Godhead as the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost Or againe a person is one and the same godhead not absolutely considered but in relation and as it were restrained by personall or caracteristicall proprieties as the godhead or God begetting is the Father God againe considered not simply but so farre foorth as hee is begotten is the Sonne and God proceeding of the Father and the Sonne the holy Ghost And if any man would conceiue in minde rightly the diuine nature hee must conceiue God or the godhead absolutely if any of the persons then hee must conceiue the same godhead relatiuely with personall proprieties Thus the godhead considered with the proprietie of fatherhoode or begetting is the father and conceiuing the same godhead with the proprietie of generation we conceiue the Sonne and the godhead with the proprietie of proceeding we conceiue the holy Ghost Neither must it seeme straunge to any that we vse the names of nature and person to set forth this mysterie by for they haue beene taken vp by common consent in the primitiue Church and that vpon weightie consideration to manifest the trueth and to stop the mouthes of hereticks and they are not vsed against the proper sense of the scriptures nay they are therein contained Thus wee see howe it comes to passe that the three things signified by these names Father Sonne holy Ghost are ech of them one and the same God And this mysterie may well be conceiued by a comparison borrowed from light The light of the sunne the light of the moone and the light of the aire for nature and substance are one and the same light and yet they are three distinct lights The light of the sunne beeing of it selfe and from none the light of the moone from the sunne and the light of the aire from them both So the diuine nature is one the persons are three subsisting after a diuers manner in one and the same nature And for the further clearing of this point we must yet further marke and remember two things namely the vnion and the distinction of the persons The vnion is whereby three persons are one not simply but one in nature that is coessentiall or cōsubstantiall hauing all one godhead For the Father is God the sonne is god and the holy ghost is god now there are not three distinct Gods but one God because there is one God and no more in nature considering that the thing which is infinite is but one and is not subiect to multiplication and the Father is this one God as also the Sonne and the holy Ghost And as these three persons are one in nature so whatsoeuer agrees to God simply considered agrees to them all
of death that theÌ„ we may be found readie of the Lord. What shall the Sonne of God himselfe make preparation to his owne death and shall not we most miserable sinners doe the same who stand in need of a thousand preparations more then he wherefore let vs continually thinke with our selues that euery present day is the last day of our life that so we may addresse our selues to death againe the next day The first thing which Christ doth in this preparation is to make â—hoice of the place in which he was to be apprehended as will appeare by conferring the Euangelists together S. Matthew saith he went to the place called Gethsemane S. Luke saith he went to the mount of Oliues as he was accustomed And that we might not imagine that Christ did this that he might escape and hide himselfe from the Iewes S. Iohn saith that Iudas which betraied him knew the place because oftentimes he resorted thither with his Disciples whereas if he had feared apprehension he would haue rather gone aside to some other secret and vnwonted place This then is the first point to be considered that Christ knowing the time of his owne death to be at hand doth willingly of his owne accord resort to such a place in which his enemies in all likelihood might easily finde him and haue fit opportunitie to attach him For if he should haue still remained in Ierusalem the Scribes and Pharises durst not haue enterprised his apprehension because of the people whome they feared but out of the citie in the garden all occasion of feare is cut off By this it is manifest that Christ yeelded himselfe to death willingly and not of constraint and vnlesse his sufferings had bin voluntarie on his part they could neuer haue bin a satisfaction to Gods iustice for our sinnes Here a question offereth it selfe to be considered whether a man may lawfully flie in danger and persequution seeing Christ himselfe doth not Answ. When good meanes of flying and iust occasion is offered it is lawfull to flie When the Iewes sought to kill Paul at Damascus the Disciples tooke him by night and put him through the wall and let him downe in a basket to escape their hands When Moses was called by God to deliuer the Israelites after he had slaine the Egyptian and the fact was knowne and Pharao sought to kill him for it he fledde to the land of Madian And our Sauiour Christ sundrie times when he was to be stoned and otherwaies hurt by the Iewes withdrew himselfe from among them It is lawfull then to flie in persecution these caueats obserued First if a man finde not himselfe sufficiently strengthened to beare the crosse Secondly his departure must be agreeable to the generall calling of a Christian seruing to the glorie of God and the good of his brethren and the hurt of none Thirdly there must be freedome at the least for a time from the bond of a mans particular calling If he be a Magistrate he must be freed from ruling if a Minister from preaching and teaching otherwaies he may not flie And in this respect Christ who did withdraw himselfe at other times would not flie at this time because the houre of his suffering was come wherein he intended most willingly to submit himselfe to the good pleasure and will of his father The second part of the preparation is the praier which Christ made vnto his father in the garden And herein his example doth teach vs earnestly to pray vnto God against the danger of imminent death and the temptations which are to come And if Christ who was without sinne and had the spirit aboue measure had need to pray then much more haue we need to be watchfull in all kinde of praiers who are laden with the burden of sinne and compassed about with manifold impediments and dangerous enemies In this prayer sundrie points worthie our marking are to be considered The first who praied Answ. Christ the Sonne of God but still we must remember the distinction of natures of their operations in one and the same Christ he praieth not in his Godhead but according to his manhood The second is for whome he praieth Ans. Some haue thought that this and all other his prayers were made for his mysticall bodie the Church but the truth is he now praies for himselfe yet not as he was God for the Godhead feeles no want but as he was a man abased in the forme of a seruant and that for two causes First in that he was a man he was a creature and in that respect was to performe homage to God the creator Secondly as he was man he put on the infirmities of our nature and thereupon praied that he might haue strength and power in his manhoode to support him in bearing the whole brunt of the passion to come The third point is to whome he praied Answ. To the father neither must this trouble vs as though Christ in praying to the father should pray to himselfe because he is one and the same God with him For though in essence they admit no distinction yet in person or in the proper manner of subsisting they doe The Father is one person the Sonne an other therefore as the father saying from heauen This is my welbeloued Sonne spake not to himselfe but to the Sonne so againe the Sonne when he praieth he praies not to himselfe but to the Father The fourth point what was the particular cause of his prayer Ans. His agonie in which his soule was heauie vnto death not because he feared bodily death but because the malediction of the law euen the very heate of the furie and indignation of God was poured forth vpon him wherewith he was affected and troubled as if it had beene defiled with the sinnes of the whol world And this appeares first by the words whereby the Euangelists expresse the agonie of Christ which signifie exceeding great sorrow and griefe secondly by his dolefull complaint to his Disciples in the garden My soule is heauie vnto the death thirdly by his feruent praier thrise repeated full of dolefull passions fourthly by the comming of an Angel to comfort him fifthly by his bloodie sweat the like whereof was neuer heard And herein lies the difference betweene Christs agonie and the death of Martyrs he put on the guilt of all our sinnes they in death are freed from the same he was left to himselfe void of comfort they in the middest of their afflictions feele the vnspeakable comfort of the holy Ghost and therefore we neede not meruaile why Christ should pray against death which neuerthelesse his members haue receiued and borne most ioyfully Againe this most bitter agonie of Christ is the ground of all our reioycing and the cause why Paul biddes all the faithfull in the person of the Philippians to reioyce alwaies in the Lord and againe to reioyce And here we are further taught that when we are
disciples whereas notwithstanding he might haue said that one of them betraied him another denied him and the rest fled away whereby we note that it is not our dutie at all times and in all places to speake of the faults and wants that we knowe by others Secondly the aunswere which hee makes is onely concerning his doctrine whereby the ministers of God and al men els are taught that beeing called before their enimies to giue reason of their doctrine they are as Saint Peter saith to be alwaies readie to giue an account of the hope that is in them And further we are to consider the wisdome that Christ vseth in answering for he saith nothing of his doctrine in particular but said I speake openly to the worlde I euer taught in the Synagogue and in the temple whither the Iewes resorted in secret haue I taught nothing aske them therfore what I said which heard me Behold they can tell you what I said Now the reason why he answered thus sparingly in generall tearmes is because their examination serued onely to intangle him and out of his words to gather matter of accusation After whose example wee may learne that beeing called to make answere of our faith and doctrine before our enemies wee are to doe it so as thereby we doe not intangle our selues nor giue any aduantage vnto our enemies and hereof we haue a notable example in the Apostle Paul Act. 23. 6. Againe in the words of Christs answere we must obserue two things First that the place where Christ taught was publike Now hence it may be demanmanded whether ministers may handle the worde of God priuately or no Ans. The state of Gods Church is two-fold peaceable or troublesome In the time of peace ministers must preach the word publikely but in time of persecution for the safeâ—â— and preseruation of the Church of God they may with good warrant prâ—â—h priuately and indeede at such times the assemblies of the church make priuate places publike And hence we learne that in time of peace all those that are called to the office of the ministerie must if it be possible spend their labour publikely so as they may doe most good Secondly whereas Christ saith he preached in their synagogues and temple which at that time were places full of disorder in so much as he called the temple a den of theeues and the Scribes and Pharisies had corrupted the doctrine of the Lawe transgressing the commandements of God in their owne traditions and they taught iustification by the workes of the lawe as Paul saith they being ignorant of the righteousnes of God and going about to stablish their owne righteousnesse which is by workes and not submitted themselues to the righteousnesse of God Besides all this they were loose and wicked men in their liues and conuersations and therefore Christ commanded the people that they should obserue and doe whatsoeuer the Scribes and Pharisies bidde them sitting in Moses chaire but after their workes they must not doe because they say and doe not Nowe although these corruptions and deformities were in the Iewish Church yet our Sauiour Christ made no separation from it but came and preached both in their temple and synagogues where these seducers and false teachers were And hence we gather that the practise of all those men in our Church which separate themselues from all assemblies for the wants therof holding that our Church is no Church that the grace which is wrought by the preaching of the word among vs is nothing els but a sathanicall illusion that our Sacraments are no Sacraments I say this their practise is condemned by our Sauiour Christs conuersing among the Iewes For if Christ should haue followed their opinion he ought to haue fled from amongst the Iewes not so much as once to haue come into the temple or taught in their Synagogues but contrariwise he ioyned himselfe with them and therfore we can not in good conscience disioyne our selues from the Church of England The second thing to be obserued in Christs answer is that he referres Caiphas to the iudgement of his hearers being resolued of the trueth of his owne doctrine though sundrie of them were his vtter enemies Behold then a good example for all the ministers of Gods word to follow teaching them to deliuer Gods word so purely and sincerely that if they be called into question about the same they may bee bold to appeale to the coÌ„scieÌ„ces of their hearers although they be wicked meÌ„ Nowe after this answer one of the seruants of Caiphas smites Christ with a rodde in whome the saying is verified Like master like seruant that is if the master be wicked seruants commonly will be wicked also if the master be an enemie to Christ his seruant will be Christs enemie also And this is the cause why there are so many lewd apprentises and seruants because there are so many lewd masters Many masters complaine of seruants nowe adaies but there is more cause why they should complaine of themselues for vsually seruants will not become obedient to their masters till their masters first become obedient vnto Christ therefore let masters learne to obey God and then their seruants will obey them also Further Christ being smitten makes this answer If I haue euill spoken beare witnesse of the euill but if I haue well spoken why smitest thou me making complaint of an iniurie done vnto him Nowe hereupon scoffing Iulian the Apostata saith Christ keepes not his owne lawes but goeth against his owne precept when as he said If one strike thee on the one cheeke turne to him the other also But we must knowe that in these wordes Christs meaning is that a man must rather suffer a double wrong then seeke a priuate reuenge And before Christ spake in his owne defence which a man may lawefully doe and not seeke any reuenge for it is one thing to defend his owne cause and another to seeke reuenge Nowe followes the second point in their proceeding which is the producing of false witnesses against him as Saint Mathew saith The whole Counsell sought false witnesse against him and thongh many came yet found they none for they could not agree togither because they alleadged false thinges against him which they could not prooue And thus the members of Christ haue often such enemies as make no bones shamefully to auouch that against them which they cannot be able to iustifie The ten persecutions which were in the first 300. yeares after Christ arose oftentimes of shamelesse reports that men gaue out which said that Christians liued of mans flesh and therefore slewe their owne children 2. that they liued on rawe flesh 3. that they committed incest one with another in their assemblies 4. that they worshipped the head of an asse 5. that they worshipped the Sunne and Moone 6. that they were traitours and sought to vndermine the Romane Empire and lastly
people receiued the wretched and abhominable doctrine of the church of Rome And not many yeares after when it pleased God to bring againe the light of his glorious Gospel by our gracious Prince the same people turned from poperie and embraced the true religion againe And thus with the Iewes one while they crie Hosanna to Christ and receiue his Gospel and shortly after they crie Crucifie him crucifie him by embracing idolatrous poperie Let vs therefore learne in the feare of God by the ficklenes of the Iewesâ— that sing two contrarie songs in so short a space to acknowledge our inconstancie and weaknes in the matter of religion whereby if God leaue vs 〈…〉 â—itle to our selues we shall straightway forsake Christ his Gospel and all Tâ—â—â—â—â—ch of the accusation Now followeth Christs examination before â—oâ—â—â—us Pilate for when the Iewes had thus falsly accused him then Pontius Pilate tooke him and brought him into the common hall and asked him this question Art thou the King of the Iewes Now Christ beeing thus examined made as Paul also testifieth a good confession The summe thereof stands in foure heads The first is that he confesseth himselfe to be a King not such an one as they accused him to be yet a true King Whence we may learne diuers instructions first that euery Christian man in the midst of his miserie and affliction hath one that is most sufficient euery way to defend him against all his enemies the world the flesh and the deuill For this King can doe whatsoeuer he will and therefore when the legion of deuills would enter into a herd of swine they could not without his leaue And when the Centurions daughter was dead he but spake the word and shee arose And when Lazarus was dead and had lien in the graue foure daies he but saide Lazarus come forth and he came forth bound hand and foote Yea euen hell and death giue place to his word and nothing can resist his power And therefore he that is a true member of Christ needes not to feare any enemies be they neuer so great or so many And againe as Christ is able so is he readie and willing to saue and defend all that beleeue in him For he it is that gaue his life for his subiects which no King would doe and shedde his blood for their redemption which he would neuer haue done if he had not desired their saluation Secondly whereas Christ is a mightie King which can doe whatsoeuer he will let all such among vs that haue hitherto liued in ignorance and by reason of ignorance liue in their sinnes at length begin to come vnto him and doe him homage and with penitent hearts fall downe before him otherwise if they continue in their old rebellions let them know whatsoeuer they be high or low that he hath a rod of iron in his hand to bruise them in pieces their soules shall smart for it as both Pilate Caiphas and the rest of the Iewes were with a full cup rewarded for crucifying the Lord of life And if Christ cannot draw thee in this life from thy crooked waies be sure at the houre of death he will breake thee in pieces like a potters vessell This must we learne in regard of the first point that he said plainely He was a King Now follows the second part of his confession namely that his kingdome was not of this world Where he sets downe what kinde of King he is he is no earthly king his kingdome stands not in the power of men nor in earthly and outward gouernment but his kingdome is spirituall and his gouernment is in the very hearts and consciences of men His kingdome is not outward to be seene of men but inward in the heart and â—oule and therefore it is onely begunne in this life and is continued and accomplished in the world to come in the kingdome of glorie where Christ shall be all in all in the hearts and consciences of all the Elect. Now then if this be so howsoeuer Satan haue heretofore raigned in vs and made our hearts as it were his pallaces yet now let vs prepare a roome for Christ that he may come and dwell in vs let him rule our hearts wills and affections that they may become conformable to his will let vs resigne our selues wholly to be ruled by him that his spirituall kingdome may be in vs. This kingdome in the heart and conscience is the pearle and hidde treasure which when a man findeth he sells all that he hath and buieth it Let vs therefore in the feare of God esteeme it as the most pretious thing that may be and so liue in this world as that Christ may rule inwardly in vs by his word and spirit And againe seeing this regiment of Christ is heauenly and the full manifestation of it is reserued till the life to come we must therefore vse this world and all things in it as honour wealth ease and libertie as though we vsed them not As a trauailer vseth his staffe in his iourney as long as it doth further him so long he will carrie it with him but when it hindereth him then he casts it away so must we vse the things of this life namely as long as they are helps to further and make vs fitte for the kingdome of heauen but if they be any hinderance to this spirituall regiment of Christ we must renounce them and cast them away be they neuer so pretious to vs. The third point of Christs confession is concerning the meanes whereby he gouerneth his kingdome I came saith he into this world to beare witnesse of the truth that is to preach the Gospell and doctrine of saluation and hereby he teacheth that the outward administration of his kingdome stands specially in the preaching of the word which is a principall ordinance of his seruing to gather his Church from the beginning of the world to the ende thereof And for this cause he hath in all ages set apart chosen ministers for the publishing of the doctrine of the Gospell And hence it is manifest that the gift of prophecie is the greatest gift that God bestowes on his Church for the building thereof And therfore it ought to be most highly esteemed as a most pretious iewell And for this cause also the schooles of learning are to be reuerenced maintained all other meanes vsed for the furthering of them because they are vnder God the fountaines and welsprings of this gift of prophecie The last point is concerning the subiects of Christs kingdome expressed in these words They which are of the truth heare my voice In which he sets down the true marke of his seruants and subiects that they are hearers of that heauenly and sauing word which he reuealed from the bosome of his father It may be alleadged the most wicked men vpon earth yea the deuils themselues may be hearers of the truth of Christ. Ans. There be
sanctifier and comforter Lastly the high priest had a plate on his forehead and therein was engrauen the holines of Iehouah this signified the holines of Christ for as he is God he is holines it selfe and as he is man he is most holy beeing sanctified by the holy Ghost for this ende that he might couer our sinnes and vnrighteousnes with his righteousnes and holy obedience The second order of priesthood is the order of Melchisedeck of which order Christ was as Dauid saith Thou art a priest for euer after the order of Melchisedeck and that in two speciall respects I. Melchisedeck was both a priest and a king so was Christ. II. Melchisedeck had neither father nor mother because his historie is set downe with mention of neither so likewise Christ as he is God had no mother and as he is man he had no father The Papists auouch Christ to be a priest of this order in a new respect in that as Melchisedeck offered bread and wine when Abraham came from the slaughter of the Kings so say they Christ in his last supper did offer his owne bodie blood vnder the formes of bread and wine But this is a friuolous deuice of theirs for if we read Hebr. 7. where this point is handled there is no comparison at all made of their two sacrifices but the resemblances before named are set downe in which person is compared with pâ—rson Againe it is not said in Genesis that Melchisedeck offered sacrifice but that he brought forth bread and wine and made a feast to Abraham and his companie And if Christ should be of the order of Melchisedeck in regard of the offering of bread and wine yet would this make much against the Papists For Melchisedeck brought forth true bread and true wine but in the sacrifice of the masse there is no true bread nor true wine but as they say the reall bodie and blood of Christ vnder the forme of bread and wine The fourth point is whether there be any more reall priests of the newe Testament beside Christ or no Ans. In the old testament there were many priests one following another in continuall succession but of the new Testament there is one onely reall priest Christ Jesus God and man and no more as the author of the Hebrewes saith because he endureth for euer he hath an euerlasting priesthoode and the word translated euerlasting signifieth such a priesthood which can not passe from him to any other as the priesthood of Aaron did And therefore the priesthood of Christ is so tied to his owne person that none can haue the same but he neither man nor angel nor any other creature no not the Father nor the holy Ghost But the factours of the church of Rome will say that Christ may haue men to be his deputies in his stead to offer sacrifice Ans. We must consider Christ two waies I. as he is God II. as he is Mediatour As he is God with the father and with the holy Ghost he hath Kings and Magistrates to be his deputies on earth and therefore they are called Elohim that is gods But as he is Mediatour and so consequently a priest and a King he hath neither deputie nor vicegerent neither king to rule in his stead ouer his Church nor priest to offer sacrifice for him nay he hath no Prophet to be his deputie as he is the doctour of the Church And therefore he saith to his disciples be not called doctors for one is your doctor Indeed he hath his ministers to teach men his wil but a deputie to offer sacrifice in his stead he hath not And therefore we may with good conscience abhorre the massing priesthood of the church of Rome as a thing fetched froÌ„ the bottom of hell and their massing priests as instruments of Satan holding this for a very truth that we haue but one onely priest euen Christ himselfe God and man Indeede all Christians are priests to offer vp spirituall sacrifice but it is the propertie of Christ alone to offer an outward and reall sacrifice vnto God now in the new Testament Thus much of the first point who is the priest The second followeth what is the sacrifice Answ. The sacrifice is Christ as he is man or the manhoode of Christ crucified As the priest is both God and man so the sacrifice is man not God So it is saide we are sanctified by the offering of the body of Iesus Christ. Touching this sacrifice sundrie questions are to be skanned The first what kind of sacrifice it was Ans. In the old testament there were two kinde of sacrifices one propitiatorie which serued to satisfie for sinne the other eucharisticall for praise and thanksgiuing Now the sacrifice of Christ was a sacrifice propitiatorie specially prefigured by the typical sacrifice called the whole burnt offering for as it was all consumed to ashes vpon the altar and turned into smoke so the fire of Gods wrath did seaze vpon Christ on the crosse and did consume him as it were to nothing to make vs something Secondly when Noe offered an whole burnt offering after the flood it is saide God smelled a sauour of rest not because he was delighted with the smell of the sacrifice but because he approoued his faith in Christ. And hereby was figured that Christ vpon the crosse was an offering a sacrifice of a sweete smelling sauour vnto God because God was well pleased therewith Now whereas Christ was content wholly to offer vp himselfe to appease the wrath of his father for vs it must teach vs to giue our bodies and soules as holy liuing and acceptable sacrifices wholly dedicating them to the seruice of God The second question is how oft Christ offered himselfe Ans. Once onely and no more This must be held as a principle of diuinitie With once offering hath he consecrated for euer them that are sanctified and againe Christ was once offered to take away the sinnes of many And it serueth to ouerthrow the abominable sacrifice of the masse in which the true bodie and blood of Christ is offered vnder the formes of bread and wine really and substantially as they say for the remission of the sinnes of the quicke and the dead and that continually but if this vnbloodie sacrifice of Christ be good then it is either the continuing of that which was begunne on the crosse by Christ himselfe or the iteration of it by the masse priest Now let Papists chuse whether of these two they will if they say it is the continuing of the sacrifice of Christ then they speake outragious blasphemie for it is in effect to say that Christs sacriâ—ice was not perfect but onely begun on the crosse and must be accomplished by the masse priest to the end of the world If they affirme the second that it is an iteration of Christs sacrifice then also they speake blasphemie for hereby they make
Ghost is nothing els but the action or operation of God obiect out of the Scriptures to the contrarie I. God knoweth the sonne the holy Ghost knoweth not the sonne for none knoweth the sonne but the father ergo the holy Ghost is not God Ans. That place excludeth no person in Trinitie but onely creatures and false gods and the meaning is this None that is no creature or idol god knoweth the sonne of God but the father And the opposition is made to exclude creatures not to exclude the holy Ghost Againe they obiect that the holy Ghost maketh request for vs with grones and sighes that can not be vttered therefore say they the Holy ghost is not God but rather a gift of God For he that is true God can not pray grone or sigh Ans. Pauls meaning is thereby to signifie that the Holy Ghost causeth vs to make requests and stirreth vp our hearts to grone and sigh to God for he said before we haue receiued the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba father Yet further they obiect the words of the Angel Gabriel to the virgin Marie saying The vertue of the most high hath ouershadowed thee and hence they gather that if the holy Ghost be the vertue of God then he is not God indeede Ans. As Christ is called the Word of God not a worde made of letters or syllables but a substantial word that is beeing for euer of the same substance with the father so in this place the holy ghost is called the vertue of the most highest not because he is a created qualitie but because he is the substantiall vertue of the Father and the sonne and therefore God equall with them both Furthermore they alleadge that neither the scriptures nor the practise of the Primitiue Church doth warrant vs to pray to the holy Ghost Ans. It is not true For whēsoeuer we direct our praier to any of the three persons in him we pray to them all Besides we haue example of praier made to the holy Ghost in the word of God For Paul saith to the Corinthians The grace of our Lord Iesus the loue of god the father the fellowship of the holy ghost be with you all And the words are as if S. Paul had said thus O Father let thy loue O Sonne let thy grace O holy Ghost let thy fellowship bee with them all And therefore this first doctrine is true and as well to bee beleeued as any other that the Holy Ghost is God The second point is that the Holy Ghost is a distinct person from the father and the sonne Hereupon the articles touching the three persons are thus distinguished I beleeue in the father I beleeue in the sonne I beleeue in the holy Ghost This point also is consonant to the Scriptures which make the same distinction In the baptisme of Christ the father vttereth a voice from heauen saying This is my beloued Sonne in whome I am well pleased and not the sonne or the holy ghost Secondly the sonne stood in the water and was baptized by Iohn and not the father or the holy Ghost Thirdly the holy Ghost descended from heauen vpon Christ in the forme of a doue and not the father or the sonne but the holy Ghost alone Christ in his commission vnto his disciples saith Goe teach all nations baptizing them into the name of the father the sonne and the Holy Ghost Now if the Holy Ghost had beene the same person either with the father or with the sonne then it had bene sufficient to haue named the father and the sonne onely And the distinction of the third person from the rest may be conceiued by this that the Holy Ghost is the Holy Ghost and not the father or the sonne The third point to bee beleeued is that the holy Ghost proceedeth from the father and the sonne For a further proofe hereof consider these places Paul saith Ye are not in the flesh but in the spirit for the spirit of God dwelleth in you But if any man haue not the spirit of Christ hee is not his And againe Because ye are sonnes God hath sent forth the spirit of the sonne into your hearts where we may obserue that the holy Ghost is the spirit both of the father and of the sonne Now the holy Ghost is called the spirit of the father not only because he is sent of him but because hee proceedeth from the father as Christ saith to his disciples When the comforter will come whome I shall send vnto you from the father euen the spirit of trueth vvhich proceedeth of the father hee shall testifie of me And therefore likewise he is the spirit of the sonne not onely because he is sent of the sonne but also because hee proceedeth from him Againe in the Trinitie the person sending doth communicate his whole essence and substance to the person sent As the father sending the sonne doeth communicate his essence and substance to the sonne For sending doth presuppose a communication of essence Nowe the father and the sonne send the holy Ghost therefore both of them communicate their substance and essence vnto the same person Thirdly Christ saith The holy Ghost hath receiued of mine which he shall shewe vnto you namely knowledge and trueth to be reuealed vnto his Church Whence we may reason thus the person receiuing knowledge from another receiues essence also the holy Ghost receiues truth and knowledge from Christ to be reuealed vnto the Church and therefore first of all he hath receiued substance and essence from the sonne But some peraduenture will say where is it written in all the bible in expresse wordes that the holv Ghost proceedes from the sonne as he proceedes from the father Answer The scripture saith not so much in plaine tearmes yet we must know that that which is gathered forth thence by iust cōsequence is no lesse the truth of god then that which is expressed in words Hereupon all Churches saue those in Greece with one confent acknowledge the trueth of this point The fourth and last point is that the holy Ghost is equall to the father and the sonne And this we are taught to acknowledge in the Creede in that wee doe as well beleeue in the Holy Ghost as in the father and the sonne And though the holy Ghost be sent of the father and the sonne yet as I haue said before that argues no inequalitie for one equall may send another by consent but order onely whereby the Holy Ghost is last of all the three persons Againe in that the holy Ghost receiueth from the sonne it prooues no inferiority Because he receiues frō the sonne whatsoeuer he receiues by nature and not by grace And he receiues not a part but all that the sonne hath sauing the proprietie of his person Nowe followe the benefits which are giuen by the holy Ghost and they are of two sorts some are common to all
when he is come which is the spirit of truth he will lead you into all truth Ans. The promise is directed to the Apostles who with their Apostolicall authoritie had this priuiledge granted them that in the teaching and penning of the gospel they should not erre and therefore in the councell at Ierusalem they conclude thus It seemes good vnto vs and to the holy Ghost And if the promise be further extended to all the Church it must be vnderstood with a limitation that God will giue his spirit vnto the meâ—bers thereof to lead them into all truth so farre forth as shall be needfull for their saluation The second question is wherein stands the dignitie and excellencie of the Church Ans. It stands in subiection and obedience vnto the will and word of his spouse and head Christ Iesus And hence it followes that the Church is not to chalenge vnto her selfe authoritie ouer the Scriptures but onely a ministerie or ministeriall seruice whereby shee is appointed of God to preserue and keepe to publish and preach them and to giue testimonie of them And for this cause it is called the pillar and ground of truth The church of Rome not content with this saith further that the authoritie of the Church in respect of vs is aboue the authoritie of the Scripture because say they we can not know Scripture to be Scripture but by the testimonie of the Church But indeede they speake an vntruth For the testimonie of men that are subiect to errour can not be greater and of more force with vs then the testimonie of God who can not erre Againe the Church hath her beginning from the word for there can not be a Church without faith there is no faith without the word there is no word out of the Scriptures and therefore the Church in respect of vs depends on the Scripture and not the Scripture on the Church And as the lawyer which hath no further power but to expound the law is vnder the law so the Church which hath authoritie onely to publish and expound the Scriptures can not authorize them vnto vs but must submit her selfe vnto them And whereas it is alleadged that faith comes by hearing and this hearing is in respect of the voice of the Church and that therefore faith comes by the voice of the Church the answer is that the place must be vnderstood not of that generall faith whereby we are resolued that Scripture is Scripture but of iustifying faith whereby we attaine vnto saluation And faith comes by hearing the voice of the Church not as it is the Churches voice but as it is a ministerie or meanes to publish the word of God which is both the cause and obiect of our beleeuing Now on the contrarie we must hold that as the carpenter knowes his rule to be straight not by any other rule applied vnto it but by it selfe for casting his eye vpon it he presently discernes whether it be straight or no so we know and are resolued that Scripture is Scripture euen by the Scripture it selfe though the Church say nothing so be it we haue the spirit of discerning when we read heare and consider the Scripture And yet the testimonie of the Church is not to be despised for though it breede not a a perswasion in vs of the certenty of the Scripture yet is it a very good inducement thereto The militant Church hath many parts For as the Ocean sea which is but one is deuided into parts according to the regions and countries against which it lieth as into the English Spanish Italian sea c. so the Church dispersed ouer the face of the whole earth is deuided into other particular churches according as the countries are seuerall in which it is seated as into the Church of England and Ireland the Church of France the Church of Germanie c. Againâ— particulaâ— Churches are in a twofold estate sometime lie hid in persecution wanting the publike preaching of the word and the administration of the Sacraments and sometimes againe they are visible carrying before the eyes of the world an open profession of the name of Christ as the moone is sometime eclipsed and sometime shineth in the full In the first estate was the Church of Israel in the daies of Eliah when he wished to die because the people had forsaken the couenant of the Lord broken downe his altars slaine his Prophets with the sword and he was left alone and they sought to take his life also Behold a lamentable estate when so worthie a Prophet could not finde an other beside himselfe that feared God yet marke what the Lord saith vnto him I haue left seuen thousand in Israel euen all the knees that haue not bowed vnto Baal and euery mouth that hath not kissed him Againe it is said That Israel had beene a long season without the true God without priest to teach and without the law Neither must this trouble any that God should so farre forth forsake his Church for when ordinarie meanes of saluation faile he then gathereth his Elect by extraordinarie meanes as when the children of Israel wandered in the wildernes wanting both circumcision and the Passeouer he made a supplie by Manna and by the pillar of a cloud Hence we haue direction to answer the Papists who demand of vs where our Church was three-score yeares agoe before the daies of Luther we say that then for the space of many hundred yeares an vniuersall Apostasie ouerspread the whole face of the earth and that our Church then was not visible to the world but lay hid vnder the chaffe of Poperie And the truth of this the Records of all ages manifest The second estate of the Church is when it flourisheth and is visible not that the faith and secret election of men can be seene for no man can discerne these things but by outward signes but because it is apparant in respect of the outward assemblies gathered to the preaching of the word and the administration of the Sacraments for the praise and glorie of God and their mutuall edification And the visible Church may be thus described It is a mixt companie of men professing the faith assembled together by the preaching of the word First of all I call it a mixt companie because in it there be true beleeuers and hypocrites Elect and Reprobate good and badde The Church is the Lords field in which the enemie soweth his tares it is the corne flore in which lieth wheate and chaffe it is a band of men in which beside those that be of valour and courage there be white liuered souldiours And it is called a Church of the better part namely the Elect whereof it consisteth though they be in nuÌ„ber fewe As for the vngodly though they be in the Church yet they are no more parts of it indeede then the superfluous humours in the vaines are parts of the bodie But to proceede
and some are the very foundation and the former may be battered the foundation standing Againe if the errour be directly or by necessary consequent euen in common sense agâ—inst the foundation consideration must be had whether the Church or partie erreth of weaknes or malice if of weaknes the party is to be esteemed as a meÌ„ber of the Catholike church And thus Paul writes vnto the church of Galatia as to a church of God though by false teachers it had bin turned away to another Gospell and embraced the fundamentall errour of iustification by works But when any man or church shal hold fundâ—mental errours in obstinacie or affected ignorance we are not then bound to repute them any longer as churches or Christians but as such to whome condemnation belongs as Paul sheweth by the example of Iannes and Iambres And as Iannes and Iambres saith he withstood Moses so doe these also resist the truth men of corrupt mindes reprobate concerning the faith Yet withall this caueat must euer be remembred that we rather condemne the errour then the person that erreth because Gods mercie is like a bottomles sea whereby he worketh what he will and when he will in the hearts of miserable sinners The second question is where at this day we may finde such visible Churches as are indeede so â—nd members of the Catholike church And for the resoluing of it we are tâ— goe through all countries and religions in the world And first to begin with Turkes and Iewes we are not in any wise to acknowledge their Assemblies for churches because they worship not God in Christ who is the head of the church As for the Assemblies of Papists which haue bin a great part of the world if thereby we vnderstand companies of men holding the Pope for their head and beleeuing the doctrine established in the councill of Trent in name they are called churches but indeede they are no true or sound members of the Catholike church For both in their doctrine and in the worship of God they rase the vâ—ry foundation of religion which will appeare by these three points First of all they holde iustification by workes of grace auouching that they are not onely iustified before God by the merit of Christ but also by their owne doings Which opinion flatly ouerturneth iustification by Christ. For as Paul saith to the Galatians If ye be circumcised Christ profiteth you nothing that is if ye looke to be iustified by the workes of the ceremoniall law ye are fallen from Christ ioyne circumcision and Christ together in the matter of iustification and ye doe quite ouerthrow iustification by Christ. Now if this be true which is the word of God that can not lie then we say to the Papists If ye will needes be iustified by workes of grace ye are fallen from grace The second point is that they maintaine daily reall sacrifice of the bodie of Christ in the Masse for the sinnes of the quicke and dead And this is also a fundamentall heresie For Christs sacrifice on the crosse must either be a perfect sacrifice or no sacrifice and if it be often iterated and repeated by the Masse-priest it is not perfect but imperfect The third point is that they worship the Images of the Trinitie and of Saints departed and their Breaden-god which is as vyle an abomination as euer was among the Gentiles all beeing directly against the true meaning of the second commaundement and defacing the worship of God in the very substance thereof Thus then it appeares that the old church of Rome is changed and is now at this day of a spouse of Christ become an harlot and therefore no more a church of Christ indeede then the carkasse of a dead man that weareth a liuing mans garment is a liuing man though he looke neuer so like him And whereas they plead for themselues that they haue succession from the Apostles the answer is that succession of person is nothing without succession of doctrine which they want and we see that Heretikes haue succeeded lawfull Ministers Secondly whereas it is alledged that in the Popish assemblies the sacrament of Baptisme is rightly for substance administred and that also it is a note of a Church three things may be answered First that baptisme seuered from the preaching of the gospel is no more a signe of a Church then the seale seuered from the indenture is of force that is nothing Circumcision was vsed in Colchis yet no church and among the Samaritanesâ— and yet no people Secondly Baptisme in the assemblies of the Church of Rome is as the purse of the true man in the hand of the thiefe and indeede it doth no more argue them to bee Churches then the true mans purse argues the thiefe to be a true man For baptisme though it be in their assemblies yet doth it not appertaine vnto them but vnto another hidden Church of God which he hath in all ages gathered forth of the middest of them Thirdly though they haue the outward baptisme yet they by necessarie consequent of doctrine ouerturne the inward baptisme that stands in iustification and sanctification Moreouer whereas it is alleadged that they maintaine the bookes of the olde and new testament penned by the Prophets and Apostles the answer is that they doe it with adding to the Canon and by corrupting the natiue sense of the Scriptures in the very foundation and therfore they are but as a lanthorne that shewes light to others none to it selfe Fourthly it is further said that they holde the Creede of the Apostles and make the same confession of faith that wee doe I answer that in shewe of wordes they doe so indeede but by necessarie consequents in the rest of their doctrine they ouerturne one of the natures and all the offices of Christ and therewithall most of the articles of the Creede And herein they deale as a father that in outward shewe tenders the bodie of his childe and will not abide the least blemish vopn it and yet by secret conueiances inwardly annoyes the heart the braine or the liuer and so in trueth destroies the same Fifthly it is alleadged that Antichrist must sitte in the temple of God that is the Church therefore say some that desire an vnion betweene vs and the Papists popish assemblies are true churches but the argument is not good For it is one thing to be in the Church and another thing to be of it And Antichrist is said to sit in the Church not as a member thereof but as an vsurper or as the pyrate in the shippe of the marchant and hence it can not be prooued that the assemblies of Papists are Churches but that in them and with them there is mingled an other hidden Church in the middest whereof Antichrist the Pope ruleth though himselfe hath no part therein Lastly whereas some beeing no Papists thinke their churches to be like a bodie diseased and full of sores and woundes from
the head to the foote and the throat also cut yet so as life is still remaining wee may better thinke their foule errours considered and their worship of God which is nothing els but a mixture of Iudaisme and Paganisme that it is a rotten and dead corpes voide of spirituall life And therefore we haue seuered our selues from the Church of Rome vpon iust cause neither are we schismaticks in so doing but they rather because the ground and the proper cause of the schisme is in them As for the assâ—mbliâ—s of Anabaptists Libertines Antinomies Tritheits Arrians Samosateâ—â—â—ns they are no churches of God but conspiracies of moÌ„strous heretickes iudâ—â—â—lly condemned in the primitiue Church and againe by the malice of Satan â—â—â—ued and reuiued in this age The same we are to thinke and say of the Familiâ— of loue As for the Churches of Germanie commonly called the Churches of the Lutheranes they are to be reputed of vs as the true churches of God Though their Angustane Confession haue not satisfied the expectation of other Reformed Churches yet haue they all the same enemies in matter of religion doe alike confesse the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost and of the office of the Mediatour of faith and good workes of the Word the Church and the Magistrate are all of one iudgement They differ indeede from vs in the question of the sacrament but it is no sufficient cause to induce vs to holde them as no Church for that there is a true or reall receiuing of the bodie and blood of Christ in the Lords supper we al agree and we ioyntly confesse that Christ is there present so farre forth that he doth truely feede vs with his verie bodie and bloode to eternall life and all the controuersie lies in the manner of receiuing we contenting our selues with that spirituall receiuing which is by the hand of faith they adding thereto the corporall whereby they imagine theÌ„selues to receiue Christ with the hand and mouth of the bodie And though to maintaine this their opinion they be constrained to turne the ascension of Christ into a disparition whereby his bodie beeing visible becomes inuisible yet in the maine points we agree that Christ ascended into heauen that he entred into his kingdome in our name and for vs that we are gouerned and preserued by his power and might and that whatsoeuer good thing we haue or doe proceedes wholly from the grace of his spirit Indeede the opinion of the Vbiquitie of the bodie of Christ reuiueth the condemned heresies of Eutiches and Nestorius and it ouerturneth by necessarie consequent most of the articles of faith but that was priuate to some men as Brentius and others and was not receiued of whole churches and whereas the men were godly learned and we are vncerten with what affection and how long they held this errour we rest our selues in condemning it leauing the persons to God Againe Popish Transustantiation and Lutherian Consubstantiation are both against the trueth of the manhood of Christ yet with great difference Transubstantiation is slatte against an article of faith for if Christs body be made of bread and his blood of wine which must needes bee if there be a conuersion of the one into the other then was not he conceiued and borne of the virgine Marie for it cannot both be made of bakers breade and of the substance of the virgin Againe it abolisheth the outward signe in the Lords supper as also the analogie betweene the signe and the thing signified and so ouerturnes the sacrament but Consubstantiation doth not so neither doeth it ouerturne the substance of any article of Religion but onely a maine point of Philosophie which is that A bodie doth occupie onely one place at once Furthermore the Churches of Helvetia and Savoie and the free citties of Fraunce and the lowe Countries and Scotland are to bee reuerenced as the true Churches of God as their confession make manifest And no lesse must we thinke of our owne Churches in England and Ireland For wee holde beleeue and maintaine and preach the true faith that is the ancient doctrine of saluation by Christ taught and published by the Prophets and Apostles as the booke of the articles of faith agreed vpon in open Parliament doe fully shewe and withall now we are and haue beene readie to testifie this our faith by venturing our liues euen in the cause of religion against forraigne power and especially the Spaniard and hereupon all the Churches in Europe giue vnto vs the hand of fellowship And whereas sundrie among vs that separate and indeede excommunicate themselues giue out that there is no Church in England no Ministers no Sacraments their peremptorie asseuerations wanting sufficient ground are but as paper-shot They alleadge that our assemblies are full of grieuous blottes and enormities Ans. The defects and corruptions of Churches must be distinguished and they bee either in doctrine or manners Againe corruptions in doctrine must further be distinguished some of them are errours indeede but beside the foundation and some errours directly against the foundation and these ouerturne all religion whereas the former doe not Nowe it can not be shewed that in our Churches is taught any one errour that raseth the foundation and consequently annihillateth the truth of Gods Church Indeed there is controuersie among vs touching the point of Ecclesiastical regiment but marke in what manner We all ioyntly agree in the substance of the regiment confessing freely that there must bee preaching of the word administration of the Sacraments according to the institution and the vse of the Power of the Keyes in admonitions suspensions excommunications the difference betweene vs is onely touching the persons and the manner of putting this gouernment in exequution and therfore men on both parts though both hold not the trueth in this point yet because both holde Christ the foundation they still remaine brethren and true members of Christ. As for corruptions in manners they make not a Church to be no church but a badde church When as the wicked Scribes and Pharises sitting in Moses chaire taught the things which he had written the people are commanded to heare them and to doe the things which they say not doing the things which they doe And whereas it is said that wee hold Christ in worde and denie him indeede that is answered thus deniall of Christ is double either in iudgement or in fact deniall in iudgement ioyned with obstinacie makes a Christian to be no christian deniall in fact the iudgement still remaining sound makes not a man to be no christian but a badde christian When the Iewes had crucified the Lord of life they still remained a Church if any vpon earth and notwithstanding this their fact the Apostles acknowledged that the couenaÌ„t the promises stil belonged vnto theÌ„ they neuer made any separation from their Synagogues till such time as they had bin sufficiently coÌ„uicted by the Apostolicall
peruse What one shall then escape and say I can my selfe excuse In iudgement with thy seruant Lord oh enter not at all For iustified in thy sight not one that liueth shall And for thy pitie plentifull O Lord I thee intreat To grant me pardon for my sinne for it is wondrous great O Lord what earthly man doth know the errours of this life Then clense me from my secret sinnes which are in me most rife And keepe me that presumptuous sinnes preuaile not ouer me And then I shall be innocent and great offences flee To thee O Lord my God loe I doe stretch my crauing hands My soule desireth after thee as doth the thirstie lands As handmaids watch their mistris hands some grace for to atchiue So I behold thee Lord my God till thou doe me forgiue Lord turne thee to thy wonted grace my silly soule vptake O saue me not for my deserts but for thy mercie sake My soule why dost thou faint and quaile so sore with paine opprest With thoughts why dost thy selfe assaile so sore within my brest Trust in the Lord thy God alway and thou the time shalt see To giue him thankes with laud and praise for health restorde to thee For why his anger but a space doth last and slacke againe But in his fauour and his grace alway doth life remaine Though gripes of griefe and pangs full sore doe lodge with thee all night The Lord to ioy shall thee restore before the day be light The Lord is kind and mercifull when sinners doe him grieue The slowest to conceiue a wrath and readiest to forgiue And looke what pitie parents deare vnto their children beare Like pitie beares the Lord to such as worship him in feare The Lord that made me knowes my shape my mould and fashion iust How weake and fraile my nature is and how I am but dust O God create in me an heart vnspotted in thy sight And eke within my bowels Lord renue a stable spright With thy free spirit confirme thou me and I will teach therefore Sinners thy waies and wicked shall be turned to thy lore My soule is rauisht with desire and neuer is at rest But seekes to know thy iudgements hie and what may please thee best O would to God it might thee please my waies so to addresse That I might both in heart and voyce thy lawes keepe and confesse In righteousnes I doe intend my time and daies to serue Haue mercie Lord and me defend so that I doe not swerue And with thy sauing health O Lord vouchsafe to visit me That I the great felicitie of thine elect may see And with thy peoples ioy I may a ioyfull minde possesse And may with thine inheritance a glorying heart expresse The Lord the God of Israel be blest for euermore Let all the people say Amen praise ye the Lord therefore FINIS A TREATISE TENDING VNTO A DECLARATION WHETHER A MAN BE IN THE ESTATE OF DAMNATION OR IN THE ESTATE OF GRACE and if he be in the first how he may in time come out of it if in the second how he may discerne it and perseuer in the same to the ende Reuiewed and corrected by the Author The points that are handled be set downe in the page following 2. Pet. 1. vers 10. Giue all diligence to make your calling and election sure for if ye doe these things ye shall neuer fall Printed for I. P. and I. L. 1600. The Contents of the booke How farre a Reprobate may goe in Christian Religion The estate of a true Christian in this life which also sheweth howe farre the elect beeing called goe beyond all reprobates in Christianitie A Dialogue to the same purpose gathered out of the sauorie writings of Master Tindall and Bradford Howe a reprobate may performe all the religion of the Church of Rome The conflicts betweene Satan and a Christian. How the word of God is to be applied aright vnto the conscience Consolations for the troubled consciences of weake Christians A Declaration of certaine spirituall Desertions TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVL AND MY CHISTIAN FRIEND MASTER Valentine Knightly Esquire one of her Maiesties Iustices of peace in Northampton shiere SIr I pray you consider with me an especiall point of Gods word carefully to be waied it is this Many professors of Christ in the day of grace perswade themselues that they are in the estate of grace and so the true Church esteemeth of them too yet when the day of grace is past they contrariwise shall finde themselues to be in the estate of daÌ„nation remedilesse A dolefull case yet a most resolute trueth and the reason is plaine Men that liue in the Church are greatly annoyed with a fearefull securite and deadnes of heart by which it comes to passe that they thinke it enough to make a common protestation of the faith not once in all their life times examining themselues whether they be in the estate of grace before the eternall God or not And indeede it is a grace peculiar to the man Elect to trie himselfe whether he be in the estate of grace or not The further opening of the trueth of this point as also the daunger of it I haue enterprised in this treatise which I am willing to bestow on you both for the profession of the faith which you make as also for that Christian friendship you haue shewed to me Accept of it I pray you and vse it for your edification Thus I commend you to God and to the word of his grace that is able to builde you vp further and giue you an inheritance among them which are sanctified From Cambridge this 24. of Nouember 1589. Your Worships to command William Perkins To the Christian Reader GOod Reader it is a thing to be considered that a man may seeme both vnto himselfe and to the Church of God to be a true professour of the Gospel and yet indeede be none All professors that be of this sort are excellently described Luk. 8. vers 13. in thesâ— words And they which are vpon the stony grouÌ„d are they which when they shal heare receiue the word with ioy but hauing no roote beleeue for a time in the time of temptation goe away Where are to be noted three things First their faith in that they are said to beleeue for a season Secondly the fruits of that faith in that they are said to receiue the word preached with ioy Thirdly their vnsoundnesse in that they are compared to stony ground and in the time of temptation goe away Concerning their faith wheras the spirit of God saith that they doe beleeue these things are to be considered First that they haue the knowledge of the word of God Secondly that they both can and doe gâ—ue assent vnto the word of God that it is most true Thirdly
feele themselues forlorne and vtterly reiected of God according to the sense and iudgement of the flesh yet by faith they can apprehend his hidden mercie and behold it a farre off in the glasse of his promise And so they doe often shew contrarie affections in their praiers as Dauid doth Iacob when he wrastled with the Angel for life and death neuer gaue ouer and when he was foild he would not cease before the Lord had blessed him This his wrastling is a type of the conflicts which the faithfull are to haue with the Lord himselfe who vseth to bring his owne children as it were to the field and he assaileth them with the one hand and with the other he holdeth them vp that so he may prooue and exercise their faith And for this cause the Church is called by the name of Iacob An example may be had in the woman of Canaan First our Sauiour Christ gaue her faith and by that faith shee was mooued to seeke to him but when shee was once come to him he gaue her three repulses First by saying nothing Secondly by denying her Thirdly by calling her dogge Thus Christ in appearance made shew as though he would neuer haue graunted her request But shee at euery repulse was more instant crying more earnestly vnto him and shee plainly opposed her selfe to him would take no deniall for such is the nature of true faith Wherefore the faithfull when they feele themselues ouerwhelmed with sinne turmoiled with cōflicts of Satan when they feele the anger of God offended with them yet they can euen then lift vp their eye lids and giue a glimps at the brasen serpent Iesus Christ and can fling themselues into the armes of Gods mercie and catch hold of the hand of God buffeting them and kisse it LX. By these temptations it comes to passe that a Christian though he can not fall finally from Christ yet he may fall very dangerously from his former estate First the graces of God may be by his default lessened in him else Paul would not haue giuen out these exhortations quench not the spirit Grieue not the holy spirit of God by whome ye are sealed vnto the day of redemption Secōdly the graces of God may be buried in him and couered for a time so that he may be like a man in a traunce who both by his owne sense and by the iudgement of the Physitian is taken for dead This was the estate of Peter who though he confessed that Christ was the Sonne of the liuing Lord yet he denied him and forswore him at the voice of a damsell Thirdly he may fall againe into the same sinne after repentance Indeede this is a daungerous case yet it may befall a true christian Otherwise when as the Israelites Gods people had fallen away from him by their sinnes and idolatries he would not stil haue offered them mercie as he doth by his Prophets And Paul praieth the Corinthians in Christs stead that they would be reconciled to God who neuerthelesse were before reconciled to God Fourthly he may commit a sinne of presumption which is a fearfull sinne beeing done wittingly of knowledge and willingly and with some wilfulnesse Therefore Dauid praied Keepe thy seruant from presumptuous sinnes and to shew himselfe to be in daunger of it he praieth further let them not haue dominion ouer me Lastly he may fall into despaire of Gods mercie for a time and this is a dangerous sinne For he which despaires makes all the promises of God to be false and this sinne of all other is most contrarie to true sauing faith In this estate was Dauid when beeing in trouble he saide this is my death And Paul shewes that the incestuous man might haue fallen into desperation when he saith Comfort him least he be swallowed vp of ouermuch heauines And it must be remembred that the church of Rome erreth in this that she teacheth desperation to be a sinne against the holy Ghost This sinne against the holy ghost is a blasphemie spoken against the knowne truth of Gods word or a deniall of Christ of a wilfull and obstinate malice But desperation may arise through ignorance of a mans owne estate through horrour of conscience for sinne through an often relapse into some sinne through the ouerdeepe consideration of a mans owne vnworthines lastly by abiuration of the truth through compulsion and feare This befell Francis Spira who after his Apostasie despaired Yet they are much ouerseene that write of him as a damned creature For first who can tell whether he despaired finally or no. Secondly in the very midst of his desperation he complained of the hardnes of his heart which made him that he could not pray no doubt then he felt his hardnes of heart and the feeling of corruption in the heart is by some contrarie grace so that we may conueniently thinke that he was not quite bereft of all goodnes though he neuer felt it then nor shewed it to the beholder LXI The cause why a Christian cannot quite fall away from grace is this after that he is sanctified he receiueth from God another speciall grace which may be called Corroboration For he hath in him not onely the sanctifying but also the strengthening power of Christ. Therfore Paul praieth for the Ephesians that they may be strengthened in the inner man for the Colossians that they might be strengthened with the glorious power of Christ. And of himselfe he saith that he is able to doe all things through the power of Christ that strengtheneth him Dauid saith that God renueth them that feare him as the eagle renueth her decaied strength From hence as from a speciall cause ariseth patience and perseuerance vnto the ende for when a man is supported by the power of Christ he may be able to beare many crosses patiently with a contented mind and perseuer in bearing of it how long soeuer the crosse endureth LXII Thus much of the estate of a Christian in this life Now I will adde some reasons in the way of perswasion to all men but especially to worldlings and to loose professours of the Gospel that they would vtterly denie themselues and vse all meanes to become true Christians by being made new creatures in Christ and by leading such a life as may adorne the Gospel of Christ. My first reason is this the man that liueth in this world not beeing a true Christian is farre more vile then the basest creature of all euen the dogge or toade For first he is nothing els but a filthie dunghill of all abomination and vncleannes the stink whereof hath infected heauen earth no perfumes could euer delay it in the nostrils of God but onely the suffering of Christ beeing a sacrifice of a sweet smelling sauour to God We make it very daintie to come neere a lazar man that
a gap to all licentiousnes therefore they agree to mans corrupt nature for who almost will not sinne when he may get a pardon for his sinnes for a little peece of money as twentie shillings or foure nobles And what is it but cosonage to sell pardons which shall be in force many yeares after the ende of the world as the Pope doth It is naturall to a man to serue God in certaine ceremonies without the power of godlines and this seruice is prescribed by the religion of the Church of Rome which standeth only in outward and corporall ceremonies as the outward succession of Bishops garments vestures gestures coloures choice of meat difference of daies times and places hearing seeing saying touching tasting numbring of beads gilding and worshipping of images building Monasteries rising at midnight silence in cloysters abstaining from flesh and white meat Fasting in Lent keeping Imber daies hearing Masse and diuine seruice seeing and adoring the bodie in forme of bread receiuing holy water and holy bread creeping to the crosse carrying Palmes taking ashes bearing Candles Pilgrimages going censing kneeling knocking altars superaltars candlestickes pardons In orders crossing annointing shauing forswearing marriage In baptisme salting crossing spatling exorcising washing of hands At Easter confession penance dirge satisfaction and in receiuing with beards new shauen to imagine a bodie where they see none and though he were there present to be seene yet the outward seeing and touching of him of it selfe without faith conduceth no more then it did the Iewes At Rogation daies to carrie banners to followe the Crosse to walke about the fieldes After Pentecost to goe about with Corpus Christi plaie At Hollowmasse to watch in the Church to say Dirge or commendation and to ring for all soules to pay tithes truly to giue to the hie Altar And if a man will be a priest to say Masse and Mattens to serue the Saint of that daie and to lift well ouer the head In sickenes to be anneled to take his rites after his death to haue funerall and Obites said for him and to be rung for at his Funerall moneths minde and yeare minde This is the summe of the catholike religion standing in bodily actions not in any motions or worke of the holy Ghost working in the heart The morall law containing perfect righteousnes is flat opposite to manâ— corrupt nature therfore whatsoeuer Religion shall repeale and make of none effect the commandements of the morall lawe that same religion must needs ioyne hands with the corruption of nature and stand for the maintenance of it This doth the religion of the Church of Rome it may be it doth not plainly repeale them yet in effect it doth if it shall frustrate but any one point of any one commandement yea the whole lawe thereby is made in vaine 1. The first commandement requireth that we haue the true Iehoua for our only God Church of Rome maketh other gods beside this true God it maketh the body of Christ to be god because they hold it may bee in many places in heauen in earth at the same time which thing is only proper to God It maketh euery Saint departed to bee God because it holdeth that Saints doe heare vs now being vpon the earth that they know our thoughts when we pray to them which none but the true God can doe It maketh the Pope to be God and that in plaine words Pope Nicholas saith Constat summum Pontificem à pio principe Constantino Deum appellari It is well known that the Pope of the godly prince Constantine was called God Againe in the extraâ—agants of the same Cannon law it is written Dominus Deus noster Papa Our Lord God the Pope And againe Christopher Marcellus said to the Pope Tu es alter Deus in terris Thou art another God vpon earth and the Pope tooke it to himselfe As the Pope in plaine wordes is made God so the power giuen to him declareth the same He can make holy that which is vnholy and iustifie the wicked and pardon sinnes hee may dispense contrarie to the saying of â—n Apostle he can change the nature of things and of nothing make somewhat What is all this but to place the Pope in Gods roome and to robbe the Lord of his Maiestie Againe the Church of Rome maketh Marie the mother of Iesus to bee as God In the Breuiary reformed and published at the commandement of Pius the V. shee is called a Goddesse in expresse words and she is further tearmed the Queene of heauen the Queene of the world the gate of heauen the mother of grace and mercy Yea shee is farre exalted aboue Christ and he in regard of her is made but a poore vnderling in heauen for papists in their seruice vnto her pray on this manner saying Shew thy selfe to be a mother and cause thy sonne to receiue our praiers set free the captiues and giue light to the blind Lastly the very crosse is made as a God For they salute it by the name of their only hope and pray it to increase iustice to the godly and to giue sinners pardon Wherfore the Church of Rome beside the one true God distinguished into three persons the father the sonne and the holy ghost maketh also many other and so in trueth hath repealed his first commandement And they haue very plainely repealed the second commandement in that they teach it lawfull to make images of the true God and to worship him in them For the flat contrarie is the very scope of this commandement namely that no image must be made of the true Iehoua nor any worship be performed vnto him in an image which appeareth thus In Deutronomie Moses maketh a large Commentarie of this commandement and this very point he sets down expressely saying take heed to your selues for ye sawe no image in the day that the Lord spake vnto you in Horeb out of the middest of the fire that ye corrupt not your selues and make you a grauen image or representation of any figure c. His argument I set downe thus As God appeared in mount Horeb so he is to be conceiued and represented but hee appeared in no image in mount Horeb only his voice was heard therefore he is not to be conceiued or represented in any image but men are to be content if they may heare his voice Againe that sin to which the people of Israel were specially giuen euen that doth the Lord specially forbid but to this were the people of Israel specially giuen not so much to make images of false gods as to make images of the true God and to worship him in them which I prooue thus In the booke of Iudges it is said that the children of Israel did wickedly in the sight of the Lord and serued Baalim Now these Baalims what are they Surely Idols resembling the true God as the Prophet Hosea declareth
which hath fellowship with God Ioh. If we walke in the light lead the course of our liues in sinceritie of life and doctrine we haue fellowship one with another Ch. We are so defiled with sinne that we often doubt least we haue no fellowship with God Ioh. The blood of Iesus Christ his sonne clenseth vs from all sinne Ch. Some among vs are come to that passe that they say they haue no sinne and that this estate is a signe of fellowship with God Ioh. If we say we haue no sinne we deceiue our selues imagining that to bee true which is otherwise and the trueth is not in vs. Ch. How then may we knowe that our sinnes are washed away by Christ Ioh. If we confesse our sinnes namely with an humbled heart desiring pardon he is faithfull and iust in keeping his promise to forgiue vs our sinnes and to clense vs from all vnrighteousnesse If we say as they before named doe wee haue not sinned we make him a lier whose word speakes the contrary and his word is not in vs his doctrine hath no place in our hearts CHAP. II. Ch. IF this bee true which hath beene said that the blood of Christ doth clense from all sinne and that if we doe confesse them they shall be pardoned our corruption tels vs that we may sinne freely Ioh. My little children these things I write vnto you that yee sinne not Ch. Alas we fall oft by infirmitie what shall we then doe Ioh. If any man sinne we haue an aduocate who in his owne name and by his owne merits pleads our cause to the Father Iesus Christ the iust and therefore fit to make intercession Ch. But how may euery one of vs in particular know that Christ is his aduocate Ioh. He is the propitiation i. a couering of sin or reconciliation as the propuiatorie of the Arke couered the lawe and not for our sinnes onely but also for the sinnes of the whole world not onely Iewes but also Gentiles of all sorts Ch. Be it that I knowe him to be my aduocate may I not be deceiued howe may I knowe that this my knowledge is effectuall to saluation Ioh. Hereby are we sure that wee knowe him here that knowledge is meant whereby a man applies Christ and all his benefits to his owne soule If we keepe to keepe is not to fulfil but to haue a care and desire to doe it for God of his mercie to his seruants accepts the will for the deede his commandements Ch. Many among vs professe that they knowe Christ but their liues be not according Ioh. He that saith I know him and keepes not his commandements is a lier and the truth is not in him Ch. How may it be prooued that the endeauour to keepe Gods commandements is a marke of faith and fellowship with Christ. Ioh. He in whom the loue of god is perfect may hereby know that he is in Christ. But he that keepeth his word in him is the loue of God i. not that loue wherewith God loueth him but that whereby he loueth God is perfect indeed i. sincere and sound perfection being opposed not to imperfection but to hypocrisie hereby therefore we know that we are in him He that saieth he remaineth in him ought to walke euen so as he hath walked and therefore he must needes indeauour himselfe in the commandements Ch. Declare vnto vs some of the principall of these commandements Ioh. Brerhren I write no newe commandement vnto you But an old commandement which yee haue heard from the beginning this olde commandement is the word which ye haue heard from the beginning Againe a newe commandement I write vnto you that which is true to wit that the commandement is newe which he will not write in him who renueth the commandement of old giuen to Moses and also in you for the darkenes is past i. the hardening of the minds of men vnder the old testament wherby they did but in a small measure vnderstand the word and that true light a greater measure of illumination as also the writing of Gods lawes not in tables of stone but in the fleshie hearts so as they be transformed into the obedience thereof now shineth Ch. Well set downe this commandement which is so ancient and is now renued Ioh. He that saith as many among you doe that he is in that light than is that he is both plentifully enlightened and borne anew hates his brother is in darkenesse vnder the estate of damnation not yet truely regenerate vntil this time He that loueth his brother abideth in that light is truely enlightened and regenerate◠and there is no offence i. he will giue no occasion of euill in him But on the contrarie he that hateth his brother is in darkenes and walketh in darkenesse leadeth his life in ignorance and vngodlinesse and knoweth not whither he goeth because that darkenesse hath blinded his eies Ch. What mooneth you to deliuer vnto vs all these notes and signes of our newe birth and communion with Christ Ioh. Little children I write vnto you because your sinnes are forgiuen you for his names sake i. by Christ and his merite that ye may be certified to your comfort of this And that no kind of men among you might doubt of this I write vnto you Fathers because ye delighting to tell and heare of olde and auncient matters haue knowne him that is Christ that is from the beginning◠I write vnto you young men because ye delighting to shewe your valour and strength haue ouercome the euil one that is Sathan I write vnto you litle childrē who delight alwaies to be vnder the fathers wing because ye haue knowne the father And againe because we are dull to mark◠and remember that which is good for vs I haue written vnto you Fathers because ye haue known him that is from the beginning I haue written vnto you young men because yee are strong and the word of God abideth in you and ye haue ouercome that wicked one Ch. If wee bee in the estate of grace vnder Gods fauour in Christ howe may wee abide in it Ioh. Loue not this world the corrupt estate of mankind out of Christ neither the things that are in the world for first of all to giue reasons if any man loue this worlde the loue of the Father wherewith he loued the father is not in him Secondly for all that is in this world as the lust of the flesh the corruption of nature which chiefly breaketh out in euill concupiscence the lusts of the eies the fruite of the former stirred vp by outward prouocations especially in the eie as it is manifest in adulterie or couetousnesse and the pride of life i. Arrogancy and ambition among men in common conuersation of life is not of the father but of the world And thirdly this world passeth away and the lust thereof
See Petrarch saith Once Rome now Babylon And Ireneus booke 5. chap. last said before all these that Antichrist should be Lateinus a Romane Againe this commandement must not so much be vnderstood of a bodily departure in respect of cohabitation and presence as of a spirituall separation in respect of faith and religion And the meaning of the holy Ghost is that men must depart from the Romish Church in regard of iudgement and doctrine in regard of their faith and the worship of God Thus then we see that the words containe a commandement from God inioyning his Church and people to make a separation froÌ„ Babylon Whence I obserue That all those who will be saued must depart and separate themselues froÌ„ the faith and religion of this present Church of Rome And whereas they are charged with schisme that separate on this manner the truth is they are not schismaticks that doe so because they haue the commandement of God for their warrant and that partie is the schismaticke in whome the cause of this separation lieth and that is the Church of Rome namely the cup of abomination in the whores hand which is their hereticall and schismaticall religion Now touching the dutie of separation I meane to speake at large not standing so much to prooue the same because it is euident by the text as to shew the manner and measure of making this separation and therein I will handle two things First how farforth we may ioyne with them in the matter of religion secondly how farforth and wherein we must dissent and depart from them And for this cause I meane to make choice of certaine points of religion and to speake of them in as good order as I can shewing in each of them our consent and difference and the rather because some harpe much vpon this string that a Vnion may be made of our two religions and that we differ not in substance but in points of circumstance The first point wherewith I meane to beginne shall be the point of Free-will though it be not the principall I. Our consent Freewill both by them and vs is taken for a mixt power in the minde and will of man whereby discerning what is good and what is euill he doth accordingly choose or refuse the same I. Conclus Man must be considered in a foure-fold estate as he was created as he was corrupted as he is renewed as he shal be glorified In the first estate we ascribe to mans will libertie of nature in which he could will or â—ill either good or euill in the third libertie of grace in the last libertie of glorie All the doubt is of the second estate and yet therein also we agree as the conclusions following will declare II. Conclus The matters where about freewill is occupied are principally the actions of men which be of three sorts naturall humane spirituall Naturall actions are such as are coÌ„mon to men with beasts as to eate drink sleepe heare see smell tast and to mooue from place to place in all which we ioyne with the Papists and hold that man hath freewil and euen since the fall of Adam by naturall power of the mind doth freely performe any of these actions or the like III. Conclus Humane actions are such as are common to all men good bad as to speake and vse reason the practise of all mechanicall and liberal arts and the outward performance of Ciuill and Ecclesiasticall duties as to come to the Church to speake and preach the word to reach out the hand to receiue the Sacrament and to lend the eare to listen outwardly to that which is taught And hither we may referre the outward actions of ciuill vertues as namely Iustice temperance gentlenes liberalitie And in these also we ioyne with the Church of Rome and say as experience teacheth that men haue a naturall freedome of will to put them or not to put them in execution Paul saith Rom. 2.14 The Gentiles that haue not the law doe the things of the law by nature that is by natural strength and he saith of himselfe that before his conuersion touching the righteousnes of the law he was vnblameable Phil. 3. 6. And for this externall obedience naturall men receiue reward in temporall things Matth. 6.5 Ezech. 29.19 And yet here some caueats must be remembred I. that in humane actions mans will is weake and feeble and his vnderstanding dimme and darke and thereupon he often failes in them And in all such actions with Augustine I vnderstand the will of man to be onely wounded or halfe dead II. That the will of man is vnder the will of God and therfore to be ordered by it as Ieremie saith chap. 10.23 O Lord I know that the way of man is not in himselfe neither is in man to walke or direct his steppes IV. Conclus The third kind of actions are spirituall more neerely concerning the heart or conscience and these be two-fold they either concerne the kingdome of darknes or els the kingdome of God Those that concerne the kingdome of darknes are sinnes properly and in these we likewise ioyne with the Papists and teach that in sinnes or euill actions man hath freedome of wil. Some peraduenture will say that we sinne necessarily because he that sinneth cannot but sinne and that freewill necessitie cannot stand together Indeed the necessitie of compulsion or coaction and freewill cannot agree but there is another kind of necessitie which may stand with freedome of will for some things may be done necessarily and also freely A man that is in close prison must needes there abide and can not possibly get forth and walke where he will yet can he mooue himselfe freely and walke within the prison so likewise though mans will be chained naturally by the bonds of sinne and therefore cannot but sinne and thereupon sinneth necessarily yet doth it also sinne freely V. Conclus The second kind of spirituall actions or things concerne the kingdome of God as repentance faith the conuersion of a sinner new obedience and such like in which we likewise in part ioyne with the Church of Rome and say that in the first conuersion of a sinner mans freewill concurres with Gods grace as a fellow or coworker in some sort For in the conuersion of a sinner three things are required the word Gods spirit and mans will for mans will is not passiue in all euery respect but hath an actioÌ„ in the first coÌ„uersion and change of the soule When any man is conuerted this worke of God is not done by compulsion but he is conuerted willingly and at the very time when he is conuerted by Gods grace he wills his conuersion To this ende saide Augustine Serm. 15. de verb. Apost He which made thee without thee will not saue thee without thee Againe That is certen that our will is required in this that we may doe any good thing well but we haue it not from our owne
we despise not the vniuersall cōsent or traditiō of the Church in this case which though it do not perswade the consciēce yet is it a notable inducement to mooue vs to reuerence regard the writings of the Prophets and Apostles It will be said where is it written that scripture is scripture I answer not in any one particular place or booke of scripture but in euery line and page of the whole Bible to him that can read with the spirit of discerning and can discerne the voice of the true pastour as the sheep of Christ can doe Obiect III. Some books of the canon of the Scripture are lost as the booke of the warres of God Num. 21.14 the booke of the iust Iosua 10.13 the bookes of Chronicles of the Kings of Israel and Iuda 1. King 14.19 the bookes of certaine prophets Nathan God Iddo Ahiah and Semiah and therefore the matter of these bookes must come to vs by tradition Answ. Though it bee granted that some bookes of Canonicall scripture be lost yet the scripture stil remaines sufficient because the matter of those bookes so farreforth as it was necessarie to saluation is contained in these bookes of Scripture that are now extant Againe I take it to be a truth though some thinke otherwise that no part of the Canon is lost for Paul saith Whatsoeuer things were written aforetime were written for our learning that wee through patience and comfort of the Scriptures c. Rom. 15.4 Where he takes it for graunted that the whole Canon of holy scripture was then extant For if he had thought that some books of scripture had beene lost he would haue said whatsoeuer was written and is now extant was written for our learning and comfort For bookes that are lost serue neither for learning nor comfort Againe to hold that any bookes of scripture should be lost calls into question Gods prouidence and the fidelitie of the Church who hath the bookes of God in keeping and is therefore called the pillar and ground of trueth And touching the bookes before mentioned I answer thus The booke of the warres of God Num. 21. 14. might be some short bill or narration of things done among the Israelites which in the daies of Moses went from hand to hand For sometime a booke in Scripture signifieth a roule or catalogue as the first chapter of Mathew which containeth the genealogie of our Sauiour Christ is called the booke of the generation of Iesus Christ. Againe the booke of the iust and the bookes of Chronicles which are said to be lost were but as the Chronicles of England are with vs euen politicke records of the acts and euents of things in the kingdome of Iuda and Israel out of which the Prophets gathered things necessarie to bee knowne and placed them in holy scripture As for the bookes of Iddo Ahiah Semiah Gad and Nathan they were contained in the books of the Kings and Chronicles and in the bookes of Samuel which were not written by him alone but by sundry prophets 1. Chr. 29.29 as also was the booke of Iudges As for the bookes of Salomon which are lost they did not concerne religion and matters of saluation but were concerning matters of philosophy and such like things Obiect IV. Moses in Mount Sina beside the written lawe receiued from God a more secret doctrine which he neuer writ but deliuered by tradition or word of mouth to the Prophets after him and this the Iewes haue now set downe in their Cabala Ans. This indeede is the opinion of some of the Iewes whome in effect and substance sundrie Papists follow but wee take it for no better then a Iewish dotage For if Moses had known any secret doctrine beside the written law he would neuer haue giuen this commandement of the said lawe thou shalt not adde any thing thereto Obiect V. Heb. 5. 12. Gods word is of two sorts milke and strong meate By milke we must vnderstand the worde of God written wherein God speakes plainely to the capacitie of the rudest but strong meate is vnwritten traditiōs a doctrine not to be deliuered vnto all but to those that growe to perfection Ans. We must know that one and the same word of God is milke and strong meat in regard of the manner of handling and propounding of it For beeing deliuered generally and plainely to capacitie of the simplest it is milke but being handled particularly and largely and so fitted for men of more vnderstāding it is strong meate As for example the doctrine of the creation of mans fal and redemption by Christ when it is taught ouerly and plainly it is milke but when the depth of the same is throughly opened it is strong meate And therefore it is a conceit of mans braine to imagine that some vnwritten word is meant by strong meat Obiect VI. Sundrie places of scripture be doubtfull and euery religion hath his seuerall exposition of them as the Papists haue theirs and the Protestants theirs Now then seeing there can bee but one trueth when question is of the interpretation of Scripture recourse must bee had to the tradition of the Church that the true sense may be determined and the question ended Ans. It is not so but in doubtfull places scripture it selfe is sufficient to declare his owne meaning first by the analogie of faith which is the summe of religion gathered out of the clearest places of scripture secondly by the circumstances of the place and the nature and signification of the words thirdly by conference of place with place By these and like helps contained in scripture we may iudge which is the truest meaning of any place Scripture it selfe is the text and the best glosse And the scripture is falsely tearmed the matter of strife it being not so of it selfe but by the abuse of man And thus much for our dissent concerning traditions wherein we must not bee wauering but steadfast because notwithstanding our renouncing of poperie yet popish inclinations and dispositions be rife among vs. Our cōmon people marueilously affect humane traditions yea mans nature is inclined more to be pleased with them then with the word of God The feast of the natiuitie of our Sauiour Christ is onely a custome and tradition of the Church and yet men are commonly more carefull to keepe it then the Lords daie the keeping whereof standes by the morall lawe Positiue lawes are not sufficient to restraine vs from buying and selling on the Sabboth yet within the twelue daies no man keepes market Againe see the trueth of this in our affection to the ministerie of the worde let the preacher alleadge Peter and Paul the people count it but common sluffe such as any man can bring but let men come and alleadge Ambrose Austine and the rest of the fathers oh he is the man he is alone for them Againe let any man be in danger any way and straight he sendeth to the wise man or wizzard Gods word is not
receiuing The fifth that the bodie of Christ is vnder many consecrated hosts The sixt that when the host is deuided the body of Christ is not deuided but vnder euery part thereof is whole Christ. The seuenth that when the priest holds the host in his hand the bodie of Christ is not felt by it selfe nor seene but the formes of bread and wine The eight that when the formes of bread and wine cease the body and blood of Christ ceaseth also to be there The ninth that the accidents of bread and wine haue the same effects with the bread and wine it selfe which are to nourish and filâ— On this manner it shall be easie for any man to defend the most absurd opinion that is or can be if he may haue libertie to answer the arguments alleadged to the contrarie by wonders To conclude seeing there is a reall communion in the sacrament between Christ and euery beleeuing heart our dutie therefore is to bestowe our hearts on Christ endeauouring to loue him and to reioyce in him and to long after him aboue all things all our affiance must be in him with him wee beeing now on earth must haue our conuersation in heauen And this is the true reall presence which the auncient Church of God hath commended vnto vs for in all these liturgies these wordes are vsed and are yet extant in the Popish masse Lift vp your hearts we lift them vp vnto the lord By which words the communicants were admonished to direct their mindes and their faith to Christ sitting at the right hand of God Thus said Augustine If we celebrate the ascension of the Lord with deuotion let vs ascend with him lift vp our hearts Againe they which are alreadie risen with Christ in faith and hope are inuited to the great table of heauen to the table of Angels where is the bread The eleuenth point Of the sacrifice in the Lords Supper which the Papists call the sacrifice of the Masse Touching this point first I will set downe what must bee vnderstood by the name Sacrifice A sacrifice is taken properly or improperly Properly it is a sacred or solemne action in which man offereth and consecrateth some outward bodily thing vnto God for this end to please and honour him thereby Thus all the sacrifices of the old testament and the oblation of Christ vpon the crosse in the new testament are sacrifices Improperly that is onely by the way of resemblance the duties of the morall lawe are called sacrifices And in handling this question I vnderstand a sacrifice both properly and improperly by way of resemblance Our Consent Our consent I propound in two conclusions Conclus I. That the supper of the Lord is a sacrifice and may truly be so called as it hath beene in former ages and that in three respects I. Because it is a memoriall of the reall sacrifice of Christ vpon the crosse and containes withall a thanksgiuing to God for the same which thanksgiuing is the sacrifice and calues of our lips Heb. 13.15 II. Because euery communicant doth there present himselfe bodie and soule a liuing holy and acceptable sacrifice vnto God For as in this sacrament god giues vnto vs Christ with his benefits so we answerable giue vp our selues vnto God as seruants to walke in the practise of all dutifull obedience III. It is called a sacrifice in respect of that which was ioyned with the sacrament namely the almes giuen to the poore as a testimonie of our thankefulnes vnto God And in this regard also the ancient fathers haue called the sacrament an vnbloodie sacrifice the table an altar the ministers priests the whole action an oblation not to God but to the congregation and not by the priest alone but by the people A canon of a certaine Councell saith Wee decree that euery Lords daie the oblation of the altar be offered of euery man and woman both for bread and wine And Augustine saith that women offer a sacrifice at the altar of the Lord that it might be offered by the priest to God And vsually in auncient writers the communion of the whole bodie of the congregation is called the sacrifice or oblation Conclus II. That the very bodie of Christ is offered in the Lords supper For as wee take the bread to be the body of Christ sacramentally by resemblance and no otherwise so the breaking of bread is sacramentally the sacrificing or offering of Christ vpon the crosse And thus the fathers haue termed the Eucharist an immolation of Chrtst because it is a commemoration of his sacrifice vpon the crosse Aug. Epist. 23. Neither doeth he he which saith Christ was offered For if sacraments had not the resemblance of things whereof they are sacraments they should in no wise be sacraments but from a resemblance they often take their names Againe Christ is sacrificed in the last supper in regard of the faith of the communicants which makes a thing past and done as present Augustine saith When we beleeue in Christ he is offered for vs daily And Christ is then slaine for euery one when hee beleeues that he is slaine for him Ambrose saith Christ is sacrificed daily in the mindes of beleeuers as vpon an altar Hierome saith He is alwaies offered to the beleeuers II. The difference They make the Eucharist to be a reall externall or bodily sacrifice offered vnto God holding and teaching that the minister is a priest properly that in this sacrament he offers Christs bodie and blood to God the father really and properly vnder the formes of bread and wine We acknowledge no real outward or bodily sacrifice for the remission of sinnes but onely Christs oblation on the crosse once offered Here is the maine difference between vs touching this point and it is of that waight and moment that they stifly maintaining their opinion as they doe can be no Church of God For this point raseth the foundation to the very bottom And that it may the better appeare that we auouch the trueth first I will confirme our doctrine by scripture and secondly confute the reasons which they bring for themselues III. Our reasons Reason I. Heb. 9,15 and 26. and c. 10.10 The holy Ghost saith Christ offered himselfe but once Therefore not often and thus there can be no reall or bodily offering of his bodie and blood in the sacrament of his supper the text is plaine The Papists answer thus The sacrifice of Christ say they is one for substance yet in regard of the manner of offering it is either bloody or vnbloodie and the holy ghost speakes onely of the bloodie sacrifice of Christ which was indeede offered but once Ans. But the author of this epistle takes it for graunted that the sacrifice of Christ is onely one and that bloodie sacrifice For he saith Heb. 9.25 Christ did not offer himselfe often as the high priests did and v. 26. For then he must haue often suffered since
vnto thee that thou hast deserued damnation say Lord I oppose the death of our Lord Iesus Christ betweene thee and my euill merits and I offer his merit for the merit which I should haue and haue not If he shall say that he is angrie with thee say Lord I oppose the death of our Lord Iesus Christ betweene me and thine anger Here we see what Papists doe and haue done in the time of death And that which they hold and practise when they are dying they should hold and practise euery day while they are liuing In the last conclusion they teach that we must not onely beleeue in generall but also applie vnto our selues the promises of life euerlasting But they differ from vs in the very manner of applying They teach that the promise is to be applied not by faith asâ—uring vs of our own saluation but only by hope in likelihood coniecturall We hold that we are bound in dutie to applie the promise of life by faith without making doubt thereof and by hope to continue the certentie after the apprehension made by faith We doe not teach that all and euery man liuing within the precincts of the church professing the name of Christ is certen of his saluation and that by faith but that he ought so to be and must indeauour to attaine thereto And here is a great point in the mysterie of iniquitie to be considered for by this vncerten application of the promise of saluation and this wauering hope they ouerturne halfe the doctrine of the Gospel For it inioynes two things first to beleeue the promises thereof to be true in themselues secondly to beleeue and by faith to applie them vnto our selues And this latter part without which the former is voide of comfort is quite ouerturned The reasons which they alleadge against our doctrine I haue answered before now therefore I let them passe To conclude though in coloured tearmes they seeme to agree with vs in doctrine concerning faith yet in deede they denie and abolish the substance thereof namely the particular and certen application of Christ crucified and his benefits vnto our selues Againe they faile in that they cut off the principall dutie and office of true sauing faith which is to apprehend and to applie the blessing promised The 21. point Of Repentance Our consent Conclus I. That repentance is the conuersion of a sinner There is a two-fold conuersion passiue and actiue passiue is an action of God whereby he conuerteth man beeing as yet vncoÌ„uerted Actiue is an action whereby man being once turned of God turnes himselfe and of this latter must this conclusion be vnderstood For the first conuersion considering it is a worke of God turning vs vnto himselfe is not the repentance whereof the Scripture speaketh so oft but it is called by the name of regeneration and repentance wherby we beeing first turned of God doe turne our selues and doe good workes is the fruit thereof Conclus II. That repentance stands specially for practise in contrition of heart confession of mouth and satisfaction in worke or deed Touching contrition there be two kinds thereof Legal and Euangelical Legal contrition is nothing but a remorse of coÌ„science for sinne in regard of the wrath iudgemeÌ„t of God it is no grace of God at all nor any part or cause of repeÌ„tance but onely an occasion thereof that by the mercie of God for of it selfe it is the sting of the law and the very entrance into the pit of hel Euangelical contrition is when a repentant sinner is grieued for his sinnes not so much for feare of hell or any other punishment as because he hath offended and displeased so good and mercifull a God This contrition is caused by the ministerie of the Gospell and in the practise of repentance it is alwaies necessarie and goes before as the beginning thereof Secondly we hold and maintaine that confession is to be made and that in sundrie respects first to God both publikely in the congregation and also priuately in our secret and priuate praiers Secondly to the Church when any person hath openly offended the congregation by any crime and is therefore excommunicate Thirdly to our priuate neighbour when we haue vpon any occasion offended and wronged him Math. 5.23 If thou bring thy gift to the altar and there remembrest that thy brother hath ought against thee goe first and be reconciled to him now reconciliation presupposeth confession Lastly in all true repentance we hold and acknowledge there must be satisfaction made first to God and that is when we intreat him in our supplications to accept the death and passion of Christ as a full perfect and sufficient satisfaction for all our sinnes Secondly it is to be made vnto the Church after excommunication for publike offences and it staÌ„ds in duties of humiliatioÌ„ that fitly serue to testifie the truth of our repeÌ„taÌ„ce Thirdly satisfaction is to be made to our neighbor because if he be wronged he must haue recoÌ„pence and restitution made Luk. 19.8 there repentance may iustly be suspected where no satisfaction is made if it lie in our power Conclus III. That in repentance we are to bring outward fruits worthie amendment of life for repentance it selfe is in the heart and therefore must be testified in all manner of good workes whereof the principall is to indeauour day by day by Gods grace to leaue and renounce all and euery sinne and in all things to doe the will of God And here let it be remembred that we are not patrons of licentiousnes and enemies of good workes For though we exclude them from the act of our iustification and saluation yet we maintaine a profitable and necessarie vse of them in the life of euery Christian man This vse is three-fold in respect of God of man of our selues Workes are to be done in respect of God that his commandements may be obeied 1. Ioh. 5.12 that his will may be don 1. Thess. 4.3 that we may shew our selues to be obedient children to God our Father 1. Pet. 1.14 that we may shew our selues thankefull for our redemption by Christ Tit. 2. 14. that we might not grieue the spirit of God Eph. 4.30 but walke according to the same Gal. 5. 22. that God by our good workes may be glorified Math. 5.16 that we may be good followers of God Eph. 5.1 Againe workes are to be done in regard of men that our neighbour may be helped in worldly things Luk. 6.38 that he may be woon by our example to godlines 1. Pet. 3.14 that we may preuent in our selues the giuing of any offence 1. Cor. 10.32 that by doing good we may stoppe the mouthes of our aduersaries Thirdly and lastly they haue vse in respect of our selues that we may shew our selues to be new creatures 2. Cor. 5.17 that we may walke as the children of light Eph. 5.8 that we haue some assurance of our faith and of our saluation 2. Pet.
God but without that is forth of the Church are dogs enâ—hanters whoremongers adulterers c. And the Arke out of which all perished figured the Church out of which al are condemned And for this cause Saint Luke saith that the Lord added to the Church from day to day such as should be saued And the reason hereof is plaine for without Christ there is no saluation but out of the militant church there is no Christ nor faith in Christ and therefore no saluation Againe forth of the militant church there are no meanes of saluation no preaching of the word no inuocation of Gods name no Sacraments and therefore no saluation For this cause euery man must be admonished euermore to ioyne himselfe to some particular church beeing a sound member of the Catholike church The third rule is that the church which here we beleeue is onely one As Christ himselfe speaketh My doue is alone and my vndefiled is the onely daughter of her mother And as there is onely one God and one Redeemer one faith one baptisme and one way of saluation by Christ onely so there is but one church alone The Catholike church hath two parts the church Triumphant in heauen and the church Militant on earth The Triumphant church may thus be described It is a companie of the spirits of iust men triumphing ouer the flesh the deuill and the world praising God First I say it is a companie of the spirits of men as the holy Ghost expressely tearmeth it because the soules onely of the godly departed as of Abraham Isaac Iacob Dauid c. are as yet ascended into heauen and not their bodies Furthermore the properties of this companie are two The first is to make triumph ouer their spirituall enemies the flesh the deuill the world for the righteous man so long as he liues in this world is in continuall combate without truce with al the enemies of his saluation and by constant faith obtaining victorie in the ende of his life he is translated in glorious and triumphant maner into the kingdome of glorie This was signified to Iohn in a vision in which he saw an innumerable companie of all sorts of nations kinreds people and tongues stand before the Lambe clothed in long white robes with palmes in their handes in token that they had beene warriours but now by Christ haue gotten the victorie and are made conquerours Their second propertie is to praise and magnifie the name of God as it followeth in the former place saying Amen praise and glorie and wisdome and thankes honour power and might be vnto our God for euermore Hence it may be demanded whether Angels be of this Triumphant church or no Ans. The blessed Angels be in heauen in the presence of God the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost but they are not of the mysticall bodie of Christ because they are not vnder him as he is their redeemer considering they can not be redeemed which neuer fell and it can not be prooued that they now stand by the vertue of Christs redemption but they are vnder him as he is their Lord and King and by the power of Christ as he is God and their God are they confirmed And therfore as I take it we can not say that Angels are members of the mysticall bodie of Christ or of the triumphaÌ„t church though indeed they be of the coÌ„pany of the blessed The church Militant may be thus described It is the companie of the elect or faithfull liuing vnder the crosse desiring to be remooued and to be with Christ. I say not that the Militant church is the whole bodie of the elect but onely that part thereof which liueth vpon earth and the infallible marke thereof is that faith in Christ which is taught and deliuered in the writings of the Prophets and Apostles and this faith againe may be discerned by two markes The first is that the members of this companie liue vnder the crosse and profit by it in all spirituall grace And therefore it is said that we must through many afflictions enter into the kingdome of heauen And our Sauiour Christ saith If any man will come after me let him denie himselfe and take vp his crosse euery day and follow me The second marke is a desire to depart hence and to be with Christ as Paul saith We loue rather to be remooued out of this bodie and to be with Christ. And againe I desire to be loosed and to be with Christ which is best of all Where yet we must remember that the members of Christ doe not desire death simply and absolutely but in two respects I. that they might leaue off to sinne and by sinning leaue to displease God II. That they might come to enioy happines in heauen and to be with Christ. Touching the generall estate of the Militant church two questions are to be considered The first how farre forth God is present with it assisting it by his grace Ans. God giues his spirit vnto it in such a measure that although the gates of hell can not preuaile against it yet neuerthelesse it remaines still subiect to errour both in doctrine and manners For that which is true in euery member of the church is also true in the whole but euery member of the Militant church is subiect to errour both in doctrine and manners because men in this life are but in part enlightened and sanctified and therefore still remaine subiect to blindnesse of minde and ignorance and to the rebellion of their wills and affections whereby it comes to passe that they may easily faile either in iudgement or in practise Againe that which may befall one or two particular churches may likewise befall all the particular churches vpon earth all beeing in one and the same condition but this may befall one or two particular churches to faile either in doctrine or manners The church of Ephesus failed in leauing her first loue whereupon Christ threatneth to remooue from her the candlesticke And the church of Galatia was remooued to an other Gospell from him that had called them in the grace of Christ now why may not the same things befall twentie yea an hundred churches which befell these twaine Lastly experience sheweth this to be true in that generall Councels haue erred The Councell of Nice beeing to reforme sundrie behauiours among the Bishops and Elders would with common consent haue forbidden marriage vnto them thinking it profitable to be so vnlesse Paphnutius had better informed them out of the Scriptures In the third Councell at Carthage certaine bookes Apocrypha as the booke of Syrach Tobie and the Macchabees are numbred in the Canon and yet were excluded by the Councell of Laodicea And the saying of a Diuine is receiued that former Councels are to be reformed and amended by the latter But Papists maintaining that the Church can not erre alleadge the promise of Christ Howbeit
sisters there if one fight with another or if any doe you wrong you may not reuenge or smite for that pertaineth to the father only But if your father giue you authoritie in his absence and command you to smite if they will not bee ruled but abuse you then you are another person Notwithstanding yet you haue not put off the first person but are a brother still and must euer loue prooue all things to rule with loue but if loue will not serue then you must vse the office of another person or sinne against your father Euen so when you are a temporall person you put not off the spirituall therefore you must euer loue but when loue will not helpe you must with loue execute the office of the temporall person You must loue your neighbour in you heart because he is your brother in the first state yet you must obey your ruler who hath power ouer you and when neede requireth at his commandement you must goe with the Constable or like officer and breake open your neighbors dore if he will not open it in the Kings name yea if hee will not yeeld in the Kings name you may smite him to the ground till he be subdued and lookâ— what harme he getteth that be vpon his owne head Timoth. I vnderstand you well As I am a member of the spiritual bodie of Christ I must in all my conuersation follow him with patience meeknes long suffering ouercomming other mens euils with well doing yet if the hurt be greater then I can beare I must take a new person on me and if I bee a ruler with loue seeke amendment if a subiect then in the feare of God coÌ„plaine to my ruler But further I pray you soyle me this doubt If I shall be taken for a souldier me thinkes that I should then shake off all loue and meeknes and then I could not practise this Christian rule Euseb. Yes if our Queene God saue her grace should send you on warfare into another countrie you must obey at Gods commandement and goe and auenge your princes quarrell which you know not but that it is right When you come thither remember the two states in which you are and knowe that in the first state that is the regiment spiritual you must loue them with whom you fight and that they are your brethren bought with Christs blood as well as you and for Christs sake hate them not yet as you are in the second state a souldier at your princes commaundement you must fight against them and maintaine your princes quarrel bring them vnder her power therwithall be content with your princes wages neither desire your aduersaries life or goods saue to aduantage your prince So then a souldier neede not cast away meekenesse for hee may fight with his enemie and sley him and yet loue him Timoth. Another thing I would know of you which now commeth to my minde I haue a Landlord he seemeth to be a very good man he countenanceth all the good preachers in our countrie and hee rideth vsually ten miles to heare sermons I holde of him a house and a little land not scarse enough to finde my poore familie my lease is come out and I haue taken a newe lease but I haue paied such a great fine and my yearely rents are so racked that I feare I and all my housholde are like to begge our bread this is it disquieteth me and almost maketh me at my wits ende what is your counsell and aduise Euseb. Surely it maketh my heart to bleed to see how many men bragge of the gospell and yet what little fruite the gospell hath in them and what little loue they shew euen they which abound in rents and lands My poore aduise is this that you would with patience depend vpon Gods prouidence It is said Blessed are the meeke for they shall inherit the earth Then let all the worlde studie to doe you wrong yea let them studie to bring you to extreame miserie do it too yet if you be meek you shall haue foood and raiment enough for you and yours And no doubt God who is alwaies true of his promise shall raise vp some to helpe you And my counsel is that you giue your Landlord now and then a capon now a pigge now a goose and if you be able â— lambe or a calfe and let your wife visit your landladie now and then with spiced cakes with apples peares cherries and such like and be you readie with your oxen or horses fiue or sixe times in the yeare to fetch home their woodâ— to plow their land then no doubt God may soften their hearts and mooue them to haue some pitie and compassion on your poore estate Timoth. I haue done all this Nay may it be spoken betweene you and me I am at commaundement and am as a drudge to them to doe their busines and to leaue my owne vndone and yet haue neither meate drinke nor money Euseb. More is the pitie But remember that they which cannot come to see men deale vprightly in the world yet doe in their hearts hunger and thirst after this righteousnes are pronounced blessed Timoth. To let this passe shew me one rule how I might generally in all matters behaue my selfe among men and then for this time I will cease to trouble you Euseb. Aske your owne conscience what you may or ought to doe Would you men did so with you Then doe you it Would not be so dealt with Then doe it not You would not that men should doe you wrong and oppresse you You would not that men should doe you shame and rebuke he on you kill you hire your house from you or tice your seruant away or take against your will ought that is yours You would not that men should sell you false ware when you put them in trust to make it readie or to lay it ought for you and you would not that men should deceiue you with great othes swearing thâ—t to be good which is indeede very nought you would not that men should sell you ware that is nought and too deare to vndoe you doe no such thing then vnto your neighbours but as loath as you would be to buie false ware too deare for vndoing your selfe so loath be you to sell false ware or too deare foâ— vndoing your neighbour And in all cases how glad would you be to be holpen so glad be to helpe your neighbour So in all things aske your consciencâ— what is to be done betweene your neighbour and you and she will teach you But because you are wearie of reasoning I will also ende Desiring God to increase in vs his heauenly graces as faith and repentance and loue according to his good pleasure Amen The assertion A Reprobate may in truth be made partaker of all that is contained in the Religion of the Church of Rome and a Papist by his religion cannot goe beyond a Reprobate
The first argument HE which may in truth be made partaker of the chiefe points of the Popish religion may be made partaker of all but a Reprobate may be made partaker of the chiefe poinâ—s of the Popish religion therefore a Reprobate may be made partaker of all The proofe of the Argument THe proposition is plaine and euery Papist will graunt it all the controuersie is of the assumption wherefore I prooue it thus The Sacrament of Pennance as they call it is one of the chiefe things in the religion of the Church of Rome for it is such a Sacrament that by the power efficacy of it the blood of Christ is deliuered to vs to wash away our sins they say it hath such vertue that the kingdome of heauen is promised to it in the Scriptures and that it is not regeneration but an healing of a man regenerate and that it pardoneth sinne as baptisme And as touching Contrition Papists write it hath power to doe away sinne and to obtaine pardon at Gods hand the same they speake of Confession which they say deliuereth from death openeth paradise and giueth hope of saluation and hereby it may appeare that pennance is one of the greatest points of the popish religion But a reprobate may be truly made partaker of the popish sacrament of penance and indeede performe all in it There be three parts of penance Contrition of the heart Confession of the mouth Satisfaction in the deede All these three Iudas performed first he had Contrition for when he saw that our Sauiour was condemned then he saw his owne finne and was stricken with a griefe for his owne treacherie and repented and presently after he confessed his sinne openly vnto the chiefe Priests and Elders Also he made Satisfaction when he brought againe the thirtie pieces of siluer which he tooke to betray his master Againe Contrition of the heart is the ground of penance and Papists say it is not an act of the holy Ghost but an act of mans free wil proceeding from it and therefore a reprobate may haue it And as for Satisfaction if a reprobate cannot doe it by himselfe yet he may performe it by another for so they say that one may satisfie by anothâ—r wherefore for any thing I can see a reprobate may haue all that is contained in the popish sacrament of penance Faith is another of the chiefest points that is in the religion of the Church of Rome for they say it is the foundation and ground worke of Iustification But reprobates may haue that faith which they meane For they say that it is nothing els but a gift of God and a certaine light of the minde wherewith a man beeing enlightened giuâ—th sure and certen assent to the reuealed word of God And the Rhemists say it is onely an act of the vnderstanding and Andradius saith that Faith is onely in generall actions and cannot come to the particular applying of any thing now all this reprobates may haue for their minds are inlightned to know the truth and to be perswaded of it and therefore they haue this act of the vnderstanding this is a generall faith yea the deuill himselfe can doe thus much who beleeueth and trembleth And their implicite faith which saueth the lay man what reprobate cannot haue it for there is nothing els required but to beleeue as the Church beleeueth though he know not how the Church beleeueth And the Papists themselues say as much for their Councels hold that a wicked man and an heretike may haue confidence in Christ and that an heathen man by the naturall knowledge of God and by the workes of creation might haue faith and in a generall maner beleeue in Christ. The second argument THat religion whose precepts are no directions to attaine peace of conscience leaueth a man still in a damnable case but the precepts of the religion of the Churcâ— of Rome are not directions to attaine peace of conscience therefore it leaueth a man in a damnable case which if it be true a reprobate may be as sound a professour of â— as any other The proofe THe proposition is certen because as long as any man hath his conscience to accuse him of sinne before God he is in state of damnation as Saint Iohn saith If our heart condemne vs God is greater then our heart knoweth all things And this is peculiar and proper to the elect children of God to receiue these gifts and graces from God the enioyning of which bringeth peace of conscience True it is indeede that reprobates receiue many graces and gifts at Gods hand but they are no other then such as may be ioyned with the trembling of the conscience as the deuill is said to beleeue but withall to tremble The assumption namely that the religion of the church of Rome can not pacifie the conscience may be easily prooued on this wise A man whose conscience must be truely quieted must first of all be truely humbled Come vnto me saith our Sauiour Christ all ye which are wearied and burdened and I will ease you Whereby it appeareth that they who are to haue their consciences refreshed in Christ must first of all be afflicteâ— with the sense of Gods iudgement yea they must be pressed downe to helward with the weight and burden of their sinnes that they may see and from their hearts confesse that in themselues there is no way to escape damnation The good Phisitian Christ Iesus cannot heale vs before he hath lanced our woundes to the very bottome he neuer can finde any of his sheepe before they be quite lost he neuer powreth into vs the liuing waters of his spirit before we be barren and drie ground void of all moysture and that man must condemne himselfe that would not haue Christ to pronounce sentence of damnation against him Now this true humiliation of a sinner can not be wrought in any mans heart by the religion of the Church of Rome True and sound humiliation is wrought by two means first by making a man to see the greatnes of his sinne and wickednesse secondly by making him to acknowledge that he is destitute and quite bereft of all goodnes For if a man either see not the greatnes of his sinne or haue confidence of any thing in himselfe he can not be humbled but neither of these two things are performed in the church of Rome As touching the first the Romish religion is so farre from amplifying enlarging the greatnes of mens sinnes that it doth extenuate them and lessen them out of measure for it maketh some sinnes to be venial when as the least sinne that can be against Gods law deserueth damnation it teacheth that lesser sinnes are done away by an humble accusation of a mans selfe by saying the Lords praier by knocking vpon the breast and by such like the greater sinnes may be