that doe them yet in his sight they may be uncleane Hag. 2. 13 14. If they turne and enquire and seeke early after God all this is not fidelity but only flatterie Psal. 78. 34. 37. Like the spicing and embalming of a carkasse which can never put so much beauty or value into it as to make it a welcome present unto a Prince But what then Can a wicked man doe nothing but sinne when he gives Almes builds Churches reades the Scripture heares the Word worships God are these all sinnes if so then he ought to forbeare them and leave them utterly undone Here are Two Points in this case First to consider How all the workes of naturall men may be esteem'd sinfull and secondly this being granted that they are sinfull How they ought to carry themselves in regard of doing or omitting of them For the former of these we are first to premise these notes First a worke done may bee Sub duplici genere Boni it may be measured by Two sorts of Goodnesse first there is Goodnesse ethicall or morall in relation unto manners and in order unto men and secondly there is Goodnesse theologicall or divine in relation to Religion and in order unto God A thing is morally Good when it is Good in the sight of men good unto humane purposes good by way of Example or by way of Edification to others who judge as they see But a thing is then done divinely when it is done with the spirit of holinesse and of truth for the Father seeketh such to worship him when it is done in obedience to the word for wee are to note that a thing may bee done by a man rationally out of the sway and rule of right reason and a certaine generousnesse and ingenuitie of spirit which loves not to condemne it selfe in the thing which it allowes and to walke crosse to the evidence of its owne rules and yet that thing is all this while done but unto himselfe and his owne reason is set up as an idoll in Gods place to which all the actions of his life doe homage or a thing may be done obedientially with an eye vnto Gods will that requires it not onely in a common conviction but in a filiall and submissiue affection as unto him when you fasted and mourned saith the Lord did you at all fast unto me even to me If you will returne o Israell returne unto me saith the Lord Zach. 7. 5. Ier. 4. 1. A notorious finner walkes contrary to the principles of his owne reason and nature Ro. 1. 32. 1. Cor. 11. 14. contrary to the prosperitie and securitie of his present life Levit. 26. 14. 1. Cor. 11 30. and contrary to the will and Law of God Now when a man breakes of a sinfull course with ayme onely at his owne reason or prosperitie though this bee to returne yet it is to turne to our selvâ—…s and not unto God They assemble themselves for corne and wine saith the prophâ—…t and so seeme to returne but though they returne it is not to the most high but like a deceitfull bow though it seeme to direct the arrow to the marke yet indeede it sends it out another way Hos 7. 14 16. and in this regard though the substance of a worke seeme very specious unto men who iudge according to the sight of their eyes and measure the aâ—…me and intention by the worke which they see not the worke by the intention which they cannot see yet to God that seeth not as man seeth it may be an abomination Luk. 16. 15. Secondly we are to note That amongst Christians divine workes may be done morally and meerely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to the course of the places and times which a man lives in Such were Saint Pauls services before his Conversion which therefore he esteemed but dung and suffered the losse of them for a man may do good things and yet when he hath done lose them all 2. Ioh. vers 8. Nay they may be done profanely as Balaams blessing of Israel and the false brethrens preaching out of envy and ill will Phil. 1. 15. 16. And morall things may be done spiritually and divinely such were the Almes of the Churches of Macedonia to the Saints that which they did they did as unto God which made them ready to consecrate not onely their substance but themselves to the service of the Saints Such was the contribution of the Philippians towards the necessities of Saint Paul it was done with an eye to God in which respect the Apostle cals it a sacrifice of a sweete savour well pleasing unto God The Good was intended unto Paul but the service was directed unto God Thirdly we are to note That some things are so essentially Good in themselves as that they cannot be done but they must bee well and spiritually done such are those things which take in God into their very performance and doe intrinsecally and in the substance of the worke respect him Such are to love feare beleeve trust depend upon God which things though in regard of the unperfect manner of doing them they may have sinne miâ—…gled with them because not done with all that strength as the Law requires can yet never be totally 〈◊〉 and so unacceptable unto God Other things may be Good materially and in common acception because they are the things which God commands to be done but yet because the doing of them doth not necessarily and 〈◊〉 take in an ayme and respect to God but is onely 〈◊〉 unto him and that so as that the same thing may be done with other respects therefore the Goodnesse is not in the things themselves barely considered but in the right manner of performing them Such were Iehu his zeale the Pharises praying the hypocrites fasting and the like In one word somethings are so inherently Good that though they may be done imperfectly yet they cannot be doâ—…e profanely others so good with relation to God that because they may be done without that relation and such other conformities as are required in them therefore they may cease at all to be good as to preach out of envie to pray out of hypocrisie to fast out of opinion of merit c. Now as indifferent things may be made good by circumstances as to eate or not to eate is indifferent yet not to eate for feare of scandall is charitie and to eate for feare of superstition is Christian liberty To observe things indifferent as indifferent without any conscience of the thing it selfe onely in due submission to the commands of iust authoritie is obedience to observe the same things without such authoritie and that upon superstitious reasons directed to binde the conscience and leading to the thing as such a thing is in regard of others great scandall and in regard of a mans selfe bondage and idolatrie Thus I say as indifferent things may bee made good or bad by circumstances so other things the
by meere naturall reasons and the assent produced by it is differenced from suspition hesitaâ—…cie â—…ubitation in the opinion of schoolâ—…men themselves Now then in as much as we are bound to yeeld an evident assent unto divine truths necessary hereunto it is that the undâ—…rstanding bee convinc'd of these two things First that God is of infallible authoritie and cannot lye nor deceive which thing is a principle by the light of nature evident and unquestioned Secondly that this authoritie which in faith I rely upon is indeede and infallibly Gods owne authoritie The meanes whereby I come to know that may bee either extraordinary as revelation such as was made by the Prophets concerning future events or else ordinary and common to the faithfull This the Papists say is the authoritie of the Church Against which if one would dispute much might bee said Briefly granting first unto the Church a ministeriall introductory perswasive and conducting concurrence in this worke pointing unto the starre which yet it selfe shineth by its owne light reaching forth and exhibiting the light which though in it selfe visible could not bee so ordinarily to mee uâ—…lesse thus presented explaning the evidence of those truths unto which I assent for their owne intrinsecall certainâ—…y I doe here demaund how it is that each man comes to beleeve The Colliar will quickly make a wise answere as the Church beleeves But now how or why doth the Church beleeve these or these truths to bee divine Surely not because the Church hath so determined our Saviour Himselfe would not be so beleeved If I beare record of my selfe my record is not true Well then the Church must needes beleeve by the spirit which leads it into all truth And what is the Church but the Bodie of Christ the congregrtion of the faithfull consisting of divers members And what worke is that whereby the Spirit doth illuminate and raise the understanding to perceive aright divine truth but onely that Oyntment which dwelleth in you saith the Apostle whereby Christs sheepe are enabled to heare His voyce in matters of more Heavenly and fundamentall consequence and to distinguish the same from the voyce of strangers Now have not all the faithfull of this unction Doth it not runne downe from the head to the skirts of the garment Are wee not all a royall Priesthood and in both these respects annointed by the Spirit And having all the Spirit though in different measures and degrees is it not in congruitie probable that we have with Him received those vivificall and illightning operations which come along with him Capable is the poorest member in Christs Church being growne to maturitie of yeeres of information in the faith Strange therefore it is that the Spirit not leaving mee destitute of other quickning graces should in this onely leave my poore soule to travell as farre as Rome to see that by a candle or rather by an ignis fatuus which himselfe might more evidently make knowne unto me For the Spirit doth beget knowledge We have received the spirit which is of God that we might know the things which are freely given to us of God And againe Hereby we know that wee dwell in Him and Hee in us because Hee hath given us of His Spirit And againe Hereby we know that Hee abideth in us by the Spirit which Hee hath given us Especially since wee must take even the determinations of the Church and Pope though they were infallible in themselves at second hand as they passe through the mouth of a Priest whose authoritie being not infallible nor apostolicall but humane impossible it is not but that he may misreport His holy Father and by that meanes misguide and delude an unsetled soule Againe I demaund How doth it appeare unto mee that the Iudgment of the Church is infallible when it alone is the warrant of my Faith That this is it selfe no principle nor to the light of naturall reason primo intuitâ—… manifest ex evidentia terminorum is most certaine For that this company of men should not erre when other companies of men may erre cannot possibly be immediateâ—…y and por se evident since there must first needs apriori be discovered some internall difference betweene those men from whence as from an antecedent principle this difference of erring or not erring must needes grow Now then I demand what is that whereby I doe assent unto this proposition in case it were true That the Church cannot erre The Church it selfe it cannot be since nothing beares record of it selfe and if it should the proofe would be more ridiculous then the opinion being but idem peridem and petitio quaestionis Above the Church a Priori there is not any light but the scriptures and the spirit Therefore needs by these must I assent unto that one proposition at least And if unto that by these why then by the same light may I not assent unto all other divine truths since evident it is that the same light which enables me rightly to apprehend one object is sufficient also to any other for which a lesser light then that is presumed to suffice So then a true faith hath its evidence and certainty grounded upon the Authoritie of the word as the instrument and of the spirit of God raising and quickning the soule to attend and acknowledge the things therein revealed and to set to its owne seale unto the truth and goodnesse of them But how doe I know either this word to be Gods Word or this spirit to bee Gods spirit since there are sundry false and lying spirits I answer first ad Hominem there are many particular Churches and Bishops which take themselves to be equally with Rome members and Bishops of the universall Church How shall it invincibly appeare to my Conscience that other Churches and Bishops all save this onely doe or may erre and that this which will have me to beleeve her infallibility is not her selfe an hereticall and revolted Church This is a question controuerted By what autority shall it be decided or into what principles á priori resolved and how shall the evidence of those principles appeare to the Conscience That the Popes are successors of Peter in his see of Rome that they are doctrinall as wel as personall successours that Peter did there sit as moderator of the Catholike Church that his infallibility should not stick to his chaire at Antioch as well as to that at Rome that Christ gave him a principality jurisdiction and Apostleship to have to himselfe over all others and to leave to his successors who though otherwise privat men and not any of the pen-men of the holy Ghost should yet have after him a power over those Apostles who survivd Peter as it is manifest Iohn did That the scripture doth say any title of all this that the traditions which do say it are a divine word are al controversed points and though there be sorceries more then enough
officious lie to compasse the redemption of the whole world yet so weighty and universall a good must rather bee let fall then brought about by the smallest evill Thirdly when the manner of it is good and that is first when the Care is moderate Phil. 4. 5 6. Secondly when it is with submission to the will and wisedome of God when wee can with comfort of heart and with much confidence of a happy issue recommend every thing that concernes us to his providence and disposall can bee content to have our humours mastered and conceits captiuated to his obedience when we can with David resolve not to torment our hearts with needlesse endlesse projects but to rowle our selves upon Gods protection If I shall finde favour in his eyes he will bring me againe and me shew both the Arke and his habitation But if he say thus unto me I have no delight in thee let him doe to me as seemeth good unto him Such was the resolution of Eli It is the Lord let him doe what seemeth him good Such the submission of the disciples of Cesarea when they could not perswade Paul to stay from Ierusalem The will of the Lord be doâ—…e Cleane contrary to that wicked resolution of the King of Israel in the famine This evill is of the Lord what should I waite for the Lord any longer Now in this respect care is not a vexation but a duty he is worse then an Infidel that provides not for his own Our Saviour himselfe had a bag in his familie and Salomon sends foolish and improvident men unto the smallest Creatures to learne this care Prov. 6. 8. That Care then which is a branch of this Vexation is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a cutting dividing distracting care against which wee ought the rather to strive not onely because it is so apt to arise from the Creature coupling in with the corruption of mans heart but also because of its owne evill quality it being both Superfluous and sinfull First Irregular cares are superfluous and improper to the ends which we direct them upon and that not to our maine end onely Happinesse which men toyling to discover in the Creature where it is not doe insteed thereof finde nothing but trouble and vexation but even to those lower ends which the Creatures are proper and suteable unto For unto us properly belongs the Industry but unto God the care unto us the labour and use of meanes but unto God the blessing and successe of all Though Paul plant and Apollo waters it is God onely that can give the increase he must be trusted with the events of all our industry Peter never began to sinke till he began to doubt that was the fruit of his carking and unbeliefe Which of you by taking thought can adde one cubit to his stature saith Christ our cares can never bring to passe our smallest desires because I say the care of events was ever Gods prerogative and belonged wholly to his providence Vpon him wee must cast our care upon him we must vnlode our burdens and he will sustaine us Wee are all of one family of the houshold of God and of faith now we know children are not to lay vp for parents but parents for children If we should see a childe carke and toyle for his living wee should presently conclude that he was left to the wide world and had no father to provide for him and that is our Saviours argument take no thought for your heavenly Father knoweth you have need of these things Let us therefore learne to cast our selves upon God First Infaith depending vpon the truth of his promises He hath said I will not faile thee nor forsake thee and upon the All-sufficiency of his Power our God whom we serve is able to deliver us This was that which comforted David in that bitter distresse when Ziglag was burnt by the Amalekites his Wives taken captive and himselfe ready to be stoned by the people He encouraged himselfe in the Lord his God This was that which delivered Asa from the huge hoste of the Lubims and Ethiopians because he rested on God and all which afterwards hee got by his diffidence and carnall projects was to purchase to himselfe perpetuall warres That which grieved the Lord with his people in the Wildernesse was their distrust of his power and protection Can he spread a Table in the Wildernesse Can hee give bread also and flesh for his people And indeed as Caines despaire so in some proportion any fainting under temptation any discontent with our estate proceede from this that we measure God by our selves that wee conceive of his power onely by those issues and wayes of escape which we are by our owne wisedomes able to fore-cast and when we are so straitened that wee can see no way to turne there we give over trusting God as if our sinnes were greater then could be forgiven or our afflictions then could be removed It is therefore a notable meanes of establishing the heart in all estates to have the eye of Faith fixed upon the power God to consider that his thoughts and contrivances are as much above ours as Heaven is above the Earth and therefore to resolve with Ieroboam that when wee know not what to doe yet we will have our eyes upon him still Sonne of Man saith the Lord to Ezekiel can these dead bones live and hee answered O Lord God thou knowest Thy thoughts are aboue our thoughts and where things are to us impossible they are easie unto thee Secondly by Prayer This is a maine remedy against carefull thoughts When the Apostle had exhorted the Philippians that their Moderation that is their Equanimitie and calmenesse of minde in regard of outward things should bee knowne unto all men he presseth it with this excellent reason The Lord is at hand he is ever at home in his owne family he is neere to see the wants and to heare the cries of all that come unto him therefore saith hee Bee carefull for nothing but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thankesgiving thankesgiving for what you have and prayer for what you want let your requests be made knowne unto God and hee shall furnish you with peace in all estates A notable example of which promise we have in Anna the Mother of Samuel In the bitternesse of her soule she wept and did not eate namely of the Sacrifices which were to be eaten with rejoycing then she prayed and vowed a vow unto the Lord and having cast her cares upon him she then went her way and did eate and her countenance was no more sad Ezekiah in his sicknesse chattered like a Swallow and mourned as a Dove but after his prayer he sung songs of deliverance to the stringed instruments Habaknk before his prayer trembled
would not be beholden to an infamous branded person And surely Almighty God can as little endure to be honored by wicked men or to have his Name and Truth by them usurped in a false profession When the Divell who useth to bee the father of lies would needes confesse the Truth of Christ I know who thou art even Iesus the Sonne of the Living God we finde our Saviour as well rebuking him for his confession as at other times for his Temptations Because when the Divell speakes a lie he speakes De suo he doth that which becomes him but when he speakes the Truth and Glorifies God hee doth that which is improper for his place and station for who shall praise thee in the pit Hee speakes then De alieno of that which is none of his owne and then he is not a lyer onely by professing that which he hates but a theefe too And surely when men take upon them the Name of Christ and a shew of religion and yet deny the power thereof they are not only liers in professing a false love but theeves too in usurping an interest in Christ which indeede they have not and are like to have no happier successe with God who cannot be mocked then false pretenders have with men who under assumed titles of princes deceased have laid claime to kingdomes God will deale with such men as we teade that Tiberius dealt with a base pretender to a Crowne when after long examination hee could not catch the impostor tripping in his tale at last he consulted with the habite and shape of his body and finding there not the delicacie and softnesse of a Prince but the brawinnesse and servile fashion of a Mechanick he startled the man with so unexpected a triall and so wrung from him a confession of the Truth And surely just so will God deale with such men as usurpe a claime unto his Kingdome and prevaricate with his Name he will not take them on their owne words or empty professions but examine their hands If hee finde them hardned in the service of sinne hee will then stop their mouth with their owne hand and make themselves the argument of their owne conviction Thirdly the Power of pious and vertuous education for many men have their manners as the Colliar had his faith meerely by tradition and upon credit from their forefathers So saint Paul before his Conversion liv'd as touching the Law unblameably in his owne esteeme because he had beene a Pharisce of the Pharisees Many times we may observe amongst men that contrarietiâ—… of affections proceede from causes homogeneall and uniforme and that the same temper and disposition of minde will serve to produce effects in apparance contrary When two men contend with much violence to maintaine two different opinions it may easily bee discerned by a judicious stander by that it is the same love of victory the same contentious constitution of Spirit which did foster those extreme discourses and many times men would not be at such distance in tenents if they did not too much concurre in the pride and vaine glory of an opinionative minde And surely so is it in matters of religion and practise many times courses extremely opposite are embrac'd out of the selfe same uniforme frame and temper of spirit a humor pertinaciously to adhere to the wayes which a man hath beene bred in may upon contrary educations produce contrary effects and yet the principall reason bee the same as it is the same vigor and vertue of the earth which from different seedes put into it produceth different fruites So then a man may abstaine from many evils and doe many good things meerely out of respect to their breeding out of a native ingenuitie and faire opinion of their fathers pietie without any such experimentall and convincing evidence of the truth or Spirituall and Holy love of the goodnesse by which the true members of Christ are moved unto the same observances Fourthly the Legall and Affrighting Power which is in the Word when it is set on by a skilfull master of the assemblies For though nothing but the Evangelicall vertue of the Word begets true and spirituall obedience yet outward conformitie may be fashioned by the terror of it As nothing but vitall seminall and fleshly principles can organize a living and true man yet the strokes and violence of hammers and other instruments being moderated by the hand of a cunning worker can fashion the shape of a man in a dead stone As Ahab was humbled by the Word in some degree when yet he was not converted by it Fifthly the power of a naturall illightned Conscience either a wakened by some heavie affliction or affrighted with the feare of Iudgement or at best assisted with a temper of generousnesse and ingenuitie a certaine noblenesse of disposition which can by no meanes endure to be condemned by its owne witnesse nor to adventure on courses which doe directly the wart the practicall principles to which they subscribe For as I observed before many men who will not do good Obedientially with faith in the Power with submission to the Will with aime at the Glory of him that commands it will yet doe it Rationally out of the conviction and evidence of their owne principles And this the Apostle cals a doing by Nature the things contained in the Law and a being a Law to a mans selfe Now though this may carry a man farre yet it cannot pull downe the kingdome of sinne in him for these reasons First it doth not subdue All sinne All filthinesse of the flesh and spirit and so perfect â—…olynesse in the feare of God Drive a swine out of one dirty way and he will presently into another because it was not his disposition but his feare which turned him aside Where there are many of a royall race though hundreds be destroyed yet if any one that can prove his descent do remaine alive the title and soveraigntie runnes into him as wee see in the slaughter which Athaliah made so in sinne if any one bee left to exercise power over the Conscience without controle the kingdome over a mans soule belongs unto that sinne Secondly though it were possible which yet cannot be supposed for a Naturall conscience to restraine and kill all the children of sinne yet it cannot rippe up nor make barren the wombe of sinne that is Lust and Concupiscence in which the raigne of sinne is sounded Nature cannot discover much lesse can it bewaile or subdue it As long as there is a Divell to cast in the seedes of temptations and lusts to cherish forme quicken ripen them impossible it is but sinne must have an of-spring to raigne over the soule of man Thirdly all the Proficiencies of Nature cannot make a mans indeavours good before God though they may serve to excuse a man to himselfe yet not unto God If one beare holy flesh in the skirt of his garment and
him shall God destroâ—… for the temple of God is holy which temple ye are He promiseth to be Our Father and make us his people and this also is a strong argument why wee should purifie our selves and as obedient children not fashion our selves according to the former lusts in ignorance but as he who hath called us is holy so should we be holy in all manner of conversation And if we call him father who without respect of persons judgeth according to every mans workes we should passe the time of our sojourning here in feare Ye are a chosen generation saith Saint Peter a royall priesthood a holy nation a peculiar people that you should shew forth the vertues of him who hath called you out of darknesse into his marvellous light When yee were of the world ye were then strangers to the Covenant and aliens from the house and Israel of God but now being become Gods houshold ye are strangers and pilgrimes in the present world and should therefore abstaine from the lusts of the flesh which are sensuall and worldly things Those that are a peculiar people are a purged people â—…oo He will purifie to himselfe a peculiar people that they may be zealous of good workâ—…s The consideration of which things should make us labour to settle our hearts to beleeve love and prize the promises to store up and hide the word in our hearts to have it Dwell richly in us that in evill times and dayes of temptation wee may have some holdfast to relie upon In times of plenty security and peace men go calmely on without feare or suspicion but when stonnes arise when God either hides his face or le ts out his displeasure or throwes men upon any extremities then there is no hope but in our aâ—…ker no stay nor reliefe but in Gods promises which are setled and sure established in heauen and therfore never reversed or cancelled in the earth And if this faithfull and sure word had not bin Daâ—…ids delight comfort if he had not in all the changes chances of his owne â—…ife remembred that al Gods promises are made in heaven where there is no inconstancie nor repentance he had perished in his affliction Though David by a propheticall spirit foresaw that God would not make his house to grow but to become a dry and wither'd stocke of â—…esse yet herein was the ground of all his salvation and of all his desire that the Lord had made with him an Everlasting Covenant order'd in all things and 〈◊〉 that he had 〈◊〉 by his holâ—…nesse that he would not faile David so that it was as possible for God to be unholy as for the Word of promise made unto David to fall to the ground be untrue Now that wee may the better apply the Promises to our selves and establish our hearts in the truth and fidelity of God by them wee may make use of these few Rules amongst divers others which might be given First Promisâ—…s generally made and so in medio for all or particularly to some are by the ground of them equally appliable to any in any condition unto which the promises are â—…utable All the promises are but as one in Christ as lines thoâ—…gh severall in the circumference doe meete as one in the center Take any promise and follow it to its originall and it will undoubtedly carry to Christ in whom alone it is Yea and Amen that is hath its truth certainety and stability all from him Now the Promises meeting in Christ cannot be severed or have a partition made oâ—… them to severall men for every beleever hath All Christ Christ is not divided any other wise then the exigence of mens present estates doth diversifie them and so fit them for such promises as now to others or at other times to themselves would be unseasonable and unappâ—…able The Lord in aslenting to Salomons prayer made a generall promise to any man or to all the people that what prayer or supplication soever should be made towards his temple he would heare in heaven and forgive c. 〈◊〉 beiâ—…g after in distresse applied this generall to hiâ—… 〈◊〉 present 〈◊〉 when the children of Ammon 〈◊〉 and Mount Seir came to turne Israel out of their possessions The Lord made a particular promise 〈◊〉 Ioshua that he would be with him to blesse his enterprises against the Cananites and to carry him through all the difficulties and hazards of that holy warre aâ—…d Saint Paul applies the promise to all the faithfull in any straites or distresses of life as the Lord himselfe had before applied it from Moses to Ioshua Let your conversation be without covetousnesse for as God was with Ioshua so will he be with thee He will not faile thee nor forsake thee Christ made a particular promise unto Peter I have prayed for thee that thy faith faile not And the same in effect he applies to All his I pray that thou wouldst keepe them from the evâ—…ll And the consequent words to Saint Peter make it good When thou art con verted strengthen thy brethren that is comfort and revive them by thine owne experience that when they are brought â—…nto the like case with thee they may have the benefit of the same intercessor and the sympathy and compassion of the same Saviour who deliver'd thee As our Saviour saith in matter of dutie What â—… 〈◊〉 â—…nto you I say unto All so we may say of him in matter of mercy What he promiseth unto any he promiseth unto alâ—… in an equall estate It is good therefore to observe the truth of God in his Promises to others and when we finde our selves reduced unto their condition to apply it unto our selves that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures may have hope This is the counsell of Saint â—…awes Take my brethren the Prophets for an examâ—…le of suffering affliction and of patience yee have heard of the patience of â—…ob and ye have seene the end of the Lord that the Lord is very pittifull â—…nd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And saint Paul assures us that for this cause God comforted him in his tribulation that he might be able to comfort them who might be in any trouble with the comfort wherewith â—…ee himselfe had beene comforted by God A poore Christian might object Aâ—…as If I were an Apostle if I had such graces such services such wayes of glorifying God as Paul had I might hope for the same power and providence of God in my afflictions as he findes But I am a poore ignorant unfruitfull and unserviceable creature who doe more blemish then adorne my profession of the Gospell of Christ and shall I looke for such care from God as saint Paul Beloved the members in the body would not so argue If I were an eye or a tongue one of the noblest parts of the body haply some compassion and remedy might be
secret for your pride to note that pride is the principle of disobedience They and our fathers saith â—…ehemiah in his confession dealâ—… proudly and hardned their neckes and hearkered not unto thy Commandements and refused to obey And therefore Ez kiah used this perswasion to the ten tribes to come up to Ierusalem unto the Lords Passeover Be ye not stiffenecked as your fathers but yeeld your selves unto the Lord. To note that humiliation is the way unto obedience when once the heart is humbled it will bee glad to walke with God Humble thyselfe saith the Prophet to walke with thy God Receivâ—… the ingraffed Word with meeknesse saith the Apostle When the Heart is first made meeke and lowly it will then bee ready to receive the Word and the Word ready to incorporate in it as seede in torne and harrowed ground When Paul was disâ—…ounted and cast downe upon the Earth terrified and astonished at the Heavenly vision immediately hee is qualyfied for obedience Lord what wilt thou have mee to doe When the Soule is convinc'd by the Law that of it selfe it comes short of the Glory oâ—… God walkes in darkenesse and can go no way but to Hell It will then with ioy and thankfulnesse foâ—…ow the Lambe wheresoever hee goes as being well assured that though the way of the Lambe be a way of blood yet the End is a Throne of Glory and a Crowne of Life FINIS THE LIFE OF CHRIST OR THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE SAINTS WITH HIM IN HIS LIFE Sufferings and Resurrection By EDWARD REYNOLDS Preacher to the Honourable Societie of Lincolns Inne PAX OPVLENTIAM SAPIENTIA PACEM FK LONDON Imprinted by Felix Kyngston for Robert Bostocke 1631. THE LIFE OF CHRIST 1. IOHN 5. 12. He that hath the Sonne hath Life HAving shewed the Insufficiencie of the Creature to make man happie as being full of vanitie and the Insufficiencie of Man to make himselfe Happie as being full of sinne we now proceede in the last place to discover first the Fountaine of Life and Happinesse Christ and secondly the Channell by which it is from him unto us conveyed the Instrument whereby wee draw it from him namely the knowledge of him and fellowship with him in his resurrection and sufferings These words we see containe a Doctrine of the greatest consequence to the Soule of Man in the whole Scriptures and that which is indeede the summe of them all They containe the summe of mans desires Life and the summe of Gods mercies Christ and the summe of mans dutie Faith Christ the Fountaine Life the Derivation and Faith the Conveyance Whatsoever things are excellent and desireable are in the Scripture comprised under the name of Life as the lesser under the greater for Life is better then meate and the body then ray ment And whatsoever Excellencies can bee named wee have them all from Christ. In Him saith the Apostle are bid the treasures of wisdome and knowledge Hâ—…d not to the purpose that they may not be found but to the purpose that they may bee sought And we may note from the expression that Christ is a Treasurer of his Fathers Wisedome He hath Wisedome as the Kings treasurer hath wealth as an Officer a Depositarie a Dispenser of it to the friends and servants of his father He is made unto vs Wisedome The Apostle saith that in him there are unsearchable riches an inexhausted treasurie of Grace and Wisedome And there had neede bee a treasure of riches in him for there is a treasure of sinne in us so our Saviour cals it the treasure of an evill heart He was full of Grace and Truth Not as a vessell but as a Fountaine and as a Sunne to note that Hee was not onely full of Grace but that the fulnesse of Grace was in Him It pleased the Father that in him should all fâ—…lnesse dwell God gave not the Spirit in measure unto Him And as there is a fulnesse in Him so there is a Communion in us Of his fulnesse wee receive Grace for Grace that is as a Childe in generation receiveth from his Parents member for member or the paper from the Presse letter for letter or the glasse from the face image for image so in regeneration Christ is fully formed 〈◊〉 a man and he receiveth in some measure and proportion Grace for Grace there is no Grace in Christ appertaining to generall sanctification which is not in some weake degree fashioned iâ—… Him Thus there is to Christ a fulnesse of Grace answerable to a fulnesse oâ—… sinne which is in us The Prophet cals him a Prince of Peace not as Moses onely was a man of peace but a Prince of peace If Moses had beene a Prince of peace how easily might he have instill'd peaceable and calme affections into the mutinous and murmuring people But though hee had it in himselfe yet hee had it not to distribute But Christ hath Peace as a King hath Honours to dispense and dispose of it to whom hee will Peace I leaue with you my Peace I giue unto you If I should runne over all the particulars of Grace or Mercy we should finde them all proceede from him He is our Passeover saith the Apostle As in Egypt wheresoever there was the blood of the Passeover there was life and where it was not there was death so where this our Passeover is there is life and where hee is not there is death To me to live is Christ saith the Apostle and againe now I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life that I live I live by the Faith of the Sonne of God who loved me and gvae himselfe for me To consider more particular this Life which we have from Christ. First It is a Life of Righteousnesse for Life and Righteousnes are in the Scripture taken for the same because sin doth immediatly make a man dead in law He that beleeveth not is condemned already and in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt die the death And this Life being a Resurrection from a preceeding death hath two things belonging unto it First there is a Libertie and Deliverance wrought for us from that under which we were before held Secondly there is an Inheritance purchased for us the Priviledge and Honour of being called the Sonnes of God conferr'd upon us There are three Offices or Parts of the Mediation of Christ. First his Satisfaction as hee is our Suretie whereby hee paid our debt underwent the curse of our sinnes bare them all in his body upon the Tree became subject to the Law for us in our nature and representatively in our stead fulfill all righteousnesse in the Law required both Active and Passive for us For we must note that there are two things in the Law intended One principall obedience and another secondary malediction upon supposition of disobedience