and wouldest be adorned with the best robes of vertue Christ is the garment of righteouâ—nesse And if thou doest put on the Lord Iesus Christ Rom. 13 14. as Saint Paul aduiseth thee then all thy garments will smell of Myrhe Aloes and Cassia it will be like the smell of a pleasant field Gen. 27.27 which the Lord hath blessed or whatsoeuer thou wantest and wouldest haue thou mayest fully and freely haue the same from him Vita ab errore gratia à peccato mors à morte liberabit His life will preserue thee from error if thou wilt follow it his grace will free thee from sinne if thou wilt receiue it and his death will deliuer thee from eternall death if thou wilt beleeue in it And if thou be simple he is thy wisedome if thou be sinnefull he is thy righteousnesse if thou wouldest be holy he is thy sanctification if thou beest the slaue of hell and held captiue by the Diuell Ephes 4.8 he is thy redemption that hath ledde captiuity captiue And to comprehend all in a word This word is All in all Vt qui omnia propter Christum demittit vnum inueniat pro omnibus Christum That he which forsaketh all for Christ his sake might finde all in Christ and Christ in stead of all farre better then all vnto his soule And so might ioyfully sing with the Psalmist The Lord is my portion and I haue a goodly heritage the Lord is my Shepheard and therefore I can want nothing For Psal 23.1 as Seneca said vnto Polibius Fas tibi non est saluo Caesare de fortuna conquaeri quia hoc incolumi nihil per didisti It is not fit for thee to complaine of Fortune for want or pouerty or any other aduersitie so long as thou hast the fauour of Caesar Nam in hoc pro omnibus hic tibi omnia est ideo non tantum siccos sed laetos oculos esse oportet and him so friendly vnto thee for that hauing him thou hast lost nothing which thou canst not soone and easily recouer againe because he and his loue is better then all things vnto thee and therefore thou shouldest more reioyce in hauing him then grieue for the leesing of all things else Euen so may I farre better say the same vnto all Christians What matter though we want or leese all the things of this World if wee haue and enioy Iesus Christ for all the accessions and accumulations of worldly things can adde nothing vnto the felicity of a Christian and all the defects or wants of the same things can detract nothing from the happinesse of him that hath Iesus Christ for whosoeuer hath him hath all things and whosoeuer wanteth him hath nothing For All our knowledge is but heathenish Science All the things of this World without Christ will auaile vs nothing Iohn 14.6 able to make vs proud not to make vs happy If this word be not Obiectum adaequatum The chiefest yea and sole obiect of the same all our faith in God is but vngrounded confidence if it be not grounded vpon this word for No man commeth vnto the Father but by me All our righteousnesse is but as Pollutio panni Menstruous cloutes if it be not washed in the bloud of this word For 1 John 1.7 It is the bloud of Iesus Christ which cleanseth vs from all sinne And all our patience temperance chastity and all other vertues that either Nature planted or education effected in vs are but Splendida peccata Glittering guilded sinnes vnacceptable vnto God and vnprofitable vnto our selues able to make vs prouder not better if they be not guided by the grace and directed to the glory of this euerlasting Word For as the Bird cannot flye without her wings nor the body moue without the soule so no more can any man doe any thing that is good and acceptable vnto God without the helpe of this heauenly Word For Without me you can doe nothing saith our Sauiour Christ but in him God is well pleased John 15.5 Philip. 4.13 not onely with himselfe but also with all vs and through him We can doe all things as the Apostle saith And therefore as Duke Ioab when hee had fought the field and got the vpper hand of his enemies did send for Dauid to carry away the credit of the victory so the Prophets the Apostles and all the holy men of God in all their heauenly words miraculous workes That if there be any goodnesse in vs wee should ascribe the glory of it to Iesus Christ paines and preachings would neuer suffer any part or parcell of the credit to rest vpon themselues but did most forcibly repell it and most faithfully acknowledge it all to belong vnto this Omnipotent Word So Saint Peter after the healing of the poore lame Cripple said vnto the people when he saw them ready to adore them for so admirable a miracle Why looke you so earnestly on vs Acts 2.12.16 as though by our owne power or holinesse we had made this man to walke No no it is not so but it is The Name of Iesus Christ and our faith in his Name that made him perfectly whole i. e. He is the Author we are the Instruments and our faith is the meanes whereby this man receiued strength and therefore doe not you ascribe the honour of this worke vnto any of vs which of our selues can doe nothing but ascribe it vnto the Name of that Almighty Word which of himselfe can doe all things So Saint Paul after he had said that he had laboured more then all the rest of the Apostles least any man should thinke that he did assume the honour of that diligence vnto himselfe and not ascribe the same vnto Christ he presently addeth and yet it was not I that did it but the grace of God which was in me And so all the Saints of God after all their voluminous and laborious workes they conclude all with Laus Christo Let all the prayse be giuen to Christ And as they referred all the honour of their owne actions vnto Christ because they were all done by the grace and power of Christ so did they desire nothing in the World but Christ They forsooke all Math. 19.27 The Saints desired nothing but Iesus Christ and followed him and still cryed vnto him with Saint Augustine Da mihite Domine Take away all from vs and spare not so thou giue thy selfe vnto vs that leesing all we may leese nothing at all because we gaine thee which art the greatest gaine in the World So Saint Paul saith He trampled his owne righteousnesse and all his owne goodnesse vnderfeete Phil 3.8 that he might finde the righteousnesse of Christ he deemed all the riches and all the other things of this World but as dung and drosse 1 Cor. 22. and losse vntâ— him that he might gaine Iesus Christ and he desired to vnderstand nothing to know nothing
dayes he hath spoken vnto vs by his Sonne for this is all one as if he had said that the word heretofore was vttered by other mens mouthes but now after he was made flesh he spake and reueiled his Father vnto vs by his owne voyce and with his owne proper mouth for so Tertullian saith that he which spake vnto the Fathers was this word GOD and so Saint Paul sheweth when hee brings in God saying The Word is neere vnto thee euen in thy mouth Rom. 10.8 and in thy heart and then he expoundeth this word of Christ saying This is the Word of Faith which we preach for they preached Iesus Christ so Saint Iohn himselfe seemeth to shew this reason why he had called Christ the Word when he saith John 1.18 The onely begotten Sonne which is in the bosome of the Father he hath declared for this is all one as if he had said This onely begotten Sonne is therefore the Word because he declareth the minde of God vnto vs so when he saith what we haue heard of the Word of life i. e. he is therefore the Word because we haue heard him and so when he saith There be three that heare witnesse in Heauen 1 John 5.7 the Father the Word and the Spirit for why should he say the Word when as the name of Father required that he should rather say the Father the Sonne and the Spirit but because the Sonne as the word of the Father doth beare witnesse vnto vs of his Fathers will and therefore seeing it was the office of the Word to declare the minde of God it belonged vnto the Word to be made Flesh that he might be heard and seene of vs. But then it may be obiected that the Holy Ghost should be incarnate as well as the Sonne for Saint Basil saith Ob. Whether the Holy Ghost is termed the Word that the Holy Ghost is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word as well as the Sonne and that hee is therefore called the Word because hee is the interpreter of the Sonne euen as the Sonne is the interpreter of the Father for he shall teach you all things saith Christ and to proue this he citeth those words of the Apostle that we should take the sword of the Spirit which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Word of God and those words in the first Chapter to the Hebrewes that Christ beareth vp all things with the word of his power Basilius l 5. c. 11. contra Eunom Sol. or his mighty Word that is his Holy Spirit saith Saint Basil To this Aquinas answereth that Saint Basil herein speakes improperly for that the Sonne of God alone is properly called the Word and that Saint Paul by the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God doth not vnderstand the Holy Ghost but the word which came vnto the Prophets and was left vnto vs in the holy Scriptures and that the words of the Author to the Hebrewes are to be vnderstood of the command of Christ as if the Apostle had said that Christ beareth vp all things and gouerneth all things by his mighty command or according aâ— himselfe defineth Victorinus in l. aduers Arrium and would haue all things to be as Victorinus saith or else that Christ sustaineth all things by his mighty word that is after an Hebrew phrase by himselfe which is the mighty Word of his Father Maldonat in Iohn 1. as Maldonate saith Secondly the Word was made flesh Propter ordinem seruandum Secondly because God would obserue good order in all things because God which is the God of order would keepe good order in all things As First that the world might be repayred by the same instrument by which it was created but the Father made all things by his Word therefore he would redeeme mankinde by his Word Secondly that he which was the essentiall and vncreated image of God might restore that created image of God which was corrupted in vs. Thirdly that the naturall Sonne of God might make vs the adopted sonnes of God Fourthly that the Sonne by his example might teach vs the obedience of sonnes Thirdly because God would shunne all inconueâ—iences that might arise if he had not beene incarnate Thirdly the Word was made flesh Propter vitandum inconueniens because God would auoide all absurdities that otherwise might seeme to ensue for if the Father had beene incarnate then there had beene two Fathers and two Sonnes the Father in the Deitie had beene the Sonne in the Humanitie and the Sonne in the Dietie had beene the Father of the Humanity and neither of them had beene of himselfe without beginning but he that was the beginning of the Sonne in the Deitie had had his beginning from the Sonne in the humanitie but now he that is from the Father in the Deitie is likewise from the Father in the humanitie and he that is the Sonne in the Deitie is likewise the Sonne in the humanitie and if the Holy Ghost had beene incarnate then there had beene two sonnes one in the Deitie and another in the humanitie Et nomen filij ad alterum transiret qui non esset aeterna natiuitate filius And the name of Sonne had passed to another which was not a Sonne by an eternall natiuitie and therefore in all respects it was fittest and agreeable to all reason that the Word should be incarnate and made flesh as Saint Augustine saith But against this it will be obiected Ob. that seeing Opera trinitatis ad extra sunt indiuisa The outward workes of the Trinitie are indiuisible and common to each person so that whatsoeuer any one of them doth it is done by each one and that this is an outward worke of the Trinitie common to each person each person being an agent in this action the Fathers power the Sonnes wisedome and the Holy Ghost his goodnesse all concurring in this incarnation For First how can the Creator and the Creature That all three persons were the makers of the flesh of Christ especially a creature relapsed from God be ioyned together without great power the power of ioyning the disagreeing elements was very great the power of ioyning them to a created spirit was greater but hypostatically to ioyne a creature disioyned from his Creator vnto an vncreated spirit must needes be the greatest power that can be And therefore this incarnation of the Word could neuer haue beene done without the infinite power of God Secondly how can the first and the last be vnited together without great wisedome for this Word was the beginning yea before the beginning of all things and Adam was the last of all Gods creatures And therefore the Word God and the flesh of man could neuer be vnited without infinite wisedome Thirdly how can the Creator communicate himselfe so neerely vnto his Creatures without the greatest goodnesse that can be for it was a great benignity and kindnesse of
are giuen vnto all other Preachers CHAP. VII How the gifts and graces that are giuen for the sanctifying of our soules are conferred and bestowed vpon men SEcondly By what meanes we receiue the grace of God for the other gifts and graces that are giuen for the sanctifying of our soules they were and are giuen euer after the same manner that is First by those outward meanes which God hath appointed and Secondly by the inward working of his blessed spirit for though I confesse with Saint Augustine and others that God can speake by his spirit in occulto and teach our spirits in silentio to crie Abba Father All graces come by hearing Gods Word and by receiuing of his Sacraments yet we find that ordinarily all the gifts and graces of God as Faith Hope Charitie Patience and all other graces whatsoeuer are wrought in vs by those meanes which God hath appointed for this purpose and they are two 1. The hearing of Gods Word 2. The receiuing of the blessed Sacraments First we finde that the best way to attaine vnto any gift of grace is to heare the Preaching of Gods Word because prayer by which all graces are obtained is the fruit of Faith Rom. 10.17 and Faith commeth by hearing saith the Apostle Neither is it euery kinde of hearing That all kinde of hearing profiteth not the hearers that will suffice to obtaine grace for as there be many that can receiue no grace because like the deaffe Adders they will not heare at all so there be as many that can receiue but very little grace because they heare amisse I haue read it in Erasmus that Demosthenes on a time discoursing seriously of necessarie considerations of State-businesse all his Auditors fell asleepe the Orator to awaken them said he had a prettie storie to relate vnto them viz. that a young man hyred an Asse from Athens to Megara and in the heate of the day he couched vnder the Asse to take the benefit of her shadow the owner denied him the vse of the Asses shadow saying he hyred the Asse and not her shadow and therefore he should not haue it vnlesse he would anew compound for it the young man said he would haue the aduantage of his bargaine with that they fell from words to blowes and so Demosthenes staid his speech whereupon all his Auditors desired him to goe on that they might heare the issue of that Tragedy the Orator replied I discoursed of the safetie of your Common-wealth and you fell asleepe and now I told you a Tale of an Asse and see how attentiue you are to it and so he reprooued the madnesse of his people Foolish hearers euen so wee haue many hearers that are more attentiue vnto trifling words and more delighted with the forme and phrases then they are with the substance of the matter like vnto little children that loue the guilded out-side of the book better then all the wisdome that is therein contained or the laces of there coate better then the coate it selfe And some we haue like the Egyptians about the fall of Nilus that at the first were much affrighted at the hideous noyse thereof Acts 26.28 but within a little while after they were accustomed with the same they were no waies moued thereat so they like Agrippa at the first hearing of the Word Preached are something touched with the sence of their sinnes but within a very little while Customarie hearers they grow carelesse of all goodnesse others like the Auditors in Strabo that attentiuely heard the Philosopher vntill the market-bell of their profit did ring and then they left him all alone or rather like the hearers of Saint Paul Worldly hearers which gaue him audience vntill hee touched their hearts with their vnbeliefe so our men will heare vs if it be not against their worldly profit they wil heare placentia such things as are pleasing for them others heare so much that in very deed Onely hearers and no doers they doe nothing els but heare for they neuer practice any thing at all but the practice of iniquitie they will heare a Sermon euery day two for fayling three sometimes but they will not forsake one sinne for a whole yeeres Sermons they heare them to be wiser not to be better Ah wretched men that you are procul hinc procul ite profani Why will you heare Gods Lawes and yet hate to be reformed for this will turne to your further condemnation not because you doe heare Gods Word which is good but because you doâ— not doe that which you heare to be good and so we haue many other sorts of hearers that by their hearing doe receiue no grace because they heare amisse And therefore not all hearers but all those that take heede how they heare that doe heare that they may vnderstand and vnderstand that they may practise and practise that they may please their God those doe receiue the gifts and graces of God Secondly The receiuing of the Sacraments a most excellent meanes to beget all graces we know that the blessed Sacraments are most excellent meanes to beget Faith and Loue all other graces in the worthie receiuers of the same for they be verba visibilia euangelij such things as doe visibly shew vnto our eyes all that the Word of God doth teach and speake vnto our eares for what is the sum of Gods Word and of all the Preaching in the world but that Iesus Christ suffered and died for our sinnes that we through him might haue eternall life and what can shew this more plainely then the blessed Sacraments doe for in Baptisme we see how the childe is regenerate and borne anew and ingrafted into Christ and as the water cooleth all the scorching heat of the flesh and washeth away all filthines from our bodies and maketh euery thing fruitfull so the gifts and graces of Gods spirit doth coole in vs the heat of our fleshly concupiscence and clenseth vs from all sins How the Sacraments shew vs all that the Scripture teacheth and maketh vs to abound in all good workes and in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper we doe most apparantly see that as the Bread which is broken and then giuen vs to be eaten for to strengthen our heart and to sustaine our life and the Wine is powred out and giuen vs to drinke it for to comfort our hearts so Christ was broken in pieces as I shewed in my Treatise of his Passion for our sinnes and his blood was powred out to make satisfaction for our transgressions and so he is giuen vnto vs as the foode of our soules and the onely ioy of our heart to sustaine vs to refresh vs and to be our onely comforter in all distresse And the consideration of these visible things should as effectually work in vs Faith to beleeue in him Hope to expect all good from him and Charity for all receiued graces most intirely to
wallow and therefore beholding the goodnesse and seueritie of God on them to whom hee giues no grace seueritie but towards thee to whom he bestoweth his gifts goodnesse if thou continue in this goodnesse doe thou praise thy God and pray for them that for his sake that is ascended vp on high and hath led captiuitie captiue God would be pleased to bestow his gifts and graces vnto men that so all men may ascribe and giue all praise and glory vnto him which was and is and shall be through him which was dead and is aliue and liueth for euermore Amen A Prayer O Most gracious God which hast giuen thine only Sonne Iesus Christ to die for our sinnes to rise againe from the dead to ascend vnto Heauen to prepare a place for vs and to send vs thy holy spirit to fill our hearts with all heauenly graces which are necessarie for the gathering of thy Church and the sanctifying of our soules to prepare vs vnto eternall life we most humbly beseech thee to giue vs that grace to be truly thankfull vnto thee for all thy graces Increase our faith stirre vp our hope and kindle our loue both towards thee and towards all men for thy sake and because all graces are begotten increased and preserued by the hearing of thy Word and receiuing of thy blessed Sacraments we pray thee O Lord to giue vs grace to heare thy Word attentiuely to beleeue it faithfully and to receiue thy Sacraments worthily that so being filled with thy spirit we may despise all worldly vanities and haue our conuersations in Heauen while we liue on earth and at last bee receiued into that Kingdome which thou hast prepared for them that loue thee through Iesus Christ our Lord Amen IEHOVAE LIBERATORI FINIS The Seuenth Golden Candlesticke HOLDING The Seuenth greatest Light of Christian REIGION Of the duty of CHRISTIANS 1 THESSAL 5 2◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Brethren pray for vs. I Haue shewed thee O man The coherence of this Treatise with all the other Treatises how man behaued himselfe towards God offending his Maiesty with hainous sinnes and I haue shewed thee what God hath done for sinfull man how hee sent his onely begotten Sonne to be made man to suffer paine and sorrow and to die a cursed death for man thereby to ouercome all our enemies sinne death and hell to arise from the dead to assure vs of our deliuerance to ascend into heauen to prepare a place for vs and to send his holy and blessed Spirit into the hearts of men to fit them with the gifts and graces of the same to prepare them for heauen that the poore man might bathe himselfe in the poole of Bethesda and be made perfectly whole that the wandering sheepe might bee reduced and brought home vpon this mans shoulders and that sinfull man might be reconciled and revnited vnto God againe And therefore now Quid nisi vota supersunt what remaineth sauing onely prayers to render thankes vnto God for this great kindnesse and to aske those things that hee requisite for vs and to teach vs how to doe the same I haue chosen to treate of this short Text Brethren pray for vs. It is a Text independent either of precedent or subsequent matter and it containeth points of piety points fit to bee preached and fitter to bee practised by your sacred Maiesty by the worthiest Nobles by vs Priests by all men and therefore da veniam Imperatâ—r I humbly craue attention but a short time to dilate vpon this short Text Brethren pray for vs. I may say of it as Saint Hierome said to Paulinus of the Catholike Epistles of Saint Peter Saint Iohn Saint Iames and S. Iude Eas breues esse pariter longas that they were short in words but full of matter for herein our blessed Apostle as was said of that famous Hystorian Verborum numero sententiarum numerum comprehendit in this paucity of words hath couched plenty of matter the parts are two The diuision of the Text. 1. A most friendly compellation Brethren 2. A most Christian request or exhortation pray for vs. Out of the first I note two things 1. His affection whereby we are taught to liue in vnity 2. His discretion whereby wee may obserue a Christian pollicy not such as is abusiuely though commonly so termed in the world but such as is ioyned with true piety And in the second I obserue likewise two things 1. The action pray which is a worke of piety 2. The extention for vs which is an act of charity And so you see that from this short Text we may learne 1. Vnity 2. Pollicy 3. Piety 4. Charity Brethren pray for vs. CHAP. I. Of the diuers sorts of Brethren and how this teacheth vnitie FIrst Brethren is verbum amoris a word full of loue Of the vnity of brethren but it is diuersly taken in the Scripture For First Aug. ser 61. de tempore sometimes Omnem hominem per fratrem debemus accipere saith Saint Augustine we ought to vnderstand euery man by the name of brother as he that hateth his brother i. e. he that hateth any man is a man-slayer Secondly Sometimes it signifieth those of the same nation as Moses went out vnto his brethren Exod. 2.11 and saw an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew one of his brethren Thirdly Sometimes cognatos Scriptura dicit fratres Aug. l. 1. locut de Gen. Math. 12.4.7 Mar. 3.32 the Scriptures calleth our kinred by the name of brethren as behold thy brethren stand without desiring to speake with thee Fourthly Sometimes it is put for the sonnes of the same parents as Heua bare againe his brother Abell and Caine said Am I my brothers keeper Gen. 4.2.8.9 v. Fiftly 1 Cor. 1.26 Sometimes we vnderstand those of the same religion and profession as you see your calling brethren Et sic fratres dicti Christiani and so all Christians are called brethren saith Saint Augustine and so Saint Paul meaneth in this place Brethren pray for vs for otherwise he was an Hebrew of the seed of Israel of the Tribe of Beniamin 2 Pet. 1.10 and they were Grecians of Thessalonica the Metrapolitane City of Macedonia built by Philip king of Macedon and so called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aug. ser dom in monte fol. 343. of his victories obtained in Thessaly in which respect also he called his owne daughter Thessalonica as Suidas saith but they were all Christians and therefore brethren and therefore the deerer one to another because Christian brethren Quia maior est fraternitas spiritus quam sanguinis because the fraternity or brother-hood of Christians which is in respect of the Spirit that begetteth vs with the same immortal seed in the wombe of the same mother the Church to bee brought forth and brought vp as children to the same Father which is in heauen is a great deale more excellent then the brotherhood of flesh and bloud Nam
both Body and Soule not that the Soule begetteth a Soule That man and all other creatures receaued power to produce creatures like vnto themselues Totum generat totum hoc est corpus generat corpus mediante anima anima generat animam mediante corpore Psal 51.5 or the Body begetteth a spirit but that as all other creatures receiued power from God to produce creatures like vnto themselues as the seede of the vegetatiue to bring forth vegetatiue creatures and the sensible sensible creatures so man consisting both of Body and Soule should beget a creature like vnto himselfe consisting of the same parts for otherwise sinne must needes bee in the body before the Soule be infused for if the schoole of the naturalists be to be belieued the Soule is not infused into the Body vntill the thirtieth as some or fortieth day as some affirme and yet the Psalmist saith that he was conceiued in sinne therefore both Body and Soule were both conceiued at once or else corruption was in the Body before the infusion of the Soule and this liuing Soule by this dead flesh must needes be defiled which is most absurd for as Saint Augustine sayth of Adam It was not his corruptible flesh which made his Soule to become sinnefull but his sinnefull Soule made his flesh subiect to corruption so it must needes be in the sonnes of Adam Gene. 5.3 that not our flesh corrupts our Soules but both body and soule are conceiued in sinne both produced of sinfull seede and so sinne principally resides in the Soule and not in the Body because the Soule giues life and motion vnto the flesh hence it is that Adam hauing defiled both his Body and Soule is sayd to haue begot a childe in his owne image i. e. sinfull and polluted like himselfe both in regard of his body and Soule Bosquierus de finibus bonorum lib. 1. con 6. p. 27. Nam Adam vt persona publica sibi ac suis aut sapiebat aut delirabat for now Adam standing in paradise a publique person as I told you before was to make or to marre himselfe and all his posteritie and therefore if this roote had continued holy the branches had beene likewise holy but the tree prouing to be euill Rom. 11. the fruit could not possibly be good Math. 7.18 for a bad tree cannot bring forth good fruit sayth our Sauiour and therefore Adam sinning all his seede are become sinnefull all his ofspring tanquam serie continuata as in a continued line doe like corrupted branches of a rotten tree bring forth still corrupted fruits and so make all their generation so soone as they are begotten liable to the curse of God for that first transgression for the reward of sinne is death and the Prophet Dauid sayeth Psal 51.2 hee was shapen in wickednesse and conceaued in sinne Iohn 3.6 and our Sauiour sayth that which is borne of flesh is flesh i. e. he that is borne of a sinnefull man can be nothing else but a sinnefull man That Gods graces are not traduced from the best parents not that a godly man begets a godly man for the graces of Gods spirit are not begotten in our carnall generation but they are giuen from aboue in our spirituall regeneration and a man begets his childe not as he is spirituall but as hee is a creature consisting of body and soule and therefore whosoeuer is borne of flesh and blood must needes be tainted and corrupted with sinne and wickednesse for flesh heere is not taken pro natura carnis sed pro vitiosa qualitate totius hominis for the single nature of flesh but for the corrupted qualitie of the whole man as Saint Paul excellently sheweth when hee sayth in my flesh dwelleth no goodnesse Rom. 7.8 i. e. in the corrupted nature of a naturall man there is no grace there is no goodnesse And therefore hoc virus paternum this hereditarie poyson as Paulinus calleth it What we learne from this doctrine this our originall sinne that is inbred in euery man since the fall of the first man may sufficiently serue to teach vs. First to iustifie God First to iustifie God for inflicting death vpon euery man though man should doe nothing else to procure his death quia damnati antequam nati because euery one is guilty of this sinne and therefore of death before hee commeth to this present life for the reward of sinne is death and therefore the death of children and infants that haue done no actuall sinne doth proue them tainted with this sinne because death cannot be iustly inflicted vpon those that are no wayes infected with sinne for the reward of sinne is death but you see they are subiect vnto death and therefore you may know they are tainted with sinne Secondly Secondly to be humbled this may serue to teach all those that stand so much vpon the honour and dignity of their naturall birth to consider whâ—t they are and what they haue thereby a sinnefull corrupted and contagious being children of wrath subiects to death slaues of damnation be they Kings Princes Nobles what you will this is all they haue or can haue by their naturall birth Iohn 3.6 for whatsoeuer is borne of flesh is flesh i. e. all things that parents can conuaye vnto their children is but a corrupted natural being yea though the parties should be sanctified themselues and thereby procure their children to bee receiued and reputed members of the visible Church before men yet can they not infuse Grace Perkins in Jud. 1. nor produce sanctified children in the sight of God For though we reade of some that were sanctified in their Mothers wombe as Ieremie Iohn Baptist and the like Ier. 1.5 yet this sanctifying grace was infused by God and not traduced from their parents Luke 1.44 and therefore this should make all men to be of an humble spirit and to reioyce more in their second birth in the Baptisme that they haue receiued it may bee by the hands of some meane Minister and their begetting vnto the faith of Christ by the preaching of the word of God then in all that glory and excellencie that they haue gotten from their naturall parents for they did but make vs Men these must make vs Christian men And thus you see that by the guilt of Adams sinne euery childe of Adam deserues eternall death before he comes to this present life But because we would be sure enough of death wee will hasten it and draw it on as it were with cart-ropes throughout all our life and we will not haue it sayd Ezech. 18.2 our fathers haue eaten sower Grapes and the childrens teeth are set on edge or that Adam sinned we are punished nam errauimus cum patribus for we haue sinned wil sinne with our fathers more then our fathers we will drinke iniquity like water and adde vnto our originall corruption
those things that are dâ—ne of vs in darkenesse and therefore wee will vse all our skill to couer it and conceale it vnder the shâ—dow of the fig-leaues that if it be possible neither God nor the world may espie the same For sinne of it selfe is so vgly and so deformed a thing that the sinner himselfe if hee could but truely see the same would truely lothe it How Satan seekes by all meanes to conceale the light of Gods Word And therefore Satan laboureth by all meanes to put out either verbum predicatum the preaching of Gods Word which is the true light and candle that shineth vnto euery man and sheweth him the right wayes of godlinesse or else verbum applicatum the applying of this word vnto our soules which is as the eyes whereby we doe perceiue this light without which we are like blinde men that can see nothing in the clearest day the first of these he put out in the dayes of superstition when men walked in darkenesse and knew not where they went they knew not what was sinne And the second hee puts out now in the Sun-shine of the Gospell when the light shineth in darkenesse John 1. and the darkenesse comprehendeth it not and therefore he causeth more sinnes and more horrible sinnes to be committed now in the light of the Gospell We care not what great sinnes we doe so we may conceale them then euer were done heretofore in the night of ignorance for now hauing our owne eyes of the application of Gods light put out by that myst of malice which blindeth vs we care not how much how great sinnes wee doe commit so wee could put out the eyes of perspection that the world might not see the same As the Hypocrites care was altogether that their good works might be seene of men so all our care is that our euill works may not be seene of men Sinne creepes into vs as the Serpent crept into Paradise we know not how we may well demaund the question quomodâ— intrasti how camest thou in hither but we shall finde the resolution that it was most secretly and insensibly and therefore we will conceale it as cunningly either like Appollonius the Iugler who as soone as he was before the Iudge was presently vanished out of his fight Wee hide our sinnes that none mâ—y see them and we will stand in sinne that we haue not sinned and as Salomons harlot would wipe her mouth and it was not shee or as Pilate would wash his hands when he had condemned the Innocent blood So now the drunkard when he cannot stand will stand to it that he is not drunke and the swearer sweares and out-sweares all and if you tell him of it he presently sweares he swore not at all And thus as Rachel hid her fathers Teraphim vnder a smooth pretence Gen. 31.35 that it was with her after the manner of women or as Achan hid his wedge so doth euery sinner seeke to hide his sinnes And if we cannot hide them but that sinne it selfe like Abels blood will cry so loud that it must be heard then presently we will either lessen our sinnes with Saul and say we did it indeed but it was with no ill intent I saued the fattest but it was for a sacrifice for the Lord or else with Adam we will transferre our sinnes from our selues to others light where they will though it were on God himselfe For the woman that thou gauest me gaue it me and I did eate So cunning is euery man to conceale his sinne But alas Quid ille qui mundum quatit vibrans coruscat fulmen Aetneum manu stator deorum credis hoc posse effici inter videntes omnia vt lateas avos Senec. in Hipol act 1. Iohn 1. That we cannot possibly hide our sins from the eyes of God Psal 139. Iohn 1.18 Iohn 1.48 Melissa par 1. serm 16. Quid ille rebus lumen infundens suum matris parens What if thou couldest escape the eyes of men is it possible for thee to blinde the all-seeing eyes of God for hee is the true light that shineth and giueth light to euery thing and he beholdeth the ends of the world and seeth all things that are vnder Heauen saith holy Iob He is about our beds and about our pathes and espieth out all our wayes saith the Prophet Dauid and his name is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Because hee seeth and beholdeth all things all things are naked in his eyes and therefore what aduantageth it thee to conceale thy sinnes from the knowledge of men when thou canst no wayes hide them from the eyes of God For though no man saw God at any time yet God seeth man at all times He saw Nathanael vnder the figge-tree when Nathanael saw not him and hee seeth thee committing sinne when thou seest no man but thy selfe And therefore beware of sinne though no man seeth thee Nam quemadmodum ignis si tunica tegatur For as the fire that is hid vnder thy coat or in the straw may bee concealed for a time but at last it will burst out to thy cost so thy sinne which thou doest in secret may be kept secret for a while but at last like an vnwedded Virgins pregnancy it will appeare to thy shame Claudian de 4. consul honorij Nam lux altissima fati occultum nil esse sinit latebrasque per omnes intrat obstrusos explorat fama recessus For there is no thought so secret that it shall goe for nought Sap. 1.7.10 because the Spirit of the Lord filleth the world and hath knowledge of the voyce and the eare of ielousie heareth all things the voyce of murmurings is not hid and therefore our Sauiour saith That whatsoeuer is done in secret shall be preached openly It may be in this life as the adultery of Dauid and almost all other horrible facts as Treasons Adulteryes Murthers and such like whereof we see almost none but God strangely and by vnknowne wayes doth bring to light or assuredly in the next life when God shall shew the Nations our shame and discouer all our most secret sinnes in the sight of men and Angels The longer we practice sinne the more impudent we grow in sinne 2. After that the Sinner hath accustomed himselfe to priuate and secret sinnes then he begins to grow bolder and bolder and as further and further from all goodnesse so worse and worse in all wickednesse For as Seneca saith Seneca in Hip. Obstare primum est velle nec labi via pudor est secundus nosse peccandi modum When we haue cast off all shame of sinne we are past all hope of goodnesse To withstand the sinne is the best and not to fall but if we haue fallen to be ashamed that we haue learned the way to sinne is the best planke after shipwracke to saue a man but when a man hath cast off all shame of his ill-doing
God And so as Goclenius saith Crimen in excessu nec non defectus aberrat Sâ—d verum medium qui tenucre tenent We must walke in the middle-way if wee would not walke awry Psal 14.1 First for the Infidels The foole hath said in his heart there is no God and what he saith in his heart he testifieth and confirmeth by his workes for by their workes they deny God saith the Apostle and some in plaine tearmes as Diagoras and others And therefore seeing they deny him to be what maruell is it that they should deny him to be Almighty and therefore one of the Captaines 2 Reg. 7.2 and a Lord of the King of Israel said vnto Elizeus If the Lord should make windowes in Heauen to raine downe Corne like hayle-stones yet how can he doe those things that thou hast spoken and the wicked in Iob say Quis est omnipotens vt seruiamus ei How the Atheists and Infidels deny the Power of God or quid est omnipotens as Tremelius reads it who or what is Almighty God that we should serue him as if they said we know none such But what doe I stand vpon Infidels the most learned of their Philosophers the wittyest of their Poets and many Heretickes haue made but a scoffe of that Doctrine of the Omnipotent Power of God and did with all their strength maintaine that Ex nihilo nihil fit Of nothing nothing could be made and therefore concluded it was impossible for God Ex non ente ens producere To make any being of that which had no being in the world Arist l 1. 2. de caelo mundo and thereupon Aristotle the Prince of all the Philosophers doth striue with all his might to proue that this world is Eternall and neuer had any beginning and they that yeeld it was made doe affirme that it was composed of a prae-existent matter this was the opinion of the Stoiks and Peripateticks Cicero l. 3. de nat deorum which Cicero imbraceth So Seleucus and Hermias as Sebastianus Medices witnesseth and Hermogines against whom Tertullian writ a most elegant booke haue said Medices in summa haeres that the matter and the substance of the Elements whereof the world was made was not made by God but was coeternall with God D. Sicul. l. 1. c. 1. Euseb de preparat Euang l. 1. all which with many others whose opinions Diodorus Siculus and Eusebius Caesariensis haue most painefully collected and which is needlesse for me to rehearse haue erred in this point because with Petrus Abaylardus as Medices saith they were ignorant of the Omnipotent Power of God But against all these and the like How the Power of God is prooued the Power of God may bee easily shewed both from the Creation of the world and also from the Gubernation of it and of all things that are therein for the World it selfe saith Saint Augustine Ordinatissima sua mutabilitate mobilitate c. by his most comely mutability and mobility and all visible things in their kinde First from the creation of things doe as it were tacitely and after a secret manner proclaime it selfe to be made Yea and to be made by none other but by that most ineffable and inuisible excellent God and therefore although Aristotle in saying that this world was eternall was farre wide from the Truth because that whatsoeuer doth consist of a solide a ponderous body as it must of necessity haue an ending Diuers Heathens confessed God to haue made the world so it must needes be that at some time or other it hath had its beginning yet diuers of the very Heathens haue by the light of Nature seene and confest this Truth for we reade that Orpheus saide 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. There is one of himselfe i. e. God Justin Martyr in l de Monarchia and from him alone are all things that are and Pythagoras as Iustin Martyr cites him said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If any man besides that one euerliuing God doth say I am God let him create a world like vnto this and say this is mine And so Epicurus himselfe did in this thing confesse the Truth He ydelpheldius de deo c. 2. and say that this world had beginning and must in its due time haue ending and so many others of the most ancient Philosophers did professe this Truth and left their faith written for their posterities If any man desire to see it let him looke into Iustin Martyr in his exhortation vnto the Gentiles and in his Booke of Monarchy and to Eusebius Casariensis de preparat Euangel and especially into Lactantius Firmianus l. 1. c. 5. 6. 7. By whom the sayings and opinions of the former Age are most carefully collected And yet not one of them was able either to shew any reason or to expresse the manner how any of these things should be made which was the cause that Aristotle and his followers that would haue the reason of euery thing No man by the light of Nature is able to shew the reason how the world should be made Heb. 11.3 or else would beleeue nothing to say it was not made at all because they were all ignorant of those Diuine Oracles whereby God had made knowne this Truth vnto men and especially because they were destitute of that Spirit whereby we are perswaded to beleeue this Truth for that as the Apostle saith through faith we vnderstand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God Secondly Gods Power is prooued from the gouernment of the world Quintus Curt. de rebus gest Alexand. And as the Creation of the World so the Gubernation of the same doth as fully shew the Omnipotent Power of God for I may truly say Non minor est virtus quam condere facta tueri It requires as great a power or greater to sustaine all things that they turne not to nothing as to create all things of nothing When Alexander asked a certaine people what thing they feared most thinking they would say they feared him they scoffingly answered the falling of the Skies indeed if we knew all we might feare both the falling of the Heauens and the ouerflowings of the Seas and the vntamed furie both of men and beasts were it not for Almighty God which rideth vpon the Heauens as vpon a Horse Psal 68 4. and by his Power ruleth the rage of the Seas and the noyse of his waues and the madnesse of the people And therefore well doth that Christian Poet conclude Est Deus omnipotens qui temperat omnia nutu That he must needs be an Omnipotent God which ruleth and guideth all things with his becke or with a word according to his owne will And Victorinus Strigelius saith that it is worth the obseruation to consider out of Histories the beginnings and inlargements the declinations and subuersions
truth of God wee can in no wayes beleeue them not because we know no reason how they may be done for so we beleeue many things as all the mysteries of our Faith but because we haue many reasons euen out of the Word of God to assure vs that these things cannot be done And so much for the chiefest obiections that are vsually made against the truth of this Doctrine of Gods Power CHAP. IV. Of the vsefull application of this Doctrine of Gods Power YOu haue seene the truth of this Doctrine of the Power of God it may serue for many especiall ends As first for the confutation of a world of errors and the cutting downe of many infinite heresies especially those whereof I haue already spoken and therefore I neede not say any more of them in this place Secondly this Doctrine of Gods Power A great comfort to the godly that God is able to deliuer them Math. 10.16 Dan. 3.17 may serue for the consolation of the godly for they are inuironed with many enemies they are sent as Sheepe into the middest of Wolues and they are hated of all-men for Christ his sake but as the three Children said We know that God is able to deliuer vs from the burning fiery Furnace and from the hands of all that hate vs and to preserue vs blamelesse vntill the day of the comming of Christ And therefore though we be beset with enemies on euery side Bosquier de incruent victor Christi p. 567. especially the World Tanquam Syrena dulcis Like the alluring Mermaides The flesh Tanquam Dalila blandiens Like a false flattering Dalila and the Diuell Tanquam Leo rugiens Like a roaring Lyon that doe seeke by all meanes to destroy vs Presentemque viris intendunt omnia mortem Virgil. Aeneid l. 1. Reuel 2.10 Yet we neede not feare any of those things that we shall suffer Quia non plus valet ad deijciendum terrena paena quam ad erigendum diuina tutela Because all the power of darkenesse is not so able to suppresse vs as our gracious God is to support vs for otherwise Si Diabolus nocere posset quantum vellet aliquis iustorum non remaneret If either Satans malice or the hatred of wicked men or the furie of bloud-thirsty Tyrants might preuaile against the godly seruants of Christ so much as they would then not a righteous man could remaine vpon the face of the Earth but God can put a hooke in their nostrils and say vnto them as he sayes vnto the Seas Hitherto shalt thou goo and no further Rom. 8.31 And therefore If God be with vs we neede not feare who be against vs Quia maior est qui est in nobis quam qui est in mundo 1 Iohn 4.4 Because as Saint Iohn saith He is greater and stronger which is in vs then he that is in the W rld Euen so we haue the lusts of our owne flesh the messengers of Satan 1 Pet. 2.11 that doe buffet vs and fight against our soules and make vs many times when it compells vs to doe the euill that we would not doe â—nd to leaue vndone the good that we would doe to crie out with the Apostle Rom. 7.19 O wretched men that we are who shall deliuer vs from this body of death or who shall preserue vs vnto eternall life And to say with the Poet O terque quaterque beati queis ante ora patrum contigit oppetere O happy had wee beene had wee died before wee had sinned but if we cast our eyes to looke vpon Gods Power we may be presently comforted because the Saints of God though they be shaken and sifted and winnowed like wheate yet are they kept not by their owne strength for so they should soone faile 1 Pet. 1.5 but by the Power of God saith Saint Peter through faith vnto saluation And this indeed is the sole comfort of all Christians that we shall neuer perish Iohn 10.28.29 because our Father which gaue vs vnto Christ is greater then all and none is able to take vs out of his Fathers hands This is that Foundation which remaineth sure and therefore happy is that man which buildes vpon this Foundation Thirdly this Doctrine of Gods Power may serue for the reprehension of the wicked for he can destroy all the workers of iniquitie Math. 10.28 and cast both body and soule into Hell fire And therefore will ye not feare to offend so great a God Remember I beseech you what he hath done to the old World to Sodome That the wicked should feare to offend thiâ— powerfull God Deut 29.19 and Gomorrah to Cora Dathan and Abiram to Pharaoh Iudas and many more remember that he can doe whatsoeuer hee will doe and remember what he saith Hee will doe vnto them that heare the words of the curse of the Law and yet will blesse themselues in their hearts saying We shall haue peace And let these things moue you to be humbled before the mighty â—and of God and to cause you here to feare his power 1 Pet. 5.6 that hereaâ—ter you may not feele his anger For Heb. 10.31 it is a fearefull thing to fall into the hands of the liuing God and they that now goe on in sinne and make but a sport of iniquitie without either beleeuing his truth that he will punish sinne or fearing his power that he can punish them shall then finde and feele that it had beene better for them neuer to haue beene borne or to haue had a milstone hanged about their neckes and to haue beene cast into the middest of the Sea then to haue broken the least Commandement oâ— this powerfull and Almighty God And so much for the first attribute of God here expressed that is his Power and now followeth the second attribute which is Gods Goodnesse CHAP. V. Of the Mercy of GOD and wherein the same chiefly consisteth YOu haue heard of the Power of God 2. Attribute i. e Gods goodnesse we are now to see how God proclaimeth his Goodnesse according as he had promised before I will make all my goodnesse to passe before thy face Exod. 33.9 A Doctrine farre more comfortable then the former for not hee that can but he that will helpe vs is best vnto vs and hee that is willing to doe what he can though it be but little is farre more deere vnto vs then he that can do much but will do nothing but the power of God sheweth that he is able and this goodnesse of God proueth that he is willing to releeue vs and therefore the goodnesse of God is the anchor of our hope and the foundation of all our comfort and it is well coupled with the former attribute for in vaine were his willingnesse to helpe vs vnlesse he were able and in vaine were his ability to helpe vs vnlesse hee were willing the former being but a fruitlesse wish and the latter but a gracelesse
3. thes 1. but that through their contempt and diffidence and abuse of Gods goodnesse by turning the graces of God into wantonnesse they make them all like the vntimely fruit of a woman which perisheth before it seeth the Sunne or like the grasse vpon the house toppe that withereth before it be plucked vp How God is not alike good vnto all men Secondly Though it is most certaine that God is good vnto all yet is it as certaine that hee is not alike good vnto all but as the master of a house is good vnto all that are vnder him and so prouideth for them all men and beasts yet is there a gradation of his loue and goodnesse towards them in as much as he loues his wife and children better then he doth the rest of his familie so God is good vnto all but in a more speciall manner he is good to some rather then vnto others so among the Angels he was good vnto them all in that he made them and indued them with most admirable gifts of nature but he shewed more goodnesse vnto them which he preserued by his grace that they should not fall into condemnation then hee did vnto those which hee suffered to runne into destruction and so among men 2 Tim. 4.3 though he be the Sauiour of all men and doth good vnto all men yet is he specially good to them that beleeue or as the Prophet Dauid sayth Psal 73.1 to them that are of a right conuersation And therefore speaking of Gods goodnesse towards men wee say that although God be good vnto all in respect of his generall goodnesse yet in respect of his speciall goodnesse he is onely good vnto his Church vnto his Saints and chosen children he is good to them that feare him that put their trust in his mercie And this speciall goodnesse of God towards his Saints is chiefely seene in these two things which he extendeth and exhibiteth vnto them and not to others 1. In the decreeing of our eternall election Gods speciall goodnesse towards his Saints is seene in two things Aug. de fide ad Pet. c 35. cont Jul. Pelag. l. 5. c. 3. c. 2. In the executing of this decree for our saluation First God foreseeing all the whole race of Adam in the state of sin wherin they had fallen did before the foundation of the world intend purpose to assume into his fauor a certain number of men out of all that masse of corruption on whom hee would confer more speciall fruits of his goodnes then he meant to do on all the rest that they might be the speciall vessels of his mercie and goodnesse and made fit to follow the Lambe wheresoeuer he goeth And this election of some and not of all is sufficiently shewed in many passages of the holy Scriptures as in Ephes 1.4 Matth. 20.16 where our Sauiour saith God electeth some men and not all Many are called but few are chosen and Ioh. 13.18 I know whom I haue chosen and so the Fathers Schoole-men and all are all of the same iudgement that God decreed to glorifie some and not all Secondly As he shewed his goodnesse towards them more plentifully then the rest in thus purposing to saue them rather then the rest so he doth farre more plentifully shew the same vnto them in the executing of this decree of election and in bringing of them vnto eternall saluation And this hee doth two wayes 1. By effectually calling them 2. By giuing and conferring many singular graces vpon them First though God sent his Sonne to die for all men That God effectually calleth none but his Elect. that whosoeuer beleeued in him should not perish but haue life euerlasting and sends his Preachers to call all men to beleeue in him yet is all this ineffectuall to all those that are not inwardly called by Gods Spirit Quia inanis est sermo docentis nisi intus sit qui docet For we finde many called and often called by the Preachers of the Word which yeeld not obedience vnto the Faith of Christ Matth. 20.16 because as our Sauiour sheweth they are not chosen vnto life But whom God hath decreed to saue he doth inwardly effectually call by his Spirit and when we do outwardly Preach the Word he doth graciously open their hearts as hee did the heart of Lidia Act. 16.14 that they should imbrace and beleeue the same And this Saint Paul sheweth when he saith that whom God did fore-know and predestinate them he called i. e. Inwardly and effectually and so powerfully that when hee doth so call them 1 Sam. 3.10 they doe presently answere Loe I come or with Samuel Speake on Lord for thy seruant heareth And thus he calleth none but those whom he hath decreed to saue for so our Sauiour saith That no man knoweth the Father but the Sonne and he to whom the Sonne reuealeth him i. e. thus effectually by his Spirit And therefore God sheweth more goodnesse vnto them then hee doth vnto all others in that he doth more graciously call them rather then all others Secondly when he hath thus effectually called them he bestoweth many speciall and singular graces vpon them which he doth not vpon all others as chiefly Of certaine speciall graces that God bestoweth vpon his Saints 1. The grace of Preseruation 2. The grace of Iustification 3. The grace of Sanctification 4. The grace of Glorification First the grace of Preseruation is that which keepeth and preserueth these chosen and peculiarly beloued Saints of God from many euils both of 1. Sinne. 2. Punishment For First though as I shewed you before the goodnesse of God preserueth the wicked many times from committing many horrible sinnes which otherwise they would doe yet doth he after a more speciall manner guide the godly with his counsell Psal 73.24 as the Psalmist saith that they runne not with the wicked into the same excesse of riot How God preserueth the Godly from many sinnes Fot seeing by nature we are all equally indifferent to all sinnes how comes it to passe that wee abstaine from may abhominations and haynous impieties that wicked men doe practice is it from our selues or from the goodnesse of our Nature or is it not rather from the goodnesse of God that giueth his holy spirit vnto vs that as he preserued Noah from partaking with the wickednesse of the old world Gen. 6 9. and Lot from following after the abhominations of the Sodomites Gen. 19.7 Gen. 39.8.9 Ioseph from consenting to the lewd inticements of his Mistresse Elias from the Idolatry of Israel and the like so he might preserue vs from those lewd actions that the wicked doe Aug. Soliloq l. 16. Saint Augustine makes it plaine For Tentator defuit saith he Satan was away and time and place was wanting to doe the deed but this was thy goodnesse to preserue mee the Tempter came in time and place
teach vs Psal 103.1 35.10 that all parts of man at all times of the yeere are to be imployed in Gods seruice but also to shew vnto vs that wee are not onely to abstaine from euill 1 Cor. 15.58 but also to doe good because not onely the riotous and wastfull Steward that imbezelled his Masters goods but also the idle and thriftlesse seruant that did no good with his Masters goods shall be bound hand and foote and be cast cut into vtter darkenesse where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth And so we reade of Diues that he is tormented in flaming fire Non quia tulit aliena sed quia non dedit propria Not because he did euill to any but because hee did not good to poore Lazarus Luke 18 11. And therefore we should all striue not onely with the Pharisee to be truly able to say that we thanke God we are not Adulterers Swearers Extortioners Drunkards Raylers Lyars or such like but also as Saint Peter bids vs to adde vnto our Faith 2 Pet. 1.5 Vertue and to our Vertue Knowledge and to Knowledge Temperance and to Temperance Patience and to Patience Godlinesse and to Godlinesse Brotherly kindnesse and to Brotherly kindnesse Charity and so to goe on from one grace vnto another vntill at last we doe attaine vnto the perfection of goodnesse for assuredly to doe good will be our chiefest comfort Rom. 2.7 in life in death and after death for glory and honour and peace shall be to euery one that doth good and God himselfe will say vnto him Euge serue bone Well done thou good and faithfull seruant Math. 25.23 enter thou into thy Masters ioy Fiftly we should loue the Truth and say the Truth euery man vnto his Neighbour yea and so accustome our selues to Truth Vt mentiri lingua prorsus ignoret 5. To accustome our selues to say the Truth That our tonguâ—s should not know how to lye for as God is Truth so Truth makes vs the Children of God And therefore Pythagoras being demanded wherein men become likest vnto God answered Cum veritatem exercent Stobaeus Ser. 11. When they accustome themselues to say Truth I doe not know two more excellent things Zach. 8. Veritatem pacem diligite and more comfortable for the life of man while hee liues here in this World then Peace and Truth Peace to free vs from all euill and Truth to preserue vs in all good And yet I feare me we may now take vp the Prophet Esayes complaint that Truth is fallen in the streete yea and as Ieremy saith Is perished and cleane gone Esay 59.4.14 Jerem. 7.18 for though as Euripides saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Truth is a simple speech that requires neither welt nor guard yet now we doe so cunningly and craftily adorne lyes That there is a great want of practising to say the Truth amongst vs. and falshoods that we make them passe currantly for Truth and he that cannot dissemble and deceiue his Neighbour is accounted but a foole that cannot liue in the World So that now it is growen into a common speech to say We know not whom we may trust and we doe verifie that ancient saying Multis annis iam peractis Nulla fides est in factis Mel in ore verba lactis Fel in corde fraus in factis Many yeeres past and gone Faith in deeds there is none Hony in mouth words sweete Gall in heart deceit in deede But if we will haue any part in this God of Truth we must neither vse to speake a lye nor to conceale the Truth for Qui veritatem occultat qui mendacium prodit vterque reus est ille quia prodesse non vult iste quia nocere desiderat Aug. in l. de Agon christiano He that conceales a Truth and he that inuenteth lyes are both alike culpable in the sight of God the one because hee will not doe good the other because hee desireth to doe euill And though Veritas odium parit The Preachers of Truth shall finde little grace with men as Saint Ambrose saith yet must we not hide the Truth for any feare nor yet speake a falshood for any gaine but in all things we must hold fast the Truth Heraclid in sua hist Theat Zwing if we will be like vnto this God of Truth It is reported of one Idor an Abbat that for three things he was most excellent First that he neuer lyed at any time Secondly that he neuer spake euill of any man Thirdly that hee neuer spake any thing without great necessitie I onely wish we were all like him herein 6. To abound in the workes of mercy Sixthly we should reserue mercy for thousands that is to abound in the workes of mercy and compassion and that towards all men either in action or affection for where effecting meanes are wanting God neuer reiects a charitable meaning whereas the doing of good without good will or a large giuing with small charitie proues to be of no validity because he giues but externally some things without himselfe and not internally De semetipso From his heart And thus our mercy should extend it selfe to thousands because wee haue alwayes those before our eyes that haue neede of mercy and that in a double respect The outward workes of mercy are principally sixe 1. Of a corporall necessitie 2. Of a spirituall miserie The Schooles auouch the first to consist chiefly in sixe points 1. Visiting the sicke 2. Feeding the hungry 3. Clothing the naked 4. Redeeming the Captiue 5. Intertayning the Stranger 6. Burying of the Dead And for the second I see not lesse formes of pitty then there be deeds of Charity or acts of iniquity In the first respect the rich may be mercifull and shew pitty vnto the poore and in the second respect the rich may be pittied by the poorest men in the World because none are more lamentable then those that are poore and naked and destitute of the true spirituall riches And therefore in both respects we ought euer to shew mercy and compassion vnto our distressed Brethren Now in mercy there are two speciall acts Sinners are the men that are chiefly to be pittied 1. To see their miseries 2. To helpe their infirmities 1. To see with our eyes and then to helpe with our hands or at least to pitty with our hearts Diues saw Lazarus full of sores and we see men now full of sinnes and yet he did not pitty him nor these will not be helped by vs for if either by reprehension or instruction or by the mildest manner of aduising them yea or by most humbly requesting the Spirituall Lords That it is dangerous to seeke to redresse the dangerous estate of great men and temporall Potentates of this age to looke into their miserable estate wee would seeme to pitty them or make any attempt to helpe them they would make vs all to be
God to communicate himselfe vnto all creatures by his presence and it was a greater kindnesse to communicate himselfe to all the godly by his grace but it is the greatest of all to vnite himselfe hypostatically by his spirit vnto our flesh And therefore this could not be done without infinite goodnesse and so in this respect we find this worke of the incarnation ascribed to each person for the Father sent me saith our Sauiour and I came into the world saith he of himselfe and the Holy Ghost shall come vpon thee and the power of the most high shall ouer shadow thee whereby thou mayst conceiue saith Gabriel vnto the blessed Virgin And therefore seeing the whole Trinitie was the Maker of this Word flesh how can it be but that the whole Trinitie should be incarnate and made flesh Sol. That the Son onely assumed our Flesh I answere that this worke of the words incarnation is to bee considered 1. Inchoatiue 2. Consummatiue As it was inchoated and begun As it is consummated and finished In the first sense it is common to all the three persons of the Trinitie for it was made by them all three but in the second sense it was proper onely vnto the Word because it was assumed onely by the Word Aug. in Enchyrid C. 38. as Saint Augustine sheweth for as if three Maides should spinne and make a garment and then put it vpon one of them to weare all three should be the makers yet but one should be the wearer of the same Euen so though the Father did appoint Christ a body and this body was conceiued by the Holy Ghost yet neither the Father nor the Spirit did assume that body but only the person of the Sonne of God and therefore Saint Augustine saith truly Idem Ser. 3. de temp that Impleuet carnem Christi pater spiritus sanctus sed maiestate non susceptione The flesh of Christ was filled with the Maiestie of the Father and of the Holy Ghost but it was onely vnited to the person of the Word Ob. But then againe it may be obiected that seeing the nature of the Father and the nature of the Sonne be the very same for they be both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the very selfe-same essence as I haue sufficiently shewed vnto you before and the whole diuine essence is in euery one of them therefore how can it be but the Sonne being incarnate the Father should be incarnate also Sol. To this we answere briefly that although the nature of the Father and the nature of the Sonne be the very same yet Aliter est in patre aliter est in filio This very selfe-same essence is otherwise or after another manner in the Father The diuine nature limited in the person of the Sonne was made Flesh and after another manner in the Sonne and therefore we say that the Diuine nature simply considered cannot be said to be incarnate Sed natura diuina determinata limitata in persona filij But the diuine nature limited and determined in the person of the Son And this Saint Augustine doth most excellently expresse against the Iewes saying O Iudae Cytharam respice c. Behold O Iew the Harpe when it yeelds sweet and pleasant tune there be three things that seeme to concurre alike the skill the hand and the string and yet there is but one sound heard Ars dictat manus tangit chorda resonat The Art or skill directeth the hand toucheth and the string onely soundeth Tria pariter operantur they doe all three worke alike and yet neither the skill nor the hand doe yeeld the sound but onely the string Sic nec pater Operatio in tribus constat sed quemadmodum ad solam chordam soni redditio sic pertinet ad solum Christum carnis humanae susceptio nec spiritus sanctus susceperunt carnem tamen cum filio pariter operantur So neither the Father nor the Holy Spirit did assume the flesh and yet they did all agree in the working and making of this flesh but as the string alone doth yeeld the musicall harmony so the word alone did assume the flesh the worke is seene in all three but as the sound of the musicke pertaineth vnto the string alone so the assumption of our flesh pertayneth to the word alone and if any incredulous Iew with Nichodemus demaunds how this Word should be made flesh of a Virgin without the helpe of man let him tell me how Aarons rod Aug. de incarnat Dom. cont Iudaeos being a drie sticke could blossome and beare ripe Almonds and I will tell him how the Virgin did conceiue and beare a Sonne but he cannot tell the former though the lesser miracle and therefore no wonder that I cannot expresse the latter which is so ineffable a mysterie saith Saint Augustine And so you see the first Branch of this Text touching the person who was made the Word the Sonne the second person of the blessed Trinity fully discussed BRANCH II. CHAP. I. Of Christ his apparition before his incarnation and of the conception of Christ the manner of it and the reasons why hee was so conceiued 2. Branch Tres misturas fecit omnipotens illa maiestas in assumptione carnis nostrae ita mirabiliter singularia singulariter mirabilia vt talia nec facta nec facienda sint amplius super terram SEcondly We are to consider what hee was made Flesh for the Word was made Flesh Saint Bernard saith God did three workes three mixtures as hee calleth them in the assumption of our flesh so singularly wonderfull and so wonderfully singular that the like were neuer made before nor shall be made hereafter vpon the face of the Earth Coniunct à quippe sunt ad invicem Deus homo mater virgo fides cor humanum For now are ioyned together God and our Flesh a Mother and a Virgin a diuine Faith and a humane Heart for the Word and Soule and Flesh haue met and made but one Person These three are one and this one is three not by the confusion of substance but in the vnity of person This is the first and most super-excellent mixture or coniunction The second is a Virgin and a Mother a thing so admirable so singular that since the World beganne it was neuer heard that shee which brings forth a Childe should be a Maide and that shee should be a Mother which still remaines a Virgin The third is Faith and Mans Heart Inferior quidem sed non minus forsitan fortis an inferior copulation but perhaps not deseruing much lesse admiration For it is a wonder to see how the Heart of Man can yeeld Faith and beliefe vnto these two and to beleeue that God should be made Man that shee should remain a Virgin which had borne a Sonne for as Iron and a Gally-cup can neuer be coupled together Bernard Ser. 3.
made flesh that is a true and a naturall man in all things like vnto his brethren sinne onely excepted CHAP. V. Of the comfortable instructions that we may collect from this Doctrine of the incarnation of the Word YOu heard what the Word was made Flesh What we may learne from this doctrine of Christ his Incarnation and from thence we may learne many comfortable excellent lessons for our instruction especially in respect 1. Of God 2. Of Christ 3. Of our Selues First in respect of God we may see and we ought seriously to consider it first his great loue and charity towards vs First Gods loue to man that he should giue his onely Sonne to be made flesh for our sake and therefore seeing he gaue his Sonne for vs and that while we were yet sinners while we were yet enemies vnto God how can it be but that he should giue vs all things together with his Sonne especially now being reconniled vnto him through his Sonne Rom. 5.10 for in him he is well pleased and through him he cannot bee offended with vs and therefore Christ to shew how dearely God loueth vs through him saith Whatsoeuer you aske the Father in my Name it shall be giuen you Secondly we may from hence see the faithfulnesse and truth of God in performing his promise Luke 1.73 and the oath that he sware vnto our Fathers Secondly that God is a true performer of all his promises Numb 23.19 touching the giuing of this Word to be made Flesh and therefore wee may assure our selues that whatsoeuer hee saith shall come to passe for he is not as man that he should lie or as the Sonne of Man that he should alter the thing that is gone out of his lipâ— Secondly in respect of Christ we may from hence see these two things First Christs perfect obedience First His great obedience in that he was contented in all things to submit himselfe vnto his Fathers Will and therefore we that doe beleeue in Christ should herein follow the example of Christ to be obedient vnto our heauenly Father Secondly how Christ humbled himselfe Secondly his rare and singular humilitie in that he being the Sonne of God and the eternall Word of God that could haue commanded all the Angels and by his stretched-out-arme without the assumption of our weakenesse haue made all his enemies his footstoole was notwithstanding contented Exininare seipsum to emptie himselfe as it were of his diuine riches and to clothe himselfe with our humane nakednesse and so to become the Sonne of Man and to be made flesh i. e. a vile a base and an abiect thing for vs Psal 144.4 for man is like a thing of naught his time passeth away like a shadow And therâ—fore we should not lift vp our hornes on high Phil. 2. nor speake with a stiffe necke but we should labour to haue the same minde in vs which was in Christ Iesus and learne of him to be meeke and lowly in heart Matth. 11. It was an humble speech of King Dauid when hee said I am a worme and no man a very shame Psal 22.6 or scorne of men and the out-cast of the people Hee was lowly in his owne eyes and did imitate herein our Sauiour Christ who as I shewed you before was not onely contented to be made a true man but also in the iudgement of the World to become no better then one of the basest of the people so rare a patterne of humility did he leaue vnto vs And yet now as the Poet saith Maxima quaeque domus seruis est plena superbis How farre we are from true humilitie Euery man is full of pride and as the prouerbe is euery Iacke will be a Gentleman Proijcit ampullas sesquipedalia verba It is strange to see how we strout our selues and speake great swelling words magnifying our selues by contemning others swaggering them out of countenance and thinking our selues to be gods and not men and with the Church of Laodicea to be rich and want nothing to be wise and valiant Reuel 3.17 and neither our manifold sinnes which are as the sands of the Sea nor our miserable estate which is most fraile and feeble so weake that a little sickenesse will euen vs downe with the dust can humble vs before the mighty hand of God so farre are we from learning true humility And Thirdly we see from hence our Sauiours loue Thirdly the great loue of Christ Bernard ser 1. de Epiphan and his aboundant great charity towards vs for quanto pro me vilior tanto mihi charior The viler and baser he made himselfe for me the dearer he shewed that he loued me but how could he euer debase himselfe more then he did not onely to appeare for a time in the visible shape of a man but also to assume for euer the true nature of man and though we be loath to take his sweet and easie yoke vpon vs yet he willingly tooke our heauy and bitter yoke on him for he tooke our infirmities and carried all our sorrowes Esay 53.4 and therefore O thou sweet Iesus that vsest to clothe thy selfe with the cloudes as with a garment and now clothest thy selfe with my naturall nakednesse that I might be adorned with thy supernaturall riches we beseech thee inflame our spirits with the loue of thee that nothing but thy selfe may be deare vnto vs because it so pleased thee to vilifie thy selfe for vs. Thirdly in respect of our selues we may from this doctrine of the words incarnation collect vnto our selues these singular comforts As First generally what fruits and benefits we haue What great benefits we receiue by the incarnation of the Word from this incarnation of the Sonne of God Beneficia nimis copiosa multa magna priuata positiua and they are exceeding great blessings innumerable and inualuable as repentance remission of our sinnes Grace Faith Righteousnesse Wisedome Sanctification and Redemption and in a word whatsoeuer blessing grace or goodnesse we haue we haue the same from this incarnate Word for Collos 2.3 in him are hidden all the treasures of wisedome and knowledge and from his fulnesse we all receiue and grace for grace Iohn 1.16 For neither his Deitie onely Quia non debuit Because he ought not nor his humanity onely Quia non potuit Aug. c 12. hom de â—vibus Because that could not was sufficient to bee a Mediator betwixt God and man Sed inter diuinitatem solam humanitatem solam mediatrix est diuina humanitas humana diuinitas Christi but betweene the bare humanity and the bare diuinity the diuine humanity and the humane diuinity of our Sauiour Christ doth mediate for vs vnto God and therefore by reason of this Incarnation of the Word God we are made Kings and Priests and a peculiar people vnto God Reuel 1.7 How Christ hath performed all
nothing to helpe our selues no not so much as to imagine which way to doe our selues any good God of his meere loue was moued through his wisedome to finde out this meanes of vniting the Word with our Flesh that we might be vnited vnto God againe O that wee would therefore praise the Lord for his goodnesse Psal 107.8 and shew the wonders that he doth for the Children of men That wee would offer vnto him The sacrifice of praise and thankesgiuing and shew forth his prayses from one generation to another Seuenthly Because hereby is shewed the difference betwixt the Law and the Gospell for that the Fathers vnder the Law did see these things darkely and beheld Christ through the grates and lattices i. e. vnder the types and shaddowes of the Law as it were with Moses in foramine petrae through the holes and clefts of the rocke to behold a few glympses of the glory of God but we with open face may see him as in a glasse for now the vayle is taken away from Moses his face Cant. 2.14.15 all types are now accomplished all ceremonies are abolished and all the mysts of darknesse The difference betwixt the Law and the Gospell errours and Heresies are now especially dispersed for that not onely the day-starre hath appeared but also the Sun of Righteousnesse hath risen and shineth ouer the face of the whole world and this great mystery of godlinesse is and hath beene long preached vnfolded and most plainely shewed vnto the Gentiles as the Apostle sheweth Heb. 5.11 And therefore it is a shame for vs if we be dull in hearing and vnapt to vnderstand all necessary truthes for though the Iewes of old might be excused for their ignorance because they sate in darkenesse and in the shadow of Death yet are we without excuse because the cleere light of truth is continually preached vnto vs and therefore it will be our condemnation if we loue darknesse more then light Iohn 3.19 and desire rather to be still groping in the twy-light of morality i. e. the precepts of morall men then to walke in the true light of Diuinity which is the Doctrine of Iesus Christ And yet such is the misery of our dayes and the dulnesse of our people that as the Church of Rome teacheth implicite faith to suffice a man for his saluation i. e. to beleeue what the Church beleeueth though he know no more what that is then Baalams Asse vnderstood her owne voyce Numb 22. 31. So many amongst vs whom God hath indued with sufficient capacities to vnderstand many mysteries of faith if they would apply their desire diligence to learne them are contented with confused or at the best very generall notions that Christ died for them and that they hope by him to be saued That many men are very ignorant of the chiefest points of Christianity and if you enter into the particulars concerning his person they presently frame vnto themselues false and erronious conceits thinking perhaps Christ to be a man by an humane person and so are Nestorians or to be a meere man and so are Arrians or to haue his natures confounded and so are Eutychians or else the properties of these natures confused and so are Lutherans and so are wrapped in many monstruous Heresies not for want of meanes but for want of desire or diligence to vnderstand these truths But if any will be such that is not looke vpon the light for feare of blinding his eyes let him take heede of that fearefull saying Qui ignorat ignorabitur He that will not know Christ 1 Cor. 14.38 shall not be knowne of Christ and yet I meane not that euery one especially of the meaner vnderstandings should labour for perfect or exquisite knowledge herein or more then their capacities are able to comprehend for as we must not be too carelesse so we may not be too curious in these vnsearchable mysteries but my meaning is that men should not satisfie themselues onely with inuolued implicite faith or some generall notions concerning Christ but should labour euery man according to the measure of vnderstanding that God hath giuen him to learne and know in some competent measure the particular mysteries of our faith And so much for the first part of this Treatise the summe and substance of the words Incarnation Part. 2. PART II. The chiefest circumstances that are requisite to be knowne for the vnderstanding of this mystery of the words Incarnation CHAP. I. Of the Ancestors and family from whence Christ descended And what we may learne thereby SEcondly the chiefest circumstances concerning the words Incarnation are especially these three First His family from whence he was descended Secondly His natiuity whereby hee was declared And Thirdly His testimony by which hee was approued vnto the world to be the true Messias First for the family from whence Christ should descend It was prophesied long before Matth. 1. that the Messias should come of the seed and linage of Dauid and the Euangelists say that Christ was borne of a Virgin Luke 1.27 whose name was Mary First of a Virgin to fulfill the prophesie of Esay Chap. 7.14 And that he might be conceiued without sinne because hee was to redeeme vs from sinne Secondly of a Virgin called Mary that the verity of the Story might appeare most manifest and that the certaintie of his pedegree might be the more easily shewed Ob. But it may be obiected that Christ was to be like Melchisedecke without Father and without mother and therefore the Sonne of Mary is not likely to be the Christ because he hath a mother Sol. I answere that some affirmed Melchisedecke to haue both a Father and a Mother Hieron ad Euagr. and is thought by Saint Hierome and diuers others to be Sem the Sonne of Noah but he is said to be without Father and without Mother because by that name and in that place where be is said to haue come and to haue blessed Abraham there is no mention made of his Father or of his Mother or of his beginning or of his ending but for mine owne part I answere as I shewed before that this Melchisedecke was Christ himselfe and that he may be truly said to be without Father and without Mother if we vnderstand the same aright for that as God hee hath no Mother and as man hee hath no Father because Ioseph was but his legall and not his naturall Father But you will say then Ob. that hee could not come of the seede of Dauid because Mary was the Daughter of Ioachim Aug. contra faust Man l. 23. c. 3. 4. Luke 1.36 a Priest of the Tribe of Leui as the Manichees and others haue affirmed because the Scripture saith Behold thy Cosen Elizabeth which was the wife of Zacharias the Priest To this diuers men doe diuersly answere for Sol. Origen thinketh that they were Cosens not in respect of
miser homo non compatitur pro quo solo deus patitur Hiron in Mat. and therefore how can we behold his head resting vpon a pillow of thornes his hands pierced with iron nayles and his heart bleeding for our sinnes and not to bee moued to a godly sorrow for those our horrible sinnes that caused all his sorrowes It is reported in the Gospell that when our Sauiour suffered the Sun withdrew his light as being ashamed to see so wofull a spectacle the earth quaked and trembled as it were for feare to see her Creator put to death and the stones did cleaue in sunder yea wicked Iudas that betrayed and sold our Sauiour when he saw the indignities that were offered vnto him did repent and grieue that he had betrayed that innocent bloud and therefore what strange hearts haue wee worse then Iudas and harder then stones if we can behold the torments of his Passion and not be touched with compassion The naturalist telleth vs that the Adamant stone is of an impenetrable hardnesse Plinius l. 37. c. 4. and yet he saith that if it be steeped in the warme bloud of a Goate it will be mollified and therefore if the bloud of Christ which is farre more excellent then the bloud of Buls or of Goates cannot intenerate our hard hearts wee are worse then the Adamants and no better then the Diuels That Christ should bleed for vs and we not weepe for our owne sinnes Secondly To make vs thankefull For the second Our Sauiour hauing suffered all this for sin to saue sinfull men and to eternize mortall men He hath broken the head of the Serpent he hath wounded the great Leuiathan and by the merit of his Passion he hath subdued Hell conquered the graue rebated the sting of death taken away the force and guilt of sinne and remoued those Cherubims and that flaming sword which was placed to afright vs and to keepe the way of the tree of life Gen. 2.2 and he hath blotted out the hand-writing of ordinances that was against vs and laid open vnto vs the gates of eternall life and therefore now we should all say with the Psalmist What shall we render vnto the Lord for all his benefits that hee hath done vnto vs Psal 116 11. for we must not thinke it inough to weepe in commiseration of Christ his paine but we must be also thankefull for Christ his suffering The whole world knoweth what great loue hee hath shewed to vs and what bitter Passion he hath suffered for vs and therefore vae tacentibus de te domine Woe be vnto them whose ingratitude hath silenced them from praising thee Sed faelix lingua quae non nouit nisi de te Sermonem texere but most happy is that tongue which can praise thee O Lord though it should be able to speake of nothing else because not onely nothing can be carried better in our mindes nothing can be sweeter in our mouthes nothing more melodious to our eares as Saint Augustine saith then deo gratias to ascribe all praise and to render thankes vnto the Lord our God but especially because as Saint Bernard saith no sacrifice can be more acceptable vnto God for who so offereth me thankes and praise hee honoureth mee and nothing can be more offensiue vnto Satan then to praise the Lord for though thou watchest he careth not because himselfe neuer sleepeth though thou fastest hee regards it not because himselfe neuer eateth any thing but if thou beest thankefull vnto God for his great loue to thee then is Satan grieued because thou being a silly worme on earth dost performe that here in the vally of misery which he being a glorious Angell in Heauen could not performe in that seat of Maiestie and therefore as the Prophet Dauid saith Psal 107.15 that he would rise at midnight to praise the Lord for his righteous iudgements so with the Prophet Dauid I wish to God that men would praise the Lord for his goodnesse especially for this great goodnesse and declare the wonders that he hath done and especially this suffering this great suffering that he vnderwent for the children of men and that they would praise him from the ground of the heart And because virtus nisi cum re vilior alga That we should shew our thankfulnesse to Christ by our workes Luke 2. Matth. 2. thankefulnesse consisteth more in workes then in words therefore let vs not onely with the Angels sing Glory be to God on high but let vs with the wise men present our gifts vnto him gold to clothe the naked and to feede the hungry soule Frankinsence to maintaine the preaching of Gods Word and Myrrhe to be prepared for our death Macrob. Saturnal l. 2. c. 4. that we may liue for euer with him Macrobius tels vs that a certaine souldiour of Augustus Band that had often aduentured his life in Caesars cause being to appeare before those Iudges whom he feared he desired Augustus for to assist him and the Emperour presently wished him to choose whom he would and he would appoint him for his aduocate but the Souldier replyed O Caesar I appointed no Deputy when your life was in danger to be lost but I hazarded mine owne life and receiued all these scarres which he then shewed in his body to preserue you from all hurt and doe you now appoint another to pleade for me what haue I done so much for you and will you refuse to do so small a kindnes for me euen so beloued brethren Christ did not onely hazard his life but gaue himselfe to death and suffered scarres and wounds and the shedding of all his bloud of his dearest bloud for vs and shall wee doe nothing for him Matth. 25 40. O yes beloued let vs euer doe what lyeth in vs for the poore members of Iesus Christ for whatsoeuer you doe to any one of them you doe it vnto me saith our Sauiour Thirdly to teach vs how dearely and how truely we ought to loue our Sauiour Christ For the third as Christ hath so dearely loued vs as to suffer all these things for vs so we should truely loue Christ againe and we should the rather loue him not onely because hee hath done all these things for vs but also because he requireth nothing for all these things but loue he exacts no tribute hee requires no homage he expects no requitall but loue O then let vs not say with the vncleane spirits in the Gospell What haue wee to doe with thee Marke 1.24 O Iesus thou Sonne of God but let vs rather say with the Church Cantic 2.5 in the Canticles Stay me with flagons and comfort mee with apples Bern. in Ser. de pass dom for I am sicke of loue and as thy loue to me Erat talis tantus vt nesciret habere modum was such and so great that it could not containe it selfe within the compasse of any bounds so my
therefore he had none other remedy but to wander as a Pilgrime and a forlorne creature till hee ended his dayes in extreame miseries so Agrippa suffered intollerable calamities Cap. 17. so Herod the Tetrarch was spoiled of his goods depriued of his Kingdome and banished from his Countrey So Herod that killed Iames Cap. 18. was miserably eaten vp of loathsome wormes and to the Iewes was measured the same measure as they had measured vnto Christ before for as they had sold him for thirty pence so thirty of them were sold for one peny and fiue hundred of them were nayled to Crosses in one day in so much that nec locus sufficeret crucibus nec cruces corporibus there was not place sufficient for the Crosses nor Crosses enough to nayle them on It were too too lamentable to relate more of those dolefull Tragedies which Iosephus Eusebius Euagrius and others haue written of them and what they suffered at the finall ruine and destruction of Ierusalem and what heauy bondage farre worse then that Egyptian slauery they haue endured to this very day In aureo tractatu Rabbi Sam. de miserimo statu Iudaeorum Hence it is that Rabbi Samuel about sixe hundred yeares agone writ a tractate in forme of an Epistle vnto Rabbi Isaac Master of the Synagogue of the Iewes in Subiulmeta a Citie of Morocco wherein he doth excellently discusse the cause of their long captiuity their great blindnesse and extreame misery and after that hee had proued tâ—at this punishment was inflicted vpon them for some great and grieuous sinne he sheweth that sinne to be the same whereof the Prophet Amos speaketh For three transgressions of Israel and for foure Amos 2.6 non transferam eo I will not turne away the punishment thereof because they sold the righteous for siluer And though he saith that their Rabbies doe vnderstand this righteous to be Ioseph that was sold by his brethren vnto Egypt What Rabbi Samuel saith concerning Iesus Christ yet because the Prophet putteth this for the fourth sinne and the greatest sinne of Israel and because he cannot finde any three sinnes of the sonnes of Israel before the selling of Ioseph therefore he maketh the selling of Ioseph to be the first sinne of Israel the worshipping of the Calfe in Horeb to be the second the abusing the killing of Gods Prophets to be the third and the fourth to be the selling of Iesus Christ For the first they serued foure hundred yeares for the second they wandred forty yeares in the Wildernesse vntill they that came out of Egypt were all consumed and brought to nothing excepting onely Caleb and Iosuah for the third they were held Captiues seauenty yeares in Babylon and for the fourth the said Rabbi Samuel confesseth that they were held in most pittifull Captiuity to this very day because hee was most vniustly sold and most shamefully deliuered to death as he sheweth in the seauenth Chapter of the said Tractate Much and many more circumstantiall proofes and demonstrations of his Resurrection to shew him to be the true Messias Why the Author did so prosecute the proofes of Christs Resurrection might be produced but I hope these will serue I say not to make vs to beleeue this truth for to that end I hope we neede not bring any proofe at all because we doe fully and vndoubtedly beleeue the same already but to shew that our fore-fathers haue not or we doe not beleeue these things without more then abundant and vnanswerable proofes thereof and to conuince that malicious obstinacy and infidelity of all those whether professed Iewes or seeming Christians which notwithstanding such an Army of arguments and such a cloud of witnesses will still continue blinded and hardened in vnbeleefe It were strange there should be any Athiests amongst vs yet I thinke it was not without cause that Dr. Fotherby writ his large and learned discourse against Atheisme and questionlesse they that deny God will neuer beleeue in Christ and therefore as that booke shall be a witnesse against all Atheists in the latter day to condemne them so shall this which I haue written be an accuser of all those that will not beleeue in Iesus Christ CHAP. VIII Of the place from whence our Sauiour rose both in respect of his body and soule NOw hauing seene that the Messias when hee should come was to rise againe the third day and that our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ is that true Messias because he did rise againe vpon the third day I must yet intreate you to consider that so you may haue the full knowledge of this point these two especiall things Arsatius in postilla ser de resurrect fol. 122. 1. The place from whence he rose 2. The manner how he rose First We must vnderstand that as Christ in respect of his humane nature consisted both of body and soule so his Resurrection must needs be considered both in respect of his body and soule First The Resurrection of the Body was that whereby hee raised the same from the graue a dead carkasse to be a liuing and a most glorious body neuer to die againe The place from whence Christ raised his soule Secondly The Resurrection of his Soule must be from some infernall place or else it must be a descention and not a Resurrection of his soule and therefore as in our Creede we professe to beleeue that he descended into Hell so we must likewise confesse that he raised himselfe from Hell but here vnawares I am fallen into an Ocean of contention For First Some say this Article of our Creede crept in by negligence and therefore would haue raced it out againe but that would proue a want of Gods prouidence that would suffer his whole Church to erre so grossely in the chiefe summe of her Christian faith and if such things might creepe into our Creede which is but the abstract of our faith then much more might easily creepe into our Scriptures which is so large an expresser both of faith and manners but the Spirit of Christ is alwayes with his Church to guide it into all truth and the Church of Christ is the Pillar of truth and a most faithfull preseruer of all truth and therefore this opinion is most absurde Secondly Others still retayning the words Foure expositions of that article of Christs discention into Hell cannot agree vpon the meaning of the sentence and of these I finde foure seuerall expositions The first is that the soule of Christ suffered the paines of Hell vpon the Crosse But this cannot stand first because we must bring in such a sense as will agree with the words after his buriall for that being dead and buried he descended into Hell and secondly That Christ suffered not the torments of the damned Iohn 9. because as that worthy Bishop of Winchester hath most excellently shewed there bee eight speciall things in Hell paines which the soule of Christ could not
office of this Angell here expressed to serue Christ to affright the souldiers and to delight these women to teach them to direct them Reuel 4.8 and to preserue them in all their wayes for as they neuer cease to serue the Lord so they neuer cease to preserue the Saints vntill they cease to serue their God and therefore to vse Saints Bernards exhortation Quantum debet hoc verbum inferre reuerentiam afferre deuotionem conferre fiduciam How ought this doctrine to moue vs and worke in vs reuerence for their presence confidence for their custody and obedience vnto God for so great an argument of his beneuolence vnto man as to giue his Angels charge ouer vs Et quam cauté ambulandum and how warily ought we to walke seeing the Angels of God are euer present with vs when all the men of the world are absent from vs It is reported of a godly Virgin that being often sollicited by a gallant vnto vnlawfull lust at last she yeelded that if hee met her at such a place he should haue leaue to worke his pleasure with her both came to the place appointed and the place was full of people then the mayden told him that now if he pleased he might vse her as he would he answered that now for shame he durst not doe it in the sight of so many men and women then she replyed and thinkest thou that I dare doe that in the presence of God and his holy Angels which thou darest not doe in the sight of mortall men and I wish euery one of vs did so that is to be ashamed to doe those things in the sight of God and his holy Angels Psal 139.2 Velleius paterculus which we are afraid to doe in the presence of men for they alwayes see vs though wee see not them they are about our beds and about our pathes and spie out all our wayes and therefore as Marcus Drusus when one told him he could build him an house of such a forme as that no man might see what he did therein answered that hee liked better of such an Architector as could build his house so as that euery one passing by might plainely see what was done therein so I wish to God that euery one of vs would striue and labour so to liue as it becommeth vs to doe in the sight of God and of his blessed Angels And so we see the Resurrection of Christ fully and plainely shewed vs to the eternall praise and glory of God and to the endlesse ioy and happinesse of all Christians through the said Iesus Christ To whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit be ascribed all power and dominion both now and for euer Amen A Prayer O Blessed God which gauest thine onely Sonne Iesus Christ to suffer death for our sinnes to descend into Hell to destroy our enemies and to rise againe for our iustification and so to declare himselfe mightily to be the Sonne of God and the true Sauiour of all men We most humbly beseech thee to raise vs from the death of sinne from all our sinnes and to giue vs grace to beleeue in thee to be thankfull vnto thee and to serue thee in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of our life that when we shall be laid to rest in our graues we may rest in assured hope to be raised vp by Christ to liue with him for euermore through the same Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen IEHOVAE LIBERATORI FINIS The Sixt Golden Candlesticke HOLDING The Sixt greatest Light of Christian RELIGION Of the Ascention of our SAVIOVR and of the Donation of the HOLY GHOST EPHES. 4.8 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wherefore he saith when hee ascended vp on high heeled captiuity captiue and gaue gifts vnto men AFter that the blessed Apostle Saint Paul had by many arguments proued vnto the Ephesians that they should earnestly studie The coherence of this verse with what goeth before and most carefully labour to preserue the vnity of the Church of Christ he seemeth in the seuenth verse to answer a certaine obiection that might bee made viz. seeing the graces the gifts and the offices which God hath bestowed vpon his Church are so many and so manifold so diuers and so vnequall some hauing many graces some but few some one gift and some another how can it be that this vnity can be so faithfully preserued therefore the Apostle sheweth that the diuersity and inequality of gifts is not onely no hinderance but is indeed a great furtherance to cherish and preserue the same First Because all these gifts do flow from the same fountaine Iesus Christ Secondly Because they are all giuen and imparted for the same end and purpose that is to gather together the Church of Christ into the vnity of faith The first reason he proueth out of this Prophesie of Dauid who speaking of the Messias triumphing ouer his enemies saith Thou art gone vp on high thou hast led captiuity captiue and receiued gifts for men And The second reason he confirmeth at large in the verses following where he sheweth that Christ gaue some Apostles and some Prophets and some Euangelists and some Pastors and Teachers and all to this end that is for the perfecting of the Saints for the worke of the Ministery for the edifying of the boâ—y of Christ till wee all come into the vnity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Sonne of God Two things contained in this verse And therefore we finde contained in this verse two speciall points First A confirmation of the Apostles alledged reason that all graces doe flow from Christ in these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wherefore he saith Secondly A Propheticall prediction of the Messias in these words When he ascended vp on high he led captiuitie captiue and gaue gifts vnto men That the Scripture is the best warrant for all Preachers For the first I meane not to stand long vpon it I will onely note this one thing that all we the Teachers of Gods people according to the example of this Apostle nay of Christ himselfe and of all Christs true Schollers should not teach any positiue point of doctrine vnlesse we can either directly or by necessary consequence proue and confirme the same out of the Sacred Scriptures for whatsoeuer hath not authority from the word of God Eadem facilitate refellitur qua probatur may as well be reiected as receiued Hieron in Matth. c. 23. saith Saint Hierom and whatsoeuer is therein contained it requires absolute faith without doubting because as Hugo Cardinalis saith Quicquid in sacris literis docetur veritas est sine fallacia quicquid praecipitur bonitas est sine malicia quicquid promittitur faelicitas est sine miseria Whatsoeuer is caught in the Scripture it is truth it selfe without fallacy whatsoeuer is commanded it is purely good without the commixtion of any euill and whatsoeuer is promised it is perfect felicitie without the least
foure-folde 1. Hystoricall 2. Of miracles 3. Temporarie 4. Iustifying The first is common to the diuels aswell as to men for the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath diuers significations First of Faith as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I know to whom I haue trusted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 relie not vpon the people but commonly in Scriptures it signifieth to assent as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with the heart we beleeue vnto righteousnesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Abraham beleeued God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and I partly beleeue it Iames 2 19. saith the Apostle and in this respect the Apostle saith the diuels beleeue for wee beleeue what wee know daemones Deum pagani credunt and the very diuells doe know God saith Saint Augustine Aug. de cognit verae vit c. 37. and they know Christ Acts 19.14 Mat. 8.29 and they know the Scriptures for they alleadged the same to Christ and they know the Gospell and haue called it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the way of saluation and therfore they must needs beleeue quia fides est cognitio eadēque certissima in quantū intellectus determinatur ad aliquod cognoscibile because faith is the most surest knowledge of things and wee cannot choose but beleeue what wee doe certainely know And Saint Augustine comparing the confession of Saint Peter thou art the Christ the Sonne of the liuing God Mat. 16 Mar. c. 1. Aug. de vnico bap c. 10. and the confession of the diuell I knowe who thou art euen that holy one of God saith that although Saint Peter was commended and the diuell rebuked Idem tract 10. in Ep. Iohn yet in vtrisque non falsa sed vera non detestanda sed approbanda est the confession was true in both and therefore the faith of the diuels in respect of the obiect must needs be a right and a true faith A doctrine to confound wicked liuers who as Saint Augustine saith peiores et tardiores sunt quam daemones are farre worse then the diuells for he beleeues and trembles but the wicked euen as Nero when Seneca diswaded him from his villanies and perswaded him so to carie himselfe vt facta superi semper comprobent sua as that the Gods might alwayes approue his actions answered like a dogged Athiest stulte verebor esse cum faciam deos thou foole dost thou thinke that I feare or beleeue when I doe these things that there are any gods so doe they scarse beleeue there is any God for if they did I wonder that with the diuells they doe not tremble Mat. 7.22 Tit. 1.1 1. Iohn 5.4 Iohn 3.15 The second and third kinde of faith that is the faith of miracles and the temporarie faith which beleeueth for a time and then falleth away they are likewise common vnto the wicked aswell as vnto the godly for they doe not onely beleeue the Law and the Gospell with an hystoricall faith but they may also doe many miracles as our Sauiour testifieth The fourth is onely proper vnto the true Saints of God and it is called fides electorum the faith of Gods elect a faith that ouercommeth the world and a faith which cannot perish If any man would know whether hee hath this faith or not hee must looke into these two things 1. His workes 2. Perseuerance Greg. l. 2. ho. 22. in c. 40. Ezech. For first this is called fides operans a faith that worketh and that worketh by charitie and therefore Saint Gregory saith Quantum credimus tantum amamus tantum quisque operatur quantum credit that a true beleeuer loues as he beleeueth and worketh as he loueth and Saint Augustine excellently saith that credere in deum est credendo amare amando in eum ire to beleeue in God is by beleeuing to loue him and by louing him to bee vnited and made one with God so that to haue this true faith in God is to loue God and to doe the will and Commaundements of God And secondly this faith is a continuing and perseuering faith such as will continue vnto the end These are the two mayne properties of the true sauing faith Secondly Secondly of Hope Luther in gal de ◠5. Exod. 25.20 Hope is a patient expectation of the thing that we beleeue and it is not onely inseperably ioyned vnto faith each one hauing respect to other as the two Cherubims looking on the Mercie Seat but it hath such great affinitie with faith as that the one can hardly be discerned from the other Yet I finde they differ in three respects 1. Of order 2. Of obiect 3. Of office for How Hope differeth from Faith First though as the fire and the light in respect of time doe appeare together so all graces are infused together yet as the fire is before the light because the light is caused by the fire so Faith saith Alexander de Hales in respect of causality Alexan. de Hal. p. L. 12. M. 3. ar 2. because all graces flow from it is the mother grace and the root of all the rest and therefore faith is the ground of hope and doth alwayes precede the same in which respect Saint Augustine saith Sicut in radice arboris nullae apparent pulchritudinis species c. As in the root of a tree there appeareth no shew of beauty and yet what beauty or goodnes soeuer is in the whole tree the same proceedeth from the root euen so saith he what vertue or goodnesse soeuer sheweth it selfe in any man it doth all spring from the root of faith Secondly Alsted syst theolog l. 3. loc 17. Obiectum fidei adaequatum est omne verbum Dei in genere the obiect of faith is the word of God the obiect of hope is res verbi the promise of God and the goodnesse of God faith beleeues there is a Heauen and a Hell hope onely lookes for good things and faith is of things past things present and things to come but hope is onely of things to come Thirdly the office of faith is to tell vs what we must beleeue but the office of hope is to tell vs how we must patiently abide and looke for what we doe beleeue And wee finde hope to bee either 1. Humane Hope two fold 2. Diuine The first is many times fallible Plaut rud Nam multa praeter spem scio multis bona euenisse ego etiam qui sperauerint First Humane hope spem decipisse multos for as many things doe happen to many one beyond their hope so their hopes doe deceiue many one and as the Poet saith Fallitur augurio spes bona saepe suo They doe deceiue themselues by their owne hope and yet this is an exceeding great helpe vnto men in all their actions Spes seruat afflictos and this is the chiefest stay vnto afflicted mindes Nam Fortuna innocentem deserit saepe spes nunquam for when fortune forsaketh many times an
belongeth not to any wicked man so long as he remaineth wicked and therefore lest as the men of Bethshemesh were slaine fiftie thousand and threescore and ten men in one day 1 Sam. 6.19 because they looked into the arke which belonged onely vnto the Priests wee be found guiltie of the body and bloud of Christ and so pull vpon our selues swift damnation if we snatch the childrens bread that belongeth not to vs or receiue these blessed Sacraments vnworthily let vs with blinde Bartimaeus cast off our mantles the old raggs of Adam the lusts of the flesh and let vs put on our wedding garment the new man which chiefely consisteth of Faith towards God and loue towards men if Mark 10.50 when we come to receiue these Sacraments wee would receiue the grace of Christ But Mat. 22.11 Secondly though such a hearing of the Word as I haue aboue shewed be a speciall meanes to obtaine grace yet we must know that this meanes is not sufficient vnlesse as God opened the heart of Lydia when Saint Paul Preached vnto her eares so he doth worke faith in your hearts when we doe Preach expound the Word vnto your eares Quia inanis est sermo docentis nisi spiritus adsit cordi audientis because as the Preaching of the Word is the gift of God in vs so the beleeuing of the same is the operation of the same God in you And so likewise though the receiuing of the blessed Sacraments be a singular meanes to worke Faith and all other graces in the right receiuers of the same yet wee must vnderstand that it is not opus operatum the doing of the worke that begetteth grace in any man but the spirit of God onely conuayeth grace through the conduit pipes of these outward meanes and therefore wee should alwayes pray to God not onely for the graces of attention vnto our eares and illumination vnto our eyes but also of sanctification vnto our hearts that what wee doe attentiuely heare with our eares and doe most perfectly see with our eyes Wee may most faithfully beleeue with our hearts and so attaine vnto these gifts and graces of Gods spirit CHAP. VIII On whom God bestoweth these gifts and graces of his spirit FOr the third i e To whom God bestoweth these gifts we must know that he bestoweth neither the graces of edifiying the Church nor the other graces to sanctifie and to saue our soules vpon all men but onely vpon those whom it pleaseth him for as when he was to choose his Apostles it is said that he chose whom he pleased so of the graces of preseruation sanctification and such like he giueth them to whom he pleaseth Mar. 3.13 and though hee giueth liberally vnto all men Iames 1.51 yet he giueth not all of these nor any of them all inconsiderately vnto any man for he lets not his graces drop through his fingers as if he cared not what became of them and so suffer all men to gather them Mat. 10.29 who will but as a sparrow lights not vpon the ground without his prouidence so not one grace falls to any man without his speciall guidance and direction And this the Apostle sheweth when he saith Rom. 9.16 non est currentis neque volentis sed miserentis Dei it is not in him that runneth nor in him that willeth but in God that sheweth mercie and this Christ himselfe declareth when he saith no man commeth vnto me except the Father draw him Iohn so no man can receiue these gifts and graces but they to whom they are giuen and as we finde a gradation of the loue and fauour of God As First he loueth all the things that he hath made and That there is a gradation in Gods loue Secondly he loueth man in a more speciall manner aboue all the things that he made And Thirdly among men he loueth some better then others yea Fourthly among those that he loueth best hee loueth some better then the rest As wee see hee loued Noah and Abraham among the Patriarks Moses among the Prophets and Iohn among the Apostles Why God loueth some men better then others so hee loues these best not because these were in themselues better then any others but because it pleased him to loue them better then others for as if he had made a toad a man and the man a toad the toad had bin the better of the twaine so if hee had bestowed more grace vpon the wicked and with-held the same from the now best men in all respects then no doubt but the wicked had bin the best but he loueth them best because it pleaseth him so to doe and therfore he bestoweth more graces and tokens of his loue vpon them to make them better then all others whatsoeuer for the gifts of God make vs good and our goodnesse maketh not him to bestow his gifts on vs. And this I say What this doctrine teacheth vs. not to accuse God of any niggardlinesse or close-handednesse because he giueth not these gifts vnto all God forbid for he is a debter to no man but may freely without censure doe with his owne what he list But I say this First to shew his exceeding great bountie and fauour First to behold the great goodnesse of God to his elect towards vs that deseruing no more good at Gods hands then all the rest of the race of mankind should notwithstanding when we iustly deserued so much euill it may be as much or more then the rest of men receiue so many great gifts and graces aboue and before all the rest of the world Secondly Secondly to be truely thankfull vnto God and specially to moue vs to all thankefulnesse to this our good and gratious God that with-holding his graces from many thousand others he would notwithstanding so graciously bestow them vpon vs for had not he giuen vs the grace to beleeue in Christ to hate our sinnes and to loue all righteousnesse I see not how the best of vs could doe any of these no more then the wickedest men in the world and therefore I would to God that we would euer praise the Lord for his goodnesse and declare the wonders that hee doth as generally for all men so specially for these chosen children of men Thirdly and lastly to teach vs Thirdly to pray for what we want and to praise our God for euermore that when wee feele our owne wants wee should pray to him for helpe to supply our need and when we see any of our neighbours voyd of grace we should rather piously pittie them and pray for them then proudly to contemne them and to spurne against them for as if God would hee might haue made thee a beast and the beast a man so if it had pleased him hee might haue filled them with that grace which he bestowed on thee and he might haue iustly left thee in that fullnesse of sinne wherein they doe
because the blessed shall be called to him come ye blessed and the cursed onely shall be taken away from the presence of the Lord. But Moses preuailed further for Iacob prayed for himselfe Moses for others Iacob for a friend of God that serued him Moses for the enemies of God that dishonored him by making a Calfe in Horeb and worshipping the molten image and therefore Iacob preuailed when God was well-pleased Prayer appeaseth the wrath of God Exod 32.10 but Moses preuailed when God was angrie and his wrath did burne like fire and he said in the fiercenesse of his wrath suffer me now that I may destroy them all at once yet Moses would not but he fell vpon his face and prayed and so standing in the gappe he preuailed with God and turned away his wrathfull indignation from them so prayer ouercomes him at all times when he is pleased when he is angrie for our prayer is like a cord wherewith we binde the hands of God that when hee is readie to smite vs for our sinnes he is fast bound by our prayers that he cannot punish vs and therefore when the Iewes despised and neglected this dutie of prayer and the Lord powred out his wrath vpon them for their wickednesse the Prophet Esay complaineth that there was none that called vpon God that rose vp to take hold vpon him i. e. by calling vpon his name to binde his hands with the cord of prayer O powerfull prayer that art able to binde to binde the hands of God with bands more indissoluble then those seuen greene wit hs that bound the hands of Sampson Iudg. 16.8 9. what shall I say of thee I might say as much as Saint Paul saith of faith Heb. 11. By prayer the families of Seth did serue the Lord for then they began to call vpon the name of the Lord saith the Text by prayer Abraham obtained Gen. 4.26 that if ten righteous men should be found in fiue Cities the wicked should bee all spared for those tenne mens sake by prayer Moses deuided the red sea by prayer Iosua stayed the course of the heauenly Orbes by prayer Phinees stayed the wrath of God that it consumed not all the Israelites for when Phinees stood vp and prayed then the plague ceased saith the Psalmist by prayer Ionas ouercame the great Leuiathan and made him which otherwise would haue bin a grieuous gulfe to destroy him when he had swallowed him vp quick to become as a shippe to saue him to bring him to the hauen where he would be and what shall I say more for the time would be too short for me to tel of Dauid Samuell and the Prophets of the Apostles Martyrs and all the Saints of God who through prayer subdued their enemies wrought wonders obtained the promises stopped the mouthes of Lions quenched the violence of fire escaped the edge of the sword of weake were made strong waxed valiant in battell turned to flight the armies of the aliens and in the end all of them whom the world was not worthie of through prayer obtained eternall life for whosoeuer calleth vpon the name of the Lord shall be saued and these all called vpon his name and he heard them And besides all this Lactant. de vero cultu l. 6. c. 25. f. 399. it is worth the obseruing that as Lactantius doth most truely say summus colendi dei ritus est ex ore iusti hominis ad Deum directa laudatio the chiefest part of Gods worship is an humble faithfull prayer and praises out of the mouth of a righteous man and therefore Saint Paul setting downe the whole armour of a Christian putteth prayer as the chiefest part of all and so Zanchius saith that this is Zanch. in c. 6. ep ad Ephes optimum genus ideoque vltimò ab Apostolo armaturae explicatum the best part of all our christian weapons and therefore last expressed by the Apostle because that vnlesse Gods help be craued by prayer reliqua arma parum prosunt Prayer the chiefest part of Gods seruice all the other armour will auaile vs nothing and therefore though wee be wholy armed with all the rest of Gods armour yet ought we most humbly to acknowledge our owne imbecilitie and most earnestly to sue for the helpe and assistance of God by harty prayer Ob. But here perhaps some will say it cannot be more excellent then faith because the Apostle saith aboue all take the shield of Faith Sol. I answer that this armour of a Christian is of two kindes 1. Ad defendendum to defend our selues The armour of a Christian of two kindes 1. Ad feriendum to smite our foes Of the first kinde the Apostle nameth these fiue First Truth secondly Righteousnes thirdly readinesse to imbrace the Gospell of Christ fourthly Faith Fiftly Hope And of these indeed Faith and Hope are the chiefest but they are not more excellent then the other of the other kinde for then they should be more excellent then the Word of God which is the sword of the spirit and therefore I say that prayer is armatura armaturae that armour which preserueth all our armour vnbattered and vnbroken for though Faith and Hope and the other graces be most excellent yea of inualuable and vnconceiueable worth yet seeing there is a difference betwixt Gods graces and that as one Starre differeth from another in glorie so one grace may differ from another in excellencie both in regard of the qualitie and efficacie of the same and so bring a greater waight of glorie to the receiuers and well vsers of the same That the gift of prayer is the chiefest of all Gods graces I say of prayer as Salomon saith of the vertuous woman that this surmounteth them all for it is a rule in logick the end is euer better then the meanes that bring vs to the end but preaching hearing vnderstanding and beleeuing are media the meanes whereby we are brought to pray and therefore the Apostle taketh this for his Text and maketh it to be the basis and ground-worke of all his subsequent discourse he that calleth vpon the name of the Lord shall be saued but then saith he Ioel. 2.32 how or by what meanes shal this be done How shall they call vpon him in whom they haue not beleeued Rom. 10.14 How shall they beleeue in him of whom they haue not heard How shall they heare without a Preacher and so he maketh preaching hearing and beleeuing to be the meanes whereby wee come to call vpon the name of the Lord that we may be saued And it is a rule in all sciences that the practice is better then the theorie of any thing and therefore prayer which is the practice of all pietie must be better then all other theoricall graces whatsoeuer And it is an axime of our Sauiour Christ that beatius est dare quam accipere it is a more blessed thing to giue then
become their patrones and defenders whereupon the sheepe being glad to be rid of their dogges and deeming themselues happy to be at peace with the wolues they presently deliuered vp all their dogs vnto the mercies of their enemies and they were incontinently consumed but within a very little while after the wolues began to picke quarrels against the silly sheepe and in a short space deuoured the whole flocke euen so saith Demosthenes if you deliuer vp your Orators for the fauour of King Phillip you shall speedily finde that he will deale with you as the wolues dealt with the simple sheepe whereupon they resolued to keepe their Orators Now Satan deales with our people as King Philip did with the Athenians The cruelty of Satan to destroy the preachers and his subtilty to deceiue the people hee tels them that the Preachers bee the onely dogs that he hates the onely men that barke and often bite against them which by their tithes and offerings they doe maintaine and therefore he perswadeth them to betray their Preachers into his hands and to persecute them with their furies and if they doe so hee promiseth all peace and content vnto them but when hee hath once preuailed to destroy our bodies he will soone destroy their soules and bring them into hell fire and therefore it were well for them if with the Athenians they would beware of their subtill and cruell enemy and make much of them which with the hazard of their owne liues doe continually watch for their soules CHAP. II. Of those speciall gifts which God giueth vnto his children for the sanctifying of their soules and principally of Faith Hope and Charitie SEcondly those gifts which hee giueth to sanctifie our soules are of diuers sorts Gregor Hom. 8. in Ezech. for as S. Gregorie â—aith of Gods presence gradus praesentiae diuinae constituendi sunt there are certaine degrees of the same quia licet omnia tangit non tamen aequaliter omnia tangit so wee must conceiue of the giuing of Gods graces that although he giueth the same vnto many men yet he giueth them not aâ—ter the same manner vnto all men and therefore we say that Gods gifts are either 1. Common The graces that Christ giueth to sanctifie our soules are two-fold 2. Speciall or that God giueth these gifts two manner of waies either 1. After a generall 2. After a speciall manner First the common graces and gifts of God First common or those graces which hee giueth out of his generall respect and loue vnto man are giuen many times aswell vnto the wicked as vnto the godly and therefore in that respect all those that professe Christ Iesus which haue these generall gifts are promiscuously called and taken for the Saints of God herein this life and cannot indeed bee discerned or distinguished by any man from those that are the true elected Saints for God onely knowes who are his and wee may not so much as guesse who they are for wee are prohibited to iudge of them because wee cannot possibly know them Secondly the speciall graces and gifts of God Secondly speciall or those graces which he giueth out of a speciall respect and loue to some men more then others for I can finde no specificall difference betwixt the gifts that he giueth vnto the elect and those graces that he giueth vnto many of the reprobates but the same graces in a more perfect after a more speciall manner are only giuen vnto the elect whereby they are preserued and kept in the fauour of God vntill their last breath We cannot tell who are indued with the speciall graces of Gods spirit But to nominate which are those common graces and gifts which Christ after a generall manner giueth vnto all or most of the professors of his name and which are those speciall gifts which out of his speciall loue he giueth onely vnto his elect or directly to set downe the specificall notes and differences how to discerne and know the one from the other and to distinguish in whom each of these sorts may bee found as some haue venterously attempted to doe seemeth vnto mâ—â— to bee none other thing then to shew who are elected and who are not for whosoeuer hath but the common gifts cannot bee saued and whosoeuer hath the speciall gifts of God shall not be damned Yet I denie not but by the diligent search into the nature and extent of these graces and gifts of God and by the fruits and effects of the same euery particular man may know whether he hath them yet or not for the spirit of man if man would search out his spirit may know what is in man and therefore not that we should iudge one of another who hath these speciall gifts of God and who hath them not but that euery man by searching his owne heart may know if hee hath them Euery one ought diligently to examine what graces he hath to his comfort or if hee hath them not that hee may earnestly labour by prayer to God to attaine them I will a little speake of these speciall gifts and graces of saluation and shew how farre they doe exceede those common graces of the only outward professors The Schoolemen all as it were with one consent doe distribute the gifts of the holy Ghost into these seauen speciall graces viz. 1. Wisdome 2. Vnderstanding 3. Councell 4. Fortitude 5. Knowledge 6. Pietie 7. The feare of God I neede not and my purpose is not to stand vpon each of these Aquinas and his followers haue excellently and largely inough handled each one of these excellent graces but I meane to contract all into a fewer summe and as Saint Paul saith to shew you a more excellent way for though it be most true that Saint Hierome and Saint Bernard say Hieron in Epist Ber. de pass dom 42. Bellarm. de grat lib. arb l. 5. c 3. that as vices goe by troupes so the graces of God doe so assemble themselues and cohere together that he which hath one hath all and hee that wants one wants all i. e. he that hath one in any measure of perfection hath the seeds of all the rest as Bellarmine saith whereby as occasion serueth he can put them being but stirred vp by grace into execution Forma est non omnibus vna nec diuersa tamen qualem decet esse sororum They are not onely like those diuine sisters like one another but they are also linked and chayned together like the indissoluble linkes of a golden chayne yet I say that the chiefest graces which I finde and the surest gifts to bring vs vnto life are those three whereof the Apostle speaketh Faith Hope and Charitie 1. Cor. 13. vlt. for as the Psalmist saith hee that doth these things shall neuer fall so I may be bold to say he that hath these gifts shall neuer faile First Faith is distinguished by the schooles to be