any of Gods creatures or ordinances wee must sanctifie them by the direction of his word and by praier the reason is this because he is Lord ouer all and therefore from his word we must fetch direction to teach vs whether we may vse them or not and when and how they are to be vsed and secondly we must pray to him that he would giue vs libertie and grace to vse them aright in holy maner Also we are so to vse the creatures and ordinances of God as being alwaies readie to giue an account of our doings at the day of iudgement for we vse that which is the Lords not our owne we are but stewards ouer them and we must come to a reckoning for the stewardship Hast thou learning then imploy it to the glory of God and the good of the Church boast not of it as though it were thine owne Hast thou any other gift or blessing of God be it wisdome strength riches honour fauour or whatsoeuer then looke thou vse it so as thou maist be alwaies readie to make a good account thereof vnto Christ. Lastly euery one must in such manner lead his life in this world that at the day of death hee may with cheerefulnes surrender and giue vp his soule into the handes of his Lord and say with Steuen Lord Iesus receiue my soule For consider this with thy selfe that thy soule is none of thine owne but his who hath bought it with a price and therefore thou must so order and keepe it as that thou maiest in good manner restore it into the hands of god at the ende of thy life If a man should borrowe a thing of his neighbour and afterward hurt it and make a spoile of it he would be ashamed to bring it againe to the owner in that manner and if he doe the owner himselfe will not receiue it Vngodly men in this life doe so staine their soules with sinne that they can neuer be able willingly to giue them vp into the handes of God at the day of death and if they would yet God accepts them not but casts them quite away We must therefore labour so to liue in the world that with a ioyfull heart at the day of death we may commend our soules into the handes of our Lord Christ Iesus who gaue them vnto vs. This is a harde thing to bee done and he that will doe it truely must first be assured of the pardon of his owne sinnes which a man can neuer haue without true vnfained faith and repentance wherefore while we haue time let vs purge and clense our soules and bâ—dies that they may come home againe to God in good plight And here all gouernours must be put in mind that they haue an higher Lord that they may not oppresse or deale hardly with their inferiours This is Paul reason Ye masters saith he doe the same things vnto your seruants putting away threatning and knowe that euen your master is also in heauen neither is there respect of persons with him Inferiours againe must remember to submit themselues to the authoritie of their gouernours especially of magistrates For they are set ouer vs by our soueraigne Lord and king Christ Iesus as Paul saith Let euery soule be subiect to the higher powers For there is no power but of God and the powers that be ordained are of God And againe Seruants be obedient to your Masters according to the flesh with feare and trembling in singlenes of your hearts as vnto Christ. The comfort which Gods Church may reape hence is very great for if Christ be the Lord of lords and our Lord especially whome he hath created and redeemed we neede not to feare what the deuil or wicked men can doe vnto vs. If Christ be on our side who can be against vs wee neede not feare them that can destroy the bodie and doe no more but we must cast our feare on him that is Lord of body and soule and can cast both to hell Thus much of the fourth title Nowe followes Christs incarnation in these wordes Conceiued by the holy Ghost borne of the Virgin Marie And they containe in them one of the most principall points of the doctrine of godlines as Paul saith Without controuersie great is the mysterie of godlinesse which is God is made manifest in the flesh iustified in the spirit c. And that we may proceede in order in handling them I will first speake of the incarnation generally and then after come to the parts thereof In generall we are to propound fiue questions the answering whereof will be very needefull to the better vnderstanding of the doctrine following The first question is who was incarnateâ— or made man Answ. The second person in Trinitie the sonne of God alone as it is set downe in this article according to the Scripture S. Iohn saith The Word was made flesh and the angel saith The holy one which shall be borne of thee shall be called the sonne of the most high And Paul saith that Christ Iesus our Lord was made of the seede of Abraham according to the flesh And there be sundrie reasons why the second person should rather be incarnate then any other I. By whom the father created all things and man especially by him man beeing fallen is to be redeemed and as I may say recreated now man was at the first created of the father by the sonne and therefore to be redeemed by him II. It was most conuenient that he which is the essentiall image of the father should take mans nature that he might restore the image of God lost and defaced in man but the second person is the essentiall image of the father and therefore he alone must take mans nature III. It was requisite that that person which was by nature the sonne of God should be made the sonne of man that we which are the sonnes of men yea the sonnes of wrath should againe by grace be made the sonnes of God now the second person alone is the sonne of God by nature not the Father nor the holy Ghost As for the Father he could not be incarnate For to take flesh is to be sent of an other but the Father can not be sent of any person because he is from none Againe if the Father were incarnate he should be father to him which is by nature God and the sonne of a creature namely the virgin Marie which things can not well stand And the holy Ghost could not be incarnateâ— for then there should be more sonnes then one in the Trinitie namely the second person the sonne of the father and the third person the holy Ghost the sonne of the virgin Marie It may be obiected to the contrarie on this manner The whole diuine essence is incarnate euery person in Trinitie is the whole diuine essence therefore euery person is incarnate Ans. The whole Godhead indeede is incarnate yet not
no robberie to be equall with God Ioh. 1.1 In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and that Word was God It was requisite for the Mediatour to be God 1. That he might the better sustaine that great miserie wherewith mankind was ouerwhelmed the greatnesse whereof these foure things declare I. The grieuousnesse of sinne wherwith Gods maiestie was infinitely offended II. Gods infinite anger against this sinne III. The fearefull power of death IV. The diuels tyrannie who is prince of this world 2. That he might make his humaine nature both of pleÌ„tifull merite and also of sufficient efficacie for the work of mans redemption 3. That he might instill into all the elect eternall life and holinesse Esa. 43.12 I am the Lord there is none besides me a Sauiour I haue declared and I haue saued and I haue shewed when there was no strange god among you therefore ye are my witnesses saith the Lord that I am God I say the Godhead in as much as it is the Godhead of the Sonne is Christs diuine Nature not as it is the Godhead of the Father or the holy Ghost for it is the office of the Sonne to haue the administration of euery outward action of the Trinitie from the Father to the holy Ghost 1. Cor. 6.8 And he being by nature the Sonne of the father bestowetâ— this priuiledge on those that beleeue that they are the Sonnes of God by adoption Ioh. 1.12 As many as receiued him to them he gaue to be the sonnes of God If either the Father or the holy Ghost should haue beene incarnate the title of Sonne should haue beene giuen to one of them who was not the Sonne by eternall generation and so there should be moe sonnes then one Christs other nature is his humanity wherby he the Mediator is very maÌ„â— 1. Tim. 2.5 One God one Mediator betwene God man the man Christ Ieâ—â—s It was necessarie that Christ should be man First that God might be pacified in that nature wherein he was offended Secondly that he might vndergo punishment due to sinne the which the Godhead could not being void and free from all passion Furthermore Christ as he is man is like vnto vs in all things sinne onely excepted Heb. 2.17 In all things it became him to be made like vnto his brethren 1. Cor. 13.4 Christ therefore is a perfect man consisting of an essentiall and true soule bodie whereunto are ioyned such faculties and properties as are essentiall vnto both In his soule is vnderstanding memorie will and such like in his bodie length breadth and thicknesse yea it is comprehended in one onely place visible subiect to feeling neither is there any thing wanting in him which may either adorne or make for the beeing of mans nature Againe Christ in his humanitie was subiect to the infirmities of mans nature which are these I. to be tempted Matth. 4.1 Iesus was carried by the spirit into the desart to be tempted of the Diuell II. To feare Heb. 5.7 Who in the daies of his flesh did offer vp praiers and supplications with strong crying and teares vnto him that was able to saue him from death and was also heard in that which he feared III. To be angrie Mark 3.5 Then he looked round about on them angerly mourning also for the hardnesse of their hearts and said vnto the man Stretch forth thine hand IV. Forgetfulnesse of his office imposed vpon him by reason of the agonie astonishing his senses Matth. 26.39 He went a little further and fell on his face and praied saying O Father if it be possible let this cup passe from me neuertheles not as I will but as thou wilt VVe must hold these things concerning Christs infinitenes I. They were such qualities as did onely affect his humane nature and not at all constitute the same and therefore might be left of Christ. II. They were such as were common to all men as to thirst to be wearie and to die and not personall as are agues consumptions the leprosie blindnes c. III. He was subiect to these infirmities not by necessitie of his humaine nature but by his freewill pleasure pitying mankind therefore in him such infirmities were not the punishment of his owne sinne as they are in vs but rather part of that his humiliation which he did willingly vndergoe for our sakes CHAP. 16. Of the Vnion of the two natures in Christ. NOwe followeth the Vnion of the two natures in Christ which especially concerneth his Mediation for by it his humanity did suffer death vpon the crosse in such sort as he could neither be ouercome nor perpetually ouerwhelmed by it Three things belong to this vniting of Natures I. Conception by which his humaine nature was by the wonderfull power and operation of God both immediately that is without mans help and miraculously framed of the substance of the Virgin Marie Luke 1.35 The holy Ghost shall come vpon thee the power of the most high shall ouershadow thee The holy Ghost cannot be said to be the father of Christ because he did minister no matter to the making of the humanitie but did onely fashion and frame it of the substance of the Virgin Marie II. Sanctification whereby the same humane nature was purified that is altogether seuered by the power of the holy ghost from the least staine of sin to the end that it might be holy be made fit to die for others Luk. 1.35 That holy thing which shall be borne of thee shall be called the Sonne of God 1. Pet. 3.18 Christ hath once suffered for sinnes the iust for the vniust 1. Pet. 2.22 Who did not sinne neither was there guile found in his mouth III. Assumption whereby the Word that is the second person in Trinity tooke vpon him flesh and the seed of Abraham namely that his humaine Nature to the end that it beeing destitute of a proper and personal subsisteÌ„ce might in the person of the Word obtaine it subsisting and as it were beeing supported of the Word for euer Iohn 1.14 That Word was made flesh Heb. 2.16 Hee tooke not vpon him the nature of Angels but the seede of Abraham In the assumption we haue three things to consider I. The difference of the two natures in Christ. For the diuine nature as it is limited to the person of the Sonne is perfect and actually subsisting in it selfe the other not II. The manner of vnion The person of the Sonne did by assuming the humane Nature create it by creating assume it III. The product of the VnioÌ„ Whole Christ God and man was not made a newe person of the two natures as of partes compounding a new thing but remained still the same person Nowe whereas the ancient Fathers tearmed Christ a compound person wee must vnderstand them not properly but by proportion For as the parts are vnited in the whole so these two natures doe concurre togither in one person which is the
not except we would say that Christ redeemed his owne humanitie which cannot be any waies possible II. Euery woman doth partake the humane nature of euery man yet is not euery man each womans husband but hers alone with whome by the couenant in matrimorie he is made one flesh and in like sort Christ did by his incarnation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 take also vpon him mans nature and that common to all Adams progenie yet is he the husband of his Church alone by another more peculiar coniunction namely the bond of the spirit and of faith And by it the Church is become flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone Eph. 5.20 And therefore shee alone may iustly claime title to the death of Christ and al his merits Obiection II. Christs redemption is as generall as Adams fall was and therfore it appertaineth to all Adams posteritie Answer Adam was a type of Christ and Christ a counter-type correspondent to Adam Adam was the roote of all his successors or all that should come of him from the which first Adam was sinne and death deriued againe Christ he is also a roote but of the elect onely and such as beleeue to whome from him proceede righteousnes and life eternall He cannot be said to bee the roote of all and euery singular man because that all doe not drinke and receiue this his righteousnesse and life neither are they actually by him made righteous Romans 12.17.19 Obiect The benefit of Christs death redounded to all Answer It did to all that beleeue For as Adam destroyed all those that were borne of him so Christ doth iustifie and saue all those that are borne anewe by him and none other Obiect If thaâ— Adams sinne destroyed all and Christs merit doth not saue all then is Adams sinne more forcible to condemne then Christs mercie is to saue Answer We must not esteeme of the mercie of Christ by the number of men which receiue mercie for so indeede I grant that as Adams fall made all vniust so the mercie of Christ and his redemption should actually iustifie all but we muâ—t rather measure it by the efficacie and dignitie thereof then by the number on whom it is bestowed For it was a more easie thing to destroy all by sinne then by grace to saue but one Man being but meere man could destroy all but to saue euen one none could doe it but such an one as was both God and man Obiect III. Many places of Scripture there are which affirme this that the benefit of Christs death doth appertaine vnto all Rom. â—1 God hath shutte vp all vnder sinne that he might haue mercie vpon all 1. Tim. 2.4 God would haue all men to bee saued 2. Pet. â— 9 God would not haue any to perish but all come to repentance Answer I. You must vnderstand all that beleeue as it is Math. 11.28 All that are wearie and heauie laden Ioh. 3.6 All that beleeue Gal. 3.23 The Scripture hath concluded all vnder sinne that the promise by the faith of Iesus Christ should be giuen to them which beleeue Act. 10.43 All which beleeue And surely there is as well a generalitie of them that beleeue as of the whole world II. We may vnderstand by all of all sorts some not euery singular person of all sorts So Reuel 5.9 Christ is said to haue redeemed some out of euery kinred and tongue and people and nation And Gal. 3.28 There is neither Iew nor Grecian neither bond nor free there is neither male nor female for ye are all one in Christ Iesus Matth. 4. Christ is said to haue healed euery disease that is euery kind of disease And Augustine to this purpose hath a fit rule All is often vsed for many as Rom. 5.18,19 Augustine in his Manuel to Laur. chap. 103. It is thus saide saith Augustine God would haue all to be saued not because there was no man which he would haue damned who therefore would not doe miracles amongst them which would as he saith haue repented if he had done miracles but that by all men we should vnderstand all sorts of men howsoeuer distinguished whether Kings priuate persons c. And in his booke de Corrept gratia chap. 14. It is saide he would haue all to be saued so as we must vnderstand all such as are predestinate to be saued because amongst them there are all sorts of men as he said to the Pharises You tythe euery hearb III. These two to be willing to saue man and that he should come to the sauing knowledge of the truth are inseparably vnited together 1. Tim. 2.4 But the second we see doth not agree to all and euery singular person therefore the first cannot Obiect IV. In many places of Scripture Christ is said to redeeme the world as 1. Ioh. 2.2 He is a propitiation for the sinnes of the whole world Ans. This word world signifieth I. the frame of heauen and earth II. All men both good and bad together III. The companie of vnbeleeuers and malignant haters of Christ. IV. The congregation of the Elect dispersed ouer the face of the whole earth and to be gathered out of the same In this fourth signification we must vnderstand such places as are aboue mentioned Abraham is called the heire of the world Rom. 4.13 that is of many nations Gen. 17.45 Obiect V. God will not the death of a sinner but rather that he repent and liue Ezech. 18.23 Answer Augustine in his 1. booke to Simplicius 2. quest answereth this question You must saith he distinguish betwixt man as he is borne man and man as he is a sinner For God is not delighted with the destruction of man as he is maÌ„ but as he is a sinner neither wil he simply the death of any as he is a sinner or as it is the ruine and destruction of his creature but in that by the detestation and reuenge of sinne with eternall death his glorie is exceedingly aduanced God therefore will the death of a sinner but as it is a punishment that is as it is a meanes to declare and set out his diuine iustice and therfore it is an vntruth for a man to say that God would haue none condemned For whereas men are once condemned it must be either with Gods will or without it if without it then the will of God must needes suffer violence the which to affirme is great impietie if with his will God must needes change his sentence before set downe but we must not presume to say so Obiect VI. God is the Father of all Malach. 2.10 Ans. This place is meant of Gods Church out of which all men standing in that corrupt estate by AdaÌ„ are the children of wrath and of the deuill Eph. 2.2 Ioh. 8.44 Obiect VII If God did elect some and reiect others he must needes be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a respecter of persons Ans. I. One is said then to accept or haue respect of persons when as he
to Christ is in bearing afflictions Phil. 3.10 That I may know him and the vertue of his resurrection and the fellowship of his afflictions to be made conformable to his death V. To doe good workes Eph. 2. 10. Wee are his workemanship created in Christ Iesus to doe good workes which God hath ordained that we should walke in them Thus much concerning Theologie AN EXCELLENT TREATISE of comforting such as are troubled about their Predestination Taken out of the second answer of M. Beza to D. Andreas in the act of their Colloquie at Mompelgart c. VNlesse saith D. Andreas regeneratioÌ„ be alwaies vnited to baptisme and remaineth in such as are baptized howe should the troubled consciences of those be eased and coÌ„forted who because they feele not in themselues any good motions of gods holy spirit finde none other refuge but the Word and Sacraments especially the Sacrament of Baptisme Now this remedie would be of small force except it be opposed against those imaginations which the diuell casteth into a troubled heart yea except it taught such that God is greater then our heart who in Baptisme hath not onely offered vs the adoption of sonnes but hath indeede bestowed the same vpon vs as it is said by Christ Hee that beleeueth and is baptized shall be saued And by Paul Ye which are baptized haue put on Christ. Dauid beeing armed with the like comfort from his circumcision feared not to ioyne battell with that great giant Goliah and if this were not so it must needs followe that Baptisme were nothing els but an idle ceremonie and also the persons of the Trinitie would be thought lyars Wherefore those afflicted men when Satan assaulteth them must resist him with these wordes Depart from me Satan thou hast neither part nor portion in the inheritance of my soule because I am baptized in the Name of the holy Trinitie and so am truely made the sonne of God by adoption And are these the strong weapons which so many times and in so many wordes haue beene obiected against me by D. Andreas and whereby he hath gotten the victorie But because this his reason is somewhat intricate I will explaine it after this sort First for the place of Scripture which he alleadgeth namely that God is greater then our hearts It is so farre from comforting an afflicted conscience that it will rather driue him to deâ—paire Neither doth Iohn 1. epist. 3.20 make mention of it to ease such as are in despaire shewing vnto them by that sentence the greatnes of Gods mercies but rather that he might therby euen bruise in peeces the hearts of proude persons when they consider the greatnesse of Gods maiestie And for the other place when as a man doubteth of his saluation and feeleth no testimonies of faith in himselfe for such an one wee here speake of what comfort thinke you can hee haue in these wordes Hee that beleeueth and is baptized shall be saued For hee would rather reason contrarily thus I indeede am baptized yet for al that I beleeue not and therefore my Baptisme is not auaileable I must needes be condemned For the saying of August in his treatise vpon Ioh. 6. is verie true who speaking of Simon Magus saith What good did it to him to be baptized bragge not therefore saith he that thou art baptized as though that were sufficient for thee to inherit the kingdome of heauen As for the place of Paul Gal. 3. I shewed plainely before how D. Andreas did violently wrest it to his purpose Neither are his reasons taken from the absurditie that would follow of more force then the former albeit he maketh them especiall pillars to vnderproppe the truth of his cause For I pray you is God of lesse truth because his truth is neglected and derided of them that contemne it Is the ceremonie of Baptisme therefore in vaine because some refuse the grace offered in Baptisme others if we may beleeue D. Andreas reiect that grace when they haue receiued it What Is not the Gospel therfore the power of God to saluation because it is to such as beleeue not the sauour of death to eternall death May not the Supper of the Lord be a pledge of Gods couenant because so may abuse these holy signes or as D. Andreas is of opinion the very bodie and blood of our Sauiour Christ And that I may reason from that which is true in the experience of euery childe can the Sunne be saide to be without light because they which are blinde and asleepe haue no benefit by the light thereof neither such as shut their eyes so close that they will not enioy the comfort of the light But amongst all this one is most childish that Dâ— Andreas will make this his principall argument namely that in vaine did men thus tempted flie at all vnto Baptisme vnlesse we conclude with him that all such as are baptized are in Baptisme adopted the sonnes of God For first if this were a good consequent from baptisme it were in vaine for such an afflicted conscience to gather vnto himselfe a testimonie from the word of God and the other Sacrament of the Lords Supper vnlesse we make all those to be in like sort regenerate and adopted vnto whome the word of God is preached and the Lords supper administred either of which for D. Andreas to affirme is a bold vntruth But to omit this what if we graunt this which D. Andreas requireth concerning Baptisme may not for all that any that is so tempted by Satans pollicie refell this great comforter by his owne argument after this sort I will grant D. Andreas your question suppose I haue beene baptized and adopted the sonne of God yet seeing you teach that the grace of God is not so sure but that I may fal froÌ„ the same as indeed I feele that I haue grieuously fallen what doe you now els but lift me vp with one hand to heauen and with the other cast me downe into hell What meane you therefore to teach me those things which are so farre from easing me as that contrarily they doe more and more lay out vnto me mine abominable and vngratefull heart See now what sure consolation consciences grieuously afflicted may reape by this doctrine of their comforter D. Andreas Now if any be desirous to know what spirituall comfort is most meete to be ministred vnto consciences so troubled I will shew them that which is grounded vpon a sure foundation and which I my selfe haue often found to be true in mine owne experience the which also I purpose to handle more largely for the benefit of the Christian reader First therefore we teach contrarily to that which D. Andreas doth most falsly obiect against vs that the eternall decree or as Paul speaketh the purpose of God must not be sought in the bottomlesse counsel of God but rather in the manifestation of it namely in his vocation by the Word and Sacraments This I speake of such as are
and made a shew of them openly and hath triumphed ouer them in the crosse he ouercame the deuill and all his angels by the power of his almightie father and by his owne power as he is God And euen so must Christian men labour to finde the same power in themselues of this almightie father by which Christ did triumph ouer Satan that by it they may tread him vnder their feete which men can neuer doe by any power in themselues Againe Christ praieth that that cup might passe from him and yet hee saith Not my will but thy will be fulfilled For it was necessary that Christ should suffer And this request was heard not because he was freed from death but because God his father Almightie gaue him power and strength in his manhood to beare the brunt of his indignation Nowe looke as this power was effectuall in Christ Iesus the head to make him able and sufficient to beare the pangs of hell so the same power of God is in some measure effectuall in al the members of Christ to make them both patient of sufficient strength to beare any affliction as Saint Paul saith beeing strengthened with all might through his glorious power vnto all patience and long suffering with ioifulnesse And this is a notable point which euery one ought to learne that whereas they confesse God to be their Almightie father they should herewithall labour to feele and haue experience in themselues that hee is almightie in the beginning and continuing of grace vnto them and in giuing them power and patience to suffer afflictions Further Christ Iesus when the worke of our redemption was accomplished was lifted vp into heauen and set at the right hand of God in heauenly places farre aboue all principalities and powers c. euen by the power of his father well as this power was made manifest in the head so must it bee in the members thereof Euery childe of God shall hereafter see and feele in himselfe the same power to translate him from this vale of misery in this life to the kingdome of heauen Wherefore to conclude we haue great cause to bee thankefull and to praise God for this priuiledge that hee sheweth his power in his childrē in regenerating thē in making them die vnto sin and to stand against the gates of hel and to suffer afflictions patiently as also that he translates them from death to life And euery one should shew his thankefulnesse in labouring to haue experience of this power in himselfe as Paul exhorteth vs in his Epistles to the Colossians and Ephesians yea read all his epistles and we shal find he mentioneth no point so often as this namely the mighty power of God manifested first in Christ and secondly in his members and he accounteth all things losse that he might knowe Christ and the vertue of his resurrection This point is the rather to be marked because his power in the matter of grace is not to be seene with eye and fewe there be in respect that haue felt the vertue thereof in themselues for the diuell doth mightily shewe his contrary power in the greatest part of the world in carrying them to sinne and wickednesse Secondly hence we learne that which Paul teacheth namely to knowe that all thinges worke togither for the best vnto them that loue God God is almightie and therefore able to doe whatsoeuer he will he is also a father and therefore is willing to doe that which is for our good But some will say we are subiect to many crosses yea to sinne what can our sinnes turne to our good Ans. If God almightie be thy father he will turne thine afflictions yea thy sinnes which by nature are euil beyond all expectation vnto thy saluation And thus much God will doe to all such as be obedient vnto him yet no man must hereupon presume to sinne Thirdly whereas we beleeue that God is a mightie father it serues to confirme gods children in the promises of mercy reuealed in his word The chiefest whereof is that if men will turne from their sinnes and beleeue in Christ they shall not perish but haue life euerlasting I knowe some men will make it an easie thing to beleeue especially those which neuer knewe what faith meant But such persons neede no meanes of confirmation of faith therefore let all those which haue tasted of the hardnes of attaining vnto it learne howe to establish their wauering hearts in the promises of God by the consideration of these two points God is a father and therefore he is willing he is also almightie and therefore he is able to performe his promises He that will bee truely resolued of Gods promises must haue both these setled in his heart and build on them as on two foundations It followeth Creatour of heauen earth We haue spoken of the title of the first person and of his attributes nowe we come to speake of his effect namely the creation but before we come to it we are to answer a certaine obiection which may be made At the first it may seeme strange to some that the worke of creation is ascribed to the first person in Trinitie the father whereas in the Scripture it is common to them all three equally And first that the father is Creatour it was neuer doubted as for the second person the Sonne that hee is Creatour it is euident All things are made by it that is by the Sonne who is the substantiall worde of the father and without it was made nothing that was made And againe it is saide that God by his sonne made the worlde As for the holy Ghost the worke of creation is also ascribed vnto him and therefore Moses saith The spirit mooued vpon the waters and Iob saieth His spirit hath garnished the heauens Howe then is this peculiar to the father beeing common to all the three persons in trinitie I answer The actions of God are twofold either inward or outward The inwarde actions are those which one person doth exercise towards another as the father doth beget the sonne and this is an inward action peculiar to the father and all inward actions are proper to the persons from whome they are So the Sonne doth receiue the Godhead by communication from the Father and the holy Ghost from them both and these are inward actions peculiar to these persons So likewise for the father to send his sonne it is an inward action proper to the father and cannot be communicated to the holy ghost and the sonne to bee sent by the father onely is a thing proper to the Sonne and not common to the father or to the holy Ghost Now outward actions are the actions of the persons in the Trinitie to the creatures as the worke of creation the worke of preseruation and of redemption These and all such actions are common to al the three persons the father createth the sonne createth and the holy
man but onely order and incline it without any constraint to one part As for example when a people is gathered togither to heare gods word there is none of them but they knowe that they come thither by Gods prouidence In that respect necessarily yet before they come they had all freedome and libertie in themselues to come or not to come and Gods eternall counsell did not hinder the libertie of our wills in comming or not comming nor take away the same but onely incline and turne them to the choice of one part An other example hereof we may haue in our Sauiour Christ whose state and condition of bodie if we regard he might haue liued longer yet by the eternall counsell of God he must die at that place at that time at that houre where and when he died Whereby we may see that Gods counsell doth not hinder the will of man but only order and dispose it Which answer being well marked we shall see these two will stand togither the necessarie and vnchangeable counsell of God and the free will of man And againe that the same action may be both necessarie and contingent necessarie in regard of the highest cause the counsell of God not necessarie but contingent in respect of the second causes as among the rest the will of man Thirdly some will yet obiect against this doctrine that if all things come to passe according to Gods vnchangeable decree then what needes the vsing of any meanes what needs the preaching of the word and receiuing of the Sacraments what needes any lawes Princes Magistrates or gouernment what needes walking in mens ordinarie callings all is to no ende for let men play or worke sleepe or wake let them doe what they will all is one for Gods eternall counsell must needes come to passe therefore it may seeme in vaine for men to busie themselues about such things Answ. But we must know that as God hath appointed all things to come to passe in his eternall and vnchangeable counsell so in the same decree he hath together set downe the meanes and waies whereby he will haue the same things brought to passe for these two must neuer be seuered the thing to be done and the meanes whereby it is done We may read in the Acts in Pauls dangerous voyage towardes Rome and Angel of the Lord tolde Paul that God had giuen him all that sailed with him in the shippe now the soldiers and marriners hearing this might reason thus with themselues Seeing God hath decreed to saue vs all we may do what we will there is no danger for we shall all come to land aliue but marke what Paul saith except these abide in the shippe ye can not be safe where we see that as it was the eternall counsell of God to saue Paul and all that were with him so he decreed to saue all by this particular meanes of their aboad in the shippe King Ezechias was restored to his health and receiued from God a promise that he should haue 15. yeares added to his daies and the promise was confirmed by signe now what doth he cast off all meanes no but as he was prescribed so he applieth a bunch of drie figges to his sore and vseth still his ordinarie diet Therefore it is grosse ignorance and madnesse in men to reason so against Gods decree God in his vnchangeable counsell hath decreed and set downe all things how they shall be therefore I will vse no meanes but liue as I list nay rather we must say the contrarie because God hath decreed this thing or that to be done therefore I will vse the meanes which God hath appointed to bring the same to passe Now follows the Creation which is nothing else but a worke of the blessed Trinitie forming and framing his creatures which were not before and that of nothing The points to be knowne concerning the creation are many The first is the thing by which God did beginne and finish the creation And we must vnderstand that at the first God made all things without any instrumēt or meanes and not as men doe which bring to passe their busines by seruants and helps but onely by his word and commandement as the Psalmist saith He commanded and all things were made In the beginning God saide Let there be light and there was light and by the same meanes was the creation of euery creature following The very power of the word commandement of God was such as by it that thing was made and had a beeing which before was not It may be demaunded what word this was by which God is saide to make all things Answ. The word of God in Scripture is taken three waies for the substantiall word for the sounding or written word for the operatiue or powerfull word The substantiall word is the second person begotten of the substance of the father Now howsoeuer it be true that God the father did create all things by his word that is by his Sonne yet doth it not seeme to be true that by these words God said let there be this or that that the Sonne is meant For that word which God gaue out in the creation was in time whereas the Sonne is the word of the father before all times and againe it is a word common to the three persons equally whereas the Sonne is the word of the father onely Furthermore it is not like that it was any sounding word standing of letters and syllables and vttered to the creatures after the vsuall manner of men that was the cause of them it remaines therfore that all things were made by the operatiue word which is nothing but the pleasure will and appointment of God and is more powerfull to bring a thing to passe then all the meanes in the world beside For Gods willing of any thing is his effecting and doing of it And this is prooued by Dauid when he saith He spake the word and they were made he commanded and they were created Hence we must take out a speciall lesson needfull to be learned of euery man Looke what power God vsed and shewed in making the creatures when they were not the same power he both can and will shew forth in recreating and redeeming sinnefull men by the pretious blood of Christ. By his word he created mans heart when it was not and he can and will as easily create in vs all new hearts specially when we vse the good meanes appointed for that ende As when Christ said to dead Lazarus Lazarus come forth he arose and came forth of his graue though boūd hand foot so when the Lord speaks to our dead hearts by his word and spirit we shall rise forth of the graues of our sins corruptions In the creation of the great world God saide let there be light and presently darknes gaue place and the same he can do to the little world that is to man We are by
commandement to pray and then after giues a direction for the keeping of it this he doth to stir vp our dulnes and to allure vs by all meanes to this heauenly exercise of prayer wherefore still I say imploy your selues in praier feruently and continually and if you cannot doe it learne to praie Thus much of the commandement of our Sauiour Christ now follow the words of the praier Our Father which art c. THese wordes containe three partes 1. A preface 2. The praier it selfe containing sixe petitions 3. The testification of faith in the last worde Amen Which although it be short yet it doth not containe the smallest point in the praier It is I say a testification of our faith whereas the petitions that goe before are onely testifications of our desires Nowe of these three partes in order We must consider howe our Sauiour Christ doth not set downe the petitions abruptly but he first begins with a solemne preface Whereby wee are taught this lesson that hee which is to pray vnto God is first to prepare himselfe and not boldly without consideration as it were to rush into the presence of God If a man be to come before an earthly prince hee will order himselfe in apparell gesture and wordes that he may doe all things in seemelinesse and dutifull reuerence how much more are men to order themselues when they are to appeare before the liuing God Eccl. 5.1 Bee not rash with thy mouth and let not thy heart be hastie to vtter a thing before the Lord. And Dauid Psal. 26.6 Washed his hands in innocency before he came to the altar of the Lord to offer sacrifice The meanes whereby men may stirre vp their dull and heauie hearts so prepare themselues to praier are three The first is to read diligently the word of God concerning those matters about which they are to pray what then this will be a meanes not onely to direct him but also to quicken the heart more feruently to deliuer his praier This is euident by a comparison The beames of the sunne descending heat not before they come to the earth or some solide bodie where they may reflect and then by that meanes the earth and aire adioyning is made hot euen so the Lord sends down vnto vs his blessed word euen as beames and the goodly sunshine and thereby he speakes to our hearts now when we make our praiers of that which we haue read Gods word is as it were reâ—â—ected and our hearts are thereby warmed with the comfortable heat of Gods holy spirit to poure out our pâ—aiers to God more feruently The second meanes is to pray to God that hee would strengthen vs with his spirit that we might be able to praie as it is practised Psal. 143.1 The third meanes is the consideration of Gods most glorious maiestie wherein we are to remember first his fatherly goodnes and kindnesse whereby hee is willing and secondly his omnipotencie whereby hee is able to gâ—ant our requests One of these imboldened the leaper to pray Lord if thou wilâ— thou canst make me â—leane Mat. 8.2 Therefore both togither are more effectuall Now let vs come to the preface it selfe Our father which art in heauen It coÌ„taines a description of the true Iehoua to whome we pray and that by two arguments the first is drawne from a relation Our Father the second is taken from the subiect or place Which art in heauen Father 1. The meaning IN the opening of this word or title of God two questions are to be opened 1. Quest. Whether by thit title Father is signified the whole Trinitie or some one person thereof Ans. Otherwhiles this name is attributed to all the persons in Trinitie or any of them Mal. 2. 10. Haue wee not all one father c. Luk. 3.38 Which was the sonne of Adam which was the sâ—nne of God And in Esai 36. Christ is called the Father of eternitie because all that are truely knit to him and borne anew by him they are eternally made the sonnes of God Againe oftentimes it is giuen to the first person in Trinitie as in those places where one person is conferred with another And so in this place principally for some speciall respects this title agrees to the first person For first he is the father of Christ as he is the eternall word of the father and that by nature because he is of the same essence with him Secondly he is the father to Christ in respect of his manhood not by nature or adoption but by personall vnion because the humane nature doth subsist in the person of the word Thirdly he is a father to all the faithfull by adoption in Christ. 2. Quest. Whether are we to praie to the sonne and the holy Ghost as to the Father Ans. Inuocation belongs to al the three persons in Trinitie not only to the Father Act. 7.59 Steuen praieth Lord Iesus receiue my spirit 1. Thâ—s 3.2 Now God our Father and our Lord Iesus Christ guide our iourney vnto you 2. Cor. 13.13 The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ the loue of God and the communion of the holy ghost be with you And men are baptized in the name of the father the sonne and the holy Ghost that is by calling on the name of the Father Sonne and holy Ghost Some may say this praier is a perfect platforme of all praiers yet we are taught to direct our praiers to the Father not to the Sonne or holy spirit I answere the Father Sonne and holy Ghost are three distinct persons yet they are not to be seuered or deuided because they all subsist in one and the same godhead or diuine nature And further in all outward actions as in the creation and preseruation of the world and the saluation of the elect they are not seuered or diuided for they all worke togither onely they are distinguished in the manner of working Nowe if they be not diuided in nature or operation then they are not to be seuered in worship And in this place wee principally direct our praiers to the father because he is the first in order yet so as then we implie the Sonne and holy Ghost For we pray to the Father in the name of the Sonne by the assistance of the holy Ghost And to what person soeuer the praier is directed we must alwaies remember in minde and heart to include the rest 2. The vse TThe vses of this point are manifold 1. First whereas we are taught to come to God as to a father therefore in the name of his Sonne our Sauiour Christ we learne to lay the first ground of all our praiers which is to hold and maintaine the vnion the distinction of the three persons in Trinitie This beeing the lowest and the first foundation of praier it is requisite that all which would pray aright should haue this knowledge rightly to beleeue the Trinitie and to know how the three persons agree and how
the like places of Scripture the intent whereof is to make vs circumspect and feareful least we should offend God by any sinne our owne weaknesse considered and the imminent iudgements of God And this kind of feare as all the first may stand with certaintie of faith Rom. 11. Thou standest by faith be not high minded but feare Psa. 2. Serue the Lord in feare and reioice in trembling Obiect 6. Where there is no word there is no faith For faith and the worde of God be relatiues But there is no word of God that saith to particular men Cornelius or Peter or Iohn thy sinnes are pardoned excepting a fewe persons as Marie Magdalen and the palsie man c. Therefore there is no particular faith Ans. Though there be no word set down in Scripture touching the saluation of this or that particular man yet there is set downe that which is equiuolent to a particular worde and as much in effect For the promise of remission of sinnes and life euerlasting is giuen with a commandement that euery man apply the promise to himselfe as I haue before prooued and this is altogither as much as if euery mans particular name had beene put in the promise I adde further that the promises of the gospel must bee considered two waies first as they are generally set downe in Scripture without application to any person secondly as they are taught and published in the ministery of the word the end whereof is to apply them to the persons of men partly by preaching and partly by administring the Sacraments of Baptisme and the Lords supper which are seales of righteousnes of faith Nowe the promise applied and as I may say particularized to the members of the Church is by the vertue of Gods ordinance as much as if God himselfe had giuen the promise particularly and annexed mens names vnto it It is further aunswered that the promise of remission of sinne is preached not simply but vpon condition of mens faith and repentance which indeede cannot be certainely knowne I answere againe as I haue alreadie prooued that he which truly beleeueth and repenteth knoweth that he doth certainly beleeue and repent Obiect 7. To beleeue the pardon of a man owne sinnes is none of the articles of faith propounded in any Creed either of the Apostles or the Nicene fathers or Athanasius or any other creed Answ. This faith is contained vnder these wordes I beleeue remission of sinnes and I prooue it thus These wordes are an article of Christian faith and therefore they must in sense containe more then the deuil doth or can beleeue now the deuill beleueth thus much that God giues remission of sinnes to his Church Christian men therefore must go one step further and beleeue particularly the remission of their own sinnes Otherwise if the Papists will haue the Catholike faith to beleeue no more in this point then the damned spirits beleeue let them take it to themselues But they reply further that if there were any such article of faith then some persons must beleeue that they are iust though they willingly commit mortall sinne which is an euident falshood Ans. He that beleeues the pardon of his owne sinnes by true faith hath the spirit of God in him and a constant purpose not to sinne against God and therfore if hee sinne it is against his purpose and without any full consent of will and it is not hee that doeth it but the sinne that dwelleth in him But if it so fall out that the childe of God be ouertaken with any actuall sinne then his case standeth thus Hee hath by his fall wounded his conscience weakened his faith bereaued himselfe of Gods fauour as much as in him lieth made himselfe guiltie of a sinne and worthie of damnation and God for his part accordingly turnes the wonted signes of his fauour into signes of anger and displeasure and though it be pardoned in the purpose of God yet is it not actually pardoned till the partie repent Things standing thus we teach not that men must beleeue the pardon of their sinnes while they liue and lie in them for that were flatly to teach falshood for trueth but our doctrine is that such persons must first of al humble themselues and say with the prodigall child that they haue sinned against God and are not worthie to be called his children any more and again renue their decaied faith and repentanceâ— that they may beleeue as before their perfect reconciliation with God Obiect 8. In respect of God who is trueth it selfe we are to beleeue the promise in particular yet if we respect our owne vnworthinesse and indisposition we are to feare and in some part to doubt For the promise of remission of sinnes is not absolute but depends vpon the condition of our workes Therefore our certentie is onely coniecturall Ans. I answer first that in respect of our owne vnworthines we are not to doubt of our saluation but to be out of all doubt yea to despaire before the iudgement seat of God For they which are of the works of the law are vnder the curse Gal. 3.10 and Paul saith of his own works of grace In this I am not iustified 1. Cor. 4.4 And Dauid being out of al doubt of his owne deserued daÌ„nation in regard of his own vnworthines saith freely Enter not into iudgement with thy seruant O Lord for no flesh shall bee iustified in thy sight Againe the consideration of any vnworthines in our selues doth not hinder a resolution concerning Gods mercie in Christ. For true faith makes an entrance vnto God with boldnes I say with boldnes euen for those persons that are vnworthie in themselues Eph. 4. 12. And Abraham whose faith is to be followed of vs did not vpon the consideration of his old decaied bodie rest himselfe with bare hope vpon a likelihood of the accomplishment of gods promise but he beleeued vnder hope euen against hope Rom. 4.18 Lastly I answer that the ground of the former obiection is erronious namely that the promise of saluation depends on the condition of our works because the Scripture saith it is made and accomplished on mans part freely I graunt indeede that to the promise there is annexed a condition of faith yet faith must not here be considered as a worke but as an instrument apprehending Christ with his benefits and withall repentance with the fruits thereof are on our part required yet no otherwise but as they are necessary consequents of faith and the signes and documents thereof Obieâ—t 9. No man knowes all his sinnes no man therefore can certainly knowe that all his sinnes are pardoned and that he is accepted of God Ans. The ground of this argument is false namely that a man cannot be assured of the pardon of his sinnes if some of them be vnknowne And to make this manifest I will lay downe a more certen ground which shall be this As the case is in Repentance so it is also
you God is able of these stones to raise vp children to Abraham Philip. 3. 21. According to the working whereby he is able to subdue euen all things vnto himselfe Gods actuall power is that by which he causeth all things to be which he freely will Psal. 135. 6. All things which God will those he doth in heauen and in earth and in all depths CHAP. 5. Of Gods glorie and blessednesse OVt of the former attributes by which the true Iehouah is distinguished from a fained god and from idols arise the glorie of God and his blessednesse Gods glorie or maiestie is the infinite excellencie of his most simple and most holy diuine Nature Hebr. 1.3 Who beeing the brightnesse of his glorie and the ingraued forme of his person c. Dan. 3. Thou art onely God and glorious vpon the earth By this we see that God onely can know himselfe perfectly Ioh. 6.46 Not that any maÌ„ hath seene the Father saue he which is of God he hath seen the Father 1. Tim. 6. 16. Who onely hath immortalitie and dwelleth in the light that none can attaine vnto whom neuer man saw neither can see Exod. 33.18 Thou canst not see my face Notwithstanding there is a certaine manifestation of gods glorie partly more obscure partly more apparant The more obscure manifestation is the vision of Gods maiestie in this life by the eies of the mind through the help of things perceiued by the outward senses Esa. 6.1 I saw the Lord sitting vppon an high throne and lifted vp and the lower parts thereof filled the temple Exod. â—3 22 And while my glorie passeth by I will put thee in a cleft of the rocke and will couer thee with my hand whiles I passe by after I will take away mine hand and thou shalt see my backe parts but my face shall not be seene 1. Cor. 13. 12. Nowe we se as through a glasse darkely The more apparant manifestation of God is the contemplation of him in heauen face to face 1. Corinth 13. 12. But then shall we see face to face Dan. 7. 9 10. I beheld till the thrones were set vp and the ancient of daies did fit whose garment was white as snow c. Matth. 19.16 Gods blessednes is that by which God is in himselfe and of himselfe all sufficient Gen. 17.1 I am God all sufficient walke before me and be thou vpright Col. 2.2.9 For in him dwelleth all the fulnesse of the godhead bodily 1. Tim. 6.5 Which in due time he shall shew that is blessed and Prince onely c. CHAP. 5. Concerning the persons of the Godhead THe persons are they which subsisting in one Godhead are distinguished by incommunicable properties 1. Ioh. 5.7 There are three that beare record in heauen the Father the Word and the holy Ghost and these three are one Gen. 19.24 Then Iehouah raigned vpon Sodom and vpon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from Iehouah in heauen Ioh. 1.1 In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and that Word was God They therefore are coequall and are distinguished not by degree but by order The Constitution of a person is when as a personall proprietie or the proper manner of subsisting is adioyned to the Dietie or one diuine nature Distinction of persons is that which albeit euery person is one and the same perfect God yet the Father is not the Sonne or the holy Ghost but the Father alone and the holy Ghost is not the Father or the Sonne but the holy Ghost alone neither can they be deuided by reason of the infinitnesse of their most simple essence which is all one in number and the same in the Father the same in the Sonne and the same in the holy Ghost so that in these there is diuersitie of persons but vnitie in essence The communion of the persons or rather vnion is that by which each one is in the rest and with the rest by reason of the vnitie of the Godhead therfore euerie each one doth possesse loue and glorifie another and worke the same thing Ioh. 4.10 Beleeuest thou not that I am in the Father and the Father is in me the wordes that I spake vnto you I speake not of my selfe but the father that dwelleth in me he doth the workes Prov. 8.22 The Lord hath possessed me in the beginning of his way I was before the works of old And vers 20. Them was I with him as a nourisher and I was daily his delight reioicing alwaie before him Ioh. 1. 1. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and that Word was God and chap. 5.19 The Sonne can doe nothing of himselfe saue that he seeth the Father do for whatsoeuer things he doth the same doth the Sonne also There be three persons the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost Matth. 3.16.17 And Iesus when hee was baptized came straight out of the water and lo the heauens were opened vnto him and Iohn saw the Spirit of God descending like a doue and lighting vpon him and loe a voyce came from heauen saying This is my belooued sonne in whome I am well pleased The father is a person without beginning who from all eternitie begate the Sonne Heb. 1.3 Who being the brightnes of the glorie and the ingraued forme of his person Psal. 2.7 Thou art my Sonne this day haue I begotten thee In the generation of the Sonne these properties must be noted I. Hee that begetteth and he that is begotten are togither and not one before another in time II. He that begetteth doth communicate with him that is begotten not some one part but his whole essence III. The Father begot the Sonne not out of himselfe but within in himselfe The incommunicable propertie of the Father is to be vnbegotten to be a Father and to beget He is the beginning of actions because he beginneth euery action of himselfe effecting it by the Sonne and the holy Ghost 1. Cor. 8.6 Yet vnto vs there is but one God which is the Father of whome are all things and we in him and one Lord Iesus Christ by whome are all things and wee by him Rom. 11. â—6 For of him and through him and for him are all things The other two persons haue the Godhead or the whole diuine essence of the Father by communication namely the Sonne and the holy Ghost The Sonne is the second person begotten of the Father from all eternitie Heb. 1.5 For vnto which of the Angels said be at any time Thou art my Sonne this day begat I thee Col. 1.15 Who is the image of the inuisible God the first borne of euery creaturâ— Ioh. 1.14 And we saw the glory thereof as the glory of the only begotten sonne of the father Rom. 8.32 He who spared not his owne sonne For this cause he is said to be sent from the father Ioh. 8.42 I proceeded forth and came from God neither came I of my selfe but he sent me This sending taketh not
away the equalitie of essence and power but declareth the order of the persons Ioh. 5â—18 Therefore the Iewes sought the more to kill him not onely because he had broken the Sabboth but said also that God was his Father and made himselfe equall with God Phil. 2.6 Who being in the forme of God thought it no robberie to be equall with God Although the Son be begotten of his Father yet neuertheles he is of by himselfe very God for he must be considered either according to his essence or according to his filiatioÌ„ or Sonship In regard of his essence he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. of and by himselfe very God for the Deitie which is commoÌ„ to all the tâ—ree persons is not begotten But as he is a person and the sonne of the Father he is not of himselfe but from another for he is the eternall Sonne of his father And thus he is truely said to be very God of very God For this cause also he is the WORD of the father not a vanishing but an essentiall word because as a word is as it were begotten of the mind so is the Sonne begotten of the Father and also because hee bringeth glad tydings from the bosome of his Father Nazian in his Oration of the Sonne Basil in his preface before Iohns Gospel The propertie of the Sonne is to be begotten His proper manner of working is to execute actions from the Father by the holy Ghost 1. Cor. 8. 6. Our Lord Iesus Christ by whome are all things and we by him Ioh. 5.19 Whatsoeuer things he doth the same doth the Sonne also The holy Ghost is the third person proceeding from the Father and the Sonne Ioh. 15. 26. But when the Comforter shall come whom I will send vnto you from the Father euen the Spirit of truth which proceedeth of the Father he shall testifie of me Rom. 8. 9. But ye are not in the flesh but in the spirit seeing the spirit of God dwelleth in you But if there be any that hath not the spirit of Christ he is not his Ioh. 16.13,14 But when the Spirit of truth shall come he shall conduct you into all truth for he shall not speake of himselfe but whatsoeuer he heareth he shall speake and shall declare vnto you such things as are to come He shall glorifie me for he shall receiue of mine and shew it vnto you What may be the essentiall difference betwixt proceeding and begetting neither the Scriptures determine nor the Church knoweth The incommunicablâ— propertie of the holy Ghost is to proceed His proper manner of working is to finish an action effecting it as from the Father and the Sonne And albeit the Father and the Sonne are two distinct persons yet are they both but one beginning of the holy Ghost CHAP. 6. Of Gods workes and his decree THus farre concerning the first part of Theologie the second followeth of the workes of God The workes of God are all those which he doth out of himselfe that is out of his diuine essence These are common to the Trinitie alwaies reserued the peculiar manner of working to euery person The end of all these is the manifestation of the glorie of God Rom. 11.36 For him are all things to him be glorie for euer The worke or action of God is either his decree or the execution of his decree The decree of God is that by which God in himselfe hath necessarily and yet freely from all eternitie determined all things Eph. 1. 11. In whome also we are chosen when we were predestinate according to the purpose of him which worâ—eth all things after the counsell of his owne will and vers 4. As he hath chosen vs in him before the foundation of the world Matth. 10.29 Are not two sparrowes sold for a farthing and not one of them falleth on the ground without your Father Rom 9. 21. Hath not the potter power on the clay to make of the same lumpe one vessell â—â— dishonour and another to honour Therâ—fore the Lord according to his good pleasure hath most certainely decreed eâ—ery both thing and action whether past present or to come together with their circumstances of place time meanes and ende Yea he hath most iustly decreed the wicked workes of the wicked For if it had not so pleased him they had neuer beene at all And albeit they of theiâ— owne nature are and remaine wicked yet in respect of Gods decree they are to be accounted good For there is not any thing absolutely euill 1. Pet. 3.17 For it is better if the will of God be so that ye suffer for well doing then for euill doing The thing which in the owne â—ature is euill in Gods eternal counsel comes in the place of a good thing in that it is some occasion and way to manifest the glorie of God in his iustice and his mercie God his foreknowledge is conioyned with his decree and indeâ—â—e is in nature before it yet not in regard of God but vs because knowledge goeth before the will the effecting of a worke For we doe nothing but those things that we haue before willed neither doe we will any thing which we know not before God his foreknowledge in it selfe is not a cause why things are but as it is conioyned with his decree For things doe not therefore come to passe because that God did foreknow them but because he decreed and willed them therefore they come to passe The execution of Gods decree is that by which all things in their time are accomplished which were foreknowne or decreed and that euen as they were foreknowne and decreed The same decree of GOD is the first and principall working cause of all things which also is in order and time before all other causes For with Gods decree is alwaies his will annexed by the which he can willingly effect that he hath decreed And it were a signe of impotencie to decree any thing which he could not willingly compasse And with Gods will is conioyned an effectuall power by which the Lord can bring to passe whatsoeuer he hath freely decreed This first and principall cause howbeit in it selfe it be necessarie yet it doth not take away freedome of will in election or the nature and propertie of second causes but onely brings them into a certaine order that is it directeth them to the determinate ende whereupon the effects and euents of things are contingent or necessarie as the nature of the second cause is So Christ according to his Fathers decree died necessarily Act. 17.3 but yet willingly Math. 25. 39. And if we respect the temperature of Christs bodie he might haue prolonged his life and therefore in this respect may be said to haue died contingently The execution of Gods decree hath two branches his operation and his operatiue permission Gods operation is his effectuall producing of all good things which either haue beeing or moouing or which are done Gods operatiue permission is that
that which hee from his heart detesteth Rom. 7.19 I doe not the thing which I would but the euill which I would not that doe I. The fourth difference is presumptuous sinning vpon knowledge Psal. 19. 13. Keepe thy seruant from presumptuous sinnes let them not raigne ouer me Hitherto belongeth I. euery sinne committed with an high hand that is in some contempt of God Numb 15.30 The person that doth presumptuously c. shal be cut off from amongst his people because he hath despised the word of the Lord and and hath broken his commandement II. Presumption of Gods mercie in doing euill Eccles. 8.11 Because sentence against an euill worke is not executed speedily therefore the heart of the children of men is fully set in them to doe euill Rom. 2.4 Despisest thou the riches of his bountifulnes c. not knowing that the bountifulnes of God leadeth thee to repentance c. The fift difference is to sinne vpon knowledge and set malice against God and to this is the sinne against the holy Ghost referred CHAP. 14. Of the punishment of sinne HItherto we haue intreated of sinne wherewithall all mankind is infected in the next place succeedeth the punishmeÌ„t of sinne which is threefold The first is in this life and that diuerse waies The first concerneth the bodie either in the prouision with trouble for the things of this life Gen. 3. 17. or a pronenesse to disease Matth. 9.2 Sonne be of good comfort thy sinnes be forgiuen thee Ioh. 5. 14. Behold thou art made whole sinne no more least a worse thing fall vpon thee Deut. 28.21,22 The Lord shall make the pestilence cleaue vnto thee vntill he hath consumed thee from the land c. Or shame of nakednesse Gen. 3.7 Or in womens paines in childbirth Gen. 3. 16. Vnto the woman he said I will greatly encrease thy sorrowes and conceptions in sorrow shalt thou bring forth children II. The soule is punished with trembling of conscience care trouble hardnesse of heart and madnesse Deut. 28.28 The Lord shall smite thee with madnesse and with blindnesse and with astonying of heart III. The whole man is punished 1. with fearefull subiection to the regiment of Satan Col. 1.13 Which freed vs from the power of darknesse and translated vs into the kingdome of his beloued Sonne Heb. 2. 14. He also himself tooke part with them that he might destroy through death him that had power of death that is the diuell 2. A separation from the fellowship of God and trembling at his presence Eph. 4. 18. Hauing their cogitation darkned and beeing straungers from the life of God Gen. 3. 10. I heard thy voice in the garden and was afraid because I was naked therefore I hid my selfe 3. Vpon a mans goods diuers calamities and dammages Deut. 28.29 Thou shalt euer be oppessed with wrong and be pouled and no man shall succour thee c. to the ende of the chapter To this place may be referred distinction of Lordships and of this commeth a care to enlarge them and bargaining with all manner of ciuill seruitudes 4. The losse of that Lordly authoritie which man had ouer all creatures also their vanitie which is not onely a weakning but also a corrupting of that excellencie of the vertues and powers which God at the first put into them Rom. 8.20 21. The creature is subiect to vanitie not of it owne will but by reason of him which hath subdued it vnder hope c. 5. In a mans name infamie and ignominie sometimes after his death Ierem. 24.9 The second is at the last gaspe namely death or a change like vnto death Rom. 6.23 The wages of sinne is death The third is after this life euen eternall destruction from Gods presence and his exceeding glorie 2. Thess. 1.9 Who shal be punished with euerlasting perdition from the presence of God and the glorie of his power CHAP. 15. Of Election and of Iesus Christ the foundation thereof PRedestination hath two parts Election and Reprobation 1. Thess. 5.9 God hath not appointed vs to wrath but to obtaine saluation by the meanes of our Lord Iesus Christ. Election is Gods decree whereby on his owne free will he hath ordained certaine men to saluation to the praise of the glorie of his grace Eph. 1.4 5 6. He hath chosen vs in him before the foundation of the world according to the good pleasure of his will to the praise of the glorie of his grace This decree is that booke of life wherein are written the names of the Elect Revel 20.12 Another booke was opened which is the booke of life and the dead were iudged of those things that were written in the bookes according to their workes 2. Tim. 2.19 The foundation of God remaineth sure and hath this seale The Lord knoweth who are his The execution of this decree is an action by which God eueÌ„ as he purposed with himselfe worketh all those things which he decreed for the saluation of the Elect. For they whome God elected to this ende that they should inherite eternall life were also elected to those subordinate meanes whereby as by steppes they might attaine this end and without which it were impossible to obtaine it Rom. 8. 29 30. Those which he knew before he also predestinate to be made like to the image of his Sonne that he might be the first borne amongst many brethren Moreouer whome he predestinate them he called whome he called them â—ee iustified and whome hee iustified them also he glorified There appertaine three things to the execution of this decree First the foundation Secondly the meanes Thirdly the degrees The foundation is Christ Iesus called of his father from all eternitie to performe the office of the Mediator that in him all those which should be saued might be chosen Heb. 5.5 Christ tooke not to himselfe this honour to bee made the high Priest but he that said vnto him Thou art my Sonne this day begate I thee gaue it him c. Esa. 42.1 Behold my seruant I will stay vpon him mine elect in whome my soule delighteth I haue put my spirit vpon him he shall bring foorth iudgement to the Gentiles Eph. 1.4 Hee hath chosen vs in him meaning Christ. Question Howe can Christ be subordinate vnto Gods election seeing he together with the Father decreed all things Answ. Christ as he is Mediator is not subordinate to the very decree it selfe of election but to the execution thereof onely 1. Pet. 1.20 Christ was ordained before the foundation of the world Augustine in his booke of the Predestinaiion of the Saints chap. 5. Christ was Predestinate that he might be our head In Christ we must especially obserue two things his incarnatioÌ„ his Office To the working of his Incarnation concurre First both his Natures Secondly their Vnion Thirdly their distinction Christs first Nature is the Godhead in as much as it belongeth to the Son whereby he is God Phil. 2.6 Who beeing in the forme of God thought it
nature namely as he is the Word Now the Word is middle betwixt the Father and the faithfull I. In regard of order because the Word was begotten of the Father and by it we haue accesse vnto the Father This subordination which is of the Sonne to the Father is not in the diuine essence seuerally and distinctly considered but in the relation or manner of hauing the essence And after this manner those things which are subordinate cannot be vnequall if they haue one and the same singular essence II. In regard of his office the which beeing imposed on him by his Father he did willingly vndergoe and of his owne accord Christ doth exercise this office according to both natures vnited in one person and according to each nature distinct one from the other For in reconciling God and man together the flesh performeth some things distinctly and the Word other things distinctly Againe some other things are done not by the Word or flesh alone but by both together This office is so appropriate to Christ that neither in whole or in part can it be translated to any other Hebr. 7.24 This man because he endureth for euer hath an euerlasting priesthood or a priesthood that cannot passe from one to another Therfore Christ as he is God hath vnder him Emperours Kings Princes to be his Vicegerents who therefore are called Gods Psal. 82.1 But as he is Mediator that is a Priest a Prophet King of the Church he hath no Vicegerent Vicar or Lieuetenant who in his either Kingly or Priestly office in both or but one can be in his stead Christs office is threefold Priestly Propheticall Regall Psal. 110.1,2,3,4 Esai 42.1 Christs Priesthood is an office of his wherby he performed all those things to God whereby is obtained eternall life Heb. 5.9 And being consecrate was made the author of eternall saluation vnto all them that obey him and is called of God an high Priest for euer after the order of Melchisedec Chap. 7. 24,25 This man because he endureth for euer hath an euerlasting Priesthood wherefore he is able also perfectly to saue all them that come vnto God by him His Priesthood consisteth of two parts Satisfaction and Intercession Satisfaction is that whereby Christ is a full propitiation to his Father for the Elect. Iob. 23.23 If there be a messenger with him or an interpreter one of a thousand to declare vnto man his righteousnes then will he haue mercie vpon him and will say Deliuer him that he goe not downe into the pit for I haue found a reconciliation Rom. 3.24 And are iustisied freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Iesus v. 25. Whome God hath set forth to be a reconciliation thorough faith in his blood 1. Ioh. 2. 2. He is a propitiation for our sinnes Christ satisfied Gods anger for mans offence according to his humanitie by performing perfect obedience to the will of God according to his Deitie by ministring such especiall dignitie to his perfect obedience as was both full of merit and efficacie before God for the saluation of the Elect. Ioh. 17.19 For their sakes sanctifie I my selfe that they also may be sanctified through the truth Act. 20.28 To feed the flocke of God which he hath purchased with his owne blood 2. Cor. 5.19 God was in Christ and reconciled the world to himselfe not imputing their sinnes vnto them Satisfaction comprehendeth his passion and fulfilling the Law His passion is the first part of satisfaction by which he hauing vndergone the punishment of sinne satisfied Gods iustice and appeased his anger for the sinnes of the faithfull His passion was on this manner Somewhat before his death partly feare arising from the sense of Gods wrath imminent vpon him partly griefe possessing as it were each part of him so disturbed his sacred minde that inwardly for a while it stroke into him a strange kinde of astonishment or rather obliuion of his dutie imposed vpon him and outwardly made him pray vnto his Father if he would to remooue that cuppe from him the which he did expresse with no small crie many teares and a bloody sweate trickling from his bodie vnto the ground But when he came againe vnto himselfe he freely yeelded himselfe vnto his Father to satisfie vpon the crosse for the transgression of man After this his agonie was ouerpassed by Iudas his treacherie Christ is apprehended and first he is brought to Annas after to Caiaphas where Peter denieth him from Caiaphas is he lead bound to Pilate Pilate posteth him ouer to Herod he transposteth him backe againe to Pilate who acknowledgeth his innocencie and yet condemneth him as an offender This innocent thus condemned is pitifully scourged crowned with thornes scoffed spitted at spitefully adiudged to the death of the crosse on which his hands and feete are fastened with nayles Here staied not his passions but after all these he became accursed to God the Father that is God poured vpon him beeing thus innocent such a sea of his wrath as was equiualent to the sinnes of the whole world He now beeing vnder this curse through the sense and feeling of this straunge terrour complaineth to his Father that he is forsaken who notwithstanding encountring then with Satan and his Angels did vtterly vanquish and ouercome them When this was ended his heart was pierced with a speare till the bloode gushed out from his sides and he gaue vp the ghost and commended his spirit to his Fathers protection the which immediately went into Paradise His bodie whereof not one bone was broken was buried and three daies was ignominiously captiuated of death In this description of Christs passion we may note fiue circumstances especially I. His Agonie namely a vehement anguish arising vpon the conflict of two contrarie desires in him The first was to be obedient to his Father The second to auoid the horror of death Luk. 22.44 Beeing in an agonie be prayed more earnestly and his sweate was like droppes of blood trickling downe to the groūd Hebr. 5.7 In the daies of his flesh did offer vp prayers and supplications with strong crying and teares vnto him that was able to saue him from death and was also heard in that which he feared II. His Sacrifice which is an action of Christs offering himselfe to God the Father as a ransome for the sinnes of the Elect. Hebr. 9.26 Nowe in the ende of the world hath he appeared once to put away sinne by the sacrifice of himselfe In this sacrifice the oblation was Christ as he was man Heb. 10.10 By the which will we are sanctified euen by the offering of Iesus Christ once made The Altar also was Christ as he was God Heb. 13.10 We haue an Altar whereof they haue no authoritie to eate which serue in the Tabernacle Hebr. 9.14 How much more shall the bloode of Christ which through
before was not at all but rather by moouing transporting and applying natural things diuersly by causing a thinne body as the ayre to be thick and foggie also by bewitching the senses of men The foundation of Magique is a couenant with Satan A couenant with Satan is such a contract by which Magitians haue mutually to doe with the diuell In this obserue The originall of this mutuall contract I. Satan maketh choice of such men to be his seruants as are by nature either notorious badde persons or very sillie soules II. He offereth vnto them diuers meanes either by other Magitians or by some bookes written by such Satanicall meanes I call those which are vsed in the producing of such an effect to the which they neither by any expresse rule out of Gods word nor of their owne nature were euer ordained Such are concealed speeches wordes of the Scripture wrested and abused to the great contumelie and disgrace of the Lord God holy or rather vnholy water sieues seales glasses images bowings of the knee and such like diuers gestures III. When the wicked see these meanes offered vnto them they presently are not a little glad and assuredly beleeue that in those things there is vertue to worke wonders by IV. They declare this their satanicall confidence by their earnest desire practising and abusing the meanes V. Then the diuell is at their elbowes being thus affected that he may both assist them in them shew diuers trickes of his legerdemaine because he alone doth by meanes voide of all such vertue effect that which his wicked instrument intended Againe obserue Satans counterfeiting of God He is Gods Ape taketh vpon him as though he were God I. As God hath his word his Sacraments and faith due vnto hâ—mâ— so hath the diuell his Word and to seale it vnto the wicked he annexeth certaine signes namely characters gestures sacrifices c. as it were sacraments that both he may signfie his diuellish pleasure to his Magitians and they againe may testifie their satanicall both obedience and confidence to him IIâ— As God heareth such as call vpon trust in and obey him so the diuell is greatly delighted with magicall ceremonies and invocations because by them God is dishonoured and he magnified therefore if God cut him not short he is readie prest to assist such as shall vse such ceremonies or inuocations The couenant is either Secret or Expresse Secret or implicite when one doth not expresly compact with Satan yet in his heart aloweth of his meanes assuredly and vpon knowledge beleeuing that if such means were vsed there might indeed that great woÌ„der be wrought which he desired Expresse when one doth not onely put his confidence in Satan but couenanteth with him vpon conditions that he giuing himselfe wholly ouer to the diuell may againe by obseruing certaine ceremonies accomplish his desire Magique is either coniecturall or operatiue Coniecturall whereby things are by Satans direction prophesied of before Of prophesies some are done with meanes others without Prophesies done with meanes are these I. Soothsaying diuination by the flying of birds Deut. 18.11 II. The kind of diuination which is by looking into beasts entrals Ezech. 21.21 The king of Babel c consulted with idols and looked in the liuer III. Necromancie or coniuring by which the diuel in the forme of some dead man is sought vnto for counsell 1. Sam. 28. 11. Then said the woman Whome wilt thou I call vp vnto thee And â—e said Call vp Samuel vnto me vers 13. Then said he vnto her Feare not but what sawest thou And the woman saide vnto Saul I saw gods ascending out of the earth v. 14. Then said he vnto her What fashion is he of and she answered An old man commeth vp lapped in a mantle And Saul knewe that it was Samuel and he enclined his face to the ground and bowed himselfe And Samuel said to Saul why hast thou disquieted me to bring me vp TheÌ„ Saul answered I am in great distresse for the Philistiâ—â—s make warre against me c. This Samuel was not that true Prophet of God who annointed Saul King ouer Israel for 1. the soules of the Saints departed are farre from the diuels clawes and dominion 2. That good Samuel if it had beene he indeed would neuer haue permitted Saul to worship him 3. He faith to wicked Saul To morrow shalt thou be with me v. 14. Neither could this be a bare illusion and as I may say legerdemeine of the witch for he plainely foretolde Sauls destruction which an ignorant woman could not knowe much lesse durst she constantly auouch any such matter to the king It remaineth then that this Samuel was a meere illusion of Satan Diuining without meanes is when such as are possessed with an vncleane spirit vse immediatly the helpe of the same spirit to reueale secrets Act. 16. 16. A certaine maide hauing a spirit of diuination met vs which gate her master much vantage with diuining Esay 94.4 Thy voice shall be out of the grounde like him that hath a spirit of diuination and thy talking shall whisper out of the dust Magique operatiue hath two parts Iuggling and Inchantments Iuggling whereby through the diuels conueiance many great and very hard matters are in shew effected Exod. 7.10.11,12 Aaron cast forth his rod before Pharaoh and before his seruants and it was turned into a serpent then Pharaoh called also for the wise men and sorcerers and those charmers also of Egypt did in like manner with their enchantments for they cast downe euery man his rod and they were turned into serpents but Aarons rodde deuoured their rod. Enchantment or charming is that wherby beasts but especially yong children men of riper yeares are by Gods permission infected poisoned hurt bounden killed and otherwise molested or contrarily sometimes cured of Satan by mumbling vp some fewe wordes making certaine characters figures framing circles hanging amulets about the necke or other parts by hearbes medicines and such like trumperie that thereby the punishment of the faithles may be augmented in reposing their strength vpon such rotten staues and the faithfull may be tried whether they will commit the like abomination Psal. 18.4 Their poison is euen like the poison of a serpent like the deafe adder that stoppeth his eare which heare not the voice of the enchanter though he be most expert in charming Eccles. 10. 11. If the serpent bite when he is not charmed c. Thus haue we heard Magique described out of gods word the which how as yet common it is in those especially which are without God in the worlde whome Satan by all meanes strongly deludeth the lamentable experience which many men and most places haue thereof can sufficiently proue vnto vs. And surely if a man will but take a view of all poperie he shall easily see that the most part is meere Magique They which spread abroad by their writing or othewise that witches are nothing els but melancholike
In whome ye are also built togither to be the habitation of God by the spirit This albeit it be a most neere and reall vnion yet we must not thinke that it by touching mixture or as it were by souldring of one soule with another neither by a bare agreement of the soules among themselues but by the communion and operation of the same spirit which beeing by nature infinite is of sufficient abilitie to conioyne those things togither which are of themselues farre distant from each other the like we see in the soule of man which conioyneth the head with the foote Eph. 2.22 2. Pet. 1.4 Whereby most great and precious promises are giuen vnto vs that by them ye should be partakers of the godly nature in that ye flie the corruption which is in the world through lust Phil. 2.1 If there be any consolation in Christ if any comfort of loue if any fellowship of the spirit c. The things vnited In this vnion not our soule alone is vnited with Christs soule or our â—lesh with his flesh but the whole person of euery faithfull man is â—erely conioyned with the whol person of our Sauiour Christ God man The manner of their vnion is this A faithfull man first of all and immediatly is vnited to the flesh or humane nature of Christ afterward by reason of the humanitie to the Word it selfe or diuine nature For saluation and life dependeth on that fulnesse of the godhead which is in Christ yet it is not coÌ„municated vnto vs but in the flesh and by the flesh of Christ. Ioh. 6 5â— Except ye eate the flesh and drinke the blood of the Sonne of man ye haue no life in you 56. He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I in him The bond of this vnion This vnion is made by the spirit of God applying Christ vnto vs and on our parts by faith receiuing Christ Iesus offered vnto vs. And for this cause is it tearmed a spirituall vnion Christ because he is the head of the faithfull is to be considered as a publike man sustaining the person of all the elect Hence is it that the faithfull are â—aid to be crucified with Christ and with him to die to be buried Rom. 6.4 5,6 to be quickened Eph. 2.5 to be raised vp and placed in heauen v. 6. Col. 3.1 the which is not onely in regard of the hope of the faithful but because they are accepted of God certainely to haue done all these things in Christ euen as in Adams first sinne all his posteritie afterward was tainted of sinne A member of Christ is diuersly distinguished and is so either before men or God Before meÌ„ they are the members of Christ who outwardly professing the faith are charitably reputed by the Church as true members But such deceiuing at length both themselues and the Church may be reprobates therefore in Gods presence they are no more true members then are the noxious humours in mans bodie or a woodden legge or other ioynt cunningly fastened to another part of the bodie Againe members before God they are such as either are decreed to be so or actually are so already Such as are decreed to be so are they who being elect from all eternitie are either as yet not borne or not called Ioh. 10. 16. Other sheepe haue I which are not of this fold them also must I bring Actuall members of Christ are either liuing or dying members An actuall liuing member of Christ is euery one elected which being engraffed by faith and the spirit into Christ doth feele and shewe forth the power of Christ in him An actuall dying or decaying member is euery one truely engraffed into Christ and yet hath no feeling of the power and efficacie of the quickening spirit in him He is like vnto a benummed legge without sense which indeede is a part of mans body and yet receiueth no nourishment such are those faithfull ones who for a time doe faint and are ouercome vnder the heauie burtheÌ„ of tentations and their sinnes such are also those excommunicate persons who in regard of their engraffing are true members howesoeuer in regard of the externall communion with the Church and efficacie of the spirit they are not members till such time as they being touched with repentance doe begin as it were to liue againe God executeth this effectuall calling by certaine meanes The first is the sauing hearing of the word of God which is when the said word outwardly is preached to such an one as is both dead in his sinnes and doth not so much as dreame of his saluation And first of all the Law shewing a man his sinne and the punishment thereof which is eternall death afterward the Gospel shewing saluation by Christ Iesus to such as beleeue And inwardly the eyes of the minde are enlightened the heart and eares opened that he may see heare and vnderstand the preaching of the word of God The second is the mollifying of the heart the which must be bruised in pieces that it may be fit to receiue Gods sauing grace offered vnto it Ezech. 11. 19. I will giue them one heart and I will put a new spirit within their bowels And I will take the stonie heart out of their bodies and will giue them an heart of flesh There are for the brusing of this stonie heart foure principal hammers The first is the knowledge of the law of God The second is the knowledge of sinne both originall and actuall and what punishment is due vnto them The third is compunction or pricking of the heart namely a sense and feeling of the wrath of God for the same sinnes The fourth is an holy desperation of a mans owne power in the obtaining of eternall life Act. 2.37 When they heard these things they were pricked in heart and said vnto Peter and the rest of the Apostles Men and brethren what shall we doe 38. Peter said vnto them Repent and be baptized euery one of you in the name of Iesus into the remission of sinnes and ye shall receiue the gift of the holy Ghost Luk. 15.17 Then he came to himselfe and said How many hired seruants at my fathers haue bread ynough and I die for hunger 18. I will rise and goe to my father and say vnto him Father I haue sinned against heauen and before thee 19. And am no more worthie to be called thy sonne make me as one of thy hired seruants c. Matth. 15. 24. He answered and said I am not sent but to the lost sheepe of Israel The third is faith which is a miraculous and supernaturall facultie of the heart apprehending Christ Iesus being applied by the operation of the holy Ghost and receiuing him to it selfe Ioh. 1.1,2,6.35 Iesus said vnto them I am the bread of life he that commeth vnto me shall neuer hunger and he that beleeueth in me shall neuer thirst Rom. 9.30 What shall we
righteousnes to euery one that beleeueth Rom. 10. Here may be obiected I. Christ as he is man is bound to performe obedience to the law for himselfe Answer He is not bound by nature but of his owne accord for he was not a bare man but God and man And albeit Christ did neither suffer nor fulfill the law but in that flesh which he tooke vpon him yet by reason of the hypostaticall vnion this his passion and obedience hath respect vnto the whole person considered as God and man and therefore his obedience was not due on his part and so was without merit to himselfe yea in that the flesh of Christ is vnited to the person of the Word and so exalted in dignitie and sanctitie aboue all Angels it may seeme to be exempted from this naturall obligation of performing the law II. If then Christ performed the law for vs we are no more now bounden to the obseruance of the same as we doe not vndergoe eternall punishments for our sinnes the which Christ in his person did beare vpon the crosse Answer If we keepe the same respect of performing obedience to the law the consequence is very true otherwise it is not so for Christ performed obedience to the law for vs as it is the satisfaction of the law but the faithfull they are bounden to obedience not as it is satisfactorie but as it is a document of faith and a testimonie of their gratitude towards God or a meanes to edifie their neighbours euen as Christ suffering punishments for our sinnes we also suffer punishments as they are either trialls or chastisments vnto vs. III. The law and iustice of God doth not togither exact both namely obedience and punishment Answer In mans perfect estate the iustice of God requireth onely obedience but in his estate corrupted he requireth both obedience and punishment Punishment as the law is violated obedience that legall iustice may be performed Gal. 3.10 It is therefore plaine that not onely Christs passion but also his legall obedience is our righteousnes before God Iustification hath two parts Remission of sinnes and imputation of Christs righteousnes Remission of sinnes is that part of iustification whereby he that beleeueth is freed from the guilt and punishment of sinne by the merits of the passion of Christ. Coloss. 1.21,22 You hath he now reconciled in the body of his flesh through death to make you holy and vnblameable and without fault in his sight 1. Pet. 2.24 Who in his owne flesh bare our sinnes in his bodie on the tree that we beeing deliuered from sinne should liue in righteousnes by whose stripes ye are healed Imputation of righteousnes is the other part of iustification whereby such as beleeue hauing the guilt of their sinnes couered are accounted iust in the sight of God through Christs righteousnes 2. Cor. 5.21 Psal. 32.1 Blessed is he whose wickednes is forgiuen and whose sinne is couered Rom. 4. the whole chapter where the Apostle repeateth imputation eleuen times Philip. 3.9 I haue counted all things losse and doe iudge them to be domage that I might winne Christ and might be fâ—â—â—d in him that is not hauing mine owne righteousnes which is by the law but that which is through the faith of Christ euen the righteousnes which is of God through faith The forme of iustification is as it were a kinde of translation of the beleeuers sinnes vnto Christ and againe Christs righteousnes vnto the beleeuer by meanes of Gods diuine imputation As is apparant in this picture falling This obedience of Christ is called the Righteousnes of God and of Christ. Of God I. not because it is in God but of God for it taketh all the power and merit it hath from the deitiâ— of the Sonne whence it is that Ieremie saith Iehouah our Righteousnesse II. God doth onely accept of it for vs because that alone maketh vs boldly to approch vnto Gods throne of grace that we may haue pardon for our sinnes and be receiued to eternall life It is also called the Righteousnesse of Christ because being out of vs it is in the humanitie of Christ as in a subiect Obiect I. No man is made iust by another mans iustice Answer This iustice is both an others and ours also An others because it is in Christ as in a subiect ours because by meanes of the forenamed vnion Christ with all his benefits is made ours Obiect II. The ancient fathers neuer dreamed of this imputatiue iustice and it may seeme too of no greater continuance then fiftie yeares Ans. This is both false impious to affirme August 3. Tract vpon Iohn saith All such as are iustified by Christ are iust not in themselues but in him Barnard in his sermon ad milites templi cap 11. Mors in Christi morte fugatur Christi iustitia nobis imputatur that is Death in Christ his death is put to flight and the iustice of Christ is imputed vnto vs. And in his 62. sermon vâ—on the Canticles Where is there any rest saith he but in the wounds of our Sauiour I will further sing but what mine owne iustice nay O Lord I will remember thy iustice alone for that is also my iustice For thou wast made of God vnto me iustice But should I feare whether that one iustice would suffice two nay it is not a short cloake that is not able to couer a couple Thy iustice is iustice for euermore and will both couer thee and me it is largely large and eternall iustice and in me it couereth the multitude of my sinnes c. August lib. de Spiritu litera cap. 9. 26. We must vnderstand this saying so The doers of the Law shall be iustified that we may know that there are no doers of the law but such as are iustified so that they are not first doers of the law and then iustified but first iustified and then doers of the law So it is said they shall be iustified as if it should be said they shall be reputed iust and acâ—ounted iust Iustification hath annexed vnto it Adoption whereby all such as are predestinate to be adopted receiue power to be actually accounted the sonnes of God by Christ. Eph. 1. 5. Who hath predestinate vs to be adopted through Iesus Christ vnto himselfe according to the good pleasure of his will By meanes of adoption God hath bestowed many notable priuiledges vpon his children I. They are the Lords heires apparant Rom. 8.17 If we be children we be also heires euen the heires of God II. They are fellow heires with Christ yea kings Rom. 8. 17. Rev. 1.6 And made vs Kings and Priests euen to God his Father III. All their afflictions yea euen their wants and offences are turned to trials or fatherly chastisments inflicted vpon them for their good Rom. 8.28 We know that all things worke together for the best vnto them that loue God 36. It is written for thy sake are we killed all the day long we are
them are morall works and workes of grace but these are excluded from iustification and working mans saluation Eph. 2.10 And Paul beeing regenerate saith thus of himselfe I am not guiltie vnto my selfe of any thing yet am I not thereby iustified VI. The cause of the cause is the cause of the thing caused but grace without works is the cause of mans predestination the which is the cause of his iustification and therefore grace without workes shall much more be saide to be the cause of iustification Obiect I. Levit. 18.5 He that keepeth my statutes shall liue in them Ans. This saving is a legall sentence and therefore sheweth not what men can doe but what they should doe Obiect II. Psal. 119.1 Blessed are those that walke in the Law of the Lord. Ans. Man is not here said to be blessed because he walketh vprightly but because the person of such walker is by the merits of Christ iustified before God Obiect III. Iudge me according to my righteousnes Psal. 7. And the fact of Phinees was imputed to him for righteouses Ans. These places are not meant of that righteousnes of the person by which it is righteous before God but of the righteousnes of some particular cause or worke For where as Dauid was accused of this crime that he did affect Sauls kingdome he in this point doth in the words aboue mentioned testifie his innocencie before God Obiect IV. We are iudged according to our workes therefore also by them iustified Ans. The reason is not alike because the last iudgement is not the iustifying of a man but a declaration of that iustification which he had before obtained Therfore the last iudgement must be pronounced and taken not from the causes of iustification but from the effects and signes thereof Obiect V. Make you friends of vnrighteous Mammon c. that they may receiue you into eternall habitations Ans. This they doe not as authors of saluation but as witnesses of the same Obiect VI. Dan. 4.24 Redeeme thy sinnes by righteousnes and thine iniquitie by mercie towards the poore Ans. It is rather breake off thy sinnes then redeeme for so is the originall now men breake off their sinnes by ceasing from them not satisfying for them Obiect VII Euill workes condemne therefore good workes iustifie Answ. It followeth not because good works are not perfectly good as euill works are perfectly euill Obiect VIII We are saued by hope Rom. 8. Answer We must distinguish betwixt iustification and saluation saluation is the end iustification is one degree to come to the ende but there is more required to the ende then to a degree subordinate to the ende therefore we are saued by hope and faith but iustified by faith alone Obiect IX Affliction causeth eternall glorie 2. Cor. 4.17 Ans. This is doth not as by it owne merit effecting the same but rather as a path and way manifesting and declaring the same Obiect X. Iam. 2.21 Abraham was iustified by workes Ans. Not as any cause of iustification but as a manifestation thereof Obiect XI He that is iust let him be more iust Ans. This place must be vnderstood of iustification before men namely of sanctification or an holy life not of iustification in the sight of God Obiect XII We are iustified by faith therefore by a worke Ans. We are iustified by faith not as it is a vertue and a worke but as it is an instrument apprehending the iustice of Christ whereby we are iustified And in this respect faith is said by the figure called Metonymia to be imputed to vs vnto righteousnesse Obiect XIII The workes of grace are dyed in the blood of Christ. Ans. They are indeed dyed therein but to the ende they might the better please God not iustifie man and whereas they are so stained as that they neede dying in the blood of Christ therefore can they not any waies iustifie sinnefull man And the person of the worker is as well died in Christs blood as is his work yet he can not say that his person doth therefore iustifie him And as I haue now prooued that this doctrine of the Papists is very erronious so I also auouch that it is most ridiculous Because for a man to say that inherent righteousnes is by good works namely the fruits of righteousnes augmented is as if a man should say that the vine is made more fruitfull by bearing grapes or that the internall light of the sunne is augmented by the externall emission of the beames Luthers saying is farre more true Good workes doe not make a good man but a good man doth make workes good The XIIII errour Grace is quite extinguished or rather vtterly lost by any mortall sinne The Confutation I. The word of God doth manifestly declare that it is farre otherwise Ioh. 6. All that the Father giueth me shall come vnto me and him that commeth vnto me I cast not away Math. 16.16 Thou art Peter and vpon this rocke will I build my Church so that the gates of hell shall not preuaile against it 1. Ioh. 2.19 They went out from vs but they were not of vs for if they had beene of vs they would haue continued with vs. Rom. 5. 1. Beeing therefore iustified we haue peace with God Now how could this be true if he that was before iustified could any way quite fall from grace and so perish II. The elect after their very grieuous fallings from God forthwith repented them of their sinnes as we may see in the example of Dauid Peter c. the which argueth that they had not quite fallen from grace and lost the spirit of God III. If grace be once vtterly lost then the ingraffing of that partie into Christ is quite abolished therefore for such as repent there must needs succeed a second new ingraffing into Christ then it will also follow that they must of necessitie be baptized anew which is absurd to thinke But for all this we denie not but grace may in part and for a time be lost to the end that the faithfull may thereby acknowledge and know their weaknes and for it be humbled but that there is any totall or finall falling from grace we vtterly denie The XV. errour It is possible to fulfill the Law in this life The Confutation The Law is euangelically fulfilled by beleeuing in Christ but not legally by doing the works thereof Reason They which are carnall cannot possibly fulfill the law of God but the most regenerate so long as they liue in this life are carnall in part Rom. 7.14 I am saith Paul of himselfe carnall and sold vnder sinne Prou. 20. Who can say Mine heart is pure I am pure from sinne Eccles. 7. There is none so iust vpon earth which doth good and sinneth not Psal. 130. If thou Lord obserue what is done amisse Lord who shall abide it We are daily taught to pray vnto God Forgiue vs our sinnes Exception Indeede if the iustice of the faithfull be absolutely
to Take the name of god in vaine 54 Talke corrupt 85,97 table Talke 87 Tales raised 97,98 Taunting 75 Tempting of God 41 Temptation 21,130,132 Tempter 129 Terrour of conscience 19,23 Terrours for well doing 19 Testament 103 Thanksgiuing 52,60,130 Theologie what 2 Theft how punished 91,92 Thrift 92 Titles of God where to be vsed 5â— Titles may be giuen to men 68 Trafficke with infidels 46 Transubstantiation 112 Trembling at gods presence 23,113 Trials of suites before infidels 47 Trouble of minde 23 Truth to be spoken 92 Truces 79 Turkes the deuils subiects 35 the two Trees in Eden 13 Tyrants to be obeyed 69 Tyrants punishment 75 V Vanitie from Adam 18 Vaine-glorie 96 Vertue of creatures lost by sinne 23 Vices not to be allowed 96,97 abstained from 98 to Visite 44 Viuification 126 Vowes 47,53 Vncharitable opinions of such as feare God 20 Vnion with God 41 Vnion of christians with Christ. 115 spirituall Vnderstanding 126 Vniust dealing 88 Vnprofitable warres 89 Vsurie 90 W Washing in baptisme 109 Wasting others goods 72 Wages deteined 75 Wantonesse 84 Christian Warrefare 129 Warriars 129 Weights falsified 89,93 Wedlocke 87 Will corrupted 19 Will worship 47 spirituall Wisdome 126 Witches 52 Wishing 101 Witnesse 98 the Worke of God 8 Works of the elect howe acceptable to God 98 the World and parts thereof 11 how the godly esteem of the World 127 the Word how first reuealed 33 the Word preached a meanes of saluation 33 to sanctifie Gods creatures 60 Wise in his own conceit 73 Widowes not to be iniuried 75 to Winne men to religion 51 Wares to be saleable 93 Gods worship when corrupted 48 meanes by which God is Worshipped 50 Workes iustifie not 151,161 Workes foreseene 172 Worme of conscience 176 Whole man punished 23 Worshipping the beast 47 of deuills 49 Z Zeale of Gods glorie 58,127 FINIS AN EXPOSITION OF THE SYMBOLE OR CREEDE OF THE APOSTLES ACCORDING TO THE TENOVR OF THE SCRIPTVRE AND the consent of the Orthodoxe Fathers of the Church reuewed and corrected BY William Perkins They are good Catholikes which are of sound faith and good life August lib. quaest in Matth. cap. 11. PRINTED BY IOHN LEGAT PRINTER to the Vniuersitie of Cambridge 1600. TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE EDWARD Lord Russell Earle of Bedford Grace and peace c. RIght Honourable excellent is the saying of Paul to Titus To the pure all things are pure but to the impure and vnbeleeuing is nothing pure but euen their mindes and consciences are defiled In which wordes he determines three questions The first whether things ordained and made by God may become vncleane or no his answer is that they may and his meaning must be conceiued with a distinction By nature things ordained of God are not vncleane for Moses in Genesis saith that God saw all things which he had made and they were very good yet they may become vncleane either by lawe or by the fault of men By law as when God forbids vs the things which in themselues are good without whose commandement they are as pure as things not forbidden Thus for the time of the olde Testament God forbade the Iewes the vse of certaine creatures not because they were indeeede worse then the rest but because it was his pleasure vpon speciall cause to restraine them that he might put a difference betweene his owne people and the rest of the world that he might exercise their obedience and aduertise them of the inward impuritie of minde Now this legall impuritie was abolished at the ascension of Christ. By the fault of men things are vncleane when they are abused and not applied to the ends for which they were ordained The second question is to whome things ordained of God are pure He answers to the pure that is to them whose persons stand iustified and sanctified before God in Christ in whome they beleeue who also doe vse Gods blessings in holy manner to his glorie and the good of men The third question is who they are to whome all things are vncleane his answer is to the vncleane by whome he vnderstands all such I. whose persons displease God because they doe not indeede beleeue in Christ II. who vse not the gifts of God in holy manner sanctifying them by word and praier III who abuse them to bad endes as to riot pride and oppression of men c. Nowe that to such the vse of all the creatures of God is vncleane it is manifest because all their actions are sinnes in that they are not done of faith and a mans persons must first please God in Christ before his action or worke done can please him Againe they vse the blessings and creatures of God with euill conscience because so long as they are forth of Christ they are but vsurpers thereof before God For in the fall of the first Adam we lost the title and interest to all good things and though God permitte the vse of many of them to wicked men yet is not the former title recouered but in Christ the second Adam in whome we are aduanced to a better estate then we had by creation Hence it followes necessarily that to omit all other things Nobilitie though it be a blessing and ordinance of God in it selfe is but an vncleane thing if the enioyers thereof be not truly ingrafted into Christ and made bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh The blood vnstained before men is stained blood before God by the fall of Adam if it be not restored by the blood of Christ the lambe of God And hence it follows againe that Nobilitie must not dwell solitarie but combine her selfe in perpetuall fellowship with heartie loue and syncere obedience of pure and sound religion without the which all pleasant pastimes all sumptuousnes of building all brauerie in apparell all glistering in gold all delicate fare all delightfull musicke all reuerence done with cappe and knee all earthly pleasures and delights that heart can wish are but as a vanishing shadow or like the mirth that beginnes in laughing and endes in woe A happie thing were it if this consideration might take place in the hearts of all noble men it would make them honour God that they might be honoured of God with euerlasting honour and it would make them kisse the Sonne least he be angrie and they perish in the way I speake not this as though I doubted of your Lordships care in this very point but mine onely meaning is to put you in minde that as you haue begunne to cleane vnto Christ with full of purpose of heart so you would continue to doe it still and doe it more withal to manifest the same vnto the whole world by honouring Christ with your owne honour and by resembling him specially in one thing in that as he grew in stature and yeares he also grew in grace and fauour with God and men And for this very cause without any consideration of earthly respects I further
of all graces whereas faith is but the instrument As for the places of scripture that mention iustification and saluation by faith they are to be restrained to men of yeares whereas infants dying in their infancie and therefore wanting actuall faith which none can haue without actuall knowledge of Gods will and worde are no doubt saued by some other speciall working of Gods holy spirit not knowne to vs. Furthermore to beleeue signifieth two things to conceiue or vnderstand any thing and withall to giue assent vnto it to be true and therefore in this place to beleeue signifieth to knowe and acknowledge that all the points of religion which followe are the trueth of God Here therefore wee must remember that this clause I beleeue placed in the beginning of the Creede must bee particularly applied to all and euerie article following For so the case standes that if faith faile in one maine point it faileth a man in all and therefore faith is saide to bee wholly copulatiue It is not sufficient to holde one article but hee that will holde any of them for his good must holde them all and hee which holdes them all in shewe of wordes if hee ouerturne but one of them indeede hee ouerturnes them all Againe to beleeue is one thing and to beleeue in this or that is another thing and it containeth in it three points or actions of a beleeuer I. To knowe a thing II. To acknowledge the same III. To put trust and confidence in it And in this order must these three actions of faith be applyed to euery article following which concerneth any of the persons in Trinitie And this must bee marked as a matter of speciall moment For alwaies by adding them to the wordes following we do apply the article vnto our selues in a very comfortable manner As I beleeue in the father and doe beleeue that hee is my father and therefore I put my whole trust in him and so of the rest Nowe wee come to the obiect of generall faith which is either God or the Church in handling of both which I will obserue this order I. I will speake of the meaning of euery article II. Of the duties which we ought to learne thereby III. And lastly of the consolations which may be gathered thence Concerning God three things are to be considered And first by reason of manifolde doubtings that rise in our mindes it may be demaunded whether there be a God many reasons might bee vsed to resolue those that haue scruple of conscience otherwaies wee are bounde to beleeue that there is a God without all doubting As for those Atheists which confidently auouch there is no God by Gods lawe they ought to die the death nay the earth is to good for such to dwell on Malefactours as theeues and rebells for their offences haue their rewarde of death but the offence of those which denies that there is a God is greater and therefore deserues most cruell death The second point followeth namely what God is Answer Moses desiring to see Gods face was not permitted but to see his hinder parts and therefore no man can bee able to describe God by his nature but by his effects and properties on this or such like manner God is an essence spirituall simple infinite most holy I say first of all that God is an essence to shewe that he is a thing absolutely subsisting in himselfe and by himselfe not receiuing his beeing from any other And herein hee differeth from all creatures whatsoeuer which haue subsisting and beeing from him alone Againe I say hee is an essence spirituall because hee is not any kinde of bodie neither hath hee the partes of the bodies of men or other creatures but is in nature a spirit inuisible not subiect to any of mans senses I adde also that he is a simple essence because his nature admits no manner of composition of matter or forme or partes The creatures are compounded of diuers parts and of varietie of nature but there is no such thing in God for whatsoeuer thing he is hee is the same by one and the same singular and indiuisible essence Furthermore he is infinite and that diuers waies infinite in time without any beginning and without end infinite in place because hee is euery where and excluded no where within all places and foorth of all places Lastly hee is most holy that is of infinite wisdome mercie loue goodnes c. and he alone is rightly tearmed most holy because holines is of the very nature of God himselfe whereas among the most excellent creatures it is otherwise For the creature it selfe is one thing and the holines of the creature another thing Thus wee see what God is and to this effect God describes himself to be Iehova Elohim Paul describes him to be a King euerlasting immortall inuisible onely wise to whome is due all honour and glorie for euer The third point is touching the number of Gods namely whether there be more gods then one or no. Ans. There is not neither can there be any more Gods then one Which point the Creed auoucheth in saying I beleeue in God not gods and yet more plainely the Nicene Creede and the Creed of Athanasius both of them explaining the words of the Apostles Creede on this manner I beleeue in one God Howesoeuer some in former times haue erroniously held that two gods were the beginning of all things one of good things the other of euill things others that there was one God in the old testament another in the newe others againe namely the Valentinians that there were thirty couple of gods and the heathen people as Augustine recordeth worshipped thirtie thousand gods yet we that are members of Gods Church must holde and beleeue one God alone and no more Deut. 4.39 Vnderstand this daie and consider in thine heart that Iehouah hee is God in heauen aboue and vpon the earth beneath there is none other Eph. 4.6 One God one faith one baptisme If it be alleadged that the Scripture mentioneth many gods because Magistrats are called Gods Moses is called Aarons god the deuill and all idols are called gods The answere is this They are not properly or by nature gods for in that respect there is onely one God but they are so tearmed in other respects Magistrates are gods because they be Vicegerents placed in the roome of the true God to gouerne their subiects Moses is Aarons god because he was in the roome of God to reueale his will to Aaron the deuill is a god because the hearts of the wicked would giue the honour vnto him which is peculiar to the euerliuing God idols are called gods because they are such in mens conceits and opinions who esteeme of them as of gods Therefore Paul saith an idol is nothing in the world that is nothing in nature subsisting or nothing in respect of the diuinitie ascribed vnto it To proceede forwarde
three They are all coequal and coeternall all most wise iust mercifull omnipotent by one and the same wisdome iustice mercie power And because they haue all one godhead therefore they are not onely one with another but also ech in other the Father in the Sonne and the Sonne in the Father and the holy Ghost in them both And we must not imagine that these three are one God as though the Father had one part of the Godhead the Sonne another part and the holy Ghost a third For that is most false because the infinite and the most simple godhead is not subiect to composition or diuision but euery person is whole god subsisting not in a part but in the whole godhead and the whole entire godhead is communicateâ— from the father to the sonneâ— from both father and sonne to the holy Ghost But some may yet say that this doctrine seemes to bee impossible because three creatures as for example Peter Paul Timothy beeing three persons and so remaining cannot haue one and the same nature that is the same body the same soule Answ. Three or moe men may haue the same nature in kind but the truth is they cannot possibly haue a nature which shal be one and the same in number in them all three For a man is a substance created and finite and the bodies of men are quantities and therefore diuisible and separable one from another Hereupon it comes that the persons of men are not only distinguished by proprieties but also diuided and sundered one from another And though Peter Paul Timothy haue all one common and vniuersall forme yet they three are not one man but three men Nowe it is otherwise with the diuine nature or godhead which is vncreated and infinite and therefore admits neither composition nor diuision but a distinction without any seperatioÌ„ so as the three persons subsisting in it shal not be three gods but one and the same God Yet further some wil obiect that it is truely said of the father that he is god but the same godhead is not in the sonne nor in the holy ghost for the sonne and the holy ghost haue their beginning from the father Ans. The sonne and the holy ghost haue not a beginning of their nature or of their godhead from the Father but of their person onely the person of the Sonne is from the Father and the person of the holy ghost is both from the father and from the Sonne but the godhead of all three persons is vncreate and vnbegotten and proceeding from none Yet some may say both the sonne and the holy ghost haue receiued from the Father al their attributes as wisdome knowledge power c. Nowe he that receiueth any thing from another is in that respect inferiour to him that giueth it and therefore the Sonne and the holy Ghost are not God as he is Ans. We must knowe that which the Sonne receiueth of the Father he receiueth it by nature and not by grace and he receiueth not a part but all that the father hath sauing the persoâ—all proprietie And the holy ghost receiueth from the Father and the Sonne by nature and not by grace and therefore though both the sonne and the holy Ghost receiue from the Father yet they are not inferiour to him but equall with him And thus much is both necessary and profitable to be learned of the vnion betweene the three persons in Trinitie whereby they beeing three haue all one and the same godhead The second point to be considered is that that though these three haue but one godhead and all make but one God yet they are distinguished one from another for the father is the father and not the sonne or the holy Ghost the sonne is the sonne and not the father nor the holy Ghost and the holy ghost is the holy ghost not the father nor the sonne This distinction of the persons is notably set forth vnto vs in the baptisme of our Sauiour Christ where it is said that vvhen Iesus was baptized he came out of the water there is the second person and the holy Ghost descended vpon him in the forme of a doue there is the third person and the father the first person pronounced from heauen that he was his onely beloued sonne in whome he was well pleased And wee must conceiue this distinction in such manner as though these three Father Sonne and holy Ghost were three names of one God For the three persons doe not in name or word but really in trueth distinctly subsist in the same diuine nature Neither must we imagine that the three persons are three formes or differences of one God as some hereticks haue dreamed who taught that the father alone is God and that he is called a father in one respect the sonne in another and the holy Ghost in a third For this were nothing els but to make the personall proprieties to be nothing but imaginarie accidents which indeede or at the least in mans conceit might come and goe and be either in the persons or forth of them For the personall râ—lations though in minde they may be distinguished from the diuine essence yet indeede they are one with it But some will say if they make this distinction there is rather a quaternitie then a trinitie for the godhead is one the father an other the sonne a third and the holy Ghost a fourth Thus some heretikes haue obiected against the distinction of the trinitie but it is vntrue which they say For the godhead must not be seuered from the Father nor from the Sonne nor from the holy Ghost for the father is God or the whole godhead so also is the sonne and the holy Ghost and the godhead likewise is in euery one of these three persons and euery one of them subsisting in the godhead and the godhead must be conceiued to be in them all and not as a fourth thing out of them And therefore we must still mâ—intaine that these three persons are distinguished and not deuided as three men are deuided in beeing and substance for this diuision can not be in them because all three haue one drâ—ine nature and one godhead This is the mysterie of all mysteries to be receiued of vs all namely the trinitie of the persons in the vnitie of the godhead This forme of doctrine must be retained and holden for these causes I. because by it we are able to distinguish this true God from all false gods and idols II. because among all other points of religion this is one of the chiefest beeing the very foundation thereof For it is not sufficient for vs to know God as we can conceiue of him in our owne imagination but we must know him as he hath reuealed himselfe in his word And it is not sufficient to saluation to beleeue in God confusedly but we must beleeue in one God distinct into three persons the Father the Sonne the holy
head in pursuing his father theÌ„ Dauid wept and cried O my sonne Absolon my sonne Absolon would God I had died with thee Absolon my sonne And so it is with God our heauenly father when his children sinne against him and thereby loose his loue and fauour and fall from grace he forsakes them but how farre Surely he shewes signes of anger for their wickednes and yet indeede his loue remaines towards them still and this is a true conclusion the grace of God in the adoption of the elect is vnchaÌ„geable and he that â—s the child of God can neuer fall away wholly or finally On the contrarie that is a bad and comfortlesse opinion of the Church of Rome which holdeth that a man may be iustified before God and yet afterward by a mortall sinne finally fall from grace and be condemned Fourthly the childe of God that takes God the father for his father may freely come into the presence of God and haue libertie to pray vnto him We know it is a great priuiledge to come into the chamber of presence before an earthly prince and fewe can alwaies haue this prerogatiue though they be great men yet the kings owne sonne may haue free entrance and speake freely vnto the king himselfe because he is his sonne Now the children of God haue more prerogatiue then this for they may come into the presence not of an earthly king but of Almightie God the King of kings and as they are the sonnes of God in Christ so in him they may freely speake vnto God their father by praier And this ouerthrowes the doctrine of such as be of the Church of Rome which teach and hold that a man must come to speake to God by by praier through the intercession of Saints for say they the presence of God is so glorious that we may not be so bold as of our selues to speake vnto him but needes must haue the intercession of others Lastly God will prouide for all his Church and children all things needefull both for their bodies and soules so our Sauiour Christ bids his disciples take no thought what they should eate or what they should drinke or wherewith they should be clothed adding this reason for your heauenly Father knoweth all your wants And if we take thought it must be moderate and not distrustfull it is a part of the fathers dutie to prouide for his familie and children and not the children for the father Now shall an earthly father haue this care for his children and shall not our heauenly father much more prouide for those that feare and loue him Nay marke further in Gods Church there be many hypocrites which receiue infinite benefits from God by reason of his elect children with whome they liue and we shall see this to be true that the wicked man hath euer fared better for the godly mans cause Sodome and Gomorrha receiued many benefits by reason of righteous Lot and when the Lord was purposed to destroy Sodom he was faine to pull Lot forth of the citie for the text saith the Angel of the Lord could not doe any thing till he was come out of it So also in Pauls dangerous voyage towardes Rome all the men in it fared better for Pauls company for the Lord tolde Paul by an angel that there should be no losse of any mans life for the Lord had giuen to him all that sailed with him And vndoubtedly if it were not for some fewe that feare God he would powre downe his vengeance vpon many nations and kingdomes there is such excesse of wickednesse in all sorts Againe if the Lord doe thus carefully prouide for his children all kinde of benefits what a wonderful wickednesse is this for men to get their liuing by vngodly meanes as vsury carding dicing and such like exercises If a man were perswaded that God were his father and would prouide sufficiently both for his bodie and soule so that vsing lawfull meanes he should eueâ— haue enough out of all doubt he would neuer after the fashion of the world vse vnlawefull and prophane meanes to get a liuing But this prooueth that howesoeuer such men say God is their father yet indeede they denie him And thus much of 〈◊〉 tiâ—le Father the first thing whereby the first person is described Nowe followeth the second point namely his attribute of omnipotencie in the word almightie And whereas the father is said to be almightie it is not so to bâ— vnderstood as though the Sonne were not almightie or the holy ghost noâ—â—lmightie for euery propertie and attribute saue the personal properties is câ—mmoÌ„ to all the three persons For as God the father doth impart his godhead vnto the sonne and to the holy ghost so doth he communicate the proprietâ—es of the godhead to them also God is omnipotent two waies I. Because hee is able to doe whatsoeuer hee will II. Because he is able to doe more then he will doe For the first that god is able to doe whatsoeuer he will Dauid saith Our God is in heauen and he doth whatsoeuer he will for there is nothing that can hinder God but as he willeth so euery thing is done Secondly that God can doe more then he willeth to be done it is plaine where Iohn Baptist saith God is able of these stones to raise vp children vnto Abraham for though God can doe thus much yet he will not doe it So likewise when Christ was betraied the Father could haue giueÌ„ him more then 12. legions of angels to haue deliuered him out of their handes but yet he would not the like may be said of many other things The father is was able to haue created another world yea a thousand worldes but he would not nor will not And likewise Christ being vpon the crosse was able at their bidding to haue come downe and saued himselfe from death but he would not and therefore this is true the Lord can doe any thing that he willeth to bee done actually yea and more then he will But some will say God can not doe some things which man can doe as God cannot lie nor denie himselfe and therefore he is not omnipotent Answere Although some haue thought that God coulde doe euen these things and that he did them not because hee would not yet wee must knowe and beleeue that God can neither lie nor denie himselfe indeede man can doe both but these and many other such things if God could doe them hee could not bee God God indeede can doe all things which shewe foorth his glory and maiestie but such things as are against his nature he cannot doeâ— as for example God can not sinne and therefore cannot liâ— and because he cannot doe these things for this very cause he is omnipotent for these and such like are workes of impotencie which if god could doe he should euen by his owne word be iudged impotent Secondly he cannot doe that which implies contradiction
all men can not be charged with vnbeleefe and contempt in respect of the Euangelicall couenant but onely such persons as haue knowne it or at the least heard of it And therefore sundrie heads of the nations may be charged with vnbeleefe as Cain Cham Iaphet Ammon Moab Ismael Esau Madian for they beeing neere to the fathers heard the promises concerning Christ offered sacrifices and obserued externall rites of the Church but afterward fell away from the sincere worship of the true God to idolatrie and all manner of wickednesse and became enemies of God and his people But we plainely denie that there was or could be the like vnbeleefe and contempt of Gods grace in their posteritie which for the most part neuer so much as heard of any couenant their ancetours indeauouring alwaies to burie and extinguish the memorie of that which they hated It is obiected againe that the couenant was made with Abraham and with all mankind after him Because saith the Lord thou hast obeyed my voice in thy seede shall all the nations of the earth be blessed Ans. Paul giues a double answer first that the place must be vnderstood of many nations secondly that it must bee vnderstood not of all nations in all ages but of all nations of the last age of the world For saith he the scripture foreseeing that God would iustifie the Gentiles through faith preached before the gospell vnto Abraham saying in the shall all thee nations be blessed Well to conclude this point in the making of the couenant there must be a mutual consent of the parties on both sides and beside the promise on Gods part there mâ—st be also a restipulation on mans part otherwise the couenant is not made Noâ—e then it must needes followe that all vnbeleeuers contemning grace offered in Christ are out of the couenaÌ„t as also such as neuer heard of it for where there is no knowledge there is no consent and before the comming of Câ—â—istâ— the greatest part of the world neuer knewe the Messias nor heard of the couenant as Paul saith to the learned Athenians the time of this ignorance God regarded not but nowe he admonisheth all men euery where to repent The foundation and ground worke of the couenant is Christ Iesus the Mediatour in whome all the promises of God are yea and amen and therefore he is called the angel of the conenant and the couenant of the people to bee made with all nations in the last age Now then that we may proceede at large to open the substance of the couenaÌ„t we are in the next place to come to that part of the creede which concernes the second person in Trinitie set downe in these wordes And in Iesus Christ his onely sonne c. from which wordes to the very ende of the Creede such points onely are laid downe as doe notably vnfolde the benefits and the matter of the couenant Nowe the second person is described to vs by three things first his titles secondly his incarnation thirdly his twofold estate His titles are in number foure I. Iesus II. Christ. III. his onely sonne IIII. our Lord. His incarnation and his twofolde estate are set downe afterward To come to his titles the first is Iesus to which if we adde the clause I beleeue on this manner I beleeue in Iesus c. the article which wee nowe haue in hand will appeare to be most excellent because it hath most notable promises annexed to it When Peter confessed Christ to be the sonne of the liuing God he answered vpon this rocke will I build my church and the gates of hell shall not preuaile against it And againe He that confesseth that Christ is the sonne of God God dwelleth in him and he in God And againe To him giue all the prophets witnesse that through his name all that beleeue in him shall receiue remission of sinnes Paul saith Beleeue in the Lord Iesus and thou shalt be saued and all thy houshold Thus then the confession in which we acknowledge that we beleeue in Iesus Christ hath a promise of fellowship with God and of life euerlasting But it may be obiected that euery spirit as S. Iohn saith which confesseth that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God Nowe the deuil and all his angels and vnbeleeuers doe thus much therefore why may not they also haue the benefit of this confession Ans. By spirit in that place is neither meant angels nor meÌ„ nor any creature but the doctrine which teacheth that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh it is of God because it is holy and diuine and hath God to be the author of it As for the deuill and his angels they can indeede confesse that Christ the sonne of God was made man and a wicked man may teach the same but vnto the confession whereunto is annexed a promise of eternall life is required true faith whereby wee doe not onely knowe and acknowledge this or that to be true in Christ but also rest vpon him which neither Satan nor wicked men can doe And therefore by this confession the Church of God is distinguished from all other companies of men in the worlde which beleeueth not as Panyms hereticks Atheists turks Iewes al other infidels This name Iesus was giuen to the sonne of God by the father and brought from heauen by an angel vnto Ioseph and Marie and on the day when hee was to be circumcised as the manner was this name was giuen vnto him by his parentâ—â— as they were commanded from the Lord by the Angel Gabriel And therefore the name was not giuen by chance or by the alone will of the parents but by the most wise appointment of God himselfe The name in Hebrew is Iehosoua and it is changed by the Grecians into Iesus which signifieth a Sauiour And it may be called the proper name of Christ signifying his office and both his natures because he is both a perfect and absolute Sauiour as also the alone Sauiour of man because the worke of saluation is wholly and onely wrought by him and no part thereof is reserued to any creature in heauen or in earth As Peter saith For among men there is no other name giuen vnder heauen whereby we may be saued but by the name of Iesus And the author to the Hebrues saith That he is able perfectly to saue them that come vnto God by him seeing he euer liueth to make intercession for them If any shall obiect that the promises of saluation are made to them which keepe the commandements the answer is that the lawe of God doth exact most absolute and perfect obedience which can be found in no man but in Christ who neuer sinned and therefore it is not giuen vnto vs nowe that we might by our selues fulfil it and worke out our owne saluation but that beeing condemned by it wee might wholly depende on Christ for eternall life
him to whome it was due immediately the angel of the Lord smote him And so if Christ had bin but a meere man and not very god as he auouched vndoubtedly the hand of God would haue bin vpon him likewise for his confusion but when he suffred for vs and bare the punishment due for our sinnes he most triumphed And the iudgements of God were vpon Herod Pontius Pilate Caiphas and vpon all those that were enemies to him and to his Church afterward and that partly in life and partly in death Wherefore considering God cannot abide that his glorie should be giuen to any creature and seeing for that cause he takes reuenge on all those that exalt themselues to be gods it remaines that the testimony which Christ gaue of himselfe that he was God is vnfallibly true and without all question to be beleeued of vs. And to conclude I would haue all the deuills in hell with the cursed order of Lucians Porphyrians and Atheists whatsoeuer to answer â—his one point how it could come to passe that Christ by publishing the doctrine of the Gospel that is as contrarie to mans reason will and affections as water to fire should winne almost the whole world to become his disciples and to giue their liues for him vnlesse he were God indeede as he professed himselfe to be There be sundrie speciall reasons wherefore it was necessarie that Christ should be God I. There is none which can be a Sauiour of bodie and soule but God I euen I am the Lord and besides me there is no Sauiour And I am the Lord the God from the land of Egipt and thou shalt know no God but me for there is no Sauiour beside me II. There must be a proportion betweene the sinne of man and the punishment of sinne now the sinne of man in respect of the offence of the maiestie of God is infinite in that he is infinitely displeased with man for the breach of his law therefore the punishment of sinne must be infinite and hence it followeth that he which suffereth the punishment beeing man must withall be God that the manhood by the power of the Godhead may be supported that in suffering it may vanquish death and make a sufficient satisfaction III. He that must be a Sauiour must be able first to deliuer men from the bondage of their spirituall enemies namely sinne and Satan secondly to restore the image of God lost by the fall of Adam and to conferre righteousnes and life euerlasting thirdly to defend them from hel death damnation the flesh the deuill the world fourthly to giue them full redemption from all their miseries both in bodie and soule and to place them in eternall happines all which none can doe but he which is very God IV. It was the pleasure of God to shew his incomprehensible goodnes in this that his grace should not onely be equal to our sinne but also by many degrees goe beyond it And therefore the first Adam beeing but a meere man the second Adam must be both God and man that as the second was more excellent then the first so our comfort might be greater in our redemption by the second then our miserie and discomfort was by the fall of the first Hitherto we haue shewed how Christ is the sonne of God now let vs come to the second point namely that he is the onely sonne of God And he is so tearmed because he is the sonne of the father in a speciall manner so as nothing can be the sonne of God as he is Angels indeede are tearmed the sonnes of God but that is onely in respect of their creation all that beleeue in Christ are sonnes of God by adoption beeing receiued into the familie of God which is his church by the merit of Christ whereas by nature they were the children of wrath Christ also as he is man I say not his manhood which is a nature and no person is the sonne of God by the grace of personal vnion and not by nature or adoption Lastly Christ as he is the second person in trinitie thâ— eternall word of the father coeternall and consubstantiall with him is also the sonne of God But how neither by creation nor adoption nor by the vertue of personall vnion but by nature as he was begotten of the very substance of the father before all world and therefore he is called the proper and onely begotten sonne of God It may be obiected on this manner If the father beget the sonne he doth it either willingly or against his will if willingly theÌ„ the son is begotten by the free will of the father and no sonne by nature Ans. The father did communicate to the sonne his whole godhead willingly without coÌ„straint yet not by his will and therfore he is the Sonne of the father by nature not by will It may be further said that if Christ be the sonne of God by nature as he is the essentiall word of the father and by personall vnion as he is man then is hee not one but two sonnes Ans. As he is but one person so is he but one sonne yet not in one but in two respects two respects make not two thinges whereas one and the same thing not altered but still remaining one may admitte sundrie respects Thus much of the meaning of the third title nowe followe the comforts which may be gathered hence Whereas Christ Iesus is the sonne of God it serues as a meanes to make miserable and wretched sinners that are by nature the children of wrath and damnation to be the sonnes of God by adoption as S. Iohn testifieth Nowe what a benefit is this to be the childe of God no tongue can expresse Christ saith Blessed are the peacemakers but why are they blessed for saith he they shall be called the sonnes of God Whereby he testifieth that the right of adoption is a most excellent priuiledge not without cause For he which is the child of God is spiritually allied to Christ and to all the Saints and seruants of God both in heauen and earth hauing his owne redeemer for his elder brother and all his members as his brethren and sisters yea if we be Gods adopted children we are also heires euen heires of God and heires annexed with Christ. Well how great soeuer this prerogatiue is yet few there be that rightly way it consider of it Children of noble meÌ„ Princes heires are had in account and reputation of all men they are the verie speach and wonder of the worlde But it is a matter of no account to be the sonne of God and fellow-heire with Christ. The dearest seruants of God haue beene esteemed but as the offscouring of the worlde And no maruaile for they which are after the flesh sauour the thinges of the flesh Fewe men haue their vnderstandings inlightened to discerne of such spirituall things as these are therefore are they little or
as it is absolutely considered but so farre forth as it is restrained and limited to the person of the sonne and to speake properly the godhead it selfe is not incarnate but the very person of the sonne subsisting in the Godhead And though all the persons be one and the same essence yet doe they really differ each from other in regard of the peculiar manner of subsisting and therefore mans nature may be assumed of the second person and be not assumed either of the father or of the holy Ghost as in the like case the soule of man is wholly in the head and wholly in the feete yea wholly in euery part and yet the soule can not be said to vse reason in the feete or in any other part but onely in the head Againe it may be alleadged that the incarnation beeing an outward action of God to the creature is not proper to the sonne For the rule is that all outward actions of God are common to all the persons in Trinitie equally Ans. The incarnation stands of two actions the first is the framing and creating of that manhood which was to be assumed by the Sonne or Word of the father and this action is common to all the three persons equally the second is the limiting or the receiuing of it into the vnitie of any person in respect of this action the worke of incarnation is peculiar to the Sonne To this purpose Augustine speaketh That creature saith he which the Virgin conceiued and brought forth though it appertaine to the person of the sonne alone yet was it made by the whole Trinitie as when three men weaue one and the same garment and the second onely weares it The second question is what manner of man the sonne of God was made Answ. He was made a proper or particular man and a perfect or a very man I say that he was a particular man to shew that he tooke not vnto him the generall forme or idea of mans nature conceiued onely in minde nor the common nature of man as it is existing in euery man but the whole nature of mā that is both a bodie and a resonable soule existing in one particular subiect I say further that he was and is a true and perfect man beeing in euerie thing that concernes mans nature like to Adam Abraham Dauid and all other men sauing onely in sinne For first of all he had the substance of a true body and of a reasonable soule secondly the properties of body and soule in the bodi◠length breadth thicknesse circumscription c. in the soule the faculties of vnderstanding both simply and compounde will affections as loue hatred desire ioy feare c. the powers also of hearing feeling seeing smelling tasting moouing growing eating digesting sleeping c. Thirdly hee tooke vnto him the infirmities of mans nature which are certaine naturall defects or passions in bodie or minde as to be hungrie thirstie wearie sadde and sorrowfull ignorant of some things angrie to increase in stature and wisdōe and knowledge c. yet this which I say must be vnderstood with two caueats The first is that infirmities be either certaine vnblameable passions or else such defects as are sinnes in themselues nowe Christ takes the first onely and not the second Secondly infirmities be either generall or personall generall◠which appertaine to the whole nature of man and are to be founde in euery man that comes of Adam as to be borne vnlearned and subiect to naturall affections as sorrow anger c Personall are such as appertaine to some particular men and not to all and arise of some priuate causes particular iudgements of God as to be borne a foole to bee sicke of an ague consumption dropsie plurisie and such like diseases Nowe the first sort bee in Christ and not the second for as he tooke not the person of any man◠but onely mans nature so was it sufficient for him to take vnto him the infirmities of mans nature though he tooke not the priuate infirmities of any mans person And the reason why Christ would put on not onely the substance and faculties of a true man but also his infirmities was that he might shewe himselfe to be very man indeede also that he might suffer for vs both in bodie and soule and that he might giue vs an example of patience in bearing all manner of euill for Gds glory and the good of our neighbour Nowe the things which may bee alleadged to the contrarie for the infringing of the trueth of Christs manhoode are of no moment As first because Christ appeared in the forme of a man in the olde testament beeing no man therfore he did so at his comming in the newe testament but the reason is not like For Christ in the olde testament as the angel of his father in some speciall affaires tooke vnto him the bodie of a man for some space of time but he did not receiue it into the vnitie of his person but laid it downe when the busines which he enterprised with men was ended Nowe in the fulnesse of time he came from heauen as the angel of the couenant and for that cause he was to vnite into his owne person the nature of man which thing was neuer done before And when as Paul saith that Christ came in the similitude of sinnefull flesh his meaning is not to signifie that he was a man onely in resemblance and shewe but to testifie that beeing a true man which was indeede void of sinne he was content to abase himselfe to that condition in which he became like to a miserable sinner in bearng the punishment for our sinne For Paul doth not say that hee tooke vpon him the similitude of flesh simply as it is flesh but of the flesh of sinne or sinnefull flesh The third question is why the sonne of God must become man Ans. There be sundrie reasons of this point and the most principall are these First of all it is a thing that greatly standes with the iustice of God that in that nature in which God was offended in the same should a satisfaction be made to God for sinne nowe sinne was committed in mans nature Adam sinned first and in him all his posteritie therefore it is very necessarie that in mans nature there should bee a satisfaction made to Gods iustice and for this cause the sonne of God must needes abase himselfe and become man for our sakes Secondly by the right of creation euery man is bound in conscience to fulfill euen the very rigour and extremitie of the morall lawe But considering man is nowe fallen from his first estate and condition therfore it was requisite that the Sonne of God should become man that in mans nature he might fulfill all righteousnesse which the lawe doth exact at our handes Thirdly hee that is our redeemer must die for our sinnes for there is no remission of sinnes without shedding
them plentie of his grace but also admits them into his glorious presence so as they may behold his maiestie face to face The fourth and last is that whereby the Godhead of the sonne is present and dwells with and in the manhood giuing vnto it in some part his owne subsistance Wherby it comes to passe that this manhood assumed is proper to the sonne and can not be the manhood of the Father or of the holy Ghost or of any creature whatsoeuer And this is a thing so admirable and so vnspeakable that among all the works of God there can not be found an other example hereof in all the world Hence it follows necessarily that the manhood of Christ consisting of bodie and reasonable soule is a nature onely and not a person because it doth not subsist alone as other men Peter Paul Iohn doe but wholly depends on the person of the word into the vnitie whereof it is receiued The third point is in what order the diuine and humane nature of Christ are vnited togither Ans. The common consent of Diuines is that albeit all the parts of the manhood and the godhead of Christ be vnited at one instant yet in respect of order he vnites vnto himselfe first and immediately the soule and by the soule the bodie And it seemes vnmeete that God beeing a most simple essence should immediately be ioyned to a compound bodie and therefore it may well be saide that he is vnited vnto it by the more simple part of man which is the soule Againe the manhood of Christ is first and immediately ioyned to the person of the sonne himselfe and by the person to the godhead of the sonne The fourth point is whether there remaine any difference or diuersitie of the two natures after that the vnion is made Answ. The two natures concurring make not the person of the sonne to be compounded properly but onely by analogie for as bodie and soule make one man so God and man make one Christ neither are they turned one into an other the godhead into the manhood or the manhood into the godhead as water was turned into wine at Cana in Galile neither are they confused and mingled togither as meates in the stomacke but they now are and so remaine without composition conuersion or confusion really distinct and that in three respects First in regard of essence For the godhead of Christ is the godhead and can not be the manhood and againe the manhood of Christ is the manhood and not the godhead Secondly they are distinguished in proprieties the godhead is most wise iust mercifull omnipotent yea wisdom iustice mercie and power it selfe and so is not the manhood neither can it be Againe Christ as he is God hath his will eternall and vncreated which is all one with the will of the father and the holy Ghost And as he is man he hath another will created in time placed in his reasonable soule this Christ signifieth when he saith Not my will but thy will be done Thirdly they are distinct in their actions or operations which though they goe togither inseparably in the worke of redemption yet they must in no wise be confounded but distinguished as the natures themselues are Christ saith of himselfe I haue power to lay downe my life and I haue power to take it vp againe and hereby he shewes the distinction of operations in his two natures For to lay downe his life is an action of the manhood because the Godhead can not die and to take it vp againe is the worke of the Godhead alone which reunites the soule to the bodie after death The fifth and last point is what ariseth of this vnion Ans. By reason of this hypostatical vnion though the godhead receiue nothing from the manhood yet the manhood it selfe which is assumed is thereby perfected and enriched with vnspeakable dignitie For first of all it is exalted aboue all creatures whatsoeuer euen angels themselues in that it hath subsistance in the second person in Trinitie Secondly togither with the godhead of the Sonne it is adored and worshipped with diuine honour as in like case the honour done to the King himselfe redoundes to the crowne on his head Thirdly by reason of this vnion the godhead of Christ workes all things in the matter of our redemption in and by the manhoode And hereupon the flesh of Christ though it profit nothing of it selfe yet by the vertue which it receiueth from that person to which it is ioyned it is quickning flesh and the bread of life Againe from this vnion of two natures into one person ariseth a kinde of speech or phrase peculiar to the Scriptures called the communication of proprieties when the propertie of one nature is attributed to the whole person or to the other nature as when Paul saith that God shed his blood that the Lord of glorie was crucified And when Christ saith that he talking with Nichodemus was then in heauen The vse of the personall vnion is threefold First it serues to shew the hainousnesse of our sinnes and the greatnesse of our miserie For it had not bene possible to make a satisfaction to Gods iustice in mans nature for the least offence vnlesse the same nature had first of all beene neerely ioyned to the godhead of the sonne that thereby it might be so farre forth supported and sustained that it might ouercome the wrath of God Secondly it sets forth vnto vs the endlesse loue of God to man For whereas by reason of Adams fall we were become the vilest of all creatures except the deuill and his angels by his mysticall coniunction our nature is exalted to such an estate and condition as is farre aboue all creatures euen the angels themselues Thirdly it is as it were the keye of all our comfort for all sound comfort stands in happines all happines is in fellowship with God all fellowship with God is by Christ who for this cause beeing very God became very man that he might reconcile man to God and God to man Thus much of the conception of Christ now followes his birth whereby in the ordinarie time of trauell according to the course of nature he was brought forth into the world by the virgin Marie And it was the will of God that Christ should not onely be conceiued but also borne and that after the manner of men that he might be knowne to be very man indeede In the birth we may consider foure things the time the place the manner the manifestation of it The time was in the last daies toward the end of the 70. weekes of Daniel which are to be accounted from the ende of the captiuitie of Babylon and make in all 490 yeares or more plainly 3900 yeares and more from the beginning of the world and as Paul saith in the fulnesse of time And the Euangelists haue noted of purpose the time to haue beene when Augustus Caesar taxed
two kind of hearers one which heareth onely the outward sound of the word with his bodily eares and he hauing eares to heare doth not heare the secoÌ„d is he that doth not only receiue the doctrine that is taught with his eares but also hath his heart opened to feele the power of it and to obey the same in the course of his life This distinction is notably set forth by Dauid saying Sacrifice and burnt offerings thou wouldest not haue but my eares hast thou pierced whereby he insinuates as it were two kinds of eares one that is deafe and cannot heare and thus are the eares of all men by nature in hearing the doctrine of saluation the other is a newe eare pierced and bored by the hand of God which causeth a mans heart to heare the sound and operation of the word and the life to expresse the truth of it Now the subiects of Christs kingdom are such as with the outward hearing of the word haue an inward hearing of the soule grace also to obey therefore all those that make no conscience of obedience to the word of god preached vnto them are no lesse then rebels to Christ. We may perswade our selues that we are good subiects because we heare the word receiue the Sacraments but if our liues abound with sinne and if our hearts be not pierced through by the sword of Gods spirit whether we be high or low rich or poore let vs be what we will be we are no right subiects indeed but rebells traytours vnto the euerliuing God It may be hereafter God will giue further grace but as yet all impenitent persons though liuing in the midst of Gods church are no obedient and faithfull subiects therfore while we haue time let vs labour to performe in deede that which we doe in word professe Thus much of the examination and confession of Christ. Now followeth the third point concerning the pollicies which Pilate vsed to saue Christ and they are three First when he heard that Christ was of Galilee he tooke occasion to send him to Herod thinking thereby to shift his hands of him and not to shed his blood In which pollicie though he seeme vnwilling to put Christ to death yet herein he is a most vniust iudge for hauing giuen testimonie of Christ that he is innocent he ought to haue acquitted him and not haue sent him to Herod for further iudgemeÌ„t In Herods dealing with Christ we may obserue these points The first that he is wonderfully glad of his coÌ„ming Why so the text saith because he was desirous to see him of a long season because he had heard many things of him and trusted to haue seene some signe done by him Here marke how he reioyced not in Christ because he was Christ that is his Messias and redeemer but because he wrought myracles signes wonders And so it is among vs at this day it is a rare thing to finde a man that loueth Christ because he is Christ some loue Christ for honour some for wealth others for praise that is because they get honour wealth and praise by confessing his name Againe many professe Christ onely because it is the law and custome of their nation But we must learne to be of this minde to loue Christ because he is Christ euen for himselfe and not for any other sinister respect we must reioyce in Christ for himselfe though we neuer haue profit nor pleasure neither honour or wealth by him And if we loue him for wealth or pleasure or for any other ende but for himselfe alone when these things are taken away then we shall vtterly forsake Christ in like manner The second point is that Herod desires Christ to worke a miracle He can be content to see the works of Christ but he cannot abide to heare his word and to beare his yoke Like to him are many in these daies which gladly desire to heare the Gospel of Christ preached onely because they would here speach of some strange things laying aside all care and conscience to obey that which they heare Yea many in England delight to read the straunge histories of the Bible therefore can rehearse the most part of it and it were to be wished that all could doe the like yet come to the practise of it the same persons are commonly found as bad in life conuersation yea rather worse then others Let vs therfore labour that with our knowledge we may ioyne obedience practise with our learning as well to be affected with the word of Christ as with his works The third point is that Herod derides Christ sends him away cloathed in a white garment This is that Herod whom Christ called a foxe who also when he heard Iohn Baptist preach did many things and heard him gladly How then comes Herod to this outrage of wickednes thus to abuse Christ Ans. We must know that although Herod at the first heaâ—d Iohn preach yet withall he followed his owne affections and sought how to fulfill the lusts of his flesh For when Iohn told him that it was not lawfull â—or him to haue his brother Philips wife he cast him in prison and afterward â—ut off his head for it after which offence he is growne to this height of impietie that he now despiseth Christ can not abide to heare him Where we learne that as we are willing to heare Gods word preached so withall we must take heede that we practise no manner of sinne but make conscience of euery thing that may displease God Thou maist I graunt be one that feareth and fauoureth Iohn Baptist for a time wallowing in thy olde sinnes but after a while yeilding to the swinge of thy corrupt heart thou wilt neuer heare Iohn nor Christ himselfe but hate and despise them both This is the cause why some which haue beene professours of religion heretofore and haue had great measure of knowledge are now become very loose persons and can not abide to heare the word preached vnto them the reason is because they could not abide to leaue their sinnes Therefore that we may begin in the spirit and not ende in the flesh let euery one that calls on the name of the Lord depart from iniquitie Now follows the second pollicie of Pilate For when he saw the first would not preuaile then he tooke a new course for he tooke Iesus into the common hall and sâ—ourged him and the souldiers platted a crowne of thornes and puâ— it on his head and they put on him a purple garment and said Haile King of the Iewes and smote him with their roddes And thus he brought him forth before the Iewes perswading himselfe that when they saw him so abased and so ignominiously abused they would be content therewith and exact no greater punishment at his hands thinking thus to haue pacified the rage of the Iewes and so to haue deliuered Christ from death
because faith is a subsisting of things which are not seene the ground of this hoped for and we must liue by faith and not by feeling Though feeling of Gods mercy be a good thing yet God doth not alwaies vouchsafe to giue it vnto his children and therefore in the extremitie of afflictions and temptations wee must alwaies trust and rely on god by faith in Christ as Christ himselfe doth when he is as it were plunged into the sea of the wrath of God Secondly here wee may see how God dealeth with his children for Christ in the sense and feeling of his humane nature was forsaken yet had he sure trust and confidence in God that caused him to say My God my God God will oftentimes cast his deere children into huge gulfes of woe and miserie where they shall see neither banke nor bottome nor any way to get out yet men in this case must not despaire but remember still that that which befell Christ the head doth also befall his members Though Christ him-selfe at his death did beare the wrath of God in such measure as that in the sense and feeling of his humane nature he was forsaken yet for all this he was the sonne of God and had the spirit of his father crying My God my God And therefore though we be wonderfully afflicted either in bodie or in minde so as we haue no sense or feeling of Gods mercy at all yet must we not despaire and thinke that we are cast-awaies but still labour to trust and rely on God in Christ and build vpon this that we are his children though wee feele nothing but his wrath vpon vs against mercy cleauing to his mercie This was Dauids practise In the day of trouble saith he I sought the Lord my sore ranne and ceased not in the night my soule refused comfort I did thinke vpon God and was troubled my soule was full of anguish and so he continueth on saying Will the Lord absent himselfe for euer and will he shewe no more fauour hath God forgotten to be mercifull but in the ende he recouereth himselfe out of this gulfe of temptation saying Yet I remember the yeres of the right hand of the most high I remember the workes of the Lord certenly I remember the wonders of olde Wherefore this practise of Christ in his passion must then be remembred of vs all when God shall humble vs either in bodie or soule or both The fourth thing which fell out when Christ was on the crosse was this after Christ knew that all things were performed and that the scriptures were fulfilled he said I thirst and then there standing a vessel full of vineger one ranne and filled a sponge therewith and put it about an hyssop stalke and put it to his mouth which when he had receiued he said It is finished The points here to be considered are foure The first that Christ thirsteth And we must knowe that this thirst was a part of his passion and indeede it was no small paine as we may see by this when Sisera was ouercome by Israel and had fled from his enemies to Iaels tent he called for a little water to drinke being more troubled with thirst then with the feare of death at the hand of his enemies And indeede thirst was as as grieuour to men in the East countrie as any torment else And hereupon SaÌ„pson was more grieued with thirst then with feare of many thousand Philistims Againe whereas Christ complaines that he thirsteth it was not for his own sake but for our offences and therefore answerably we must thirst after Christ and his benefits as the drie thirstie land where no water is doth after raine and as the hart brayeth after the riuers of water so must we say with Dauid My soule panteth after thee O Lord and the benefits of thy death The second that a sponge full of vineger tied vpon an hyssop stalke was reached to Christ vpon the crosse Now it may be demanded how this could bee considering the stalke of the hyssop is not past a foote long Ans. As the tree of mustard seed with the Iewes is farre greater and taller then with vs in so much that the birdes of lieauen build their neasts in it so it may bee that hyssop groweth much longer in those countries then with vs. Or as I take it rather the hyssop stalke was put vpon a reede and by that meanes the sponge was put vp to the mouth of Christ. The third point is that Christ drinketh the vineger offered but when Not before all things were finished that were to bee done on the crosse And by this he shewes his exceeding care for our saluation He laid aside al things that would turne to his own ease that he mightfully work our redemptioÌ„ sulfil the will of his father who sent him into the world for that end The like care â—ust euery one of vs haue to walke dutifully and as it were to goe with thoâ—ugh-stitch in our particular callings that God may be glorified by vs. WheÌ„ Abrahams seruant came to Bethuel to get a wife for Isaac meat was set before him but he said I will not eate before I haue said my message so likewise wee must first see Gods glorie procured in our affaires and then in the second place if commodity or praise redound to vs we must afterward take it The last point is that when Christ had drunke the vineger he said It is finished Which words may haue a double sense one that such things as were figured by the sacrifices of the old testament are accomplished the other that nowe vpon the crosse hee had finished his satisfaction to the iustice of his father for mans sinne And this of the twaine I rather think to be his meaning If it be said that the buriall and resurrection and ascention of Christ c. which are very necessarie to mans redemption were not yet begun the aunswere is that the workes of Christs priesthood which followe his death serue not to make any satisfaction to Gods iustice for sinne but onely to confirme or apply it after it is made and accomplished on the crosse And if this be so that Christ in his owne person accomplished the worke of redemption and made a full and perfect satisfaction for vs as these words import It is finished then humane satisfactions to gods iustice for sinne are altogither superfluous The fifth euent that fell out when Christ was vpon the crosse was that hee cried with a loud voice and said Father into thy handes I lay downe my spirit that is I commend my soule as being the most pretious thing which I haue in this world into thy custodie who art a most faithfull keeper thereof These wordes are taken by Christ out of the Psalmes for when Dauid was in danger of his life by reason of Saul and had no friend to trust he makes choise of God to be
is giuen to me in heauen and earth The third circumstance is concerning the person at whose right hand Christ sits noted in the words of the article of God the father Almightie whereby is signified that he receiues all the honour power glorie of his kingdome from his father as he that is set at the right hand of a prince receiues the honour authoritie which he hath from the prince Nowe if it be alleadged that by this meanes Christ shall be inferiour to his father because he which receiueth honour of another is inferiour to him of whome he receiueth it the answer is that in Christ we must consider his person and his office in respect of his person as he is the eternall sonne of God he is equall to the father and is not here said to sit at his right hand yet in respect of the oâ—fice which he beares namely as he is mediatour and as he is man he is inferiour to the father and receiues his kingdome from him As he is God he is our king and head and hath no head more then the father as he is mediatour he is also our head yet so as hee is vnder the father as beeing his head And we must not thinke it strange that one and the same thing should bee both equall and inferiour to another diuers respects considered Nowe in that Christs placing at the right hand of his father argues inferioritie betweene the father him hence we learne that they are deceiued which from this article gather that in the glorification of Christ there is a transfusion of the proprieties of the godhead as omnipotencie omniscience omnipresence c. into his manhood For this is to abolish all inferioritie and to make an equalitie betweene the creature and the creatour And whereas againe the word Almightie is repeated it is done vpon special reason because Christs sitting at the right hand of God doth presuppose omnipotencie For in vaine were all power in heauen and earth giuen to him vnlesse he were omnipotent as the father to execute the same And therefore the song of the Elders was on this manner Worthie is the Lamb that was killed to receiue power and riches and wisdome and strength and honour and glory and praise The benefits which redound vnto vs by Christs sitting at the right hand of God are two one concernes his priesthood the other his kingly office The benefit rising from his priesthood is his Intercession for vs for this is one of the endes why Christ is now exalted in glorie and sits at the right hand of his father namely to make request in the behalfe of all that come vnto him as Paul saith Christ is risen againe and sitteth at the right hand of God and maketh request for vs. Nowe that we may rightly vnderstand what his intercession is wee are to consider these points First to whome it is made secondly in what manner thirdly whether it be made by Christ alone or no fourthly what be the fruits and benefits thereof fiftly the duties whereunto wee are mooued thereby For the first Intercession is to make suite request or intreaty in some ones behalfe to another and this is done by Christ for vs vnto God as Paul saith there is one God and one mediatour betweene God and man which is the man Christ Iesus Here at the verie first ariseth a difficultie for in euery intercession there be three parties the person offended the person offending the intercessour distinct from them both Now if Christ the sonne of God make intercession to God for man then hee maketh intercession to himselfe because he is true God which cannot be howe then shall Christ be mediatour Ans. This point hath so troubled the Church of Rome that for the resoluing of it they haue deuised an errour auouching that Christ is mediatour onely as he is man not as he is God which is vntrue For as both natures doe concurre in the worke of satisfaction so likewise they doe both concurre in the worke of intercession and therefore a more meete and conuenient answere is this Christ Iesus God-man in both natures is directly our mediatour to the first person the father as S. Iohn saith If any man sinne we haue an aduocate with the father Iesus Christ the iust And thus we haue three persons in the worke of intercession really distinguished The partie offended is God the Father the partie offending is man thirdly the intercessour distinct froÌ„ them both is Christ the secoÌ„d person in Trinitie For howsoeuer in Godhead he the Father be one yet in person they are really distinguished and hee is as it were in the middle betweene the father and vs for the father is God and not man wee that beleeue in Christ are men not God Christ himselfe both man and God It may be further replyed that this answere will not stand because not onely the father is offended but also the sonne and the holy Ghost and therefore there must be a mediatour to them also Answer The intercession of Christ is directed to the father the first person immediately nowe the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost haue all one indiuisible essence and by consequent one and the same will whereupon the father beeing appeased by Christs intercession the Sonne and the Holy Ghost are also appeased with him and in him Thus then intercession is made to the whole trinitie but yet immediately and directly to the first person and in him to the rest The second point to be considered is the maner of his intercession vnto his father We must not imagine that Christ nowe in heauen kneeles downe on his knees and vtters wordes and puts vp a supplication for all the faithfull to God the father for that is not beseeming the maiestie of him that sits at the right hand of God But the manner of his intercession is thus to be conceiued When one is to speake to an earthly prince in the behalfe of another first of al he must come into the presence of the king and secondly make his request and both these Christ performeth for vs vnto God For the first after his ascension he entred into heauen where he did present vnto his father first of all his owne person in two natures and secondly the inualuable merits of his death and passion in which he was well pleased And we must further vnderstand that as on the crosse he stood in our roome so in heaueÌ„ he now appears as a publike person in our stead representing all the elect that shal beleeue in him as the holy Ghost saith Christ Iesus ascended vp into heauen to appeare in the sight of God for vs. And for the second Christ makes request for vs in that he willeth according to both his natures and desireth as he is man that the father would accept his satisfaction in the behalfe of al that are giuen vnto him And that he makes request on
of Christ in feeding clothing lodging and visiting of them For we must thinke that many of those against whome this reason shall be brought did know religion and professe the same yea they prophesied in the name of Christ and called on him saying Lord Lord and yet the sentence of condemnation goeth against them because they shew no compassion toward the members of Christ and therefore it is a principal vertue and a speciall note of a Christian to shew the bowels of compassion towards his needie brethren Here againe we note that it is not sufficient for vs to abstaine from euill but we must also doe good For it is not saide I was an hungred and ye tooke from me but When I was hungrie ye gaue me no mâ—ate They are not charged with doing euill but for not doing good S. Iohn saith The axe is laid to the roote of the tree and the reason followes not because the tree bare euill fruit but because it bare not good fruite therefore it must be cast into the fire This condemnes a bad opinion of all worldly men who thinke that all is well and that God will be mercifull vnto them because they doe no man harme Thus we see how the deuill blinds the eyes of men for it will not stand for paiment at the day of iudgement to say I haue hurt no man vnlesse we further doe all the good we can The third point is the defence which impenitent sinners make for themselues in these words Lord when saw we thee an hungred or thirstie or naked or in prison or sicke and did not minister vnto thee Thus in their owne defence that which Christ saith they gainsay iustifie themselues Here marke the nature of all impenitent sinners which is to sooth and flatter themselues in sinne and to maintaine their owne righteousnes like to the proud Pharisie in his prayer who bragged of his goodnes and said Lord I thanke thee that I am not as other men are extortioners c. and in the very same manner ignorant persons of all sorts among vs iustifie themselues in their strong faith and bragge of their zeale of Gods glorie and of their loue to their brethren and yet indeede shew no signes thereof And truly we are not to maruell when we see such persons to iustifie themselues before men whereas they shall not be ashamed to doe it at the day of iudgement before the Lord Iesus himselfe The last point is Christs answer to them againe in these words Verily I say vnto you in as much as ye did it not to one of the least of these ye did it not to me This sentence being repeated againe doth teach vs the lesson which we learned before that when we are to shew compassion to any man especially if he be a meÌ„ber of Gods Church we must not consider his outward estate or his basenes in that he waÌ„ts food or raiment but behold Christ in him not respecting him as a man but as a member of Christ. This it is that must mooue vs to coÌ„passion and cause vs to make a supplie of his wants more then any respect in the world beside And surely when Christ in his members comes to our dores and complaines that he is hungrie and sicke and naked if our bowels yearne not towards him there is not so much as a sparke of the loue of God in vs. The seuenth point in the proceeding of the last iudgement is the retribution or reward in these words and they shall go into euerlasting paine and the righteous into life eternall How doe the wicked enter into hell and the godly into heauen Answ. By the powerfull and commaunding voice of Christ which is of that force that neither the greatest rebell that euer was among men nor all the deuills in hell shall be able to withstand it And seeing that after the day of iudgement we must remaine for euer either in heauen or in hell we are to looke about vs and to take heed vnto our hearts Indeede if the time were but a thousand or two thousand yeares then with more reason men might take libertie to themselues but seeing it is without ende we must be most carefull through the whole course of our liues so to liue and behaue our selues that when the day of iudgement shall come we may auoid that fearefull sentence of euerlasting woe and condemnation which shall be pronounced against the wicked And whereas all wicked men shall goe to hell at Christs commaundement it teacheth vs willingly to obey the voice of Christ in the ministerie of the word For if we rebell against his voice in this world when in the day of iudgement sentence shall be pronounced against vs we shall heare an other voice at the giuing whereof we must obey whether we will or no and thereupon goe to euerlasting paine whither we would not Let vs therfore in time denie our selues for our sinnes past and onely relie vpon Christ Iesus for the free remission of them all and for the time to come lead a new reformed life Thus much of the order of Christ his proceeding at the day of iudgement Now follow the vses thereof which are either comforts to Gods Church or duties for all men The first comfort or benefit is this that the same person which died for vs vpon the crosse to worke our redemption must also be our iudge And hence we reape two speciall comforts I. The people of God shall hereby inioy ful redemption from all miseries and calamities which they had in this life So Christ himselfe speaking of the signes of the ende of the world saith to his disciples When you see these things lift vp your heads for your redemption draweth neere Then he shal wipe all teares from their eyes Secondly we shall hereby haue a finall deliuerance from all sinne Now what a ioyful thing it is to be freed from sinne may plainly appeare by the crie of S. Paul O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from this bodie of death And certen it is that he which knowes what sinne is seriously repents him of the same would wish with all his heart to be out of this world that he might leaue off to sinne and thereby cease to displease God The second comfort is this the godly in this world haue many enemies they are reuiled slandered and oftentimes put to death well Christ Iesus at the day of iudgement will take euery mans case into his owne hand he will then heare the complaint of the godly howsoeuer in this world they found no remedie and then he will reuenge their blood that is shed vpon the earth according to their prayer This comfort is to be coÌ„sidered especially of all those that are any way persecuted or molested by the wicked of this world Now follow the duties to be learned of euery one of vs and they are diuers First the consideration of the last iudgement serueth
to teach all ignorāt persons and impenitent sinners repentance and humiliation for their sinnes and to mooue them with all speede to seeke vnto Christ for the pardon of the same When Paul preached to the Athenians he willed them to repent vpon this ground and reason because the Lord hath appointed a day wherein he will iudge the world in righteousnes To speake plainly we can be content to heare the word and to honour him with our lipps yet for the most part all is done but for fashions sake for still we liue in our old sinnes our hearts are not turned but in the feare of God let vs bethinke our selues of the time when wee shall come before the iudge of heauen and earth and haue all our sinnes laide open and wee must answer for them all This is the point which the holy Ghost vseth as a reason to mooue men vnto repentance and assuredly if this will not mooue vs there is nothing in the world will Secondly to this purpose Paul saith If wee would iudge our selues wee should not be iudged Wouldest thou then escape the iudgement of Christ at the last day then in this life iudge thy selfe Nowe a man in iudging of himselfe must performe foure things I. he must examine himselfe of his owne sinnes II. he must confesse thē before the Lord. III. he must condemne himselfe as a iudge vpon the bench giue sentence against himselfe Lastly he must plead pardon and crie vnto God as for life and death for the remission of all his sinnes and he that doth this vnfainedly shal neuer be iudged of the Lord at the last day but if we slacke and neglect this dutie in this life then vndoubtedly there remaines nothing but eternall woe in the world to come Thirdly by this we may learne one not to iudge or condemne another as Paul sayeth Iudge nothing before the time vntill the Lord come who lighten all things that are in darknes make the counsels of the hearts manifest And Christ saith Iudgement is mine and iudge not and ye shall not be iudged And againe Paul saith to the Romans Why doest thou iudge thy brother for we must all appeare before the iudgement seat of Christ but some will aske howe doth one iudge another Ans. Thus I. when a man doth well to saie of him that he doth euill II. when a man doth euill then to make it worse III. when a thing is doubtfull to take it in the worst part And by any of these three waies we are not to iudge either of mens persons or of their actions Fourthly wee must endeauour our selues to keepe a good conscience before God and before all men This is the practise of S. Paul who in consideration and hope of a resurrection vnto iudgement as well of the iust as of the vniust endeauoured himselfe to haue alwaies a cleare conscience both towards God and towards men His example is worthie our marking and imitation for fewe there be that vpon this occasion make any conscience either of duty to God or to their brethren Fifthly the last iudgement must stirre vs vp to a reuerend feare of God cause vs to glorifie him as the Angel saith in the Reuelation Feare God and giue glorie to him for the houre of his iudgement is come And doubtlesse if any thing in the world will mooue a man to feare the Lord it is this to remember the fearefull and terrible daie of iudgement Nowe hauing spoken hitherto of the first person the father and also of the sonne it followeth in the next place to speake of the third person in these wordes I beleeue in the holy Ghost In which wee may consider two things the title of the person and the action of faith repeated from the beginning The title is Holy Ghost or spirit It may here be demanded howe this title can be fit to expresse the third person which seemes to bee common to the rest for the father is holy and the sonne is holy againe the father is a spirit and the sonne is a spirit Ans. Indeed the father and the sonne are as wel to be tearmed holy in respect of their natures the third person for all three subsisting in one and the same godhead are consequently holy by one and the fame holinesse but the third person is called holy because beside the holinesse of nature his office is to sanctifie the Church of God Nowe if it be said that sanctification is a work of the whole Trinitie the answer is that although it be so yet the worke of sanctification agrees to the Holy Ghost in speciall manner The father sanctifieth by the sonne and by the holy Ghost the sonne sanctifieth from the father and by the Holy Ghost the holy Ghost sanctifieth from the father and from the sonne by himselfe immediatly and in this respect is the third person tearmed holy Againe the third person is tearmed a Spirit not onely because his nature is spirituall for in that respect the father is a spirit and the sonne is a spirit but because hee is spired or breathed from the father and from the sonne in that he procedes from them both Thus wee see there is a speciall cause why the third person is called the Holy Ghost Nowe the action of faith which concernes the third person is to beleeue in him Which is I. to acknowledge the Holy Ghost as he hath reuealed himselfe in the word II. In special to beleeue that he is my sanctifier and comforter III. To put all the confidence of my heart in him for that cause In these wordes are comprised foure points of doctrine which are to be beleeued cōcerning the holy Ghost The first that he is very God For we are not to put our affiance or confidence in any but in God alone And no doubt the penners of the Creede in that they prefixed these wordes I beleeue in before the article of the third person meant thereby to signifie that he is true God equall with the father and the sonne according to the tenour of the Scriptures themselues Peter saith to Ananias Why hath Satan filled thine heart that thou shouldest lie vnto the Holy Ghost and continuing the same speech he changeth the tearme onely and saith Thou hast not lied vnto men but vnto God Whereby hei nsinuateth that the Holy Ghost is very God In the vision of the Prophet Isai the wordes by him set downe are thus I heard the voice of Iehoua saying Whome shall I send c. and he said God and say to this people Ye shall heare indeed but ye shall not vnderstand But Paul quoting the same place spake on this manner Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esay the Prophet saying Goe vnto this people and say vnto them Now these places being compared togither make it plaine that the title of Iehova agreeth to the holy Ghost But yet the enemies of this truth which thinke that the Holy
Ghost is nothing els but the action or operation of God obiect out of the Scriptures to the contrarie I. God knoweth the sonne the holy Ghost knoweth not the sonne for none knoweth the sonne but the father ergo the holy Ghost is not God Ans. That place excludeth no person in Trinitie but onely creatures and false gods and the meaning is this None that is no creature or idol god knoweth the sonne of God but the father And the opposition is made to exclude creatures not to exclude the holy Ghost Againe they obiect that the holy Ghost maketh request for vs with grones and sighes that can not be vttered therefore say they the Holy ghost is not God but rather a gift of God For he that is true God can not pray grone or sigh Ans. Pauls meaning is thereby to signifie that the Holy Ghost causeth vs to make requests and stirreth vp our hearts to grone and sigh to God for he said before we haue receiued the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba father Yet further they obiect the words of the Angel Gabriel to the virgin Marie saying The vertue of the most high hath ouershadowed thee and hence they gather that if the holy Ghost be the vertue of God then he is not God indeede Ans. As Christ is called the Word of God not a worde made of letters or syllables but a substantial word that is beeing for euer of the same substance with the father so in this place the holy ghost is called the vertue of the most highest not because he is a created qualitie but because he is the substantiall vertue of the Father and the sonne and therefore God equall with them both Furthermore they alleadge that neither the scriptures nor the practise of the Primitiue Church doth warrant vs to pray to the holy Ghost Ans. It is not true For whēsoeuer we direct our praier to any of the three persons in him we pray to them all Besides we haue example of praier made to the holy Ghost in the word of God For Paul saith to the Corinthians The grace of our Lord Iesus the loue of god the father the fellowship of the holy ghost be with you all And the words are as if S. Paul had said thus O Father let thy loue O Sonne let thy grace O holy Ghost let thy fellowship bee with them all And therefore this first doctrine is true and as well to bee beleeued as any other that the Holy Ghost is God The second point is that the Holy Ghost is a distinct person from the father and the sonne Hereupon the articles touching the three persons are thus distinguished I beleeue in the father I beleeue in the sonne I beleeue in the holy Ghost This point also is consonant to the Scriptures which make the same distinction In the baptisme of Christ the father vttereth a voice from heauen saying This is my beloued Sonne in whome I am well pleased and not the sonne or the holy ghost Secondly the sonne stood in the water and was baptized by Iohn and not the father or the holy Ghost Thirdly the holy Ghost descended from heauen vpon Christ in the forme of a doue and not the father or the sonne but the holy Ghost alone Christ in his commission vnto his disciples saith Goe teach all nations baptizing them into the name of the father the sonne and the Holy Ghost Now if the Holy Ghost had beene the same person either with the father or with the sonne then it had bene sufficient to haue named the father and the sonne onely And the distinction of the third person from the rest may be conceiued by this that the Holy Ghost is the Holy Ghost and not the father or the sonne The third point to bee beleeued is that the holy Ghost proceedeth from the father and the sonne For a further proofe hereof consider these places Paul saith Ye are not in the flesh but in the spirit for the spirit of God dwelleth in you But if any man haue not the spirit of Christ hee is not his And againe Because ye are sonnes God hath sent forth the spirit of the sonne into your hearts where we may obserue that the holy Ghost is the spirit both of the father and of the sonne Now the holy Ghost is called the spirit of the father not only because he is sent of him but because hee proceedeth from the father as Christ saith to his disciples When the comforter will come whome I shall send vnto you from the father euen the spirit of trueth vvhich proceedeth of the father hee shall testifie of me And therefore likewise he is the spirit of the sonne not onely because he is sent of the sonne but also because hee proceedeth from him Againe in the Trinitie the person sending doth communicate his whole essence and substance to the person sent As the father sending the sonne doeth communicate his essence and substance to the sonne For sending doth presuppose a communication of essence Nowe the father and the sonne send the holy Ghost therefore both of them communicate their substance and essence vnto the same person Thirdly Christ saith The holy Ghost hath receiued of mine which he shall shewe vnto you namely knowledge and trueth to be reuealed vnto his Church Whence we may reason thus the person receiuing knowledge from another receiues essence also the holy Ghost receiues truth and knowledge from Christ to be reuealed vnto the Church and therefore first of all he hath receiued substance and essence from the sonne But some peraduenture will say where is it written in all the bible in expresse wordes that the holv Ghost proceedes from the sonne as he proceedes from the father Answer The scripture saith not so much in plaine tearmes yet we must know that that which is gathered forth thence by iust cōsequence is no lesse the truth of god then that which is expressed in words Hereupon all Churches saue those in Greece with one confent acknowledge the trueth of this point The fourth and last point is that the holy Ghost is equall to the father and the sonne And this we are taught to acknowledge in the Creede in that wee doe as well beleeue in the Holy Ghost as in the father and the sonne And though the holy Ghost be sent of the father and the sonne yet as I haue said before that argues no inequalitie for one equall may send another by consent but order onely whereby the Holy Ghost is last of all the three persons Againe in that the holy Ghost receiueth from the sonne it prooues no inferiority Because he receiues frō the sonne whatsoeuer he receiues by nature and not by grace And he receiues not a part but all that the sonne hath sauing the proprietie of his person Nowe followe the benefits which are giuen by the holy Ghost and they are of two sorts some are common to all
And the earnest in a bargain it may be is but a penie laid down for the paying of twentie thousand pound The second question is whether the graces of the holy Ghost may be wholly lost or not Ans. The common gifts of the spirit may be lost and extinguished But the gifts proper to the Elect can not Indeed they may be diminished couered as coales vnder ashes and as the sappe in the roote of the tree in the winter season not appearing at all in the branches the feeling of them may be lost but they can not either finally or totally be abolished It is true that God doth forsake his children but that is onely in part as he left Ezechias to prooue and trie what was in his heart A mother that loues her child most tenderly sets it downe in the flore lets it stand and fall and breake the face and all this while shee hides her selfe not because her purpose is to leaue her child quite or to make it hurt it selfe but that wheÌ„ shee taketh it vp againe it may loue her the better So dealeth the holy Ghost with men to make them see their owne weaknes and frailtie he hides himselfe as it were in some corner of the heart for a season that they may the more earnestly hunger after grace the want whereof they feele The vse of this article whereby we confesse that we beleeue in the holy Ghost is manifold First considering that all the gifts which any man hath whether they be gifts of knowledge in the word of God or of humane learning or againe gifts whereby men are inabled to practise their trades or handicrafts doe come not from our selues but from the holy Ghost we are taught this dutie Looke what gifts soeuer we for our parts haue receiued of the spirit of God we must vse them so as they may euer serue for the glorie of God and good of our brethren and not to the practising and setting forth of any manner of sinne and by consequent to the seruice of the deuill For that is as if a man receiuing riches and reuenues of his prince should straight way goe to the princes enemie and employ them for his benefit which were a point of exceeding trecherie Furthermore in euery place the greater part of men are blinde and ignorant persons both yong and old and aged folkes as they are ignorant themselues so they nuzzle vp their youth in ignorance Conferre with them you sâ—all finde that they can say nothing but that which may be learned by common talke as that there is a God and that this God must be worshipped but aske them further of the meanes of their saluation and of their duties to God and man and they will answer you that they are not booke-learned tell them further that the ordinarie meanes to bring men to knowledge is the preaching of the word which if they will not vse they shall be inexcusable they will say alas we are dull of memorie and cannot learne Wel for all this thou saiest thou beleeuest in the holy Ghost and he is thy schoolemaster to teach thee though thy capacitie be dull yet he is able to open thine vnderstanding for as there is outward teaching by the minister so the worke of the holy Ghost is ioyned withall to enlighten the conceit of the mind that they which heare the word with reuerence may profit thereby and get knowledge But if for all this men will not learne but remaine ignorant still then let them marke the example of the sonnes of Eli he in some part did rebuke them for their wickednes but yet they would not obey and the reason is there set downe because the Lord would destroy them In the same manner howsoeuer we may not iudge of any mans person yet this may be said that if men refuse to heare the word of God when they may or if in hearing they will not obey it is a fearefull signe that God will at length destroy them When a trumpet is sounded in a mans eare and he lies still not stirring at all he is certenly dead And surely when the trumpet of the Gospel is sounded in the eares of our hearts if we awake not out of our sinnes to newnes of life we are no better then dead men before God Wherefore the case beeing thus dangerous and the punishment so great let vs labour in time for the knowledge of Gods will preuent Gods iudgements before they light vpon vs. Thirdly as the Apostle saith If we liue in the spirit we must walke in the spirit that is if we be dead vnto sinne by the power of the holy Ghost and be raised vp to newnes of life then we must walke in the spirit Now to walke in the spirit is to lead our liues in shewing forth the fruits of the spirit In Esai the holy Ghost is compared vnto water powred forth on the drie land which maketh the willowes to blossome and to beare fruit wherefore those that haue the gifts of the spirit must be trees of righteousnes bringing forth the fruits of the spirit which as they are set downe by Paul are principally nine The first fruit is loue which respects both God and man Loue vnto God is an inward and spirituall motion in the heart whereby God is loued absolutely for himselfe This loue shewes it selfe in two things I. when a mans heart is set and disposed to seeke the honour and glorie of God in all things II. when a man by all meanes striues and endeauours himselfe to please God in euery thing counting it a most miserable estate to liue in the displeasure of God and the heart that is thus affected can haue no greater torment then to fall into sinne whereby God is offended and his displeasure prouoked By these two signes a man may know whether he loue God or no and by them also must he testifie his loue Now our loue to man is a fruit of this loue of God for God is to be loued for himselfe man is loued for God This loue must not be in shew onely but in deede and action S. Iohn biddeth vs not to loue in word and tongue onely but in deede and truth Brotherly loue doth not alwaies lie hid but when an occasion is offered it doth breake forth into action it is like fire which though for a time it be smothered yet at length it breakes forth into a flame And so much loue a man sheweth to his neighbour as he hath and where none is shewed none is The second fruit is Ioy when a man is as glad at the good of his neighbour as at his owne good and this is a speciall worke of the holy Ghost For the nature of man is to pine away and to grieue at the good of another and contrariwise it is a worke of grace to reioyce thereat Paul saith Reioyce with them that reioyce And this was the holy practise of the
We are carefull to flie the infection of the bodily plague oh then how carefull should we be to flie the common blindnesse of minde and hardnes of heart which is the very plague of all plagues a thousand fold worse then all the plagues of Egypt And it is so much the more fearefull because the more it takes place the lesse it is perceiued When a malefactour on the day of assise is brought forth of the iayle with great bolts and fetters to come before the iudge as he is going all men pitie him and speake comfortably vnto him but why so because he is now to be arraigned at the barre of an earthly iudge Now the case of all impenitent sinners is farre more miserable then the case of this man for they lie fettered in bondage vnder sinne and Satan and this short life is the way in which they are going euery houre to the barre of Gods iustice who is the King of kings and Lord of lords there to be arraigned and to haue sentence of condemnation giuen against them Now canst thou pitie a man that is before an earthly iudge and wilt thou not be touched with the miserie of thine owne estate who goest euery day forward to the barre of Gods iustice whether thou be sleeping or waking sitting or standing as a man on the sea in a shippe goes continually toward the hauen though he himselfe stirre not his foote Begin now at length to lay this point to your hearts that so long as ye runne on in your blind waies without repentance as much as ye can yee make post hast to hel-ward and so long as you continue in this miserable condition as Peter saith Your iudgement is not farre off and your damnation sleepeth not Thirdly seeing those whom God hath purposed to refuse shall be left vnto themselues and neuer come to repentance we are to loue and embrace the word of God preached taught vnto vs by the ministers of the Gospell withall submitting our selues vnto it and suffering the Lord to humble vs thereby that we may come at length out of the broad way of blindnes of mind and hardnes of heart leading to destruction into the strait way of true repentance and reformation of life which leadeth to saluation For so long as a man liues in this world after the lusts of his owne heart he goes on walking in the very same broad way to hell in which all that are ordained to condemnation walke and what a fearefull thing is it but for a little while to be a companion in the way of destruction with them that perish and therefore I say once againe let vs all in the feare of God lay his word vnto our hearts and heare it with reuerence so as it may be in vs the sword of the spirit to cut downe the sinnes and corruptions of our natures and worke in vs a reformation of life and true repentance The third point concerning the decree of Reprobation is the Iudgement to be giuen of it This iudgement belongeth to God principally and proâ—erly because he knoweth best what he hath determined concerning the estate of euery man and none but he knowes who they be which are ordained to due and deserued damnation And againe he onely knoweth the hearts and wills of men and what grace he hath giuen them what they are and what all their sinnes be and so doth no angel nor creature in the world beside As for men it belongs not to them to giue iudgement of reprobation in themselues or in others vnlesse God reueale his will vnto them and giue them a gift of discerning This gift was bestowed on sundrie of the Prophets in the olde testament and in the newe testament on the Apostles Dauid in many psalmes makes request for the confusion of his enemies not praying onely against their sinnes which we may do but euen against their persons which we may not doe No doubt he was guided by Gods spirit and receiued thence an extraordinarie gift to iudge of the obstinate malice of his aduersaries And Paul praies against the person of Demetrius saying The Lord reward him according to his doings And such kind of praiers were lawful in them because they were carried with pure and vpright zeale and had no doubt a speciall gift whereby they were able to discerne of the finall estate of their enemies Againe God sometimes giues this gift of discerning of some mens finall impenitencie to the Church vpon earth I say not to this or that priuate person but to the bodie of the Church or greater part thereof S. Iohn writing vnto the Churches saith There is a sinne vnto death that is against the holy Ghost I say not that thou shouldest praie for it in which wordes he takes it for graunted that this sinne might be discerned by the Church in those daies And Paul saith If any man beleeue not the Lord Iesus let him be had in execration Mara-natha that is pronounced accursed to euerlasting destruction Whence it appeares that the Church hath power to pronounce men reiected to euerlasting damnation vpon some speciall occasions though I dare not say ordinarily and vsually The primitiue Church with one consent praied against Iulian the Apostata and the praiers made were not in vaine as appeared by the euent of his fearefull ende As for priuate and ordinarie men for the tempering and rectifying of their iudgements in this case they must followe two rules The one is that euery member of the Church is bound to beleeue his owne election It is the commandement of God binding the very conscience that wee should beleeue in Christ. Nowe to beleeue in Christ is not onely to put our affiance in him and to be resolued that we are iustified and sanctified and shall be glorified by him but also that we were elect to saluation in him before the beginning of the worlde which is the foundation of the rest Againe if of things that haue necessarie dependance one vpon another we are to beleeue the one then we are to beleeue the other Nowe election and adoption are things conioined and the one necessarily depends vpon the other For all the elect as Paul saith are predestinate to adoption and wee are to beleeue our owne adoption and therefore also our election The second rule is that concerning the persons of those that be of the Church we must put in practise the iudgement of charitie and that is to esteeme of them as of the elect of God till God make manifest otherwise By vertue of this rule the ministers of Gods worde are to publish and preach the gospel to all without exception It is true indeed there is both wheate and darnell in Gods fielde chaffe and corne in Gods barne fish and drosse in Gods net sheepe and goates in Christs folde but secret iudgements belong vnto god the rule of loue which is to think wish the best of others is to be followed
in the day of iudgement of whome Christ shall say that he neuer knew them Againe he saith He which beleeueth not is alreadie iudged and the wrath of God abides vpon him But if all were effectually redeemed onely condemned for not beleeuing in Christ it should haue beene saide that they are alreadie iudged and that the wrath of God not abides but returnes vpon them Christ makes no intercession for the world and therefore his redemption is not effectuall to all men For the intercession is the meanes of applying the satisfaction If it be saide that by the world is meant onely contemners of grace it appeares to be otherwise in that Christ opposeth the world to them which are the fathers and are giuen to Christ by him thereby signifying that by the world he meanes all such as are not the fathers and were neuer giuen to Christ. And he laies downe his life for his sheepe now the sheepe haue all these brands or marks they heare his voice they know him they follow him they shall not perish none shall pluck them out of Christs hands and these are onely such of whom Paul saith Who shal lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect it is God that iustifieth who shall condemne And if this should be true that Christ was crucified and died no lesse to make satisfaction for the sinnes of the damned then for the sinnes of Peter and Paul and the rest of the Saints it followes necessarily that all their sinnes are forgiuen considering that remission of sinne depends inseparably vpon satisfaction made to Gods iustice for sinne and satisfaction doth necessarily abolish all fault We graunt that Christs death is sufficient to saue many thousand worlds we graunt againe it is euery way most effectuall in it selfe but that it is effectuall in or vnto the person of euery man that we denie For if it were thus effectual then it should be applied to the person of euery man as to Cain Iudas Nero Heliogabalus c. euen as the plaister is laid to the sore beeing applied Christs righteousnes should be imputed for the iustification and sanctification of all and euery maÌ„ and thus some iustified before God and sanctified should after goe to hell and be damned whereas Dauid neuer so much as dreaming of this diuinitie saith that they are blessed which haue the pardon of their sinnes and Paul that they which are iustified haue peace with God But let vs heare what reasons may be alleadged to the Vniuersalitie of redemption I. Ezechiel 33. v. 11. As I liue saith the Lord I will not the death of the wicked but that the wicked returne from his wicked way Answ. The place is to be vnderstood not simply but in respect of the twaine God rather wils the repentance of the sinner then his death Againe he wills not death as it is the destruction of his creature and so this place may be vnderstood yet neuertheles he wills the same as it is a means of manifestation of his iustice and therefore the prophet Esai saith that God createth euill II. 1. Tim. 2. God would haue all men to be saued and come to the acknowledgement of the truth Ans. The place is meant not of the persons of all particular men but of the orders and kinds of men For in the first verse Paul exhorted Timothie that praier should be made for all men and in the second verse opening his owne meaning he addeth these wordes for kings and all that be in authoritie as though he should say wee must pray not onely for priuate men and for the common people but also for publike persons though they persecute the Gospell But why because in that very order God hath his elect which shall be saued And on this manner Paul expounds himselfe elsewhere There is neither Iewe nor Grecian there is neither bond nor free there is neither male nor female for ye are all one in Christ. III. Rom. 11. v. 32. God hath shut vp all in vnbeleefe that he might haue mercy on all Ans. The word all must be vnderstood of all that are to be saued both of Iewes and Gentiles as the article added to all importeth and the meaning is that God will saue all whome hee purposeth to saue of his mercy and not of their merit because al are sinners as well Iewes as Gentiles thus Paul expoundes himselfe Galat. 3.22 The scripture hath concluded all vnder sinne that the promise by the faith of Iesus Christ should be giuen to them that beleeue And if wee should expound the worde all for euery particular man as some would haue it Paul must contradict himselfe who said before that God would haue mercie on whome hee will haue mercy and whome he will he hardeneth and in this very chapter his drift is to prooue the reiection of the Iewes and the calling of the Gentiles IV. Ioh. 3. 16. God so loued the world that he hath giuen his onely begotten sonne that whosoeuer beleeueth in him shall not perish but haue euerlasting life and Ioh. 6. â—1 I will giue my flesh for the life of the world Answ. By world wee must not vnderstand euery particular man in the worlde but the Elect among the Iewes and Gentiles for in both these places Christ doth ouerthwart the conceit of the Iewes which thought that they alone were loued of God and not the Gentiles And howe this word is to be vnderstood in the newe testament Paul doeth fully declare Rom. 11. v. 12. If saith he the fall of them that is the Iewes be the riches of the worlde and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles c. and v. 15. If the casting away of them be the reconciling of the worlde what shall the receiuing be but life from the dead Where by the worlde hee vndestandes the bodie of the Gentiles in the last age of the world And thus he fully declares his owne meaning when he saith to the Corinthians God was in Christ reconciling the world vnto himselfe V. Rom. 14. v. 15. Destroy not him with thy meate for whome Christ dyed 2. Pet. 2.1 Denying the Lord that bought them and bring vpon themselues swift damnation Therefore Christ died for them also which are condemned Answ. The reason is not good For in these and such like places the scripture speakes of men not as they are indeede before God but as they are in appearance and profession and as they are in the acceptation with men For so long as a man holdes and imbraces the Christian faith so long in the iudgement of charitie wee must esteeme him to be one that is redeemed by Christ though indeede he be not And this is the meaning of Peter when he saith that false prophets denie the Lord that bought them IV. In the preaching of the gospell grace is freely offered not onely to the Elect but to all men indifferently and God in offering grace deludes no
haue receiued the spirit of adoption whereby we crie Abâ—a that isâ— father And Rom. 8.26 Likewise the spirit helpeth our infirmities for we know not what to pray as we ought but the spirit it selfe maketh request And Zach. 12.10 the holy Ghost is called the spirit of grace and deprecatioâ—s or praiers Well then the man that would pray must haue Gods spirit to be his schoole-master to teach him to pray with grones and sighes of the heart for the words make not the prayer but the grones and desires of his heart and a man praies for no more then he desires with the heart and he which desires nothing praies not at all but spends lip-labour The second worke of the spirit is to assure vs in our consciences that we are in the state of grace reconciled to God Rom. 8.16 The spirit of adoption beareth witnesse with our spirits that we are the children of God And this inward certificate of the spirit in all exercises of inuocation is very necessarie for he which wants this assurance if he be secure and benummed in his sinnes will not and if he be touched in conscience for them for his life dare not cal God father Also this confutes the opinion of the Church of Rome which teacheth that man is to doubt whether he be adopted or no. For how can a man truly call God father when he doubts whether he be the child of God or no It is a miserable kind of praying to cal God father and withall to doubt whether he be a father Indeede it is true that doubts will often arise but it is our dutie to striue against them and not to yeeld to them Yea but say they to be certaine of Gods mercy is presumption I answer if it be presumption it is an holy presumption because God hath bidden vs to call him father Our Father 1. The meaning THus much of the argument of relation now let vs proceedeâ— It is further said Our father And he is so tearmed because he is the father of Christ by nature and in him the father of euery beleeuer yea of the whole bodie of the Church Quest. Whether may it be lawfull for vs in praier to say not our father but my father Ans. A Christian may in priuate praier say My father This is warranted by the example of our Sauiour Matth. 26. â—9 O my father if it be possible let this cup passe from me And Math. 27.46 My God my God why hast thou forsaken me And Thomas praied My Lord and my God And Paul I giue thanks to my God c. And Gods promise is Ier. 3.19 Thou shalt call me my father The meaning of Christ is not to binde vs to these words but to teach vs that in our praiers we must not haue regard to our selues onely but also to our brethren and therefore when we pray for them in our priuate praiers as for our selues we put in practise the true meaning of these words 2. The vses When we pray wee must not make request onely for our selues and our owne good but for others also as the church and people of God perswading our selues that we also are partakers of their praiers and for the better cleering of this point let vs search who they are for whome wee are to pray Of men there be two sorts some liuingâ— some dead Of these two kinds the liuing are to be praied for and there is no praying for the dead A man that is dead knowes what shall bee his estate eternally if he died a wicked person that is an vnrepentant sinner his state shall bee according in eternall torment if he died hauing repented of his sinnes then hee shall rest with God in his kingdome Apoc. 14.13 Blessed are they which die in the Lord for they rest from their labours and their workes follow them Gal. 6.10 While wee haue time let vs doe good to all men Where wee may note that there is a time namely after death when we cannot doe good to others Again of the liuing some are our enemies some our friends Our friends are they which are of the same religion affection and disposition Foes are either priuate or publike Publike foes are either enemies to our countrie as tyrants traitors c. or enemies to our religion as Iewes Turkes Papists Infidels Atheists Now towards all these how ought a man to behaue himselfe in praier Ans. He is to pray for them all Matth. 5.44 Pray for them which hurt you and persecute you 1. Tim. 2.1 I exhort that praiers intercessions c. be made for all men for kings c. Yet wheÌ„ Paul gaue this commandement we read not that there were any Christian kings but all Infidels And the Iewes are commanded to pray for Babylon where they were captiue Ierem. 29.7 And seeke the prosperitie of the cittie whither I haue caused you to be carried captiue and pray vnto the Lord for it Question How and in what manner are wee to pray for our enemies Ans. We are to praie against their â—innes counsels enterprises but not against their persons Thus praied Dauid against Achitophel 2. Sam. 15.31 Lord I pray thee bring the counsell of Achitophel to foolishnesse And thus did the Apostles pray against their persecutors Act. 4.29 O Lord behold their threatnings and graunt vnto thy seruants with all boldnesse to speake thy word Question Dauid vseth imprecations against his enemies in which he prayeth for their vtter confusion as Psal. 59. 109. c. The like is done by Paul Gal. 5.1 2. Tim. 4.14 and Peter Act. 8. 20. though afterwards he mitigates his execration But how could they doe it Ans. 1. They were indued with an extraordinarie measure of Gods spirit and hereby they were inabled to discerne of their enemies and certainly to iudge that their wickednes and malice was incurable and that they should neuer repent And the like praiers did the Primitiue church coÌ„ceiue against Iulian the Apostata because they perceiued him to be a malitious desperate enemie 2. Secondly they were indued with a pure zeale and not carried with desire of reuenge against their enemies intending nothing els but the glorie of God Nowe for vs it is good that wee should suspect our zeale because sinister affections as hatred enuie emulation desire of reuenge will easily mingle themselues therewith Question How farre forth may we vse those Psalmes in which Dauid vseth imprecations against his enemies Ans. They are to bee read and song with these caueats I. We are to vse those imprecations indefinitely against the enemies of God and his Church for we may perswade our selues that alwaies there be some such obstinate enemies but we must not applie them particularly 2. Secondly we must vse them as Augustine saith as certaine propheticall sentences of the holy Ghost pronouncing the last sentence of destruction vpon final and impenitent sinners which oppose themselues against Gods kingdome 3. They may be vsed against our spirituall
And this sanctification is throughout the whole man in the spirite soule and minde 1. Thess. 5.23 And here the spirit signifieth the minde and memorie the soule the will and affections XXXIIII The sanctification of the mind is the enlightning of it with the true knowledge of Gods word It is of two sorts either spirituall vnderstanding or spirituall wisdome Spirituall vnderstanding is a generall conceiuing of euery thing that is to be done or not to be done out of Gods word Spirituall wisdome is a worthie grace of God by which a man is able to vnderstand out of Gods word what is to be done or not to be done in any particular thing or action according to the circumstances of person time place c. Both these are in euery Christian otherwise Paul would neuer haue praied for the Colossians That they might be fulfilled with knowledge of Gods will in all wisdome and spirituall vnderstanding In both these excelled Dauid who testified of himselfe that Gods word was a lanterne to his feete and a light to his paths and that God by his commandements had made him wiser then his enemies that he had more vnderstanding then all his teachers because Gods testimonies were his meditations that he vnderstood more then the ancient because he kept Gods precepts The properties of the mind enlightened are specially two The first is that by it a Christian sees his owne blindnes ignorance and vanitie as appeareth in Dauid who beeing a Prophet of God yet praied Open mine eyes O Lord that I may see the wonders of thy law And thence it is that the godly so much bewailed the blindnes of their minds Contrariwise the wicked man in the middest of his blindnes thinks himselfe to see The second is that the mind runneth and is occupied in a continuall meditation of Gods word So Dauid saith the righteous mans delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law doth he meditate day and night XXXV The memory also is sanctified in that it can both keepe and remember that which is good and agreeable to Gods will whereas naturally it best remembreth lewdnes and wickednes and vanitie This holy memorie was in Dauid I haue hid thy promises in mine heart that I might not sinne against thee And Marie kept all the sayings of Christ and pondered them in her heart And to the exercise of this memorie Salomon hath a good lesson My sonne hearken vnto my words incline thine eares vnto my sayings let them not depart from thine eyes but keepe them in the middest of thine heart XXXVI Furthermore the will of a Christian is renued and purified by Christ which appeareth in that it is so far forth freed from sin that it can will choose that which is good and acceptable to God and refuse that which is euil according to that of Paul It is God which worketh in you the will and the deede euen of his good pleasure Now if a man be considered as he is naturally he can neither will nor performe that which is good but onely that which is euill for he is sold vnder sin as the oxe or the asse committeth iniquitie as the fish draweth in water yea he is in bondage vnder Satā who inspireth his mind with vile motions and boweth his will affections and the members of his bodie to his cursed will so that for his life he is not able to doe any thing but sinne rebel against God And it must be remembred that although the Christian mans will be freed in part from the bondage of sinne in this life yet it shall not be free from the power of sinne vntill the life to come for Paul that worthie Saint saith of himselfe beeing regenerate that he was carnall and sold vnder sinne XXXVII Sanctified affections are knowne by this that they are mooued inclined to that whiah is good to embrace it are not commonly affected and stirred with that which is euill vnlesse it be to eschew it Examples hereof are these which follow To reioyce with them that reioyce And to weepe with them that weepe To reioyce because a mans name is written in heauen To desire Gods presence and fauour as the drie land desireth water To feare and tremble at Gods word To long and to faint after the places where God is worshipped To be vexed in soule from day to day in seeing and hearing the vnlawfull deedes of men and to shed riuers of teares because men breake Gods commandements In feruencie of spirit to serue the Lord. To put on the bowels of compassion towards the miseries of men To be angrie and sinne not To sorrow for the displeasing of God To loue the brethren i◠Christ. To admire at the word of God To loue Gods commandements aboue gold To admire the graces of God in others In feare to serue God and to reioyce in trembling To walke in the feare of God and to be filled with the ioy of the holy Ghost To be heauie through manifold temptations To reioyce in beeing partaker of the sufferings of Christ. To waite on the Lord to reioyce in him and to trust in his holy name To waite for the full redemption To sigh desiring to enioy eternall life To loue the habitation of Gods house and the place where his honour dwelleth To esteeme all things as losse and dung in respect of Christ. XXXVIII But among all these sanctified affections there are foure specially to be marked The first is a zeale for Gods glorie by which a Christian is thus affected that rather then God should loose his glorie he could be content to haue his own soule damned As it was with Moses who feared least God should loose his glorie if he did vtterly destroy the Israelites for their idolatrie whome he had chosen to be his people therefore in this respect praied vnto the Lord Therefore now if thou pardon their sinne thy mercie shall appeare but if thou wilt not I pray thee rase me out of the booke which thou hast written And Paul could haue wished with all his heart to be cut off from all fellowship with Christ and to be giuen vp to eternall destruction for his countrie men the Iewes and for Gods glorie specially Some may say this affection is not common to all but particular to such as are lead with such an exceeding affection as these holy men were and which haue their hearts so pierced and kindled with diuine loue and so rauished with the same out of themselues that they forget all other things yea themselues hauing nothing before their eies but God and his glorie To this I answere that this affection is common to all though the measure of it be diuers in some more in some lesse which appeareth in
the last for a man must bee renewed and come to an vtter disliking of his owne sinnes before hee will turne from them and leaue them XLV By this it may appeare that there is one manner of sinning in the godly another in the vngodly though they fal both into one sin A wicked man when he sinneth in his heart he giueth full consent to the sinne but the godly though they fall into the same sins with the wicked yet they neuer giue full consent for they are in their mindes wills and affections partly regenerate and partly vnregenerate and therefore their wills doe partly will and partly abhorre that which is euil according as Saint Paul saith of himselfe I delight in the lawe of God according to the inner man but I see another law in my members rebelling against the law of my minde and leading me captiue c. And that the godly man neuer giueth full consent to sinne it is euident by three tokens First before he commeth to doe the sinne he hath no purpose nor desire to doe it but his purpose and desire is to doe the will of God contrarie to that sinne Secondly in the act or doing of the sinne his heart riseth against it yet by the strength of temptation and by the mightie violence of the flesh hee is haled and pulled on to doe wickednesse Paul sayeth of himselfe that hee was sold vnder sinne that is he was like a slaue who desireth to escape out of his masters handes and yet is faine in great miserie to serue him Thirdly after hee hath sinned he is sore displeased with himselfe for it and truely repenteth As Peter before the denying of his master had no purpose to doe it but rather to die in his cause In the act he had a striuing with himselfe as appeareth by this that first he answered faintly I knowe not what thou sayest and yet after whē the assault of Satan more preuailed he fell to swearing cursing and banning After his fall he repented himselfe and wept bitterly for it All was contrary in Iudas who went to betray his master with full intent and purpose for the deuil long tempting him vnto it entred into him that is made him yeelde and resolue himselfe to doe it Afterward when Christ was betrayed and condēned Iudas was not sorrowful for his sinne with a godly sorrow but in despaire of mercy hanged himselfe XLVI Fruits worthie of amēdment of life are such fruits as the trees of righteousnesse beare namely good workes for the doing of a good worke there bee three things requisite First it must proceede from iustifying faith For the worke cannot please God except the person please him and the person cannot please him without this faith Secondly it is to be done in obedience vnto Gods reuealed word To obey is better then sacrifice and to harken is better then the fat of Rams Thirdly it is to be referred to Gods glorie Whether ye eate or drinke saith Paul or whatsoeuer ye doe doe all to the glorie of God The speciall all workes of Christians which they and none but they truely performe are these fiue which follow XLVII The first is the good hearing of the word My sheepe saith Christ heare my voice and follow me And againe he which is of God heareth his voice And this was one note of the faithfull in the primitiue Church to assemble to heare the word This good hearing of the word is the sauing hearing that bringeth life eternall In this action Christians are vsually thus disposed Before they come to heare the word of God they make themselues readie to heare it as the men of Berea did who receiued the word with all readines This preparation standeth in two points First they disburden themselues of all impediments that like vnto runners in a race they may be swift to heare these impediments are sinne and troubled affections and they come with humble hearts as fooles that they may become wise Secondly they quicken vp themselues and come vnto the assemblies hungring and thirsting after the word of God as men do after meat and drinke When they are in hearing Gods word first their mindes are fixed and attentiue onely to that which is spoken as Lydias was Secondly they truly beleeue the word of God and carefully apply it to their owne soules Thirdly they feele the liuely power of it in themselues It is as salt in them to draw out their inward corruption it is to them the sword of the spirit and as a sacrificing knife in the hand of Gods minister by which their flesh is killed they are offered vp in a liuing sacrifice to God it is spirit and life to quicken and reuiue their soules that are dead in sin and the reason of this is plaine The word of God preached is as a cup of wine the true Christian is the Lords guest but he hath sauce of his own he bringeth his sugar with him namely his true faith which he tempereth and mingleth with Gods word and so it becommeth vnto him as a cup of sweet wine and as water of life Now the hypocrit because he bringeth no faith with him drinketh of the same but he findes the wine to be sowre and tart and void of rellish and in trueth it is vnto him as a cup of ranke poyson Againe they heare the worde of God as in Gods presence and therefore their hearts are full of feare and trembling And they receiue the Worde not as from man but as from Christ Iesus the onely Doctor of the Church And they regard not so much the Embassadour or his abilitie as the Embassage of reconciliation sent from the king of heauen After they haue heard the word they are bettered in knowledge in affection they remēber it meditate vpon it cōtinually that they may frame all their doings by it Worldly men vse to buy books of statutes to haue thē in their houses to read on that they may knowe how to auoid danger of law And so the faithfull do alwaies set before thē Gods word in al their doings it is their Counseller least they should come into danger of Gods displeasure XLVIII The second worke is the receiuing of the Sacraments of Baptisme once onely when a man is openly and solemnly admitted into the Church and of the Lords supper often The first sealeth vp to the heart of a Christian that he is vnited vnto Christ hath true felloship with him in beeing fully iustified before God inwardly sanctified The second serueth to seale vp in the heart of a Christian the continuall growing and increasing of the same graces This thing euery true beleeuer shall haue often experience of either in or after the receiuing of the Sacrament and yet it shal not be so alwaies for sometimes the Church beeing brought into
not hold him guiltlesse that taketh his name in vaine And the Angels in reuerence to Gods Maiestie couer their faces Isai. 6.2 Concerning our neighbour wee are to consider whether the thing which we are about to speake be good or euill This being weighed if it be good and so commendable then we are readily and cheerefully and that vpon euery occasion to vtter it especially in his absence whether he be a friend or a foe as Saint Iohn writeth of Demetrius Demetrius saith he hath good report of all men and of the trueth it selfe yea and we our selues beare record and ye know that our testimonie is true As for the euill which any shall knowe by his neighbour hee is in no wise to speake of it whether it be an infirmitie or a grosse sinne vnlesse in his conscience he shall find himselfe called of God to speake A man is called to speak in three cases First when he is called before a magistrate and is lawfully required to testifie the euil which he knoweth by another II. When any is to admonish his brother of any fault for his amendment III. When the hurt or danger that may arise of the euil is to be preuented in others As a man may say to one well disposed Take heed of such a mans cōpany for he is giuen to such or such a vice To this ende they of the house of Cloe doe certifie Paul of the disorders in Corinth And Ioseph certifieth his father of his brethrens slanders In this case all treasons are to be reuealed as tending to the ruine of the whole common wealth Thus Elisha reuealeth the secret of the king of Syria And if it shall be thought conuenient to mention the euil which we know by any man it must be done onely in generall manner the person and all circumstances which wil descrie the person concealed Concerning things which are secret in our neighbour we are not to be suspitious but to suspēd both speech iudgement Loue suspecteth no euill Iudge nothing saith Paul before the time vntill the Lord come who will lighten thinges that are hid in darkenes and make the counsels of the heart manifest Augustine hath a good and speciall rule to this purpose that there be three things of which we must giue no iudgement Gods predestination the Scriptures and the estate of men vncalled As touching a mans selfe hee is neither to praise nor dispraise himselfe As Salomon saith Let another praise thee and not thine owne mouth a straunger and not thine owne lippes Yet otherwhiles the times doe fall out that a man may vse an holy kind of boasting especially when the disgrace of the person is the disgrace also of the gospell and of religion and of God himselfe as Paul did But wherein saith he any will vse boldnesse I speake foolishly I will vse boldnes They are Hebrewes so am I c. CHAP. III. Of the manner of our speech and what must be done before we speake THus much of the matter of our speech Nowe followeth the manner In the manner of our speaking three things are to bee pondered what must be done before we speake what in speaking what after wee haue spoken Before we speake consideration must bee vsed of the thing to be spoken and of the ende Iames requireth that men should be slowe to speake and swift to heare Salomon saith Hee that answereth a matter before he heare it it is folly and shame to him The minde is the guid of the tongue therefore men must consider before they speake The tongue is the messenger of the heart and therefore as oft as we speake without meditation going before so oft the messenger runneth without his arrand The tongue is placed in the middle of the mouth and it is compassed in with lips and teeth as with a double trench to shewe vs howe we are to vse heede and preconsideration before wee speake and therefore it is good aduise to keep the key of the mouth not in the mouth but in the cupbord of the mouth Augustine saith well that as in eating and drinking men make choice of meates so in manifolde speeches wee should make choice of talke Here are condemned idle words that is such wordes as are spoken to little or no end or purpose And they are not to be esteemed as little sinnes when as men are to giue account of euery idle word CHAP. IV. What is to be done in speaking and of wisdome VVHen we are in speaking two things are to bee practised first care must be had of the speech that it be gratious secondly it is to be vttered with conuenient bonds of trueth The speech is gratious whē it is so vttered that the graces of god wrought in the heart by the holy Ghost are as it were pictured and painted forth in the same for speech is the very image of the heart Contrarie to this is rotten speech that is all such talke as is voide of grace which is the heart and pith of our speech And by this it appeareth that no voice can bee named but with disliking and hereupon in Scriptures when by occasion a vice should be named in token of a loathing thereof the name of the vice is omitted and the name of the contrarie vertue vsed in the roome thereof as in these wordes For Iob thought It may be that my sonnes haue sinned and blessed that is blasphemed God This being true then by proportion the visible representation of the vices of men in the world which is the substance and matter whereof plaies and enterludes are made is much more to be auoided Gods graces which we are to shew forth in our communication are thes◠Wisdome Truth Reuerence Modestie Meekenes Sobrietie in iudgement Vrbanitie Fidelitie Care of others good name and let vs consider of them in order Wisdome in our speech is a goodly ornament The Apostles when they waited for the holy Ghost in Ierusalem it descended vpon them in the forme of fierie tongues then it is said that they spake as the holy Ghost gaue them vtterance in Apophthegmes or wise sentences And hee that gouerns his tongue wisely addeth doctrine to the lips that is so speaketh as that others be made wise thereby This wisedome is then shewed when a man can in iudgement apply his talke and as it were in good manner make it fit to al the circumstances of persons times places things A foole poureth out all his minde but a wise man keepeth in till afterward A word spoken in his place is like apples of gold with pictures of siluer Now he that would haue his speech to be wise must first of al himselfe become a wise man And the wise man of whome the holy scriptures speake is a godly man and such an one as feareth God because this feare of God is the beginning and head of wisdome as on the contrarie
coast of France gaue themselues to praiers and commended their soules to God as in so great danger it was meete but one among the rest desperatly minded went apart and cried out saying O gallowse claime thy right gallowse claime thy right Now the said partie among the rest as God would haue it escaped safe to land and afterward liuing some space of time in France returned againe to England where he was hanged for stealing of horses and thus according to his desire the gallowâ—e claimed her right Reuerence to man is in two respects either because he is created after the image of God or because he is aboue vs in age gifts authoritie In the first consideration men must haue care to giue such names to children as are proper and fit vsuall and knowne the signification whereof may admonish them of the promises of God of godlines or of some good dutie And there be foure allowed ends of giuing names I. To preserue the memorie of some thing by the name giuen as Adam Israel Isaac II. To signifie some thing to come as Euah Abraham Iohn Peter III. To preserue the name and memorie of parents and kinred which was vsed in the birth of Iohn Baptist. This custome may still be retained if there be any good example in the ancetours that the child may follow IV. That the life and profession of good men may be reuiued in the renuing of their names Here we must take heede in no wise to giue to children the proper names or titles of God as Iesus Immanuel c. Neither are the professours of the Gospel to be intituled by the names of such as haue beene famous instruments in the Church as to be called Calvinists Lutherans c. Now this I say that euery one of you saith I am Pauls and I am Apollos I am Cephas and I am Christs Is Christ deuided was Paul crucified for you either were ye baptized in the name of Paul And it is a bolde part of the pestilent generation of Papists who take to themselues the name of Iesuits whereas the like name of Christian was giuen to the disciples at Antioch not by the deuise of man but by diuine oracle As the changing off the name giuen in baptisme is not to be allowed so the varying of it according to the varietie of language if neither hurt nor fraud to any be intended thereby is not vnlawfull Vpon this ground Saul is called Paul and Christ cals Simon his disciple otherwhiles Cephas otherwhiles Peter And very worthie Diuines in this age that their writings might be read of the aduersaries haue in like sort without offence varied their names Melancthon calls himselfe Dydimus Faventinus and Melangaeus Bucer intitles himselfe Aretius Felinus and Theodore Beze once writ himselfe Nathaniel Nezechius Reuerence to man as he is superiour is in vsing fit titles of reuerence Sara is commended in Scriptures for obeying her husband and for calling him Syr. But excesse must here be auoided when titles of honour proper to God are giuen to men as head of the Catholike church to the Pope Ladie and Queene of heauen to the mother of Christ. This fault Christ reprooueth in the young man saying Why callest thou me good there is none good but God CHAP. VI. Of Modestie and of Meekenesse MOdestie in speech hath diuers caueats first if a man speake any thing of himselfe that is in his owne commendation let him alter the person and speak of himselfe as of another I know a man saith Paul speaking of himselfe in Christ aboue fourteene yeares agoe c. which was taken vp into Paradise and heard words which can not be spoken And Iohn saith of himselfe When Iesus saw his mother and the disciple whome he loued standing by c. Here take heede of boasting whereby men imitate the deuill who said All this power will I giue thee and the glorie of those kingdomes for that is deliuered vnto me and to whomesoeuer I will giue it Againe when a man shall haue occasion to speake of his owne faults and corruptions let him speake the vttermost against himselfe as Paul called himself the first of all sinners But if he be to mention any thing of himselfe that may minister matter of commendation let his speech rather incline to the defect then to the excesse as Paul saith I am least of the Apostles which am not meete to be called an Apostle because I persecuted the Church of God Secondly in the mentioning of things which mooue blushing we are to vse as seemely wordes as may be chosen Gen. 4.1 Afterward Adam knew Hevah his wife which conceiued and bare Cain 1. Sam. 24.4 And when he came to the sheepcoates by the way where there was a caue Saul went into to couer his feete that is to doe his easement Meekenes also is required in communication which is when a man vseth courteous and faire speech Put them in remembrance c. that they be courteous shewing all meeknes to all men for we our selues also were in times past vnwise disobedient c. Meekenes and gentlenes shewes it selfe in Salutations Answers and Reproofes For the first daily experience sheweth that it maketh much for the maintaining of loue to call men by their proper names or surnames And this was a signe of special fauour that God called Moses by his proper name Yet more conuenient it is to salute our betters by names of honour or office Thus the disciples call our Sauiour Christ Rabbi and it was the vsuall manner among the Iewes to call their betters Adon that is Lord or Syr. The formes of salutations are to be after the order practised in Scripture An Angel saluted Gedeon thus The Lord be with thee thou valiant man And Boaz came to Bethlehem and saide to the reapers The Lord be with you and they answered The Lord blesse thee And the Angel saluted Marie Hayle freely beloued the Lord is with thee c. Christ comming among his disciples said Peace be among you and he taught them comming to any house to say Peace be to this house By this it appeareth that our common formes of salutations are commendable which are of diuers sorts as when one meets another God saue you when one goes away God be with you in the morning God giue you a good morning after noone God giue you a good euening when one is going on his iourney God speede your iourney when one is working God speede you in eating much good doe it you when one hath a new office God giue you ioy of your office when one is sicke God comfort you c. And when children salute their fathers and mothers after this manner I pray you father blesse me I pray you mother blesse me it is a seemely thing For God hath made parents to be the instruments of blessing to their children in nurturing them and praying for them as the fifth commandement saith
trueth which wee affirme or denie be doubtfull or contingent then such clauses as these It is so or it is not so as I thinke as I remember as I take it are to be added If one shall say It is so and afterwards it prooue otherwise he receiueth discredit because he spake an vntruth But if he shall say I thinke it is so though it fall out otherwise yet he saueth his credit because he deceiueth not but onely is deceiued An asseueration is a forme of speech wherby one doth vehemently affirme or denie any thing as when a man shall say Verily in truth in very truth without all doubt c. These and such like are not to be vsed at euery word but then onely when a truth of greater importance is to be confirmed When the false prophets among the Iewes and the Priests would not beleeue that Ieremie was sent of God what saith he not simply The Lord hath sent me but In truth the Lord hath sent me Our Sauiour Christ when he vsed to speake any weightie matter vsed to say Amen Amen Verily verily which is a plain asseueration for Amen is more then a simple affirmation and it is lesse then an oath as the very sense of the word doth import which is no more but truly certenly The third is an oath which must not be made by any thing in heauen or earth but onely by the Name of God alone It must be vsed as the last refuge and remedie of all For when any truth of great importance is to be confirmed and all signes euidences proofes witnesses faile among men on earth then we may lawfully fetch the Lord as a witnesse from heauen who is the knower of all truth And in this case an oath may be taken either publikely before a Magistrate or priuately among priuate persons if it bee done with reuerence and consideration as it was betweene Iacob and Laban CHAP. IX What is to be done when we haue spoken AFter a man hath spoken his minde very few words more are to be added He that hath knowledge spareth his wordes In many wordes there can not want iniquitie but he that refraineth his lips is wise He that speaketh many wordes speaketh either false things or superfluous or both as when a riuer ouerflowes the water gathereth much slime so many wordes many faults When a vessell being smitten makes a great noise it is a token that it is emptie and so the sound of many wordes shewes a vaine heart The Gentiles haue said that God gaue a man one tongue and two eares that he might heare more and speake lesse Valerius Maximus reporteth of Xenocrates that beeing in the company of some that vsed railing speeches helde his tongue and beeing asked why hee did so answered That it had repented him that he had spoken but it neuer repented him that he had held his peace And the prouerb is He that will speake what he will shall heare what hee would not To the framing of our speech Ambrose requireth three things a yoke a ballance and a metwand a yoke to keepe it in staied grauitie a ballance to giue it weight of reason a metwand to keepe it in measure and moderation This rule must be practised carefully for the auoiding of chiding brawling and contention Let nothing be done by contention Phil. 2.3 Let students schollers learne to practise this for what shall an other mans opinioÌ„ hurt thee though in reasoning he be not of thy minde in euery point Here take heed of the spirit of Contradiction whereby some by thwarting and contradicting euery man at length prooue either obstinate heretickes or lewd Atheists and make no bones to contradict the holy Ghost and to call the scriptures in question and dispute that there is no God Nowe if a man speake necessarie things though he continue his speech till midnight as Paul did it can not be called immoderate or superfluous talke CHAP. X. Of writing ALL this which is set downe concerning speech must as wel be practised in writing as in speaking Whereby are condemned ballads bookes of loue all idle discourses and histories beeing nothing els but enticements and baites vnto manifold sinnes fitter for Sodome and Gomorrah then for Gods Church And it must be followed as well in speaking of latine or any other tongue as English which students haue not marked for whereas they wil not sweare in English yet in Latine they make no bones of it saying Mehercuse mediùs fidiùs aedipol per deos immortales And whereas they hold but one God in iudgement yet in their Latine exercises they speake of Iupiter and of the Godsâ— after the manner of the heathen What a shame is this that a Christian and that in Christian schooles should either be ashamed or not vse to speake as a Christian but as Atheists doe If thou haue many tongues and knowest not how to vse them well he which hath but his mother tongue ordering it aright is a better linguist then thou CHAP. XI Of silence VVIse and godly silence is as excellent a vertue as holy speech for hee knoweth not howe to speake which knoweth not howe to hold his tongue The rule of our silence must be the law of God By meanes of which wise consideration must be had whether the thing which wee haue in minde be for Gods glorie and our neighbours good which done we are answerably to speake or to be silent Here must be considered the things of which â—ilence must be vsed and the persons before whome The things are many First if any truth be to the hinderance of Gods glorie or of the good of our neighbour it must be coÌ„cealed The concealing of the truth is either in whole or in part In whole when the speaking of the least word is hurtfull As for example the father and the sonne are both sicke at once the sonne dieth first the father asketh whether his sonne be dead or not if it be said no an vntrueth is tolde if yea then the fathers griefe is increased and his death hastened therefore silence is the best In daies of persecution holy Martyrs haue chosen rather to suffer death then to reueale their brethren that haue beene of their priuate assemblies with them The concealing of a thing in part is when a man speaketh a little of the trueth and concealeth the rest Which is warranted in all good and lawefull proceedings which manifestly tend to the glory of god WheÌ„ Samuel is sent to annoint Dauid he answereth the Lord and saith Howe can I goe for if Saul heare of it he will kill me Then the Lord answered Take an heyfer with thee say I am come to doe sacrifice to the Lord and call for Ishai to sacrifice and I will shewe thee what thou shalt doe and thou shalt annoint vnto me him whome I shal name vn-thee When Ieremie had shewed king Zedekiah howe he might escape death then the king said vnto
repentance must be sufficient A thing impossible For sinne doth so greatly offend Gods maiestie that no man can euer mourne enough for it The fourth that contrition doth merit remission of sinne An opinion that doth derogate much from the all-sufficient merits of Christ. The fifth that he that repents must confesse al the sinnes that he can remēber with all their circumstances to his owne priest or one in his stead if he will receiue pardon This kind of confession is a meere forgerie of mans brain I. There is neither precept nor example of it in the Scriptures II. Dauid and others haue repented and haue receiued remission of their sinnes without confessing of their sinnes in particular to any man The last that the sinner by his workes and sufferings must make satisfaction to God for the temporall punishment of his sinnes A flat blasphemie The Scriptures mention no other satisfaction but Christs and if his be sufficiēt ours is needles if ours needfull his imperfect Papists write that both may stand togither Christs satisfaction they say is a plaister in a boxe vnapplied mans satisfaction as a meanes to apply it because it prepares vs to receiue it Ah good diuinitie for euen in common sense the satisfaction of Christ must first bee applied to the person of man that it may please God before the workes which they tearme satisfactions can any way bee acceptable to God To conclude the Romish doctrine of Repentance is the right way to hell For when a sinner shall be taught that he must haue sufficient sorrowe for his sinnes and withall that he must not beleeue the remission of his owne sinnes particularly when sorrow comes vpon him and hee wants sound comfort in Gods mercie he must needs fal into desperation without recouerie Therfore the Papists in the houre of death as we haue experience are glad to leaue the trumperie of humane sattsfactions and to rest onely for their iustification on the obedience of Christ. LAVS DEO THE COMBAT OF THE FLESH AND SPIRIT Gal. 5.17 For the flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh and these are contrarie one to an other so that yee can not doe the things which yee would THe Apostle Paul from the beginning of this chapter to the 13. verse exhorts the Galathians to maintaine their Christian libertie and from thence to the end of the chapter he perswades them to other speciall duties of godlinesse In the 13. verse hee stirres them vp to be seruiceable one to another by loue in the 15. verse he disswades them from contentions and doing of iniuries In the 16. verse he shewes the remedie of the former sinnes which is to walke according to the spirit In this 17. verse he renders a reason of the remedie the force whereof is this The flesh and the spirit are contrarie wherefore if ye walke according to the spirit it will hinder the flesh that it shal not carrie you forward to doe iniuries and liue in contentions as otherwise it would In this verse we haue to obserue fiue points The first that there is a combat betweene the flesh and the spirit in these words The flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh The second is the matter of this combat which stands in the contrary lusting of the flesh and the spirit The third is the cause of the combate in these words and those are contrarie The fourth is the subiect or person in whome this combat is noted in these wordes So that yee the Galathians The last is the effect of the combate in the last words that they cannot doe c. Touching the combat it selfe diuers points are to be considered The first what these two which make combat namely the flesh the spirit are They haue diuers significations First of all the spirit is taken for the soule and the flesh for the bodie But so they are not taken in this place For there is no such combat betweene the bodie and the soule both which agree togither to make the person of one man Secondly the spirit signifies natural reason the flesh the naturall appetite or concupiscence But they cannot be so vnderstood in this place For the spirit here mentioned doth fight euen against naturall reason which though it serue to make a man without excuse yet is it an enemie to the spirit Thirdly the spirit signifies the Godhead of Christ and the flesh the manhood but it must not be so taken here For then euery mā regenerate should bee deified Lastly the spirit signifies a created qualitie of holinesse which by the holy Ghost is wrought in the minde wil and affections of man and the flesh the naturall corruption or inclination of the minde will and affections to that which is against the lawe In this sense these twaine are taken in this place Secondly it is to be considered howe these twaine the flesh and the spirit can fight togither beeing but meere qualities And wee must know that they are not seuered asunder as though the flesh were placed in one part of the soule and the spirit in another but they are ioyned and mingled togither in al the faculties of the soule The minde or vnderstanding part is not one part flesh and another spirit but the whole minde is flesh and the whole minde is spirit partly one and partly the other The whole will is partly flesh and partly spirit the flesh and the spirit that is grace and corruption not seuered in place but onely in reason to be distinguished As the aire in the dawning of the day is not wholly light or wholly darke as at midnight and at noone day neither is it in one part light in another part darke but the whole aire is partly light and partly dark throughout In a vessel of luke warme water the water it selfe is not onely hote or onely cold or in one part hote and in another part colde but heate and colde are mixt togither in euery part of the water So is the flesh and the spirit mingled togither in the soule of man and this is the cause why these two contrarie qualities fight togither Thirdly in this combat we are to consider what equalitie there is betweene these two combaters the flesh and the spirit And we must know that the flesh vsually is more in measure then the spirit The flesh is like the mightie gyant Goliah and the spirit is litle and small like young Dauid Hence it is that Paul calls the Corinthians which were men iustified and sanctified carnall I could not saith he brethren speake vnto you as vnto spirituall but as vnto carnall as vnto babes in Christ. And none can come to be tall men in Christ according to the age of the fulnesse of Christ till after this life And the speech which is vsed of some diuines that the man regenerate hath but the reliques of sinne in him must be vnderstood warily else it may
disarme him make him altogither vnable to preuaile against vs. Now to finde out this matter we neede not to vse the counsell of any Delilah for wee haue the worde of God which teacheth vs plainly where the strength of death consists namely in our sinnes as Paul saith The sting of death is sinne Well then we knowing certainly that the power and force of euery mans particular death lies in his owne sinnes must spend our time and studie in vsing good meanes that our sinnes may be remooued and pardoned And therefore wee must daily inure our selues in the practise of two duties One is to humble our selues for all our sins past partly confessing them against our selues partly in prayer crying to heauen for the pardon of them The other is for time to come to turne vnto god and to carrie a purpose resolution and indeauour in al things to reforme both heart and life according to Gods worde These are the verie principall and proper duties whereby the strength of death is much rebated and he is made of a mightie and bloodie enemie so farre forth friendly and tractable that we may with comfort incounter with him and preuaile too Therefore I commend these duties to your Christian considerations and carefull practise desiring that ye would spend your daies euer hereafter in doing of them If a maÌ„ were to deale with a mightie dragon or serpent hand to hand in such wise as he must either kill or bee killed the best thing were to bereaue him of his sting or of that part of his bodie where his poyson lies nowe death it selfe is a serpent dragon or scorpion and sinne is the sting or poison whereby hee woundes and kills vs. Wherefore without any more delay see that yee pull out his sting the practise of the foresaid duties is as it were a fitte and worthie instrument to doe the deede Hast thou beene a person ignorant of Gods wil a contemner of his word and worship a blasphemer of his name a breaker of his sabbaths disobedient to parents and magistrates a murderer a fornicator a railer a slanderer a couetous person c. reforme these thy sinnes and all other like vnto them pull them out by the rootes from thy heart and cast them off So many sinnes as bee in thee so many stings of death bee also in thee to wound thy soule to eternall death Therefore let no one sinne remaine for which thou hast not humbled thy selfe and repented seriously When death hurts any man it takes the weapons whereby he is hurt from his owne hand It cannot doe vs the least hurt but by the force of our owne sinnes Wherefore I say again againe lay this point to your hearts spend our strength life and health that ye may before ye die abolish the strength of death A man may put a serpent in his bosome when the sting is out and wee may let death creepe into our bosoms and gripe vs with his legs and stab vs at the heart so long as he brings not his venime and poison with him And because the former duties are so necessarie as none can be more I wil vse some reasons yet further to enforce them Whatsoeuer a man would doe when he is dying the â—ame he ought to doe euerie daie while he is liuing now the most notorious and wicked person that euer was when hee is dying will praie and desire others to praie for him and promise amendement of life protesting that if he might liue he would becom a practitioner in al the good duties of faith repentance and reformation of life Oh therefore bee carefull to doe this euerie daie Againe the saying is true hee that would liue when hee is dead must die while he is aliue namely to his sinnes Wouldest thou then liue eternally sue to heauen for thy pardon and see that now in thy life time thou die to thine owne sinnes Lastly wicked Balaam would faine die the death of the righteous but alas it was to smal purpose for he would by no meanes liue the life of the righteous For his continuall purpose and meaning was to followe his old waies in sorceries and couetousnesse Nowe the life of a righteous man standes in the humbling of himselfe for his sinnes past and in a careful reformation of life to come Wouldest thou then die the death of the righteous then look vnto it that thy life be the life of the righteous if ye will needs liue the life of the vnrighteous yee must looke to die the death of the vnrighteous Remember this and content not your selues to heare the word but bee doers of it for ye learne no more indeede what measure of knowledge soeuer ye haue then ye practise The third dutie in our generall preparation is in this life to enter into the first degree of life eternall For as I haue said there bee three degrees of life euerlasting and the first of them is in this present life For he that would liue in eternall happinesse for euer must begin in this world to rise out of the graue of his owne sinnes in which by nature hee lies buried and liue in newnesse of life as it is said in the Reuelation Hee that will escape the second death must bee made partaker of the first resurrectioÌ„ And Paul saith to the Colossians that they were in this life deliuered from the power of darkenesse and translated into the kingdome of Christ. And Christ saith to the Church of the Iewes the kingdome of heauen is amongst you Nowe this first degree of life is when a man can say with Paul I liue not but Christ liues in me that is I finde partly by the testimonie of my sanctified conscience and partly by experience that Christ my redeemer by his spirit guideth and gouerneth my thoughts will affectionsâ— all the powers of body and soule according to the blessed direction of his holy will Now that we might be able to say this we must haue three gifts graces of God wherein especially this first degree of life consists The first is sauing knowledge wherebâ— we doe truely resolue our selues that God the father of Christ is our fatherâ— Christ his sonne our redeemer and the holy ghost our comforter That this knowledge is one part of life eternall it appeares by the saying of Christ in Iohn This is life eternall that is the beginning and entrance into life eternall to know thee the onely God and whome thou hast sent Iesus Christ. The second grace is peace of conscience which passeth al vnderstanding and therefore Paul saith that the kingdome of heauen is righteousnes peace of conscience and ioy in the holy Ghost The horror of a guiltie conscience is the beginning of death destruction therefore peace of conscience deriued from the death of Christ is life and happinesse The third is the regiment of the spirit whereby the heart and life of man is ordered according to the
I shall merit eternall life for my fidelitie in my ministerie But blessed be God which brought to my mind such Scriptures wherby I might quench the fierie darts of the deuill which were What hast thou that thou hast not receiued and By the grace of God I am that I am and not I but the grace of God in me and thus beeing vanquished he departed When thou art tempted of Satan and sees no way to escape euen plainely close vp thine eyes and answer nothing but commend thy cause to God This is a principall point of Christian wisdom which we must follow in the houre of death If thy flesh tremble and feare to enter into another life and doubt of saluation if thou yeeld to these things thou hurtest thy selfe therefore close thine eyes as before and say with S. Stephen Lord Iesus into thy hands I commend my spirit and then certenly Christ will come vnto thee with all his Angels and be the guider of thy way Luther A DECLARATION OF THE TRVE MANNER OF KNOVVING Christ crucified Galat. 6.14 God forbid that I should reioyce but in the Crosse of our Lord Iesus Christ c. PRINTED BY IOHN LEGAT PRINTER to the Vniuersitie of Cambridge 1600. To the Reader IT is the common sinne of men at this day and that in the very places of learning that Christ crucified is not knowne as he ought The right knowledge of whome is not to make often mention of his death and passion and to call him our Sauiour or to handle the whole mysterie of God incarnate soundly and learnedly though that be a worthie gift of God but first of all by the consideration of the passion to be touched with an inward and a liuely feeling of our sinnes for which our Redeemer suffered the pangs of hell and to grow to a through dislike of our selues and our liues past for them and from the groūd of the heart to purpose a reformation and a conformitie with Christ in all good duties that concerne man secondly in the Passion as in a myrrour to behold and in beholding to labour to comprehend the length the breadth the height the depth of the loue of the Father that gaue his owne deare Sonne to death and the goodnes of the Sonne that loued his enemies more then himselfe that our hearts might be rooted and grounded in the same loue and be further inflamed to loue God againe To further this true manner of knowing Christ crucified I haue penned these few lines read them at thy leisure and haue care to put them in practise otherwise thou art but an enemie of the crosse of Christ though thou professe his name neuer so much Ian. 3. 1596. W. Perkins Of the right knowledge of Christ crucified IT is the most excellent and worthy part of diuine wisdome to know Christ crucified The Prophet Esai saith The knowledge of thy righteous seruāt that is Christ crucified shall iustifie many And Christ himselfe saith This is life eternall to know thee the onely God and whome thou hast sent Iesus Christ. And Paul saith I haue decreeed to know nothing among you but Iesus Christ and him crucified Againe God forbid that I should reioyce in any thing but in the crosse of our Lord Iesus Christ. Again I thinke all things but losse for the excellent knowledge sake of Christ Iesus my Lord and doe iudge them but dung that I might win Christ. In the right way of knowing Christ crucified two points must be considered one how Man for his part is to know Christ the other how he is to be knowne of man Touching the first Man must know Christ not generally and confusedly but by a liuely powerfull and operatiue knowledge for otherwise the deuils themselues know Christ. In this knowledge three things are required The first is notice or consideration whereby thou must conceiue in minde vnderstand and seriously bethinke thy selfe of Christ as he is reuealed in the historie of the Gospel and as he is offered to thy particular person in the ministerie of the word and Sacraments And that this consideration may not be dead and idle in thee two things must be done first thou must labour to feele thy selfe to stand in neede of Christ crucified yea to stand in excessiue neede euen of the very least drop of his blood for the washing away of thy sinnes And vnlesse tho◠throughly feelest thy selfe to want all that goodnes and grace that is in Christ and that thou euen standest in extreame neede of his passion thou shalt neuer learne or teach Christ in deede and truth The second thing is with the vnderstanding of the doctrine of Christ to ioyne thirsting whereby man in his very soule and spirit longs after the participation of Christ and saith in this case as Sampson said Giue me water I die for thirst The second part of knowledge is application whereby thou must know beleeue not onely that Christ was crucified but that he was crucified for thee for thee I say in particular Here two rules must be remembred and practised One that Christ on the crosse was thy pledge and suretie in particular that he then stood in thy very roome and place in which thou thy selfe in thine owne person shouldest haue stood that thy very personall and particular sinnes were imputed and applied to him that he stoode guiltie as a malefactour for them and suffered the very pangs of hell and that his sufferings are as much in acceptation with God as if thou haddest borne the curse of the law in thine owne person eternally The holding and beleeuing of this point is the very foundation of religion as also of the Church of God Therefore in any wise be carefull to applie Christ crucified to thy selfe and as Elizeus when he would reuiue the childe of the Shunamite went vp and lay vpon him and put his mouth vpon his mouth and his hands vpon his hands his eyes vpon his eyes and stretched himselfe vpon him euen so if thou wouldest be reuiued to euerlasting life thou must by faith as it were set thy selfe vpon the crosse of Christ and applie thy handes to his hands thy feete to his feete and thy sinnefull heart to his bleeding heart and content not thy selfe with Thomas to put thy finger into his side but euen diue and plunge thy selfe wholly both bodie and soule into the woundes and blood of Christ. This will make thee to crie with Thomas and say My Lord my God and this is to be crucified with Christ. And yet doe not content thy selfe with this but by faith also descend with Christ from the crosse to the graue and burie thy selfe in the very buriall of Christ and then looke as the dead souldier tumbled into the graue of Elizeus was made aliue at the very touching of his bodie so shalt thou by a spirituall touching of Christ dead and buried be quickned to life euerlasting The second rule is
shall in time to come beleeue in him to eternall life Againe Philip. 3.8 he saith I thinke all things but losse that I might winne Christ and might be found in him not hauing mine owne righteousnes but that which is through the faith of Christ that I may know him and the vertue of his resurrection afterward he addeth v. 15. Let vs as many as be perfect be thus minded III. Whatsoeuer we pray for according to Gods will we are bound to beleeue that it shall be giuen vnto vs Mark 11. 24. Whatsoeuer ye desire when ye pray beleeue that ye shall haue it and it shall be done vnto you But we pray for the pardon of our sinnes and for life euerlasting by Christ and that according to the will of God Therefore we are bound in conscience to beleeue the pardon of our sinnes and life euerlasting IV. If God should speake particularly to any man and say vnto him Cornelius or Peter beleeue thou in Christ and thou shalt be saued this commandement should bind him particularly Now when the Minister lawfully called in the name and stead of God publisheth the Gospel to the congregation that is as much as if God himselfe had spoken to them particularly calling each of them by their names and promising vnto them life euerlasting in Christ. 2. Cor. 5.20 We as ambassadours for Christ as though God did beseech you through vs pray you in Christs stead that ye be reconciled to God It may be and is obiected that if euery man be bound in conscience to beleeue his owne Election and saluation by Christ then some men are bound to beleeue that which is false because some there be euen in the middest of the Church which in the counsell of God were neuer chosen to saluation I answer that this reason were good if men were bound absolutely to beleeue their saluation without further respect or condition but the bond is conditionall according to the tenour of the couenant of grace for we are bound to beleeue in Christ if we would come to life euerlasting or if we would be in the fauour of God or if we would be good disciples and members of Christ. I answer againe that whatsoeuer a man is bound to beleeue is true yet not alwaies in the euent but true in the intention of God that bindeth Now the commaundement of beleeuing and applying the Gospell is by God giuen to all within the Church but not in the same manner to all It is giuen to the Elect that by beleeuing they might indeede be saued God inabling them to doe that which he commands To the rest whome God in iustice will refuse the same commandement is giuen not for the same cause but to another end that they might see how they could not beleeue and by this meanes be bereft of all excuse in the day of iudgement God doth not alwaies giue commandements simply that they might be done but sometimes for other respects that they might be meanes of triall as the commaundement giuen to Abraham of killing Isaac againe that they might serue to keepe men at the least in outward obedience in this life and stop their mouthes before the tribunall seat of God In that we are bound in conscience on this manner to beleeue the promises of the Gospel with an application of the benefits thereof to our selues sundry necessarie and profitable points of instruction may be learned The first that the Popish Doctours abolish a great part of the Gospel when they teach that men are bound to beleeue the Gospel onely by a Catholike faith which they make to be nothing els but a gift of God or illumination of the mind whereby assent is giuen to the word of God that it is true and more specially that Iesus is Christ that is an all-sufficient Sauiour of mankind All which the damned spirits beleeue whereas the Gospel for the comfort and saluation of mens soules hath a further reach namely to enioyne men to beleeue that the promise of saluation is not onely true in it selfe but also true in the very person of the beleeuer as appeares euidently by the Sacraments which are as it were a visible Gospel in which Christ with all his benefits is offered and applied to the particular persons of men to this ende no doubt that they might beleeue the accomplishment of the promise in themselues Secondly we learne that it is not presumption for any man to beleeue the remission of his owne sinnes for to doe the wil of God to which we are boūd is not to presume now it is the will of God to which he hath bound vs in conscience to beleeue the remission of our owne sinnes and therefore rather not doe it is presumptuous disobedience Thirdly we are here to marke and to remember with care the foundation of the vnfallible certentie of mans saluation For if man be bound in conscience first to giue assent to the Gospel and secondly to applie it to himselfe by true faith then without doubt a man by faith may be certenly perswaded of his owne Election and saluation in this life without any extraordinarie reuelation Gods commandements beeing in this and the like cases possible For commandements are either Legal or Euangelical Legall shew vs our disease but giue vs no remedie and the perfect doing of them according to the intent of the Lawgiuer by reason of mans weaknes and through mans default is impossible in this world As for Euangelical commandements they haue this priuiledge that they may and can be performed according to the intent of the Lawgiuer in this life because with the commandement is ioyned the inward operation of the spirit in the elect to inable them to effect the dutie cōmaunded and the will of God is not to require absolute perfection at our hands in the Gospel as in the law but rather to qualifie the rigour of the law by the satisfaction of a Mediatour in our stead and of vs we being in Christ to accept the vpright will and indeauour for the deede as the will to repent and the will to beleeue for repentance and true faith indeede Now then if things required in the Gospell be both ordinarie and possible then for a man to haue an vnfallible certentie of his owne saluation is both ordinarie and possible But more of this point afterward Lastly all such persons as are troubled with doubtings distrustings vnbeleefe despaire of Gods mercie are to learne consider that God by his word bindes them in conscience to beleeue the pardon of their owne sinnes be they neuer so grieuous or many and to beleeue their owne election to saluation whereof they doubt Men that are but ciuill haue care to auoid robbing and killing because God giues commandements against stealing and killing why then should not we much more striue against our manifold doubtings and distrustings of Gods loue in Christ hauing a commaundement of God that calls vpon vs and binds vs to so Thus
we see how Gods word bindes conscience now conscience beeing thus bound againe bindes the man in whome it is The bond of conscience is called guiltines Guiltines is nothing else but a worke of the conscience binding euery sinner to the punishment of euerlasting death before God for this or that sinne Thus much of the proper binder of the conscience now followes the improper The improper binder is that which hath no power at all or vertue in it selfe to binde conscience but doth it onely by the authoritie and vertue of Gods word or some part thereof It is threefold Humane lawes an Oath a Promise Touching humane lawes the speciall point to be considered is In what manner they binde That this may in part be cleared I will stand a while to examine and confute the opinion that the very pillars of the Popish Church at this day maintaine namely that Ciuill and Ecclesiasticall iurisdiction haue a coactiue power in the conscience and that the lawes made thereby doe as truly and properly binde as they speake to mortall and veniall sinne as Gods law it selfe The arguments which they commonly vse are these Argum. 1. Deut. 17. That man that will doe presumptuously and not obey the authoritie of the Priest or Iudge shall die and thou shalt take away euill from Israel Here say they the precepts of the high Priest are Imperia not admonitions or exhortations they bind in conscience otherwise the transgressours therof should not haue bin punished so seuerely Ans. The intent of this law as a very child may perceiue is to establish the authoritie and right of the highest appeales for all matters of controuersie in the Synedrium or great court at Ierusalem Therefore the words alleadged doe not giue vnto the Priest a soueraigne power of making laws but a power of giuing iudgemēt of controuersies that according to laws alreadie made by God himself frō which iudgemēt there might be no appeale Now this power of determining doth not cōstraine conscience but the outward man to maintain order peace For what reason is there that that sentence which might be either a gainsaying of Gods law or a mistaking of it should bind the conscience to a sinne Again not euery one that refused to subiect themselues to the sentence of this court were straightway guiltie of sinne for this did Ieremie the Prophet and Christ our Sauiour when the Iewes condēned them for wicked persons but he that presumptuously despised the sentence and by consequent the authoritie it selfe which was the ordinance of God was guiltie Lastly the seueritie of the punishment which is temporall death doth not argue any power in the iudge of binding conscience this they might haue learned of their owne Doctor Gerson who holdeth that they that bind any man to mortall sinne must be able to punish him with answerable punishment which is eternall death Arg. 2. Matth. 16. Whatsoeuer ye shall bind in earth shall be bound in heaven Here say they to binde is to make lawes constraining conscience according to Matth. 23.4 They binde heauie burdens and lay them on mens shoulders Ans. The soueraigne power of binding and loosing is not belonging to any creature but is proper to Christ who hath the keyes of heauen and hell he openeth and no man shutteth he shutteth and no man openeth Reuel 3.5 As for the power of the Church it is nothing but a ministerie or seruice whereby men publish and pronounce that Christ bindeth or looseth Againe this binding stands not in the power of making lawes but in remitting and retaining of mens sinnes as the words going before declare v. 18. If thy brother sinne against thee c. and Christ sheweth his owne meaning when he saith Whose sinnes ye remit they are remitted and whose sinnes ye retaine they are retained Ioh. 20. 23. hauing before in the person of Peter promised them this honour in this forme of words Math. 16. I will giue vnto thee the keyes of the kingdome of heauen whatsoeuer thou shalt binde vpon earth shall be bound in heauen This which I say is approoued by consent of auncient Diuines August Psal. 101. serm 2. Remission of sinne saith he is loosing therefore by the law of contraries binding is to hold sinne vnpardoned Hilar. vpon Matth. cap. 18. Whome they binde on earth that is saith he leaue vntied of the knottes of their sinnes Lumberd the popish master of sentences The Lord saith he hath giuen to Priests power of binding and loosing that is of making manifest that men are bound or loosed Againe both Origen Augustine and Theophylact attribute the power of binding to all Christians and therefore they for their parts neuer dreamed that the power of binding should be an authoritie to make lawes Lastly the place Matth. 23.4 ouerturnes the argument for there the Scribes and Pharises are condemned because they laid vpon mens shoulders the burdens of their traditions as meanes of Gods worship and things binding conscience Argum. 3. Act. 15. It seemes good vnto vs and the holy Ghost to lay no more burden on you then these necessarie things that ye abstaine from things offered to idols and blood and that which is strangled and fornication Here say they the Apostles by the instinct of the holy Ghost make a new law not for this or that respect but simply to bind consciences of the Gentiles that they might be exercised in obedience And this is prooued because the Apostles call this law a burden and call the things prescribed necessarie and S. Luke tearmes them the commandements of the Apostles and Chrysostome calls the Epistle sent to the Church Imperium that is a lordly charge To this they adde the testimonies of Tertullian Origen Augustine Ans. Though all be graunted that the law is a burden imposed a precept of the Apostles a charge againe that things required therein are necessarie yet will it not follow by good consequent that the law simply bindes conscience because it was giuen with a reseruation of Christian libertie so as out of the case of scandall that is if no offence were giuen to the weake Iewes it might freely be omitted And that will appeare by these reasons First of all Peter saith that it is a tempting of God to impose vpon the Gentiles the yoke of Iewish ceremonies he therefore must needs be contrarie to himselfe if he intend to binde mens consciences to abstinence from strangled blood and things offered to idols A replie is made that this abstinence is prescribed not by the auncient law of Moses but by a new Ecclesiasticall or Apostolicall authoritie I answer againe that a Mosaicall ceremonie is still the same thing though it be stablished by a new authoritie And whereas Christ by his death put an ende to the ceremoniall lawe it is absurd to thinke that the Apostles by their authoritie reuiued some part of it againe bound mens consciences thereto Secondly the Church of God in
Gospell is vpon condition of mens faith and repentance and that men are deceiued touching their owne faith and repentance and therefore faile in applying the word vnto themselues Ans. Indeede this manner of applying is false in all hypocrites heretickes and vnrepentant persons for they applie vpon carnall presumption and not by faith Neuerthelesse it is true in all the Elect hauing the spirit of grace and praier for when God in the ministerie of the word beeing his owne ordinance saith Seeke ye my face the heart of Gods children truly answereth O Lord I wil seeke thy face Psal. 17.8 And when God shall say Thou art my people they shall say againe The Lord is my God Zach. 13.6 And it is a truth of God that he which beleeueth knoweth that he beleeueth and he that truly repenteth knoweth that be repeÌ„teth vnles it be in the beginning of our conuersion in the time of distresse and temptation Otherwise what thankfulnesse can there be for grace receiued Obiect II. It is no article of the Creede that a man must beleeue his owne saluation and therefore no man is bound thereto Ans. By this argument it apâ—â—â—res plainely that the very pillars of the Church of Rome doe not vnderstand the Creede for in that which is commonly called the Apostles Creede euery article implieth in it this particular faith And in the first article I beleeue in God are three things contained the first to beleeue that there is a God the second to beleeue the same God to be my God the third to put my confidence in him for my saluation and so much containe the other articles which are concerning God When Thomas said Ioh. 20.28 My God Christ answered Thou hast beleeued Thomas Where we see that to beleeue in God is to beleeue God to be our God And Psal. 78. 22. to beleeue in God and to put trust in him are all one They beleeued not in God and trusted not in his helpe And the articles concerning Remission of sinnes and Life euerlasting do include and we in them acknowledge our speciall faith concerning our owne saluation For to beleeue this or that is to beleeue there is such a thing and that the same thing belongs to me as when Dauid said I should haue fainted except I had beleeued to see the goodnesse of the Lord in the land of the liuing Psal. 27.13 It is answered that in those articles wee onely professe our selues to beleeue remission of sinnes and life euerlasting to be vouchsafed to the people Church of God Ans. This indeede is the exposition of many but it standes not with common reason For if that bee all the faith that is there confessed the deuill hath as good a faith as we He knoweth and beleeueth that there is a God that this God imparteth remission of sinnes and life euerlasting to his church And to the end that wee beeing Gods children may in faith goe beyond all the deuills in hell we must further beleeue that remission of sinnes and life euerlasting belongs vnto vs and vnlesse we doe particularly apply the said articles vnto our selues we shall little or nothing differ from the deuill in making confession of faith Obiect III. We are taught to pray for the pardon of our sinnes day by day Matth. 6.12 and all this were needlesse if we could bee assured of pardon in this life Answ. The fourth petition must be vnderstood not so much of our olde debts or sinnes as of our present and newe sinnes for as we goe on from daie to daie so we adde sinne to sinne and for the pardon of them must wee humble our selues and pray I answer againe that wee pray for the pardon of our sinnes not because we haue no assurance thereof but because our assurance is weake and small wee growe on from grace to grace in Christ as children doe to mans estate by little and little The heart of euery beleeuer is like a vessell with a narrow necke which beeing cast into the sea is not filled at the first but by reason of the straight passage receiueth water drop by drop God giueth vnto vs in Christ euen a sea of mercie but the same on our parts is apprehended and receiued onely by little and litte as faith groweth from age to age and this is the cause why men hauing assurance pray for more Our reasons to the contrarie Reason I. The first reason may be taken from the nature of faith on this manner True faith is both an vnfallible assurance and a particular assurance of the remission of sinnes and of life euerlasting And therefore by this faith a man may be certenly and particularly assured of the remission of sinnes and life euerlasting That this reason may bee of sorce two things must be prooued first that true faith is a certaine assurance of Gods mercie to that partie in whome it is Secondly that faith is a particular assurance thereof For the first that faith is a certaine assurance Christ saith to Peter Mat. 14.31 O thou of litle faith wherefore didst thou doubt Where he maketh an opposition betweene faith and doubting whereby giuing vs directly to vnderstand that to be certen and to giue assurance is of the nature of faith Rom. 4.20.22 Paul saith of Abraham that he did not doubt of the promise of God through vnbeleefe but vvas strengthened in faith and gaue glory to God being fully assured that he which had promised was able to doe it where I obserue first that doubting is made a fruit of vnbeleefe and therefore vnfallible certentie and assurance being contrarie to doubting must needes proceede from true faith considering that coÌ„trarie effects come of contrarie causes and contrarie causes produce contrary effects SecoÌ„dly I note that the strength of Abrahams faith did stand in fulnes of assurance for the text saith he was strengthened in the faith being fully assured and againe Heb. 11.1 true sauing faith is said to be the ground and subsistance of things hoped for the euidence or demonstration of things that are not seene but faith can be no ground or euidence of things vnlesse it bee for nature certenty it selfe and thus the first point is manifest The second that sauing faith is a particular assurance is prooued by this that the propertie of faith is to apprehend and apply the promise and the thing promised Christ with his benefits Ioh. 1.12 As many saieth S. Iohn as receiued him to them hee gaue power to be the sonnes of god namely to them that beleeue in his name In these words to beleeue in Christ and to receiue Christ are put for one and the same thing Nowe to receiue Christ is to apprehend and apply him with all his benefits vnto our selues as he is offered in the promises of the gospell For in the sixt chapter following first of all he sets forth himselfe not onely as a Redeemer generally but also as the bread of life and the water of life secondly he sets
waies first not as causes thereof either conuersant adiuvant or procreant but onely as consequents of faith in that they are inseparable companions and fruits of that faith which is indeede necessarie to saluation Secondly they are as necessarie as markes in a way and as the way it selfe directing vs vnto eternall life III. We hold and beleeue that the righteous man is in some sort iustified by works for so the holy Ghost speaketh plainely and truly Iam. 2.21 That Abraham was iustified by workes Thus farre we ioyne with them and the very difference is this They say we are iustified by workes as by causes thereof we say that we are iustified by workes as by signes and fruits of our iustification before God and no otherwise and in this sense must the place of S. Iames be vnderstood that Abraham was iustified that is declared and made manifest to be iust indeed by his obedience and that euen before God Now that our doctrine is the truth it will appeare by reasons on both parts Our reasons I. Rom. 3.28 We conclude that a man is iustified by faith without the workes of the law Some answer that ceremoniall workes be excluded here some that morall works some works going before faith But let them deuise what they can for themselues the truth is that Paul excludeth all works whatsoeuer as by the very text will appeare For v. 24. he saith We are iustified freely by his grace that is by the meere gift of God giuing vs to vnderstand that a sinner in his iustification is meerely passiue that is doing nothing on his part whereby God should accept him to life euerlasting And v. 27. he saith iustification by faith excludeth all boasting and therefore all kind of works are thereby excluded and specially such as are most of all the matter of boasting that is good workes For if a sinner after that he is iustified by the merit of Christ were iustified more by his owne workes then might he haue some matter of boasting in himselfe And that we may not doubt of Pauls meaning consider and read Eph. 2.8,9 By grace saith he you are saued tâ—rough faith and that not of your selues it is the gift of God not of workes least any man should boast himselfe Here Paul excludes all and euery worke and directly workes of grace themselues as appeares by the reason following For we are his workemanshippe created in Christ Iesus vnto good workes which God hath ordained that weâ— should walke in them Nowe let the Papists tell me what bee the workes which God hath prepared for men to walke in and to which they are regenerate vnlesse they bee the most excellent workes of grace and let them marke howe Paul excludes them wholly from the worke of iustification and saluation II. Gal. 5.3 If ye be circumcised ye are bound to the whole lawe and ye are abolished from Christ. Here Paul disputeth against such men as would bee saued partly by Christ and partly by the workes of the lawe hence I reason thus If a man will be iustified by workes he is bound to fulfill the whole lawe according to the rigour thereof that is Pauls ground I nowe assume no man can fullfill the lawe according to the rigour thereof for the liues and workes of most righteous men are imperfect and stained with sinne and therefore they are taught euery day to say on this manner forgiue vs our debts Againe our knowledge is imperfect and therefore our faith repentance and sanctifiâ—atioÌ„ is answerable And lastly the regenerate man is partly flesh and partly spirit and therefore his best workes are partly from the flesh and in part onely spirituall Thus then for any man to bee bound to the rigour of the whole lawe is as much as if he were bound to his owne damnation III. Election to saluation is of grace without workes therefore the iustification of a sinner is of grace alone without workes For it is a certen rule that the cause of a cause is the cause of a thing caused Now grace without workes is the cause of election which election is the cause of our iustification therfore grace without workes is the cause of our iustification IV. A man must first be fully iustified before he can doe a good worke for the person must first please God before his works can please him But the person of a sinner cannot please God till he be perfectly iustified and therefore till hee be iustified he cannot doe so much as one good worke And thus good workes cannot be any meritorious causes of iustification after which they are both for time and order of nature In a word whereas they make two distinct iustifications we acknowledge that there be degrees of sanctification yet so as iustification is onely one standing in remission of sinnes and Gods acceptation of vs to life euerlasting by Christ and this iustification hath no degrees but is perfect at the very first Obiections of Papists Psal. 7.8 Iudge me according to my righteousnesse Hence they reason thus if Dauid be iudged according to his righteousnes then may he be iustified therby but Dauid desires to be iudged according to his righteousnes and therefore he was iustified thereby Ans. There be two kindes of righteousnesse one of the person the other of the cause or action The righteousnes of a mans person is whereby it is accepted into the fauour of God into life eternall The â—ighteousnes of the action or cause is when the action or cause is iudged of God to be good and iust Nowe Dauid in this psalme speaketh onely of the righteousnesse of the action or innocency of his cause in that he was falsely charged to haue sought the kingdome In like manner it is said of Phineas Psal. 166.31 that his fact in killing Zimri and Cosbie was imputed to him for righteousnes not because it was a satisfaction to the lawe the rigour whereof could not be fulfilled in that one worke but because God accepted of it as a iust worke and as a token of his righteousnes and zeale for Gods glorie II. Obiect The Scripture saith in sundrie places that men are blessed which doe good workes Psal. 119.1 Blessed is the man that is vpright in heart walketh in the lawe of the Lord. Ans. The man is blessed that indeauoureth to keep Gods commandements Yet is he not blessed simply because hee doth so but because he is in Christ by whome he doeth so and his obedience to the lawe of God is a signe thereof III. Obiect When man confesseth his sinnes and humbleth himselfe by praier and fasting Gods wrath is pacified and staied therefore praier and fasting are causes of iustification before God Answ. Indeede men that truely humble themselues by praier and fasting doe appease the wrath of God yet not properly by these actions but by their faith expressed and testified in theÌ„ whereby they apprehend that which appeaseth Gods wrath euen the merits of Christ in whome the
but spirituall Againe in the supper of the Lord euery beleeuer receiueth whole Christ God and man though not the godhead now by this carnall eating we receiue not whole Christ but onely a part of his manhood and therefore in the sacrament there is no carnall eating and consequently no bodily presence Reason VII The iudgement of the auncient Church Theodoret saith The same Christ who called his naturall bodie foode and bread who also called himselfe a vine he vouchsafed the visible signes the name of his owne bodie not chaunging nature but putting grace to nature whereby he meanes consecration And The mysticall signes after sanctification loose not their proper nature For they remaine in their first nature and keepe their first figure and forme and as before may be touched and seene and that which they are made is vnderstood beleeued adored Gelasius saith Bread and wine passe into the substance of the bodie blood of Christ yet so as the substance or nature of bread and wine ceaseth not And they are turned into the diuine substance yet the bread and wine remaine still in the propertie of their nature Lumbard saith If it be asked what conuersion this is whether formall or substantiall or of an other kind I am not able to define And that the fathers held not transubstantiatioÌ„ I proue it by sundrie reasons First they vsed in former times to burne with fire that which remained after the administration of the Lords supper Secondly by the sacramentall vnion of the bread and wine with the bodie and blood of Christ they vsed to confirme the personall vnion of the manhood of Christ with the godhead against heretickes which argument they would not haue vsed if they had beleeued a popish reall presence Thirdly it was a custome in Constantinople that if many parts of the sacrament remained after the administration thereof was ended that young children should be sent for from the schoole to eate them who neuerthelesse were barred the Lords table And this argues plainely that the Church in those daies tooke the bread after the administration was ended for common bread Againe it was once an order in the Romane Church that the wine should be consecrated by dipping into it bread which had beene consecrated But this order cannot stand with the reall presence in which the bread is turned both into the bodie and blood Nicholaus Cabasilas saith After he hath vsed some speech to the people hee erects their mindes and lifâ—s their thoughts from earth and saith Sursum corda Let vs lift vp our hearts let vs thinke on things aboue and not on things that are vpon the earth They consent say that they lift vp their hearts thither where is their treasure and where Christ sits at the right hand of his father Obiections of Papists I. Their first reason is Ioh. 6.55 My flesh is meat indeede and my blood is drinke indeede therefore say they Christs body must be eaten with the mouth and his blood drunke accordingly Ans. The chapter must beâ— vnderstood of a spirituall eating of Christ his bodie is meate indeed but spirituall meate his blood spirituall drink to be receiued not by the mouth but by faith This is the very point that Christ here intends to prooue namely that to beleeue in him is to eate his flesh and to drinke his blood are all one Againe this chapter must not be vnderstood of that speciall eating of Christ in the sacrament for it is said generally v. 53. Except ye eate the flesh of Christ and drinke his blood ye haue no life in you and if these very wordes which are the substance of the chapter must be vnderstood of a sacramentall eating no man before the coÌ„ming of Christ was saued for none did bodily eate or drinke his bodie or blood considering it was not then existing in nature but onely was present to the beleeuing heart by faith II. Obiect An other argument is taken from the words of the institution This is my bodie Ans. These words must not be vnderstood properly but by a figure his bodie beeing put for the signe and seale of his body It is obiected that when any make their last wills and testaments they speake as plainely as they can now in this supper Christ ratifies his last will and testament therefore he spake plainely without any figure Ans. Christ here speaketh plainely and by a figure also for it hath beene alwaies the vsual manner of the Lord in speaking of the sacraments to giue the name of the thing signified to the signe as Gen. 17. 10. circumcision is called the couenant of God and in the next verse in the way of exposition the signe of the couenant And Exod. 12. 11. the paschall lambe is called the angels passing by or ouer the houses of the Israelites whereas indeede it was but a signe thereof and 1. Cor. 10.4 The rock was Christ. 1. Cor. 5.7 The passeouer was Christ. And the like phrase is to bee founde in the institution of this sacrameÌ„t concerning the cup which the Papists theÌ„selues confesse to be figuratiue when it is said Luk. 22. This cup is the newe testament in my blood that is a signe seale and pledge thereof Againe the time when these words were spoken must be considered and it was before the passion of Christ whereas yet his bodie was not crucified nor his blood shed and consequently neither of them could bee receiued in bodily manner but by faith alone Againe Christ was not onely the author but the minister of this sacrament at the time of institution thereof and if the bread had beene truely turned into his bodie and the wine into his blood Christ with his own hands should haue taken his owne bodie and blood and haue giuen it to his disciples nay which is more he should with his owne hands haue taken his owne flesh and drunken his owne blood and haue eaten himselfe For Christ himselfe did eate the bread and drinke the wine that he might with his owne person consecrate his last supper as he had consecrated baptisme before And if these words should be properly vnderstood euery man should bee a manslaier in his eating of Christ. Lastly by means of popish real presence it comes to passe that our bodies should be nourished by naked qualities without any substance which in all philosophie is false and erronious To help this and the like absurdities some Papists make nine wonders in the sacrament The first that Christs bodie is in the Eucharist in as large a quantitie as he was vpon the crosseâ— and is now in heauen yet excludes not the quantitie of the bread The second that there be accidents without a subiect The third that bread is turned into the body of Christ yet is not the matter of the bodie nor resolued to nothing The fourth that the bodie increaseth not by consecration of many hosts and is not diminished by often
sentence of damnation against vnbeleeuers and reprobates Q. What state shall the godly be in after the day of iudgement A. They shall continue for euer in the highest heauen in the presence of God hauing fellowship with Christ Iesus and raigning with him for euer Q. What state shall the wicked be in after the day of iudgement A. In eternall perdition and destruction in hell fire Q. What is that A. It stands in three things especially first a perpetuall separation â—rom Gods comfortable presence 2. fellowship with the deuill and his angels 3. an horrible pang and torment both of bodie and soule arising of the feeling of the whole wrath of God powred forth on the wicked for euer world without ende and if the paine of one tooth for one day be so great endelesse shall be the paine of the whole man bodie and soule for euer and euer FINIS A GRAINE of Musterd-seede OR The least measure of grace that is or can be effectuall to saluation Printed for Ralph Iackson 1600. TO THE RIHGT HONOVrable and vertuous Ladie the Ladie Margaret Countesse of Cumberland Grace and peace RIght Honourable the kingdome of heauen of which the Scripture speaketh so oft is properly a certaine state or coÌ„dition wherby we stand in the fauour and loue of God in and by Christ. And this kingdome is compared to a graine of Musterd-seede to teach vs that a man is euen at that instant alreadie entered into the kingdome of heauen when the Lord that good husband-man hath cast but some little portion of faith or repentance into the ground of the heart yea though it be but as one graine of musterd-seed Of this little graine I haue penned this little treatise in quantitie answerable thereto and now I present the same to your Laâ—â—ship not to supplie your want for I hope you are stored with more graines of this kinde but to performe some dutie on my part Hoping therefore that your Ladiship will read and accept the same I take my leaue commending you to the blessing and protection of the Almightie Your H. to command William Perkins A Graine of Musterd-seede or the least measure of grace that is or can be effectuall to saluation IT is a very necessarie point to be knowne what is the least measure of grace that can befall the true child of God lesser theÌ„ which there is no grace effectuall to saluation For first of all the right vnderstanding of this is the very foundation of true comfort vnto all troubled and touched consciences Secondly it is a notable meanes to stirre vp thankfulnes in them that haue any grace at all when they shall in examination of themselues consider that they haue receiued of God the least measure of grace or more Thirdly it will be an inducement and a â—purre to many carelesse and vnrepentant persons to imbrace the Gospel and to beginne repentance for their sinnes when they shall perceiue and that by the word of God that God accepts the very seeds and rudiments of faith and repentance at the first though they be but in measure as a graine of musterd-seede Now then for the opening and clearing of this point I will set downe sixe seuerall conclusions in such order as one shall confirme and explaine the other and one depend vpon the other I. Conclusion A man that doth but begin to be conuerted is euen at that instant the very child of God though inwardly he be more carnall then spirituall The Exposition IN a man there must be considered three things the substance of the bodie and soule whereof a man is said to consist the faculties placed in the soule and exercised in the bodie as vnderstanding will affections the integritie and puritie of the faculties wherby they are conformable to the will of God and beare his Image And since the fall of Adam man is not depriued of his substance or of the powers and faculties of his soule but onely of the third which is the puritie of nature and therefore the conuersion of a sinner whereof the conclusion speaketh is not the change of the substance of man or the faculties of the soule but a renewing and restoring of that puritie and holinesse which was lost by mans fall with the abolishment of that naturall corruption that is in all the powers of the soule This is the worke of God and of God alone and that on this manner First of all when it pleaseth God to worke a chaunge in any he doth it not first in one part then in an other as hee that repaires a decaied house by peece-meale but the worke both for the beginning continuance and accomplishment is the whole man and euery part at once specially in the minde and conscience will and affection as on the contrary when Adam lost the image of God he lost it in euery part Secondly the conuersion of a sinner is not wrought all at one instant but in continuance of time and that by certaine measures and degrees And a man is in the first degree of his conuersioÌ„ when the holy ghost by the means of the word inspires him with some spirituall motions and begins to regenerate and renewe the inward powers of the soule And he may in this case very fitly be coÌ„pared to the night in the first dawning of the day in which though the darknesse remaine and be more in quantitie then the light yet the Sunne hath alreadie cast some beames of light into the aire whereupon we tearme it the breaking of the daie Nowe then the very point which I touch is that a man at this instant and in this very state God as yet hauing but laid certaine beginnings of true conuersion in his heart is the very child of God and that not onely in the eternall purpose of God as all the elect are but indeede by actuall adoption and this is plaine by a manifest reason There bee foure speciall workes of grace in euery childe of God his vnion with Christ his adoption iustification and conuersion and these foure are wrought all at one instant so as for order of time neither goes before nor after other and yet in regard of order of nature vnion with Christ Iustification and adoption goe before the inward conuersion of a sinner it beeing the fruite and effect of theÌ„ all Vpon this it followeth necessarily that a sinner in the very first act of his conuersion is iustified adopted and incorporated into the 〈◊〉 caâ—â— body of Christ. In the parable of the prodigall sonne the father with ioy receiues his wicked child but whenâ— surely when he sawe him comming a farre off and when as yet he had made no confession or humiliation to his father but onely had conceiued with himselfe a purpose to returne and to say Father I haue sinned against heauen and against thee c. And Paul saieth of many of the Corinthians that he could not speake vnto them as spirituall men but as carnall euen babes in
Sonne of God By this we may see that Christ is one onely Sonne of God not two yet in two respects is he one As he is the eternall Word hee is by nature the Son of the Father As he is man the same Sonne also yet not by nature or by adoption but only by personal vnion Luk. 1.35 Matth. 3.17 This is my beloued Son c. The phrase in Scripture agreeing to this Vnion is the communion of properties concerning which obserue two rules I. Of those things which are spoken or attributed to Christ some are only vnderstood of his diuine nature As that Ioh. 8.58 Before Abraham was I am And that Coloss. 1.15 Who is the image of the inuisible God the first borne of euery creature Some againe agree only to his humanitie as borne suffered dead buried c. Luk. 2.52 And Iesus increased in wisdome and stature and in fauour with God and man Lastly other things are vnderstood only of both natures vnited togither As Matth. 17.5 This is my beloued Son in whome onely I am well pleased heare him Eph. 1.22 He hath made subiect all things vnder his feete and hath appointed him ouer all things to be the head to the Church II. Some things are spoken of Christ as he is God which must be interpreted according to his humane nature Act. 20.28 To feed the Church of God that is Christ which he according to his manhood hath purchased with his own blood 1. Cor. 2.8 If they had knowne this they would neuer haue crucified the Lord of glory Contrarily some things are mentioned of Christ as he is man which onely are vnderstood of his diuine nature Ioh. 3.13 No man ascended vp to heauen but he that hath descended from heauen the sonne of man which is in heauen This is spoken of his manhood whereas we must vnderstand that onely his Deitie came downe from heauen Ioh. 6.62 What if ye should see the sonne of man vz. Christs humane nature ascend vp where hee vz. his Deitie was before Lastlie by reason of this Vnion Christ as he is man is exalted aboue euery name yea he is adored and hath such a great though not infinite measure of gifts as farre surpasse the gifts of all Saints and Angels Eph. 1.21 And set him at his right hand in heauenly places â—â—â—re aboue all principalitie and power and might and domination and euery name that is named not in this world onely but in that also that is to come Heb. 1.6 When he bringeth his first begotten Sonne into the world he saith And let all the Angels of God worship him Col. 2.3 In whome all the treasures of wisdome and knowledge are hidden Phil. 2.9 10. Therefore god exalted him on hie gaue him a name aboue all names that at the name of Iesus euery knee should bow namely worship and be subiect to him both of things in heauen and things in earth and things vnder the earth CHAP. 17. Of the distinction of both Natures THe distinction of both Natures is that whereby they with their properties and effects remaine without composition mingling or conuersion distinct Ioh. 10.17,18 Therefore doth my Father loue me because I lay downe my life that I may take it againe No man taketh it from me but I lay it downe of my selfe I haue power to lay it downe and haue power to take it againe Ioh. 13.31 32. Now is the Son of man glorified God is glorified in him If God be glorified in him God shall also glorifie him in himselfe Here we may obserue that there is one will in Christ as God another as man Matth. 26.39 Not as I will but as thou wilt This also approoueth that sentence of the Chalcedon Creede Wee confesse that one and the same Christ Iesus both Sonne Lord only begotteÌ„ is known and preached to be in two natures without confusion mutation distinction or separation Lastly hereby it is manifest that Christ when he became that which he was not namely man continued still that which he was very God CHAP. 18. Of Christs Natiuitie and Office THus much concerning Christs incarnation the cleere declaration thereof was by his natiuitie The natiuity of Christ is that wherby Mary a Virgin did after the course of nature and the custome of women bring forth Christ that Word of the father and the Son of Dauid so that those are much deceiued which are of opinion that Christ after a miraculous maner came into the world the wombe of the Virgin beeing shut Luk. 2.23 Euery man child which first openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord. The which place of scripture is applyed to Mary our Sauiour Christ. Hence is it that the Virgin Marie is said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to bring forth god albeit she is not any way mother of the Godhead For Christ as hee is God is without mother and as man without Father It is conuenient to be thought that Mary continued a Virgin vntill her dying day albeit we make not this opinion any article of our beleefe I. Christ beeing now to depart the world committed his mother to the tuition and custodie of his disciple Iohn which it is like he would not haue done if shee had had any children by whom as custome was shee might haue beene prouided for Ioh. 19. 26. II. It is likely that shee who was with childe by the holy Ghost would not after know any man III. It is agreed of by the Church in all ages Christ beeing now borne was circumcised the eight day that he might fulfill all the righteousnes of the law and bâ—â—â—g thirtie yeares of age he was baptized that he beeing publiquely and solemnly inuested into the office of his Mediatorship might take vpon him the guilt of our sinnes He was both circumcised and baptized that we might learne I. That the whole efficacie of the Sacraments depend alone and wholly vpon him II. That he was Mediatour of mankind both before and after the Law as also vnder grace III. That he is the knot and bond of both couenants His Office followeth to the perfect accomplishing whereof he was annointed of his Father that is he was sufficiently furnished both with gifts and authoritie Hebr. 1.9 Therefore God euen thy God annointed thee with the oyle of gladnesse aboue thy fellowes Esa. 61.1 The Spirit of the Lord was vpon me therfore be annointed me Ioh. 3.34 God giueth him not the Spirit by measure If any man inforce this as a reason that Christ could not performe the Office of a Mediatour beeing not the meane or middle betwixt God and man but the partie offended so one of the extreames we must know that Christ is two waies said to be the middle or meane I. Betwixt God and all men for being both God and man he doth participate with both extreames II. Betwixt God and the faithfull onely first according to his humanitie whereby he receiued the Spirit without measure Secondly according to his diuine