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A11077
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The onely remedy that can cure a people, when all other remedies faile. By F. Rous.
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Rous, Francis, 1579-1659.
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1627
(1627)
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STC 21346; ESTC S106124
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62,668
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256
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the rootes of the Trees none but the tree that beares good fruite shall escape hewing downe and casting into the fire But the righteousnesse of outward workes is neither true nor lasting without a seed and nature of Righteousnesse Therefore to make the fruite truely and continually good the tree must be made good For the good tree only beareth good fruit and ceaseth not to beare it Wherefore as the roote of sinfulnesse must be pulled vp so a roote of Righteousnesse must bee planted As the old man must be put off the new man must be put on Eph. 4. 22. 23. This New man is borne of the spirit as the old man is borne of the flesh Joh. 3. 6. For that which is borne of the flesh is flesh and that which is borne of the spirit is spirit And if that which is borne of the spirit be in vs then haue wee in vs a roote of Righteousnesse For the fruite of the spirit is in all goodnesse Eph. 5. 6. and righteousnesse and truth This is the roote of the tree planted by the riuer side Psal. 1. 3. that bringeth forth his fruite in his season his leafe also shall not wither but whatsoeuer he doth shall prosper This is the seed that falls into good ground yea it makes the ground good into which it falls Heb. 6. 7. so that it bringeth forth hearbs meet for them by whom it is dressed and receiueth blessing from God And indeed no wonder if it receiue blessing from God and turn away the curses of God for when the hart of man is thus made good ground fruitfull earth and a good tree by the vertue of Gods spirit the heart of Man is according to the Heart of God And from this harmonie agreement issue all blessings and blessednesse There is friendship betweene God and man when face answereth to face the face of mans soule to the face of God to whose Image it was first created and after the fall it must bee renewed Prov. 27. 19. Then will God delight to dwell among vs hee will walke with vs hee will bee a Father to vs 2 Cor. 6. 17. and wee shall bee his sonnes and daughters saith the Lord Almighty Deut. 28. 12. 13. The Lord shall open to thee his good treasure the heauen to giue the raine vnto thy land in his season and to blesse all the worke of thine hand And thou shalt lend vnto many Nations and shalt not borrow And the Lord shall make thee the head and not the taile and thou shalt bee aboue only and not beneath if that thou hearken to the Commandements of the Lord thy God to obserue and doe them Infinite is the blessednesse and infinite are the blessings which follow this new creature and Image of God And places of Scripture are almost endlesse that expresse them Briefly and for a summe Godlinesse is profitable vnto all things 1 Tim. 4. 8. hauing promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come Now what shall I inferre hereupon yea let God himselfe make the inference by his blessed Apostle Hauing therefore these promises 2 Cor. 7. 1. dearely beloued let vs cleanse our selues from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit perfecting holinesse in the feare of God Let vs put on the New Creature and walke by that rule for as many as walke by that Gal. 6. 1â—â— rule peace shall be vpon them Peace betweene God and vs peace betweene vs and our owne soules and peace betweene vs and the Creatures 10. Hauing thus put on The Crown of repentance is a Couenant with God the glorious and blessed Image of God in our repentance from dead workes and the body of sinne let vs crown and consummate this happy worke with a Couenant For thus did the ancient Conuerts they bound vp their Repentance in a Couenant that entring into a Couenant with God God might enter into a Couenant with them and so the knot of Happinesse Loue might bee knit and made sure betweene God and Man The heart of man is very deceitfull and backsliding and it is not enough to put it into the way of agreement with God but being there it must be bound by strong resolutions yea those resolutions haue beene bound with an oath And thus our will binding it selfe to the will of God by a settled resolution and vow it continues the closer and more vnseparable since as soone as temptation commeth it dasheth it selfe in pieces against the Rocke of this Couenant The heart being as it were hardned and steeled with Resolution is in vaine assaulted and the Billow of temptation flying against it non frangit sed frangitur the Billow is broken but the house or the heart falls not because it is become rocky being firmely built on the Rocke Christ Iesus Yea Sathan seeing the soule settled and resolued to resist him flyes away and remoues his engines to places and persons of lesse resistance But on the other side God seeing the heart bent and resolued and bound to a constant seruice of God hee meetes it with a constant loue and the kisse of perfect peace is betweene them I might bring forth diuers examples of Couenants There was a Couenant vnder Moses Deut. 20. 12. vnder Ioshua vnder Iosiah Iosh. 24. vnder Ezra Ezra 10. but I especially propose the Couenant of 2 King 23. 3. Asa because it was the patterne of a perfect Couenant and a happy successe And because I wish the later I propose the former This Couenant is thus described There came a Prophet and spake vnto Asa 2 Chron. 15 and all Iudah and Beniamin Hee told them of the miseries of those which were without the true God a teaching Priest and without law That forsaking God they were forsaken of God And in those times there was no peace to him that went out nor to him that came in but great vexations were vpon all the Inhabitants of the Countries And Nation was destroyed of Nation and Citie of Citie for God did vexe them with all aduersitie On the other side The Lord is with them while they bee with him and if they seeke him hee will bee found of them Yea being vexed for their sinnes when in their trouble they did turne vnto the Lord God of Israel and sought him hee was found of them Thereupon the Prophet inferreth Bee yee strong therefore and let not your hands bee weake for your worke shall be rewarded And Asa indeed grew strong for the Scripture saith Hee tooke courage and put away the abhominable Idols out of Iudah and Beniamin he renewed the Altar of the Lord and offered a great sacrifice to God And to binde vp this new obedience and to make it sure by setting a seale to it They entred into a Couenant to seeke the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soule This Couenant they binde with a high
with a light diuine and supernaturall they glorifie the Father in Heauen Mat. 5. 16. which is the chiefe and first worker of them But against this glory and against the power by which this glory is attained and against the kingdome which standeth in this power and against the spirit which sets vp this kingdome in the hearts of the Saints doth the euill spirit make warre and as by all other mischieuous meanes so by this malicious word of Puritanisme And no wonder Ambr. in 2 Cor. 13. 14. for it is this spirit of Christ that is the maine destroyer of the kingdome of the euill spirit and therefore against him is his greatest malice and most fierce opposition Hee cares not though there bee thousands in a Nation that abstaine from some particular vices or doe some carnall workes of ciuill Righteousnesse for his kingdome yet may stand and these together But if the Spirit of God come once to set vp a kingdome of grace in mens hearts this kingdome is set vp with power and this powerfull kingdome of the spirit hee cannot endure because he knows that by it the lesser power of his kingdome must needs goe to wracke And then he bestirs himselfe and all his policies to quench the smoaking flaxe of this powerfull Grace which yet shall neuer bee quenched vntill it come vnto victorie * It is not the meaning of the Author to encourage any enthusiast or hypocriticall fanaticke spirits who incur the censure of this name and from whom carnall men take occasion to reuile reproch the saints of God See his Medit 73. 7. 18 But to come to some Remedies Let the Diuell and his Instruments know Remedies against this roote of wickednesse that in this as in many other things Malice doth out-run their wit and so is not led by it but leads it For if the Diuell could get this spirit of Grace to forsake the earth the fire would soone consume and end it Iud. 6. 7. And when the Elements are melted and consumed with that fire there comes presently another fire vnto which the Deuill is reserued in euerlasting chaines vnder darknesse And if the wicked ones his instruments could roote out of a Nation those who are truly spirituall surely they driue thence the very Chariots and Horse-men thereof and they were then fit for nothing but for an vtter destruction It is no other piece of policie than if the Sodomites should make hast to turne out Lot and his Familie that Fire and Brimstone may make haste to destroy them Secondly let them know that they know not that wherof they affirme they censure that which they doe not vnderstand For there may bee a holinesse which themselues know not there may bee a holy Ghost though they see or feele him not and that holy Ghost may reueale that truth giue that power and heate of Holinesse and Deuotion which flesh and blood doth not reueale and giue vnto them And if there may bee such things what folly is this to speake of that which they know not yea what madnesse to condemne it being vnknowne Sure I am they doe not know that there are no such things and therefore they doe not know that they doe wisely in censuring such things which may bee for ought they know and if they be they are certainly excellent and most vnworthy of contempt Wherefore let men take heed that they cast not vpon themselues the title of folly or madnesse when they call a Saint a Puritane Thirdly they giue men occasion to call them Brownists I meane those that thinke them to be of any Religion For these men that thus cast contempt vpon purenesse and holinesse cast contempt on the Liturgy and prayers of our Church For there wee finde these excellent and godly Petitions That our liues hereafter may bee pure and holy Yea for the King himselfe That God-will preserue him in holinese and purenesse of life Now to reuile this which the prayers of our Church pray for is to reuile the prayers of our Church and I thinke hee that doth it hath a fauour if hee bee taken for a Brownist Fourthly to destroy and batter this grace of the Spirit is the only way to leaue no good works among vs and so to bring the very name of Reformed religion into infamy For the workes which were brought forth by the errors and motiues of the flesh in the darknesse of Poperie we haue sought to remoue And now striuing to set a new roote and principle of good workes euen Grace the true roote and fountaine of them this the Diuell by these words of malice and contempt doth seeke to roote vp and destroy So that this is the way to leaue no roote at all of good workes But farre better were it to cherish the true and kindely roote of them that so good trees may plentifully bring forth the fruite of good Works Yea it were to be wished that it might be so watered that it bring forth those great good workes of buying-in Church liuings and building of Churches For the first many hungrie soules doe cry complaining with the Eunuch Act. 8 31. How can I vnderstand except some man guide mee And some that complaine not are in worse case than the other for they lie speechlesse and more than halfe-dead not feeling their owne misery the Leuites passing by them and leauing them in it And indeed there is little outward encouragement to drawe them in or at least to perswade their abiding where there is scarce a little chamber with a bed 2 King 4. a table a stoole a candlestick to receiue them being come And this while the people perish for want of knowledge and being without a teaching Priest 2 Chron. 15. 3. they are not farre from being without God as it seemes by the Prophet For the second I acknowledge that the true religion hath both built and repaired Churches Neither is this chiefe Citie without examples But yet it were good the roote of this fruite were somewhat more watered For if these fruites did abound a Church would not stand open to the raine so long after a fire and perchance those stones would bee put into their right places which now by many no doubt are turned into stones of stumbling and offence For euen to remoue an offence did Christ cause Peter to cast in an Angle and to fetch money from a fish And surely if some would but cast an Angle into their superfluities they might take vp such a piece of money as would saue such an offence If it were to satisfie or serue the flesh and for outward glory we see how easily great summes are expended and huge buildings are raised And I thinke scarce any age of our Ancestors hath equalled ours But when wee doe so much for our selues and so easily so little and so hardly for God doth not this shew that the roote of prophanenesse and contempt of God is too much watered