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
Prophets and yee shall prosper They therefore doe very ill who are still in a doubt of their saluation because as yet they feele not in themselues especiall motions of Gods spirit Thus much concerning the way which God vseth in begetting of faith There are beside this two notable degrees of faith The one is the lowest and as I may speake the positiue degree the other is the highest or superlatiue The lowest degree of faith is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a little or weake faith like a graine of mustard seede or smoking flaxe which can neither giue out heate nor flame but onely smoke Math. 8.25 His Disciples awaked him saying Saue master we perish 26. And he said vnto them Why are ye fearefull O ye of little faith Math. 7.20 If ye haue faith as much as a graine of mustard seede ye shall say vnto the mountaine Mooue and it shall remooue Esay 42.3 The smoking flaxe shall he not quench Faith is then said to be weake and feeble when as of those fiue degrees aboue mentioned either the first which is knowledge or the fift which is application of the promises is very feeble the rest remaining strong Rom. 14.2 One beleeueth that he may eate all things and another which is weake eateth hearbes 3. Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not and let not him which eateth not iudge him which eateth for God hath receiued him The Apostles although they beleeued that Christ was the Sonne of the liuing God yet they were ignorant of his death and his resurrection Matth. 16. 16. Ioh. 6.69 Matth. 17. 22. Luk. 9.49 They vnderstood not that word for it was hid from thē so that they could not perceiue it Act. 1.6 They asked him saying Lord wilt thou restore at this time the kingdome of Israel For the better knowledge of this kind of faith we must obserue these two rules I. A serious desire to beleeue and an indeauour to obtaine Gods fauour is the head of faith Mat 5.6 Blessed are they which hunger and thirst after righteousnesse for they shall be satisfied Reu. 21.6 I will giue to him that it is a thirst of the well of the water of life freely Psal. 145.19 He will fulfill the desire of them that feare him he also will heare their crie and will saue them For in such as begin to beleeue and to be renued the minde will lie not idle but being mooued by the holy ghost striue with doubtfulnesse and distrust indeauour to put their assent to the sweete promises made in the Gospell and firmely to apply the same to themselues and in the sense of their weakenesse desire assistance from aboue and thus faith is bestowed II. God doth not despise the least sparke of faith if so be it by little and little doe encrease and men vse the meanes to increase the same Luk. 17.5 The Apostles said vnto the Lord encrease our faith 6. And the Lord said If ye had faith as much as a graine of mustard seed and should saie vnto this mulberrie tree Plucke thy selfe vp by the rootes and plant thy selfe in the sea it should euen obey you Man must therefore stirre vp his faith by meditation of Gods word serious prayers and other exercises belonging vnto faith The highest degree of faith is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a full assurance which is not onely certaine and true but also a full perswasion of the heart whereby a Christian much more firmely taking hold on Christ Iesus maketh full and resolute account that God loueth him and that he will giue to him by name Christ and all his graces pertaining to eternall life Rom. 4.20 Neither did be doubt of the promise of God through vnbeleefe but was strengthened in the faith and gaue glory to God 21. Beeing fully assured that he which had promised was able also to doe it Rom. 8.38 I am perswaded that neither life nor death c. can separate vs from the loue of God which is in Christ Iesus 1. Sam. 17.36 Thy seruant slue both the lyon and the beare therfore this vncircumcised Philistim shall be as one of them seeing he hath railed on the hoste of the liuing God Psal. 23.6 Doubtlesse kindnesse and mercy shal follow me all the daies of my life Conferred with v. 1,2,3,4 Man commeth to this high degree after the sense obseruation long experience of Gods fauour and loue Quest. Whether is iustifying faith commanded in the law Answer It is commanded in the lawe of faith namely the Gospel but not in the law of works that is in the morrall law Rom. 3.27 the reasons are these I. That which the law reuealeth not that it commandeth not but the lawe is so farre from reuealing iustifying faith that it neuer knew it II. Adam had fully before his fall written in his heart the morall lawe yet had he not iustifying faith which apprehendeth Christ. Obiect I. Incredulitie is condemned by the law Answer That incredulitie which is toward God is condemned in the lawe but that incredulitie which is against the Messiah Christ Iesus is condemned by the Gospel For as by the Gospel◠not by the law incredulitie in the Sonne as Mediatour appeareth to be a sinne so likewise not by the law is incredulitie in the Messiah condemned but by the Gospel which commandeth vs to heare him and to beleeue in him Mat. 17.5 1. Ioh. 3.23 Thus it is plaine that this sinne not to beleeue in Christ is expressely and distinctly made manifest and condemned by the Gospel And albeit the knowledge of sinne be by the law yet not euery thing which doth reprooue and declare some sinne is the lawe of workes or belongeth thereto Obiect II. But ceremonies belong to the decalogue Answer Ceremonies may be as examples referred to the decalogue but indeede they are appendants to the Gospell CHAP. 37. Concerning the second degree of the declaration of Gods loue THe second degree is iustification whereby such as beleeue are accounted iust before God through the obedience of Christ Iesus 2. Cor. 5.21 He hath made him to be sinne for vs which knewe no sinne that we should bee made the righteousnesse of God in him 1. Cor. 1.30 Rom. 5.19 As by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one that is Iesus Christ v. 17 shall many also be made righteous Quest. Whether did Christ performe full obedience to the law for vs men alone or for himselfe also Answer I. Not for himselfe as some not rightly would haue him for the flesh of Christ beeing hypostatically vnited to the Word and so in it selfe fully sanctified was euen from the first moment of conception most worthy to be blessed with eternall life Therefore by all that obedience which he performed after his conception Christ he merited nothing for himselfe II. For vs namely for the faithfull he fulfilled all the righteousnes of the law and hence is it that he is called the ende of the law vnto
whereby men are iustified in the sight of God The Confutation We doe contrarily hold that the materiall cause of mans iustification is the obedience of Christ in suffering fulfilling the law for vs but as for the formall cause that must needes be Imputation the which is an action of God the Father accepting the obedience of Christ for vs as if it were our owne Reasons I. Looke by what we are absolued from all our sinnes and by which we obtaine eternall life by that alone are we iustified But by Christs perfect obedience imputed vnto vs we are absolued from all our sinnes and through it we are accepted of God to eternall life the which we cannot doe by inherent holinesse Therefore by Christs perfect obedience imputed vnto vs are we alone iustified This will appeare to be true in the exercises of inuocation on Gods name and also of repentance For in tentation and conflicts with sinne and Satan faith doth not reason thus Now I haue charitie and inherent grace and for these God will accept of me But faith doth more rightly behold the sonne of God as he was made a sacrifice for vs and sitteth at the right hand of his Father there making intercession for vs to him I say doth faith flie and is assured that for this his sonne God will forgiue vs all our sinnes and will also be reconciled vnto vs yea and account vs iust in his sight not by any qualitie inherent in vs but rather by the merit of Iesus Christ. Rom. 5.19 II. As Christ is made a sinner so by proportion such as beleeue are made iust But Christ was by imputation onely made and accounted a sinner for vs. 2. Cor. 5. 21. For he became a suretie for vs and a sacrifice for our sinnes vpon which all both the guiltinesse of Gods wrath and punishment for vs was to be laide Hence is it that he is said to become 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a curse for vs Therfore we againe are made iust only by imputation III. The contrarie to condemnation is remission of sinnes and iustification is the opposite of condemnation Rom. 8. 33. It is God that iustifieth who shall condemne Therefore iustification is the remission of sinnes Now remission of sinnes dependeth onely vpon this imputation of Christs merits IV. Albeit infused and inherent iustice may haue his due place his praise and also deserts yet as it is a worke of the holy Ghost it is not in this life complete and by reason of the flesh◠whereto it is vnited it is both imperfect and infected with the dregges of sinne Esai 64. Therfore before Gods iudgement seate it cannot claime this prerogatiue to absolue any from the sentence of condemnation Obiect I. This imputation is nothing els but a vaine cogitation Answ. I. Yes it is a relation or diuine ordinance whereby one relatiue is applied to his correlatiue or as the Logitians say is as the foundation to the Terminus II. As the imputation of our sinnes vnto Christ was indeede something so the imputation of Christs iustice vnto vs must not be thought a bare conceit III. Againe the Church of Rome doth her selfe maintaine imputatiue iustic◠namely when as by Ecclesiasticall authoritie shee doth applie the merits and satisfactions of certain persons vnto other members of that Church Whence it is apparant that euen the Popes indulgences they are imputatiue Obiect II. Imputatiue iustice is not euerlasting but that iustice which the Messiah bringeth is euerlasting Ans. Although after this life there is no pardon of sinnes to be looked for yet that which is giuen vs in this life shall to our saluation continue in the life to come Obiect III. If iustification be by imputation he may before God be iust who indeede is a very wicked man Ans. Not so any waies for he that is once by imputation iustified he is also at that same instant sanctified The XIII errour There is also a second iustification and that is obtained by workes The Confutation That popish deuice of a second iustification is a fantasticall delusion For I. The word of God doth acknowledge no more but one iustification at all and that absolute and complete of it selfe There is but one iustice but one satisfaction of God being offended therefore there cannot be a manifold iustification II. If by reason of the increase of inherent iustice iustification should be distinguished into seuerall kindes or parts we might as well make an hundreth kinds or parts of iustification as two III. That which by order of nature doth follow after full iustification before God it cannot be said to iustifie But good workes doe by order of nature follow mans iustification and his absolution from sinnes because no worke can please God except the person it selfe that worketh the same doe before please him But no mans person can please God but such an one as beeing reconciled to God by the merits of Christ hath peace with him IV. Such workes as are not agreeable to the rule of legall iustice they before the tribunall seat of God cannot iustifie but rather both in and of themselues are subiect to Gods eternall curse For this is the sentence of the Law Cursed is euery one that continueth not in all things written in the booke of the Law to doe them Now the works euen of the regenerate are not squared according to the rule of legall iustice wherefore Dauid being as it were stricken with the cōsideration of this durst not once oppose no not his best works to the iudgement of God that by them he might plead pardon of his sinnes whence it is that he crieth out and saith Enter not into iudgement with thy seruant O Lord for then no flesh liuing shall be iustified in thy sight The like doth Iob 9.3 If he namely such an one as saith he is iust contend with God he cannot answer him one of a thousand And Dan. 9. 18. We doe not present our supplications before thee for our owne righteousnesse but for thy great tender mercies V. Iustification by works let them be whatsoeuer they can be doth quite ouerturne the foundation of our faith Gal. 5.2 If ye be circumcised Christ will profit you nothing and v. 4. Ye are abolished from Christ whosoeuer are iustified by the law ye are fallen from grace In this place the Apostle speaketh of them not which did openly resist Christ and the Gospel but of such as did with the merit of Christ mingle together the workes of the Law as though some part of our saluation consisted in them Exception This place doth onely exclude such morall works of the flesh as doe goe before faith or the workes of the law of Moses Ans. This is vntrue For euen of Abraham being already regenerated and of those his works which were done when he was iustified Paul speaketh thus To him not which worketh but which beleeueth is faith imputed Those works which God hath prepared that the regenerate should walke in
a gap to all licentiousnes therefore they agree to mans corrupt nature for who almost will not sinne when he may get a pardon for his sinnes for a little peece of money as twentie shillings or foure nobles And what is it but cosonage to sell pardons which shall be in force many yeares after the ende of the world as the Pope doth It is naturall to a man to serue God in certaine ceremonies without the power of godlines and this seruice is prescribed by the religion of the Church of Rome which standeth only in outward and corporall ceremonies as the outward succession of Bishops garments vestures gestures coloures choice of meat difference of daies times and places hearing seeing saying touching tasting numbring of beads gilding and worshipping of images building Monasteries rising at midnight silence in cloysters abstaining from flesh and white meat Fasting in Lent keeping Imber daies hearing Masse and diuine seruice seeing and adoring the bodie in forme of bread receiuing holy water and holy bread creeping to the crosse carrying Palmes taking ashes bearing Candles Pilgrimages going censing kneeling knocking altars superaltars candlestickes pardons In orders crossing annointing shauing forswearing marriage In baptisme salting crossing spatling exorcising washing of hands At Easter confession penance dirge satisfaction and in receiuing with beards new shauen to imagine a bodie where they see none and though he were there present to be seene yet the outward seeing and touching of him of it selfe without faith conduceth no more then it did the Iewes At Rogation daies to carrie banners to followe the Crosse to walke about the fieldes After Pentecost to goe about with Corpus Christi plaie At Hollowmasse to watch in the Church to say Dirge or commendation and to ring for all soules to pay tithes truly to giue to the hie Altar And if a man will be a priest to say Masse and Mattens to serue the Saint of that daie and to lift well ouer the head In sickenes to be anneled to take his rites after his death to haue funerall and Obites said for him and to be rung for at his Funerall moneths minde and yeare minde This is the summe of the catholike religion standing in bodily actions not in any motions or worke of the holy Ghost working in the heart The morall law containing perfect righteousnes is flat opposite to manâ— corrupt nature therfore whatsoeuer Religion shall repeale and make of none effect the commandements of the morall lawe that same religion must needs ioyne hands with the corruption of nature and stand for the maintenance of it This doth the religion of the Church of Rome it may be it doth not plainly repeale them yet in effect it doth if it shall frustrate but any one point of any one commandement yea the whole lawe thereby is made in vaine 1. The first commandement requireth that we haue the true Iehoua for our only God Church of Rome maketh other gods beside this true God it maketh the body of Christ to be god because they hold it may bee in many places in heauen in earth at the same time which thing is only proper to God It maketh euery Saint departed to bee God because it holdeth that Saints doe heare vs now being vpon the earth that they know our thoughts when we pray to them which none but the true God can doe It maketh the Pope to be God and that in plaine words Pope Nicholas saith Constat summum Pontificem à pio principe Constantino Deum appellari It is well known that the Pope of the godly prince Constantine was called God Againe in the extraâ—agants of the same Cannon law it is written Dominus Deus noster Papa Our Lord God the Pope And againe Christopher Marcellus said to the Pope Tu es alter Deus in terris Thou art another God vpon earth and the Pope tooke it to himselfe As the Pope in plaine wordes is made God so the power giuen to him declareth the same He can make holy that which is vnholy and iustifie the wicked and pardon sinnes hee may dispense contrarie to the saying of â—n Apostle he can change the nature of things and of nothing make somewhat What is all this but to place the Pope in Gods roome and to robbe the Lord of his Maiestie Againe the Church of Rome maketh Marie the mother of Iesus to bee as God In the Breuiary reformed and published at the commandement of Pius the V. shee is called a Goddesse in expresse words and she is further tearmed the Queene of heauen the Queene of the world the gate of heauen the mother of grace and mercy Yea shee is farre exalted aboue Christ and he in regard of her is made but a poore vnderling in heauen for papists in their seruice vnto her pray on this manner saying Shew thy selfe to be a mother and cause thy sonne to receiue our praiers set free the captiues and giue light to the blind Lastly the very crosse is made as a God For they salute it by the name of their only hope and pray it to increase iustice to the godly and to giue sinners pardon Wherfore the Church of Rome beside the one true God distinguished into three persons the father the sonne and the holy ghost maketh also many other and so in trueth hath repealed his first commandement And they haue very plainely repealed the second commandement in that they teach it lawfull to make images of the true God and to worship him in them For the flat contrarie is the very scope of this commandement namely that no image must be made of the true Iehoua nor any worship be performed vnto him in an image which appeareth thus In Deutronomie Moses maketh a large Commentarie of this commandement and this very point he sets down expressely saying take heed to your selues for ye sawe no image in the day that the Lord spake vnto you in Horeb out of the middest of the fire that ye corrupt not your selues and make you a grauen image or representation of any figure c. His argument I set downe thus As God appeared in mount Horeb so he is to be conceiued and represented but hee appeared in no image in mount Horeb only his voice was heard therefore he is not to be conceiued or represented in any image but men are to be content if they may heare his voice Againe that sin to which the people of Israel were specially giuen euen that doth the Lord specially forbid but to this were the people of Israel specially giuen not so much to make images of false gods as to make images of the true God and to worship him in them which I prooue thus In the booke of Iudges it is said that the children of Israel did wickedly in the sight of the Lord and serued Baalim Now these Baalims what are they Surely Idols resembling the true God as the Prophet Hosea declareth
vncalled Persons called are all such to whome God in mercie hath offered the meanes of saluation and hath reuealed the doctrine of the Gospell in some measure more or lesse by meanes either ordinarie or extraordinarie All such I thinke are straightly bound in conscience to beleeue and obey the gospel For that word of God whereby men shall be iudged in the day of iudgement must first of all binde their consciences in this life considering absolution and condemnation is according to that which is done in this life but by the gospell all men that haue beene called shall be iudged as Paul saith Rom. 2.16 God shall iudge the secrets of men by Iesus Christ according to my Gospell And our Sauiour Christ saith He that beleeueth hath life euerlasting hee which beleeueth not is alreadie condemned It remaines therefore that the gospell bindes the consciences of such men in this life By this very point we are all put in minde not to content our selues with this that we haue a liking to the gospell and doe beleeue it to bee true though many protestants in these our daies thinke it sufficient both in life and death if they hold that they are to be saued by faith alone in Christ without the merit of mans workes but wee must goe yet further and enter into a practise of the doctrine of the Gospel as wel as of the precepts of the morall lawe knowing that the gospel doeth as well bind conscience as the law and if it be not obeied will as well condemne Men vncalled are such as neuer heard of Christ by reason the gospell was neuer reuealed vnto them nor meanes of reuelation offered That there haue bin such in former ages I make manifest thus The worlde since the creation may be distinguished into foure ages The first frō the creation to the flood the second from the flood to the giuing of the Law the third from the giuing of the Lawe to the death of Christ the fourth from the death of Christ to the last iudgement Nowe in the three former ages there was a distinction of the world into two sorts of men wherof one was a people of God the other no-people In the first age in the families of Seth Noe c. were the sonnes of God in all other families the sonnes of men Gen. 6.2 In the second age were the sonnes of the flesh and the sonnes of the promise Rom. 9.7 In the third Iewes and Gentiles the Iewes beeing the Church of God all nations beside no-church But in the last age this distinction was taken away when the Apostles had a commission giuen them that was neuer giuen before to any namely to goe teach not onely the Iewes but all nations Now this distinction arose of this that the Gospel was not reuealed to the world before the comming of Christ as the Scriptures witnes The prophet Esai saith 52.14 that kings shall shut their mouthes at Christ because that which had not bin told them they shal see and that which they had not heard shall they vnderstand And 55. 5. that a nation that knew him not shall runne vnto him Paul saith to the Ephesians that in former times they were without God and without Christ strangers from the couenāt Eph. 2.12 And to the Athenians he saith that the times before the comming of Christ were times of ignorance Act. 17.30 And that it may not be thought that this ignorance was affected Paul saith further that God in times past suffered the Gentiles to walke in their owne waies Act. 14. 16. and that the mysterie of the Gospell was kept secret from the beginning of the world and is now in the last age reuealed to the whole world Rom. 16.25 Some alleadge that the Iewes beeing the church of God had traffique with all nations and by this means spred some little knowledge of the Messias through the whole world I answer again that the conference and speach of Iewish marchants with forrainers was no sufficient means to publish the promise of saluation by Christ to the whol world first because the Iewes for the most part haue alwaies bin more readie to receiue any new and false religion then to teach their owne secondly because the very Iewes themselues though they were well acquainted with the ceremonies of their religion yet the substance thereof which was Christ figured by externall ceremonies they knew not and hereupon the Pharises when they made a Proselyte they made him tenne times more the child of the deuill then themselues Thirdly because men are seldome or neuer suffered to professe or make any speach of their religion in forraine countries Againe if it be alleadged that the doctrine is set downe in the bookes of the old Testament which men through the whole world might haue read searched and knowne if they would I answer that the keeping of the bookes of the old Testament was committed to the Iewes alone Rom. 3.2 and therefore they were not giuen to the whole world as also the Psalmist testifieth He sheweth his word vnto Iacob his statutes and his iudgements vnto Israel he hath not dealt so with euery nation neither haue they knowne his iudgements Now touching such persons as haue not so much as heard of Christ though they are apt and fitte to be bound in conscience by the Gospell in as much as they are the creatures of God yet are they not indeed actually bound till such time as the Gospel be reuealed or at the least meanes of reuelation offered Reasons hereof may be these I. Whatsoeuer doctrine or law doth bind conscience must in some part be knowne by nature or by grace or by both the vnderstanding must first of all conceiue or at the least haue meanes of conceiuing before conscience can constraine because it bindeth by vertue of known cōclusions in the mind Therfore things that are altogether vnknown and vnconceiued of the vnderstanding doe not bind in conscience now the Gospel is altogether vnknowne and vnconceiued of many as I haue alreadie prooued and therefore it binds not them in conscience II. Paul saith Rom. 2.12 They which sinne without the law written shal be condemned without the law therefore they which sinne without the Gospel shal be condemned without the Gospel and such as shal be condemned without the Gospel after this life were not bound by it in this life Augustine the most iudiciall Diuine of all the auncient fathers vpon these wordes of Christ but now they haue no excuse for their sinne saith on this manner A doubt may be mooued whether they to whome Christ hath not come neither hath spoken vnto them haue an excuse for their sinne For if they haue it not why is it said that these namely the Iewes haue no excuse because he came and spake to them and if they haue it whether it be that their punishment may be taken away quite or in part lessened To these demands to my capacitie as the Lord shall inable me
saith When we are gone out of this world there will remaine no compunction or satisfaction Some new Editions haue foisted in the word aliqua and so haue turned the sense on this manner There will remaine no compunction or some satisfaction But this is flat against Augustines meaning who saith a little before that when the way is ended there is no compounding of our cause with any Chrysost. proem in Esa. Say not to me I haue sinned how shall I be freed from so many sinnes Thou canst not but thy God can Yea and he will so blot out thy sinnes that there shall remaine no print of theÌ„ which thing befalls not the bodie for when it is healed there remainâ—s a skarre but God as soone as he exempts thee from punishment he giueth thee iustice Ambrose saith I read of Peters teares but I read not of his satisfaction Againe Let vs adore Christ that he may say vnto vs Feare not thy sinnes of this world nor the waues of bodily sufferings I haue remission of sinnes Hierome saith in Psal. 31. The sinne that is couered is not seene the sinne that is not seene is not imputed that which is not imputed is not punished Chrysostome in Matthew hom 44. Among all men some indure punishment in this life and the life to come others in this life alâ—ne others alone in the life to come others nâ—ither in this life nor in the life to come There alone as Dives who was not lord so much as of one droppe of water Here alone the incestuous man among the Corinthians Neither here nor there as the Apostles and Prophets as also Iob and the rest of this kinde for they indured no sufferings for punishment but that they might be knowne to be conquerours in the fight Obiections of Papists I. Obiect Leuit. 4. Moses according to Gods commandement prescribed seuerall sacrifices for seuerall persons and they were meanes of satisfaction for the temporall punishments of their daily sinnes Ans. Those sacrifices were onely signes and types of Christs satisfaction to be offered to his father in his alone sacrifice vpon the crosse and whosoeuer offered any sacrifice in the old testament did thus and no otherwise esteeme of it but as a type and figure of better things Secondly the saide sacrifices were satisfactions to the Church whereby men did testifie their repentance for their offences and likewise their desire to be reconciled to God and men And such kinde of satisfactions we acknowledge II. Obiect Men whose sinnes are all pardoned haue afterward sundrie crosses and afflictions laide vpon them vnto the ende of their daies therefore in all likelihood they make satisfaction to God for temporall punishments As for example the Israelites for murmuring against the Lord in the wildernes were barred all from the land of promise and the like befell Moses and Aaron for not glorifying God as they should haue done at the waters of strife Ans. Man must be considered in a two-fold estate as he is vnder the law and as he is vnder grace In the first estate all afflictions are curses or legall punishments be they little or great but to them that are in the second estate and beleeue in Christ though the same afflictions remaine yet doe they change their habite or condition and are the actions of a Father seruing to be trialls corrections preuentings admonitions 1. Cor. 11.32 When we are iudged we are nurtered of the Lord. and Heb. 12.7 If ye indure chastisment God offereth himselfe vnto you as children and Chrysostome saith 1. Cor. hom 28. When we are corrected of the Lord it is more for our admonition then damnation more for a medicine then for a punishment more for a correction then for a penaltie And whereas God denied the beleeuing Israelites with Moses and Aaron to enter into the land of Canaan it cannot be prooued that it was a punishment or penaltie of the law vpon them The scripture saith no more but that it was an admonition to all men in all ages following to take heede of like offences as Paul writeth All these things came vnto them for ensamples and were written for our admonition 1. Cor. 10.11 III. Obiect Dauid was punished after his repentance for his adulterie for the child died and he was plagued in his owne kind in the incest of Absolon and when he had numbred the people he was yet punished in the death of his people after his owne repentance Ans. I answer as before that the hand of God was vpon Dauid after his repentance but yet the iudgements which befell him were not curses vnto him properly but corrections for his sinnes and trialls of his faith and meanes to preuent further sinne and to renew both his faith and repentance as also they serued to admonish others in like case for Dauid was a publike person and his sinnes were offensiue both within the Church of God and without IV. Obiect The prophets of God when the people are threatned with the plague famine sword captiuitie c. exhort them to repent and to humble themselues in sackcloath and ashes and thereby they turned away the wrath of God that was then comming forth against them Therefore by temporall humiliation men may escape the temporall punishments of the Lord. Answ. Famine sword banishment the plague and other iudgements sent on Gods people were not properly punishments of sinne but onely the corrections of a father whereby he humbleth them that they might repent or thus they were punishments tending to correction not seruing for satisfaction And the punishments of God are turned from them not because they satisfie the iustice of God in their own sâ—fferings but because by faith they lay hold on the satisfaction of the Messias testifie the same by their humiliation repentance Obiect V. Dan. 4.24 Daniel giueth this counsel to Nabuchadnezar redeeme thy â—innes by iustice and thine iniquities by almes deedes Beholde say they almes deeds are made a meanes to satisfie for mans iniquities Ans. The word which they translate to redeeme as the most learned in the Chalde tongue with one consent auouch doth properly signifie to breake off as if the Prophet should say O King thou art a mightie Monarch and to inlarge thy kingdome thou hast vsed much iniustice and crueltie therefore now repâ—â—â— of thine iniquitie and breake off these thy sinnes testifie thy repentance by doing iustice and giue almes to the poore whome thou hast oppressed Therefore here is nothing spoken of satisfaction for sinne but onely of testification of repentance by the fruits thereof Obiect VI. Matth. 3.2 Doe penance and bring forth fruits worthy of penance which say they are workes of satisfaction inioyned by the priest Ans. This text is absurd for the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth thus much change your mindes from sinne to God and testifie it by good workes that is by doing the duties of the morall lawe which must bee done not because they are meanes to
it selfe can make any man to merit But where may wee finde these workes not in the person of any meere man or angel nor in all men and angels but onely in the person of Christ God and man whose workes are not onely answerable to the perfection of the lawe but goe farre beyond the same For first the obedience of his life considered alone by it selfe was answerable euen to the rigour of the lawe and therefore the sufferings of his death and passion were more then the lawe could require at his hand considering it requireth no punishment of him that is a doer of all things contained therein Secondly the very rigour of the lawe requireth obedience onely of them that are meere men but the obedience of Christ was the obedience of a person that was both God and man Thirdly the lawe requires personall obedience that is that euery man fulfill the law for himselfe and it speakes of no more Christ obeyed the law for himselfe not because hee did by his obedience merit his owne glorie but because he was to be a perfect and pure high priest not onely in nature but also in life and as he was a creature he was to be conformable to the lawe Nowe the obedience which Christ performed was not for himselfe alone but it serueth also for all the elect considering it was the obedience of God as Paul signified when he said feede the Church of God which he purchased with his blood it was sufficient for many thousand worlds by reason the lawe requireth no obedience of him that is God this obedience therefore may truely be tearmed a worke of supererrogation This one wee acknowledge and beside this we dare acknowledge none And thus farre we agree with the Church of Rome in the doctrine of the estate of perfection and further wee dare not goe The difference The Papists hold as the writings of the learned among them teach that a man beeing in the state of grace may not onely keep all the commandements of the lawe and thereby deserue his owne saluation but also goe beyonde the lawe and doe workes of supererrogation which the lawe requireth not as to performe the vowe of single life and the vow of regular obedience c. And by this meanes they say men deserue a greater degree of glorie then the lawe can affoard Of perfection they make two kinds one they call necessarie perfection which is the fulfilling of the lawe in euery commandement whereby eternall life is deserued The second is profitable perfection when men doe not onely such things as the law requires but ouer and besides they make certain vowes and performe certaine other duties which the law inioynes not for the doing whereof they shall bee rewarded with a greater measure of glory then the lawe designeth This they make plaine by comparison Two souldiers fight in the fielde vnder one and the same captaine the one onely keepes his standing and thereby deserues his paie the other in keeping of his place doth also winne the enemies standard or doe some other notable exploit now this man besides his pay deserues some greater reward And thus say they it is with all true Catholikes in the state of grace they that keep the law shall haue life eternall but they that doe more then the lawe as workes of supererrogation shall be crowned with greater glorie This is their doctrine But we on the contrarie teach that albeit we are to striue to a perfection as much as we can yet no man can fulfill the lawe of God in this life much lesse doe workes of supererrogation for the confirmation whereof these reasons may be vsed I. In the morall lawe two things are commanded First the loue of God and mā Secondly the manner of this loue nowe the manner of louing God is to loue him with all our heart and strength Luk. 10.27 Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soule and with all thy strength and with all thy thought c. As Bernard said The measure of louing god is to loue him without measure and that is to loue him with the greatest perfection of loue that can befall a creature Hence it followes that in louing God no man can possibly doe more then the lawe requireth and therfore the performance of all vowes whatsoeuer all like duties comes short of the intention or scope of the law II Reason The compasse of the law is large comprehendeth in it more then the minde of man can at the first conceiue for euery commandement hath two parts the negatiue and the affirmatiue In the negatiue is forbidden not onely the capitall sinne named as murther theft adulterie c. but all sinns of the same kinde with all occasions and prouocations thereto And in the affirmatiue is commanded not onely the contrarie vertues as the loue of God and the loue of our neigbours honour life chastitie goods good name but the vse of all helpes and meanes whereby the saide vertues may bee preserued furthered and practised Thus hath our Sauiour Christ himselfe expounded the lawe Math. 5.6 vpon this plaine ground I conclude that all duties pertaining to life and manners come within the list of some morall commandement And that the Papists making their works of supererrogation meanes to further the loue of God and man must needes bring them vnder the compasse of the lawe Vnder which if they be they cannot possibly goe beyonde the same Reason III. Luk. 17.10 When ye haue done all those things that are commanded vs we are vnprofitable seruāts we haue done that which was our duty to do The Papists answer that we are vnprofitable to God but not to our selues but this shift of theirs is beside the very intent of the place For a seruant in doing his duty is vnprofitable euen to himselfe and doth not so much as deserue thanks at his masters hand as Christ saith v 9◠Doeth he thanke that seruant Secondly they answer that we are vnprofitable seruants in doing things commanded yet when we doe things prescribed in the way of counsell we may profit our selues and merit thereby But this aunswere doeth not stand with reason For things commanded in that they are commaunded are more excellent then things left to our libertie because the will and commandement of God giues excellencie and goodnesse vnto them Againe counsells are thought to bee harder then the commandements of the lawe and if men cannot profit themselues by obedience of morall precepts which are more easie much lesse shall they be able to profit themselues by counsels which are of greater difficultie Reason IV. If it be not in the abilitie and power of man to keepe the lawe then much lesse is he able to doe any worke that is beyond and aboue all the lawe requireth but no man is able to fulfill the lawe and therefore no man is able to supererrogate Here the papists denie the proposition for say they
is expressed in the morall law The Morall Law is that part of Gods word which commandeth perfect obedience vnto man as well â—n his nature as in his actions and forbiddeth the contrarie Rom. 10.5 Moses thus describeth the righteousnes which is of the Law that the man which doth these things shall liue thereby 1. Tim. 1.5 The end of the commandement is loue out of a pure heart and of a good conscience and faith vnfained Luk. 16.27 Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thine heart with all thy soule and with all thy strength Rom. 7. We know that the law is spirituall The Law hath two parts The Edict commanding obedience and the condition binding to obedience The condition is eternall life to such as fulfill the law but to transgressours euerlasting death The Decalogue or ten Commandements is an abridgement of the whole Law and the couenant of workes Exod. 34.27 And the Lord said vnto Moses Write thou these words for after the tenour of these words I haue made a covenant with thee and with Israel And was there with the Lord fourtie daies and fourtie nights and did neither eate bread nor drinke water and he wrote in the Tables the words of the covenant euen the tenne Commandements 1. King 8.9 Nothing was in the Arke saue the two Tables of stone which Moses had put there at Horeb where the Lord made a couenant with the children of Israel when he brought them out of the land of Egypt Matth. 22.40 On these two commandements hangeth the whole Law and the Prophets The true interpretation of the Decalogue must be according to these rules I. In the negatiue the affirmatiue must be vnderstood and in the affirmatiue the negatiue II. The negatiue bindeth at all times and to all times and the affirmatiue bindeth at all times but not to all times and therefore negatiues are of more force III. Vnder one vice expressely forbidden are comprehended all of that kind yea the least cause occasion or entisement thereto is as well forbidden as that 1. Ioh. 3.15 Whosoeuer hateth his brother is a manslayer Matth. 5.21 to the ende Euill thoughts are condemned as well as euill actions IV. The smallest sinnes are entituled with the same names that that sinne is which is expressely forbidden in that commandement to which they appertaine As in the former places hatred is named murther and to looke after a woman with a lusting eye is adulterie V. We must vnderstand euery commandement of the law so as that we annex this condition vnlesse God command the contrarie For God being an absolute Lord and so aboue the law may command that which his law forbiddeth so he commanded Isaac to be offered the Egyptians to be spoiled the brasen Serpent to be erected which was a figure of Christ c. The Decalogue is described in two Tables The summe of the first Table is that we loue God with our mind memorie affections and all our strength Matth. 22. 37. This is the first to wit in nature and order and great commandement namely in excellencie and dignitie CHAP. 20. Of the first commandement THe first table hath foure commandements The first teacheth vs to haue and choose the true God for our God The words are these I am Iehouah thy God which brought thee out of the land of Egypt and out of the house of bondage Thou shalt haue none other God but me The Resolution I am If any man rather iudge that these words are a preface to al the commandements then a part of the first I hinder him not neuerthelesse it is like that they are a perswasion to the keeping of the first commandement that they are set before it to make way vnto it as being more hard to be receiued then the rest And this may appeare in that the three commandements next following haue their seuerall reasons Iehouah This word signifieth three things I. Him who of himselfe and in himselfe was from all eternitie Reuel 1.8 Who is who was and who is to come II. Him which giueth being to all things when they were not partly by creating partly by preseruing them III. Him which mightily causeth that those things which he hath promised should both be made and continued Exod. 6.1 Rom. 4. 17. Here beginneth the first reason of the first commandement taken from the name of God it is thus framed He that is Iehouah must alone be thy God But I am Iehouah Therefore I alone must be thy God This proposition is wanting the assumption is in these words I am Iehouah the conclusion is the commandement Thy God These are the words of the couenant of grace Ier. 32.33 wherby the Lord promiseth to his people remission of sinnes and eternall life Yea these words are as a second reason of the commandements drawne from the equalitie of that relation which is betweene God and his people If I be thy God thou againe must be my people and take me alone for thy God But I am thy God Therefore thou must be my people and take me alone for thy God The assumption or second part of this reason is confirmed by an argumeÌ„t taken from Gods effects when he deliuered his people out of Egypt as it were from the seruitude of a most tyrannous master This deliuerie was not appropriate onely to the Israelites but in some sort to the Church of God in all ages in that it was a typâ—â—f a more surpassing deliuerie from that fearefull kingdome of darkenes 1. Cor. 10.1,2 I would not haue you ignorant brethren that all our Fathers were vnder the cloude and all passed through the red sea and were all baptized vnto Moses in the cloude and in the sea Coloss. 1.13 Who hath deliuered vs from the power of darkenes and translated vs into the kingdome of his deare sonne Other Gods or strange gods They are so called not that they by nature are such or can be but because the corrupt and more then diuelish heart of carnall man esteemeth so of them Phil. 3.19 Whose God is their bellie 1. Cor. 4.4 Whose mindes the God of this world hath bewitched Before my face That is figuratiuely in my sight or presence to whom the secret imaginations of the heart are knowne and this is the third reason of the first commandement as if he should say If thou in my presence reiect me it is an heinous offence see therfore thou doe it not After the same manner reasoneth the Lord. Gen. 17.1 I am God almightie therefore walke vpright The affirmatiue part Make choice of Iehouah to be thy God The duties here commanded are these I. To acknowledge God that is to know and confesse him to bee such a God as he hath reuealed himselfe to be in his worde and creatures Col. 1.10 Increasing in the knowledge of God Ierem. 24. 7. And I will giue them an heart to know me that I am the Lord and they shall be my people and I will be their God for they
straunger that is within thy gates For in sixe daies the Lord made the heauen and the earth the sea and all that in them is and rested the seauenth day therefore the Lord blessed the seauenth day and hallowed it The Resolution Remember This clause doth insinuate that in times past there was great neglect in the obseruation of the Sabboth and would that all degrees and conditions of men should prepare themselues to sanctifie the same especially those that be gouernours of families in corporations and cities to whome this commandement is directed To keepe it holy or to sanctifie it To sanctifie it is to seuer a thing from common vse and to consecrate the same to the seruice of God Here are described the two parts of this commandement the first where of is rest from labour the second sanctification of that rest Sixe daies These wordes containe a close answer to this obiection It is much to cease from our callings one whole day The answer together with a first reason to inforce the sanctification of the Sabbath is in these wordes which is taken from the greater to the lesse If I permit thee to follow thy calling sixe whole daies thou maist well and must leaue one onely to serue me But the first is true Therefore the second The first propositioÌ„ is wanting the second or assumption are these words Sixe daies c. The conclusion is the commandement it selfe Here may we see that God hath giuen vs free libertie to worke all the sixe daies The which freedome no man can annihilate Neuerthelesse vpon extraordinarie occasions the Church of God is permitted to separate one daie or more of the seuen as neede is either to fasting or for a solemne day of reioycing for some benefit receiued Ioel 2.15 The seuenth day The second reason of this commaundement taken from the ende thereof If the Sabbath were consecrated to God and his seruice we must that day abstain from our labours But it was consecrated to God and his seruice Therefore we must then abstaine from our labours The assumption is in these words the seuenth day c. where we must note that God alone hath this priuiledge to haue a Sabbath consecrated vnto him and therefore all holy daies dedicated to what soeuer either Angel or Saint are vnlawfull howsoeuer the Church of Rome haue imposed the obseruation of them vpon many people In it thou shalt doe This is the conclusion of the second reason illustrated by a distribution from the causes Thou thy sonne thy daughter thy seruant thy cattell thy stranger shall cease that day from your labours Any worke That is any ordinarie worke of your callings and such as may be done the day before or left well vndone till the day after Yet for all this we are not forbidden to performe such workes euen on this day as are both holy and of present necessitie Such are those works which doe vpon that day preserue and maintaine the seruice and glorie of God as I. a Sabbath daies iourney Act. 1.12 Which is now Hierusalem containing a Sabbath daies iourney II. The killing and dressing of sacrificed beasts in the time of the law Matth. 12.5 Haue ye not read in the law how that on the Sabbath daies the Priests in the Temple breake the Sabbath and are blamelesse III. Iourneys vnto the Prophets and places appointed vnto the worship of God 2. King 4.23 He said Why wilt thou goe to him this day it is neither new moone nor Sabbath day Psal. 84.7 They go from strength to strength till euery one appeare before God in Zion Such also are the works of mercie whereby the safetie of life or goods is procured as that which Paul did Act. 20. 9. As Paul was long preaching Eutychus ouercome with sleepe fell downe from the third loft and was taken vp dead but Paul went downe and laid himselfe vpon him and embraced him saying Trouble not your selues for his life is in him vers 12. And they brought the boy aliue and they were not a little comforted II. To helpe a beast out of a pit Luk. 14.5 Which of you shall haue an oxe or an asse fallen into a pit and will not straightway pull him out on the Sabbath day III. Prouision of meate and drinke Matth. 12.1 Iesus went through the corne on a Sabbath day and his Disciples were an hungred and began to plucke the eares of corne and to eate In prouision we must take heede that our cookes and houshold â—eruants breake not the Sabbath The reason of this is framed from the lesser to the greater out of that place 2. Sam. 25.15 Dauid longed and said Oh that one would giue me to drinke of the water of the well of Beth-lehem which is by the gate vers 16. Then the three mightie brake into the host of the Philistims and drew water out of the well of Beth-lehem that was by the gate and tooke and brought it to Dauid who would not drinke thereof but powred it for an offering vnto the Lord. vers 17. And said O Lord be it farre from me that I should doe â—his is not this the blood of the men that went in ieopardie of their liues therefore would he not drinke The reason standeth thus If Dauid would not haue his seruants aduenture their corporall liues for his prouision nor drinke the water when they had prouided it much lesse ought we for our meates to aduenture the liues of our seruants IV. Watering of cattell Math. 12.11 The Lord answered and said Thou hypocrite will not any of you on the Sabbath daies loose his oxe or asse out of the stable and bring him to the water Vpon the like present and holy necessitie Phisitians vpon the Sabbath day may take a iourney to visit the diseased Mariners their voyage Shepheards may tend their flocke and Midwiues may helpe women with childe Mark 2.27 The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath Within thy gates This word gate signifieth by a figure iurisdiction and authoritie Math. 16.18 The gates of hell shall not ouercome it Let this be a looking glasse wherein all Inholders and intertainers of strangers may looke into themselues and behold what is their dutie For in sixe daies The third reason of this commaundement from the likâ— example That which I did thou also must doe But I rested the seauenth day and hallowed it Therefore thou must doe the like God sanctified the Sabbath when he did consecrate it to his seruice men sanctifie it when they worship God in it In this place we are to confider the Sabbath how farre forth it is ceremoniall and how farre forth morall The Sabbath is ceremoniall in respect of the strict obseruation thereof which was a type of the internall sanctification of the people of God and that is as it were a continuall resting from the worke of sinne Exod. 31.1.3 Speake thou also vnto the children of Israel and say Notwithstanding keepe ye my sabbath for it is
shall come as ye haue seene him goe into heauen Eph. 4.10 He ascended farre aboue all the heauens The end of Christs ascensâ—on was that he might prepare a place for the faithfull giue them the holy ghost and their eternall glorie Ioh. 14.2 In my fathers house are many mansions if it were not so I would haue told you I goe to prepare a place for you c. 16.7 If I goe not away the Comforter will not come vnto you but if I depart I will send him vnto you III. His sitting at the right hand of God the father which metaphorically signifieth that Christ hath in the highest heauens actually all glorie power dominion Heb. 1.3 By himselfe he hath purged our sinnes and sitteth at the right hand of the maiestie in the highest places Psal. 110.1 The Lord said to my Lord sit thou at my right hand till I make thine enimies thy footstoole 1. Cor. 15.25 Hee must raigne till he hath put all his enemies vnder his feete Act. 7.55 He being full of the holy Ghost looked stedfastly into heauen and sawe the glory of God and Iesus standing at the right hand of God Mark 20.22 His regall office hath two parts The first is his regiment of the kingdome of heauen part whereof is in heauen part vpon the earth namely the congregation of the faithfull In the gouernment of his Church hee exerciseth two prerogatiues royall The first is to make lawes Iames 4.12 There is one Lawgiuer which is able to saue and to destroy The second is to ordaine his ministers Eph. 4.11 He gaue some to be Apostles others Prophets others Evangelists some Pastours and teachers c. 1. Cor. 12.28 God hath ordained some in the Church as first Apostles secondly Prophets thirdly teachers then them that doe miracles after that the gifts of healing helpers gouernours diuersitie of tongues Christs gouernment of the Church is either his collection of it out of the world or conseruation being collected Eph. 4.12 Psal. 10. The second part of his Regall office is the destruction of the kingdome of darknes Col. 1.13 Who hath deliuered vs from the kingdome of darknes Psal. 2.9 Thou shalt crusâ— them with a scepter of yron and breake them in pieces like a potters vessell Luk. 19.27 Those mine enimies that would not that I should raigne ouer them bring hither and slay them before me The kingdome of darkenesse is the whole company of Christs enemies The prince of this kingdome and of all the members thereof is the diuell Eph. 2.2 Ye walked once according to the counsell of the world and after the prince that ruleth in the aire enen the prince that nowe worketh in the children of disobedience 2. Cor. 4.4 The God of this world hath blinded the eies of the infidels 2. Cor. 6.15 What concord hath Christ with Belial or what part hath the beleeuer with the infidel The members of this kingdome and subiects to Satan are his angels and vnbeleeuers among whome the principall members are Atheistes who say in their heart there is no God Psal. 14.1 And Magitians who bargaine with the diuell to accomplish their desires 1. Sam. 28.7 Psal. 58.5 Idolatours who either adorâ— false Gods or the true God in an idol 1. Cor. 10.7.20 Turkes and Iewes are of this bunch so are Heretiks who are such as erre with pertinacie in the foundation of religion 2. Tim. 2. 18. Apostates or reuolters from faith in Christ Iesus Heb. 6.6 False Christs who bâ—are men in hand they are true Christs Matth. 24.26 There were many such about the time of our Sauiour Christ his first comming as Iosephus witnesseth book 20. of Iewish antiquities the 11,12 14. chapters Lastly that Antichtist who as it is now apparant can be none other but the Pope of Rome 2. Thess. 2.3 Let no man deceiue you by any meanes for that day shall not come except there come a departing first and that that man of sinne bee disclosed euen the sonne of perdition which is an aduersarie and exalteth himselfe against all that is called God or that is worshipped so that he doth sit as God in the temple of God shewing himselfe that he is God Reuel 13.11 And I beheld another beast comming out of the earth which had two hornes like the Lambe but he spake like the dragon And he did all that the first beast could doe before him and he caused the earth and them that dwell threin to worship the beast whose deadly wound was healed There were then first Antichristes at Rome when the Bishops thereof would be entitled Vniuersall or supreame gouernours of the whole world but then were they complete when they togither with Ecclesiasticall censure vsurped ciuill authoritie After that Christ hath subdued all his enemies these two things shall ensue I. The surrendering ouer of his kingdome to God the Father as concerning the regiment for at that time shal cease both that ciuil regiment and spirituall policie consisting in word and spirit together II. The subiection of Christ onely in regard of his humanity the which then is when the Sonne of God shall most fully manifest his maiestie which before was obscured by the flesh as a vaile so that the same flesh remaining both glorious vnited to the Sonne of God may by infinite degrees appeare inferiour We may not therefore imagine that the subiection of Christ consisteth in diminishing the glorie of the humanitie but in manifesting most fully the maiestie of the Word CHAP. 19. CONCERNING THE OVTWARD MEANES of executing the decree of election and of the Decalogue AFter the foundation of Election which hath hitherto beene deliuered it followeth that we should intreat of the outward meanes of the same The meanes are Gods Couenant and the seale therof Gods couenant is his contract with man concerning life eternall vpon certaine conditions This couenant consisteth of two parts Gods promise to man Mans promise to God Gods promise to man is that whereby he bindeth himselfe to man to bee his God if he breake not the condition Mans promise to God is that whereby he voweth his allegiance vnto his Loâ—d and to performe the condition betweene them Againe there are two kindes of this couenant The couenant of workes the couenant of grace Ierm 31 3â—.42.43 Behold the daies come saith the Lord that I will make a now couâ—nant with the house of Israel and with the house of Iudah not aâ—cording to the couenant I made with their fathers when I tocke them â—y the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt the which my couenant they brake alâ—hough I was an husband to them saith the Lord. But this shall be the couenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those daies saith the Lord I will put my law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and will be their God and they shall be my people The couenant of works is Gods couenant made with condition of perfect obedience and
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