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A50529 Diatribae discovrses on on divers texts of Scriptvre / delivered upon severall occasions by Joseph Mede ...; Selections. 1642 Mede, Joseph, 1586-1638. 1642 (1642) Wing M1597; ESTC R233095 303,564 538

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through him and yet not to apply and buckle our selves thereto were indeed to beleeve what is true but yet no saving faith because we embraced not the thing we beleeved as we beleeved it Thou sayest then thou hast faith and beleevest that Christ is the atonement to God for the sins of all such as leave and forsake their sins by repentance Why then repent thee of thy sins that Christ may be an atonement for thee Thou sayest thou hast this faith that God in Jesus Christ will accept thy undeserving works and services unto eternall life why then embrace thou Christ and rely upon him for this end that thou mayest do works of piety towards God and charity towards men that so God in Christ may accept thee and them unto eternall life Now if this be the faith which is saving and unites us unto Christ and no other then it is plain that a saving faith cannot be severed from good works because no man can embrace Christ as he is promised but he must apply himself to do them For out of that which hath been spoken three reasons may be gathered for the necessity of them First it is the end of our faith and justification by Christ yea the end why he shed his blood for us that we being reconciled to God in him might bring forth fruits of righteousnesse which else we could never have done This is no speculation but plain Scripture S. Peter 1 ●p 2. 24. telleth us that Christ his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree that we being dead to sin should live unto righteousnesse S. Paul Tit. 2. 11 12 13 14. The grace of God saith he that bringeth salvation hath appeared unto all men wherefore teaching us that denying ungodlinesse and worldly lusts we should live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world looking for that blessed hope the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Iesus Christ who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purifie unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works These words contain the summe of all I have hitherto told you That Christ is therefore given us to be a propitiation for our sins and to justifie us that in him we might walk before God in newnesse of life so to obtain a Crown of righteousnesse in the world to come Answerable is that place Ephes. 2. 10. where the Apostle having told us we are saved by grace through faith and not of works lest any man should boast he addes presently lest his meaning might be mistaken as it is of too many that we are Gods workmanship created in Iesus Christ unto good works which God hath before ordained 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that we should walk in them as if he should say Those works of obedience ordained by God aforetime in his law for us to walk in which we could not perform of our selves now God hath as it were new moulded us in Jesus Christ that we might perform them in him namely by way of acceptation though they come short of that exactnesse the Law requireth And thus to be saved is to be saved by grace and favour and not by the merit of works because the foundation whereby our selves and our services are approved in the eyes of God and acquitted of guilt which the Scripture calleth to be justified is the meer favour of God in Jesus Christ and not any thing in us And this way of salvation excludes all boasting for what have we to boast of when all the righteousnesse of our works is none of ours but Christs imputed to us whereby onely and not for any merit in themselves they become acceptable and have promise of reward But that men should be saved by Christ though they be idle and doe nothing I know no such grace of God revealed in Scripture Now that in Christ we may perform works of righteousnesse which God will accept and crown is plain by the tenour of Scripture S. Paul Philip. 1. 11. desires that the Philippians might be filled with the fruits of righteousnesse which are by Iesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God And the same Apostle tels the Romanes Rom. 6. 22. that being made free from sin and become servants to God they have their fruit unto holinesse and the end everlasting life that is as the Syriack turns it Sunt vobis fructus sancti they have holy fruits whose end is life eternall And if we would seriously consider it we should finde that the more we beleeve this righteousnesse of faith in Christ the more reason we have to perform works of service and obedience unto God then if we beleeved it not For if our works would not be acceptable with God unlesse they were compleat in every point as the Law required if there were no reward to be looked for at the hands of God unlesse we could merit it by the worthinesse of our deeds who that considers his own weaknesse and insufficiency would not sooner despair then go about to please God by works He would think it better to do nothing at all then to endevour what he could never hope to attain and so lose his labour But we who beleeve that those who serve God in Christ have their failings and wants covered with his righteousnesse and so their works accepted as if they were in every point as they should be why should not we of all men fall to work being sure by Christs means and merit we shall not lose our labour A second motive why we should do good works is because they are the way and means ordained by God to obtain the reward of eternall life without which we shall never attain it Without holinesse no man shall see God Heb. 12. 14. Look to your selves saith S. Iohn Ep. 2. ver 8. that ye lose not those things ye have wrought for but that ye may receive a full reward The Angels message from heaven to devout Cornelius was Thy prayers and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God whereupon S. Peter inferred that in every Nation he that feareth God and worketh righteousnesse is accepted with him Acts 10. Hence it is that we shall be judged and receive sentence at the last day according to our works Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world For I was hungry and ye gave me meat I was thirsty and ye gave me drink I was a stranger and ye took me in naked and ye clothed me I was sick and ye visited me I was in prison and ye came unto me For in as much as ye have done these unto one of the least of my brethren ye have done it unto me Lord how do those look to be saved at that day who think good works not required to salvation and accordingly do them not Can our Saviour passe this blessed sentence on them think they
neglect of such duties of piety and charity which amongst our Fore-fathers were frequent as also our open profession when being exhorted to these works of piety to God and of charity towards our brethren we stick not to alledge we are not bound unto them because we look not to be saved by the merit of works as they but by faith in Christ alone as though faith in Christ excluded works and not rather included them as being that whereby they became acceptable unto God which of themselves they are not or as if works could no way conduce unto the attaining of salvation but by way of merit and desert and not by way of the grace and favour of God in Christ as we shall see in the handling of this Text. We greatly now a days and that most dangerously mistake the errour of our forefathers which was not in that they did good works I would we did so but because they knew not rightly the end why they did them nor where the value of them lay they thought the end of doing them was to obtain eternall life as a reward of Justice due unto them whereas it is onely of grace and promise in Christ Jesus They took their works to have such perfectness in them as would endure the touchstone of the Law of God yea such worth and value as to merit the reward they looked for whereas all the value and acceptablenesse of our works issueth from the merit of Christ and lieth onely in his righteousnesse communicated unto us and them by faith and no otherwise But setting aside these errours of the end and of the value of works we must know as well as they That not every one that saith unto Christ Lord Lord c. but he that doth the will of his Father c. Now for the Explication of the words To call Christ Lord is to beleeve in him to acknowledge him to look for salvation by him or as the Scripture expresseth it Luke 6. to come unto him every one saith our Saviour there explaining this very Text we have in hand Every one saith he that commeth unto me and heareth my words and doth them I will shew you who he is like where to come unto Christ is put in stead of that which in the former was to say unto him Lord. The doing of his Fathers will is the doing of those works of obedience which his Father hath commanded in his Law and now committed to his Son whom he hath made the head and King of his Church to see executed and performed by those he bringeth to salvation But how and in what manner we shall see by and by The Text consists of two parts The one negative Not every one that saith unto Christ Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdome of heaven The other affirmative But those who doe the will of his Father shall onely enter thither But these are so nearly linked together that they cannot be handled asunder And the observations which I shall draw thence depend on the whole Text the first and chiefest whereof is this That faith in Christ without works of obedience and amendment of life is not sufficient for salvation and consequently not that faith whereby a Christian is justified For if it were it would save us If it be not sufficient to save us it cannot justifie us This floweth directly from the Text and cannot be denied if ye remember what I said before that to call Christ Lord is to beleeve in him For the better understanding of this you must take notice that there is a threefold faith whereby men beleeve in Christ There is a false faith There is a true faith but not saving and thirdly there is a saving faith A false faith is to beleeve to attain salvation through Christ any other way then he hath ordained as namely to beleeve to attain salvation through him without works of obedience to be accepted of God in him which is a faith whereof there is no Gospel A true faith is to beleeve salvation is to be attained through obedience to God in Jesus Christ who by his merits and righteousnesse makes our selves and our works acceptable to his Father A saving and justifying faith is to beleeve this so as to embrace and lay hold upon Christ for that end To believe to attain salvation through obedience to God in Christ so as to apply our selves and rely upon Christ for that end namely to perform those works of obedience which God hath promised to reward with eternall life For a justifying faith stayeth not onely in the brain but stirs up the will to receive and enjoy the good beleeved according as it is promised This motion of election of the will is that which maketh the difference between a saving faith which joyneth us unto Christ and that which is true indeed but not saving but dogmaticall and opinionative onely And this motion or applying of the will to Christ this embracing of Christ and the promises of the Gospel through him is that which the Scripture when it speaks of this faith calleth comming unto Christ or the receiving of him Joh. 1. 12. As many as received him to them he gave power or priviledge to be the sons of God even to them that beleeve on his Name where receiving and beleeving one expound another So for comming Come unto me saith our Saviour all ye that are heavy laden and I will ease you The last is very frequent Iohn 5. 40. Ye will not come to me saith our Saviour that ye might have life And Chap. 6. 37. All that the Father giveth me shall come unto me ver 44. No man can come unto me unlesse the Father draw him 45. Every man that hath heard and learned of the Father commeth unto me and such like All which expresse the specification of a saving faith which consists in the embracing receiving and applying of the will to the thing beleeved What this embracing receiving or applying unto Christ is I will farther make plain thus He that beleeveth that Christ is an atonement to God for the sins of all repentant sinners and surely he is an atonement for none else must repent and turn from all his sinnes that so Christ may be an atonement for him else he embraceth not what he beleeveth He that beleeves that God in Christ will accept and reward our obedience and works of piety though short of perfection and of no worth in themselves must apply himself accordingly to doe works of Religion and Charity that God in Christ may accept and reward them For our beleef is not that saving beleef untill we apply our selves to what we beleeve To beleeve to attain salvation through Christ without works of obedience to be accepted in him is as I have already said a false faith whereof there is no Gospel no promise To beleeve the contrary that Christ is given of God to such only as shall receive him to perform acceptable obedience to God
he can If he should they might truly say indeed Lord we have done no such matter nor did we think our selves bound unto it we relied wholly upon our faith in thy merits and thought we had been freed from such services What doe they think Christ will change the form of his sentence at that great day No certainly If the sentence for Blisse will not fit them and be truly said of them the other will and must for there is no more Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels For when I was hungry ye gave me no meat c. This must be their doome unlesse they suppose the righteous Judge will lie for them And it is here further to be observed that the works named in the sentence of Judgement are works of the second Table works of mercy and charity Feeding the hungry clothing the naked visiting the sick all Almesdeeds which men are now a-days so much afraid of as if they looked toward Popery and had a tang of meriting For now a-days these costly works of all others are most suspicious but will it be so at the day of Judgement True it is they merit not the reward which shall be given them but what then Are we so proud we will doe no works unlesse we may merit Is it not sufficient that God will reward them for Christs sake though they have no worth in themselves The third and last motive to works of righteousnesse is because they are the only sign and note whereby we know our faith is true and saving and not counterfeit For 1 Iohn 1. 8. If we say we have fellowship with Christ and walk in darknesse we lie and doe not the truth Chap. 2. ver 3. Hereby we know that we know him viz. to be our Advocate with his Father and the propitiation for our sins if we keep his Commandements And Chap. 3. 7. Little children let no man deceive you He that doeth righteousnesse is righteous even as Christ is righteous The same almost you may finde again Chap. 2. 29. For if every one that beleeveth in Christ truly and savingly beleeves that salvation is to be attained by obedience to God in him and not otherwise and therefore embraceth and layeth hold upon him for that end How can such an ones faith be fruitlesse how can he be without works who therefore lays hold on Christ that his works and obedience may be accepted as righteous before God for his sake and so rewardable It is as possible for the Sun to be without his light or the fire to want heat as such a faith to be without works Our Saviour therefore himself makes this a most sure and never failing note to build our assurance of salvation upon Luke 6. 46. where the mention of the words of my Text gives the occasion Why call ye me Lord saith he and doe not the things which I say 47. Whosoever commeth to me and heareth my sayings and doth them I will shew you to whom he is like 48. He is like a man which built an house and digged deep and laid the foundation on a rock And when the floud arose the stream beat vehemently upon that house and could not shake it for it was founded upon arock 49. But he that heareth and doth not is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth against which the stream did beat vehemently and immediately it fell and the ruine of that house was great Whom these three motives or reasons will not perswade to good works let not my soul ô Lord be joyned with theirs nor my doome be as theirs must be A second observation out of these words and near a-kin to the former is That it is not enough for a Christian to live harmlesly and abstain from ill but he must do that which is good For our Saviour excludes not here those onely who do against the will of his Father but those who do not his Fathers will It is doing good which he requireth and the not doing evill only This is an error which taketh hold of a great part of men even of those who would seem to be religious He is a reformed man and acquits himself well who abstains from fornication adultery who is no theef no couzener or defrauder of other men who will not lie or swear or such like But as for doing any works of piety or charity they think they are not required of them But they are much deceived For God requires some duties at our hands which he may reward not out of any merit but out of his mercifull promise in Christ. But not doing ill is no service rewardable A servant who expects wages must not onely do his Master no harm but some work that is good and profitable otherwise the best Christian would be he that should live altogether idlely For none doth lesse harm then he that doth nothing at all But Mat. 25. 30. He that encreased not his Masters Talent though he had not mis-spent it is adjudged an unprofitable servant and cast into utter darknesse where is weeping and gnashing of treth So also Mat. 3. The tree that beareth no good fruit is hewn down though it bore none that was evill The axe is laid to the root of the tree every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire Mat. 21. 19. The sig-tree is cursed for having no fruit not for having evill fruit And the sentence of condemnation as you heard before is to passe at that great day for not having done good works not for doing ill ones Goe ye cursed for when I was hungry ye fed me not c. Thus having let you see how necessary it is for a Christian to joyn good works with his faith in Christ I will now come to shew you how you must do them hoping I have already perswaded you that they must needs be done First therefore we must doe them out of faith in Christ that is relying upon him onely for the acceptance and rewarding of them for in him alone God is well pleased with us and with what wee doe and therefore without faith and reliance upon him it is impossible to please God We must not think there is any worth in our works for which any such reward as God hath promised is due For alas our best works are full of imperfections and far short of what the Law requires Our reward therefore is not of merit but of the mercifull promise of God in Christ which the Apostle means when he says We are saved by grace and not by works That is it is the grace and favour of God in Christ which makes our selves acceptable and our works rewardable and not any desert in them or us Having laid this foundation the next thing required is sincerity of heart in doing them we must doe them out of the fear of God and conscience of his Commandements
there to his son is good with fasting and with alms and righteousnesse A little with righteousnesse is better then much with unrighteousnesse It is better to give alms then to lay up gold 9. For alms doth deliver from death and shall purge away all sin Those that exercise alms and righteousnesse shall be filled with life Here in the Greek copy alms and righteousnesse are exegetically put the one to expound the other but in the Hebrew there is but one word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for them both that being the word in that language for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hence in the Syriack Translation of the New Testament 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is rendred by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iustitia and so in the Arabick Hence Mat. 6. 1. for Take heed that you do not your alms before men as we reade it the vulgar Latine and some Greek Copies have Attendite ne justitiam vestram faciatis coram hominibus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Namely as the word charity with us though in the larger sense it signifies our whole duty both to God and man is restrained to signifie our liberality to the poor so is the word Righteousnesse in the Orientall Languages If Righteousnesse therefore signifie Beneficence and Bounty then is the righteous according to this notion the bountifull man or as we speak the charitable And that it is so taken in my Text both the generall scope of the Psalm and the connexion with the words before and after is proof sufficient for before goes this A good man sheweth favour and lendeth he will guide his affairs with judgement Surely he shall not be moved for ever Then come the words of my Text The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance After it follows this He hath dispersed he hath given to the poor his righteousnesse remaineth for ever which S. Paul alledgeth 2 Cor. 9. to promote their collection for the poor Saints at Jerusalem For illustration of this and our further information it will not be amisse I hope to commend to your observation some other places of Scripture where the word righteous is thus taken as namely Psal. 37. 21. The wicked borroweth and payeth not again but the righteous sheweth mercy and giveth Again Psal. 25. 26. I have been young and now am old yet have I not seen the righteous for saken nor his seed begging their bread He is ever mercifull and lendeth and his seed is blessed Here the righteous is the mercifull and bountifull to whom namely this blessing that his seed shall not want is proper and peculiar The same use is Prov. 10. 2. Treasures of wickednesse profit nothing but righteousnesse delivereth from death The same is repeated again cap. 11. 4. Riches profit not in the day of wrath but righteousnesse delivereth from death Where righteousnesse to be taken for alms is apparent out of Tobit 12. where it is so applied and rendred namely Alms doth deliver from death I could adde also another place Prov. 21. 28. but these shall be sufficient Hence appears their error who conceive of the nature of Alms as of an arbitrary thing which they may do if they will or not do without sin as that which carries no obligation with it but is left freely to every mans discretion And this makes some contend so much to have the Priests maintenance granted to be eleemosynary that so they might be at liberty to give something or nothing as they listed But if that were so yet if Alms be Iustitia in the Hebrew tongue and the language which our Saviour spake If our Saviour call'd them Iustitia when he mentioned them who dare affirm then that Iustitia implies no obligation or that a man may leave it undone without sinne So much for the subject The Righteous The next is the Praedicate shall be in everlasting remembrance In remembrance I said with God and men with God in the life to come and this life Let us consider the first The world to come It is certain that at the day of Judgement we shall receive our doom according to our works of charity and mercy and that of all the works that a Christian man hath done these alone have that peculiar priviledge to bee then brought in expresse remembrance before God Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world For I was an hungred and ye gave me meat I was thirsty and ye gave me drink I was a stranger and ye took me in naked and ye clothed me I was sick and ye visited me I was in prison and ye came unto me c. For asmuch as ye have done thus unto the least of these my brethren ye have done it unto me Matth. 25. What doth my Text say The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance God remembers our good deeds when he rewards them as he doth our prayers when he hears them If to remember then be to reward an everlasting reward is an everlasting remembrance 'T is remarkable that this priviledge which the works of Bounty and Mercy shall have at the day of Judgement was not unknown to the Jews themselves for so we read in the Chaldee Paraphrast upon Ecclesiastes Futurum est ut Dominus mundi dicat omnibus justis ante se constitutis Vade gusta cum gaudio panem tuum ut statutum est pro pane quem dedisti pauperibus obscuris qui esuriebant bibe corde bono vinum quod repositum est tibi in horto Eden id est Paradiso pro vino quod miseuisti pauperibus obscuris qui sitiebant quia ecce modò accepta sunt opera tua bona coram Domino The reason of this prelation of works of mercy at that great day is because all we can expect at the hands of our heavenly Father is meerly of his mercy and bounty we can hope for nothing but mercy without mercy we are undone according to that of Nehemiah in his last Chap. Remember me ô Lord concerning this and spare me according to the greatnesse of thy mercy Now in those that are to be partakers of mercy the divine wisdome requires this congruity that they may be such as have been ready to shew mercy unto others judging them altogether unworthy of mercy at his hands who have afforded no mercy to their brethren for so the Scripture tels us that they shall have judgement without mercy that have shewn no mercy The tenour of our Petition for forgivenesse of sins in the Lords Prayer runs with this condition As we forgive them that trespasse against us And who can reade without trembling the Parable of the unmercifull servant in the Gospel to whom his Lord revoked the Debt he meant to have forgiven him because he shewed no mercy to his fellow-servant who owed him a far lesse Debt Shouldst thou not saith he have shewed compassion to thy fellow-servant as I shewed compassion unto thee
to expound it works of mercy but where there is no relation to Alms or Beneficence at all Whence I gather that by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Septuagint meant not as we commonly take it works of mercy but rather works whereby we finde mercy at the hands of God I will give you a place which me thinks is very pregnant Deut. 6. 24 25. where we reade thus And the Lord commanded us to do all these Statutes you may see there what they are to fear the Lord our God for our good always that he might preserve us alive as at this day And it shall be our Righteousnesse if we observe to do all these Commandements before the Lord as he hath commanded us Here the Septuagint for And it shall be our Righteousnesse have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and it shall be our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that whereby we shall finde mercy at the hands of God if we observe to do all these Commandements c. This place will admit no evasion for there is no reference to Alms here And indeed all our Righteousnesse is nothing else but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that whereby we finde mercy at the hands of God and no marvell if works of mercy as to relieve the poor and needy be specially so called for they above all other are the works whereby we shall finde mercy and receive the reward of Blisse at the last day And so much of my second Observation I come now to my third That it is lawfull to doe good works Intuitu mercedis It is plain that Nehemiah here did so Remember me ô my God concerning this c. So did Moses of whom it is said Heb. 11. That he chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches then the treasures of AEgypt for saith the Text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 aspiciebat vel intuebatur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He had respect unto the recompence of Reward And I confesse it seems an unreasonable thing to me that that which is made the end though but in part of the Action should not be at all looked unto by the Agent when as Finis is principium Actionis and that which God hath promised unto us as an encouragement to make us work with the more alacrity should not be thought on nor looked to in our working Do not they who would perswade this go the way to discourage men from good works by removing out of their sight the encouragement which God hath given them But they object The obedience of Gods children ought to be filiall that is free and not mercenary as that of hirelings I answer Obedience which is only for reward without all respect or motive of love and duty is the obedience of an Hireling not that which acknowledgeth the tie of obedience absolute and the reward no otherwise due then of his Fathers free love and bounty as every true childe of God doth and ought to do They object again that of the Apostle 1 Cor. 13. 5. Charity seeks not her own now say they the works of Gods children must proceed from love and charity I answer what though Charity seeks not her own may not a charitable man so much as look or hope for his own or have an eye to what is promised him But this place is altogether misapplied and abused For that property of charity now mentioned as some also of the rest of that Chapter concerns only our charity towards men and not our charity towards God the meaning thereof being That a charitable man will sooner lose his own then by seeking or contending for it break the band of charity To conclude The Use that follows from all this Discourse shall be only this That if Almighty God remember them who have done good deeds unto his House and the Offices thereof much more ought we who are partakers of the comfort and benefit of such bounty to remember and honour them with a thankfull celebration of their Names MAT. 10. 41 He that receiveth a Prophet in the name of a Prophet shall receive a Prophets reward OUR blessed Saviour giving his Apostles their mission to preach the Gospel unfurnished with outward things and forewarning them what harsh and unkinde usage they and their successors were like to finde amongst men for the better encouragement of such as should entertain and minister unto them he pronounceth That whosoever received them received him and he that received him received him that sent him Whereby it appeareth how honourable an office it was to afford them entertainment and such as the noblest need not be ashamed of But because the hope of reward is the most forcible spur to all undertakings he addeth that too in the words of my Text He that receiveth saith he a Prophet in the name of a Prophet shall receive a Prophets reward that is he that receiveth a Prophet not for any respect but quatenus talis because he is a Prophet shall have a Prophets reward Which words contain in them evidently these two Propositions First that there is some speciall and eminent degree of reward due unto a Prophet above other men Secondly That he that shall entertain a Prophet and do any good office unto him under that name that is for his office sake shall be partaker of that Reward Of these two I intend to treat beginning with the first the more generall That there shall be differing degrees of Reward in the life to come is evident by sundry places of Scripture As first from that so often iterated passage wherein God is said to reward every man according to his works which is not to be understood only of the differing quality of our works good and evill which God rewards accordingly the one with everlasting blisse the other with eternall fire as some here except but also of the differing works of just men compared together as is manifest by that 1 Cor. 3. 8. where the Apostle comparing his own and Apollo's work together saying He had planted and Apollo watered addes That both should receive their reward according to their work that is as their work differed so should their reward do In the second place the same is represented by that Parable Luke 19. of the ten servants who received of their Lord being to go into a far Countrey ten pounds to trade with till his return At what time he that had increased his pound to ten pounds was made ruler over ten Cities He that had gained but five pounds over five Cities and so the rest according as they had improved the stock given them A third place is that 1 Cor. 15. 42. There is one glory of the Sun another of the Moon and another glory of the Stars for one star differeth from another in glory So also is the Resurrection of the dead Here is the full stop and not the words to be referred