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A14172 Amendment of life three sermons, vpon Actes 2. verses 37. 38. conteining the true effect of the worde of God, in the conuersion of the godly: and the maner how it changeth their harts, and reformeth their liues, which is the true vvorke of regeneration. By Iohn Vdall, preacher of the worde of God, at Kingstone vpon Thames. Udall, John, 1560?-1592. 1584 (1584) STC 24489; ESTC S102078 40,987 110

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these wordes We conclude that a man is iustified by faith without the works of the law The prophet also sayeth that a iust man liueth by his faith The reasons that the Apostle vseth to proue this are many I will onelie set downe three of them which are most apparant and euident The first is this by the testimonie of the old testament it is proued that al men haue erred and done amisse there is none that doth good no not one so that al hauing sinned and be that hath sinned in one is guiltie in all it muste needes follow that none can be saued by their workes and therefore either by faith or not at all The second is by the sentence and promise of the Lawe This doe and thou shalt liue but curssed is he that abideth not in all these commandementes to doe them but none is able to doe so for then Christe dyed in vaine and his death had béene to no purpose therefore al men beyng by nature vnder the cursse and not able to redéeme themselues it followeth that he who was without sin Iesus Christ must be their redemption and applied vnto them by faith Thirdly by the nature of the promise made to our father Abraham thus The same way that Abraham was iustified and acquited from sinne the same way are all his children iustified but he was iustified by faith for he beléeued God and it was imputed vnto him for righteousnesse and therefore must all the godly for euer be iustified by faith so that this must stand for an vndoubted truth that he which séeketh any other way to haue his sinnes put away whether it be by pardons merits or any way else then onely by faith apprehending the merites of Christ cannot be comforted in his soule by certaine persuasion but must néeds stagger and wauer continually The second inward fruite of faith is the loue of God the father which commeth vnto vs when our sinnes are forgiuen for as man is separated from God by reason of sinne and iniquitie so the same being remoued and taken away God and Man are made one and be reconciled togither againe by which reconciliation the loue of God is precured by the reconciler Iesus Christ to haue his full course and passage vnto man The which our Sauiour ment when he saied the father loueth you because ye haue loued mée and beleued in me which thinge S. Iohn also ment when he said that y e effecte of the Gospell is that we mighte haue fellowshippe with the father and with his sonne Iesus Christe Of which thing whosoeuer is truly perswaded he shall haue in his soule and conscience an vnspeakable comforte for as there is nothing more grieuous vnto man if he cōsider it well then to haue the heauie hād of God vpon him and his seuere countenance against him so nothing can bée more swéete and comfortable then to bée perswaded of his fauour and fatherlye loue towardes him Out of which ariseth to the godly that peace of conscience and ioy in soule that passeth all vnderstanding which thing our Sauiour ment whē he said to his disciples peace I leaue with you my peace I giue vnto you not as the worlde giue giue I vnto you Let not your heartes be troubled nor feare which also S. Paule ment when he said being iustified by faith we haue peace toward God and in another place peace is reckened vp among the fruites of the spirit Examples whereof we haue in the scriptures the Eunuch of Ethiopia being instructed in the faith and baptised by Phillip the Euangelist it is saide that he went on his way reioycing The same is reported of the Iayler that was conuerted by the preaching of Paule that he reioyced because that he with all his houshold beléeued in God Marie likewise ieioyced not so much in that she was the mother of Christ but in God hir Sauiour So that this being by the word of God proued to be one of the fruites of a true faith it resteth that euery one of vs doe wey our selues examining our hearts how great we finde this ioy in vs the which although I doubt not it is found in great measure in the heartes of some yet I feare in the most it is very little or nothing at all For if we may iudge the trée by the fruites some haue so so great pleasure and delighte in scraping worldly pelfe togither other in banquetting and dronkennesse and many in chambering and wantonnesse y ● it is hard to finde that man or woman that sheweth forth vnto the worlde the signes of ioy in the holy ghost which argueth vs to be carnal and fleshly minded not sauouring of the spirit of God The third inward fruite is a promise that God hath made vnto vs that he will heare our praiers and graunt our requests which thing is promysed by the mouth of Christ Iesus vnto al beléeuers saying verely verely I say vnto you whatsoeuer ye aske the father in my name he will giue it you which thing wée sée veryfied vnto the Centurion to whome it was said as thou haste beléeued so bée it vnto thée and his seruaunt was made hole the same houre And likwise to the two blind men who cried sonne of Dauid haue mercy vpon vs to whome he aunswered according to your faith be it vnto you Which doctrine must néedes be vnto the faithfull an exceading comfort for we sée the manifold daungers wherevnto we be subiect the diuerse temptations wherewithall Satan laboreth to ouerthrow our soules and the manifold tribulations that doe dayly befal to the bodye as the slaunders and iniuries done vnto vs by the wicked the sicknesse pouerty and néede that lay hold vpon vs against all which we haue no shield nor defence but only to fly vnto the Lord by humble and hearty praier the which if he should not regard our state were miserable and we of all other most wretched if wee shold not be heard of him for whose sake we hazzard all our liberties in the world and oppose our selues against his soes then could we looke for nothing but vtter confusion both of body and soule but in that he hath promised that if we call vpon him in y ● day of our trouble he wil heare and deliuer vs we gather thereby an vndoubted comfort against al afflictions that either the Lord will remoue them from vs or else graunte vs suche strength and patience that we shall not onely sustaine and beare them but also triumph ouer them to his greate glory and our owne exceading comfort where vpon we resting as vpon an anchor both sound and stedfast doe most willinglye lay downe our neckes vnder the yoke of Gods correction being certainely persuaded that all things shall fall out for the best vnto vs if we doe vnfainedly feare him Yet this doctrine giueth no warrāt to the carnall and fleshly praiers of naturall men who when
and that we be sinners and therefore in his iustice though he would he cannot pardon vs our faith findeth out a meane whereby the iustice of God is satisfied to the full also his mercy purchased for vs which is Iesus Christ both God and man to ouercome as he is God all the enimies of our saluation Sathan sinne and death and to suffer as he is man all y ● paines and tormentes that we had deserued both in body and soule and so presenteth vs in his owne righteousnesse and merits blamelesse before the face of God and maketh vs heyres of his eternall glory This being set downe in fewe wordes is the substance of the gospell he telleth vs by his owne mouthe that no man commeth to the father but by him and S. Paule saieth that in him are all the promises of God yea and amen because he is the waye whereby al the mercyes of God are conueyed vnto vs the father being we pleased in him The vse of which doctrine being rightly applied is very comfortable for first it bringeth vnto vs a comfort that the seuere wrath of God is appeased against vs. Secondly it teacheth that in all our néedes and necessities in all our praiers and thankesgiuing and in the whole course of our conuersation we are to begge the Lords assistance in through his sonne our Sauiour Iesus Christ in whome he is pleased and without whose mediation our praiers are abhominable our praises stinck in the nostrells of the father and we our selues are the abiecte and refuse of the world Grounded vpon the promises of God c. This is set downe to shewe whereupon faith taketh hold to wit the promises of God for when we heare out of the word of God what mercy God promiseth vnto them that beléeue in him it is the office of a true faith to apply the same particularly vnto our selues whereby we sée that same yet further veryfied that was spoken before that faith respecteth not our selues nor nothing that is in vs but the promises which God offereth vnto vs in his blessed word and therefore our faith is not to respecte the decrées of mā nor to leane vpon any thing sauing y e word of God only which is the thing whereby faith is wrought strengthened and established in our heartes Sealed in our heartes by the holy Ghost The promises of God are generall offered indifferently to al men both good and bad without exception in the ministery of the word and yet effectuall only to a fewe and therefore here may arise a question how I may assure myne owne soule and cōscience that they be particularly applied vnto me Which is answered thus by doctrine though euery man féeleth best by his owne experience when the word is preached to many we sée that it is effectuall onelie to fewe because in the most it knocketh only in their outward eares moueth them nothing at al but to those few vnto whom it is effectuall God openeth their hearts that they attend vnto the word and as by the same he speaketh through the ministery of man vnto the outward eares so inwardly he preacheth vnto the soule by his holy spirit whereby those words are ingraffed into their hearts they vnfainedly perswaded of them in their soules which spirit doth kéep cōtinual residence in their hearts afterward assuring them of his mercy This S. Paul setteth down saying we haue not receiued y e spirit of bōdage to feare againe but the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba father y e same spirit witnesseth w e ours that we are the children of God and in an other place it is God which stablisheth vs with you in Christ and hath anointed vs who hath also sealed vs and hath giuen the earnest of his spirite into our heartes hereby we know that we dwell in him and he in vs because he hath giuen vs of his spirit This being euident by the word that whomsoeuer God calleth he sealeth with his holy spirit it resteth y ● euery one of vs examine himselfe how he féeleth himselfe affected in this point whether we can féele this spirite comfort vs at all times and seasons or no. The which triall that it may be the better I will set downe thrée effects of this spirit in them that haue it whereby thou mayest examine thy selfe The first is this whereas we by nature cannot away with or care not for the worde of God because it is to our reason méere folishnes the holy ghost worketh in vs alone of the same to take delight and comfort in hearing and reading of it therefor they are said to be of God y ● heare his word Which sentence Saint Iohn applieth to the hearing of of the ministers of God preaching the the same worde The second is the fruit that floweth out of this which is comfort by the word and increase of faith with féeling of the working of the same in our hearts for many heare the word and that with some ioy who yet haue little comfort by it for that they cannot applie it to themselues for their particular vse and profit Therefore this is the effect of the holy ghost to be vnfainedly perswaded that all the mercies of God in Iesus Christ promised in his word are as effectuall to me as if they were set downe only to me by name The 3. is a loathing of sinne and a thirsting after godlines whereby we indeuour to leaue sinne and to liue in all obedience of conuersation This Saint Paule setteth downe in expresse wordes saying if any man haue not the spirit of Christ the same is none of his and if Christ be in you the body is deade because of sin but the spirit is life for righteousnesse sake so then these thrée Loue to the word Perswasion of Gods mercyes and Reformation of life are in all them that haue the holy ghost Thus we sée briefely the particular pointes of of faith set downe out of the word of God Let vs pray The third Sermon of amendment of Life NOw remaineth to speak of the fruites and effectes of the same faith which are wrought by it in the heartes of all them that haue it which be of two sorts inward in the soule and outward in the conuersation inwarde be 1 Remission of sinnes 2. The loue of the Father 3 Promise to be hearde in our praiers All which procéede one out of another Outwarde is godlines in life and conuersation For the first which is remission of sinnes to be the fruite of faith is proued by many places of scripture our Sauiour Iesus Christ hauing a man sicke of the palsey broughte vnto him seing their faith said be of good comforte thy sinnes are forgiuen thée Where we haue to cōsider that not their faith but his owne applied remission of sinnes vnto him S. Paule in a long discourse in that heauenly Epistle written to the Romans concludeth with