that in the Scriptures and Word of God wee are bidden to make and without the which we shall never obtaine pardon and forgivenesse of our sins Bernard Without this Confession the righteous man is judged unthankfull and the sinner reputed a dead man Therâ—fâ—re Conf ssion is the way of the sinner and neverthelesse becommeth the righteous Lord be mercifull unto me Psal 41. heale my soule for I have sinned against thee If any say I have sinned Iob 33. and perverted that which was right and it profited mee not He will deliver his soule from going into the pit Ibidem and his life shall see the light If we will with a sorrowfull Hom. de poenit and contrite heart make an unfeined confession of our sins unto God he will freely forgive them and put all our wickednesse out of his remembrance Ibid. I doe not say but that if any do finde themselves troubled in conscience they may repaire to their learned Curat or Pastor or to some other godly learned man and shew the trouble doubt of their conscience to him that they may receive at his hand the comfortable salve of Gods word Hom. de poenit But it is against the true Christian liberty that any man should be bound to the numbering of his sinnes as hath beene used heretofore in the time of blindnesse and ignorance Bellar. Calvin admitteth of private confession unto the Pastor when any is afflicted in his conscience and shall need anothers helpe Yet with this moderation that this confession bee free and not exacted and not injoyning a rehearsall of all particular sins Let us with a true and contrite heart Hom de â—oenit use that kind of confession which God hath commanded in his word If we confesse our sins 1 Ioh. 1. he is faithfull and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousnesse His Absolution WHo can forgive sins Mark 2.7 but God onely The Son of Man hath power upon earth to forgive sins 10. He will purge your conscience from dead workes Heb. 9.14 to serve the living God For this is not an humane Ambros worke neither is the holy Ghost given by man but beâ—ng called upon by the Priest is bestowed by God wherin the gift is Gods the ministery is the Priests Pet. Lumb God onely doth remit and reteine sins and yet he hath given unto the Church power of binding and loosing But God bindeth and looseth otherwise than the Church doth for he by himselfe only remitteth sins because hee purgeth the soule inwardly from the spot of sin freeth it from the depth of eternall death which the Church cannot do but hath power of binding and loosing that is of declaring what sinners are either loosed or bound Chemnit In absolution God himself by the ministery of the Gospell doth remit sins unto all beleevers The vertue and effect of remission is not in the Disciples Cajetan but in God who pardoneth We account of them Ambros as the Ministers of Christ Stewards of the Mysteries Sins are not loosed or reteined at the pleasure of men Aug. but according to the will of God praiers of the Church To the Lord our God belong mercies Daniel 9.9 and forgivenesses though we have rebelled against him Delivering fom sin Chrysost he ingrafteth righteousnes yea he extinguisheth sin and suffereth it not to be O Lord God Almighty Ordo Rom. antiq de Offic divin pag. 18. edi Rom. 1591. be mercifull to me a sinner that I may worthily give thankes unto thee who hast made me an unworthy one for thy mercies sake a Minister of the Priestly Office and hast appointed mee a poore and humble Mediatour to pray and make intercession unto our Lord Jesus Christ for sinners that returne unto repentance And therefore O Lord the Ruler who wouldest have all men to bee saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth who dost not desire the death of a sinner but that he may bee reconciled and live Receive my prayer which I powre forth before the face of thy mercy for thy servants and handmaids who have fled to repentance and thy mercie Nehemiah 9.17 Thou art a God ready to pardon gracious and mercifull slow to anger and of great kindnesse Behold Ambros that by the holy Ghost sins are forgiven but men to the remission of sins bring their Ministery They exercise not the authority of any power Therefore in all the servants there is no dominion Optat. but a Ministery Almighty God give unto thee absolution Tho. Aquin. and remission His amendment of life YOu were sometimes darknesse Ephes 5. but now are yee light in the Lord walke as children of light Set your affection on Colos 3. things above not on things on the earth Ephes 4. Put ye off concerning the former conversation the old man which is corrupt after the deceitfull lusts Ibidem And put yee on the new man which after GOD is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse Playfer That which is borne of the old man which is the flesh must dayly decrease in us and grow downwards Idem But that which is borne of the new man which is the Spirit must daily increase in us and grow upward Latymer Repentance and amendment of life are a sure remedy that our sins shall not bee our shame and confusion Vdall Bee carefull to live in godlinesse reforming your affection inwardly and your conversation outwardly according to the prescript rule of God word They that from the bottome of their heart doe acknowledge their sins Hom. de â—oenit and are unfeinedly sory for their offences will cast off all hypocrisie and put on true humilitie and lowlinesse of heart And as they did before give themselves to uncleannes of life Ibidem so will they henceforth with all diligence give themselves to innocency purenesse of life and true godlinesse The graces of God Oecumen as the flowers of a garden must not only be kept but also dressed that they may have not only a being but also an abounding Coloss 3. Put yee on therefore as the elect of GOD holy and beloved bowels of mercies kindnesse humblenesse of minde meeknesse long suffering Forbearing one another and forgiving one another 4 if any have a quarrell against any even as Christ forgave you so also doe ye Ibidem And above all things put on Charity which is the bond of perfectnesse Raban Mercy consisteth in giving almes cheerfully in suffering wrong patiently in reforming the rude lovingly Chrysost It is the safety of salvation the ornamâ—nt of faith and propitiation for sins Lyra. Let Christs humility also bee inwardly in your hearts and not outwardly as it is with hypocrites For unlesse wee bee beaten downe in humility â—â—all we
THE SINNERS Sanctuary ISA. 7.55 Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him returne unto the Lord and hee will have mercy upon him and to our God for hee will abundantly pardon HIERON The Lord doth neither performe the good things which he promised to the Saints if they returne to iniquities nor the evils which hee threatned to sinners if they returne unto salvation By THOMAS PACKER his Majesties Servant LONDON Printed by Iohn Haviland for Edward Blackmore and are to be sold at his shop in S. Pauls Church yard at the signe of the Angel 1638. TO THE CHILDREN of Men. ROM 3.23 For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God COme now Isa 1.18 and let us reason together saith the Lord though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow though they be red like crymsin they shall be as wooll Have I any pleasure at Ezec. 18.23 all that the wicked should die saith the Lord God and not that hee should returne from his waies and live 31. Cast away from you all your transgressions whereby yee have transgressed and make you a new heart and a new spirit for why will ye die O house of Israel 1 Sa. 12.23 I will teach you the good and the right way 24. Onely feare the Lord and serve him in truth with all your heart for cōsider how great things he hath done for you Wee must serve the Lord our God Deu. 28.47 with joifulnesse and with gladnesse of heart for the abundance of all things Trust in the Lord with all thine heart Pro. 35. and leane not unto thine owne understanding In all thy waies acknowledge him 6. and hee shall direct thy paths Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust Psal 40.4 And be not conformed to this world Rom. 12.2 but be yee transformed by the renewing of your mind that ye may prove what is that good that acceptable and perfect will of God Augustin Doe not understand that thou maist beleeve but beleeve that thou maist understand understanding is the reward of Faith Iohn 11.40 Jesus saith unto Martha Said I not unto thee that if thou wouldest beleeve thou shouldest see the glory of God Act. 18.27 When Apollos came into Achaia hee helped them much who had beleeved through grace Isa 7.9 If ye will not beleeve surely yee shall not bee established We beeleve and know Ioh. 6.69 that thou art Christ that Sonne of the living God Teach me good judgement and knowledge Psal 119.66 O Lord for I have beleeved thy Commandements It belongeth to every private man to judge of the doctrine of religion Brentius for satisfaction of his owne conscience and to discerne the truth from falshood That Religion which Lipsius is sincerely taken out of the holy Scriptures is the true and Christian Religion Andrad For they containe the most ample Canon that is the rule and square of Piety Faith and Religion August They have delivered unto us that there is but one God and one Christ one Hope and one Faith one Church and one Baptisme Ferus They are the sole rule of veritie and whatsoever differs or contradicteth the same it is error and cockle with what shew soever it commeth forth They are all plaine to him that understandeth Pro. 3.5 and right to them that finde knowledge All those things which appertaine to faith Aug. and direction of life are laid downe plainly in the holy Scriptures They are manifest to them Epiphan who repaire unto them with a religious heart Let not our Religion therefore consist in our fantasies for any truth Aug. whatsoever it be is better than any thing that can of our own head be devised Aug. Godly humility doth more easily finde out the Maker of the stars than proud curiosity the order of the starres Booke of nature into the book of Grace The depth of Predestination and the manner of Regeneration are difficult points of divine mysteries which a studious Divine an illuminated spirit cannot find out Ibidem Let us religiously adore these things by faith and not curiously search into them by reason further than Gods Word doth allow This is the perfection of the regenerate August If they acknowledge themselves to be imperfect The doctrine of the holy Ghost doth not encourage curiositie Bernard but inflameth charitie When the soule is overcome by the fever Chrysost or fiery heat of imaginations then it questioneth but when it is sound and in good temper it reasoneth not but faithfully beleeveth As zeale must erect our discretion Bernard that wee run not too slowly So discretion must direct our zeale that we run not too fast Aug. God will reveale wisdome onely to such as walke continually in the way of peace not in the way of precisenesse Harsnet Tell me what is not contained in the ten Cōmandements which of a Christian is to bee performed Lactant. When God opened his truth unto us he would have us know those things only which it behooved man to know for obtaining life But of those things which appertained to curious profane desires he spake not that they might bee hidden Why then doest thou seeke those things which thou canst not know neither art thou more blessed if thou knowest them Grace teacheth a man to put his knowledge in practice Harsnet He desires to be taught Idem that he may walke not that he may talke as too many doe Adde to your faith vertue 2 Pet. 1.5 and to vertue knowledge 6. And to knowledge temperance and to temperance patience and to patience godlinesse 7. And to godlinesse brotherly kindnesse and to brotherly kindnesse charitie 8. For if these things be in you and abound they make you that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitfull in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ Luther in Luke 6. Let us first repose Faith in God alone and then let us direct our works to the benefit of our neighbour As many as will not follow God Idem in Ephes 5. and walke in love and I shew forth their faith by their works are neither the sons of God nor heires of his kingdom What doth it profit Ia. 2.14 my brethren though a man say hee hath faith can faith save him The end of the Commandement is Charity 1 Tim. 1.5 out of a pure heart and of a good conscience and of faith unfeined By faith which is conceived Haymo in the heart professed with the mouth and adorned with good works the just man liveth eternally Cyprian Life is here lost or wonne everlasting salvation is here provided for by the due worshipping of God and the fruits of faith Epiphan For in the age to come after a mans death there is
are no vessels for Christ to dwell in Humilitie is a signe of worth but pride Bernard of emptinesse and vanity If the minde be constantly directed to GOD Greg moral whatsoever in this life is bitter unto us through patience wee account it pleasant Let a man looke into his heart Aug. and see if he have Charity and then let him say I am borne of GOD. Charity is a desire of the minde to love GOD for himselfe Idem and to love our neighbour for GOD. It is the stay of wisdome Idem the fruit of Faith the riches of the poore and the life of them that are dying Luther A Christian life consisteth in this that we deale with faith and with the heart in things apperteyning to GOD but use our life and works towards our neighbour Ephes 2. For wee are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordeined that we should walke in them Hom. de fid oper There is one work in which be all good works that is faith which worketh by charity If thou have it thou hast the ground of all good works Luther GOD will have works done freely not that wee may merit any thing therby but that we may doe them to the profit of our neighbours and witnes our sincere faith by them Aug. No man doth good works to receive grace by them but because he hath first received grace therefore consequently he doth good works Behold Iohn 5. thou art made whole sin no more lest a worse thing happen unto thee Which penance wee shall never be able to fulfill Hom. de poenit without the speciall grace of him that saith Ioh. 15.5 without me ye can doe nothing It is therfore our parts Hom de poenit if at least wee bee desirous of the health and salvation of our own soules most earnestly to pray to our heavenly father to assist us with his holy spirit that we may bee able to hearken to the voice of the true Shepheard and with due obedience to follow the same Let us heare the conclusion of the whole matter Eccl. 12. feare God and keepe his commandements for this is the whole duety of man His assurance of Salvation Iohn 3. HE that beleeveth on the Sonne hath everlasting life 1 Pet. 1. Whom having not seene ye love in whom though now yee see him not yet beleeving ye rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory Ibidem Receiving the end of your Faith even the salvation of your soules Bish Fisher If wee will enter into heaven we must not come with a double heart or wavering faith but with that which is altogether without doubting and most certain Hillar The LORD will have us hope for the Kingdome of Heaven without any doubting for otherwise there is no justification of faith if faith be uncertaine The just living by faith Fulgent saith confidently I beleeve to see the goodnesse of the LORD in the land of the living We have hope Heb. 6. as an Anchor of the soule both sure and stedfast and which entreth into that which is within the Vaile Because ye are sons Gal. 4. GOD hath sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts crying Abba father Wherefore thou art no more a servant but a son Ibidem and if a son then an heire of God through Christ Wee leave not a sinner in Stapleton the middest of wavering doubtfulnesse but we place him in good and firme hope when once his conscience witnesseth with him that he hath truely repented Aug. There is a kind of glorying in thy conscience when thou knowest thy faith is sincere thy hope certain thy love without dissembling Altisiodor Wee may discerne we are in grace by our good desire comfort of minde and good works Bernard The spirit by faith revealeth to a man the eternall purpose of God concerning his future salvation which revelation is nothing else but the infusion of spirituall grace whereby the deeds of the flesh are mortified and the man prepared to the kingdome of heaven Gods truth and his power Vdall is the cause of our assurance of salvation his truth because we doe not doubt but he will keepe his promise his power because all things are possible to him Herein we looke not upon our own worthines Idem for then we must needs doubt but upon him that promised who will faithfully performe God hath promised to thee Aug. O man that thou shalt live for ever dost thou not beleeve it Beleeve it beleeve it for that which he hath already done for thee is a greater matter than that which he hath promised These things have I writâ—en unto you that beleeve on the name of the Sonne of God 1 Ioh. 5. that yee may know that yee have eternall life and that ye may beleeve on the name of the Son of GOD. Rom. 15 Now the GOD of hope fill you with all joy and hope in beleeving that yee may abound in hope through the power of the holy Ghost Gods mercy Lam. 3. IT is the LORDS mercy that we are not consumed because his compassions faile not Psal 103. Hee hath not dealt with us after our sinnes nor rewarded us according to our iniquities Lam. 3. But though hee send affliction yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies Psal 103. For as the heaven is high above the earth so great is his mercy towards them that feare him This is the glory of man Hieron that hee may know and understand that GOD is the LORD who giveth mercie and justice upon the earth The omnipotency of God excelleth two waies Hieron in granting mercy to the penitent and punishing such as continue in sin according to their desert Hee rejoyceth not of his owne gaine Chrysost but of our salvation hee is not grieved for his owne displeasure but for our destruction When hee punisheth Idem and taketh vengeance he doth it not with passionate anger but with all unspeakable clemency with the affection of an healer not of a destroyer How rich art thou O Lord GOD in mercy how great in justice how bountifull in grace Bernard Thou beholdest the humbie with favour the Innocent thou judgest righteously savest sinners mercifully Kempis dial inter Deum peccator de imitat Christi si 4. cap. 18. Although a sinner do abide still in the flesh yet doe I receive him into my favour so that he is not to feare the utter confusion for his sins coÌ„mitted but rather to thanke praise God that old things bee passed away and that all things are become new Ibid. So gracious and mercifull am I that alwaies I am more ready to forgive than thou art to begge forgivenesse at my hands more ready to