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A10556 Faith and good vvorkes vnited in a sermon preached at the Spittle vpon VVednesday in Easter weeke, 1630. By Richard Reeks minister of the word at Little Ilford, in Essex. Reeks, Richard. 1630 (1630) STC 20828; ESTC S115772 46,778 68

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Next vnto God what greater loue can be shewed then to our selues But wherein can greater loue to our selues bee shewed then in quieting of our consciences whereby our election may bee made sure This latter as touching our selues depending vpon the former viz. the peace of conscience this againe depending vpon our doing of good which by more then a multitude of examples might bee shewed what was that which quieted the conscience and sealed the election of good Hezekiah but onely this comfortable consideration of his well doing Remember O Lord how I haue walked before thee with an vpright heart Esay 38. And not onely Hezekiah but all the children of God in the middest of many fold temptations and spirituall conuulsions haue beene so mainly sustayned that with Paul Rom. 14. they haue beene comfortably resolued and constantly assured that whether we liue we liue vnto the Lord or whether we die we die vnto the Lord whether we liue therefore or die we are the Lords Except then wee endeauour our selues by doing of good we cannot haue a good conscience without a good conscience and peace with it selfe there is no peace to be had with God Hence in a common popular apprehension a good conscience is said to be a ioyfull remembrance of a well-led life ioyned with an hopefull expectation of a comfortable death and a glorious resurrection In respect whereof it hath beene termed the paradise of the soule the iubile of the heart laetitia cordis quasi latitia a surpassing inward solace so dilating and enlarging of the heart for some good in possession more in expectation that the ioy thereof can neither be suppressed nor expressed Bona conscientia saith Bernard is titulus religionis templum Solomonis ager benedictionis hortus deliciarum gaudium angelorum A good conscience is the title and crowne of religion the temple of Solomon the field of benediction the garden of delight the ioy of Angels and Sanctuary of the holy Ghost the tranquility of the minde that heauenly musick whereon the old Philosophers doubtfully harped but the good Christians heart only heareth it and antwereth it with iust measures of ioy which spirituall harmony as a song of three parts consisteth in a throefold peace supra with God aboue vs. extra with men without vs. intra and the soule within vs. O heauenly peace whereby we are at league with God with our neighbours with our selues O peace passing all vnderstanding which in respect of the minds tranquillity ioyned thereby is like to the hidden Manna and white stone wherein a name is written which no man knoweth but he that enioyeth it Reu. 2 17. O royall feast farre excelling that of Ahasuerosh which lasted but ninescore daies for this is for eternity whereat Angels are Cooks and Butlers and the blessed Trinity gladsome guests as Luther boldly speakes without intermission of solace or interruption of societie A feast in life refreshing the soule with daitnty cates of diuine comfort A feast in sicknesse when worldly hopes hang downe their head like a bulrush A feast in death when world and worldly comforts and comforters forsake vs. A feast in the resurrection and after that a feast for euermore If then this be not a sufficient motiue and reason to mooue vs to the doing of good let me shew you another Reason 3 Because in doing good we shall so shew our loue to our neighbours and that in a twofold respect 1 to witnesse our faith vnto them 2 to winne them to Christ That we shall thus make a reall manifestation of our faith Saint Iames sheweth when he saith Shew me thy faith by thy works Iames 2.18 Faith if it haue not works is dead being alone Yea a man may say thou hast faith and I haue works shew me thy faith without thy works and I will shew thee my faith by my works And againe Without works faith is dead And as the body without the spirit is dead so faith without works is dead also vers last Man can iudge no further then hee hath warrant from outward appearance although God doth iudge the heart it is necessary therefore that of a good tree there be also some good fruits So Christ either make the tree good and the fruit good or the tree euill and the fruit euill and that we should witnesse our faith to men our Sauiour most plainely sheweth where he saith Le before men that they may see your good works And that thereby they may bee wonne and so glorifie your Father which is in heauen To this purpose is that of the Apostle S. Paul 1. Cor. 7.14 The vnbeleeuing husband is sanctified by the wife and the vnbeleeuing wife by the husband else were your children vncleane but now they are holy And in the 16. verse For what knowest thou ô man whether thou shalt saue thy wife or what knowest thou ô wife whether thou shalt saue thy husband As if he had sayd Thou maiest by thy holy life and good conuersation be a meanes to winne him or her to Christ Euen as the barke of the tree is a beauty or ornament and secondly a couer to it so for men are likened to trees a good conuersation is an ornament to a Christian corpus tegens cor protegens decking the soule inwardly and protecting the body outwardly and moouing good respect to both A good outside though not alwaies argues a good inside a good conuersation a signe of sanctification Vertuous and holy maners are compared to precious treasures which are commodious to our selues and others To our selues ad iustificandum but not effectiuely for so we are iustified by Christ But not apprehensiuely for so wee are iustified by fayth But yet declaratiuely by iust and holy workes So our Sauior of himselfe The works that I haue done beare witnesse what I am 2. To others ad adificandum that they seeing our good workes may glorifie our father which is in heauen and so be wonne by our godlie life and conuersation For Vinitur exemplis man is led by practise more then instruction like pliable wax for any impression Nothing more forcible and perswasiue with the vulgar then examples which are as looking glasses to the eies of men Validiora sunt exempla quam verba as Bernard A good man saith a good Father carbo lampas est Grag in Ezech. bom 1. he is a coale burning and a lampe shining sibi ardet alijs lucet He doth warme his owne conscience and heats himselfe well and sheweth a good light vnto others also Euen as by the bush wee iudge that there is wine so men iudge of our hearts by the outward countenance and God of our workes by the inward conscience For Sermo interpres cordis apud virum cor interpres sermouis apud Deum saith Philo Iudaeus Men according to our outward parts but God according to our inward hearts Paul for this cause exhorteth those which professe Christ to haue their
conuersation honest and harmelesse that the name of God may not be blasphemed among the Gentiles and not only so but that they may winne those that are without by their holy cariage and conuersation according to that of the Prophet Isaiab 61.9 Their seed shal be known among the Gentiles and their of spring among the people All that see them shall acknowledge them that they are the seed that the Lord hath blessed And if this reason bee not sufficient let me lead you yet further Reason 4 Because this is the commandement of God to the performance whereof we are inuited à praemio from the reward à periculo from the danger That God commands it without further reason why is sufficient reason for vs to do it And that it is the command of the highest it appeareth in many places Eschew euill and doe good To doe good forget not Date eleemosynam Luke 11.41 Charge the rich that they bee fruitfull in good workes and heere be doing good And in many places which command implies obedience if we go no further then the command it selfe for he that commanded it to be done is that mighty one high aboue all men and angels by whose command all things were made for dixit factuns est but that the Lord might leaue vs inexcusable and that euery mouth might be stopped he hath enforced the same by a double reason For hoofac vines do this A praemi● and thou shalt liue There is a reward greater then our seruice Againe he that looketh in the perfect law of liberty and continueth therein being not a forgetfull hearer but a doer of the worke the same shall bee happie in his deed which happinesse is no lesse then eternall life then which what reward can be greater Againe wee are exhorted by good workes on earth to lay vp for our selues treasures in heauen to bring somewhat into Gods exchequer as the Israelites to the Tabernacle whereof in singular confidence clayming an especiall interest in Gods fauour and expecting the promised recompence we may say with Nehemiah Remember me O God concerning this For albeit the glory of God bee the vltimus terminus of our cogitations actions well doing and principall motiue of our good workes and as it were the primum mobile of our obedience yet as Aquinas in the actions of our obedience whilest we seeke the aduancement of Gods glory in the first place we may as a secondary obiect or adiunct respect our owne commodity and haue an eie to our owne reward for shall Iob or any one serue God for nothing But as S. Augustine saith in Pal. 100. Nisi Deus per misericordiam parceret non inueniret quos per iustitiam corenaret Except God should spare in mercy he should finde none to crowne in iustice For as conscious to our selues of our many imperfections in our best actions of defects and faults in the end matter maner or measure of our obedience we must supplicate and say misericordia tua meritum meum thy mercie is my merie pardon me according to thy great mercy In hope and expectation of which infinite reward we must in our seuerall callings dailie be doing good exercising our selues in works of piety and pity that so our soules as fields of sincerity being daily more and more charged with the deeds of mercy we may at length be accomplisht with the erest and crowne of eternall glory as himselfe hath promised Matt. 5. Blessed be the mercifull for they shall obtaine mercy Luk. 6.35 Iohn 14.1 They shall be called the children of the highest and therefore haue a dwelling place in their fathers house For Quimiseretur proximo soeneratur domino he that casts his bread vpon the waters shall after many daies find for a crumme a crowne for one mite a million for a drop of cold water a full draught of that heauenly water wherof hauing tasted he shall neuer thirst any more and in a word for the gleanings and refuse of our vintage a ful measure pressed and running ouer saithfull is he that promised to performe it But if we cannot be wonne by reward let vs be wrested by danger for feare of punishment for feare and anguish shall be vpon euery soule that doeth euill and take and bind that vnprofitable seruant and cast him into vtter darknesse there shall be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth this is their portion for euer ignorans ignorabitur Primos●●● Aquin. hee that will not know God by doing good shall not be known of God among those to whom he shall shew himselfe good These forenamed reasons first to shew our loue to God in walking as his children secondly to shew our loue to our selues In quieting our consciences In making our election sure Thirdly to shew our loue to our neighbours In witnessing our faith In winning them by our godly conuersation Fourthly in yeelding obedience to the commandement of God In respect of the reward In respect of the danger These reasons I say as a cord diuinely twisted are sufficiently able to moue vs to and to confirm vs in the doing of good Vse 1 First then let vs sling this stone into the brazen foreheads of our Aduersaries which in their shamesse chalenges of our Religion dare tell the world that we are all for faith nothing for good workes all for saying but nothing for doing And that we hold workes to saluation as a Parenthesis to a clause that it may bee perfect without them Heauen and earth shall witnesse the iniustice of this calumniation and the consciences of all which heare vs shall bee our compurgators which testifie that there is no lesse necessity of doing good workes then if you should bee saued by them and th t though you cannot be saued by them as the meritorious cause of your glory yet that you cannot be saued without them as the necessary effects of that grace which brings glory We say and maintaine that fides nuda is fides nulla a naked faith is no true fayth to the conuiction of that lewd slander of Solifidianisme For although we doe not wee dare not make inherent righteousnesse the cause of our iustification yet wee say it is the effect thereof though with the Papists we make it not the Vsher yea rather the Parent of iustification yet we require it as the companion at least the Page thereof But some man may say what matters it if both ascribe the whole worke to God For comes it not all to one if one pay a summe for me or giue it me to pay my selfe These things may seeme little dissonant to some mens cares yet the spirit of God hath made them vtterly incompatible For it is written To him that worketh the wages is not imputed of grace but of debt if by grace now not of works for else grace should be no more grace Rom. 4.4 Ephes 2.8 for neither is it grace any way if it bee not free euery way saith Aug.