sonne into the world that whosoeuer beleeued in him should not perish but haue euerlasting life Now when we are in the extremitie of all temptations we must still hold fast this promise and venture our soules vpon the truth of it This was Abrahams practice for in this temptation Gods meaning was to trie Abraham and to see what he would doe Now Abraham hee holdes fast the promise and yet obeyes God though all the reason in the earth cannot tell how that promise and that commandement could stand together But this was Abrahams faith though I know not nor reason knoweth not yet God knoweth and therefore seeing I haue his commandement I wil obey it and seeing I haue his word and promise I will beleeue that also and neuer forsake it And euen thus must we striue to doe in al temptations whatsoeuer yea euen in those that come from Satan which are full of malice and all violence In our heart and conscience wee must still hold and beleeue the promise of God and this is euer the surest and safest way to get the victory ouer Satā To hold that Gods promise shal be performed though wee knowe not how but rather see the contrary And though in humane reasoning it bee a note of ignorance and want of skill to sticke alwaies to the conclusion and question yet in spirituall temptations and trialls this is sound diuinitie Alwaies to hold Gods promise and to sticke fast to that conclusion and not to follow Satan in his Arguments neither suffer him by any meanes to driue vs from it Further in that this fact of offering vp Isaac was onely Abrahams triall we may obserue that it did not make him iust before God but onely serued to proue his faith and to declare him to be Iust. And therefore whereas Saint Iames saith Iam. 2.21 That Abraham was iustified through workes when he offered his sonne Isaac vpon the altar His meaning is that Abraham did manifest himselfe to bee iust before God by offering vp his sonne and not that by this fact Abraham of a sinner was made iust or of a righteous man was made more iust For indeede good workes doe not make a man iust but onely doe prooue and declare him to bee iust Thirdly God gaue Abraham this commandement Abraham kill thy sonne but yet he concealed from him what was his purpose and intent herein for God meant not that Abraham should kill his sonne indeede but onely to trie what he would doe whether he would still beleeue and obey him or not Where we see that God who is trueth it selfe reueales to Abraham his will but not his whole will whence ariseth this question Whether it be lawfull for a man according to this example of God when he tels a thing to another to conceale his meaning in whole or in part For answer hereunto we must knowe there are two extremities both which must be auoided in this case 1 That a man must alwaies expresse all that is in his minde 2 That in some cases a man may speake one thing and thinke another speaking contrary to his meaning But this later is no way lawfull and the other is not alwaies necessarie Wee therefore must hold a meane betweene both to wit that in some cases a man may conceale his whole meaning saying nothing though they bee examined namely when the concealing thereof doeth directly stand with the glory of GOD and the good of his brother Thus godly Martyrs haue done for beeing examined before tyrants where and with whom they worshipped GOD they haue chosen rather to die than to disclose their brethren and this concealing of their mindes was lawful because it touched immediately the glory of God and the good of his Church Secondly a man may conceale part of his minde but that must bee also with these two caueats First that it serue for Gods glory Secondly that it bee for the good of GODs Church Thus did Ionas conceale the condition of mercy from the Niniuites when he preached destruction vnto them saying Within fortie daies and Niniuie shall be destroyed though it is euident by the euent that it was Gods will they should bee spared if they did repent But that Condition God would haue concealed because it would not haue beene for the good of the Niniuites to haue knowen it sith the cōcealing of it caused them more speedily and earnestly to repent But out of these cases a man being called to speake must declare the whole trueth or else hee sinnes greatly against Gods commandement forsaking the property of the godly Psal. 15.2 And thus much of the first impediment of Abrahams faith The second impediment to Abrahams faith is contained in these words Offered his onely begotten sonne We knowe that the loue of Parents descends to euery childe naturally but especially to the onely begotten vpon whom beeing but one all that is bestowed which when there are many is diuided among them And therefore in all reason this might greatly hinder Abrahams obedience That God should command him to offer his sonne yea his only begotten sonne But yet by faith hee ouercommeth this temptation breakes through this impediment and offers vp his onely sonne Where wee note that true faith will make a man ouercome his owne nature Loue is the strongest affection in the heart especially from the father to the childe euen his onely childe And a man would thinke it impossible to ouercome this loue in the parent vnlesse it were by death there beeing no cause to the contrary in the childe But yet beholde Abraham by faith subdued this speciall loue which he bare to his onely childe God himselfe testified of Abraham that his loue to Isaac was great Gen. 22.2 and yet by faith hee ouercommeth this his loue This point is carefully to be marked as declaring the great power of true sauing faith for if faith can ouercome created and sanctified nature then vndoubtedly the power thereof will inable man to ouercome the corruptions of his nature and the temptations of the world for it is an harder thing to ouercome our nature which wee haue by creation than to subdue the corruption thereof which comes in by transgression And hence such excellent things are spoken of faith it is called the victorie that ouercommeth the world 1. Iohn 5.4 And God is saide by faith to purifie the heart faith strengtheneth the heart Acts 15.9 And through faith we are kept by the power of God vnto saluation 1. Pet. 1.5 Is this the power of faith to ouercome nature and the corruptions thereof then howsoeuer religion be receiued and faith professed generally among vs yet vndoubtedly there is little true faith in the world for euen among the professours thereof how many be there that subdue the sinnes of their liues and suppresse the workes of their wicked nature surely very few Now where corruption beareth sway and sin raigneth there sound faith cannot be for if faith were sound in men it would purifie
the way walke in it Our Elders obayed this commaundement of the spirit and walking in this way found the end of it euerlasting life If we would attaine the same end of the iourney we must walke the same way But the world will say this is a needlesse exhortation for we walke this way we deny our selues and looke to be approued of God onely by Christ but it is strange to see how men deceiue themselues Can a man walke in a way and not leaue marks steps behind him euen so he that walks in this way follow him you shal see steps of his continuall dying vnto sinne liuing vnto holinesse insomuch that a man that followeth him marketh the course of his life in this way may euidently say See where hee hath cast off left behind him this that sin see where he hath taken vp caried with him these those vertues graces of God Marke here is a print of his faith here is a print of his hope here are prints of his loue And thus may a child of God be followed traced all the way to heauen euen vntil he come to his death which is the gate of heauen How mightily theÌ„ are they deceiued which think they haue walked all their liues in this way and yet there is not one step to be seene for assuredly this way is so beatâ—n and troden that no man euer trode in it since the world began but he left behind him manifest visible steps that all men that would looke at him might see he had gone that way As therfore we all desire to come to heauen as we professe we walk in the way thither so let vs be as carefull to leaue behind vs our steps namely tokens prints of our faith our hope and loue which if we do then mark the excellent vse of those steps 1. They testifie vnto all that see them that we walked the right way to heauen and secondly they wil serue for marks directions for theÌ„ that shal walke in the same way after vs. By the 1. we shal leaue an honorable testimony of our selues behind vs by the 2. we shall moue other to magnify gods name to whoÌ„ our steps haue bin marks directions helps furtherances in the way to heauen Secondly for what were these Elders approued for their faith for nothing else Amongst these Elders Sampson was wonderfull in strength Salomon in wisedome Ioshua in courage Moses in learning many of them in the honour and pompe of the world in beauty riches and other externall gifts and the most of them all in long life yet not for one or all of these are any of them saide to be regarded of God but it is plainely said that for their faith God did approue them Here then learne what is the thing amongst all things that must make vs acceptable vnto God euen this To deny our selues and to rest vpon the mercy of God in Christ this wil do it nothing else Hast thou streÌ„gth so had Golias as wel as Sampson hast thou beauty so had Absalom as wel or more theÌ„ Dauid hast thou wisdom so had Achitophel thogh not like Salomon yet aboue ordinary men hast thou riches Esau was richer theÌ„ Iacob hast thou liued long so did Cain Ismael as wel as Isaak hast thou many childreÌ„ so had Ahab as wel as Gedeon hast thou learning the glory of nature so had the Egyptians as well as Moses for there Moses learned it All these thou maist haue yet be a vile person in the sight of God so far from being approued of God as that he wil not vouchsafe vnlesse it be in his anger once to regard or looke at thee hast thou therefore any of those outward gifts it is not to be contemned it hath his vse thanke God for it and and vse it well and vse it so as by it thou maist be approued amongst men but stand not to it before God for though it be wisedome or learning or neuer so excellent a gift it cannot purchase the fauour acceptation of God but true faith is able to please God both in this life and especially at the day of Iudgement This doctrine first confuteth the error of some grosse Papists who hold and write that many Philosophers for their good vse of the light of Nature for their deepenesse of learning and for their ciuill liues are now Saints in heauen a most manifest and shamefull vntruth and here as manifestly confuted for was Salomon not accepted for all his wisedome and shall Socrates was Moses not accepted for all his learning how then should Aristotle if faith made all of them accepted and nothing but faith how is it possible they should be accepted which neuer heard of faith nay I say more If many a man that liueth in the Church as deepe it may be in humane learning as they and of great knowledge also in the whole doctrine of Religion which they neuer knew and yet could not nor euer shall be accepted of God onely for want of this sauing faith How absurd is it 〈◊〉 imagine saluation for them which neither had sparke of faith nor knowledge of Christ Let vs theÌ„ hold that as there is no name whereby to be saued but onely the name of Christ so no meanes to be saued by that Christ but onely faith euen that faith for which these Elders were accepted of God Secondly this excellencie of faith aboue all other gifts shewes the vanity of the world so carefull earnest in seeking honour riches credit wisedom learning all which can but make them esteemed and approued to the world and so carelesse and negligent in getting true faith which will both approue a man vnto the world and make him honorable in the eyes of the Lord God Thirdly by this doctrine the Popish doctrine is iustly condemned which teacheth that a man is iustified by his works and that faith is not the most excellent of Gods graces Here we are taught other diuinitie for that for which a man is accepted by that he is iustified But for their faith onely were they accepted therfore iustification is only by faith Againe that which makes a man accepted of God that must needs be the most excellent thing of all For God which is goodnesse it selfe regardeth that that is the best but God esteemed theÌ„ only for their faith therfore it is the chief of all graces of God in regard of making a man accepted of God Fourthly here is a patterne and president for Gods children how to bestow measure out their loue estimation in the world God loued Salomon more for his faith then for all his glory and wisedome and esteemed more of Moses for his faith theÌ„ for all his learning So deale thou with thy wife thy child thy seruant thy friend with all men Hast thou a wife neuer so beautifull louing honest thrifty neuer so toward
It is needlesse For the man is good alreadie else the worke could not haue beene good Wee may therefore say workes are rather iustified by the person of a man then his person by the works and it is a most vaine thing to looke for Iustification from that which thou thy selfe must first iustifie afore it be iust if wee had no other reasons against iustification by workes but this this were sufficient Secondly hence we learne that till a man bee called and his person iustified and sanctified all that euer hee doth is sinne 1. His common actions his eating drinking sleeping walking talking are all sinnes Yea 2. The workes of his calling his labor in the same though neuer so iust equal and vpright 3. Further his ciuill actions namely the practice of ciuill vertues his outward grauitie meekenesse sobrietie temperance quietnesse vprightnesse and all outward conformitie are all sinnes Yea more then all this his best actions namely his practicing of the parts of Gods worship or his deeds of charitie his praier his hearing the word his receiuing the sacraments his giuing of almes they are all sinnes vnto him if hee haue not a belieuing and penitent heart yea such sinnes as shall condemne hâ—m if hee had no other Obiect This should seeme strange diuinity that the most holy actions as praier c. should be damnable sinnes I answer they are in themselues holy and good and as farre forth as God hath commanded them yet in the doer they are sinnes because hee doth them from a fowle vnholy heart for the same action may be holy in it selfe and in regard of God the author of it and yet a sin in him that is the doer of it As cleere water pure in the fountaine is corrupted or poisoned by running through a filthy and polluted channell so are euen the best actions sinnes as euen the preaching of the word to a minister whose heart is not cleansed by faith and his person accepted of God it is a sin vnto him and if he repent not shall be his condemnation Cain sinned not onely in hating and murthering his brother in lying and dissembling with God but Cain sinned also euen in offering sacrifice And Abels sacrifice had beene a damnable sinne but that his person was iustified before God And the reason of all this is good for nothing in the worke is able to make an action acceptable to God but onely the acceptation of the person by Christ. This being so it stands vs euery one in hand to looke to our selues and to labour aboue all things for faith and repentance that so our persons may be accepted righteous before God and thereby our actions accepted also If it be a miserable thing that all thy actions euen holy actions should be sinnes then labour to be iustified for that onely can make thy workes accepted if not then though thou labour neuer so much to be approued in the world set neuer so glorious a shew vpon thy workes to the eyes of men they are all abhominable sinnes in the sight of God and at the day of iudgement they shall goe for no better Preach and teach all thy life long nay giue thy life to die for religion Giue all thy goods to the poore depriue thy flesh of all delights build Churches Colledges Bridges High-wayes c. and there may come a poore shepheard and for his keeping of his sheepe be accepted when thou with all this pompe of outward holinesse maist be reiected And why this only because he had faith thou hast none his person was iustified before God and thine is not Therefore let this be my counsell from Abell Labour not so much to worke glorious workes as that which thou doest doe it in faith Faith makes the meanest worke accepted and want of faith makes the most glorious worke reiected for so faith the Text. Abell must be accepted else his sacrifice is not Thus wee see Abell was iust and God so accounted him The second point is That God gaue testimonie hee was so In these words God giuing testimonie What testimonie it was that God gaue of Abell and his gift it is not expressed in the word and so it is not certaine but it is very likely that wheÌ„ he Cain offred God in speciall mercy sent fire from heauen and burnt vp Abels sacrifice but not Cains for so it pleased the Lord often afterward when he would shew that he accepted any man or his worke he answered them by fire from heauen So he burnt vp the first sacrifice that Aaron offred Leuit. 9.24 So he answered Salomon 2. Chron. 7.1 And so Elias 2. Kings 18.28 And so it is likely that he gaue this testimonie that he accepted Abell and his offring This was a great prerogatiue that Abell and the Fathers in the old testament had We haue not this but wee haue a greater for wee haue that that is the substance and truth and body of this For wee haue also the fire of God that is his spirit comes downe into our hearts euery day not visibly but spiritually and burnes vp in the heart of a beleeuer his sinnes and corruptions and lights the light of true faith that shall neuer be put out The vse hereof is this As no sacrifice in the old law pleased God but such as was burnt by fire from heauen sent downe either then or afore so our sacrifices of the new Testament that is our inuocation of Gods name our sacrifice of praise our duties of religion our workes of mercy and loue neuer please God vnlesse they proceede from a heart purged by the fire of Gods spirit that is from a beleeuing and repentant heart both which are kindled and lighted and daily continued by that fire of Gods spirit Therefore it is that Paul saith 1. Tim. 1.4 That loue must come out of a pure heart and good conscience and faith vnfained The duties of religion and works of loue comming from this purged heart ascend into the presence of God as a smoake of most acceptable sacrifices and are as a sweet perfume in the nosethrils of the Lord. Now of what did God thus testifie Of his gift It may here be asked at the first how can Abell giue a gift to God hath the Lord neede of any thing and are not all things his I answer God is soueraigne Lord of heauen and earth and all creatures yet hath hee so giuen his creatures vnto man to vse as that they become mans owne and so he may esteeme vse them and being mans a man may in token of his thankfulnes return them again to God especially seeing God accepts them being so offred as most free gifts This sheweth vs first the wonderfull mercy of God that whereas we can offer him nothing but his owne he vouchsafeth to accept a gift offred of his owne euen as though we had of our owne to offer 2. See here a difference betwixt the sacrifices of the old and
or abrogater of the law but the fulfiller of it as the abrogater of the Ceremonial so the fulfiller of the Morall law If he fulfilled the Law for whom was it not for himself For as the Messiah was not slain for himself Dan. 9.26 so he obayed not the Law for himselfe For whom then for all that beleeue Therefore Christ doing it for them they fulfill the Law in Christ and so Christ by doing and they by beleeuing in him that doth it doe fulfill the Law Now if it be not amisse to say We doe in Christ fulfill the law No more is it to say Wee are made righteous by Christes righteousnesse though it be his and not ours but onely by faith Let vs then see in the second place what the Church of Rome obiect against it They first obiect thus As a man cannot be wise by another mans wisedome nor rich by another mans riches nor strong by another mans strength So can he not be righteous by another mans righteousnesse I answer The comparison is not alike For one man hath no propriety in another mans wisedome strength or riches but we haue a right and proprietie in Christes righteousnesse Againe the wisedome of one man cannot be the wisedom of another because they are two persons fully and equally distinct but it is not so betwixt Christ and a sinner for euery beleeuer is spiritually and yet truly and really conioyned to Christ and they make one mysticall body Christ being the head and euery true beleeuer being a member of that body and therefore that which is his righteousnesse may be also truly ours His because it is in him and ours because we are knit to him For by reason of this mysticall vnion betwixt him and vs all blessings of saluation in him as in the head are diffused into vs as his members or branches yet are as properly still in him as is the braine in the head of a man And thus though in sense and reason this cannot be yet by faith and Gods spirit the righteousnesse of Christ is made ours Secondly they obiect If this be so then God iustifieth wicked men but God will not doe so it is against the nature of his holinesse and Iustice. And againe hee that iustifieth the wicked is abhominable to God Prou. 17.15 therefore God will not doe so himselfe We answere The ground is good but the collection is vntrue God will not iustifie a wicked man that is true but that therefore a man cannot be iustified by Christs righteousnesse is false For God doth not iustifie him that lieth rotting in his former sinnes and weltring in his olde corruption but him that beleeueth in Christ and repenteth of his sinnes And that man in his faith is iustified and in his repentance sanctified and so he is made a new man yea as S. Paul saith He that is in Christ is a new creature 2. Corinth 5.17 For as it is in the first conuersion God turneth nor saueth no man against his will but first makes him willing by his owne work alone and then conuerteth and saueth him with his owne free will working together with Gods grace So is it in the work of Iustification God iustifieth no wicked man but makes him first iust and righteous in and by Christ and then accounts him so But then will some say the sinner hath no righteousnesse but that of Christs and that is in Christ and not in himselfe therefore he hath none in his owne person how then can he be any thing but a wicked man still I answer that is not true that is first affirmed The beleeuing sinner hath more righteousnes then that that is in Christ. That which iustifieth him is in Christes person But the sinner when he is iustified is also sanctified by the mighty work of Gods grace and so he is made a holy man and doth good and holy workes because he is in Christ though his sanctification be imperfect To this end saith S. Peter Acts 15.9 Faith purifieth a mans heart for it is impossible a man should beleeue and so be iustified but hee must also be sanctified in his heart and life Thus a sinner is iustified by Christs righteousnesse inherent in Christ himselfe and sanctified by Christs righteousnes diffused from Christ into the sinner And therfore his Iustificatiō is perfect because that that iustifieth him is still in Christ but his sanctification imperfect because that that sanctifieth vs is in our selues the one imputed to vs the other infused and inherent Againe I answere that if we take it in the sense of Scripture It is true that God iustifieth a wicked man For S. Paul saith Rom. 4. To him that worketh not but beleeueth in him that iustifieth the vngodly his faith is counted to him for righteousnesse See God iustifieth the vngodly but how euen as we heard before not him that is vngodly after but afore he be iustified him that by nature and in himselfe is vngodly God iustifieth by working in him faith and repentance by which of an vngodly man he is made a man iustified and sanctified Their last obiection is If a sinner be righteous by Christs righteousnesse then Christ is a sinner by his sinnes for ther is the same reason of both But Christ is no sinner but the holy of holiest and S. Paul saith He knew no sinne 1. Cor. 5. and himself for himselfe chalengeth his enemies Which of you can reproue me of sinne If then our sins cannot make him a sinner no more can his righteousnesse make vs righteous I answer Here we graunt all if they speake the words of the Scripture in the sense of the Scripture for Christ was a true and reputed sinner in the sight of Gods Iustice as hee that becomes surety for another is a debter in his roome or as he that vndertakes for a man body for body must answer for him his owne body for his so in all reason and iustice Christ though hee had no sinnes of his owne yet being our surety and vndertaking for vs and standing in our steade our sinnes are iustly accounted his And as for these places many more like they are all vnderstood of personall sins from all which and the least contagion thereof he was perfectly free And therefore the same place that saith He knew no sin that is in for his owne person knew not what sinne was saith also that for vs in our stead he was made euen sin it selfe that we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him Thus Christ in himselfe more righteous then all men Angels In our steade is a reputed sinner and by the same reason we most vnrighteous in our selues are clothed with Christs righteousnesse and thereby are reputed righteous And as Christ though no sinner in himselfe by being a sinner in our steade and hauing our sinnes imputed vnto him became subiect to the wrath of God and bare it euen to death it self So we though not
righteous of our selues yet hauing Christs righteousnesse imputed to vs are made thereby partakers of Gods loue and for the worthinesse of that righteousnesse of his so made ours shall be glorified in heauen And thus now at last we haue found that true and that only righteousnesse which can make a man as it did Noah righteous in Gods sight Now it remaines to make vse of it First here wee learne how foulely our nature is defiled with sinne and stayned with corruption the staine whereof cannot be washed away with all the water in the world no nor with the bloud of all creatures no not couered with the righteousnesse of all men and Angels but onely with the righteousnesse of God And that sonne of God also if he will apply that righteousnesse vnto vs and make it effectuall must become man and liue and die and rise againe for vs. A meruailous thing is it and â—orthy of our often consideration that all the Angels and men in the world cannot make one sinner righteous but that Gods sonne must needes doe it And that our sinnes are so hideous as nothing can hide the filthinesse thereof from the eyes of Gods Iustice but onely the glorious mercy seate of Christs righteousnesse This may therefore teach vs how to esteeme of our selues and our owne natures Furthermore See here the great goodnesse of God to man God put perfect legall righteousnesse in Adams heart in his creation he receiued it for himselfe and vs and lost it for himself and vs. God in mercy purposing to restore man thus by himselfe lost and cast away giues him another and a better righteousnesse then before But because he saw man was so ill a keeper of his owne Iewels he trusts not him with it but sets that righteousnesse in the person of Christ Iesus and commits it to him to keepe Who as he truly knowes the full value and excellencie thereof and as he deerely loues vs So he will most safely keepe it for vs and clothe vs with it in his Fathers presence at the last day A point of vnspeakable comfort to Gods children to consider that their saluation is not in their owne keeping where it might againe be lost but in a safe hand where they shall be sure to finde and haue it when they haue most need of it and to remember that their righteousnesse being in Christ they cannot lose it For though they sinne and so lose often the comfort of a good conscience for a time yet they then lose not their righteousnesse which is then in Christ and to consider that when in this world they sustaine losses or iniuries or lose all they haue vpon the earth that yet their righteousnesse the riches of their soules is then in heauen full safe in Christs keeping and shall neuer be lost This should make vs learne to know Christ more and more and to giue him the loue and affections of our very hearts that so we may be able to say with blessed Paul 2. Timoth. 1.12 I know whom I haue beleeued and I am perswaded that he is able to keepe that which I haue committed vnto him against that day Lastly if there be such a communion betwixt Christ and a beleeuer that our sinnes were made his and his righteousnesse made ours This may teach vs patience and minister vs comfort in all outward afflictions or inward temptations because it is certaine all our sufferings are his and hee is touched with all the wrongs done to vs. When hee was in heauen he calls to Saul Acts 9.4 Saul Saul why persecutest thou me and at the last day Math. 25.45 Whatsoeuer either good or euill was done to any of his children he saith was done to himselfe and accordingly it shall be rewarded as done to him And thus wee haue taught that true righteousnesse which iustifies a sinner and made Noah righteous and we see the vse of that worthy doctrine And in this first point we haue the longer insisted because it is one of the fundamentall points of Christian religion Hetherto of the first point namely what that righteousnesse is which is here spoken of The 2. point to be coÌ„sidered in these words is that this righteousnesse is that righteousnesse Which is by Faith It is so called because faith is the proper instrument created in the soule of man by the holy Ghost to apprehend that righteousnesse which is in the person of Christ nor can it be any waies else either apprehended or applied and therefore it is worthily called that righteousnesse which is by faith that is which by faith is made a mans owne or whereunto a man hath title by his faith Here therefore two points offer themselues to our obseruation 1. That true faith apprehends properly this true righteousnesse 2. That onely faith can doe it For the first it is proued by apparant euidences of Scripure S. Paul tells the Galathians 3.14 They receiued the promise of the Spirit by faith And S. Iohn saith That as manie as receiued Christ to them hee gaue power to be called the sonnes of God And least any man should thinke that to receiue Christ is not to beleeue in Christ he addeth Euen to as many as beleeue in his name Iohn 1.12 And therefore faith is fitly compared to a hand that takes hold on a garment and applieth it to the body being naked or to a beggars hand that takes or receiues a Kings almes so faith in a mans soule takes hold on Christs righteousnes which is the mercifull and liberall almes of the King of heauen and applieth it to the poore and naked soule of the beleeuer If any man aske how can faith apply Christ to the beleeuer I answer as a man being in his corrupt nature hath nothing to doe with Christ So contrariwise when the holy Ghost hath wrought faith in his heart by a supernaturall operation then wee are to know that as faith is the proper instrument to apprehend Christ So is Christ and his righteousnesse the proper obiect for faith to work vpoÌ„ For though it apprehend apply all other promises which God makes to our soules or bodies yet most properly and principally and in the first place it apprehends the promise of saluation and the righteousnesse of Christ. Now for the particular manner how faith doth thus we are to know that though it be spirituall inuisible and so not easily expressed to sense yet is it done as properly by faith as a garment is by the hand taken and applied to the body or a plaister to a sore If any aske further But when may a man know whether his faith haue apprehended and applied Christs righteousnesse to his soule or no I answere when hee beleeueth particularly that Christes righteousnesse is his righteousnesse and hath reconciled him to God and shall iustifie him in Gods presence then doth faith worke his true and proper worke for this cannot be done but by faith and where faith is this must needes be done
for examples wee haue too many To som God saith Leaue thy priuate care which is for none but thy selfe be a Magistrate and vndertake the publike care of the common-wealth but they as though they were born for themselues will not imploy themselues in publike seruice To some God saith Leaue thy ease and thy care of worldlie credit and vndertake the teaching of my people and care not for the contempt of that calling so thou maist saue soules but their carnall carnall credit and ease is more deere vnto them then Abrahams kindred is to him they will not forsake them These and all that doe so may make what shew they will but they are not children of Abraham seeing they want his faith and they want in his faith because they faile in his obedience they must therfore learne to yeeld when God calleth and not to stand vpon such base allegations of wordly matters when Abraham left Country and kindred to obay God Secondly such men as respect not Gods calling but look what the swinge of their natures or the course of the wicked world carie them vnto they presently yeeld and obay not regarding whether it be Gods calling or no. Three sorts of men are most faulty in this kinde First such as are content to grow in wealth either by oppression as vsurie or extortion or by craft and dissembling or by any other such indirect course whereby their brother is hurt looking onely at gaine but not regarding whence it comes Secondly such as liue by dicing carding or by playes and Enterludes thinking any trade lawfull that brings in wealth or that gets money neuer caring whether God allow the calling or no. Thirdly such as liue in no calling but spend their time in eating drinking sleeping and sporting because they haue liuings of their owne and lands left by their parents All these and all such like doe obay indeede but whereunto not vnto Gods calling for alas he neuer called them to these courses but hath often recalled them from it therefore this is the obedience not of faith but of corruption and of the world which is a plaine disobedience vnto God For as the wisedom of the flesh or the world is foolishnesse with God Rom. 8 so obedience to the flesh or the world is disobedience and rebellion against God All such men must know that they are not the children of Abraham because they are not children of his faith Nor can they be heires of his faith because they practice not his obedience for Gods calling and no other rule for our liues must Christian men admit When he calleth they must obay and when he calls not or allowes not a course of gayning or a trade of life though all the world allowed it we must not follow it this will honour them and their profession before God Abrahams faith iustified him before God but his obedience iustified his faith obedience saith Samuel 1. Sam. 25.22.23 is better then sacrifice but disobedience is as the sinne of witchcraft Therefore let all Christians approue their faith by their obedience hanging on Gods mouth and attending on Gods calling for directions of their whole life and resolue with Dauid Psal. 119.105 Thy word is a lanterne to my feete and a light to my pathes When Kings may not liue but by this light of Gods calling and Gods word it is shamefull presumption for ordinary men to frame their liues by lights of their owne making In the second place out of Ahrahams obedience let vs marke By what meanes obayed he by faith Learne here the true nature of true faith it brings forth true obedience where euer it is and therefore Christian obedience is called the obedience of faith Rom. 1.5 And these two cannot be seperated no more then light from the sunne or heate from fire For as the sunne naturally and necessarily giues light and the fire heate no lesse doth true faith yeeld true obedience to Gods commaundements Which being so it teacheth vs for the vse First how our Church and doctrine are slaundered by the Papists who please themselues in saying Wee looke to be saued by sole faith and without workes For we teach that though a man be iustified without respect to his workes yet no man was euer iustified whose faith did not bring forth good and holy workes and wee teach that none is heire of Abrahams faith which is not also of his obedience Therefore God will reward their lying tongue Secondly this teacheth vs that Abrahams faith is rare in these dayes Many make profession of Abrahams religion but it seemes they are as farre deceiued as the Iewes were Iohn 8.39 The Iewes would be Abrahams children because they were of his flesh and men now will be so because they are of his profession but both are farre wide for wee must be children of faithfull Abraham But if we will be like him in faith we must be like him in obedience also when God calls vs to any duty we must forsake our owne natures and denie our owne affections and crosse our owne corruptions to follow Gods calling and to doe our duties So shall wee be true children of Abraham when we are like our Father in his best vertues Thus wee see his obedience laied downe generally Particularly In his Obedience there are laid downe three points 1. The matter of his obedience all which are layde downe directly in the Text. 2. The end of his obedience all which are layde downe directly in the Text. 3. The manner of his obedience all which are layde downe directly in the Text. For the matter of his obedience it followeth in these words To goe out into a place c. The particular matter wherein Abrahams obedience cōsisted was this At Gods commaundement he went out of his owne Country into another for one which hee should inherite he left that which he did inherite Heere many points of good instruction may be learned First see here the power and strength of true faith It was a wonderfull hard thing for Abraham to do thus For first hee was well striken in yeeres 75. yeeres olde Young men delight to be stirring but men growen into yeeres doe loue to settle themselues as birdes in their nests and it is grieuous vnto them to think of remouing or taking long iournies Secondly he must leaue his owne Country where hee was bred borne and brought vp which all men generally doe loue by nature Thirdly hee must leaue his goods and lands and liuings which no doubt were great for hauing liued so long in his natiue Country and being born as he was his estate doubtlesse was very great Fourthly he must leaue his acquaintance with which hee had liued all his life yea his owne kindred and must goe liue amongst strangers These foure considerations were so manie hindrances to his obedience and strong temptations to make him haue looked backward but such is the power of his faith hee is commaunded of God therefore hee obayeth and
reward Now euery true beleeuer that endeuours to doe the will of God is in Christ and so Christes righteousnesse with the merit thereof is his so farre forth as serues to make his person acceptable to God Whereupon hee hath a promise of reward made vnto him vpon his obedience yet not for his worke but for the worke of Christes obedience in whom he is And so must these words here be vnderstood 1. The consideration of this reward of life eternall giuen through Christ to those that suffer for his sake may make vs ioyfull and patient in all our afflictions for righteousnesse sake A naturall man will endure much for a good recompence in the end Now Christ saith Great is your reward And therefore let vs reioice in suffering for Christ holding fast our confidence which hath so great recompence of reward Heb. 10.35 Secondly is life euerlasting a recompence that is a giuing of a reward Then heere is condemned the desperate practice of many a one who spend their whole life in a greedie pursuite after the profites and pleasures of the worlde as it were running themselues out of breath in the way to hell without all regarde of their soules till death come thinking that if at the last gaspe they can crie God mercie and commend their soules to GOD all is well But all such persons for the most part deceiue their owne soules not considering that life euerlasting is giuen as a reward Now wee knowe that no reward is giuen to any man till the worke be done which hee is set about he must come worke in the Vineyard some part of the day that would haue his pennie at night as for those that neither stirre hand nor foote to doe the worke what reward can they looke for And yet this is the state of carnall liuers they addict themselues wholly to earthly things But if wee looke for any reward at the day of death wee must labour in the workes of godlinesse all the dayes of our life for therefore were wee redeemed Luke 1.74.75 In the whole booke of God wee finde but one man that liued wickedly and repented at his end that is the thiefe vpon the Crosse. Which shewes that it is a most rare thing for a man to haue the reward of life euerlasting after this life that labours not in the workes of godlinesse in this life Thirdly the consideration of this reward must stirre vp all Gods children vnto all diligence in the duties of godlinesse that with cheerefulnesse through the whole course of their liues When wee shall die wee will looke earnestly for this reward and therefore while we liue we must diligently doe the workes that God commaundeth and then when death comes we may assure our selues that God will giue vs this reward not because wee did deserue it by our works but because he hath promised it in Christ vpon our endeuour in obedience and true repentance And thus much for the reason of Moses choise VERSE 27. By faith he forsooke Egypt and feared not the fiercenesse of the King For he was couragious as hee that saw him that is inuisible IN this verse the spirit of God proceedeth to another example of Moses faith and heereto also in the verse following hee addeth a third Now hee is thus large in the commendation of his faith for this end to perswade the Hebrewes to whom this Epistle is sent that they were not to looke for any Iustification by the workes of the Law and his reason is because if any man could be iustified by the workes of the Law it must be Moses who gaue the Law to the people from the Lord and did excell in obedience to both Tables and therefore is a renowmed Prophet vnto all posterity in speciall fauour with God Numb 12.7.8 But Moses could not be iustified by the works of the Law for here the holy Ghost proues that Moses was iustified saued by faith The thing that cōmends Moses and makes him stand before God is not his works but his faith and therefore the conclusion is that as Moses was not iustified by his works but by faith no more must they stand vpon their works to be iustified therby but labour for such faith as Moses had Now this faith of Moses is a true sauing faith founded on these two promises of God 1. On this great maine promise made to Abraham I will be thy God and the God of thy seed 2. On another particular promise rising from the general made vnto him when he was called to fetch the Israelites out of bondage which was this I will be with thee and guide thee And in this place Moses is said to haue faith not onely because he beleeued that God would be his God as hee was the God of all Abrahams seed but because he beleeued particularly that God would be his God defend and be with him in the deliuerance of the Israelites out of Egypt To come particularly to this fact By faith Moses forsooke Egypt Moses departed from Egypt twise First when hee had slaine the Egyptian and fled from Pharaoh vnto Midian and there kept Iethroes sheepe Secondly fourty yeares after when hee led the people of Israell out of Egypt into the Land of Canaan and heere some make it a question whether of these departures is meant in this place Answere It is most like that this place is to be vnderstoode of his second departure rather than of the first And the reason is taken out of Exodus Chapter the second verses 14 15. Where wee finde that the first time he fled for feare for so soone as he heard that his slaughter of the Egyptian was knowen to Pharaoh he fled in such feare as that hee durst not returne againe of 40. yeares Now these words are not to be vnderstoode of such a flight for here it is said Hee departed not fearing the Kings wrath or fiercenesse Here some will say This is no commendation for malefactors and rebels doe flie their Country Answer They flie indeede yet not in faith but in feare Moses fled in faith and hereby his faith is commended that hee fled not fearing the King But malefactors flie for feare of due punishment Moses departed with courage and boldnesse and therfore fled not as a malefactor for he feared not the King as appeareth plainely in the History for though Pharaoh had said vnto him Exod. 10.28 Get thee gone see thou see my face no more for when thou commest in my sight thou shalt die yet Moses went once more namely the tenth time and tolde him of the tenth plague and saide That Pharaohs seruants should come downe vnto him and fall downe and pray him to get him out with the people and their cattell And when the Israelites murmured against him at the red sea when Pharaoh was at their heeles and they had no way to flie Moses encourageth the people saying Feare not stand still and behold the
get his fathers blessing for so God had determined and yet shee failed in the manner Quest. But how could this worke be good being faulty in the manner of doing it Ans. It might for Rebecca's person stood righteous before God in Christ. Now the worker beeing acceptable vnto God the worke must needs be good also and though the worker failed in the circumstances yet the euill of the worke was couered in the obedience of Christ and so the goodnes of it was approoued and the fault thereof couered The vse of this doctrine is two-folde first it shews that the works of Gods children are partly good and partly bad euen the best works they doe are imperfect Secondly this shewes the true meaning of Saint Iames when hee saith that Rahab was iustified by her works hereby he means that by her works she declared her selfe to be iust For that shee was not iustified by her works appeareth plaine because the worke which shee did was faulty in the manner and not perfectly good and therfore could not be answerable to the perfect iustice of God But some will further say that this concealing of the Spies and lying to the Kings messengers was a worke of Treachery against her owne country and therefore was a notorious fault and so no worke of faith Answ. Treachery indeed is as great villany as one man can practice against another and therefore ought to bee abhorred and detested of all men but yet wee must knowe that Rahab in this place is no Traytor For she had a plaine Certificat in her conscience that the Land of Canaan and the citie Iericho were giuen by the Lord to the people of Israel and that they were the right Lords thereof and should enioy them so that she hid the Spies not in treachery but in faith Thus wee see her facte The duties which wee learne hence are these First it is said that this harlot Rahab beeing by calling an Hostesse and a Victualler receiued the spies peaceably Hence Inn-keepers are taught their dutie First if they will shew themselues faithfull they must haue special regard and respect vnto such guests of theirs as be the seruants of GOD and feare him This was the worke of Rahabs faith towards the spies of Gods people Dauid makes this the property of euery godly man That in his eyes a vile person is contemned but hee honoureth them that feare the Lord Psalme 15. verse 4 And therefore if Inn-keepers will shewe themselues godly they must so doe And to encourage each one heereto our Sauiour Christ makes this notable promise Matthew chapter 10. verse 41 Hee that receiueth a Prophet in the name of a Prophet shall receiue a Prophets reward and hee that receiueth a iust man in the name of a iust man shall receiue a iust mans reward And if any shall giue to one of these little ones to drinke a cuppe of colde water onely in the name of a Disciple Verily I say vnto you hee shall not lose his reward Also Strangers are heere taught that in seeking places for their abode they must make choyse to bee with those that feare the Lord so GOD directs these spies to doe And when Christ sent his Disciples to preach he bade them Mathew chapter 10. verse 11 when they entred into a Citie To enquire who is worthy in that Citie and there to abide till they departed But alas these duties are little performed especially the first For Inn-keepers and such as entertaine Strangers doe make most of those that giue themselues to ryote and good fellowâ—hip they are best welcom that spend most in gaming drinking and lasciuiousnesse These might learne otherwise of Rahab who did better though she had beene an harlot Thirdly In-keepers must here learne that when a man comes into their house if he be no malefactor they must giue him protection Thus Rahab doth heere to the spies of the Israelites euen with the danger of her owne life The like also we may reade of Lot for when two Angels in the likenesse of men came into his house and the men of Sodome would haue had them out Lot besought them to let them alone Gen. 19.8 And his reason is because they came vnder the shadow of his roofe Againe hence we may learne another generall duty to wit that a Christian man in the time of persecution danger is not to discouer his fellow brethren or to detect them but must rather indanger his owne life by concealing them for their preseruation This was practiced by good Obadiah when Iesabel killed the Lords Prophets he hid them by fifties in a Caue which if it had been knowen would haue cost him his life And so did the Apostles and brethren in the Primitiue Church when the Iewes would haue slaine Paul in Damascus the brethren tooke him by night and let him downe through the wall in a basket to saue his life Acts 9.25 And since those times in the History of the Church vnder the Gospell wee may finde that when the Christians were vrged by persecuters to reueale their brethren they rather chose to lay down their owne lyues then to betray their brethreÌ„ into their enemies hands And this is true loue indeede such as the holy Ghost commendeth When a man will giue his life for his brother 1. Iohn 3.16 Lastly whereas Rahab receiued the spies peaceably wee note that it is a speciall fruite of faith to be peaceable and kinde The holy Ghost repeating the fruites of the spirit names Peace and meeknesse among them Now this peace is when a man is kinde and peaceable to all but especially to those that â—e of the houshold of faith And vndoubtedly it is a fruite of faith which the Prophet Isay fore-told should be vnder the Gospel Isay 11.6 that then the Wolfe should dwell with the Lamb and the Leopard lie with the Kid signifying that howsoeuer men by nature were as sauage as Wolues yet beeing conuerted to the Kingdome of Christ they should become gentle as Lambs being kinde and peaceable one to another This peaceablenesse is especially to be shewed in the place and calling where a man liues for there did Rahab shew forth hers when the spies came vnto her And where this is truly in outward action there is faith in the heart it is a good token that a man is at peace with God when he liues peaceably with men Which being so we must learne not to giue place to our heady affections but must rather bridle the rage of malice and anger and endeuour to liue peaceably with all especially with those that be members of Gods Church And thus much of this example The Iudges Faith VERSE 32. And what shall I say more For the time would be too short for me to tell of Gedeon of Barac and of Samson and of Iephte Also of Dauid and Samuel and of the Prophets Which through faith subdued Kingdomes wrought righteousnesse c. HItherto the Author of this Epistle hath
A CLOVD OF FAITHFVLL WITNESSES LEADING TO THE HEAVENLY CANAAN Or A Commentarie vpon the 11. Chapter to the Hebrewes preached in Cambridge by that Godly and iudicious Divine M. William Perkins Long expected and desired and therefore published at the request of his Executours by Will. Crashawe and Tho. Pierson Preachers of Gods Word who heard him preach it and wrote it from his mouth PHIL. 3.17 Looke on them that so walke as yee haue vs for an example HEB. 13.8 VVhose faith followe considering what hath beene the end of their conuersation AT LONDON Printed by Humfrey Lownes for Leo. Greene. 1607. To the Noble and vertuous Gentlemen Sir Iohn Sheaffield Knight and M. Oliuer S. John Sonnes and Heires to the Right Honourable Edmond Lord Sheaffield Lord President of the North and Oliuer Lord S. Iohn Baron of Bletsho grace and peace THe gracious promises of God Honourable and most worthy Gentlemen made to the holy Patriarchs touching the Land of Canaan were singular comfort to the belieuing Israelites in their bondage of Egypt And the renuing of the same by the hand of Moses whose words God confirmed by so many miracles must needes augment their ioy aboundantly although their bonds at that time encreased But the pledge of Gods presence in the cloudie pillar whereby he led them in the wildernesse both night and day did so farre exceede all his promises for matter of consolation that euen Moses himselfe desired rather to be detained from the promised Land than depriued of the comfort of that his presence in the waie If thy presence sayth hee goe not before vs bid vs not depart hence Now these things being ensamples vnto vs and euident types of our estate who liue vnder the Gospel shew apparantly that howsoeuer Beleeuers bee greatly cheered in their spirituall trauell by the gratious promises which God in Christ hath made vnto them yet this their ioy is much increased by the viewe of those that haue gone before them in the waie of faith who are vnto them as a Cloude of Witnesses or a cloudie Pillar For howsoeuer the truth of God be the only ground of sound consolation yet because we are a-kin to Thomas and will not beleeue vnlesse wee see and feele therfore it is that by the example of Beleeuers wherin is some sensible euidence of the comfort of Gods truth we are farre more cheered than by the promise it selfe alone Heere then beholde what great cause wee haue to cast our eyes vpon this Cloude of Witnesses which the ho-Ghost hath erected as a pledge of his presence a direction to all those that shall followe their steps in the practice of faith til the worlds end Shall Moses affect that Cloude so much which led them only the waie to a temporall inheritance and shall not we much more be rauished with delight in this Cloude which leades vs to the kingdome of heauen In al estates the Iust must liue by faith For We walk by faith and not by sight And what is the hope happinesse of a Christian man but to receiue at last the saluation of our soules which is the end of our faith and period of this walke But any faith will not support vs herein some begin in the Spirit who end in the Flesh going out with Paul for a while but at length returne with Demas to the world neither can they doe otherwise for Apostasie is the Catastrophe of Hypocrisie He that would deceiue in his profession is vsually deceiued of his saluation Wherfore this shal be our wisedom to see to our soules that our faith as the beloued Apostle sayde of loue be not in word and tongue but in deed and in truth And for our better direction in trying the truth of our faith we haue here many notable precedents in this Cloud of Witnesses consisting of most worthy Beleeuers in all ages before CHRIST'S incarnation all which shewed the life of faith by their workes and we in them may see how to put our faith in practice Now the rather must we attende hereunto because in all estates we must practice faith For Without faith it is impossible to please God And what estate of life cā possible befall vs wherin we haue not a liuely patterne and forerunner leading vs the way to Heauen within the compasse of this Cloud Art thou a King or Magistrate beholde DAVID HEZECHIAS and the Iudges art thou a Courtier Looke on MOSES art thou a Martiall-man Beholde SAMSON DAVID IOSVAH Heere is ENOCH NOE and the Prophets for Ministers the Patriarches for Fathers SARA and the Shunamite for mothers ISAAC and IOSEPH for children Heer is ABEL for Shepheards and RAHAB for victuallers Heere are some that liued in honour in peace and plenty some in want some in sicknesse but most of all in persecution because therein is the greatest tryall of faith So that which way soeuer we turne vs if wee walke by faith we haue heere some faithfull witnesse to goe before vs. And to cleare their steps the better to our sight that so we may follow hard towards the mark without wandring we haue heere a notable light in this learned Commentarie which we must confesse is much obscured for lacke of the refining hand of the godly Author himselfe but now seeing that shining light is quenched vse this our Lampe it is fed with such oyle as wee receiued in the Lords Sanctuarie from that Oliue Tree whence many a one did fill his vessell And being importuned to expose the same for the Common good wee haue presumed to place it vnder the shelter of your Honourable names beseeching God it may helpe to guide your feete in the way of peace The religious precedents of your Honourable Parents Right Noble and hopefull Gentlemen must perswade you much to be sound and constant in the faith for declining in religion brings staine of honour and decay euen of temporall portion But labour you to encrease in grace and trust the Lord with your outward greatnesse Honour him and hee will honour you delight in him and hee will giue you your holy hearts desire his faithfulnesse will bee your shielde to the griefe of those that enuie your happinesse But beware of bad example and euill counsell which are the bane and poyson of younger yeares Walk with God like Enoch vse the world as Abraham did and followe Moses in the matters of delight forsaking them when they become the pleasures of sinne So shall you obtaine good reporte and your memories shal be blessed with your Posterities like these faithfull Witnesses NOVEMBER 10. 1607. Yours in the LORD to be commanded WILLIAM CRASHAVV THO. PIERSON A Commentarie vpon the 11. Chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrewes VERSE 1. Now Faith is the ground of things which are hoped for and the euidence of things not seene COncerning Faith 2. points are necessary to be knowne of euery Christian the
doctrine the practise of it the whole doctrine of faith being grounded and gathered out of the word of God is comprised in the Creede commonly called the Apostles Creede which being already by vs expounded it followeth in order next after the doctrine to lay downe also the practise of faith for which purpose wee haue chosen this 11. chapter to the Hebrewes as being a portion of Scripture wherein the saide practise of faith is most excellently and at large set downe This chapter depends on the former thus We may reade in the former chapter that many Iewes hauing receiued the faith and giuen their names to Christ did afterward fall away therefore towards the end of the chapter there is added a notable exhortation tending to perswade the Hebrewes to perseuer in faith vnto the end as also to suffer patiently what euer shall befall them in the profession of it and to vrge the exhortation there are diuerse reasons not needefull to be alleadged for they concerne not the present purpose Now in this chapter hee continues the same exhortation and the whole chapter as I take it is nothing else in substance but one reason to vrge the former exhortation to perseuerance in faith and the reason is drawne from the excellencie of faith for this chapter doth diuers waies set down what an excellent gift of God faith is his whole scope therfore is manifest to be nothing else but to vrge thē to perseuer continue in that faith proued at large to be so excellent a thing indeed he could not bring a better argument to moue them to loue and hold fast their faith then by perswading them of the excellencie of it For common reason bids vs not onely chuse but hold fast that that is excellent Out of this coherence we may learn in a word that perseuerance in faith is a matter not of ordinarie necessitie nor of mean excellēcy to the vrging wherof the author of this epistle vseth so large so forcible an exhortation in so much as whereas ordinary exhortations occupy the roome of one or some few verses this is continued through diuers chapters The parts of this whole chapter are two 1. A generall description of Faith from the first verse to the fourth 2. An illustration or declaration of that description by a large rehearsall of manifold examples of ancient and worthy men in the old testament from the 4. verse to the end Of these two in order The description of Faith consists of three actions or effects of faith set downe in three seuerall verses The first effect in the first verse Faith makes things which are not but only are hoped for after a sort to subsist and to be present with the beleeuer The 2. is in the 2. v Faith makes a beleeuer approued of God The 3. in the 3. verse Faith makes a man vnderstand beleeue things incredible to sense and reason Of these effects in order Now Faith is the ground of things which are hoped for the euidence of things which are not seene This first verse containes the first effect in the description of faith wherein first let vs see the true meaning of the words Secondly what instructions they do naturally yeeld vnto vs. For the meaning wee must examine the words seuerally Now faith Faith in the word of God is specially of three sorts Historicall Miraculous Iustifying or sauing faith 1. Historicall faith is not only a knowledge of the word but an assent of the heart to the truth of it and this faith is generall not onely to all men good and bad but euen to the diuels thēselues Iames. 2.19 Thou beleeuest there is one God thou doest well the diuels also beleeue it tremble Now he that will beleeue out of the Scripture there is one God he will beleeue historically any thing in the Scriptures 2. Miraculous or the faith of miracles which is An inward perswasion of the heart wrought by some speciall instinct of the holy Ghost in some man whereby hee is truly perswaded that God will vse him as an instrument for the working of some miracles this also is generall both to elect and reprobate Iudas had it with the rest of the Apostles 3. Sauing commonly call'd Iustifying faith which is A speciall perswasion wrought by the holy Ghost in the heart of those that are effectually called concerning their reconciliation and saluation by Christ. Of these three sorts of faith the third is principally meant in this place And although in the description ouer all the chapter there are some things that agree to other faith then it yet I say the generall scope in this chapter is principally of that faith that saues a man It becomes vs therefore to learne carefully the instructions that concerne the practice of this faith for it is no lesse then a sauing faith Secondly it is said This faith is the ground or substance for the word signifieth both The meaning is things hoped for as yet are not and so haue no being nor substance Now faith that beleeues the promises and applieth them that faith giues to these things which yet are not after a sort a substance or subsistence in the heart of the beleeuer so that that thing which neuer had nor yet hath a being in it selfe by this faith hath a being in the heart of the beleeuer this I take to be the true meaning Thirdly it followeth of what things this faith is the ground or substance namely of things hoped for and things not seene And these be of two sorts either in regard of the Fathers of the old testament alone or of them and vs both Of the first sort were these two 1. The incarnation of Christ. 2. The publishing of the Gospell both to Iew and Gentile in a glorious manner both these were hoped for of them but we haue seene them to them they had a being only in faith to vs a being in themselues Now vnto the fathers of the olde testament their faith gaue these two things a being in their hearts and soules though they came not to passe many hundreth yeeres after There are other things which we hope for as wel as they which are to come and not seene in respect of vs both and they be sixe 1. Iustification standing in the remission of sinnes 2. Sanctification in this life 3. The perfection and accomplishment of our sanctification after this life 4. The Resurrection of the body and revniting it with the soule 5. Glorification of body and soule 6. Life euerlasting and glory with God in heauen These they saw not with the eye of the body neither do we yet they hoped for them and so do we they had no being in themselues to them neither haue they as yet to vs but this true sauing faith gaue to them giues to vs and will giue to euery beleeuer whilst the world lasteth such a certaine assurance of them that they seeme present to vs
corporall presence it is sufficient if wee haue true faith for that makes him present much more comfortably then it might be his bodily presence would be vnto vs. If any man aske how this can be I answer The faith of the receiuer knoweth best and yet reason can say something in this case for suppose a man looke earnestly vpon a starre there are many thousand of miles betwixt his eye the star yet the starre and his eye are so vnited together as that the starre is after a sort present to his eye So if we regard locall distance we are as farre from Christ as earth is from heauen but if we regard the nature of Faith which is to reach it selfe to Christ where euer he be in that regard Christ is present and why should not this be so for if the bodily eye so feeble and weake can reach so farre as to a starre and ioyne it to it selfe and so make it present why should not much more the piercing eye of the soule reach vp to Christ make him present to the comfortable feeling of it selfe Thirdly here wee learne how to behaue our selues in a strange temptation whereby God vseth to exercise his children The Lord after that he hath receiued his children into his fauour coÌ„tinueth not alwaies to manifest that fauour vnto them but often times puls back the feeling of it for a time that afterward hee may shew it againe in more comfortable manner vnto them and that they may afterward more sensibly feele it and more earnestly loue it and more carefully labour to keepe it when they haue it Now for the time of this eclipse of the fauour of God he not onely darkeneth his loue but makes them feele also such a measure of his wrath as that they will often thinke themselues castawayes from the fauour of God Dauid and Ioâ— were often exercised with this temptation as appeareth by their most lamentable bitter coÌ„plaints yea Dauid doubts not Psal. 77.9 to chalenge the Lord that he hath forgotten to be gratious and hath shut vp his louing kindnesse in displeasure And Iob chap. 13.26 complaines to the Lord that He writeth bitter things against him and makes him to possesse the sinnes of his youth words as it may seem of men forsaken of God and indeed so for that time they thought of themselues If it please the Lord thus to deale with vs so as we feele nothing else but his wrath wrastling with our consciences neither can think otherwise by present feeling but that God hath forsaken vs what should we do in this pitifull case should we despaire as reason would bid vs no but take this course Call to mind Gods mercifull promises and his ancient former loue and cast thy selfe vpoÌ„ that loue though thou canst not feele it When thou hast most cause to despaire then labour against it When thou hast no reason to beleeue then beleeue with all thy power For remeÌ„ber the power prerogatiue of thy faith It beleeues not things that are manifestly appeare so much as such things that are not haue no being So then when Gods fauour seemes to be lost and to haue no being to thee then is Gods fauour a fit obiect for thy faith which beleeues those things that are not Let al the diuels in hell set themselues against thy poore soule and if thou holdest fast this faith they cannot all make thee sinke vnder it for when the diuel saith Thou hast lost Gods fauour by faith a man answereth though Gods fauour be lost vnto my feeling yet to my faith it is not My faith giues it a being so long say what thou wilt I will neuer feare that it is lost When God puls back his fauour and fights against thee with his wrath do as Iacob did Gen. 32.27.29 Wrestle with God though thou haue but one legge that is though thou haue but one little sparke of faith fight with that little faith lay hold by it on God and let him not go vntill he hath blessed thee in turning again vnto thee his fauorable countenance and say with Iob 13. euen in the very heate of thy temptation O Lord though thou kil this body and flesh of mine yet will I trust in thee for euerlasting life yea though Gods anger should seeme to encrease yet for all that take faster hold and faint not for faith will neuer faile thee it will restore Gods loue when it seemes lost it wil set it before thine eyes when it seemes to be hid For marke well but this one reason if faith will giue life euerlasting a being and make it present to thy soule which indeede yet neuer had being to thee how much more can it giue a being to Gods fauour and make it present to thy soule which once had indeed hath still a being and was neuer lost indeede but onely to a mans feeling Thus true faith is able to answer this temptaation whether it come in life or in the pangs of death Fourthly whereas faith is call'd an euidence hence wee learne that the nature of faith stands not in doubting but in certainty assurance The Romish doubting of the essence of faith is as contrary to true faith as darknesse to light for faith is an euidence of things hoped for that is it coÌ„uinceth the iudgemeÌ„t by vnfallible arguments knowing as certainly the truth of the promises of the things hoped for as that God is God But Rome wil needs ioin faith doubting which in deed fight like fire and water and can neuer agree together in euery respect but one wil in the end destroy the other Obiection But it seemeth doubting is a part or at least a companion of faith for we doubt as wel as beleeue who is so faithful that doubteth not Answer We do so but what then we should not for God coÌ„mands vs to beleeue not to doubt therefore to beleeue because it is commanded of God is a vertue and if it be a vertue then to doubt is a vice faith doubting are both in a good man but faith is a work of grace and of the spirit Doubting is a work of the flesh a piece of the corruption of the old man Fiftly if faith be a substance of things hoped for much more is it a substance to the beleeuer if it giue those things a being which aâ—e out of him much more doth it giue a permanent being vnto the beleeuer himselfe strengthning him to stand continue in al assaults So Heb. 3.14 Faith is that whereby a beleeuer is sustained vpholden so that indeed we may fitly say Faith is the spiritual substance and the spiritual strength of a Christian man and according to the measure of his faith such is the measure of his spirituall strength This coÌ„sideration hath diuers comfortable vses but especially two 1. When any of vs are out of the reach of a temptation so long are we confident of our
sinnes from the world for this is one of the strongest and commonest encouragements that men take to liue in a sinne If they thinke it likely to be concealed But here they see how false a ground that is For if they can conceale it from men yet can they not from God and if God know it then can he reueale it to the world when it pleaseth him Againe whereas Abels bloud cried when he was dead It teacheth vs that God had a care of Abell both liuing and dead for it were nothing to say his bloud cried if God heard not that cry But it s apparant he heard it for he reuenged it and punished Cain when Abell was dead and could not reuenge it himselfe And this care God hath not ouer Abell alone but ouer all his children and as the Psalmist saith Pretious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints that which is vile and of no regard in the world is pretious with God Tyrants make hauocke of the Church and kill them vp by heapes but God records vp euery one and will not faile to reuenge it when they are dead For if God haue bottles for the teares of his seruants surely much more hath he bottles for their bloud The vse whereof is to teach vs in all extremities of danger or distresse to learne patience yea though we be sure to die yet as Christ saith To possesse our soules with patience For we haue one wil heare the cause and reuenge our quarrell when we are gone So that if wee be patient wee loose nothing but if wee be impatient wee get nothing Let vs therefore hold our tongues for the wrong done to vs crieth loude enough to God for reuenge who will heare it as assuredly as he did Abels And thus wee see how Abell spake then euen after he was dead The second point is Hee speakes also yet and that three wayes First his faith yet speaketh because it admonisheth all men euery where who either heare or reade this story to become such as Abell was namely true worshippers of the true God for in Abels example it prouokes all men to be like him because it assureth them of the same regard and reward with God that Abell had and so Abels faith is a neuer dying Preacher to all Ages of the Church Here wee learne that the holy Examples of Gods children are reall teaching and loude preaching to other men For there is a double teaching namely in word or deede It belongs to the Minister to teach in word and to all men to teach by their deedes and good examples And if the Minister teach not thus also it is the worse both for him and his hearers It sufficeth not for him to teach by vocall Sermons that is by good doctrine but withall by reall Sermons that is by good life His faith his zeale his patience his mercy and all other his vertues must speake and cry call to other men to be like vnto him which if he practice carefully in his life as Abell did then shall his vertues speake for him to all posterities when he is dead Againe Abell though dead may be said to speake because howsoeuer his body be dead yet in soule and spirit hee liueth with God in heauen And thus the word speaketh may be vnderstoode because it is here opposed to death by which he being dead yet speaketh that is being dead in body yet liueth in soule which life with God was obtained vnto by his true and sauing faith Thirdly hee may be said to speake yet as all other Gods Martyrs are said to crie in the Reuelation from vnder the altar How long Lord holy and true doest thou not auenge our bloud on them that dwell on the earth As this is true of all Martyrs so specially of Abell the first Martyr of all which words are not spoken neither by him nor them vocally with vttrance of voice but it is so said to signifie what feruent desire the seruants of God haue in heauen of the full manifestation of Gods glory in their bodies and of an vtter abolishment of sinne in the whole world Which their desire they doubtlesse vtter to God in a more excellent manner then in this world wee can vtter any thing with our voice and thus Abell speakes yet and shall speake till the worlds end Hitherto of the first Example the Example of Abell The second is of Henoch in these words By faith Henoch was translated that he should not see death neither was he found for God tooke him away for before he was translated he was reported of that hee had pleased God c. THe second example of faith is taken also out of the old world before the floud and it is of Henoch the seauenth from Adam to whom strange and miraculous things befell by reason of his faith Let the meaning of the words be first examined By Faith That is by his confidence in the Messias or his sauing faith he was taken away Taken away That is from earth to heauen not by an ordinary worke but miraculously as is euident by the next words That he should not see death That is that he should not feele death nor any dissolution of soule and body and therefore his taking away was miraculous For to be taken away by death is an ordinarie worke but to be taken away and yet not die that is miraculous and extraordinary and such was Henochs So then the substance of these words is thus much Henoch hauing this grace from God to beleeue stedfastly in the Messias to come was likewise honoured with this high prerogatiue To be taken into heauen without tasting of death further was taken away to the end that he might not die Thus we haue the meaning Now concerning this translation of Henochs there are two opinions Some thinke hee was translated in soule onely and not in body and they say he died in the translation so as his soule onely was taken vp into heauen and his body slept in the earth Though this appeares false at the first sight yet let vs see their reasons and what they can say for themselues Their first reason is this No mortall body vnglorified can enter into heauen but there is no mention of his glorification therefore his body could not come in heauen Answer It is certaine it was glorified ere it came in heauen If they reply it is not mentioned I answere it followeth not that therefore it was not for euery circumstance of euery action is not mentioned For many circumstances of actions must necessarily be supposed such a one was this Againe the glorification of his body is here plainly enough implied where it is said he was translated that he should not see death Now if his body sawe not death it was made immortall which is a speciall part of glorification Their second reason Christ was the first that euer entred into heauen both in
though they all haue their seuerall commendations in the word Yet of none of them all is it saide in the whole Scripture as it is heere said of faith that without it it is impossible to please God And no meruaile for it is the roote and ground of all other graces and giues them their life and being for therefore doth a man feare God therefore doth he loue God therefore is he zealous for Gods glory because hee beleeueth that God loueth him in Christ the redeemer Now then if faith be thus necessary then it followeth that those that liue in ignorance and so haue no sound faith but a foolish presumption are in a miserable case for how-euer they may flatter themselues with conceites of their deuotions and good meanings and good intents it is faith with which they must please God and nothing can without it It stands them therefore in hand to lay-off ignorance and presumption and labour for a sound and sauing faith and that will bring them to the fauour of God And againe as for such as haue receiued grace to beleeue seeing faith is of such necessitie and that they hauing faith must needes haue knowledge they therefore must looke and examine by their knowledge whether their faith be a sound faith or no for herein many that haue knowledge deceiue themselues and thinke they haue true faith when they haue not Now if any man would knowe whether his faith be sound and sauing or no It is knowne by this If it purifie the heart for so saith S. Peter That God by faith did purifie the hearts of the profane and filthy Gentiles If then thy faith doe not purifie thy heart and cleanse thy life and cause thee to abound in good workes it is no sound nor sauing faith it is but a generall faith it is but an historicall knowledge and cannot saue the soule hee therefore that vpon examination of his heart and life findeth his faith to be such let him not content himselfe but turne his generall faith into a sauing faith which in this world will purifie his heart and at the last day will saue his soule And this must euery man the rather doe because what knowledge or what other gifts of God soeuer any many hath without faith in Christ all are nothing for it is faith that seasoneth them all and makes both them and the person himselfe to please God Secondly if it be impossible without faith to please God then here wee see the fond and foolish hypocrisie of the world who will please God by other meanes some thinke if they be glorious in the world either for their wealth or their wit or their honour or their authority or their learning they presently bring themselues into a fooles Paradise and because the world makes account of them and they please themselues therefore they thinke it certaine they must needes please God But alas though all the world admire them and they be neuer so farre in loue with themselues He that sits in heauen laugheth them to scorne For not all the pompe and glory nor all the millions and mountaines of gold in the world can please the Lord for one of the least of their many thousand sinnes wherewith they haue prouoked him Let these men aske Nabuchadnezzer if his pompous pride or Achitophel if his actiue head and crafty wit or Absalom if his golden lockes or Iezabell if her painted face and courtly attire or Naball if his flockes of sheepe or the Philosophers if their naturall learning if all of these or any of these did euer please God Nay alas they all haue found and felt that without faith it is impossible to please God Thirdly it is the opinion not of the Turke alone in his Alcaron but of many other as ill that euery man shall be saued by his owne religion if he be deuout therein be hee Turke Iewe or Christian Papist or Protestant But this is a ground and rule of Atheisme and appeares here to be most false for no saluation without pleasing of God and without faith it is impossible to please God therfore no religion can saue a man but that which teacheth a man rightly to beleeue in Christ and consequently to please God But euery religion teacheth not to beleeue in Christ some not at all and some not aright and therefore it is impossible for such a religion to saue a man Againe be a man what hee can be vnlesse he be within the couenant of grace he cannot be saued But hee cannot be within the couenant but by faith therefore no man can bee saued by any meanes but by true faith nor in any religion but that which teacheth true faith Here therefore not onely Turkes and Iewes are excluded but this also sheweth many Papists and many carnall Gospellers in our Church how short they come of that religion which must saue their soules For this is the conceite of the most men that if they doe some good workes which carie a faire shew to the world as liberality to learning or charity to the poore straight they thinke they haue leaue to liue as they list and God is bound to forgiue their sinnes and to giue them heauen and this they imagine though they knowe not what it is to beleeue in Christ or to repent of their sinnes One of this religion came to the Prophet Micha in his dayes and asked him this question vttring that plainely which all such men thinke in their hearts Wherewithall shall I come before the Lord and bowe my selfe before the high God shall I come before him with thousands of Rams and tenne thousand riuers of oile Hee makes the question and would faine make answere himselfe nay hee goeth further and offers more Shall I giue my first borne for my transgression and the fruite of my body for the sinne of my soule But the Prophet answers him shewing him his follie and how little God regards such workes without a contrite heart Hee hath shewed thee O man what is good and what the Lord requireth of thee Surely to doe iustly to loue mercie to humble thy selfe and walke with thy God Marke how that answere fits this example of Henoch Hee pleased God he walked with God and was taken away So answereth the Prophet if thou wouldest please thy God and come to heauen by his fauour neuer stand vpon thousands of Rams and Riuers of oile vpon thy gay and glorious workes but humble thy selfe and walke with thy God No walking with God saith Micha no pleasing of God what is it but all one as if hee had said Without faith it is impossible to please God Here then is no disallowance of good workes but of workes without faith and true repentance which though they be neuer so faire and flourishing yet is it impossible that without faith they should please God Hereby it is also manifest that all the vertues of the heathen and the workes of such men as either knowe
holy and frequent vse of Gods word and Sacraments and to none else And surely if the Papists were as well acquainted with the spirit of God as they are with their owne forged reuelations they would neuer denie it By force of this testimonie a Christian man knoweth as assuredly as that God is God that the Pope as now he is and as hee exerciseth his place and power cannot be the true Vicar of Christ And that Poperie as it is now established by the Councell of Trent and taught by the most learned of their side cannot be the true religion nor the safest way to heaueÌ„ And when question is what is the meaning of this place there is one God and one Mediatour betwixt God and man the man Christ Iesus If all the world should say the contrary a Christian man will know and beleeue there are no more Mediatours to God but Christ or of that place that Christ was offred for our sinnes once for all that ther is no sacrifice can purchase vs pardon but his let Papists colour the matter by vnsound distinctions as much as they can the same might be shewed in diuers other points and places And if any aske how this can be I answere Noah was warned of God of things not seene So Gods children are warned and assured of God of such things as concerne their saluation though they be things beyond sense and reason Gods secrets doe belong vnto them The vse of exhortation is that if God warne his children of his Will reueale his secrets to them this should moue and excite vs to become truly and indeede Gods seruants for we serue not a Lord that is strange and austere vnto vs that will not giue vs a good looke or a faire word nay hee is so farre from that that he calls vs to his holy Counsell and makes vs knowe his secrets and communicates his owne selfe vnto vs by his blessed Spirit and by that Spirit reuealeth vnto vs many excellent mysteries of saluation which the carnal and profane men of the world neuer dreame of In the second place let vs obserue that Noah being thus warned of God in this particular matter as he had beene formerly warned taught of saluation by a Messias to come beleeueth not onely the generall promise of saluation but also this particular promise of his preseruation and deliuerance Out of which his practice we may learne two things First that faith is a supernaturall worke of God in those mens hearts that haue it That it is a worke of God it appeareth in that it alwayes acknowledgeth and beleeueth Gods word that it is supernaturall it appeareth in that it apprehendeth and beleeueth whatsoeuer Gods word deliuereth be it neuer so incredible to reason or sense But how doth God worke this faith By his word for as God is the author and worker of faith so God hath appointed a meanes whereby he workes it and that is his Word which word of God is the onely ordinarie outward meanes to worke faith And that word of God is two wayes to be considered either as reuealed by God himselfe as to Noah heere or else being written by God is either preached by his Ministers or read by a mans selfe in want of preaching and these are all one and are all meanes ordained of God to work faith and that not onely to begin it where it is wanting but to augment it where it is begun Which being so it must teach vs all not onely with speciall care and reuerence to heare the word by whomsoeuer it is preached but also to heare it read yea to reade it our selues with all diligence So doing it will worke out and make perfect in vs that holy faith which will make vs blessed in our selues and accepted of God as it did Noah in this place Secondly heere wee learne what is the whole Obiect of faith or what is all that that faith beleeueth namely nothing but Gods word and all and euery word of God So that faith hath two obiects differing not in nature but in degree principall and inferiour The principall obiect of true faith is the promise of saluation by Christ. The inferiour obiect thereof are all other particular promises of safety deliuerance prouidence helpe assistance comfort or what other benefit soeuer is made either to the whole Church and so inclusiuely to any particular man or which are personally made vnto him For sauing faith beleeueth not onely the graund promise of saluation but all other promises either of spirituall or corporall blessings which are subordinate to the great Promise and doe depend of it and are therefore apprehended by the same faith So Noah heere had alreadie apprehended the maine Promise of saluation by the Messiah and had hid it in his heart and afterward when this particular promise of his deliuerance was made by the same faith he laid hold on it also And it is good reason that faith should doe so for if it apprehend the greater promise then no maruell though it take hold of all other inferiour promises which are but dependances vpon the principall By this that hath beene saide it appeareth that wee are wrongfully charged by them who say we teach that sauing faith beleeueth onely saluation by Christ or apprehendeth only the promise of saluatioÌ„ in Christ for we say teach It apprehendeth also other particular promises euen the promises of outward and temporall blessings as appeareth in this exsample of Noah Lastly in that Noah a faithfull man is heere warned of God of the dangers ensuing that so he may auoid them we may learne the louing care that God hath ouer them who haue a care to feare and serue him Thus dealt hee with his children in all ages for their comfort and preseruation to encourage all men to serue God in truth and vprightnesse as here Noah did for so doing they may assure themselues of Gods care and prouidence ouer them euen then when his wrath smokes against the sinnes of the world and that furthermore in all exigents and extremities hee will â—each them either from his word or by the counsell of some others of his children or else by his owne secret inspiration what they are to do and what course to take for their safetie and deliuerance How often shall a Christian man finde in the course of his life that God put into his minde to answere thus or thus or to foresee this or that by which his so doing he escaped som great danger so that though not in the same manner as Noah was all faithfull men do daily finde that they are warned by God of such things as doe concerne them But what were those things whereof Noah was warned from God The text saith Of the things which were as yet not seene This hath not relation to the time when the holy Ghost wrote these words but when God gaue the warning to Noah for then they were not seene but were to
come for they were not performed for many yeeres after as shall appeare in the particulars Particularly they were these three First the great and iust wrath which God had conceiued against the sinfull world for the vniuersall corruption and generall sinfulnesse therof Noah was a Preacher of righteousnesse to that wicked age and as S. Peter saith 1. Epistle 3.11 The very spirit of Christ preached in him but they contemned both him and the spirit by which hee spake and made a mocke of him and all his holy admonitions and solaced themselues in all their sinfull pleasures without feare or respect of God or man pleasing themselues in their owne defiled wayes promising to themselues safety and security But behold This Noah whom they esteemed a base and contemptible man vnworthy of their company to him is reuealed how short their time is and that they must be cut off in the midst of their iollity Gods children whom wicked men doe thinke and speake of with great contempt doe know full well the miserable state of such men and the fearefull dangers hanging ouer them when the wicked men themselues are farre from thinking of any such matter The second thing which God reuealed to Noah was that he would saue him and his family from perishing by the waters which he would bring vpon the world His faith was not in vaine God rewarded it with a singular preseruation Thus dealt he alwayes with his children deliuering Lot out of Sodome Gen. 19. Rahab out of Hierico Ioshua 6.22 The Kenits from the Amalekits 1. Sam. 15. and here Noah out of that generall destruction And this God afore-hand reueales vnto him for his greater comfort and security that when signes and strange tokens did foretell and shew that still the destruction was neerer and neerer still Noah might comfort himselfe in the assurance of that mercifull promise which God had made him of his deliuerance and of his family also for his sake The third thing reuealed to him was the meanes whereby he should be saued from the vniuersall floud namely by an Arke which for his more assurance hee is bid to make himselfe that so at euery stroke he gaue he might remember this mercifull promise of his God vnto him For as euery stroke in the making of the Arke was a loude sounding Sermon vnto that sinfull generation to call them to repentance so was it also an assurance vnto Noah of his deliuerance Of which Ark of Noahs obedience in making it we shall hereafter speake at large And thus much concerning the ground of Noahs faith which was a warning or reuelation from God Now followeth a second point namely the commendation of his faith or a description of the excellencie thereof by diuers and singular effects Moued with reuerence The first effect of his faith is It moued in him a reuerence or a reuerent feare of that God that spake to him and of his iustice towards sinne and sinners and of his mercie towards him In this effect we are to consider two points 1. The ground of this reuerence 2. The occasions or motiues of it The ground whence this reuerence sprang was his true and sauing faith for the holy Ghost first tells vs of Noahs faith afterwards of this reuerent feare he had of God and his great workes Where we learne that whosoeuer is endued with sauing faith is also touched with feare and reuerence at the consideration of God and his glorious workes whether they be works of his power his wisedome his mercy or his iustice or of all together For the first Dauid could not see the workes of Gods power in the creation Psalm 8. But when he looked vp and beheld the heauens the workes of Gods hands the moone and the starres which he had ordained hee forthwith fell into a reuerence and admiration of Gods mercy to man for whom and whose vse he made them all For the second the same Dauid could not enter into consideration of Gods wisedome in the admirable frame of mans body Psal. 139.13 c. but he presently falls into a reuerence and admiration thereof in most excellent and passionate words Thou possessest my reines thou coueredst me in my mothers wombe I will praise thee for I am fearefully and wonderfully made Meruailous are thy workes and that my soule knoweth right well My bones are not hid from thee though I was made in a secret place yet thy eyes did see my substance when I was without forme and in thy booke were all my members written which in continuance were fashioned though there were none of them before How deere therefore are thy counsels to mee O God! Thus we see how this holy King cannot content himself with any tearmes to expresse his religious and reuerent conceite of Gods Maiestie For the third Gods mercifull workes to his Church and children haue alwayes beene considered-of by good men with great reuerence And What shall I giue vnto the Lord saith Dauid for all his benefites poured on mee Psalm 116.12 But especially the Iudgements of God haue beene alwaies entertained of Gods children with much reuerence and admiration Blessed Dauid saith My flesh trembleth for feare of thee and I am afraid of thy Iudgements Psal. 119.120 How would this noble King haue trembled and been afraid if he had beene a priuate man And how glorious is God and his workes of iudgements whereat euen Kings themselues doe tremble And the Prophet Habbacuk saith that when hee but heaâ—d of Gods iudgements to come his belly trembled his lips shooke rottennesse entred into his bones Habba 3.16 And thus Noah here hearing of Gods iust wrath against the sinfull world and of his purpose to ouerthrowe all liuing flesh by water was moued with great feare and reuerence at this mighty worke of God and from the view of this his great and iust iudgement his faith made him arise to a more earnest consideration of the Maiestie of God By all which it is more then apparant that true faith wheresoeuer it is worketh a holy feare and reuerent estimation of God and of his workes and of God in and by his workes whereby on the contrary side it followeth that therefore to thinke basely or ordinarily of God to thinke scornefully of his workes or to denie his power and his hand in the great workes either of mercie or iudgement done in the world is an argument of a profane heart and wanting true faith The vse of this doctrine discouers the profanenesse and the great want of faith that ordinarily is in the world And that appeares by two euidences the first is to mens owne consciences the other is to the view and sight of all the world First men may see in themselues a profane heart and voide of faith by this euidence For doth a man in his heart thinke basely of God his power his iustice or his mercies Doth he either doubt of them or granting them doth hee thinke of them without feare and amâ—zement
Then assuredly his heart is voide of true faith and farre from the life and power of religion For assuredly where God is knowen and beleeued there that mans heart though hee be a King cannot once thinke of God without a reuerence of his Maiestie and an admiration at his greatnesse and his owne basenesse therefore the want of this argueth a want of true religion and true faith in mens hearts Secondly this profanenesse discouers it selfe to the world by want of reuerence to Gods workes Let the Lord send vnseasonable weather or famines or plagues or any strange signes in heauen or in earth forthwith they are but fooles that cry out Behold the finger of God the hand of God No this is nature and is produced by naturall causes Ill weather comes from the starres famines from ill weather and mens couetousnesse Plagues from famines or from ill aires or else by apparant infection from another place But cannot Nature and naturall meanes haue their place vnlesse they haue Gods place God ouerthroweth not them why should they ouerthrow God Yet thus it is in the world and thus God is robbed of his glory and he is but a simple fellow which is moued with reuerence at sight of such things or begins to magnifie Gods power and iustice in them This is too apparant to be denied for haue wee not now as great causes of feare as can be Noah heard of water and wee heare that fire is to destroy the worlde and yeâ— where is hee that is mooued with reuerence as Noah was and yet Noah could saye The floud shall not be these 120. yeeres but who can say and proue that this world shal not be destroyed by fire within these 120. yeeres And till the floud came they had doubtlesse many otheâ— plagues which were fore-runners of the generall destruction all which as they came Moued Noah vnto reuerence and so wee in this age doe see the great workes of Gods Iudgements vpon men vpon families vpon townes vpon countries and whole kingdomes and wee feele his heauie hand in many sharpe strokes but who and where are they whose hearts feare God the more and doe tremble in the consideration of his Iudgements Nay alas amongst many it is but a matter of mockerie so to doe This is not the fault of our religion but the want of it for if men truly knew and beleeued in God they could not thinke nor speake of God nor looke at his workes but with feare and reuerence For as our feare of God is so is our faith little feare of God little faith and no feare at all no faith at all Let therefore all men shew their religion by their feare of God and let euery Christian acknowledge God in his workes England hath beene faulty herein in one point especially Wee haue had great plagues which haue taken away many thousands in short time wherein God hath shewed himselfe mighty against our sinnes But Gods hand would not be seene nor acknowledged but onely nature and naturall causes But let England take heede that God send not a plague so generall and so greeuous that euen the most profane men euen the sorcerers of Egypt if they were here doe acknowledge that it is the finger of God and so giue God that due reuerence which in his ordinary visitations he hath not Thus wee see the ground whence this reuerence in Noah sprang namely his faith Now let vs see the occasions or considerations in Noahs heart that made him feare The ground wherupon he feared was true faith for else he had not beene capable of any feare or reuerence of God but the occasions which stirred vp this feare in him were some things else Now if we looke to humane reasons Noah had no cause at all to feare as he did For first the Iudgement was farre off 120. yeeres after and common reason saith its folly to feare any thing so farre off but its time enough to feare when it is neere at hand Againe he was one single man and the world was full of wise and mighty men they all heard of it yet none of them feared therefore their exsample might preuaile with him to keepe him from feare and to make him secure and carelesâ—e with the rest for exsamples are strong especially when they are so generall Thirdly the strangenesse of the Iudgement threatned was such as might driue any man in reason from fearing it at all For first who would euer beleeue that God would drowne all the world with water such a thing neuer had beene and therefore how could it be And againe If all should be drowned who would thinke that Noah should escape and none but he These three considerations being wayed in the ballance of mans reason would haue kept Noah from fearing or beleeuing this word of God But behold the power of faith it goeth beyond all humane reach fixeth it selfe fast on Gods word and therfore he not only beleeueth it but hath furthermore his heart possessed with a great reuerence of Gods Maiestie vpon this message And there were three motiues stirring him vp vnto this Reuerence First the consideration of Gods strange Iudgement vpon the sinfull world to see that his wrath was so prouoked that he should bring so vnwonted a plague so strange both for the nature of it a floud of water to drowne men whereas generally all men can auoide the violence of that element for the measure of it so great as it should drown all the world and destroy all men Now that which this Iudgement of God wrought in Noah the same effect should Gods Iudgements worke in vs namely they should moue vs with reuerence For as Christ saith Our dayes are like Noahs As it was in the dayes of Noah so shall the dayes be before the comming of Christ Mathew 24.37 These dayes are as wicked men are as couetous as cruell as malitious as voluptuous and yet as secure as they then were as full of sinne and yet as dead in sinne as they were then Therefore Noah looked for a floud 120. yeeres after and who can tell whether our world shall last so long a time or no At least wee may safely say whatsoeuer the world doth there is no man liueth but within farre lesse time then 120. yeeres is assured to be throwen to hell by a floud of Gods wrath at his death vnlesse in the meane time hee repent and yet alas where is hee that is moued with reuerence at consideration hereof The wicked man may escape the water of a floud but hee cannot scape the fire of hell hee cannot escape death hee cannot escape the last Iudgement These are to come yet they are sure why then doe not men feare as Noah did hee feared 120. yeeres afore it came We can indeede tremble a little at a present Iudgement as when fire breakes out when waters ouerflowe when the plague destroyeth or when famine consumes but to tremble at a Iudgement threatned though it
The second point is that faith alone and no other vertue nor spirituall power in mans soule is able to doe this And this may be proued by comparing it with all the principall vertues of the soule for amongst all there are none that may come into comparison with faith but hope and loue both which especially loue haue their seuerall and special excellencies yet haue neither of them nor both of them this vertue to apprehend and apply Christes righteousnesse The property of loue is to extend it selfe and with it selfe to carie manie passions or affections of the heart and to place them vpon the thing that is loued yet cannot loue be said properly to apprehend Christ for he must needes be apprehended before he can be loued And the proper action of Hope is to waite and expect for a blessing to come so hope waites for saluation but properly apprehends it not For saluation must first be beleeued and then hoped or expected so saith Ieremie Lament 3.26 It is good both to trust and to waite for the saluation of the Lord To trust that is to beleeue assuredly it will come there is the action of faith and to waite till it doe come that is the action of Hope Thus we see the seuerall natures and actions of these two worthy vertues But the proper action of faith is to apprehend and lay hold on Christ and his righteousnesse and to apply them to a mans owne soule and that being done then come Loue and Hope do their duties And so though loue last longer then faith doth yet faith is afore loue and makes the way for it To conclude this second point Faith is a hand to take hold on Christ his benefits Loue is a hand to giue out tokens of faith both to God and man For 1. Cor. 13.5 Loue seeketh not her owne but others good namely the good of them that are loued Hope is an eye looking out and wayting for the good things promised So that as faith is the hand of the soule so loue is the hand and hope is the eye of faith Loue the hand wherby it worketh and Hope the eye whereby it waiteth and looketh for the performance of such things as faith hath apprehended and beleeued If the Church of Rome thinke this any wrong to this holy vertue of loue to be the hand of faith let them know it is not ours it is the doctrine of the Apostle where he saith Faith worketh by loue If faith worke by it then surely loue is the hand of faith Thus faith worketh by loue waiteth by hope but beleeueth by it selfe And for this cause the righteousnesse that makes vs righteous before God is rather called the righteousnesse of faith then of any other Christian vertue or grace of the spirit And for the same cause is it that so often in S. Pauls Epistles it is called by the same name as Philipp 3.9 The third and last point concerning Noahs faith is that Noah was made heire of this righteousnesse A speciall commendation of his faith It made him heire of true and sauing righteousnesse that is it gaue him a true title vnto it made him heire apparant of that glory which it assureth euery one that apprehends it by this true faith and so he was made as certainly and as truly partaker of it as the young Prince is assured of his Crowne and Kingdom at his time or the heire of his Fathers lands Here two most worthy doctrines doe offer themselues to our view 1. The excellencie of faith 2. The excellencie of a Christian mans estate The excellencie of faith appeares thus It makes a holy man assured certaine of his saluation by Christ Iesus The Church of Rome saith it is presumption in any man to thinke so vnlesse he haue an extraordinary reuelation but we learne from the Scripture that if a man haue true faith that is able to assure him of saluation For faith makes him an heire of true righteousnesse and of saluation thereby Now we know the heire is most sure and certaine of his inheritance what-euer hee gets or loseth he is sure of that But this righteousnesse and saluation by it is his inheritance therefore he may be and is by faith assured of it The Papists therefore doe wrong vnto this doctrine and derogaâ—e from the dignitie of true faith But this is their custome they will extoll any thing rather then that which the holy Scripture so much extolleth namely true faith For if they knew what it is trulie to know Christ and to beleeue in him by that faith which worketh by loue they would then know that faith makes a man heire of happinesse and therefore most assured of it Secondly here we may see the excellencie of a Christian mans estate he is not naked nor destitute of comforts but is heire of a glorious inheritance by meanes of his faith and a Christian mans inheritance is Christs righteousnesse Out of which we learne First that no man by any good workes done by or in himselfe can merit true and iustifying righteousnesse the Pharisaical Papists teach so but their conceit is here ouerthrowen by the doctrine of the holy Ghost For sauing righteousnesse is his inheritance which we know is alwaies gotten by the Father and descends from the Father to the Sonne as a free token of his loue And it were scornfull and absurd to see a Sonne offer to buy his inheritance of his Father it being against the nature of an inheritance to come any other wayes but by free gift from the Father to the Sonne therefore our righteousnesse that must saue vs being as wee see here our inheritance let vs resolue of it we cannot buie nor merit it Againe heere is sure and solide comfort against all the grieâ—â—s and crosses and losses of this world Gods children must needes haue their portion of afflictions in this life But here is their comfort they may lose their goods liuings possessions their good names their healths their liues but their inheritance standeth sure and firme and cannot be lost Let them therfore here learne not to grieue out of measure for a holy man may say thus to himselfe and that most truly My Father may frowne on me for my faults and chastice me for my sinnes but I am sure he will not disenherite me for I am heire by faith of Christs righteousnesse and I may lose many things but I shall not lose that Thirdly and lastly here must Gods children learne their duties They are heires to a godly and glorious inheritance and Christes righteousnesse is their inheritance therefore they must learne to set and settle all their affections on this inheritance For there is nothing in the world more worthy to be affected then a faire inheritance We must therefore first labour aboue all worldly things for this inheritance namely to be made partakers of this righteousnesse This is that pearle which wee hauing found must sell all we haue to
into the body of Scripture euen as the three sentences of the heathen Poets alledged by Saint Paul Acts 17.28 1. Corinthians 15.33 Titus 1.12 haue now a diuine truth in them which they had not before But yet will some say the Apostles had these things from the olde Testament by tradition seeing they were not written I answer We may safely graunt it and yet our cause loseth nothing though it may be they had them by inspiration and not by tradition that being as likely or much more then the other Thirdly but for this particular I answere that the Apostle had the words or at least the matter out of the Storie in Genesis For thus goe the words Gâ—d said to Abraham Goe out of thy Country c. into the land that I will shew thee Hee named none to him but told him he would shew him one So then Abraham went out at Gods appointment and God knew but he knew not whither he went he knew well the land he left but he knew not the land he should haue But it may be againe obiected that this is not true for it appeares Gen. 12.5 that Abraham with Sarah his wife and all their substance departed to goe into the land of Canaan and to the land of Canaan they came therefore he knew whither he went namely to that land I answer It is true he went out with purpose and assurance to inherite a land promised him by God but not named to him And whereas it is there said He went out to goe into the land of Canaan that is spoken in respect of the performance when he was come thither not of the first promise made him at his departure or of the time when Moses wrote it not of the time when God spake it to Abraham And that he knew not what land God did mean vntill he cam thither is plain in the seauenth verse where it is said That when Abraham had passed through all the Country and wai come into Canaan then God appeared to him and said this land will I giue vnto thy seede But till then God neuer named it vnto him and therfore we read afore that he beleeued and obayed vpon the generall promise but now when God did particularly specifie and shew what land hee then shewed his thankfulnesse to God and did there build an Altar vnto the God that had appeared vnto him Thus it is cleare that Abraham went out not knowing whither he went Which being so it appeares that Abraham did that which the world would call plaine foolishnesse To leaue knowen friends for vnknowen certaine liuing for vncertaine is a simple course in mans reason at least the world will say he might first haue demaunded of God what land that was which he should haue before he left that which he had but Abraham makes no such questions moues no such doubts but belieueth and obayeth and goeth out of his certaine dwelling at Gods calling though he knew not where to lodge at night This practice of faithfull Abraham hath profitable vse First here we learne that though Gods Commaundements seeme foolish and vnreasonable yet wee must obay them Christ saith If a man will euer come in the Kingdome of heauen he must be borne againe Iohn 3.3 S. Paul saith If any man among you seeme to be wise let him be a foole that he may be wise 1. Corinth 3.18 Christ saith If any man will be my Disciple he must denie himselfe and follow me Luk 9.23 But how can these coÌ„maundements be beleeued or done how can reason beleeue them how can nature doe them So disputed the woman of Samaria with Christ Iohn 4.11 When Christ tolde her he would giue her of the water of life she replied Sir thou hast nothing to drawe with and the Well is deepe whence then hast thou that water of life Thus we obiect and reason against God with carnall obiections and waigh Gods Commaundements in the balance of reason thus God and his commaundements are much abused by vs. And this is the cause wee heare and reade Gods word and profit not by it because we ponder it in our reason and allowe nor follow it no further then it agreeth with our naturall affections As a man that will needs stand vnder a Pent-house hath no water falling on him though it should raine neuer so precious water from heauen So when the water of life out of the word of GOD should drop vpon our soules to comfort our consciences and to wash away our sinnes we haue our deuices out of wit and distinctions out of reason as pent-houses to keepe it from vs that it slides away and neuer hath any worke in vs. But contrariwise we must remember Abraham the Father of our faith and when we heare Gods word we must with him captiuate our reason and subdue our affections to it measure them by Gods word and not it by them and what we cannot yeeld to in the obedience of reason we must obay with the obedience of faith and so shall Gods word haue a gracious and powerfull worke in vs. Secondly here we must learne that though we see no profit come by obaying Gods Commaundements yet wee must obay them For what profit could Abraham see in leauing a certaine liuing for an vncertaintie yet he obayed and went vpon the bare word of God building vpon it that God being his guide he could not goe astray So must wee followe God sincerely and doe his Commaundements though no profit seeme can come thereby But some will say Shall godly men be led like blindefolde fooles shall they refuse all meanes of helpe by wit and policie this is the way to make them ridiculous and asses for the wicked world to ride vpon I answere let godly men vse all their wit and looke with all their eyes in their actions with men of this world But in the obedience of Gods commaundements let them doe as Abraham did Follow Gods calling though it seeme to be to no end In obedience to God we must doe as blindemen doe who followe their guides though it be through woods rocks hills or dales or dangerous places regarding nothing fearing nothing only following trusting their guides who haue eyes for them though they haue none for themselues So must we follow Gods calling and yeeld absolute obedience to his Commaundements fearing nothing but trusting to the faithfulnesse of his power and assuredly beleeuing that he being our blessed guide we shall not be mis-led thus to doe is true faith But alas how contrary is the practice of the world Men deale with God as we doe with loose Chapmen whom wee will not trust without a good pawne So we will not obay Gods Commaundements longer then his religion serues our turne nor will we trust and follow God without the pawnes of profit and pleasure Nay wee doe worse most men esteeme of God no better nor vse him any better then they doe theeues in their houses If a man come
finger cut off from his place is of no vse so a man liuing out of his calling and out of his place is of no vse in the body politique Happy will it be with our Church State when we haue such lawes and such execution of them as that this disorder may be reformed euery man confined to his owne dwelling none suffred to liue in our Kingdome who is not of som Parish for let vs be assured so many wandring beggers so many blemishes in our gouernment Thirdly Abrahams dwelling in this Land being a fruite of his faith teacheth vs it is no good token but an ill signe for a man to be vncertaine in his dwelling It is the fashion of many men if they trauaile they neuer lodge at one place twise and for their dwelling it is not certain but now in the North now in the South now in this Parish now in that now in this iurisdiction now in another Sometime in the Citie sometime in the Countrey Who be these But either such as be in debt and purpose to deale ill with their Creditors or that are malefactors and heereby labour to auoide the censure of Authoritie or else they be Papists which by this meanes labour to lurke vnseene and to escape the law as many of them doe either by skipping out of one Parish Diocesse Countie or Prouince into another and so auoiding the authoritie of all or else by lurking in great Cities and so lying as Soiourners and not as Parishioners vnseene or vnmarked in so great multitudes Let our Authoritie take the more carefull notice of such men the more craftily they labour to creepe from vnder it and let such men knowe they discouer themselues the more by this practice to bee vnfaithfull either to GOD or Men or both seeing that GOD heere commendes Abraham for dwelling or staying in that place which GOD had appointed him And so much for this question Againe it may heere be demaunded How Abraham might lawfully dwell in Canaan seeing it was then Idolatrous It may seeme that therefore it is not vnlawfull for men to dwell in Popish or Idolatrous Countries I answere Abraham did not so vpon any priuate motion nor for any worldly cause but vpon speciall warrant and calling from God otherwise his so doing had not beene iustifiable therefore that practice of his cannot be a warrant for any to doe the like without the like cause and calling But how could Abraham be preserued from the contagion of Idolaters liuing amongst them I answere First God that called him thither did there preserue him Againe Abraham liued in the Country but conuersed not with the people at all but in some necessary and ciuill affaires and by this meanes hee escaped the danger of infection Where we may learne that if any man would liue in such places without hurt to their conscience let them first be sure that they haue a calling and warrant from God to liue in those Countries Secondly let them conuerse with Idolaters warily and sparingly and so shall they preserue themselues from the occasions of euill as Abraham did who abode in an Idolatrous Country and so though not without danger yet without hurt to his religion Thus wee see Abraham dwelt in the Land of Canaan Now secondly this Land is called the Land of Promise that is the Land formerly promised him by GOD when hee called him out of his owne Countrey And it is likely that the Apostle doth not heere first of all call it so but that it was knowen generally amongst the Patriarkes by that name and that Abraham himselfe did first of all so call it who when hee looked vpon it and considered the fruitfulnesse and excellency of it did euermore remember and call to minde this Land is promised to me this is mine by promise And herein he rested and satisfied himselfe though he had not the possession of it Heere wee may see the excellencie of true faith which depends vpon the promises of God though they be vnperformed A Land of promise contents Abraham hee leaues the possession to his posteritie It is hard to finde such faith in the world It is Land in possession which wee looke for A Land of promise cannot content vs but let vs labour to practice faith and to take comfort in the promises of God and leaue the performance to Gods appointed time Thirdly he dwelt in this Land by faith And no meruaile for had it not beene by faith hee would neuer haue dwelt there where he had not so much as a roome for his Tent to stand in but hee must borrow it nor to burie his dead in but hee must buy it This was against reason yet by faith hee dwelt there as afore by faith he left his owne which was also against reason Where still the power of faith is magnified to bee such as it will carie a man ouer all impediments of obedience and will giue him victorie not against one but against all obiections and power to performe not one but many things contrary to carnal wisedom Wee must heere learne to examine whether wee haue a true and sound faith or no. If wee haue then wee must not doe some one or fewe actions in faith or die in faith but wee must liue by faith the whole course of our liues Wee must walke by faith and not by sight saith the Apostle 2. Corinthians 5.7 So saith hee of himselfe Galathians 2.20 I liue by the faith in the Sonne of God he saith not hee hopes to die in that faith but he liues by it And in the former place â—e saith not wee must set a step or two but wee must walke by faith which argueth a continued action and therefore it is that Saint Peter saith Gods children are kept by the power of God through faith vnto saluation 1. Peter 1.5 In which words two thinges are spoken of faith the first is affirmed namely that faith preserueth a man to saluation through all hindrances either of inward temptations or outward crosses which the diuell or the world can lay in his way This preseruation is one of the greatest workes in the world and therefore it is worthily ascribed to God the power of God preserueth vs but through faith The second is implyed that therefore we must labour to keepe that faith euermore with vs which must keepe vs and to cherish and preserue that that must preserue vs to saluation Dauid was an excellent practicioner hereof no man was more tried and tossed then he yet he euer drew neere vnto God Psal. 73.28 Indeede sometime he said all men were liers but that was in his feare Psal. 116.11 And againe I am cast out of thy sight but that was in his haste Psal. 31.22 that is when the force of some passion or the violence of some temptations did carie him headlong but otherwise he euer liued the life of faith So must wee not thinke to liue in sensuality and die in faith but to
God hath appointed to the vse whereof hee hath annexed his promises of helpe against sinne Let them therefore lay Gods word and promises vnto their consciences in holy and frequent meditations Let them carefully vse the meanes God hath appointed hearing and reading his word receiuing the holy Communion earnest and frequent Prayer crauing also the prayers of others and let them sharpen these holy exercises by fasting watching holy conferences with others visitations of others afflicted like themselues oft reuealing their estate to their godly Pastors Let them continue thus doing and rest confidently on the word and promise of God with the stedfast foote of faith and they shall see that olde Sarah shall haue strength to conceiue that is that their poore soules shall receiue strength to tread vpon Sathan to conquer their corruptions to conceiue bring forth many worthy fruites of holinesse to their ioy and comfort in their later experience as Isaac was to Sarah in her elder age The next doctrine we may here learne is That whereas Sarah by her faith in Gods promise conceiues and brings forth therefore children are the immediate blessing of the Lord for Sarah bare Isaac not by any ordinary strength or power of nature but through faith shee receiued strength to conceiue c. Neither is this so in her onely wherein there was a miraculous worke of Gods power but in all Some are indeede barren by constitution and these cannot conceiue vnlesse by Gods power as Sarah did But some haue no children who in all naturall reason might conceiue For as God gaue the Lawe and thereby a gift and power to encrease and multiply Genesis 1.22 So he reserued the execution of it to himself and power to alter or dispense to adde or diminish as it pleaseth him Therefore saith the Psalmist Psal. 127.3 Lo children are the inheritance of the Lord and the fruite of the wombe is his reward And speaking of them Psal. 128.4 he saith Loe thus shall he be blessed that feareth the Lord. The vse is to teach Parents therefore to bring them vp as Gods blessings and not onely to giue them corporall necessities for so they doe their beasts but to nurture them in holy Discipline by sowing the seedes of Religion in their hearts If this they want they haue nothing though you leaue them Earledomes And heerein is the saying true Better vnborne then vntaught The Lawe and power to encrease and multiplie is giuen to beastes in their kinde as well as to vs Genesis 1. verse 22. Therefore vnlesse wee doe more then prouide for their bodies wee differ little from them but make them know GOD and so wee make them fellowes with the Angelles If Parents did thus it cannot bee expressed what blessinges would come thereby to Church and Common-wealth Thirdly and lastly let vs heere knowe and learne that this holy Matron Sarah figureth vnto vs mysticallie the spirituall Hierusalem the Church of GOD. Allegoâ—ies are charily and sparingly to bee taught else much vnsounde Doctrine may cumber mennes consciences but this is sound and sure for it is the Apostles Galath 4.23 c. By Agar and Sarah other things are meant for these two mothers are two Testaments Agar shee which gendreth vnto bondage Sarah Hierusalem which is free and from aboue and is the mother of vs all Now the resemblance betwixt naturall Sarah the wife of Abraham and mysticall Sarah the spouse of Christ the Church of God stands in this that as she not by power in her selfe but by Gods power and faith in his promise bare Isaac So the Church our mother bringeth forth children to God onely by the power of Gods word and spirit And therefore as Isaac is called the childe of Promise and said to be borne by promise Galath 4.23 So men regenerate and borne to the Church are said not to be borne of bloud nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God Iohn 1.13 And S. Iames saith 1.18 God of his owne will begat vs with the word of truth Thus the word of God the will that is the spirit of God these two together beget children to the Church The vse is to teach vs all to honour the Church as our mother but to worship God alone who is the father of our soule The Church cannot make her selfe our mother noâ— vs her children when she will but it is God that must speake the word and then we are made he must beget vs by the power of his spirit and ministerie of his word And further let vs learne heere what account wee are to make of Gods holy word which is the immortall seede of our regeneration whereby wee are made Gods children and heires of immortality Thus much of the two first effects of her faith The third is laid downe in the next verse which because it is much stoode vpon by the holy Ghost we will put it off till then being therefore worthy our deeper consideration And now followeth in the end of this verse the fift and last point which is the Ground of her faith Because she iudged him faithfull which had promised The foundation whereon she built this her faith that she should haue a sonne being barren and past age was not the bare promise of God so much as the conceite or opinion shee had of him that promised For promises are not of value so much by the things promised though neuer so great or excellent for they may promise much who can performe nothing or though they can yet wil recall their word in lightnesse and inconstancie as by the worthinesse of the party promising We say in this world we had rather haue some mens word then other mens bond and rather haue a little promised of some then much of others Now such was the Iudgement that Sarah helde of him that promisâ—â— namely GOD She iudged him faithfull which had promised Faithfull that is shee iudged him Able willing to accomplish what-euer hee promised to her So that the Grounds of our faith in God and all his promises must be a sure apprehension and knowledge of these two things in God 1. His ability to make good what-euer passeth him in word 2. His carefulnesse to doe it when hee hath said it Some wil promise any thing though their abilities stretch not to performe others are able enough but haue no care of their word But both these are in God all-sufficient ability and most carefull willingnesse So Sarah iudged of God and therefore shee beleeued against reason and so must wee doe if wee will beleeue Gods word aright Wee may reade and heare and knowe Gods word and haue the points therein swimming in our heads but if wee will constantly beleeue with our hearts his blessed promises in our consciences feare his threatnings we must be fully perswaded of these two to be in him So are wee taught by Christ the wisedome of God in the Lords Prayer afore wee pray for
God 1. Sam. 2.31 therefore the Lord threateneth the destruction both of him and his familie and according as the Lord had threatened so it came to passe For when the Israelites fought with the Philistims Chap. 4.11 his two sonnes were slaine and hear the hearing of the newes fell downe and brake his necke Now if this be so what shall we say of our owne nation and people amongst whom it is as cōmon to dishonour God as euer it was amongst the Papists or Pagans partly by light vsing of his holy titles and taking his name in vaine and partly by swearing and open blasphemie and sometime euen by abhominable periurie Nay it is many mens rule that they may sweare dissemble lie forsweare for aduantage These sinnes are some of them rise in all sorts of people and hardly shall you talke with a man that doth not by vaine othes dishonor God yea it is so common that children so soone as they can crawle or lispe out a word the first thing they can speake is to curse or sweare and take Gods name in vaine whereby God is dishonoured euery way so as it is a wonder that the earth doth not open swallow vp many men quicke for their swearing and blasphemy And wheras Gods Iudgements are often grieuously inflicted vpon vs in many places of the Land we may perswade our selues that among other sinnes it is for our blasphemie and taking Gods name in vaine And if it be not speedily redressed it is to be feared lest God will raine downe his iudgements vpon vs and in his wrath sweepe vs all away and take away the father with the childe the good with the bad because there is no reformation of so vile and yet so needlesse a sinne To be called their God Obserue here further that Abraham Isaac and Iaacob could all of them say God is my God Now that which these worthy Patriarchs could say of themselues we must euery one of vs in our own persons labour for for their exāple is must be a rule for vs to follow We therfore must labour for this assurāce by Gods grace to say as these holy Patriarchs did say The true Iehoua is my God and of this I am resolued vndoubtedly assured in mine own cōscience Qu. How shal we be able to say vnfainedly God is my God Ans. By becomming his seruants and people in deed truth for to him who is one of Gods people God is alwaies his God But how shall wee become Gods true seruants Answ. By setting our hearts vpon the true God and giuing them wholly vnto him and to his seruice and restraining our selues from all occasions of sinne because sinne displeaseth him Quest. But how shall a man set his heart wholly on God Answ. This hee doth when he loueth him aboue all and feareth him aboue all and aboue all things is zealous for GOD glorie when hee hath full confidence in Gods word and promises and is more grieued for displeasing God than for all things in the world besides Or more plainly thus then a man doth set his heart on God when his heart is so affected that when God commands he is alwaies ready to obey So the Lord saith Hos. 2.23 I will say to them that were not my people Thou art my people and they shall say Thou art my God And in the Psalmes the Lord saith Psalm 27.8 Seeke ye my face Then the holy mans heart as an Eccho giueth answer I seeke thy face O God And such a one is the heart of him that is indeede the seruant and childe of God one of Gods people For he hath prepared for them a city These words are a reason of the former proouing that God was not ashamed to be called their God because hee prepared a citie for them And indeede this shewes euidently that God was greatly delighted with them rather than ashamed of them for had he beene ashamed of them hee would haue shut them out of his presence Herein therefore he declared his loue and fauour that by preparing this citie he procured that they should liue in his sight for euermore Hence wee learne that hee which hath God for his God hath all things with him according to the common prouerb Haue God haue all And on the contrary Lacke God and lacke all And therfore Dauid saith Psal. 145.15 Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord. Other things which here might be added haue bin handled before Abrahams Faith Verse 17. By faith Abraham offered vp Isaac when hee was tempted and hee that had receiued the promises offered his onely begotten sonne 18. To whom it was said in Isaac shall thy seede be called 19. For he considered that God was able to raise him vp euen from the dead from whence he receiued him also after a sort IN the former verses wee heard the faith of Abraham Isaac and Iaacob commended iointly together Now the holy Ghost returneth to the cōmendation of their faith seuerally And first he beginnes with Abrahams faith wherof he had formerly propounded two works or actions 1 His going out of his own Countrey 2 His abode in a strange Land Now here followeth the third which is the most notable worke of all wherin his faith shines most gloriously and his example herein is vnmatchable The particular points herein are these 1 The worke of his faith is plainely laid down in his offering vp of Isaac 2 The same worke of faith is notably commended by three speciall arguments to wit 1 by three great impediments that might haue hindred this worke of faith as we shall see in their place v. 17 18. 2 by his victory ouer these impediments v. 19. 3 by the issue of this temptation and his worke of faith therein in the end of the 19. verse For the first The fact of Abrahams faith here commēded is this That he offered vp Isaac his sonne It may first of all be demanded How Abraham could offer vp his son by faith considering it is against the law of nature the law of God for a man to kill his own sonne which Abraham must doe if he did offer him vp in sacrifice vnto God For answer hereunto we need goe no further than the Story Gen. 22. where we may see hee had a ground for his faith for though the generall commandement be Thou shalt not kill yet he had a speciall commandement Abraham kill thy sonne by vertue of that he did it did it in by faith But if that be so then therupon riseth another a greater doubt namely How can these 2. commandements stand together one being contrary to the other Ans. Here a special point is to be obserued namely that whensoeuer two cōmandements are so ioyned that a man cannot practice both but doing the one the other is broken then one of thē must giue place to the other For howsoeuer all Gods commandements binde the conscience yet some binde it more
offred him for though the common opinion be that he was but 13. yeares olde yet the more receiued opinion of the best Writers is that Isaac was 25. or 27. yeares olde How then could Abraham being an olde man of more then 120. yeares be able to binde Isaac being a young and lusty man and lay him on the altar to kill him For though Abraham had a commaundement to kill Isaac yet wee finde not that God commaunded Isaac to suffer himselfe to be killed now Nature moues euery one to seeke to saue his owne life and to resist such as would kill vs. How then was Isaac brought to yeeld thus farre to his Father For answere heereunto wee are to knowe that Abraham was no ordinarie man but a Prophet and that an excellent and extraordinary Prophet So God himselfe testifieth of him to Abimelech Hee is a Prophet and he shall pray for thee yea he was esteemed and reuerenced as a Prophet an honourable man euen of the heathen The Hittites tell him Thou art a Prince of God amongst vs. Genesis 23.6 Now being a man of so high place and so great regard euen in the world doubtlesse hee was of much more authoritie in his owne house It is therefore very likely that hee tells Isaac his sonne that hee had a speciall commaundement from GOD to kill him in sacrifice Now Isaac being an holy man and well brought vp hearing this is contented to be sacrificed and obayes his Father herein This I speake not as certaine but as most probable and it is the iudgment of best learned who haue had good experience in the Scripture This circumstance well obserued serues greatly for the commendation of them both of Abraham the Father that had so religiouslie brought vp his onelie Sonne that was most deere vnto him that hee would not resist the will of GOD reuealed vnto him though it cost him his life Oh that Parents would followe Abraham in so doing to their children then would it goe well with the Church of GOD. Againe Isaacs behauiour is heere admirable that hee would not resist his weake and aged Father but suffereth him to binde him and to lay him on the Altar yeelding himselfe vnto death when his Father tolde him My sonne GOD will haue it so This example must bee a patterne of obedience not onely for children towards their parents but for vs all towards Gods ministers when they shall tell vs what God would haue vs doe we must submit our selues and yielde though it turne to our bodily paine and griefe for Isaac yeelds though it were to the losse of his life But alas who will follow Isaac For let the minister speake against our carnall pleasure and vnlawfull gaine let him crosse our humour and affections then wee refuse to heare and will not obey Nay if the minister of God as the Lords priest come with the sacrificing knife of Gods word to the throat of our sin to kill the same in vs that so we may bee pure and acceptable sacrifices vnto God doe we not resist him and say in our hearts Wee will none of this doctrine Or if he like a Prophet of God come and offer to binde our consciences with the cordes of obedience and to lay our affections on the altar of the Law then we resist and are either too yong or too olde too rich or too learned or too great to be taught and bound to obedience But let vs know that if wee will bee true Isaacs euen the sonnes of faith and obedience and the true heires of Abrahams faith as wee would beare the world in hand then as he did submit himselfe to be bound of his father so must wee yield our selues to the ministers of God to bee bound by his word and suffer the same word to be in vs the two edged sword of the spirit to cut downe sinne and corruption in vs and to make vs newe creatures that so both in body and soule wee may become pure and acceptable sacrifices vnto our God Thus much of the facte it selfe wherein Abrahams faith is set forth Now follow the Arguments or reasons whereby the same worke of faith is commended vnto vs. The first Argument is taken from the great impediments which might hinder his faith and they are in number three First that he was brought to this worke not by ordinary command but by an extraordinary course in temptation Beeing tempted Secondly that he was to offer his own childe yea his onely begotten sonne Thirdly that he who had receiued the promises must offer him and kill him in whom the promise was made For the first impediment In the ordinarie translation it is read thus When he was tried But that is not so fit beeing rather an exposition of the meaning than a translation of the word For the very word signifieth to be tempted and the meaning is when he was tried I would therefore rather read it thus when he was tempted or beeing tempted as the word signifies In the handling hereof first wee will intreat of the nature of this temptation and then come to the circumstances belonging to the same Temptation as it is here vsed may be thus described It is an action of God whereby he prooueth and makes experience of the loyaltie and obedience of his seruants First I say it is an action of God This is plaine by the testimony of Moses in Genesis Gen. 22.1 where if we read the history we shall finde that God did prooue Abraham Obiect But against this it may be obiected that Saint Iames saith Iames 1.13 God tempteth no man and therefore no temptation is the action of God Answ. That place in Iames is thus to bee vnderstood God tempteth no man that is God doth not stirre vp or mooue any mans heart to sinne Yet further it will be said That temptation is an action of Satan for so in the Gospel wee may read Mat. 4.3 that hee is called the tempter Answ. Some temptations are the actions of God and some the actions of Satan God tempteth and Satan tempteth but there is great difference in their temptations first in the manner for Satan tempteth a man to sinne against the will of God and to doe some euill God tempteth a man to doe something which shall be onely against his owne affections or his reason Secondly God tempteth for the good of his seruants but Satan tempteth for the destruction both of their bodies and soules Againe I say Whereby he makes triall c. Here some will say God knowes euery mans heart and what is in them and what they will doe long before and therefore hee needeth not to make triall of any man Answ. God makes triall of his seruants not because hee is ignorant of that which is in their heart for hee vnderstandeth their thoughts long before but because he will haue their obedience made knowen partly to themselues and partly to the world so that hee makes triall of his seruants
their hearts and cleanse the corruptions thereof and bring forth obedience in life Secondly this power of true faith in mans heart must teach vs not to content our selues with a generall faith and knowledge in religion but to goe further and to get a sound faith that may purifie the heart at least in some true measure for sauing faith will cleanse a man in euery part of soule and body strengthen his soule in temptation Quest. Here it may be asked how it can be truly saide that Isaac was Abrahams onely begotten sonne seeing Ismaell was also his sonne and was borne before Isaac as is euident Gen. 16 I answere two wayes first that Ismaell by Gods appointment was put out of Abrahams house for it was the expresse commaundement of God to put forth the bond-woman and her sonne Gen. 21.10 and so was made no childe of Abraham Secondly Ismaell was his childe indeede yet not by Sarah but by Agar a bond woman and so was as I may say base borne whereupon he is reputed for no sonne but Isaac is the onely begotten lawfully which may be an Item to beware of the bed defiled seeing such off-spring is so debased with the Lord. Now followeth the third impediment of Abrahams faith which is also a notable circumstance whereby the same faith is commended and it is taken from the person of Abraham in these wordes who had receiued the promises The meaning of the words WHO This must be referred to the person of Abraham of whom the holy Ghost here speaketh Receiued the promises That is by faith for when God made his promises vnto Abraham he did not onely heare them but which is the principall point of all hee beleeued them and applied the same effectually vnto his owne soule so much doth the word receiued import Now it is saide that hee receiued not one promise but the Promises plurally for these causes first because God hauing made one maine promise vnto him touching Christ did repeate and renue the same diuers times Secondly because GOD had made diuers particular promises vnto him as first that he would be his God and the God of his seed Gen. 17.7 Secondly that he would giue him a childe in his olde age Gen. 17.16 Thirdly that vnto him and his seed he would giue the Land of Canaan for euer Gen. 13.15 Fourthly that in Isaac he would blesse all the Nations of the earth Genesis 21.12 And because the receiuing of Gods promises in generall could seeme no great impediment to Abrahams worke of faith therefore the holy Ghost annexeth his receiuing of a particular promise in Isaac in the 18. verse To whom it was said in Isaac shall thy seede be called Which might seeme impossible to stand with the doing of this worke in sacrificing his sonne and therefore the consideration of it in Abraham must needes bee a great impediment to him in this worke for he goes about to kill Isaac in obedience to Gods commaund in whose life he beleeued to receiue the blessings promised of God Here then obserue a most wonderfull impediment to Abrahams faith which aboue all might haue hindred him from obeying God for how could hee choose but reason thus with himselfe God hath made vnto me many gracious promises and that which is more he hath saide That in my sonne Isaac the same must he accomplished and in him all the nations of the earth must be blessed Now then if I shall kill and sacrifice my sonne how shall these promises bee accomplished And reason in this case would say I see no way but that the promise is gone and all hope lost But what doth Abraham in this case for all this hee doth sacrifice his sonne and that by faith still beleeuing and holding assuredly that though Isaac were sacrificed and slain yet in him should all the nations of the earth be blessed Here then we note this speciall point wherein the faith of Abraham doth notably appeare That when Abrahams case in respect of enioying the promise of GOD might seeme desperate and void of all hope and comfort then he beleeueth for when Isaac was dead in all reason he could haue no hope of the accomplishing of Gods promises vnto him because they were made to him in Isaac Isaac was the man in whom all the nations of the earth should be blessed and yet when all hope is past in mans reason then good Abraham set his heart to beleeue This practice of Abraham must be a patterne for vs to obserue and followe all our liues long in the matter of our saluation if it fall out that wee shall doubt of our saluation and feele many thinges in vs that would carie vs to despaire when wee are in this case and feele no comfort then let vs call to minde Abrahams practice who beleeues Gods promise when the foundation thereof is taken away euen so let vs doe at the same instant when the promise of GOD seemes to be frustrate and wee haue no hope of the accomplishment thereof then wee must cast our soules vpon it For we must not onely beleeue when wee feele comfort in our consciences concerning GODS mercies but euen then when God seemes to stande against vs and when wee feele in our soules the very gall of hell then I say wee must beleeue In Paules daungerous voyage towards Rome when hee was in the shippe with the Mariners and Centurion there arose a great tempest and neither sunne nor starres appeared for many dayes so that as the Text saith All hope that they should bee saued was taken away Actes 27.20 Now what saith Paul in this extremitie of danger Now I exhort you to bee of good courage for there shall bee no losse of any mans life saue of the Shippe onely Verse 22. and so perswaded them to take bread Euen so when our case falles out to be this that either by reason of sinne and of the temptation of Satan or else by reason of some outward calamities and troubles wee feele our soule as it were ouerwhelmed with sorrow and euen entring into destruction and can neither see as it were light of sunne or starre then wee must set before vs Gods promises and labour to beleeue the same So Dauid beeing in great affliction and grieuous temptation saith thus of himselfe Psal. 77.2 7 8 9 10 In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord my sore ranne and ceased not in the night my soule refused comfort Yet at the very same instant hee prayed When his spirit was full of anguish and though hee seemed as it were to despaire when hee said Will the Lord absent himselfe for euer and will he shew no more fauour Is his mercy cleane gone Doth his promise faile for euermore And hath God forgotten to be mercifull c. Yet he checkes himselfe and saith This is my death and my weakenesse Euen so euery true member of Gods Church in the extremitie of all temptations and in the time of desperation is bound
Christ concerning life euerlasting and theron we must rest and stay our selues Then let temptations assault vs and driue vs whither they can still wee must holde fast the promise with both hands of faith and aboue hope by faith appoint and designe vnto our selues a part and portion in the kingdome of heauen And so doing wee shall bee true Israelites and true followers of this faithfull Patriarch who by faith beyond all likelihood allots the Land of Canaan to his posterity 3 Circumstance The parties whom he blessed namely the two sonnes of Ioseph Manasses and Ephraim Hereof wee may read at large Gen. 48.8 9 c. where among many things obserue this one Ioseph brings his two sonnes Manasses and Ephraim vnto Iaacob his father that hee might blesse them as he lay on his bedde Now Iosephs mind was that Manasses the elder should haue the chiefest blessing and therefore he set Manasses at Iaacobs right hand and Ephraim the yonger at his left But Iaacob beeing to blesse them laies his hands a-crosse putting his right hand on Ephraims head and the left on the head of Manasses whereby he gaue the birth-right which was a principall prerogatiue vnto Ephraim contrary to Iosephs desire Vnto Manasses hee gaue a blessing also but farre inferiour to Ephraims Now here we may not thinke that Iaacob did this vpon any fond affection as parents oftentimes doe because they loue one childe better than another but hee did it after a speciall manner by the direction and instinct of Gods spirit which so appointed it For when Iaacob blessed them he knewe not of his owne knowledge by the benefit of his senses which was Ephraim and which Manasses Againe looke as Iaacob gaue the blessings at this time the principall vnto Ephraim and the lesser to Manasses so afterward they came to passe For as we may read the tribe of Ephraim was farre more populous and more glorious than the tribe of Manasses And therefore in the bookes of the Prophets Hos. 4.16 and 5.9 and 6.4 c. we shall finde that the name of Ephraim is giuen to all the ten tribes and they are called by that name because it was the most noble tribe of all and the most valiant and as it were the shelter of all the rest Yea further of this tribe came 1. Chron. 7.27 Iehosuae that noble captaine and 1. King 11.26 Ieroboam and many other mighty Kings of Israel Where we may learne that God is the disposer of honours and dignities in this world he giueth these to whom he will to some more and to some lesse as pleaseth him yea sometime he raiseth vp men of base and lowe degree to great dignitie as Dauid saith Psal. 113.7 He raiseth the needy out of the dust and lifteth the poore out of the dongue Now whence comes this Is their learning their great strength their beautie or wonderfull skill and knowledge the cause of their preferment or the wealth of their parents or any thing in them No surely If we speake of the first cause wee see in this example that the preferment of Ephraim aboue Manasses was for no cause in Ephraim for what was in Ephraim that was not in Manasses when Iaacob blessed them Surely nothing for hee was but a childe as the other was and a yonger childe also but hee was preferred by reason of Gods good will towards him And so it is with all those that are aduanced to preferment in this world Wherefore seeing honour and dignity commeth not from themselues or any thing in them therfore they must not ascribe it to their owne wit learning strength or friends but wholly to the gift of God as the first cause and so must labour to vse it to the honour of him that onely giues it of his good pleasure else they sacrifice to their owne net Hab. 1.16 Quest. Why doth the holy Ghost in this place put Iosephs name downe who was not blessed and conceale the names of the two children that were blessed Answer If wee reade the History in Genesis wee shall see the reason hereof For when Ioseph heard that his Father Iacob was sicke though he was a mighty Prince and a noble Potentate among the Egyptians and his Father but a poore Pilgrime yet hee comes to his sicke Father before his death and brings his two sonnes with him to haue his Father to blesse them before he died and therfore the holy Ghost heere nameth Ioseph to shew vnto vs what respect he had of his Fathers blessing hee made more account thereof and did more esteeme it that so he might haue his sonnes within the couenant than of all the Kingdomes in the world and therefore he brings them both to his Father to be blessed a little before his death Now looke what minde affection Ioseph beares the same should be in euery one of vs. Whatsoeuer our estate be whether honourable or base and meane wee must with Ioseph esteeme more of Gods couenant to be members of Gods Church then of all the honour in the world besides and we must esteeme our places and preferments that we haue or our children may haue to be nothing in comparison of the blessing of God and his fauour Yea we must chuse with Ioseph rather to leaue our honours and dignities for a time or if it were for euer then to lose the blessing of Gods grace and blessed shall those Fathers be with Ioseph who had rather haue their children blessed of God then aduaunced in the world The second action of Iacobs faith is in these words And worshipped on the end of his staffe and it is a notable worke for the cōmendation of his faith But before we come vnto it there are certaine questions which may profitably be considered As first for the translation how the words should be read The Papists read them thus And adored the top of his Rod that is say they the top of Iosephs Scepter who came to visit him From whence they would gather and ground their abhominable Idolatrie in the Adoration of creatures and namelie of Holie things as Crucifix Reliques Images as also of God at and before such holie things But we must know that their translation is false and erronious and cannot be iustified howsoeuer they may bring some mens witnesse and testimonie for the same For in reading it thus and adored the top of his Rod they leaue out a substantiall word of the text to witte this word vpon whereby they corrupt the Text and depraue the meaning of the holy Ghost Againe their obseruation and collection hence is most abhominable for to worshippe an Image or other holy thing or GOD himselfe in or at the same is flatly forbidden in the second Commaundement Thou shalt not make to thy selfe any grauen Image c. Thou shalt not bow downe to them But our Translation in this place is true and right according to the wordes of the Text and the meaning of the holy Ghost That
made vnto him in Christ then he reasoneth and striueth against temptation and layes the word as a shield vnto his soule to keepe out the fierie darts of Satan yea hee applies the same word to his owne soule as a corrosiue vnto corruption whereupon it is said that faith purifieth the heart Act. 15.9 How namely beside the applying of Christs blood it brings to memory Gods mercifull promises in Christ which stay a man from committing such things as would pollute and defile the heart And therefore is faith said to bee our victory ouer the world 1. Ioh. 5.4 because by applying to our soules Gods promises in Christ we doe not onely contemne the world in regard of Christ but also stand against the assaults thereof so that it is a most notable and excellent worke of faith Lastly obserue the circumstance of time when Ioseph made remembrance of their departing The text saith When he was dying Hereof wee haue spoken in the former verse yet this one thing may here againe bee well remembred Ioseph cals to mind the promises of God at his death which concerne the temporall deliuerance of his people we by his example when we are dying must learne to call to remembrance the gracious promises which God hath made vnto vs in Christ touching our eternall deliuerance from the spirituall bondage of the diuell Oh! great will bee the fruit hereof not onely for inward comfort to our own soules and ioy to such as loue vs but also we shall hereby giue a worthy euidence to the world that we haue bin sound in the faith wherein we shall leaue a good president to those that follow vs. The second fact of Iosephs faith is this He gaue commandement concerning his bones The meaning thereof is this that Ioseph lying on his death bed gaue a solemne charge to his brethren to haue speciall care how and where they buried him that his bones might not be lost but so preserued while they staied in Egypt that at their departure they might be carried into the land of Canaan there buried in the sepulchre of his fathers The causes why Ioseph gaue this commandement were these 1 Hereby to testifie vnto his brethren posterity that howsoeuer he liued a long time in the pompe and glory of Egypt yet his heart was neuer set thereon but hee had a greater delight and more esteemed to bee counted a true member of the Church of God than to be a noble prince in the Land of Egypt For if hee had loued and liked the pompe of Egypt hee would haue had his sepulchre among them but giuing commandement to the contrary it sheweth plainely that his heart was neuer set on that glory and pompe in which he liued By whose exāple we are taught that in vsing the world and the things therof we must not set our hearts on them but as the Apostle saith 1. Cor. 7.31 Vse them as though wee vsed them not still hauing our affections set on heauen which is our spirituall Canaan 2 Hereby Ioseph would testifie vnto his brethren what he esteemed his chiefe happinesse namely that in faith hope he was ioyned vnto his fathers and auncestors that beleeued in God and that hee was of their religion and looked for a resurrection and another life as they did And this he would haue knowen not only to his brethren and posteritie but to the Egyptians also among whom he liued 3 Ioseph hereby intended principally to confirme the faith of his brethren and posterity in Gods promise for enioying and possessing the Land of Canaan after his death and this was a notable way to strengthen their faith For when they should see or remember his corps it was vnto them as a liuely sermon to shew them plainely that howsoeuer they liued for a while in bondage in Egypt yet the day should shortly come wherein they should be set at libertie and brought as free-men into the land of Canaan And vndoubtedly Ioseph would therefore haue his bones kept among them that they might be a pledge vnto them of their deliuerance Yea note further the story saith Gen. 50.15 that Ioseph did not onely charge his brethren generally but bindes them by an oath to carry his bones hereby shewing that it was a matter of great weight which hee did inioyne them euen a signe and pledge of the truth of Gods promise in their deliuerance Whence we learne that it is a matter of great moment for euery Christian both carefully and reuerently to vse the sacraments which God hath giuen as pledges of his couenant of grace made with vs in Christ. For shall Ioseph cause his brethren and posteritie to sweare concerning his bones that so they might more reuerently regard that pledge and signe of their outward deliuerance And shall not we with all reuerence good conscience both esteeme and vse those holy pledges of our eternall deliuerance by Christ Iesus The Papists from this place would iustifie their practice in reseruing and honouring the Reliques of Saints Now by Reliques they meane the parts of the bodies of Saints departed as the head of Iohn Baptist the armes or bones of this or that Saint the milke of the virgin Mary and also the parts of the crosse whereon Christ suffered with such like Answ. First let vs knowe that their Reliques are nothing else but forged deuices of their owne and no true Reliques of Saints as by one instance may appeare For the parts and parcels of wood kept in Europe which they say are parts of the crosse whereon Christ died are so many that if they were all gathered together they would load a ship which shewes plainely that herein they vse notorious forgerie for it was no greater than a man may beare And the like is their behauiour in the rest Secondly the keeping of Iosephs bones was for a good ende and purpose namely to testifie his owne faith and to confirme theirs in beleeuing Gods promise for their deliuerance out of the bondage of Egypt but their Reliques serue rather to extinguish faith in Christ than to confirme it for they nourish men in fond deuices and foul superstitions and not in the truth of Gods promises Thirdly we doe not read in all the Bible that Iosephs bones were euer worshipped and therefore from this place they haue no ground whereon to build their superstitious worshipping of Reliques And thus much of the example of Iosephs faith Moses Faith VERSE 23. By faith Moses when he was borne was hid three moneths of his parents because they saw he was a proper childe neither feared they the kings commandement IN this verse the holy Ghost proceedeth further and setteth downe vnto vs a notable and worthy example of the faith of Moses parents If we would see the history at large we must read the 2. Chapter of Exodus of which these words are an abbridgement or briefe Epitome Now here the faith of Moses parents is commended vnto vs by two notable
the people of God than to enioy the pleasures of sinne for a season 26. Esteeming the rebuke of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt For hee had respect vnto the recompence of reward HEre the holy Ghost comes to the commendation of Moses faith and in these three verses propounds a most notable example hereof By Moses faith in this place we must vnderstand sauing faith which is nothing else but a gift of GOD whereby Moses receiued the promise of God touching saluation by the Messias and of the promised Land made to Abraham and to his seede after him and applied the same vnto himselfe particularly Now in the first entrance of this exāple the holy Ghost setteth downe a wonderfull thing of Moses namely that Moses had faith and by it did this great worke This I say is strange because he was brought vp by Pharaohs daughter in the Court of Pharaoh where was no knowledge of the true God and indeede nothing but idolatry wantonnesse and profanenesse And yet heere it is testified of him by the spirit of GOD which cannot lie that hee had faith which is a wonderfull thing And the like is recorded of others in the word of God As in Ahabs Court who was a King that had sold himselfe to worke wickednesse yet the spirit of God testifieth that euen there was good Obadiah a man that feared God greatly And Herod was a most deadly enemie to Christ and yet Ioanna the wife of Chuza Herods friend ministred of her goods vnto Christ. And Paul saith The Saints which are of Caesars houshold salute you Where by Caesars house is meant the Court of Nero who was a most bloudy man and a wicked persecuter and yet in his house were the professors of Christs Gospell By these examples we learne that Christ hath his children and seruants in the middle among his enemies for these 3. Courts of Pharaoh Herod and Nero may be called a kinde of hell yet there were some of Gods seruants in them all Which sheweth vs clearely the truth of Gods word which saith of Christ that he raigneth in the middle among his enemies Howsoeuer they rage and seeke to blot out his name and to roote out his kingdom yet maugre their throats he will rule in the middle of their kingdoms there haue those which truly serue him feare his name Reuel 2.13 God had his Church in Pergamus where Satans throne was Againe this faith of Moses serues to checke many a man in this age that is brought vp in the Church of God and vnder godly Parents gouernours and yet is a hater and mocker of the religion of Christ. Surely Moses in the day of iudgement shall stand vp against all such and condemne them For he had faith though he were brought vp in a most profane place and they are voide of faith nay enemies vnto it though they liue in the bosome of the Church But let vs come to the strange fact which Moses did for which his faith is so commended The Text saith of him first of all That when he was come to age he refused to be called the sonne of Pharaohs daughter How Moses became her sonne we may reade at large Exod. 2 where it is said that she hauing found Moses in the basket preserued him aliue and brought him vp as her own childe purposing to make him her owne sonne heire But this honour of hers he would not accept this hee refused by faith and this is that notable and famous act for which his faith is here cōmended vnto vs. But some will say This fact of Moses may seeme rather worthy of blame then praise as being a practice of great rudenesse and ingratitude for shee preserued his life from death and brought him vp as her owne childe and vouchsafed him this speciall fauour to make him her heire and therefore Moses should not thus haue contemned her fauour Answer Indeede it had beene Moses part to haue shewed himselfe thankfull in accepting this fauour at her hands and also in enioying the same if hee might haue done it with the feare of God and keeping a good conscience But that he could not doe for if he had dwelled still with her and beene her sonne and heire hee should haue beene vndutifull vnto GOD. Now this is a rule to bee remembred and practiced alwayes that in duties of like nature 〈◊〉 the Commaundements of the second table doe binde vs no further then our obedience thereto may stand with obedience vnto the commaundements of the first table and when these two cannot stand together then we are freed from obedience vnto the second table as from performing honour and thankfulnesse vnto men when wee cannot therewithall performe obedience and seruice vnto God And this was Moses case because hee could not both serue God and continue his thankfulnesse to Pharaohs daughter for in staying with her hee should haue made shipwracke of true religion therefore hee forsaketh her fauour and honour and for this cause is heere commended vnto vs. The like did our Sauiour Christ for when the people would haue made him King he refused it and fled from among them Iohn 6.15 because it would not stand with that calling for which he was sanctified and sent into the world therefore Moses fact was commendable and doth greatly set forth vnto vs his holy faith In this fact of Moses thus generally considered obserue a notable fruite of true faith It makes a man to esteeme more of the state of adoption to be the childe of God then to be the childe or heire of any earthly Prince This is plaine in Moses in this place And the like we may see in Dauid for though he were a King yet he set all his royalty and maiestie at nought in regard of Gods blessing of adoption therefore saith The Lord not the Kingdom of Israel is my portion And again when he was kept from the Lords tabernacle the company of Gods Saints through persecution he saith The Sparrowes and Swallowes were more happy then he Psalm 84 because they had nests where they might keepe their young and sit and sing but hee could not come neere the Lords Altar And yet more fully to expresse the earnestnesse of his affection this way he saith he had rather be a man of a base office euen a dore-keeper in the house of GOD then a man of renowne in the tents of wickednesse But howsoeuer these men were of one minde herein yet come to our age and seeke in Towne Country and people and we shall see this fruite of faith is rare to be found for generally though I will not say all the most of those that are borne of good parentage as the sonnes of Knights or Squires and especially of Nobles are so bewitched with the pride of their earthly Parentage that they haue scarce a thought after adoption in Christ. Gods heauenly graces will take no place in their hearts
but they vtterly contemne all other estates of life in regard of their owne And this is the common sinne of the whole world for at earthly preferments men wil stand amazed but seldome shall you finde a man that is rauished with ioy in this that he is the childe of God as Moses did But his practice must be a president for vs to followe we must learne to haue more ioy in being the sonnes of God then to be heires of any worldly Kingdomes and to take more delight in the grace of adoption through Iesus Christ then in the sonship of any earthly Prince It is a great prerogatiue to be heire to a King or Emperour but yet to be the childe of God goes farre beyond it euen aboue comparison For the sonne of the greatest Potentate may be the childe of wrath but the childe of God by grace hath Christ Iesus to be his eldest brother with whom he is fellow heire in heauen hee hath the holy Ghost also for his comforter and the Kingdome of heauen for his euerlasting inheritance And therefore wee must learne of Moses from the bottome of our hearts to prefer this one thing To be the child of God before all earthly things either pleasures riches or any other prerogatiues whatsoeuer Now more particularly in this fact of Moses note two circumstances 1. The manner how 2. The time when he refused to be called the sonne of Pharaohs daughter For the first his refusall was not in word but in deede for if we reade the whole History of Moses wee shall not finde that either he spake to Pharaoh or to his daughter or to any other to this effect that hee would not be her heire nor called her sonne but we finde that hee did it in deede for when he came to age he left the Court oftentimes and went to visite his brethren to comfort them to defend them and to take part with them And hence we must learne not so much to giue our selues to knowe and to talke of matters of religion as to doe and practice the same both before God and men This did Moses It is the common fault of our age that we can be content to heare the doctrine of religion taught vnto vs yea many will learne it and often speake thereof but fewe there be that make conscience to doe the things they heare and speake of But let vs learne of Moses to put those things in practice which wee learne and professe and in silence doe them for the fewer words the better vnlesse our deedes be answerable If any of vs were to walke vpon the top of some high mountaine we would leaue off talking and looke vnto our steps for feare of falling Behold when we enter the profession of Christianity wee are set vpon an high mountaine for the way of life is on high and Christianity is the high calling of God We therefore must be wise as Salomō saith Pro. 15.24 look wel to our cōuersation hauing a straite watch ouer all our waies through the whole course of our life euen to the end of our daies not stand so much on speaking talking as on doing for the doer of the worke shal be blessed in his deed Iam. 1.25 This is the thing we must looke vnto as the only ornament of our profession declaring that we haue the power of godlinesse but if deeds be wanting our religion is vaine we are like the Fig-tree which Christ cursed hauing leaues but no fruite The 2. circumstance to be considered is the time when he refused this honour namely when he came to be a man of yeares and discretion A man in cōmon reason would iudge thus of Moses fact Moses hath rare fortune offered him he might haue bin sonne heire to a Princesse surely this is a rash fact of his void of cōsideration to refuse it vndoubtedly he far ouershot himselfe herein either through rashnesse or ignorance But to preuent such carnall surmises the spirit of God sets down this circumstance of time saying that he did not refuse it in his youth but when hee was come to age that is to perfect yeares of discretion and by reason thereof must needes haue consideration and iudgement to know what he did then did he refuse this honour to bee Pharaohs daughters sonne and heire In the seuenth of the Acts wee shall see that he was fortie yeares olde when he did this And therefore this is true which is here said that when he was come to age and staiednesse then he refused this honour for fortie yeares is a time not onely of ripenesse for strength but of staiednesse in iudgement and discretion Out of this circumstance we learne two points 1 That it is a common fault of yong years to be subiect to inconsideration and rashnes for Moses did not refuse the honour of Pharaohs daughter when hee was young lest it should seeme to bee a point of rashnesse but when hee was come to age as the text saith insinuating that if hee had done it when hee was young it might haue beene esteemed but a rash part and done in some hastie passion of youth Euery age of man hath his faults this is the fault of youth to bee heady and rash in their affaires for want of consideration and experience And therefore all young persons must haue care of these sinnes of youth and watch the more against them because they are so incident to their yeares Now the way to auoyde them is to follow Christs example Luk. 2.52 to labour to growe as in yeares so in wisdome and grace and to obey the counsell of Paul to Timothy 2. Timoth. 2.22 to flie the lusts of youth following after iustice faith charitie and peace with all that call vpon the name of the Lord with a pure heart Secondly this circumstance of time noting Moses deliberate staiednesse in this fact doeth plainely aduertise vs what is or should bee the vertue of olde age and the ornament of yeares namely staiednesse discretion wherby I meane not only that naturall temper of affection which olde age bringeth with it but such religious discretion whereby men of yeares doe all things in faith so as their workes may be acceptable and pleasing vnto God For when a man is grown in yeares hath had experience obseruation in the Church of God he must not onely haue a generall knowledge and wisdome but a particular wisdome whereby he may doe in faith whatsoeuer hee takes in hand and therein please God But alas this may be spoken of olde men in these daies that in regard of this wisdome they are very babes a thing greatly disgracefull to their condition For Paul biddes the Corinthians 1. Cor. 14.20 that they should not be children in vnderstanding but of ripe age yea and he forbiddes the Ephesians Eph. 4.14 to be children stil wauering and carried about with euery winde of doctrine Whereby we may see that aged persons do
calling Eccles. 10.4 If the spirit of him that ruleth rise vp against thee leaue not thy place Secondly hence we may learne that Magistrates which are to gouerne the people ought to bee men of courage in performing the duties of their calling When too heauie a burden lay on Moses in iudging all the congregation himselfe Iethro his father in law bids him prouide among all the people men of courage fearing God to be Rulers Exod. 18.13 21. Now their courage must not bee a prowd hautinesse or an indiscreete crueltie but a godly boldnesse which may inable them to the duties of their calling without feare of man To this ende the Lord put of his spirit vpon the seuentie which were to rule with Moses Numb 11.17 Now the spirit of God is not a spirit of feare but of power and of loue of a sound minde 2. Tim. 1.7 Which shewes that in a Magistrate must be courage to call and if neede bee to compell others to the duties of their calling how great soeuer they be And it is a matter of great waight moment in Gods Church for the Minister may teach and speake as much as hee will or can yet vnlesse with the sword of the spirit there bee ioyned the temporall sword of the Magistrate to reforme mens liues and to keep them from open sinne against the law of God and to vrge them to the duties which the minister teacheth surely their teaching and preaching will be to small effect Lastly Moses went with courage out of Egypt This departure of his was a signe of our spiritual departing out of the Kingdome of darknesse for so Paul applieth it 1. Cor. 10. And therfore after Moses example we must with courage come euery day more and more out of the Kingdome of darknesse marching forward with couragious faith and heauenly boldnesse toward our blessed Canaan the glory of heauen wee must not leaue this to the last breath and then thinke to haue heauen gates ready open for vs but we must enter into Gods Kingdom in this life Looke as Moses by his faith did depart boldly out of Egypt so must wee in heart by faith depart out of the Kingdome of sinne This we shall doe when we vse meanes to establish the Kingdome of Christ Iesus in our hearts and doe forsake the workes of sinne and darknesse For looke where there is no departing from sinne there is no faith and therefore let vs shew our selues to haue true faith by departing more and more boldly and ioyfully out of the Kingdome of sinne and Satan that so it may appeare wee loue the light and hate darknesse And in this iourney let vs not feare any contrary commaundement nor the furious wrath of spirituall Pharaoh the diuell nor all the gates of hell for Christ Iesus is our guide Because a man might thinke at the first that it was a rash and desperate part in Moses thus boldly to take away the Israelites not regarding Pharaohs commandement therfore in the later part of the verse the holy Ghost setteth downe a reason that mooued Moses to doe so in these words For he endured or was couragious that is hee tooke heart to himselfe Why so Because he saw God that is inuisible That is he cast the eie of faith vpō God who had promised the euidence of his power and presence in their deliuerance So that it was the worke of Moses faith laying hold on the promise of Gods presence and protection from the rage of Pharaoh that made him thus confident and bold Hence wee learne that the true valour and manhood that was in Moses and is in all Gods children like vnto him is a gift of grace Among many gifts of the spirit powred vpon our Sauiour Christ the spirit of strength or courage is one Isay 11.2 And Iethroes counsell to Moses is notable this way he biddes him prouide for gouernours men of courage fearing God Exod. 18.21 Insinuating that true courage is alwaies ioyned with the feare of God and is a fruite of grace But some will say that many heathen men who neuer knewe the true God nor what the gifts of the spirit meant had that courage Answ. True it is they had courage indeed but it was nothing but a carnall boldnesse not worthy the name of courage beeing onely a shaddow of true fortitude arising from ambition pride and other fleshly humours whereas Moses his courage sprang from the grace of faith in the merciful promises of God made vnto him concerning his deliuerance safetie And indeede howsoeuer wicked men haue a notable shewe of diuers vertues yet in the triall they prooue but shaddowes for true valour and other vertues doe alwaies accompany regeneration As he that saw him that is inuisible Here is the cause that made Moses thus couragious and this will make any man bold if hee can be perswaded in his conscience of Gods speciall presence with him and of his prouidence and protection ouer him Here then obserue a singular fruite of faith it makes God who is indeed inuisible to be after a sort visible vnto vs. Moses by faith sawe him that is inuisible for by faith he was perswaded of Gods prouidence and speciall protection in the deliuerie of his people though Pharaoh should rage neuer so much So Enoch is said to haue walked with God because hee sawe him by the eie of faith in all his affaires And when Ioseph was allured to sin with his mistres what staied him surely the feare of God whom he saw by faith How can I doe this great wickednes saith Ioseph so sin against God As if he should say I am alwaies where God is present how then should I doe so wickedly God see it And the same is the state of all true beleeuers their faith makes the inuisible God to be after a sort visible vnto thē so as a faithfull man may say God is present with me and protecteth me Whereby we may see what little faith is in the world for few can truly say they see God which faith inables a man to do Yea most men care so litle to see God that he is farre from their very thoghts Many haue made meanes to see the diuell but where is hee that labours for such a measure of faith that he may see the inuisible God If wicked men run to Coniurers to see the diuell whom they shall once see to their sorrowe let vs labour for faith in the word and sacraments and this faith will make vs so to indure in all tribulation as though we sawe God Furthermore seeing Moses by faith endured as hee that saw God we learne that the seeing of God by faith takes away feare and giues spirituall boldnesse This is a point of speciall vse for naturally men are feareful some cannot endure the darke nor solitary places for feare of the diuel yea the shaking of a leaf or the crawling of a worme doth terrifie others Now howsoeuer some
to receiue Gods commaund and to goe at his call These be the significations of the Passe-ouer which wee must remember to make good vse of in the course of our liues And thus much of the first branch of this act of Moses faith in ordaining the Passe-ouer The second branch of this worke is this And the effusion of bloud that is the sprinkling of the bloud of the Lambe vpon the posts of their houses and vpon the doore cheeks which was a token to the Israelites that the destroying Angell should not strike the first borne of the Israelites either man or beast In mans reason this may seeme to be a weake simple meanes yet God ordaines it to preserue all the first borne among the Israelites And thus the Lord vseth to deale that his people through the weakenesse of the meanes might be brought to acknowledge God to be their protectour and defender When the Israelites were stung with the serpents a man would haue thought it had beene the best way for their curing to haue giuen them cunning Surgeons but the Lord ordaines onely a dead serpent of brasse which they must looke vp vnto and be cured A weake meanes it was and yet the Lord vseth it because hee would haue them to giue all the glory vnto him and not to ascribe the same either to themselues or to the meanes Further this sprinkling of the bloud vpō the doore cheeks and the posts of their houses had a notable signification namely of the sprinkling of the bloud of Christ vpō the doors of our hearts to which Peter alludeth 1. Peter 1.2 Through the obedience and sprinkling of the bloud of Iesus Christ. And Dauid when he saith Sprinkle me with Hisope and I shall be cleane Dauid knew well that the bloud of beasts could not take away sinne and therefore no doubt by his sauing faith he had an eye to the bloud of the Messias vnder legall tearmes Whence we are taught this lesson that as the Israelites with their bodily hands did sprinkle the bloud of the Paschall Lamb vpon their doore cheeks the posts of their houses so by the hand of faith euery one of vs must sprinkle the bloud of Christ vpon our owne hearts which we shall then doe when we doe not onely in generall beleeue that Christ is a Sauiour and Redeemer but particularly that hee is a Redeemer vnto vs and that the merits of his death and the benefit of his bloud are ours Obiect But some will say If this be so then all is well for I doe beleeue this Answer Heerein very many deceiue themselues thinking that they haue faith when indeede they haue none For looke vnto their wayes and see into their hearts by their liues and it wil easily appeare that they haue nothing in them but ignorance security presumption in sinne Now such men are deceiuers of their owne soules for after this sprinkling followeth sanctification and rising from dead workes to newnesse of life so that they that liue in sinne and yet say they haue faith deceiue themselues For if a mans heart be sprinkled with the bloud of Christ through faith it will change his life conscience and make him a new creature for Christes bloud is a cleansing and purifying bloud insomuch as where it is truly sprinkled it certainly cleanseth Hebrewes 9.14 And thus much of this ceremonie of sprinkling Now followeth the end of both these actions in these words Lest he that destroyed the first borne should touch them Let vs examine the words in order First by the destroyer is meant the Angell of God as wee may see in the Storie Exod. 12.19 who at midnight smote all the first borne of Egypt both of man and beast Where by the way wee may take a view of the wonderfull power and strength of Gods Angels and also of their admirable swiftnesse and readinesse in doing the will of God that in one night euen at midnight one of them could passe through the Land of Egypt and kill all the first borne of man and beast in euerie place of the Egyptians The like we may see in the destruction of Senacheribs host by one Angell in one night The first borne that is both of men and beasts So it is in the Story Exod. 12.29 But being so it may not vnfitly be demaunded How this Passe-ouer could be a Sacrament when as euen the beasts of the Israelites had benefit by it for they were spared by reason of this sprinkling of the blood of the Paschall Lamb Answer That hindreth not why it should not be a Sacrament For wee must consider this Passe-ouer two wayes First as a meanes of temporall deliuerance and so the beasts had benefit by it Secondly as a signe and seale of our spirituall deliuerance from hell by the sacrifice of the Lamb of God Iesus Christ which is the thing signified and so it is a Sacrament for mans saluation and thus the beasts had no benefit by it The water that flowed from the rock in the wildernesse was a Sacrament and the beasts drank of the water but yet they did not partake of the Lords Sacrament for wee must consider that water two wayes first as a meanes to quench thirst and consequently as an outward benefit to preserue the life of the creature so the beasts had a benefit by it but cōsider it as a signe seale of the water of life and so their beasts had no benefit by it but onely the belieuing people It followeth Should touch them Here is the very vse and ende of both the former actions That the angel might not hurt them but passe by the Israelites houses Here consider a notable point concerning Christ the true Passeouer namely that they which haue their hearts sprinkled with his blood shal be preserued from euerlasting damnation and not onely so but hereby they shall haue deliuerance from all temporall iudgements in this life so farre forth as they are curses hurtful vnto thē So we may read before the destruction came to the city of the Iewes the angel of God went through the citie with a writers ink-horne to set a marke vpon those that did mourne and crie for their sinnes And Dauid saith the righteous man standeth vpon a rocke so as the floods of many waters shall not come neere him This is a point of great vse and the consideration hereof should mooue all persons that haue beene carelesse in religion now to become carefull and desirous to haue their hearts washed in the blood of Christ those also which haue any care must haue double care hereof for they haue freedome and securitie both in temporall and eternall iudgements Obiect But many of Gods deare children are taken away in common iudgements Answ. True but yet they are neuer hurt thereby but the iudgement and affliction is sanctified vnto them because they haue their hearts sprinkled with the blood of Christ. And as for those
whom God knoweth it good for they are deliuered in generall iudgements and preserued for his glory and vse of the Church But how did the Angel destroy the first born in Egypt both of man and beasts Answ. By taking from them their teÌ„poral liues by destroying or killing their bodies That is the sense and plaine meaning of the holy Ghost to this signification answereth the word in the originall Now some doe abuse this place such like for the ouerthrowing of the ancieÌ„t ceÌ„sure of the church in excoÌ„municatioÌ„ for say they the practice of S. Paul 1. Cor. 5 is the principall ground of excommunication where Paul bids that the incestuous man be giuen to Satan for the destructioÌ„ of the flesh Now they that denie excommunication would haue that place to bee interpreted by this because the same word is there vsed and therfore say they Pauls words must bee vnderstood of destroying the incestuous mans body and taking away his temporall life This interpretation doth quite ouerthrowe excommunication for if nothing else be there vnderstood but onely the tormenting of the body then excommunication is not thence prooued But the truth is that that censure which the Apostle vrgeth there cannot bee vnderstood of the punishment of the body which I prooue thus In that place S. Paul opposeth the flesh and the spirit Now vsually when he maketh this opposition Flesh signifieth the Corruption of the whole man the Spirit signifieth the grace of God in the man so that his plaine meaning is this Let him be deliuered to Satan for the destruction of the flesh that is for the destruction of his naturall corruption and of the body of sinne Further where it is said the first borne wee must vnderstand it of the first borne among the Egyptians both of man and beast And whereas he saith should touch them he meaneth the Israelites who were not touched in this destruction Hence we learne two points further 1 The first borne of Egypt are destroyed both of man and beasts This is markeable for the Egyptians in former times destroyed the Israelites children and especially their first borne for they slew all the males lest they should increase in their land and now it comes to passe that their children euen the principall of them their first borne are slaine for the Israelites sake and when they are preserued Where wee may obserue a most righteous and yet an vsuall kinde of iudgement with God Hee doth often punish the wicked in their kind with their owne sinnes This is true euen in the best so farre forth as they are sinnefull The same iniurie which Dauid did to Vriah was done vnto him by his owne sonne euen by his sonne Absolon 2. Sam. 10. v. 10 11. and 16.22 And this our Sauiour Christ teacheth vs saying Math. 7.1 Iudge not that ye bee not iudged We find this true likewise by experience they that giue themselues to back-biting rayling slaundering by the iust iudgement of God haue for the most part the same done vnto themselues by others so that men are often punished in their owne sinnes For God hath his store-house full of iudgements and hee can punish men what way hee will But hee oft obserueth this order to punish men by their owne sinnes and to catch the wicked in their owne deuises This must bee a motiue to make vs to looke vnto our selues and to haue care against all sinnes of the second table for looke wherein thou takest thy pleasure to Gods dishonour therein shalt thou feele and see Gods iudgement vpon thee to thy correction and confusion Psal. 109.17 As hee loued cursing so shall it come vnto him and as he loued not blessing so shall it be farre from him This Adonibezek felt and confessed when his thumbes were cut off Iudg. 1.6 7 As I haue done so God hath rewarded me Lastly in that the destroyer killeth the first borne of Egypt marke a strange kinde of Gods iudgements King Pharaoh and his people sinne because they wil not let the Israelites goe but the punishment of their sinne is laid vpon their children and cattell The like wee reade of 2. Sam. 12.14 when Dauid had committed those grieuous sinnes of adulterie and murther a part of his punishment was the death of his child When he numbred the people the plague light on them 2. Sam. 24. Now we must not too curiously prie into the reason of this course of Gods iudgements for he is not bound to giue account of his actions yet in reason we may see the equitie thereof For we must consider of kingdomes and societies and of townes and families as of bodies euery societie is a body and the particular persons therein are members of that body Now looke as it is in the naturall body so it is in the body ciuill or politicke Oftentimes in the naturall body when the stomach is sicke the head aketh the braine is wounded and the heart aketh the foote is hurt and the head aketh and the offence of the tongue may be punished with stripes vpon the backe Euen so it is in ciuill societies the Prince sinneth and the people are punished or the pâ—ople sinne and the Prince is punished This is no iniustice with God for sith Prince and people make but one body and so Parents and children God may iustly lay vpon any member the temporall punishment of sinne committed by another And thus much of this example and of the faith of Moses alone The Israelites Faith VERSE 29. By faith they passed through the red sea as by drie land which when the Egyptians had assayed to doe they were drowned HItherto wee haue heard the faith of Moses alone highly commended in two examples Now followeth a commendation of his faith with others so that heere is a new example of faith to wit of the Israelites together with Moses For Moses is heere to be considered not onely as one of them but as a principall agent in this work of faith And here their faith is commended vnto vs by a wonderful strange action which they did through the power and goodnesse of God namely by their passing through the red sea not by passing ouer it for that might haue beene by Art but through it which is aboue nature and Art meerly miraculous This fact of theirs is largely set down Exod. 14. And that it might appeare to be euery way wonderful as it is indeede the Author of this Epistle commends it by two circumstances which notably set forth vnto vs the strangenesse hereof First by their manner how they passed through namely as by dry Land Secondly by the time wheÌ„ namely then when the Egyptians following theÌ„ were drowned Here first we will speake of the fact it selfe and then of the circumstances The fact is set downe in the first words By faith they passed through the red sea The words are plaine of themselues and offer vnto vs sundry points worthy our obseruation And first
is the right time for a man to shew his faith when there is in himselfe no cause of beleeuing Obiect But when a man is in this case he cannot beleeue Answ. Indeede to beleeue then is a wonderfull hard thing and a miracle of miracles But yet this is the propertie of true faith so to doe and if there bee but one dramme of true faith in the heart that despaires howsoeuer it may for a time lie hidde as dead yet at the length it will make him to hope and waite for mercy and life at the hands of Almightie GOD. And therefore if it shall please GOD at any time to lay a torment vpon our consciences so as wee shall striue with the wrath of GOD thinking that hee hath cast vs away yet for all that then we must beleeue GODs promises and set before vs his mercies and therewith refresh vs. And if this faith were not the childe of GOD many sundry times were in a most miserable case the Lord therefore hath most mercifully prouided to helpe him by the grace of faith When a man is past all hope of life he must then beleeue and hope for life as the Israelites did in the red sea for preseruation And vndoubtedly this is a comfortable signe of grace if a man in the horrour of conscience can shewe forth the least sparke of true faith Fourthly note the effect and issue of this faith They passed through the red sea We say vsually that water fire be vnmercifull creatures and therefore the naturall man feares them both but the Israelites faith makes them not to feare the water but it makes them bold euen to passe thorough the sea The like we may see for fire in the 3. children Dan. 3.16.23 who were not affraid of the hot burning ouen but were as bold in it as out of it Rauenous wilde beasts are terrible vnto men but faith makes a man not to feare them and therefore Daniel feares not the Lyons though hee were throwen into their denne to bee deuoured Dan. 6.22 Great is the fruite and force of faith it takes from a man the feare of those creatures which by nature are most terrible And here wee see a cause why the holy Martyrs of God died most cheerefully A man would thinke it strange that one should goe into the fire reioycing as many of them did but the reason is Because they had faith in their hearts which taketh away the feare of the most fearefull creatures But if it bee so may some say that the Israelites by faith went through the redde sea not fearing the water why may not we that beleeue now doe the same for wee haue the same faith that they had Answ. Wee haue indeede the same faith and yet wee cannot passe through waters as they did For their faith rested on two promises first on this made to Abraham I will bee thy God and the God of thy seed SecoÌ„dly on a particular promise made to Moses For when he coÌ„manded him to goe through the red sea withall he made a promise to keepe and preserue them and this they beleeued and so went through Now howsoeuer we haue iustifying faith hauing the same generall promise yet we haue not the like particular promise That if wee passe through the red sea God will be with vs and saue vs. And therefore if any man shall aduenture to doe so let him looke for nothing but death for it is not an action of faith but of presumption And therefore Peter sunke when hee would needs walke vnto Christ vpon the sea hauing no such hold vpon Gods speciall promise as here they had and the Egyptians following presumptuously were drowned Wherfore let vs here be warned not to attempt to doe extraordinary workes without Gods special warrant for a particular faith requires a particular promise besides the generall promise of God in Christ. Further let vs here obserue a wonderfull worke of Gods mercy and power When these seruants of God were brought into extremitie of danger so as they were in a desperate case for their temporall life yet then the Lord findes a way of deliuerance And indeede if a man consider aright of it hee must needes acknowledge that these Israelites were in a pittifull case for they had the red sea before them and mountains on each side and themselues hindred from flight by their bag and baggage and with their children and the huge hoste of Pharaoh behinde them so as to mans reason there was nothing but present death to bee looked for yet the Lord in mercy to saue them makes a way where there was no way and opens them a gappe to life when naturall reason could lay before them nothing but violent death Which shewes the wonderfull mercy of God to his owne people and seruants And the like thing we may read of in Dauid when he abode in the wildernesâ—e of Maon for there Saul followed him and he and his men compassed Dauid and his men round about 1. Sam. 23.26 27. Now what hope of deliuerance was there for Dauid Ans. Surely this only Dauid was the seruant of God the Lord preserued him that hee might rule his people after Sauls death and therfore he escapeth though wonderfully for a messenger comes to Saul and bids him haste for the Philistims inuaded the Land and so Saul returned from pursuing Dauid and went against the Philistims Hence we learne this generall rule that in the extremitie of all danger God hath meanes to preserue and saue his owne children and people Which must teach vs to commend our case to GOD and to rest on him in all dangers for when our case is desperate in our sight then are we fittest for Gods helpe Let vs therefore in such cases learne to practice our faith and then especially to cast our selues vpon GOD. This Iehosaphat did most notably for beeing assaulted with the huge armies of the Moabites Ammonites c. he praied vnto the Lord most feruently saying 2. Chron. 20.12 Lord there is no strength in vs wee knowe not what to doe but our eies are towards thee and thus doing was preserued for God will in no extremitie forsake them that trust in him The red sea In many places of the olde testament it is called the sea of rushes Psal. 106.7 9. Or the sea of sedges Ier. 49.21 It is a corner of the Arabian sea that parteth Egypt and Arabia Those which haue seene it in trauell say it hath no other colour than all other seas haue Why then is it called the red sea Answ. To omit many supposed causes hereof ther be two especially for which it is so called 1 Because of the red sand for both the bottome of the sea and the shoare are full of redder sande than ordinarily is else-where 2 Some thinke it is called the redde sea by reason of the sedges and bul-rushes which growe much at the sea side and bee of a redde colour which by reflection may
keeping of it is a doubling of the sin Dauid in his anger had sworn to slay Nabal and all the men in his family for denying reliefe vnto his seruants 1. Sam. 25.22 This was a rash oath and therfore afterward when hee was preuented by Abigails good counsell hee blesseth God for it and breakes his oath which hee had made vers 32. Quest. 2. What if a man take an oath and yet afterward in consciēce doubts of the lawfulnes of that which he hath sworne to do what must be don in this case Ans. So long as he doubteth hee must defer the performāce of it For he that doth a thing doubtingly condemnes himselfe in the thing he doth because he doth it not of faith and whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne Rom. 14.23 Quest. 3. What if a man be vrged by feare to take an oath must hee afterward keepe it As for example a man is taken of theeues now wanting money they charge him on paine of death to fetch them money and they binde him hereto by an oath what must bee done in this case considering there must such great care bee had in keeping of an oath Answ. So long as the thing which hee is bound by oath to doe respecteth his priuate dammage onely he must keep his oath yet so as he declare his case to the Magistrate because their course is against the common good now the Magistrate hearing of it is according to equity to prouide for his defence for the safety of his goods A second point to be considered in Rahabs preseruation is this Rahab escaped a common danger but not without all meanes onely staying her selfe on the bare promise of the Spies but as shee beleeued in the true God so shee vsed meanes whereby shee might bee sure of her preseruation and that is this Shee bindes the Spies by an oath to saue her life and to spare her houshold also shee keepes within and ties the corde of red threed in her windowe according to their mutuall couenant Thus shee vseth meanes for her temporall safety and so haue other of GODs children done in like case When King Hezekiah 2. Kings 20.6 was sicke hee was certified by the Prophet from GOD that hee should liue fifteene yeares longer yet hee neglected not the meanes whereby he should be healed and liue for hee applied dry figges to his byle and vsed foode and raiment for his bodily life during the whole space of those fifteene yeares So the Apostle S. Paul in his voyage by Sea to Rome was assured by a vision that none of them that were with him should perish but all come safe to land and yet when the Mariners would haue gone out hee tels the Centurion that vnlesse those staied in the ship that so they might vse the ordinary means they could not be safe Now as it fareth temporally for the saving of the body so is it in the spirituall case for the salvation of the soule men must vse means to come by grace so to salvation But many in this regard be great enemies to their owne soules they say God is mercifull and Christ is a Saviour I hope he will saue me yet they wil not vse the means to come to saluation But if we would be saued thē with our inward faith we must ioyn the obseruatiō of the outward ordinary means whereby God vseth to saue mens soules as namely the hearing of Gods word calling vpon God by prayer and the receiuing of the sacraments that thereby our sinfull lyues may bee amended and our faith strengthened This must bee remembred of vs for they that contemne or neglect the means despise the grace and mercy of God offered therein and therfore Paul saith of the Iewes when they put the Gospel from them that they did iudge themselues vnworthy eternall life Act. 13.46 It followeth With them that disobeyed That is with the people of Iericho Quest. How did they disobey Ans. Thus When Iosuah and the people came vnto them and offered them peace if so be they would becom their tributaries and seruants the inhabitants of Iericho would not yield vnto thē but set themselues against the people of Israel and so against God in that they would not vndertake that estate which God offered vnto them and therefore they are here esteemed disobedient Hence we learne that if it shall please God at any time to put vs out of these temporary benefits which we enioy in goods and possessions wee must bee contented with Gods will and prouidence and seeke to obey God therein The inhabitants of Iericho pay deerely for their disobedience in this case God sets the Israelites as Lords over them and because they will not yield to become their seruants they die for it Dauids practice was commendable in this case for when he was put out of his owne Kingdom by his owne sonne hee murmured not but said thus If I shall finde fauour in the eies of the Lord he will bring me againe but if he say thus I haue no delight in thee beholde here I am let him doe to me as seemeth good in his eies 2. Sam. 15.25 26. In other countries we see Cities and Townes spoyled and sacked what must the people doe Answ. They must submit themselues to the Lords pleasure knowing that he permitteth it who may doe what he will And so if it shall please God to bring vs into the like case as to suffer our enemies to haue dominion ouer vs and to dispossesse vs of our places we must submit our selues to Gods good pleasure when wee see no helpe by lawfull meanes wee must not murmure or rebell for that is but to disobey as the people of Iericho did and so shall we be destroyed as they were And thus much for the second point The third thing to be considered in this example is the testimony of her faith in receiuing the Spies peaceably This was a notable worke of faith as Saint Iames noteth Iam. 2.25 and the more commendable because shee receiued them into her house and entertained them yea shee preserued them in danger of her owne life for shee did it contrary to the pleasure of the State vnder which shee liued But against this may be obiected first that shee lyed in this fact for when the King of Iericho's messengers came to search for the Spies whom shee had hid in the top of her house shee said to the messengers they were gone another way Now how can it bee a good worke which was don with lying especially to our Superior who hath power to aske vs and to whom wee are double bound to speake the truth Answ. Wee must knowe that the worke was good which shee did and a worke of mercy to preserue Gods people although shee failed in the manner of doing it shee receiued them by faith though shee shewed distrust in lying for their safetie It was a notable worke of Rebecca Gen. 27. to cause her sonne Iacob to
therefore the Lord forbade A bastard to enter into the congregation of the Lord to beare any office vnto the tenth generation Deuteronomie chapter 23. verse 2 So ignominious is this kinde of birth by the iudgement of Gods spirit vnto that party on whom it falls For this sinne of fornication doth not onely hurt the persons committing it but euen staines the children base borne to the tenth generation Yet howsoeuer Iephte was base borne and so suffered for it great reproach heere wee see hee is commended vnto vs for his faith among the most worthy beleeuers that euer were Indeede besides Iephte wee shall not finde the like example in Scripture Yet in Iephte wee may see that howsoeuer it be a reproachfull thing to be borne of fornication yet that doth not hinder but the party so borne may come to true faith and so to the fauour of God and to life euerlasting Such persons as are base borne vpon viewe of that reproach which the Scripture fasteneth vpon them might take occasion to thinke miserably of themselues even that God had reiected them but this example serues to shewe that it hindereth not but that they may come into the fauour of God and by faith get honor of God to countervaile that discredit which they haue by their base birth Further whereas wee commonly say that such as are base borne are wicked persons here wee see the contrary in Iephte and therefore wee must not for this cause condemne any for wicked or vngodly Indeed the Lord hath branded this estate with reproach that men should shun the sinne of fornication the more Againe whereas Iephte is here commended for his faith we may probably gather that their opinion is not true who hold that Iephte sacrificed killed his owne daughter For beeing commended here for his faith certain it is he had knowledge in Gods will and word and therefore we must not thinke but that he knewe God would neuer accept of such a vowe by the performance whereof hee should commit wilfull and most vnnaturall murder This his faith shewes that it was not his intent to kill the first person that met him out of his house for by the light of nature hee might know that God would neuer accept thereof and therefore it is not like he so made his vow for this faith and such a vow cannot stand together But some will say the text is plaine Iudg. 11.31 that He vowed to offer for a burnt offering the thing that cam out of the doores of his house to meet him when he came home Ans. It is so indeed in some translations It shall be the Lords And I wil offer it c. But the words in the originall may as well bee translated thus It shall bee the Lords or I will offer it c. And this later translation is more sutable to the circumstances of the place for this was Iephtes meaning that whatsoeuer met him first he would dedicate it to God if it were a thing that might bee sacrificed then his purpose was to offer it vnto the Lord in sacrifice Quest. But if he did not kill her why did he then so lament for her Ans. Because by his vowe he was to dedicate her to God and so shee was to liue a Nazarite all her life long which must needs be a very bitter thing to him who had no childe but her it beeing so great a reproach and in some sort a curse in those daies to want issue I speake not here how well or ill Iephte did in making her a Nazarite But this may no way bee admitted That beleeuing and godly Iephte should aduisedly kill his owne daughter Vndoubtedly hee could not thinke that God would bee pleased with such an abhominable sacrifice Thus much for these persons the rest I passe ouer because this story is plaine and large in Scripture The Faith of the Iudges and Dauid VERSE 33 34 35. Which thâ—ough faith subdued Kingdoms wrought righteousnesse obtained the promises stopped the mouthes of Lions Quenched the violence of fire escaped the edge of the sword of weake were made strong waxed valiant in battell turned to flight the Armies of the Aliants The women receiued their dead raised to life IN these wordes the Apostle propounds vnto vs ten seueral fruits of faith the nine first whereof are the particular actions of the parties spoken of in the former verse and they are here related for the commendation of their faith The first is Subduing of Kingdomes which serues chiefly for the commendation of the faith of the foure Iudges there named and of Dauid For as wee may read in the bookes of Iudges and of Samuel all these subdued Kingdoms as the Canaanites Iudg. 4. the Midianites Iudg. 6. the Philistims Iudg. 15. and 16. 2. Sam. 8.1 the Ammonites Iudg. 11. Moabites Aramites 2. Sam. 8.2.6 Now how did they ouercome and subdue them The Text saith by faith which wee must not not thus vnderstand as though onely by the very acte of faith they subdued kingdoms But the meaning of the holy Ghost is that they beleeued the promises which God made vnto them of deliuering these kingdomes into their hands and according to their faith God accomplished his promises vnto them and so they subdued Kingdomes by faith In this worke of faith we may learne two things first that it is lawfull for Christians in the newe Testament to make warre for that which may be done in faith is lawfull for Gods seruants but warre may bee made in faith for these seruants of God subdue kingdomes in warre and that by faith and therefore it is lawfull for Christians vpon iust cause to make warre The Anabaptists of Germany say It is not lawfull for a Christian vnder the Gospel to carry a weapon or to make warre But this one place of scripture if there were no moe is alone sufficient to prooue the lawfulnesse of warre vnder the Gospel if it be vsed according to Gods will word When the Souldiers came to Iohn Baptist and asked him What they should doe hee bids them not leaue off their calling but this Do violence to no man neither accuse any falsly and be content with your wages Luk. 3.14 And our Sauiour Christ reporteth of a Centurion which was captaine of a Band when he came to haue his sonne healed that hee had not found such faith in Israel And hee was not a Centurion onely afore he beleeued but euen afterward when Christ commended his faith yet did he not dislike his calling The like may be said of Cornelius Act. 10. All which shew plainely that vpon iust causes Christians may lawfully make warre Ob. 1. But to defend their opinioÌ„ they obiect som places of scripture as Mat. 5.39 Resist not euill saith Christ therefore say they a man may not wear a weapon nor vse a sword lest those make him to resist and so to breake this commandement of Christ. Ans. That place must bee vnderstood of
priuat reuenge and so it maketh nothing against lawfull warre For what though a priuate man may not reuenge himselfe nor make warre yet that hindereth not but that a Magistrate who beares the sword may lawfully vse it Againe it is friuolous to imagine that resisting is onely by a weapon for the chiefe resistance that God respecteth is in the heart and affection And a priuat man may resist that is breake this commandement by vnlawful resistance though he carry no weapon and the publike person breake it not though he make warre Obiect 2. Secondly they obiect the prophecy of Isay who speaking of the kingdome of Christ vnder the Gospel saith That then they shall turne their swords into scithes and their spears into mattocks therfore say they there must be no warre vnder the Gospel Ans. That Prophecy signifies that in Christs kingdom there must be great loue and peace wonderfull concord among all the true seruants of God But here they take aduantage say If this be so what then needeth any warre Ans. We must knowe that as there bee two kindes of Kingdomes a spirituall kingdome and a politicke so there be two kindes of peace spirituall and politicke Spirituall peace is inward in the Church and politicke peace is outward in the common wealth Spirituall peace i◠begun and preserued by spirituall meanes of grace in the ministery of the Church but warre is an ordinary meanes for the establishing and preseruing of politicke peace Secondly hence wee learne that Gods people may make warre not onely by way of defence but also in assault vpon their enemies that according to Gods word For here it is said that Gedeon Sampson Dauid the rest by faith subdued Kingdoms making warre against them by way of assault and not in defence onely Indeede speciall care ought to bee had that offensiue warre in assaulting an enemie be made vpon iust good grounds one speciall ground or cause is heere implied in this worke of faith to wit the recouery of iust right in matters of importance for the Kingdoms of Canaan were giuen to the Israelites by God himselfe and for the recouery of them they made warre by way of assault So when Lot was taken Captiue by Keder-laomer the Kings of the Nations Abraham Lots kinsman gathers his seruants together and pursues the Kings and ouertaking them destroyed them for the recouerie of Lot and his goods Other respects there be for which offensiue warre in assault may be made but because they are not heere mentioned I will not propound them The second fruite of their faith is this they wrought righteousnesse that is some of these men in their places wherein God had set them gaue to euery man his owne This working of righteousnesse consists in two things First in giuing rewards to such as deserued them Secondly in inflicting due punishment according to mens deserts In both these the men before named did all excell but especially two of them Dauid and Samuel for Dauid it is a wonder to see how righteous he was for when he was anointed King in Sauls steed and Saul reiected how did hee behaue himselfe towards Saul Did hee seeke Sauls blood No But when Saul hunted him as the hunter doth the Partridge Dauid euen then gaue himselfe to studie and practice righteousnesse yea when Saul was fallen into his hands both in the Caue and asleepe in the campe 1. Samuel chapter 24. verses 5 6. c. and chapter 26. verses 7 8 he would not touch him nor suffer others to doe him hurt because hee was the Lords anointed yea so righteous was Dauid towards Saul that his heart smote him for cutting off but the lappe of his coate Therefore Dauid is heere commended especiallie for this effect of faith the working of righteousnesse To apply this vnto our times If this be a fruite of faith thus to worke righteousnesse then what may be saide of the Church of Rome and of the Popish sort among vs They pretend the auncient faith and none must be so good beleeuers and Catholikes as they but how doe they shewe this their faith Is it by the practice of righteousnesse Doe they giue to euery one his due Nay verily but they set themselues to worke the ruine of Kingdomes that ioyne not with them in religion This witnesse their manifolde diuellish plots against our State from time to time This did not Dauid no not against Saul though hee were reiected of God and also most vniustly sought his death But they haue many times sought the death of the Lords anointed ouer vs whereby they declare their state to all the world that they haue no sparke of true faith at all for true faith will make a man practice righteousnesse and innocencie And therefore we may iudge of them and all their adherents that be of this mind to allow such practices that they haue none other but the faith of diuels which is to beleeue the word of God to be true This the diuels do with trembling And as their faith is diuellish so are the fruites thereof namely treachery and falshood such as the diuel most approues But we must learne that true faith is especially commended by these fruites The study and practice of innocency and the maintaining of peace in Christian estates for true faith and treachery and contention wil no more stand together than light and darknesse Secondly Samuel also wrought righteousnesse as appeareth by his protestatio before all Israel whē he gaue vp his office of gouernment ouer them vnto Saul 1. Sam. 12.3 Behold saith hee heere am I beare record of mee before the Lord and before his anointed whose Oxe haue I taken or whose Asse haue I taken or whom haue I done wrong to or whom haue I hurt or of whose hand haue I receiued any bribe to blinde mine eyes therewith and I will restore it Now as these two Samuel and Dauid were famous for this fruite of faith in working righteousnesse So likewise were the Iudges and Prophets before named in their places carefull of this vertue and did practice the same partly in rewarding the good and partly in punishing the wicked But some will say To worke righteousnesse cannot be a fruit of faith for the very Heathen which neuer heard of Christ by the light of nature haue done Iustice and are highly commended by Heathen Writers for the same Now that which the Heathen can doe by the light of nature is not thus to be extolled as a fruite of faith Answer True it is the Heathen haue done many workes of iustice but we must wisely consider that euery iust worke is not a fruite of faith vnlesse it be done by a righteous person in obedience to God and for his glory But in all these the Heathen failed in their workes For though the things they did were good in themselues yet seeing the Heathen were corrupt trees remaining in the sinfull state of corrupt nature their workes
must needes be corrupt fruite as cōming from them For an euill tree cannot bring forth good fruit The heart is the fountain of euery action now their hearts were corrupt being destitute of faith which purifies the heart and therefore their workes must needes be sinfull Againe they did not their workes in obedience for they were guided onely by the light of nature and knew not God aright nor his commaundements And lastly they propounded not the glory of GOD as the end of their workes but the praise of men their owne profit or some such end But these worthy persons doe not onely such things as were iust in themselues but they doe them in faith in obedience and for Gods glory and so please God Now seeing these renowned Princes and Iudges haue their faith commended vnto vs by their practicing of righteousnesse we must learne to follow them within the compasse of our calling doing Iustice and righteousnesse in such things as cōcerne vs. There be many reasons set down in Gods word to perswade vs heereunto As first for this end hath God caused the Gospell to be published Tit. 2.12 The sauing grace of God hath appeared but to what end To teach vs that we should denie vngodlinesse and liue soberly and righteously that is that wee might doe Iustice. Vnlesse therefore we worke righteousnesse we make the Gospel a vaine word vnto vs. Secondly we desire to be counted iust before God and men and it would grieue vs if we should be otherwise thought of but if wee would be iust indeede both before God and man then we must work righteousnesse for as S. Iohn saith He that doth righteousnesse is righteous Thirdly there is no man set ouer a family but he either doth or ought to endeuour to bring a blessing vpon his family But this he cannot doe vnlesse he worke righteousnesse and doe Iustice for Salomon saith He that walketh in his integrity is iust and blessed shall his children be after him Lastly we doe all of vs desire to escape hell well then we must remēber to practice righteousnes for the Apostle saith no vnrighteous mā that is none practicing vnrighteousnes shall enter into the kingdom of heauen So that within the compasse of our calling we must all endeuour to do Iustice. Here some will aske How shall I do Iustice and worke righteousnesse Answer For the doing of it wee must remember to practice these rules that follow 1. That which is both the word of God and the rule of Nature We must do to all men as we would they should do vnto vs this is the Law and the Prophets saith our Sauiour Christ Now the square for all our actions must be the word of God and Gods word giues this directiō Do thou to thy neighbor as thou in thy reason cōscience thinkest he should do to thee if thou wert in his case and he in thine The 2. rule is that which Paul teacheth vs saying Giue vnto euery man that which is their duty tribute to whom tribute belongeth c. That which Gods word our cōscience the wholesome lawes of the realme binde vs vnto that wee must giue vnto euery man The 3. rule is this Euery man within the compasse of his calling must not onely intend and labour for his owne good but for the common good in that Church and common wealth wherein he liueth The blinde would out of their carnall mindes haue learned this for a rule Euery man for himselfe and God for vs all and this is many a mans practice hee will labour diligently in his calling but all is for himselfe But he that propoundeth onely this end in his calling to benefit himself alone dealeth vniustly both towards the Church and common wealth in which he liueth who ought to haue a part of his care with himselfe The 4. rule is taught vs also by S. Paul Defraud or oppress no man in any matter This rule concerneth our manner of dealing in cōmon affairs In all our traffick bargains as we would benefit our selues so wee must seeke to benefit those with whom wee deale This rule is very necessary to be learned for this is the cōmon practice of men in their traffique To vse all meanes whereby they may defraud others so that they get vnto themselues they care not how it come But in the feare of God let vs remember that the practice of iustice to which wee are all bound standeth in this that we defraud or oppresse no man in any thing And thus much of this second fruit of their faith The third fruit effect of these mens faith is this They obtained the promises By promises we must not vnderstand the maine promise cōcerning the Messias comming for that they obtained not as yet for as it appears v. 39 they receiued not that promise for Christ was not incarnate in their time But by Promises are here meant certaine speciall particular promises made vnto them alone and not common to all so that the meaning of these words is this They obtained the benefit and accomplishment of those particular promises that God made vnto them This effect is specially to be vnderstood of Cale◠and Dauid for Cale◠entred into the land of Canaan and there enioyed his possession according to Gods promise made vnto him Ios. 14. So Dauid had a particular promise made vnto him that he should be king ouer Israel this he long waited for and resting herein he was not onely anointed King but in due time actually made King ouerall Israell Whereas these worthy men by faith obtained these promises Hereby wee may bee directed to see the true cause why after so long preaching of the word and often receiuing of the sacraments men reape so little profit especialally considering that God hath made a promise of grace and saluation by meanes of his word and sacraments Hence therefore wee must learne that the word of God preached and the sacraments receiued are vnprofitable not because God altereth his will having promised his blessing in these meanes for herein the will of God is vnchangeable but the cause is the great measure of vnbeleefe in those which heare and receiue They therefore profit not because they receiue them without faith For howsoeuer men say they haue faith yet the workes of their lyues and their estate in sinne after long hearing shew plainely they haue none at all Take a vessell that is close stopped and cast it into a riuer or into the sea yet it receiues no water because it hath no place of entrance Euen so bring a man that wants faith to the word and sacraments wherein God hath promised the fulnesse of his grace yet he receiues none because his heart is closed vp through vnbeleefe This is it which makes the heart like a stopped vessell which hath no entrance for Gods grace Wee therfore in the feare of God must labour to haue our hearts purged from this vnbeleefe
fiue foolish virgins did but get the oyle of grace into the vessels of our hearts Knowledge in the word is a coÌ„mendable thing but not sufficieÌ„t to make vs stand in the day of triall We therfore must labour for true sauing graces especially for this to haue our hearts rooted and grounded in the loue of God through faith whereby we are assured that God is our father in Christ and Iesus Christ our redeemer and the holy Ghost our comforter and sanctifier This assurance of faith will stablish our hearts in all estates come life come death wee neede not feare for nothing shall be able to separate vs from this loue of God in Christ Iesus And thus much of the coherence of this verse with the former Now to the words Others also were racked c. Heere the holy Ghost begins to propound the fruites of faith for which this last ranke of beleeuers are commended vnto vs. And they are not such famous exploites as the former but nine seuerall kindes of sufferings vnto all which wee must remember to apply this clause by faith from the 33 verse as thus Through faith they endured racking mocking and so for all the rest Out of these effects in generall wee may learne two things First a singular fruite of faith for which it is heere so highly commended in this last ranke of examples to wit that by it the childe of GOD is enabled to beare whatsoeuer the Lord shall lay vpon him The torments wherewith mans body may be afflicted are manie and terrible and yet be they neuer so many nor so terrible true sauing faith will make the childe of GOD to beare them all for the honour of Christ. The effects of faith before set downe were many and singular but vndoubtedly this strength of patience which it giueth vnder the greatest torments for Christes sake is one of the principall This Paul doth notably testifie in this profession Romanes chapter 8. verses 38 39. I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor Angelles nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall bee able to separate vs from the loue of GOD which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. Oh singular power of faith which so firmely vnites the beleeuer vnto Christ that no torments in the world no not all the power of Satan and his Angels can separate them asunder Question How doth faith worke this indissoluble power in cleauing vnto Christ Answere After this manner It is the property of faith to perswade the conscience of Gods loue and fauour in Christ and vpon this perswasion the heart begins to loue God againe Now by this loue doth faith worke and make a man able to beare all torments that can be inflicted for religions sake for Loue suffereth all things 1. Cor. 13.7 euen that loue wherewith one man loueth another how much more then shall this loue wherewith we loue God in Christ make vs to suffer any thing for his names sake Hence it is that loue is said to be strong as death and the coales therof are fierie coales and a vehement flame yea much water cannot quench loue neither can the flouds drowne it that is grieuous persecutions and torments cannot extinguish the same Nay such is the power of loue to GOD when it is feruent that it makes a man so zealous of Gods glory that if there were no other way to glorifie God than by sufferings the childe of God would rather yeeld himselfe to endure the torments of the damned than suffer God to lose his glory This wee may see in Paul Rom. 9.3 I would wish my selfe saith he to be separate from Christ for my brethren that are my kinsmen according to the flesh that is the Israelites meaning for the aduancement of Gods glory in their calling and saluation Such zeale likewise we may see in Moses for thinking that God should lose his glory if the Israelites were destroyed he prayes the Lord to pardon their sinne But if thou wilt not then saith hee raze me out of the booke which thou hast written This being the fruite of faith To make a man able and willing to suffer any thing for Christs sake we must heereby be moued to labour for true faith for tribulation may come nay some affliction will come on euery childe of God more or lesse Now without faith wee shall neuer be able to glorifie God vnder the crosse The iust must liue by faith in this estate Heb. 10.38 as here they endure racking burning hewing asunder c. and all by faith Secondly out of all these sufferings heere endured by faith note the minde and disposition of vngodly men towards Gods Church and people they are most bitterly bloudily bent against them for here they put in execution vpon Gods children whatsoeuer cruelty the diuell could suggest into their hearts And this hath beene their disposition and behauiour not onely before Christes incarnation but also euer since as may appeare by the manifolde strange tortures deuised against Christians in the Primitiue Church and both then and since inflicted vpon them Beholde it in the Church of Rome especially in their late Inquisition whereby beside the cruell racking of the conscience by vniust inquiries they put the Protestants to most cruell torments The consideration of this cruell disposition in the wicked against the godly is of speciall vse First it proues vnto vs that the religion which by Gods mercy we professe contained in the bookes of the olde and new Testament is no politique deuice of man but the sacred ordinance of the euerliuing God For if it were the inuention of man it would so fit their humour and accord with their nature that generally it would be loued and embraced and not one of an hundred would mislike it But we see it is generally detested This Sect is euery where spoken against Acts 28.22 naturall men reiect it and persecute it and the professours of â—t vnto the death This they doe because true religion is contrary to their nature as light is to darknesse and condemnes those wayes and courses which they best like of This reason shall iustifie true religion to be Gods owne ordinance euen to the conscience of the worldly Atheist his diuellish malice against it proues Gods diuine truth to be in it Secondly doe the wicked hate the godly because of their religion and profession then on the contrary wee must learne to loue religion because it is religion and the professours of it for their professions sake This is Christs instruction to loue a disciple because he is a disciple Mat. 10. Indeede wee must loue all men but especially those that embrace the Gospell of Christ and be of the housholde of faith for all such are brethren hauing one Father which is God and brethren ought to loue one another But alas this lesson is not learned for the world generally is giuen to mocking and scoffing
whereof wee must all labour diligently aboue all other things to get true faith in Christ that so we may haue approbation at Gods hands without which there is no saluation to be hoped for Secondly here also learne the right way to get testimony approbation and credit with men a thing whereof many are exceeding glad and which the childe of God must not contemne Now the way is this He must first labour to get approbation at GODs hands which indeede hee cannot doe any other way saue onely by a true and liuely faith as wee haue heard before Now the Lord God approouing of him hee hath the hearts of all men in his hands inclining them whither hee will and if it doth stand with his glory hee will cause them to like and to speake well of him that doth beleeue Many indeede get great applause in the world which little regard true faith but in the ende this their glory and applause will be their shame for They that honour me will I honour saith the Lord but he that despiseth me shal be despised 1. Sam. 2.30 Lastly whereas the holy Ghost saith That all these worthy men obtained testimony of God and yet receiued not the promise We are hereby taught that we which now liue in the Church are much more bound in conscience to beleeue than they that liued in the old Testament For wee haue receiued the promise of Christs incarnation They receiued it not and yet beleeued Wherefore in the feare of God let vs labour for true faith But some wil say What should we heare so much of faith we do all beleeue Answ. Indeed we say so much with our mouthes but it is a rare thing to finde true and sound faith in the heart for grosâ—e and palpable ignorance abounds euery where and yet men wil needs be good beleeuers which is a thing impossible for how should faith be without knowledge And as men are ignorant so they haue no care to learne nor to get knowledge that so they might come by true faith Their hearts are wholly takeÌ„ vp with the world for matters of profit and delight that they can spare no time to seeke for this pretious gift of faith Againe many haue knowledge with whom true faith is rare for faith purifies the heart it is ioyned with a good conscience and shewes it selfe by obedience through loue Now to leaue the heart to God where almost is the man that walkes answerable to his knowledge May we not truely say of many that as the word commeth in at the one eare it goeth out at the other And among those which learne and beare away something there is little care to practice it in life But wee must knowe that if wee would be approoued of God wee must beleeue Now so long as wee remaine ignorant or else hauing knowledge doe not ioyne practice therewith in obedience from a good conscience vndoubtedly we haue no sparke of true faith in vs. Wee may make a shewe of faith and so beare the world in hand we beleeue but certainely this will prooue a very dead faith and in the ende and finishing of all appeare to bee nothing but bare lip-faith and meere presumption Now to conclude this point we must know that vnlesse wee get true faith as these beleeuers had which wee must shewe by good fruits as they did euen they shall rise vp in iudgemeÌ„t against vs to condemne vs at the last day For they beleeued though they had not the ground of faith so laid before them as we haue Wherefore let them that want knowledge labour for it and they which haue it let them ioyne obedience with their knowledge that the faith of their hearts may be seene by the fruits of their liues for true faith cannot bee hid but will breake out in good workes VERSE 40. God prouiding a better thing for vs that they without vs should not be made perfect BEcause some man might much maruel that such men as receiued testimony of God for their faith should not yet receiue the promise therefore here the holy Ghost renders a reason thereof to wit the good pleasure of God appointing that Christ should bee incarnate at such a time as was most conuenient for the perfect consummation of the whole Church consisting of Gentiles as well as Iewes For though these ancient beleeuers were in time long before vs yet God prouided Christs incarnation so fitly for vs that they without vs should not haue perfect consummation in glory The Exposition God prouiding a better thing for vs. The word in the originall translated prouiding signifieth properly foreseeing wherein is likewise included Gods decree and ordination Now this we must knowe that it is a peculiar prerogatiue belonging to the true God alone to be able to foresee things to come and that many thousand years before no creature of himselfe can doe it And yet it is true that this propertie to foresee is ascribed vnto God not properly but in regard of our capacitie for if we speake of God properly God cannot be said to foresee any thing because all things bee present to him whether past or to come This prescience or foreknowledge in God puts a difference betweene the true God and all false gods yea betweene the true God and all creatures for the true God foresees all things that are to come so can no creature doe Indeed some creatures foresee and foretell some things yet herein they come short of the diuine property for God foresees all things by himselfe without signes or causes or outward meanes But creatures onely foresee some things not of themselues but by meanes of signes and outward causes or by reuelation from God otherwise can no creature foresee things to come Now as we said before this fore-sight in God includes his decree and ordination for therefore did these things so come to passe because God ordained them Whereby we see that Gods prescience of fore-knowledge is not idle but operatiue and ioyned with his will for Math. 10.29 30 an haire cannot fall from our head nor a sparrow light vpon the ground without his will As all things in time come to passe so God before all worlds willed that is decreed and appointed them And vnder this large extent of Gods will or decree wee must include the sinnefull actions of men for God doth not barely foresee them but decree the beeing of them and so will them after a sort though not to be done by himselfe yet by others When Iudas betrayed Christ and Pilate with the wicked Iewes condemned and reuiled him they sinned grieuously yet herein they did nothing but that which Gods hand and counsell had determined before to be done This point well considered confutes their opinion who indeed inlarge Gods prescience or fore knowledge ouer all things both good and euill but yet exclude sin from without the compasse of his decree and ordination But here we see Gods foresight includes his decree and nothing
words and promises God spake plainly and deceaued not Abraham and after at the time performed it So must we deale plainely and simply in our words and bargaines and thinke that to deceiue and ouer-reach by craftie words and double meanings and equiuocall phrases are not beseeming Christianity And we must make conscience of a lie else we are like the diuell and not God Also a Christian man must take heede what how and to whom he promiseth but hauing promised he must performe though it be losse or harme to himselfe if it be not wrong to God or to the Church or State Wrong to himselfe must not hinder him from performance Christian mens words must not be vaine they should be as good as bonds though I know it is lawfull and very conuenient in regard of mortality to take such kind of assurances Lastly Abraham had the promise his seed should bee so Gen. 15.8 And here we see it is so but he himself saw it not so that Abraham had the promise and we the performance So Adam had the promise of the Messias but wee see it performed The Patriarkes and Prophets the promise of the calling of the Gentiles but we see it performed See heere the glory of the Church vnder the New Testament aboue the olde This must teach vs to be so much better then they as God is better to vs then hee was to them and to excell them in faith and all other vertues of holinesse or else their faith and their holy obedience shall turne to our greater condemnation which haue had so farre greater cause to beleeue and obey God and so farre better means than they Which if it be so then alas what will become of them who come behinde them nay haue no care to followe them in their faith nor holinesse nor any duties of holy obedience Thus much for the Example of this holy womans faith and of the commendation thereof Now before he come to any more particular examples of faith the holy Ghost giues a generall commendation of the faith of all those ioyntly which are spoken of already VERSE 13. All these died in faith and receiued not the promises but saw them afarre off and beleeued them and receiued them thankefully and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrimes on the earth HItherto the Holy Ghost hath particularly commended the faith of diuers holy beleeuers Now from this verse to the 17. hee doth generally commend the faith of Abraham Sarah Isaac and Iaacob together yet not so much their faith as the durance and constancy of their faith Particularly the points are two 1. Is laid downe their constancy and continuance All these died in faith 2. That constancy is set fourth by foure effects 1. They receiued not the promises but saw them afarre off 2. They beleeued them 3. Receiued them thankefully 4. Professed themselues strangers and pilgrimes on the earth The first point touching these beleeuers is that as they begun so they held on as they liued so they died in faith All these died in faith The trueth of the matter in the words may be referred to all afore going sauing Enoch who died not yet he continued also constant in his faith and in that faith was taken vp but as for Abel and Noah they died in faith Yet I take it that principally and directly the holy Ghost intended no more than these foure I named and my reason is because the particular effects in this verse and the points whereby this their constaÌ„cy is amplified in the three verses followwing adoe all agree especially with these foure and not so properly with Abel or Noah so that I take he meaneth by all these all these men that liued in the second world since the flood All these died in faith that is in assurance that the promises made vnto them should bee performed in Gods good time These promises were principally these two 1. Saluation by the Messias 2. The possession of the Land of Canaan In this faith they died that is they held it through all asâ—aults and temptations to the contrary euen to the last gaspe and died therein In this their practice is commended vnto vs a most worthy lesson of Christianitie namely that wee must so liue that we may die in faith Many say they liue in faith and it is well if they doe so but the maine point is to die in faith There is none so ill but howsoeuer he liues yet hee would die well If hee would die well hee must die in faith For miserable is the death that is without faith And herein faith and hope differ from other graces of God Loue ioy zeale holinesse and all other graces are imperfect here and are perfected in heauen but faith and hope are perfected at our deaths they are not in the other world for there is nothing then to be beleeued nor hoped for seeing we then doe inioy all things but as they are begunne in our life at our regeneration so they be made perfect when wee die and they shine most gloriously in the last and greatest combate of all which is at the houre of death So that the death of a Christian which is the gate to glory is to die in faith Besides as life leaues vs death finds vs and as death leaues vs the last iudgement finds vs and as it leaues vs so wee continue for euer and euer without recouerie or alteration Now to die in faith is to die in an assured estate of glory and happinesse which is that that euery man desireth therfore as we all desire it so let vs die in faith and we shal attaine vnto it Saint Paul tels vs 1. Corinth 15.55 Death is a terrible serpent for he hath a poisoned sting Now when we die we are to encounter with this hideous and fearefull serpent He is fearefull euery way but especially for his sting that sting is our sinne and this sting is not taken away nor the force of it quenched but by true faith which quencheth all the fierie darts of the diuell Ephes. 6. If therefore wee would bee able to encounter with this great enemie in the conquering of whom who stands our happinesse and by whom to be conquered is our eternall miserie wee must then so arme our selues with faith that wee may die in faith for hee that dieth in faith that faith of his kils his sinnes and conquers death but he that dieth without faith death and sin seize on him and his sinnes liue for euer and his miserie by them Now if we would die in faith we must liue in faith else it is not to be expected For so these holy Patriarchs liued long in this faith wherein they died For their holy liues shewed plainely that they liued in that faith which the Apostle saith doth purifie our hearts Act. 15.9 Now if wee would liue in true faith the meanes to attaine it set downe by Gods word are these First wee must labour to get knowledge of
the fundamentall points of religion of God of the Creation the Fall the immortalitie of the Soule the two Couenants of workes by the Lawe of Grace by the Mediator and such other substantiall points touching God his Word Sacraments Law Gospel Praier good Workes c. as the Scriptures and the Creeds and Catechismes out of the scripture doe yeeld vnto vs. Herein the case of the common people of all nations is miserable In Poperie their Clergie is so fat and full they will not In our Churches the Ministerie a great part of it so poore and ill prouided for they cannot teach Betwixt both the people of the world do perish for lacke of knowledge for how can they but perish that die not in faith How can they die so that liue not in faith And how can they euer haue faith that haue no knowledge seeing knowledge is the foundation of faith Therefore it needes the helpe of those that may and the praiers of all that our Church may haue Teachers and our people Catechisers for without learning the Catechisme it is impossible to learne religion Secondly when wee haue got knowledge and so laid the foundation then must we learne the promises of God for saluation and we must hide them in our hearts as the Iewels of life and saluation We must beleeue them to be true and effectuall to all that will take hold of them and wee our selues must therefore take hold of them and apply them to our soules Thirdly after both these wee must conforme our selues throughout heart and life vnto the holy lawes of God we must leaue all bad waies and vngodly courses though they be neuer so deare vnto vs or so commoÌ„ in the world and must make conscience of all sinne and endeauour to doe all duties to God and man The first of these is the ground of faith the second is faith it selfe the last the fruit and effect of it and an assured testimony of it to God to his Church and to a mans owne conscience And to doe these three things is to walke in the olde and holy way consecrated by Christs blood and troden in by all the holy Fathers and Popery nor any other religion can appoint so â—aâ—e so sure nor so direct a way Thus liued Abraham Sarah Isaac and Iaacob and after this course they died in faith and now liue in glory and so shall we with them if wee will liue in faith as they did but else we may long looke for heauen before wee come there Indeed God can make a man that liued not in faith die in faith but the matter is not what he can doe but what is his ordinary course that is this They that liue in faith die in faith Therfore let vs take the ordinary course and repent and turne betimes and liue the life of faith and leaue late repentance to them that thinke it but a sport to venture a soule that course may speed but this course is sure to speed he that liues in sin may happe to die in faith but he that liues in faith is sure to die in faith and to liue in glory for euer Secondly obserue how it is said All these died in faith not some but all Abraham the father and the roote and with him the wife the child and the grand-child behold a true noble blood a holy kinred a blessed generation worthy is Abraham of all the honour hee hath who was the roote of such a noble and blessed brood And worthy are Isaac and Iaacob of so good a father who stained not their blood by forsaking their faith but held it as they receiued it and liued and died in it Let this teach vs first if we bee fathers to shine before our children in a holy religion true faith and good life and it is great hope that our wiues and children will follow vs in the same Secondly if wee be sonnes to looke which of our fore-fathers and auncestors imbraced the most holy religion and to choose and liue and die in their faith Most of our yong Papists can say no more for their religion but this my father and grand-father were of that religion But they must looke to all their fore-fathers Isaac and Iaacob would not be of their great grand-fathers Nahors or Terahs religion but of their father Abrahams and Abraham himselfe would not be of his father Terahs or his grand father Nahors religion but he went vp a great deale higher to his fore-fathers to the tenth generation Noah and Shem and imbraced their religion So that we see it is nothing to say I am of my fathers or grand-fathers religion vnlesse first I prooue that theirs was of God and then hee is a Noble Christian man which knowing that will not forsake it but will liue and die in it Thirdly see here true honour and gentry is to liue and die in the true faith and holy religion of our auncestors here is the fountaine of honour to doe as these did Abraham perceiues he is wrong and erred with his fathers hee therefore leaues his fathers and grand-fathers religion goeth vp higher and takes a better Isaac his sonne makes himselfe heire not of his land alone but of his fathers religion also Iaacob the grand-childe follows both and dieth in faith with them Behold here Iaacob a true gentleman in blood his holinesse and religion is in the third descent Let vs all learne to adorne our gentilitie and nobilitie with these ensignes of true honour And let all them that shame to staine their blood by treasons or misdemeanors shame also to let their forefathers religion holinesse or vertues faile in them but let them all so liue in them that with Iaacob they may die in their fathers faith Lastly obserue how it is said they died in faith they afore liued in it but now their principall commendation is they died in it Let vs learne here to hold on in a good course when we haue entred into it for constancy and continuance is the true commendatioÌ„ he that dieth in faith is he that receiues the crowne To this ende let vs stirre vp our selues with the Apostles exhortation Galath 6.9 Let vs not be weary of well doing for in due time we shall reape if wee faint not And further let this teach vs all to choose that faith to liue in with these holy Patriarchs that wee may boldly die in It is a true obseruation that Poperie is a good religion to liue in but ours to die in The Papists vsurpe this saying and turne it the contrary way but they haue as much right to it as the thiefe to the true mans purse The liberty the pardons dispensations sanctuaries the pompe and outward glory of their Church and their fasting outward austerities beeing fowle and fained hypocrisies and indeede open licentiousnesse these and many things more may allure any naturall man in the world to liue in their religion but when they come to die then