of the sea yet shall but a remnant bee saved The Atheists erre also who say Non est Deut There is no God no Divell no heaven no hell contrary to that of our Saviour Goe yee cursed into everlasting Hell fire The Lucianists and Epicures erre who place all happinesse in Mat. 25. 34. 41. the pleasures of this life contrary to that of the Apostle If in this life only we have hope in Christ wee are of all men the most miserable 1 Cor. 15. 19. The Philosophers and Pagans erre who define felicity to be the abundance of riches joyned with vertue and not the fruition of God in Christ Iesus contrary to that of our Saviour This is life Iohn 17. 3. eternall to know thee the only true God and Iesus Christ whom thou hast sent this indeed is felicity this is happinesse The Pepâ—sians erre who say that the heavenly Ierusalem is in this earth contrary to that of Paul who saith Ierusalem which is above is free which is the Gal. 4. 26. mother of us all The Origenists erre who say that the Divels shall bee saved contrary to Math. 15. The Chiliasts or Millinaries erre who say that Gods Kingdome shall last but a thousand yeeres contrary to that of the Apostle which saith That wee shall be ever 1 Thess 4. 17. with the Lord and indeed there shall never bee end of this life it shall be eternall eternall not in respect of beginning but in respect of ending it shall continue for ever and unto this end Paul saith That Christ hath abolished death and brought life of immortality 2 Tim. 1. 10. unto light by the Gospell they that have an entrance into this life shall never see end of it Suppose that the whole world were a Sea and every hundred yeeres expired a bird must drinke up one drop of it in processe of time it would come to Heaven set out by comparison of the Wombe and World passe that this huge Sea shall bee dryed up but yet many millions of yeeres must bee passed before this were done Now if a man should injoy this happy life but for the space of time in which the Sea is drying up hee would thinke his case most happy and blessed but behold the Saints shall injoy this happie life not onely for that time but for ever it is an everlasting life wee shall never see end thereof And as for the glory and happinesse of this life the quantity and quality may bee gathered from the situation of the place for Coelum Empyreum is higher than all the Heavens for Paul nameth it the third Heaven and it is called The Land of the living as if 2 Cor. 12. Psal 27. the Land which we now inhabit were a Land of dead men indeed We be dead but our life is hid with Christ in God Now if in this Col. 3. 3. Region of dead men the creatures bee so noble precious what are they in Heaven in terra viventium in the land of the living In this land of the dead behold the greatnesse of the Heavens the brightnesse of the Stars the beautie of the Earth the plainenesse of the fields the highnesse of the Mountaines the greatnesse of the Vallies the Flouds and Rivers running like the veines in a mans body Si omnia haec in terra mortuorum if all these things bee in the land of the dead what shall bee in the Land of the living Againe wee know that there bee three places in this life the first is the Wombe the second the World the third Heaven betweene these places there is a proportion For Heaven is so much greater than the World as the World is greater than the Wombe and the more excellent as well for continuance of time as greatnesse of place As touching continuance of time the first life is no longer than nine moneths the second life is fourescore yeeres the third is infinite and eternall Furthermore the diversity of dwellers in Heaven and Earth doe notably set forth unto us the difference of these two places Haec terra plena peccatorum this Earth is full of sinners 2 Pet. 3. 13. illa justorum that of just and righteous men for there dwelleth righteousnesse this of Men that of Angels for there are a company of innumerable Angels here penitents inhabit there such as have their sinnes forgiven them doe dwell Here men Hebr. 12. 22. militant there men triumphant here friends and enemies there friends onely and the elect If the inhabitants doe so differ how much doe the places differ There God shall be fulnesse of light to the understanding abundance of Peace to the Will Bern. continuance of eternitie to the Memory there the wisedome of Salomon shall bee ignorance the beautie of Absolon deformity the strength of Samson debility the treasure and wealth of Princes povertie Cur ergo in Aegypto haeremus Why doe we still sticke and stay in Aegypt Why doe wee not goe the direct way to Canaan Why feed we of acornes and not of the Tree of Eternall life the gift of God through Christ Life Why drinke wee of broken Cysternes and not of the waters of life If wee had but a little sight of this Heavenly Ierusalem wee would despise Babylon for in Heaven wee shall see God and bee equall with the Angels there wee shall partake of so great joyes as no Geometrician can measure so many as no Arithmetician can number and so wonderfull as no Rhetorician can utter had hee the tongue both of Men and Angels O ineffabilis delectatio O unspeakeble delight where God is their object a looking glasse for their eyes musicke for their eares hony for their taste sweet balsome for their smell a posie of all delights for their Heavenly hands Seeing then that there bee such and wee looke for such things Let us bee diligent to bee found of him in peace without spot and blamelesse 2 Pet. 3. 4. But to proceed As hee would have them to looke for eternall life so here he telleth them how they shall come by it namely by Christ for eternall life is the gift of God and commeth of meere mercy not of any desert of ours we never brought stone to this building The builder and worker is God we never brought one dish to this baÌ„ket Omnia parata sunt all things are ready we never spun 2 Cor. 5. 1. Mat. 22. one thread of this garment the garment is Christ alone therefore wee are willed to put on the Lord Iesus wee never deserved Rom. 13. 14. the least drop of the joyes of Heaven we be servi inutiles unprofitable Luk. 17. 10. servants Et quid possunt inutiles servi mereri nisi flagellum And what can unprofitable seruants deserve but the whip Quaeris merita quoth Aug. non invenies nisi poenam Doest thou seeke Merit thou shalt finde nothing but punishment if we stand at Aug. the
AN EXPLANATION OF THE GENERALL Epistle of Saint Iude. Delivered in one and forty SERMONS by that Learned Reverend and faithfull Servant of Christ Master SAMVEL OTES Parson of Sowthreps in Norfolke Preached in the Parish Church of Northwalsham in the same County in a publike Lecture And now published for the benefit of Gods Church by SAMVEL OTES his sonne Minister of the Word of God at MARSHAM 2 PET. 1. 15. I will endevour alwayes that ye also may be able to have remembrance of these things after my departing PROV 13. 9. The light of righteousnesse shineth more and more but the candle of the wicked shall bee put out PROV 13. 13. He that despiseth the Word shall be destroyed but hee that feareth the commandement shall be rewarded LONDON Printed by Elizabeth Purslow for Nicholas Bourne and are to be sold at his Shop at the South Entrance of the ROYALL EXCHANGE 1633. TO THE RELIGIOVS AND RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL Knight and Baronet Sir IOHN HOBERT of Blickling Deputy Lieutenant and High Sheriffe of the Country of Norfolke SAMVEL OTES wisheth all felicity here and eternall salvation hereafter Right VVorshipfull THese Sermons of my Fathers upon Saint Iude Right worshipfull Sir after that once I was perswaded for Sions sake to have them printed I thought good to dedicate them to your worthy selfe as Saint Luke dedicated his Gospell to Theophilus so I to you another Theophilus a true lover of God and of his Word so right honestly affected to Doctrine and Religion that your Comportment in Gods Church and in all your courses and in all good causes perswades the Countrey your Pietie and Devotion to bee unfained The causes why I present them unto you are these First the true respect you merit from all them who professe Learning Secondly the many excellent gifts worthy of much commendations in your selfe Thirdly that my Father whom God hath taken to his Mercy was sometime Chaplaine to my late Honourable good Lord your Father who now resteth with God his body being layd up in peace and his memory with good men precious and one of the first Chaplaines that ever he entertained Lastly to testifie my owne engagement you being my worthy Patron humbly desiring that as you succeeded your Honourable Father in his Vertues so I may succeed my Father in your favours Touching these Sermons upon Iude the naturall sense thereof is so clearely opened and the Doctrines arising so powerfully applied and enforced and all manner of sinne so reproved that I doubt not but Gods Church and People shall hence reape much benefit which was the Authors onely intent in the exercise of his Ministery But it becommeth not mee to say much they are exposed to publique viewe and as mens eyes shall bee upon them so my prayer to God shall bee that their hearts may be informed and reformed by them For my part I intend especially though I bee of all men most unworthy to bee an instrument herein to further Christs Kingdom which if it may I have my desire howsoever I shall leave it to the blessing of God and your worthy Patronage Now the God of all consolation according to the riches of his Mercy blesse you with the Honorable good Lady your Wife your hopefull Children and whole Familie with all externall internall and eternall blessings of his Spirit that all your actions may bee prosperous your troubles few your comforts many your life long your death blessed your election sure and your salvation certaine Amen Your Worships in all Christian offices to command Samuel Otes Minister of the Word of God at Marsham in Norfolke TO THE GODLY AND Well-affected Reader whosoever COurteous Reader I am bold at the length to present to thy view these Sermons of my Fathers upon the Epistle of Saint Iude which though in this Learned age among so many excellent and accurate Sermons and Treatises it may seeme presumption to publish yet in this sinfull age I thought they might proove most usefull for the beating downe of sinne and convincing the consciences and converting the soules of sinners there being not many of this kinde for though knowledge abound and learning florish and most desire to have their understanding informed and affections pleased yet true godlines and righteousnes is dayly decaying and few desire to have their lives reformed though they have the forme of godlines yet they have denied the power thereof and though they professe they know God yet in their works they deny him Which this man of God considering did bend all his labour and learning to the beating downe of sinne and building up in vertue and saving knowledge wherein how powerfull and prevalent hee was thou mayst ghesse by these Sermons tanquam ex ungue leonem Concerning himselfe his learning life c. It is not meete I should say much seeing I may seeme to speake partially out of affection yet I hope I may without blame give testimony to that truth which all that knew him will acknowledge namely that hee was a faithfull labourer in the worke of the Lord a workeman that needed not to bee ashamed a burning and a shining light burning with zeale shining both by divine Doctrine and godly conversation Burning so as he consumed himselfe to give light to others and shining not onely before his Parochiall charge where hee lived and exercised his Ministery being as an Augustine Sowthreps in Norfolke to that Hyppo a Polycarpe to that Smyrna but the whole Country so as they all knew him a faithfull Samuel a learned laborious and godly Preacher who did empty himselfe to fill others and did waste and consume his strength to instruct the flocke committed to his charge Neither was the lustre of his light confined in that Parish or Country wherein hee lived but shined further into other parts of this Kingdome so as three very Godly and Eminent Persons in this State worthy instruments of Gods glory florishing in their time with many excellent graces and vertues on earth and now all shining glorious Saints in Heaven did take notice of him and did successively entertaine him Chaplaine namely Sir Francis Walshingham Secretary to the State Sir Iohn Popham Lord-Chiefe-Iustice of England and Sir Henry Hobart Knight and Baronet Lord Chiefe-Iustice of the Common Pleas all which notwithstanding hee continued so lowly in his owne eyes and so zealous in his Function as hee neither carelesly nor ambitiously left his Cure to seeke other preferment But having at any time performed his due observance to those Honorable Persons according as hee was engaged hee presently returned to his accustomed weekely and almost daily taske of preaching for his heart was so inflamed with the zeale of Gods glory and yet so ballanced with the feare of God and true humility that neither the learning nor graces that were in his owne heart nor the lustre and grace he had with other did puffe him up with price and this humility and lowlines in his owne eyes Magna
Lord indureth for ever and ever upon them that feare him c. This made Paul to say Who shall separate me from the Love exceeds all other vertues love of God shall tribulation or anguish or persecution or famine or nakednesse or perill or sword I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate Rom. 8. 35. 37 38. us from the love of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. Malitia nostra finem habet Our malice hath an end but Gods love hath not our malice is finite but his love infinite As a drop of water to the whole Sea so are our sinnes in regard of the love of God his love is so great as it cannot be measured so much as it cannot be numbred so precious that it cannot be valued so large and long that it cannot be ended the bredth and length the height and depth of his love all the tongues of men and of Angels cannot utter As Iude wisheth unto them the love of God so hee wisheth them also mutuall love whereby we love one another he meaneth both these loves in this place Mutuall Love is a chiefe and principall vertue Faith and Love the one with God and the other with men be as the roote and the branch as the mother and the daughter as the foundation and pillars of all Christian building the end of all is Love the end of the first table is the Love of God the end of the second table is the love of man so saith the Apostle The end of the Commandements is Love out of a pure heart out of a good conscience and 1 Tim. 1. 5. Gal. 5. 22. Exod. 16. Iudg. 6. out of a faith unfained Paul reckoning up the fruits of the Spirit nameth Loue first as the Gentleman-usher to goe before all For as Manna excelled all bread as Aarons rod did eate up all the rods of the sorcerers as Gedeons sword passed all the swords of the Madianites so love passeth all other vertues all our debts should stand in love Owe nothing to any man but this that yee love Rom. 13. 8. Num. 14. Iohn 2. one another our debtes were sooner paid and our executors but smally troubled if this were of this debt wee cannot bee discharged so long as we live The journey of the Israelites was ended in forty yeares Herods Temple was finished in six and forty 1 Iohn 4. 7 8. 16. yeares Noahs Arke was perfected in an hundred and twentie yeares but this debt is never ended Let us therefore love one another For love commeth of God and every one that loveth is borne of God and knoweth God he that loveth not knoweth not God but he that dwelleth in Love dwelleth in God and God in him S. Peter naming 2 Pet. 1. 5. 7. many vertues maketh up the measure and ends in Love Ioine saith he vertue with your faith and with vertue knowledge and with knowledge temperance and with temperance patience and with patience godlinesse and with godlinesse brotherly kindnesse Love This vertue above all is as the hoope or faggot bond that keepeth all close Therefore let me exhort you with the Apostle Above all Col. 3. 14. things put on love which is the bond of perfectnesse As the Sunne giveth light to all planets as salt seasoneth all meates as the Moone ruleth over the Sea and all moist bodies as the rod of the tribe of Levi passed in honour all other tribes So love passeth Little love to be found on earth all qualities in men therefore let us follow after Love and let us not give over till we have overtaken her Love is as the apple-tree of Persia which buddeth and blossometh and beareth fruit every moneth Now abideth faith hope and Numb 17. 1 Cor. 14. 1. 1 Cor. 13. love but the chiefe of these is love It lasteth longer like a pillar of salt it reacheth further it profiteth more among men Faith flieth up to heaven Love is occupied below on earth Faith wrastleth above with the promises of God Love is busied in good workes as Faith is with God Paul prayeth for it in respect of the scantnesse and excellency of it For Charitas laudatur alget Aug. de eivitate Dei lib. 14. c. 7. yet diligi non potest Deus sine proximo nec proximus sine Deo qui proximum amare negligit Deum diligere nescit England is as the Land of Canaan wee have corne cattell flesh Psal 65. 11. Iudg. 1. 1 Sam. 13 1 Reg. 8. fish wooll cloath our vallies stand thicke with corne we have plenty of all things but of Love that is scant As in the dayes of Debora there was neither speare nor shield As in Saul his daies there was no Smith as in the dayes of Salomon there was no Manna to be found so in our dayes little or no Love When I behold the state of many townes me thinke I see Bulls Beares Lions Tigâ—es Wolves shut up as it were in an iron cage biting tearing renting and devouring one another view all Courts Assises Sessions Leets Law-dayes and you shall see there is no difference betwixt us and the Corinthians but they went to law under Infidels and wee under Christians 1 Cor. 6. Gal. 5. 15. We forget Pauls Caveat If yee bite and devoure one another take heed yee be not devoured one of another If there be an hundred men in a towne scarce two love together as they should We are divided into three companies like Labans sheep some white some blacke some speckled some Protestants some Papists some Neuters Nay even among Protestants there is hard agreement But God I hope will make us friends in heaven where al injuries shall be forgotten where are those noble pair of lovers David and Ionathan Who had but one soule Eusebius and Pamphilus Martyrs 1 Sam. 18. who had but one name Pilades and Orestes who had but one life Ruth 1. the one being dead the other died also Ruth and Naomi who had but one grave Basill and Nazianzen of whom it is said Anima una erat inclusa in duobus corporibus one soule was included in two bodies Mariage maketh two bodies one but love maketh two soules one yea many soules many bodies but one If an hundred love together it is but one heart as it is said of them of the primative Church That they had but one heart and one soule If a man hath an hundred friends that man is become as an hundred Act. 4. 32. men Nam amicus alter idem a friend is a second selfe Charitas Chrysost est res augmentativa There was a day when Herod and Pilate were made friends but that day I feare with many will never bee they are like the stone Asbestos found in Arcadia being once kindled is never
Give me riches take all the rest to thy selfe speaking unto the Divell Faith Hope Charitie body and soule and what thou wilt for many are cold in faith and many are utterly ignorant in the faith and regard no faith they are like Horse and Mule in whom is no understanding Psal 32. but are men Omnium horarum as one saith like the raine-bow of all colours like the Troianes tun to hold all liquors like the Israelites that cried haile King Salomon haile King Adonia So they have cried haile Queene Marie haile Queene Elizabeth they can live in all times for they can shift their sailes for all windes they regard no faith but are fit for all faiths all Princes yea for the Divel as the men of Calecut at this day they have two faces with Ianus two tongues with Iudas two hands with Ioab Psal 78. one to embrace withall the other to stabbe withall they have two hearts with Israel a double heart a heart and a heart Paul compareth a Christian to a husband-man to a wrestler to a souldier all which labour hard or else they get nothing No man that 2 Tim. 2. 4 5 6. warreth saith Paul entangleth himselfe with the affaires of this life because he would please him that hath chosen him to be a souldier if any man also strive for a masterie he is not crowned except he strive as he ought to doe the husbandman must labour before hee receive the fruites Such like similitudes he hath in another place know yee not that they which runne in a race runne all c. In this sense saith Salomon Buy 1 Cor. 9. 24 25. Prov. 23. 23. the truth purchase it redeeme it with the losse of all that thou hast But wee will give all gold and silver for lands but not a Ministers must maintaine true faith to death penny for Gods truth and Religion that ware is out of request So Christ saith Strive to enter in at the straite gate for many shall seeke to enter and shall not be able The Antithesis is betweene seeking and striving some seeke and have some cold desire but they Luk. 13. strive not Paul therefore calleth it The fight of faith and he 1 Tim. 6. 12. 2 Tim. 4. 7. Iude v. 9. 1 Pet. 5. 8. saith of himselfe I have fought a good fight I have kept the faith c. The Divell never so strove with Michael for Moses his body as he doth with us for faith therefore resist him in the faith Thus Ambrose said to Valentinian Prius animam quà m fidem auferes mihi ô Imperator O Emperour thou shalt first take away my life before my faith Hic hic occidite here here kill me and doe with me what 1 Reg. 21. thou wilt Si Naboth vineam patrum tradere noluit if Naboth would not depart from the vineyard of his Fathers Absit ut vineam Domini tradam God forbid that I should depart from the vineyard of the Lord So Ierome said to Ruffine Si veritas est causa discordiae mori possum tacere non possum If truth be the cause of discord and jarre I may dye but I may not hold my peace thus Chrysostome would not give place to Arcadius Eudoxia but went into exile and Calvin said in a like case to the Syndici of Geneva Exarescet hoc brachium prâ—â—squâ—m coenam Domini indigâ—iâ— praebere velim this arme of mine shall first wither before I will give the supper of the Lord to the unworthy Hemingius saith that there Libro de Pastorum is a foure-fold fight and a fourefold-flight in Ministers his words are these Quatuor modis sunt mercenarii cum se non apponunt Sophisticae tyrannidi flagitiis Hypocrisi exponant Sophisticae veram doctrinam seu fidem tuendo tyrannis tum voce tum precibus non adulando flagitiis ea accusando quartò hypocritis eorum larvam detrahendo Men become hirelings foure manner of wayes c. Quia tacuisti fugisti tacuisti quia timuisti because thou wert silent thou fled'st thou wert silent because thou fearedst Aug. Thirdly they must strive and that earnestly even strive unto death so saith the Wiseman Strive for the truth unto death and defend justice for thy life and the Lord God shall fight for thee against Eccles 4. 28. Esa 59. 4 5. 14. thine enemies God complaineth of the want of this saying No man calleth for justice no man contendeth for truth they trust in vanitie and speake vaine things they conceive mischiefe and bring forth iniquitie they hatch Cockatrice egges and weave the Spiders webbe he that eateth of the egges dieth and that which is troden upon breaketh out into a serpent therefore iudgement is turned backeward and iustice standeth farre off for truth is fallen in the streete and equitie cannot enter In Gods matters we must be earnest say Be strong and let us be valiant for our people 2 Sam. 10. 12. and for the Cities of our God and let the Lord doe that which is good in his eyes Even so let us fight for our God the Gospell and the sacraments of our God If every haire of our head were a life and every life as long as Methusalah's all are to be ventured for the faith of Gen. 5. our God every drop of blood must bee powred out So the Apostle telleth the Hebrewes yee have not yet resisted unto blood striving The earnestnesse of Idolaters must make us zealous against sinne yet had they striven much and long and therefore the Apostle telleth them that they had endured a great fight in afflictions partly whiles they were made a gazing stocke both by reproches and afflictions and partly while they became companions of them which were so tossed to and fro he putteth in Heb. 12. 4. this word Earnestly because of the adversaries that will so earnestly impugne it Who use their profession as Iehu used his chariot he drove as if he had beene madde who plead for Baal 2 Reg. 9. 20. as Crassus pleaded for Pompey who brake his sides and died within three dayes after for they are earnest in all errors The Israelites gave all their Iewels to make an Idoll a Golden Calfe The men Exod. 32. Ier. 44. 19. Act. 19. 1 Reg. 18. 28. Mat. 23. Levit. 20. in Ieremies time were at great cost and burnt incense to the Queene of heaven and powred out drinke offerings unto her made Cakes c. The Ephesians yelled together Great is Diana of the Ephesians Baals priests cried loud and cut themselves as their manner was with knives and Lancers till the blood gushed out upon them The Pharisies compasse Sea and Land to make one Proselyte The Canaanites burnt their children to Moloch The Pagans did eate Cyrils heart or liver with salt The Turkes in the service of their Mahomet on fridayes houle that yee may heare them 〈…〉 off The Aethiopians tread not
us unto an holy calling Not according to our workes but according to his owne purpose and grace which was given us through Christ Iesus before the World was It is true of all men that Christ said of his disciples non vos me elegistis yee have not chosen mee but I have chosen you yea God so preventeth us with his grace that hee findeth nothing past or to come whereby God chose us and bee reconciled unto us For who hath given unto him first that is provoked him by his good workes A lively example wee have in these two brethren Esau and Iacob both twinnes both inclosed in one wombe yet hee rejected the one and chose the other Non ex operibus not by workes but by him that calleth Deus coronat opera Rom. 9. 11. sua non merita nostra God crowneth his gifts not our merits Cui daret justus judex coronâ—â—â— nisi cui dedisset pater misericors indebitam gratiam To whom should the just Iudge give the crowne but unto whom the Father of Mercy giveth undeserved Grace And he addeth Ne dicas ideo electus sum quia credebam Aug. tract 86. in Iob. si enim credebas jam cum elegeras non ipse te sic judicium esset penos lutum non penes figulum Doe not say I am elected because I did beleeve for if thou diddest beleeve thou haddest now chosen him and not hee thee and so the Iudgement had beene in the power of the clay and not of the potter But heare what Christ saith Yee have not chosen mee but I have chosen you I say therefore with Saint Ambrose Iustitia nostra magis constat remissione peccatorum quam perfectione virtutum our righteousnesse consisteth more in the remission of our sinnes than in the perfection of our vertues Even as David declareth the blessednesse of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousnesse without workes saying Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose Psal 32. 1 2. sin is covered blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth no sinne One Father saith thus when wee were not God made us when wee were sinners hee Iustified us when we were in prison hee freed us when wee were mortall hee glorified us Another Rom. 5. 1. Luke 4. 18. Rom. 8. 30. Father saith God by his Wisedome hath foreknowne us by his Gospell hee calleth us by his Faith hee justifieth us by his Iustice hee damneth us by his Grace he saveth us So that all is of his meere goodnesse and no cause to expostulate with God His Iudgements are just but yet secret Secret things saith Deut. 29. 29. Moses belong to the Lord our God but the things revealed belong unto Five signes of Election two internall us But if the Heavens declare the glory of God let us speake to his glory Secreta Dei sunt adoranda non scrutanda Secret things are to bee adored not searched It is not good to eate too Prov. 25. 27. much Hony so to search their owne glory is not glory It is reported of Augustine that being about to write his bookes of the Trinity hee was taught by a childe who laded the Sea into a little spoone to whom Augustine said that hee laboured in vaine for his little spoone could not containe the Sea To whom the child replied that his little Wisedome his shallow braine could not containe the depth of the Trinity But you will say how shall wee know our election that wee may bee comforted against all the assaults of Satan that wee may say with the sweet singer of Israel Though I should walke through the valley of the shadow of death I will feare no evill for thou art Psal 23. with mee thy rod and thy staffe shall comfort mee And with Paul I 2 Tim. 4. 6 7. 8 have fought a good fight I have kept the Faith I have finished my course from hence forward there is laid up for mee a crowne of glory which the Lord will give mee at that day and not to mee onely but unto all them also that love his appearing I answere that no man can bee deceived in the state of his election but hee that deceiveth himselfe for wee may know whether wee stand in the state of Grace or no. Danaeus maketh Danaeus in Isagog five signes of election As the comming of the Swallow is a signe of the Spring as the putting forth of the figge-tree is a signe of Summer as the whitenesse of the region is a signe of Harvest So there bee many undoubted signes of our election 1 The first is the inward testimony of Gods Spirit the seale and earnest-penny of our Salvation For it is God that hath Sealed us and hath given us the Earnest of his Spirit in our 2 Cor. 1. 22. hearts The Apostle compareth the Word to a writing the Spirit to a seale that ratifieth all Clamat in nobis Abba the same Rom. 8. 16. Gal. 4. 6. Luke 11. 11. Spirit beareth witnesse to our Spirit that wee are the children of God And because wee are Sonnes God hath sent the Spirit of his Sonne into your hearts which cryeth Abba Father And if God be our Father how can wee doubt of our inheritance If wee aske Fish he will not give us a Serpent If Heaven he will not give us Hell 2 The second signe is our faith which is knowne by the effects as the Eagle by her feathers as the tree of Life by the fruits of it Thus Paul bade the Corinths try their faith Prove your selves whether yee are in the Faith examine your selves c. Qui 2 Cor. 13. 5. credit salvabitur he that beleeveth shall bee saved and this faith may be knowne to us if wee will search our selves Christ asked Mar. 16. 16. Iohn 8. the woman taken in Adultery where her accusers were So aske thy heart where thy sinnes are and if thou doest beleeve it will say with the woman that they are all gone Qui enim credit transit Three externall signes of Election a morte ad vitam Hee that beleeveth in him is passed from death to life for all that are borne of God overcommeth the World And this is the victory that overcommeth the World even our Faith Iohn 3. 1 Iohn 5. 4. Hereupon Paul triumpheth over Death Hell Hunger Cold Nakednesse Perill Sword and concludeth That neither Death nor Life nor Angels nor Principalities nor Power nor Things present nor Things to come nor Height nor Depth nor any other Creature Rom. 8. 38 39. shall bee able to separate us from the Love of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. 3 The third signe is the conformity of our will to Gods will to love that which God loveth and to hate that which God hateth therefore wee pray that Gods will may bee done on Earth as it is in Heaven He that doth the will of God shall abide Mat. 6. for ever
25. In the glory of his Father with all his holy Angels Thirdly great in respect of the prisoners that shall be arraigned For when he shall come in the clouds of heaven every eye shall see him even those that peirced him and all the kindreds of the earth shall wayle Apoc. 1. 7. before him Nay then The Kings of the earth and great men and rich Apoc. 6. 15. men and the chiefe Captaines and the mighty men and every bond man and every free man shall be arraigned And therefore it may well be called a great day for if the particular day of the destruction of Ierusalem was so grievous that the Prophet cryed out The great Zeph. 1. 14 15 16 day of the Lord is neer it is neer hasteth greatly even the voice of the day of the Lord the strong man shall cry there bitterly That day is a day of wrath a day of trouble and heavinesse a day of destruction and desolation a day of obscurity and darkenesse a day of clouds and blacknesse a day of Iâ—â—l 2. 10. 11. the trumpet and alarum against the strong Cities c. And againe the earth shall tremble before him the heavens shall shake the Sunne and Moone shall be darke and the starres shall withdraw their shining and the Lord shall utter his voyce before his host for his host is very great For he is strong that doth his work For the day of the Lord is great very terrible and who can abide it What shall be the generall day of the destruction of the whole world when the Elements shall melt with 2 Pet. 3. heat the heavens shall passe away with a noyse the earth shall reele and stagger like a drunken man and the world shall burne Good Lord what a great day will this be when all the Saints out of heaven all the damned out of hell all the dead bodies out of the earth must appeare Not an Angell spared not a divell respited not a Saint or sinner rescued but all must be summoned to give their attendance and to make their appearances Once the world was destroyed with water but now it shal be consumed with fire For the Lord Iesus shall shew himselfe from heaven with his mighty Angels 1 Thes 1. 7 8. in flaming fire rendring vengeance unto them which know not God and which obey not the Gospell of our Lord Iesus Christ Let thy heart dwell seriously in this meditation but a little imagine that thou sawest the world on fire the Iudge sitting the dead standing before him the sinnes of all men revealed the divels accusing Eccles 7 38. them it would beat downe many sinnes in thee Remember the end and thou shalt never doe amisse Christ speaking of that day saith That there shall be signs in the Sun and in the Moon and in the Stars and Luke 21. 25 26 upon the earth trouble among Nations with perplexity the Sea and the waters shall rore and mens hearts shall faile them for feare and for looking after those things that shall come on the world for the powers of heaven Iudgement terrible to all but especially to the wicked shall be shaken Others Sessions and assizes be fearefull to malefactors what shall Gods assizes bee when the Ancient of dayes shall sit whose garments are white as snow and the haire of his head is like pure wooll and his throne like a firy flame Then Dan. 7. 9. fulminabit dominus e Caelo the Lord shall thunder from heaven and the highest will give his voyce And if the thunder and ratling of a cloud be so terrible what terrour shall there bee when he shall thunder that sits above the clouds For then Terra tremet Mare mugiet the earth shall quake the Sea rore the ayre ring the World burne and if Tota terra the whole pillars of the earth must move how should this move man who is but a cold of earth If virtutes Coeli the powers of heaven must tremble what will befall those mindes of mudde and earth that have never a thought of heaven If the Angels of God shall stand then at a gaze how agast will the wicked be whose portion is with the Divell and his Angels If the Heavens must cleave and the Elements bee rent asunder how will earthly hearts faile and breake If the righteous shall scarce be saved Vbi impius Where shall the wicked and the sinner appeare If S. Ciprian is said so Ciprian much to feare diem Iudicii the day of Iudgement that he cleane forgot diem martyrii the day of Martyrdome and earthly torment and no marvell Nam timor mortis nihil ad timorem Iudicis the feare of temporall death is nothing to the feare of him that hath power of eternall life and death And if they be in such amaze Ad quos judex For whose glorie and good the Iudge shall come how shall they stand amazed Contra quos Index against Apoc. 20. whom and for whose eternall shame and paine the Iudge shall 1 Coâ— 1. 25. come If Heaven and earth shall flie before him Quomodo stabimus ante potentissimum quem nemo potest vincere how shall we be 1 Tim 1. 17. able to stand before the most mightie whom none can vanquish For the weakenes of God is stronger than men Ante prudentissimum quem nemo potest fallere before the most wise whom no man can deceive For he is God only Wise and in him are hid all the treasures of wisdome knowledge and understanding Ante piissimum quem nemo potest corrumpere before the most just whom no man can corrupt His judgement will be Rectum judicium a right and a true judgement he cannot faile either Ignorantia legis as not knowing the Law For he gave the Law and he will judge according to the Law nor yet ignorantia facti As not seeing the fact For his eyes goe thorow the World Ye may interprete them if ye will 7. thousand thousand eyes For he is Totus oculus All eye Aug. The consideration of this should stirre us up to be carefull and circumspect in all our wayes that we never treade our shooe awry nor offend this Iudge in any thing that at this great day we may find him a gentle and a loving Lambe and not a Lion of Iuda For as to the wicked the Iudge is terrible so to the godly friendly and as to the wicked this great day is a day How can the wicked stand before the uncorrupt Iudge of redemption But to proceed a little further this day is called a day 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by an excellencie For never day was like unto it In the day of Israel when he went out of Aegypt The Sea fledde Iordan was driven backe the mountaines skipped like Rammes and the little hills like yong Sheepe In the day of Iosua the Sunne stood still in Psal 114. Heaven from morning to noone
World for sinne The drowning of the old World the burning of Sodom the destruction of Ierusalem were assured tokens that the Lord would not put up the infinite iniquities of the World but will judge it and punishit the pleading of the Conscience foretelleth a judgement to come the sentence of of death pronounced in Paradise and renewed with such terrour on mount The Lord Iesus Christ shall iudge Sinai did evidently assure us that God meant to call men to judgement the lesser judgements in this life are fore-runners to this great and last judgement the dragging of men out of the World by death is nothing else but an Alarum to judgement God hath promised that there shall be a judgement I will contend with thee in iudgement saith God The nations shall see my iudgements saith God I will sit and iudge the people saith God Now all the promises of God are Yea and Amen so firmely ratified that Heaven and Earth shall passe away but his Word and promise shall not passe The day and the night may faile in their courses the Sunne and Moone may faile in their motions the Earth may faile and totter upon her props the Sea and Rivers may faile and bee emptied of their waters but the promises of God shall not faile God promised a floud and it came Et qui verus erat in diluvio cur non in iudicio He that performed it in the one why should he not performe it in the other The Iustice of God requireth that there shall be a judgement Hîc optimi pessimè agunt Here the best men are the worst used and most wronged Here Iezabel sits braving in a window whilest Ieremy lies sticking in the mud Here Dives sits in his palace cloathed richly faring daintily while Lazarus lies at his gates naked and hungry Here Herod will please Herodias though it be with the head of Iohn the Baptist Nonne visitabit haec shall not God visit come to iudgement for these things Certainly iudgement will come and then downe go the wicked and up the godly horrour hell and death shall be the doome of the wicked heaven ioy and life shall be the lot of the righteous Thus yee see there shall be a Iudgement I will passe on to the next Who shall be the Iudge in this Iudgement The Lord The Lord saith Enoch commeth with thousands of his Saints to give iudgement c. And in that the Lord shall be our Iudge there will be first rectum iudicium a right and true iudgement for the Lord is true and cannot faile either Ignorantia legis as not knowing the Law For he gave the Law and will iudge according to the Law nor yet Ignorantia facti as not seeing the fact for his seven eyes goe thorow the World Yee may interpret them if yee will seven thousand thousand eyes Zach. 4. Againe if the Lord bee the Iudge there will bee aequum iudicium his Iudgement will be righteous and good for Necerrat ipse nec sustinet errantem He can neither sinne himselfe nor yet indure a wilfull sinner wee cannot corrupt him he hath no need of our goods But when he saith The Lord shall be the Iudge and come to iudgement yee shall understand that this word Lord is taken sometime essentially and then it signifieth all the three persons in the Trinity and so it is taken in the Psalme The Lord even the most mighty hath spoken and called the round World c. And indeed in Christ shall iudge in his humanity respect of authority the whole Trinity shall be the Iudge but sometime this word Lord is taken personally and then it signifieth the second person in the Trinity as here in this my Text The Lord shall come to Iudgement For in respect of the execution of this iudgement Christ alone shall iudge And why Christ And not the Father and the Holy Ghost First because Saint Iohn tells us The Father hath given all iudgement to the Sonne Iohn 5. And as Saint Bernard expounds the words non ut Filius suus sed ut Filius Hominis not as hee is the Sonne of God but as hee is the Sonne of the blessed Virgin borne in the world 2. The Sonne iudgeth and not the Father because it best befitteth a King to iudge his owne subiects and we are now the immediate subiects of the Sonne Indeed in our creation wee were absolutely the subjects of God but by rebelling against God we became the slaves and vassals of the Divell and not the subjects of God yet now being redeemed from death and from him that hath the power of death the Divell by the precious bloud of the Sonne of God we are become the subjects of the Sonne not that this is to be understood Exclusive as excluding from the worke of our redemption the Father and the Holy Ghost sed AppretiativeÌ„ as the Schoolemen speake but because the price of our redemption was paid by the Sonne and not by the person of the Father or Holy Ghost and in that the Sonne did sustinere poenas undergoe our punishment et procurare praemia purchase our reward hee must dispensare praemia poenas both dispose of our punishment and reward But forasmuch as there be two natures in Christ the Divine and humane it may be questioned in what forme or Nature hee shall iudge Saint Augustine answereth Eadem forma iudicabit te qua sub Iudice sâ—etit pro te In the same nature he shall iudge thee wherein he stood before the Iudge for thee he shall iudge us not as God but as man according to that in the Gospell Yee shall see the Sonne of Man not of God but of Man comming in the clouds of Heaven with power and great glory Veniet qui Deus non qua Deus he that shall iudge us is God but he shall not iudge us as he is God Vrsinus in his Catechisme pag. 451. giveth three reasons of this Quia per eum Mediatorem glorificanda est Ecclesia per quem iustificata est because the Church is to bee glorified by that Mediator by which she was iustified SecundoÌ„ ob consolationem nostram dum scimus illum fore Iudicem qui redimit nos est enim frater noster caro nostra Secondly for our comfort to give us to understand that he shall bee our Iudge which redeemed vs and is our brother and our flesh Tertio propter iustitiam Dei quia filium hominis contumelia affecerunt Thirdly for the Iustice of God because the Sonne of Man hath beene much reproched with many contumelies and slanders If any man will object that Christ saith That Though Christ shall come in humanity yet with power and great glory he came not to iudge the World but to save the World I answere that these words are not to be understood of his second but of his first comming into the World then indeed he came to save the World but now to iudge the
will not rectified Deest enim intellectus voluntatis consiliariâ—s for understanding is wanting which is the Counseller of the soule The naturall man perceiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishnesse 1 Cor. 2. 14. unto him neither can hee know them because they are spiritually discerned at spiritus non natura sed gratia the spirit is not of nature but of grace So said Christ of the whole world O righteous Father Iohn 17. 25. the World hath not knowne thee but I have knowne thee and these have knowne c. therefore hee prayed for his Apostles and in them for us all I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the World but that thou keepe them from evill And againe Sanctifie them Iohn 17. 15 17. with thy truth by nature wee are the children of wrath by grace we are Gods adopted Sonnes Hereupon saith the Apostle In times past we walked according to the course of the World and after the spirit that ruleth in the Ayre and that now worketh in the children of disobedience among whome also wee had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh and fulfilling the will of the flesh and of the minde Ephes 2. 3 4 5. and were by nature the children of Wrath nor by creation but by Adams transgression and so by birth as well as others But God which is rich in mercy through the great love wherewith he loved us when wee were dead by sinnes hath quickned us together in Christ by whose grace we are saved There are but two things in us either nature or grace either flesh or spirit Now in the state of nature al are accursed in the state of grace we are blessed For by grace wee beleeve and faith Act. 18. 27. Iohn 1. 12 13. maketh us the sonnes of God for as many as received him to them he gave power to be the Sonnes of God even to them that beleeve in his name which are borne not of bloud nor of the will of the flesh nor of the No true good in us by nature till regenerate will of man but of God Where he distinguisheth of two births the one naturall and the other spirituall a birth from men a birth from God a generation by nature a regeneration by the Spirit as he doth againe to Nicodemus Except a man be borne of Water and of the Spirit hee cannot enter the Kingdome of God and againe Yee Cap. 3. 5 6. Psal 2. 7. must be borne againe there is no naturall Sonne of God but the Lord Iesus we are all the adopted Sonnes of God in Christ and by Christ by his meanes we are raised up together and made to sit together Ephes 2. 6. Rom. 8. 17. in Heavenly places For saith the Apostle If we be children wee are also heires even the heires of God and heires annexed with Christ c. we bring nothing from our mothers wombe but death and damnation every one must say with David I was shapen in wickednes Psal 51. 5. and in sinne hath my mother conceived me Quis dabit mundum de immundo Who can bring a cleane thing out of filthinesse What Iob 14. 4. can be had from the egge of a Cockatrice but a Serpent From a spider but venome from the Taxus tree in India but poyson from the bitter poole Exanthus but bitter water Wee have not Math. 7. Lambes from Woolves no grapes from thornes nor figges from thistles Well said the Schooleman Quòd dona naturalia in Adamo sunt corrupta supernaturalia ablata ille ut radix nos ut rami radix est venenata ergo rami Our naturall gifts in Adam were corrupt our supernaturall taken away he as the roote we as the boughes the root is poisoned therefore the boughes like the waters of Mara untill Moses put in the sweet wood untill God Exod. 17. infuse grace for by grace we are saved and where sinne abounded there grace abounded much more that as sinne had raigned unto death so Ephes 2. 8. Rom. 5. 20 21. might grace also raigne by righteousnesse unto eternall life The Pelagians held that sinne came by imitation not by propagation but Paul confuteth them saying As by one man sinne entred into the world and death by sinne and so death went over all men forasmuch as Rom. 5. 12. all men have sinned c. These men quoth Iude walke as Naturall men that is in all sinne and vanity as is said of the Gentiles That they walked in the vanity of their minde having their cogitations darkened being strangers from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the hardnesse of their hearts So Paul reasoned with the Corinths Are yee not carnall For whereas there is among you envying and strife and divisions 1 Cor. 3. 3. are yee not carnall and walke as men even so reason wee with you When malice envy rancour whoredome covetousnesse pride raigneth among us are wee not naturall men For God would cut downe these sinnes as a sickle If yee live after the flesh yee shal dye but if yee through the Spirit mortify the deeds of the flesh Rom. 8. 13. yee shall live Yea many naturall men goe before us in brideling their lusts and affections Aristides being by the unjust Law of Ostracisme in Athens banished and being asked what hee would to Athens answered Se nihil velle quin tantam rerum prosperitatem ut illis nunquam in mentem veniat Aristides hee desired nothing We should strive to exceed naturall men but so much prosperity to Athens as that they might never remember Aristides The like is said of Phocion condemned to drink hemlocke the juce whereof through extreme cold is poison Being asked what he would unto his Sons said Nothing sed ne hujus unquam iniuriae velint meminisse but that they should never remeÌ„ber this injury Socrates by Philosophie brideled whoredome in himselfe and Telamon by it bare the death of his sonne patiently saying Sciebam me genuisse mortalem I did know that I begat a mortall man I take no pleasure in these prophane examples save only to ashame us as Paul did the Athenians by Aratus and the Cretians by Epimenides and the Corinths by Menander Let our righteousnesse exceed theirs else there is no roome for us in Gods Kingdome our life must have all vertues in it such a life led the Christians they could be touched with no open crime or notorious fault but that they sung Psalmes to Iesus before day as Plinius secundus writeth of them to the Emperour our Saviour Christ told his disciples that their justice must exceed the justice Mat. 5. 20. of the Scribes and Pharises and so must wee tell all Christians that they must exceed Turkes and Pagans or else they shall never see the goodnesse of the Lord in the Land of the liuing yet it is reported
were all damned for so must they bee if they savour not of Gods Spirit For the Wisdome of the flesh is death the Wisdome of the Spirit is life and Rom. 8. 6 8 13. peace and againe They that are in the flesh cannot please God and againe If yee live after the flesh yee shall dye but if yee mortify the deeds of the body by the Spirit yee shall live and againe Whatsoever a man soweth that shall hee reape hee that soweth Gal. 6. 7 8. to his flesh shall of the flesh reape corruption and hee that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reape life everlasting Now temporall and eternall are opposite The things that are seene are temporall but the things which are not seene are eternall But not 2 Cor. 4. 18. Temporall and Spirituall But this was the policy of the Papists to name themselves spirituall that they might withdraw themselves from the Magistrate as though they pertained to God only not to Caesar Secondly they called their The regenerate onely have the Spirit of God in them lands and livings spirituall to exempt them also from the Magistrate and yet Paul calleth all these earthly commodities carnall as in his Epistle to the Corinthians If wee have sowne unto you spirituall things is it a great thing if wee reape 1 Cor. 9. 11. your carnall things And againe If the Gentiles bee made partakers Rom. 15. 27. of their spirituall things their duty is also to minister unto them in carnall things And to the end to defeate Caesar they set the Image of the Church upon their Coyne not Caesars Image Thirdly to make the more gaine they tooke to the punishment of Adultery Incest Drunkennesse Vsury Perjury Simony Sorcery under the colour of spirituall things and so they caught Testaments Legacies Marriages Dowries Ierome calleth the people Secular men but Temporall no man calleth them as though their hope reached but unto this life only whereas they are to bee saved aswell as Church-men To whom wrote Paul but unto the people For whom else prayed hee His words are plaine Brethren my hearts desire for Israel is that they might bee saved Well They have not the Spirit not the Spirit of Regeneration and sanctification but they have the Spirit of illumination but Gods children they have Gods Spirit of regeneration they are led by Gods Spirit and the Spirit of God certifieth Rom. 8. 16. their Spirits that they are the sonnes of God and he that hath not the Spirit of God is none of Gods it is the Spirit of God that worketh in us all in all The bath of regeneration and the renovation of the Spirit saveth us Wee are justified sanctified and Tit. 3. 1 Cor. 6. Gal. 5. 22. washed by the Spirit All good works are the fruits of the Spirit untill Gods Spirit hath renewed us wee are stables for the Divell Si durus sit hic sermo as the Disciples said Iohn 6. Luk 11. 21. blame him that spake it O there is No medium betwixt these two either Gods Spirit dwelleth in us or Satan Know yee 1 Cor. 6. 16. not that yee are the Temple of God and the Spirit of God dwelleth in you The Spirit is the same in the Church as the soule in the body it is it that quickneth us hee leadeth us into all Iohn 16. 3. truth hee sealeth up all graces in our hearts hee applieth all the mercies of God all the merits of Christ Iesus unto us hee worketh all graces and giveth all spirituall gifts unto us The Apostle making the comparison betweene the 1 Cor. 6. 11. 1 Cor. 13. 3. 8. Gal. 5. 2. flesh and the Spirit resembleth it to a tree that yeeldeth all manner of good fruits like the apple-tree of Persia or like the Tree of life Let us then intertaine Gods Spirit make much of him nourish every good motion that is wrought in us by him and every sparke will bee a fire flaming out of us every drop will bee a river issuing out of us to eternall life if wee nourish it but let us not quench the Spirit All grace and goodnesse flowes from Gods Spirit nor grieve the Spirit lest Saint Iude his Prophesy bee verified of us that wee are naturall men fleshly not having the Spirit but let us stirre up the gift of God in us blow at the coale and put spurres to this horse 1 Thess 5. 19. THE ONE AND THIRTIETH SERMON VERS XX. But yee beloved edifie your selves in your most holy faith praying in the holy Ghost The godly and the wicked every way opposite STill hee proceedeth in the comparison betwixt the godly and ungodly the elect and the reprobate the lambes on the right hand and the goates on the left hand of the Lord Iesus noting that the godly remember the words of the Lord they are peaceable without sects spirituall they increase in faith they pray in the Holy Ghost they keepe themselves in the love of God they looke for eternall life but on the contrary the wicked remember nothing they scoffe at Religion they be scorners they bee unquiet they be meere naturall men they decrease in goodnesse they pray not they love not God they cannot looke for life but death and destruction Tribulation and anguish shall bee upon the soules of them Vpon Rom. 9. Psal 11. 6 7. them God will raine snares fire and brimstone storme and tempest this shall be their portion to drinke A Lion out of the forrest shall slay them and a Woolfe in the wildernesse shall destroy them a Ier. 1. 5 6. Leopard shall watch over their Cities every one that goeth out shall bee torne in pieces because their trespasses are many and The Church and Saints as houses must be edified or builded dayly their rebellions are increased Sed but yee beloved but this Conjunction discretive here is emphaticall Sed vos autem dilecti but you beloved as if hee should have said You must not be like the wicked they be mockers they walke after their ungodly lusts they are makers of sects fleshly having not the Spirit but you must not doe so but you must turne over another leafe learne a new lesson This teacheth all Christians to live like Christians not as miscreants the true Christian turnes away his eyes from vanity as Iob the miscreant applies his senses to folly as Holofernes The Iob. Iudith 10. true Christian setteth a watch before his mouth and keepeth the doore of his lips the miscreant gives liberty to his tongue to speake evill and raile like Rabshakeh the true Christian is alwayes doing good as Abraham the miscreant alwayes doing 2 Reg. 18. evill as Achab the one loveth goodnesse the other badnesse the one setteth Gods judgements before his face the other puts them from his sight the one kils sinne in the thought the other suffers it to raigne in the heart the one knowes the end of his sinne
amaenitas Veris abundantia Autumni Bern. requies Hiemalis There shall bee the fairenesse of Summer the sweetenesse of the Spring the pienty of the Autumne and the Winters rest Nay God shall bee all in all unto us Heaven is described in the Apocalyps that the walls are of precious stones 1 Cor. 13. the gates pearles the porters Angels the streetes payed with gold the City Interlaced with crystall rivers the bankes set with trees of life which beare fruit monethly and the leaves cure the Nations Their Sunne is the countenance of God their day never endeth their felicity never decayeth their state never altereth You have beene in mount Horeb where you saw thunderings and lightenings now are yee called to mount Thabor where yee shall injoy the glory of Christ Iesus and say with Peter Bonum est hic esse It is good to bee here Let them make account of this life who make their Lusts their guides their Belly their god their Kitchin their faith the World their Friend and are not onely in it but of it But our Countrey is Heaven our friends Angels our companions the Saints our Father God our mother the Church our brother Christ our guyde the holy Ghost our inheritance Ierusalem that is from above The Saint by loving another as himselfe hath as many joyes as fellowes and for that they all love God more than themselves they take more pleasure of his blisse than all their joyes besides the damnation of their friends grieveth them not because it standeth with the glory of God which is more to them than all their blisse And thus yee see the joyes of life and yet all that I have said of Heaven where wee shall leade a life eternall and possesse a Paradise of infinite pleasure is nothing it is but stilla mari a drop of water to the whole sea scintilla igni comparata as a sparke compared to the great fire of Aetna it is nothing there In Heaven no decay or damping of ioy needeth no Sunne to shine no Moone to give light no porters the gates of it are open continually there is food better than the Mann that fell from Heaven apparell finer than Aarons Ephod Ecclus. 18. 9. Exod. 16. Exod. 30. Psal 133. 2. Mat. 24. Apoc. 2. Hebr. 12. 22. Mat. 17. Esa 11. perfume sweeter than the perfume of the Tabernacle a building more stately than Salomons Temple there is Paradise without any Serpent to tempt us Mount Horeb without any Thunder to feare us Mount Thabor without any change to greeve us Libanon without any Wildernesse to rent us there is mirth without mourning and such joyes and delights that if all the plants of the Earth were Pennes if all the Earth were Paper if all the Sea were Inke if every Man Woman and Childe were a good Pen-man yet they were not able to expresse the thousandth part of these joyes Hic in terris omnium rerum est vicissitudo here in earth all things alter and change after Day commeth Night after Winter Summer after Sickenesse Health after Life Death after Youth old Age after Pleasure Paine but there is Day without Night Summer without any Winter Health without any Sicknesse or Sorrow Life without Death Youth without old Age Pleasure without any Paine there is the Beauty of Absolon without Deformity the Strength of Samson without any Debility the Wisedome of Salomon without any Folly We shall come from Faith to Sight Aug. Epist. 121. Proâ—e Viduae from the Glasse to the Face from Aenigma to a plaine Truth Hic enim ambulamus per fidem non per aspectum here wee walke by Faith and not by Sight Nunc in spe â—unc in re Now in Hope then in Deede Nuncforis tunc domi Now abroad then at home For when this earthly house of this Tabernacle shall bee destroyed wee shall have an house not made with hands but eternall in Heaven For 2 Cor. 5. 1. as the Father said Quid ibi deesse potest ubi Deus est cui nihil deest What can there bee wanting where God is to whome nothing is wantings O beati visio videre Regem Angelorum Sanctum sanctorum Deum Coeli Rectorem terrae Patrem viventium O blessed sight to behold Aug. lib. despir c. cap. 57. the King of Angels the Holy of holies the God of Heaven the Ruler of the Earth the Father of the Living Woe to mee miserable creature quoth August which am not where the holy Saints bee for your life is without all gunne-shot and danger of death your knowledge without errour your love without offence your joy without any annoy I alas am in the region of the shadow of death I know not my end I would depart hence but I know not when I would dye and this haply shall bee my last day But many have no regard at all of this life they looke too much to the pleasures of the world which makes them not to looke into the powers of the life to come not to looke to eternity It is said of Moses that he chose rather to suffer afflictions with the Hebr. 11. 25. people of God in Aegypt then to enjoy the pleasures of sinne for a season The wicked the Infidels have made a Covenant with death and are Divers errors concerning eternall life with Hell at an agreement they beleeve not eternall life they hold with the Sadduces that there is no resurrection nothing maketh us loth to dye but unbeliefe Withipoll wished to live five hundred Esa 28. 15. Mat. 22. yeers though but in the shape of a toade Paulus tertius said at his death Nunc tria experiar Now shal I trie three things Num sit Deus whether there bee a God num anima sit immortalis whether the soule bee immortall num sit vita post mortem and whether there be a life after death The Borussians and the Irish cry to their dead Quare mortuus es Why diddest thou dye Thou hadst wife children corne cattell oh why didst thou dye They have no hope But brethren things present will bee past and things future will 1 Thess 4. bee present and last for ever this life is no life It were long to rehearse all the errors that Satan hath troubled the Church withall in this point I will name but some of many first the Libertines erre who say that all men shall be saved all shall goe to Heaven contrary to that which our Saviour saith Not every one that saith Lord Lord shall enter the Kingdome of Heaven And Mat. 7. 14. againe Many shall come in that day and shall say Lord Lord have not wee prophesied in thy name cast out Divels in thy name and done many miracles in thy name But he shall answere them Depart from me for verily I know you not And the Prophet telleth us That though the Esa 10. 21. number of the children of Israel bee as the sand
excellent of all vertues 413 All vertues vaine without love ibid. Many excellent properties of Love 414 Little love in this age ibid. Love makes men of one heart 415 Many men implacable cruell like Wolues or Divels ibid. An exhortation to love 416 Foure properties of love that it be holy just true constant ibid. The love amongst Atheists and impious condemned 417 The excellency of Love ibid. Atheists agree like a kennell of dogs 418 Most love for lucre ibid. Gods love to us infinite 419 Gods love to us diversly distinguished ibid. Gods loue set out by all the dimensions yet transcendent and unmeasurable ibid. No love comparable to Gods Love 420 Gods love to us the cause of our love to him and the godly ibid. Foure reasons or motives to incite us to love God 1. à mandato 2. ab aequo justo 3. à commodo 4. ab officio 421 The manner how God is to bee loved 422 Love a debt that all owe to God and man but few poy it ibid VVe must shew our love to God by keeping his commandements and serving him 423 An honorable and happy thing to love God ibid. Sermon 34. THe hope of eternal life allays the hardnesse of Gods Commandements 425 Hope of reward makes men endure labours and dangers 426 The blessed estate of the Saints in Heaven 427 Christ and the Saints in their sufferings had an eye to the reward ibid. The joyes of Heaven unspeakable incomprehensible 428 The glorified bodyes shall have spirituall and heavenly qualities namely clarity agility subtility unpassibility and immortality 429 The principall points wherein the glory and joy of the glorified soule and whole Saint consist 430 Earthly mindes regard not Heavenly joyes 431 Divers errours concerning eternall life 432 The joyes of Heaven eternall and infinite ibid. Heaven compared with the wombe of the world 433 An exhortation to seeke after eternall joyes ibid. Eternall life onely the free gift of God 434 Merit end mercy gift and desert opposite ibid. Papists works many of them merit death 435 Merit three-fold Congrui Digni Condigni ibid. None can merit ex condigno but Christ 436 Our works cannot merit because finite and unperfect ibid. Christs righteousnes ours 437 Our works merit not jointly with Christs ibid. Grace threefold Praeveniens Subsequens Consummans ibid. Many Papists renounce their merits and fly to Gods mercy 438 Our election vocation justification sanctification all from grace 439 We must not trust in our works but confesse our sinnes ibid. Sermon 35. DIscretion necessary for distinguishing sinnes and sinners 441 Ministers must use discretion not deale alike with all sinnes and sinners ibid. How to restore with mâ—ekenes them that are fallen 442 VVee should pitty and pray for sinners and not despise them ibid. Many men more compassionate toward their beasts nhan brethren 444 Wee must tak away sinnes with mildenesse and mercy if possible ibid. Reproofe though not pleasing yet profitable 446 Compassion must be shewed especially to the soule 447 The Saints bewaile the estate of the wicked ibid. Threats of judgement belong to the wicked 448 The obstinate must be terrified not soothed ibid. Iudgements denounced against soothing false prophets 449 Reproofes more profitable than soothing flattery 450 Excommunication a grievous censure ibid. Excommunication three-fold 451 Two uses of Excommunication ibid. Sermon 36. THe sinner alwayes in danger 452 The fickle estate of the wicked set out by divers resemblances 453 No estate permanent 454 Sudden destruction waite on the wicked ibid. Death comes not sudden to the Godly 455 The Godly prepare by repentance and godly life for death while they have time 456 Repentance must not be deferred ibid. The saving of soules a most blessed worke 457 Though God save yet both Grace and Faith and Ministery concurre 458 Tho Ministrie being Gods ordinance to save soules is not to be slighted though the World despise them ibid. Foure faculties in the soule whereby it converts the food of the Word and Sacraments to nourishment of the spirituall life 459 The necessitie and excellent fruits of the Ministery set out by divers resemblances 460 The happy estate of them that have means of knowledge 461 Salvation and the misery of them that want it ibid. Sermon 37. NOt onely evill but all appearance of evill is to bee avoided 462 Sinne must bee hated not sported at if if wee love our owne soules ibid. No communion to be holden or society with the wicked 463 Wicked men must be avoided in respect of God and ourselves ibid. Sinne as contagious as the plague and more dangerous 464 Wee must hate sinne because the whole Trinity detest it 465 Wee must hate sinne because Satan is the author being enemie to God and our soules ibid. Sinne must bee hated because it dishonours God not our selves 466 Wee may not hold amity with the wicked boing Gods enemies 467 The amity of the wicked treachery ibid. Sinne onely is hated of God and man and not the person except reprobate 468 Two judgments the one of Faith the other of Charity 469 Wee must leave sinne of conscience not for other respects 470 The punishment of sinne ought to deterre from sinne ibid. Earthquakes an evident signe of Gods anger and a forerunner of judgement 471 Many earth-quakes in many places and much hurt 472 Christians not to be prophaned 473 Sermon 38 VVE are not sufficient to doe any good of our selves without grace 476 Exhortations do not shew what we can but what we should doe 477 Grace both preserves from falling and raiseth us being fallen 478 Our enemies many and powerfull 479 Prayer the best meanes to repell Satan and his temptations 480 All sorts of men have fallen even the Saints ibid. All have the Seminarie of all sinnes in them 481 Grace worketh all in all ibid. Wee walke in the middest of snares 482 God suffered Adam and doth still suffer the Saints to fall for divers reasons 483 Difference betweene the sinnes of Saints and Reprobates ibid. Whether and how the Church may erre 484 The best have erred ibid. The Pope may erre and many of them have erred 485 The distinctions about the erring of the Pope nice and frivolous 486 Sermon 39. HOw wee are said to bee blamelesse notwithstanding we are full of sin 487 Two kindes of righteousnesse 488 Our righteousnesse consists rather in the remission of sinne than perfection of vertue ibid. How we are said to be perfect and yet imperfect 489 The Iesuits and latter Popish writers the worst 490 The Church and members of it impure in it selfe but perfect and pure in Christ 491 Our service may be sincere not perfect 492 Iustification by workes confuted how justified by faith explained 493 Papists flye to the mercy of God and merit of Christ 494 No true joyes and pleasures in this world but all in Heaven ibid. The Saints in Heaven shall have fulnesse of joy undique 495 Heaven the land of the living and Earth land of dead men 496 God shall be all in all to the Saints in Heaven ibid. Worldly minded men desire not Heaven 497 Our life nothing to eternall life ibid. All honours and pleasures on earth nothing to them in Heaven 498 The World fraudulent turbulent momentary 499 Christ the onely comfort to the elect both in this life and that to come ibid. Many hindred from Heaven by pleasure Sermon 40. PRayer and praise the two chiefest parts of Gods worship must follow one another 501 The glory of God hath beene celebrated by all Saints 502 Wee slauld not thinke of the mercies of God in Christ without praising him 503 God described by many attributes yet none can sufficiently set him out ibid. God onely wise all men ignorant and foolish 504 Wee have no true wisedome till infused by God ibid. All wisedome and Knowledge hid in Christ 505 Destinction betweene Science and Sapience ibid. Worldly wisedome folly ibid. Gods Wisedome seene in creation and disposing of all creatures and governing the Church 506 Christ a mercifull and powerfull Saviour in life and death ibid. No Saviours comparable to Christ 507 The Papists derogate from the power and merit of Christ ibid. The imputative righteousnes of the Saints more set out Gods glory than the inherent 508 Mans worke cannot merit ibid. What it is to glorifie God 509 Thankefulnesse the onely sacrifice that God requires ibid. We pray in our wants and doe not praise God when we are releeved 510 Thankesgiving and the praise of God the end of our creation ibid. They thrt doe not glorifie God here shall not be glorified of him hereafter ibid. Two theeves that rob God of his glory and justice 511 A powerfull exhortation to praise God and give up our selves in thankefulnesse ibid. If no praise of God in the mouth no thankfulnesse or grace in the heart 512. Sermon 29. VVHat it is to ascribe majestie to God 514 Miracles are admired for the rarenesse 515 All Gods ordinary workes wonderfull 516 Our dulnesse in ascribing to God majestie in regard of his workes ibid. God reâ—eales himselfe sixe wayes ibid. Gods judgement do not worke Repentance ibid. Wherein Gods dominion standeth 517 Gods three-fold kingdome of power grace glorie ibid. Wee ackowledge our selves subjects of Christs kingdome of grace and yet are rebellious 518 Three properties in the Angels Obedience Libentissime Citissime Fidelissime Obediunt 519 Notorious sinners Satans bond-slaves ibid. Wee must be pure in soule and body that Christ may dwell and rule in us 520 Gods power omnipotent ibid. Christ every where present by his power though not corporally ibid. Christs omnipotenty gives comfort to the Christian 521 Gods incomprehensiblenesse set out by comparison ibid. Christ all in all to us 522 God cannot doe those things that imply contradiction or defect ibid. How attributes are ascribed some time to the whole Trinitie sometime to particular persons 523 All Gods attributes are eternall ibid. God must bee praied and praised for all things temporall and eternall 524 Amen the diverse significations thereof and the efficacie thereof in the conclusion of our praiers ibid. Note that the folio's are mistaken at fol. 425. where you shall finde this marke 〈◊〉 FINIS
World for that is to become a vassall unto our servants it is an uncertaine service to serve the Flesh this master is so cholerick so weake so sickly that wee may looke every day to be turned out of doores and that which is worst of al he is least contented when he is most satisfied It is an unthrifty service to serve the Divell all his wayes are death the more service wee doe him the worse is our estate It is an irreligious service to serve Antichrist for such as have the marke of the Beast shall perish with the beast But he that serves God hath the greatest Lord who is most able and the best Lord who is most willing to preferre his followers and reward his servants Let us then serve him for we are his servants Iure creationis jure sustentationis jure redemptionis By right of creation sustentation redemption If every haire of our head were a life and every life as long as Methuselahs it were too little to serve God True it is that Cham was pronounced the first servant as I observed Gen 3. Gen. 8. before for man was made to rule and not to serve But as sinne brought in the first nakednesse and the first travell of women in paine and the first death and the first sorrow and the first flood so it brought in the first service Onely by Christ wee are Manumised Hominis dignitas in tribus splendet The dignity of Rom. 8. 15. man shineth forth in three things In imagine Dei in the image of God In ejus creationis ex nihilo in his creation of nothing In eius dominio super omnes creaturas in his dominion over all his creatures ut ergo tria haec per peccatum amisit sic per gratiam recuperavit as hee lost these three things by sinne so by grace hee hath recovered them dum Domino servit a quo defecit while hee serves God from whom hee fell Now therefore by grace wee are called servants and if that John 15. Iohn 3. Mar. 3. Gal. 3. be too little wee are called the Friends of God Friends of the bridegroome and if that be too little wee are called Brethren Sisters of Christ if that be too little wee are called The Sonnes of God if that be too little wee are called the Spouse of God the wife of the Apoc. 19. 7. Lambe And if all this bee too little wee are called the members of The Pope no Apostle of God yet cals himselfe servum servorum God and of Christ Iesus O the breadth and length and depth and heighth of the love of God towards us that we should be called not forreiners but servants not servants but friends not friends but brethren not brethren but sonnes not sonnes but wives not wives but members 1 Cor. 12. By the way observe here that the Pope not calling himselfe servum Dei the servant of God but servum servorum a servant of Gen. 9. servants calleth himselfe by a cursed title as Cham was and indeed he is a servant of servants that serveth not Christ But say some hee calleth himselfe a servant of servants to shew his humility Indeed hee is lowly in name as any Apostle but as proud in spirit as the Whore of Babylon that makes herselfe Lady over Kings and Emperours For did not Pope Zachary make Childerike the French King to trot by his bridle three miles together Did not Hildebrand cause Henry the fourth to stand three dayes at his gates with his wife and his child barefooted Did not Clement the fifth make Dandalus Duke of Venice to lye under his Table like a dogge to gather crummes Did not Alexander the third tread on the necke of that noble Fredericke in Venice Did not Innocent depose King Iohn of England Did not Clemens the seventh labour to depose Henry the eighth Did not Pius quintus send a Bull against our Queene Did not Clemens the eighth cause the French King to goe bare-footed to Saint Dennis as a Penitentiary The troubles of these five hundred yeeres past may bee ascribed to Popes all Grecia yet rueth it all Africa the mother of Martyrs feeleth it the German Emperours tossed like tennise balles may not forget it the Kings of France have felt it the States of Italy have beene shaken with it the Kings of England have beene deposed whipped murdered Let King Iohn speake Richard the second Henry the eighth and Queene Elizabeth Is this a servant of servants that will thus insult over Kings and Emperours Oh no no. But to leave him Are we with Iude the servants of Iesus Christ Then must we not onely apply our selves to serve him as I have already said but we must imitate the vertues of Iesus Christ and we must attend his pleasure But first wee must imitate his vertues In our Lord and Master Christ Iesus shined many excellent vertues Yea all vertues Love Patience Humility Meekenesse Mildenesse Mercie Puritie Pietie Constancie Obedience c. these must shine in us else falsely wee are called the servants of Christ Christiani nomen frustrà ille sortitur qui Christum minimè imitatur August de vita Christian◠Quid tibi prodest vocari quod non es In vaine hath hee got the name of a Christian which doth not imitate Christ What doth it profit thee to bee called that which thou art not To bee called a Christian and not to bee indeed a Christian a Saint and not to bee Saint the servant of Iesus Christ and not to bee We must attend to Gods service We owe more to God than servants to their Masters the servant of Iesus Christ Qualis haberi velis talis sias If thou wilt be the servant of Iesus Christ thou must bee holy as hee is holy gracious as hee is gracious mercifull as hee is mercifull yea perfect as hee is perfect though not by adequation for that is beyond our power yet by imitation for that is all our duties Againe are wee Christs servants then must wee attend his Pleasure and depend upon his Will and performe all such holy offices as becommeth servants But as Peter Martyr saith wee In Rom. cap. 1. are contrary to servants we are rather Quarter-masters and checkemate with God for servants bestow all their time in their Masters businesse we no time or little time in Gods matters For our goodnesse is as the Morning cloud and as the Morning dew it Hos 6. 4. goeth away Servants beaten fall to prayers wee being chastised of God fall to murmuring and cursing like Iob that cursed the day of his birth Like Ieremy that cursed him that told his father of a man-child Servants are not familiar with their Masters Iob 3. Ier. 20. enemies wee countenance Gods enemies in all places Many Protestants are like Aesops Crow of divers feathers their Religions like Ioseph his party-coloured coat or like the rainebow of all colours we read how Iehoshaphat joyned with
must bee unto us dearer than thousands of silver and gold more precious than the gold of Ophir sweeter than the Honey or the Hony-combe For albeit God can onely by the inward motion of his blessed Spirit worke out make-sure and perfect our salvation yet it pleaseth him in his eternall wisedome to use the word as an ordinary meanes of our vocation and salvation As then God giveth learning by study wisedome by experience riches by travell and like things by like meanes so he maketh perfect the calling of his Saints by the preaching of the Word which Rom. 1. 16. is the power of God to salvation to every man that beleeveth The second title of honour given here to the Saints is Sanctification he calleth them sanctified of God the Father this is the next grace wherewith he adorneth them For God continueth his graces as Iacob continued his wrastling as Peter continued his knocking till they let him in and God will not leave calling and working till hee hath sanctified and perfected his graces like the Sunne that never leaveth shining but commeth Psal 19. Exod. 17. forth as a Bridegroome out of his Chamber and rejoyceth as a Giant to runne his course Like the Fountaine of Elim and waters of Shilo that never leave running The calling of God is without repentance Rom. 11. 29. For God is not a man that hee should lye neither as the Sonne of man Numb 23. 19. that he should repent as Balaam though a false Prophet said most truely Whom God calleth them he justifieth whom hee justifieth he sanctifieth and whom he sanctifieth he glorifieth The learned call this Text in Rom. 8. Auream catenam a golden Rom. 8. 29 30. Chaine hee that draweth one linke draweth all the Chaine For as hee that hath one damnable sinne hath all sinne and is guilty of all so hee that hath one grace effectually hath all God perfects his Workes God is not like a stepmother that putteth out her child to nurse he is not as the Partridge or Bird that forsaketh her nests nor Ier. 1. 17. Iob 29. 1 Reg. 3. like the Ostrich that leaveth her egs in the dust like Salomons Harlot that exposed her child to the sword But he is as the Eagle that carrieth her yong in her wings till they can flie as the Pelicane that feedeth her yong ones with her heart-bloud till they can feed themselves He blesseth us untill he hath brought us into his Kingdome of blisse where wee shall never hunger nor thirst any more For Hee will destroy Death for ever and the Lord God will wipe away teares from all faces and the rebuke of his Esa 25. 8 9. people will hee take away out of all the Earth for the Lord hath spoken it and in that day men shal say Loe this is our God We have waited for him and hee will save us this is the Lord wee have waited for him we will rejoyce and bee joyfull in his Salvation So the Lord Iesus hath perfected the worke of our Redemption hee was borne for us he lived hee died he rose againe he ascended hee maketh intercession for us and hee will glorifie us so saith our Saviour Father I will that they which thou hast given me bee with mee even where I am that they may behold my glory that is that they may enjoy the Iohn 17. 24. eternall glory with mee This is a Doctrine of singular comfort like the wine and oyle that revived the wounded man like the news of Iosephs honour Luke 10. Gen. 45. 28. Luke 2. that comforted old Iacob like the song of the heavenly souldiers that rejoyced the Sheepheards like Davids Harpe to drive away Sauls melancholy Hath God begun with thee hath he called thee hast thou felt the motions of his Spirit in thy heart Noli timere bee not afraid hee will end with thee and accomplish all his graces in thee I meane not in perfection Nam sanctitas tribus gradibus perficitur Holinesse consisteth in three degrees In this life while we are regenerate by water and the holy Spirit after this life while the Soule enjoyeth the presence of God after the day of Iudgement when in Soule and body wee shall bee united to our head Christ Iesus In this life there is a threefold Sanctification 1 Imputed unto us 2 Wrought in us 3 Wrought by us Imputed Sanctification is when God imputeth unto us the sanctification of Christ Who is made to us Wisedome Righteousnes 1 Cor. 1. 30. Sanctification and Redemption By this wee are said to bee sanctified when the vertue of Christs Passion the fruit of his Death the power of his Resurrection is applied unto us and Christs Sanctification made ours by imputation Therefore the Apostle saith That Iesus Christ to the end that hee may sanctifie his people with his owne bloud suffered without the gate Heb. 13. 12. Sanctification wrought within us is the inward change of a man iustified whereby the image of God is restored in him a Protestants Religion teach Sanctity change not a non esse ad esse from a not being to a being for the faculties of the soule were before not ab esse ad non esse from a being to a not being for the faculties of the soule remaine still but ab esse ad esse from an ill being to a good being not abolishing the will minde and affections but rectifying and renuing them a change of a man iustified for we are iustified before we are sanctified Iustification is actus individuus Sanctification is actus dividuus we are iustified at once we are sanctified by degrees wee are iustified when our sinnes are not imputed unto us we are sanctified when a cleane heart is created and a right spirit renued in us Sanctification wrought by us is that whereby wee sanctifie and make holy the outward works and actions of our life This the Lord requireth Be ye holy for I am holy To this Saint Paul Levit. 11. 44. exhorteth let us cleanse our selves from all silthinesse of the flesh and 2 Cor. 7. 1. of the spirit and grow up to full holinesse in the feare of God The righteousnesse of Justification is by faith without works the righousnesse of Sanctification is by workes and by faith justifying righteousnesse is perfect but not inherent sanctifying righteousnesse is imperfect but inherent glorifying righteousnesse is perfect and inherent neverthelesse we must confesse that all our sanctification is from God Here the slander of the Papists is answered for Justification for whom God calleth he justifieth and whom hee iustifieth he sanctifieth We preach not an idle faith as they say opening windowes and doores to all wickednesse by a Solifidian error and an imputative Iustice A late Papist in his Treatise of the Eucharist saith We preach liberty we hinder good workes we teach a naked faith No no wee teach sanctity holinesse more than they who with Alexander the third
call whoredome and adultery Peccadilia little sinnes who cry Si non castè tamen cautè if not chastly yet charily who maintaine open Stewes with Pius Quintus who dispence with all sinnes Allen the arch Papist said Commit our men what sinne they list omit what goodnesse they list yet we teach them that bare faith iustifieth them No no we say with Zachary God hath delivered us out of the Luke 1. 74 75. hands of our enemies that we should serve him without feare in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of our life We say with Paul that The Tit. 2. 11 12. grace of God that bringeth salvation to all men hath appeared and teacheth us to forsake all impiety and wicked worldly desires and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present world We say with Saint Peter If ye call him Father which without respect of persons iudgeth according 1 Pet. 1. 17. to every mans worke passe the time of your dwelling here in feare We say with Saint Iohn and all other holy men Let us love one another for love commeth of God and every one that loveth is borne of God and knoweth God he that loveth not knoweth not God for God is love We say with Christ Blessed are they that heare the Word of God and Iustification and Sanctification though joyned yet distinguished keepe it Wee urge men more to holinesse than they doe wee use more sharpe and effectuall reasons not like the leaden blunt Doctors in Popery but arrowes drawne out of a better Quiver Paul thought this a principall reason above others to move them by the wounds and blood and merits of the Lord Iesu For having spent eleven Chapters in the Treatise of Iustification at last he breaketh out as the Sunne out of a cloud and moveth them to holinesse by the name the death and merits of Christ Iesu saying I beseech you Brethren by the mercies of GOD that yee give up your bodies a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God Rom. 12. 1 2. which is your reasonable serving of God and fashion not your selves like unto this world A more effectuall reason than to argue from our workes our merits our deserts which is death For the wages of sinne is death Rom. 6. 23. Iustification and Sanctification goe together yet wee enter not into heaven chiefely as wee are sanctified and regenerated For that is but in part but as wee are iustified by the death and righteousnesse of Christ which is perfect compleat and absolute Yea say the Romanists faith and workes cannot be sundred Ergo we are iustified by workes aswell as by faith But I deny the Argument they reason like blind men the light of righteousnesse hath not shined on them they feed on ashes For many things are conioyned which yet have diverse operations as the light and heat of the Sunne where the one is there is the other yet are we not warmed by the light but by the heat nor yet directed by the heat but by the light of it Fides est sola at non solitaria sola in actu justificationis at non solitaria in usu operatione quotidiana nam operatur per dilectionem Faith is alone but not solitary alone in the act of iustification but not alone in the use and daily operation for it worketh by love or as Chemnitius reasoneth against Andradius and the Councell of Trent We have eyes and eares at once and they are ioynt members of the body yet we heare not with our eyes and see not with our eares Manus non est sola sed coniuncta cum reliquiis membris at manus sola scribit the hand is not alone but ioyned with the other members but the hand alone writeth the tongue is not alone nor severed from the rest of the members yet the tongue alone speaketh the Prince goeth not without the Court yet the Prince ruleth alone and not the Court Fidem opera coniungi magis quam confundi vellem I had rather conioine faith and works than confound them Finely therefore saith a Schoole-man Deus justificat effectivè fides iustificat apprehensivè opera iustificant declarativè God iustifieth effectually Faith iustifieth apprehensively Tho. Aquin. Workes iustifie declaratively that is they shew and declare unto the world that we are iustified Iustificatio est verbum forense nec qualitatem aliquam denotat sed absolutionem a reatu non Rom. 4. 26. consistit in qualitatum infursione sed peccatorum remissione Iustification Iustification how wrought is a Law word neither doth it note any quality but absolution from guilt neither consisteth it in the infusion of qualities but in the remission of sinnes Our invisible faith iustifieth us before our invisible God for he seeth into the heart and our visible workes doe iustifie us before men that be visible and which behold our lives and conversations And Paul placeth our Iustification Non in qualitatum infusione sed peccatorum remissione not in the infusion of qualities but in the remission of sinnes Deus dat beatitudinem Christus redimit Spiritus obsignat Fides apprehendit Opera testificantur God giveth happinesse Christ purchaseth it the Spirit sealeth it Faith apprehendeth it and Workes testifie it THE THIRD SERMON VERS I. Reconciliation part of Redemption AS I have begun to speake of this Heavenly Doctrine of Sanctification so will I proceed therein And to speake in order wee must know that of Christs Priesthood there bee two parts Redemption and Intercession Redemption is the first part whereby hee hath wrought for us the matter of our Deliverance from all evils as Hell Death Damnation Heb. 7. 24. Now of this Redemption there be two members The Luke 1. 74. merit or matter of Reconciliation and Sanctification According to that of the Apostle But yee are sanctified but yee are justified in the name of the Lord Iesus and by the spirit of God 1 Cor. 6. 11. 1. Reconciliation is the first part of our Redemption whereby we are restored from the Curse into the love and favour of God For when wee were enemies wee were reconciled to God by the death of his Sonne c. for hee is our peace And it pleased the Father that in him Rom. 5. 10. Ephes 2. 14. Col. 1. 20. 22. all fulnesse should dwell and by him to reconcile all things unto himselfe and to set at peace through the bloud of his Crosse both the things in Earth and the things in Heaven Now againe of Reconciliation there bee two parts Remission of sins and Imputation of righteousnesse For saith the Apostle He was delivered to Death for our sins and is risen againe for our justification And againe God was in Christ and reconciled the Rom. 6. 25. World to himselfe not imputing their sinnes unto them and hath committed to us the Word of Reconciliation Now then are wee Embassadors 2 Cor. 5. 19 20 21. for
Christ as though God did beseech you through us wee pray you in Christs stead that ye be reconciled unto God For hee hath made himselfe Iustification upon remission of sinnes and Christs righteousnesse imputed sinne for us that we might be made the righteousnesse of God through him Remission of sinne is the first part of Reconciliation whereby the guiltinesse and punishment of our sinnes is removed from us by Christs sufferings For thus it is written and thus it behooved Christ to suffer and to rise againe the third day that Repentance and Remission of sinnes might bee preached in his name to all nations And Hee through Death hath destroyed him that had the power of Death that is the Divell and that hee might deliver all them which for feare of Death Hebr. 2. 14 15. were all their life time subject to bondage Yea it is Christ alone That Apoc. 1. 5. hath washed us from our sinnes with his bloud Yea His bloud it is that cleanseth us from all sinne 1 Iohn 1. 7. Imputation of righteousnesse is the other part of Reconciliation whereby by Christs righteousnesse being imputed unto us we appeare just and blamelesse before God our Father For by him wee have received the attonement And as by the offence of Rom. 5. 11 16. one the fault came on all men to condemnation So by the justifying of one the benefit abounded towards all men to the justification of life And Hee hath now reconciled us in the body of Col. 1. 22. his flesh through Death to make us holy and unblameable and without fault in the sight of God his Father Now againe of Remission and Imputation spring Iustification and Adoption For Being justified by Faith wee have Peace Rom. 5. 1. towards God through our Lord Iesus Christ For when the fulnesse of time was come God sent foorth his Sonne made of a woman and made under the Law that hee might redeeme them which were under the Law that wee might receive the adoption of Sonnes Iustification is that wherby we being delivered before God of the guiltinesse of sin are accounted just For Who shall lay any thing Rom. 8. 33. to the charge of Gods chosen It is God that justifieth who shall condemne As by one mans disobedience many are made sinners so by the obedience Rom. 5. 19. of one shall many also bee made righteous Adoption is that whereby wee are accounted Sonnes and heires of God For yee have not saith Paul received the spirit of Rom. 8. 15. bondage to feare againe but yee have received the Spirit of Adoption whereby we crie Abba Father And hee further affirmeth That we are all the Sonnes of God by Faith in Christ Iesus From these two wee obtaine these two blessings First that all crosses turne to us to the best so saith the Apostle All Rom. 8. 28 things worke together for the best â—o them even them that are called of purpose For though hee visit 〈◊〉 sinnes with rods and our offences with scourges yet his loving kindnesse will hee never take from us nor suffer his truth to faile Secondly by Iustification and Adoption wee obtaine a chiefety or rule over all Creatures except Angels For so saith David Thou hast made him little lower than Angels and crowned him Psal 8. 5 6. with glory and worship Thou hast made him to have dominion in the Workes of thy hands thou hast put all things under his feete And the Sanctification in Mortification and viyification Sanctification imperfect in this life same also the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrewes affirmeth Now for Sanctification whereby God beginneth in us holinesse that hath two members Mortification to sinne and Resurrection to righteousnesse Mortification is the first part whereby the power of sinne is killed in us and of this Mortification Paul speaketh thus Our old man is crucified within that the body of sinne might bee destroyed that henceforth wee should not serve sinne And againe That Rom. 6. 6. Gal. 2. 19. I might live unto God I am crucified with Christ Resurrection unto righteousnesse is whereby sanctity holinesse is really inherent and begun in us and is increased dayly more and more For Wee are buried with Christ by Baptisme unto his death that like as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of his Rom. 6. 4. Father So wee also should walke in newnesse of life These parts of Sanctification referred unto the Soule are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but referred to the Body they are called frustus seu 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fruits This 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a renewing of all the faculties of the Soule a converting them from evill to good A bringing foorth of fruits worthy amendment of life And Luke 3. 8. this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath his Initium beginning comitem and his companion His beginning is is godly sorrow for whose heart Gods spirit doth touch is sorry for his sinnes committed against so mercifull a Father His Companion is a spirituall combate for the Flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the Flesh Gal. 5. 17. This Sanctification being the second principall part of our Redemption is the quallity whereby Gods spirit doth renew us and begin in us newnesse of life but it is not perfect absolute in us Paenitentia amor sequuntur noticiam nostram Repentance and Love follow our Knowledge but our knowledge is 1 Cor. 13. 9. but in part And this I note against the blasphemy of Osiander who saith that the essentiall righteousnesse of Christ is in us but the righteousnesse of Christ is without us not within us and is apprehended by Faith And therefore Pauls care was to bee found in him that is in Christ Not having saith Paul mine Phil. 3. 9. own righteousnes which is of the Law but that which is through the Faith of Christ even the righteousnesse which is of God through Faith For the righteousnesse whereby wee are justified is the meere imputation of Christs worke unto us and therefore this word Imputation is tenne times recited in one Chapter When a friend Rom. 5. of his owne goods and not of mine payeth debt that I owe that payment or satisfaction is mine it is imputed to mee when as yet it is the worke of my friend and none of mine After the same manner the righteousnesse of Christ is ours This righteousnesse therefore whereby wee are justified is Grace and not Nature Imputation not Essence it is a Communication of the benefit of Christ not a commixion of essence it is Holinesse is said in diverse senses an effect of the proper worke of Christ non substantia ipsa Christi not the very substance of Christ The other righteousnesse wherewith he sanctifieth us is but begun onely it is not absolute For as the Sunne shineth and as the fire warmeth us and yet doe not transferre their essence into us
of his little Mat. 18. 10. ones saith The Angels of his little ones doe alwaies behold the face of his Father which is in Heaven Miraculously doth hee keepe us untill the day of our death Therefore saith David Thou hast shewed mee great troubles and adversities but Psal 71. 18. thou wilt returne and revive mee and wilt come againe and take mee from the depth of the earth Miraculously doth he continue his benefits towards us Therefore saith the sweet Singer of Israel Cast me not away in the time of my age forsake me not when my strength Psal 71. 8. faileth me let it be our Prayer If God had not aswell preserved us and kept us it had beene to small purpose to call us and sanctifie us This Doctrine then is a Doctrine of comfort that God preserveth us it is as Davids Harpe which rejoyced Saul in his melancholy God hath not onely made us but also preserved us in a wonderfull mercy He telleth all our steps He numbreth Iob 14. Psal 56. Psal 38. Psal 139. Psal 34. Mat. 10. our teares He counteth our dayes and times He telleth our members He reckoneth our bones Yea he telleth our haires Our steps our teares our dayes our members our bones our hayres are told and yet all these are but little a steppe is but a little space a teare is but a little water a member is but a little flesh a bone a little substance our dayes a little time our haire a little exerement yet all these are kept of God he that keepeth these little things will keepe our bodies and soules As Paul prayed for Thessalonica Now the very God of peace sanctifie you throughout and I pray God that your whole spirit soule and body may 1 Thes 5. 23. bee kept blamelesse untill the comming of our Lord and Saviour â—esus Christ. God therefore is continually to be praised quoth Ambrose The Saints though afflicted yet delivered In prosperis quia consolamnur in adversis quia corrigimur in prosperity because we are comforted in adversity because we are corrected before we were borne because he made us after we were borne because he saveth us in our sinnes because hee Ambr. in ora fu nebri in Theodosium Apoc. 2. 10. pardoneth us in our conversion because hee helpeth us in our preservation because he keepeth us and crowneth us But some will say doe we not see good men take harme sometime breake an arme a legge yea and sometime their necke Where is Gods providence how are they preserved I say that GOD sometime throwes them down and leaveth them to themselves that they may the better see their weakenesse and Gods power and being delivered glorifie him in it according to that precept of the Almighty call upon me in the day of trouble I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorifie mee Hereof come all those tragicall Psal 50. 15. speeches of the Saints that God maketh them as Buts and all his arrowes sticke deepe in them that hee feareth them with Iob 7. 12. 14 19. dreames and astonisheth them with visions and will not give them so much rest as to swallow their spettle that their heart panteth that their strength faileth the light of their eyes is Psal 38. 5. 8. 10. gone that their wounds are putrified and corrupt that they are weakened and sore broken and doe rore for the very disquietnesse of their hearts that they are as water powred out that all their bones be out of ioynt that their heart is as waxe melted Psal 22. 14. in the middest of their bowels that God bruiseth them as a Lion like a Crane or Swallow so God maketh them to chatter and to mourne like Doves True it is that they bee often Esay 38. 12 13. 14. in perill for a time Iacob lyeth in the Fields Gen. 30. 1 Sam. 24. Psal 125. Ier. 20. Dan. 3. David in the Wildernesse Ioseph in Prison Ieremy in the Dungeon The Three Children in the Oven Iohn in the hot Oyle at Ephesus Elias among Crowes Moses among Sheepe 1 Reg. 17. Exod. 2. Mat. 12. Dan. 6. Luke 16. Acts 27. Ionas among Fishes Daniel among Lions Lazarus among Dogges Paul among Snakes But at last commeth the yeere of Iubile and they are freed the cloud is dispersed and the Sunne shineth the clay is removed and the water runneth the ashes is scattered and the fire burneth the snare is broken and the Birds are delivered It is God that preserveth all things that he may have the glory Psal 174. 7. He kept the old world many yeeres from perishing and when it was destroyed he reserved a seed of 8. persons He will keep Gen. 8. this new World in the great burning For there shall bee a new God hath preserved his Scriptures God preserves Bodies and Soules Heaven and a new Earth Hee kept the primitive Church from ten great persecutours when the rivers were dyed with bloud when five thousand died every day except the Calends of Ianuarie hee kept the Scriptures from Antiochus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Dioclesian the one made monthly Inquisition for the Bibles and 2 Pet. 3. beheaded them that kept them the other commanded all to bee burnt yet Ezra and they continue to our good hee kept the knowledge of his Name in all the darkenesse of the World For as Iosephus saith Adam made two tables of stone or pillars Euseb lib. 1. in the one hee wrote Hominis lapsum Mans fall In the other Promissionem de Messia the promise of the Messiah and so that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 continueth to this day hee kept the Religion in the dayes of Queene Mary as hee kept the Law in the dayes of Manasses and Amon two or three Berries were left on the top of the tree some grapes after the vintage some eares of corne after the gleaning Hee kept our late blessed Queene when Stephen Gardiner bad Hew at the roote and when some others used her roughly when the plot of her death was layd Let our Soules praise the Lord and Psal 103. all that is within us praise his holy name God preserved the Fathers Aegypt received Athanasius from exile having beene seven yeeres in a Cisterne at Treveris France received Hilary returning from battell Antioch received Chrysostome from the malice of Arcadius and Eudoxia Italy welcomed Eusebius from exile and Millaine entertained Ambrose from the rage of Valentinian and Iustina God preserveth the World and all men in it and this preservation of the World is greater than the Creation of the World greater than the Ios 10. Iohn 2. John 6. drying up of the redde Sea greater than the standing of the Sunne and Moone in Aialon greater than the turning of Water into Wine greater than the feeding of five thousand men with five loaves and two fishes Et tamen haec omnes mirantur non quia majora sed quia rariora Vilescunt miracula
with an high hand an hard heart and a whorish forehead such are idolaters blasphemers drunkards usurers adulterers robbers which say yet once more will I doe this or that sinne once more will I dallie one cup more will I have for God say they is patient and long suffering thus sin toucheth sinne but God will whet his sword and bend his bow and Psal 7. 11 12. then yee know what followes the blacke arrowes and instruments of death Paul sheweth a better end of grace than wantonnesse hee saith The grace of God that bringeth salvation to all men hath appeared Tit. 2. 11 12. and teacheth us to deny impietie and wicked worldly desires and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present world The goodnesse of God leadeth us to repentance honor health wealth long Rom. 2. 4. life taketh thee by the hand and leadeth thee to repentance as the Angell led Ezechiel into the Sanctuarie Noli peccare spe nam Bern. paenam dabis re sinne not in hope for thou shalt smart for it indeed It is as great a sinne to presume of grace and mercy as to despaire of grace and mercie for they that despaire may be raised up but such as presume are seldome saved He that heareth Deut. 29. 19. 20 21. the Words of this curse and blesseth himselfe in his heart saying I shall have peace although I walke in the stubbornesse of my heart thus adding drunkennesse to thirst The Lord will not be mercifull unto him but then the wrath of the Lord and his iealousie shall smoake against that man and every curse that is written in this booke shall light upon him and the Lord shall put out his name from under Heaven Therefore Paul in all his writings when he handleth the doctrine of grace and mercie he handleth it very warily as a man handleth gunpowder or quicke-silver lest they should turne it into wantonnesse As 1 Tim. 4. 10. We trust in the living God which is the Saviour of all men 1 Tim. 4. 10. Rom. 8. 1. especially of those that beleeve And Rom. 8. 1. Now there is no condemnation to them that are in Cerist Iesus which walke not after the flesh but after the spirit And Gal. 5. 24. They that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts And 1 Pet. 2. 9. Yee are a chosen generation Gal. 5. 24. a royall priesthood an holy nation that yee should shew forth the vertues of him that hath called you out of darkenesse into his marveilous light God is a Saviour of all that is of all beleevers there is no condemnation so that we walke in the spirit we are Christs if we crucifie the flesh a royall priesthood if we shew forth the vertues of him that hath made us Kings and Priests Other wisdome hath no portion of the Spirit of God we have neither part nor fellowship in Iesus Christ Sumus in felle nequitiae wee are in gall of bitternesse Let us not then turne the grace of God into wantonnesse as Gods benefits and bounty oft make licentious and impious many do for the better God dealeth with them the worse they deale with him turning grace into wantonnesse and Christian libertie into carnall licentiousnesse not regarding the Apostles Counsell Brethren yee have beene called into libertie only use not your libertie as an occasion unto the flesh but by Love serve yee one another Gal. 5. 13. If God give us an inch wee take an ell and abuse his goodnesse God dealeth with us as a nurse doth with her Child he nourisheth and bringeth us up but wee deale with him as the Asses foale with her damme when she hath sucked her damme shee kicketh with her heele as the swallow doth with men she harboureth with us all summer and in winter departeth and leaveth nothing but dirt behind her Thus Moses complained of Israel Doe yee so reward the Lord O yee folish people and unwise Is not he thy father that hath bought thee he hath made thee and proportioned thee So Deut. 32. 6. Esau complaineth of Iuda I have nourished and brought up children but they have rebelled against me The oxe knoweth his owner and the Esa 1. 3. Asse his masters cribbe but Israel hath not knowne my people hath no understanding Ieremie reneweth the same complaint a little before the captivity They said not where is the Lord that brought us out of the land of Aegpyt that ledus thorough the wildernesse thorough a desart Ier. 2. 6. a wast land thorough a dry land and by the shadow of death by a land that no man passed thorough and where no man dwelt and againe O generation take heed to the word of the Lord have I beene as a wildernesse unto Israel or a land of darkenesse wherefore saith my people then wee are Lords we will come no more unto thee Can a maid forget her ornaments or a bride her attire Yet my people have forgotten me dayes without number The matter is more fully handled by Ezechiel Ieremie his mate and companion both before and in the captivity saying Thou hast not remembred the dayes of thy youth when thou wast naked and bare and wast polluted in thy blood Thus all the Prophets Ezech. 16. 22. with open mouth crie out against iniquitie The richer wee are the vainer wee are the higher wee are the prouder wee are the stronger wee are the crueller and the more quarrellous wee are the yonger the lascivier the more healthfull the more sinnefull and carelesse wee wound God with his owne weapon For hee that should have beene upright when hee waxed fat spurned with the Deut. 32. 15. heele thou are fat thou are grosse thou art laden with fat therefore hee forsooke God that made him and regarded not the strong God of his salvation We abuse every blessing of God wee are like Aesops snake that lay still in the frost but stung him that warmed her in his bosome so long as God keepeth us sicke and lame and poore we are in some order our eares are full of Sermons our lips full of prayers our hands full of almes our hearts full of holy meditations For when the outward man perisheth the inward man is renewed daily but if we come to health and wealth and strength we rage 2 Cor. 4. 16. like Giants we are like bad ground which the more sweet dewes it receiveth the more weeds it bringeth out And therefore wee Gods patience makes us presumptuous are neere unto cursing whose end is to be burned If God give some libertie and remission wee stretch it too farre if hee permit hawking and hunting we spend most of our dayes in it wee make an Hebr. 6. 8. occupation of play Because God permitteth us to eate and drinke and weare apparell wee eate till wee surfet and drinke till wee be drunken and attire our selves like peacocks like Geta the Emperor that was served
three not by composition of parts but by coexistence of persons The Iewes also note in the verbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bara the mysterie of the Trinity by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Beth the Sonne by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Resh Ruah the Spirit by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aleph Ab the Father Christ is many wayes divided But this holy mystery is more clearely taught by Moses Gen. 3. 22. Againe They deny Christ of which sort there bee many The Iewes deny that he is come the Pagans deny that ever he will come the Turkes confesse that hee is come but yet as a man not as a God inferiour to their Mahomet the Papists confesse in words that hee is come but in truth denying the person of Christ making his body every where that is no where yea many have denyed Christ and robbed the Creator to give to the Creature the Italians ascribe all to the Pope the Irish to Saint Patrick the Scots to Palladius the Russians to Saint Nicholas Munster in Cosmog and the Calicutes to the Divell But to speake orderly men deny Christ many wayes Some deny his Divinity as the Arrians some his Humanitie as the Vbiquetaries some his Natures by renting them a sunder as the Nestorians who make two Christs one the sonne of God another the sonne of Mary some deny them by confounding them as Eutiches Qui dixit humanitatem a divinitate absorptam esse which said that his Humanity was swallowed up of his Divinity some deny him by concealing him in time of persecution as the Nichodemites doe A Sect against which we are to lift up our voyces like Trumpets for He that denyeth Christ in Earth Mat. 10. 33. before men shall be denyed in Heaven before Angels For this cause they of Ephesus are said not to have denyed Christ but to have suffered for his sake and to have laboured without fainting And Apoc. 2. 3. they of Pergamos are said not to have denyed Christ For though their habitation was where Sathans throne is yet they professed his name and not denyed the faith Remember that the fearefull are placed with Vriah in the forefront in the vauntguard Apoc. 2. 13. of the damned so saith Saint Iohn The fearefull and unbeleeving and the abominable and murtherers and whoremongers and sorcerers and Idolaters and all lyars shall have their part Apoc. 21. 8. in the Lake that burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second Death On the contrary Righteous men are compared to Lions which feare no colours so saith Salomon The wicked flee when Prov. 28. 1. Luke 8. 1 Pet. 1. none pursueth him but the Righteous are as bold as a Lion on the other side its naughty ground that will be scorched with heat it is drosse not gold that will bee melted in the fire it is counterfeit not right Balme that will not abide the water it is a bastard Eagle that soareth not to the Sunne Hee is a Coward Exod. 19. not a Souldier that shrinketh in the battell Hee is an Infidell and not a Christian that denyeth Christ in persecution For one Faith is named one Profession Hold fast saith the Apostle the Profession of your hope without wavering And againe Heb. 10. 23. Heb. 3. 1. Consider the Apostle and high Priest of your Profession Christ Iesus Much Profession much Faith no profession no Faith Christ is denied when the efficacie of his death is denied But chiefely we deny the Lord Iesus two wayes First by denying the sufficiencie of his death as the Galathians did and as the Iews did and as our Papists now who will not let Christ be a Saviour alone but they joyne workes with him but all workes are accursed so saith the Apostle As many as are of the workes Gal. 2. Rom. 10. Gal. 3. 10. of the Law that is thinke to bee justified by them are under the Curse Secondly wee deny the Lord Iesus by denying the efficacie or vertue of his Death not dying unto sinne Therefore Awake thou that sleepest and stand up from Death that Christ may give thee Ephes 5. 14. Light For as the Sunne doth not warme all whom it lighteneth as the people under the North Pole who have the Sun sixe moneths together and yet freeze so the Spirit of God doth not cause all to feele the vertue of his Death whom hee illuminateth with the knowledge of his death Such are our Atheists the former are Papists the later are Atheists and both deny Christ The profession of Christ standeth not in words but in deeds not in tongue but in heart not in opinion but in life The Apostle nameth a true Knowledge for many know not God truely Saint Peter calleth it an Idle knowledge distinguishing of knowledge that it is Operans otiosa a working and an idle 2 Pet. 2. 8. knowledge for some carrie Christ in their mouth and braine as perfume in a Pomander without smell as a sword in a scabbard without cutting as fire in a flint without heat But this I will say to thee in the sight of God and his Angels that if thou doest not dye to sinne and rise againe by a new life if thou doest not kill sinne in thee as Murder Whoredome Malice covetousnesse Vsury Pride Drunkennesse c. thou doest neither beleeve the Death nor the Resurrection of Iesus Christ So saith Paul Know yee not that all wee which have beene baptized into Iesus Christ have beene baptized into his Death And againe If wee Rom. 6. 3 5 6. be grafted with him to the similitude of his Death even so shall wee be to the similitude of his Resurrection Knowing this that our old man is crucified with him that the body of sinne might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sinne And Saint Iohn the disciple whom Iesus loved and which leaned on his breast at supper saith Hereby are wee sure that wee know him if wee keepe his Commandements hee that saith hee knoweth him and keepeth not his Commandements is a 1 Iohn 2. 4 5. Lyar and the Truth is not in him This Death unto sinne and Resurrection to newnesse of life Paul calleth it the vertue of his Death The vertue of his Resurrection The stone Dioscorides is nothing Phil. 3. 10. in the mouth of a dead man And all knowledge of Christ is nothing in a carnall man The death of Christ truely beleeved will cause thee to dye unto sinne and the Resurrection of Christ will cause the dead body to rise unto eternall life and the dead minde to an holy life So saith the Apostle If yee The Papists deny the offices of Christ by consequence bee risen with Christ seeke the things that are above where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God set your affections upon Heavenly things and not upon Earthly for yee are dead and your life is hid in God c. The Iewes know Christ but not truly
his mercy is despised like a Prince that sendeth not his army against rebells before he hath sent his pardon and proclaimed it by an Herauld of armes like Tamberlaine who the first day set up his white tents and received all that came the next day blacke betokening the death of the rulers the third day red betokening the bloodshed of all So the Lord hath his white tents of mercy his blacke and red of iustice and iudgement if the one bee despised the other shal be felt hereupon saith Paul But thou after thy hardnesse Rom. 2. 5. and heart which cannot repent treasurest up unto thy selfe wrath against the day of wrath and declaration of the iust iudgement of God who will reward every man according to his works More particularly God delivered this people mercifully yea miraculously their shoulders from burdens and their fingers from making of bricke hee drew them out of a fiery oven like the three children he put off their sacke-cloth and girded them with gladnesse and compassed them about with songs of deliverance hee carried them on the Wings of Eagles He brought a vine out of Aegypt hee cast out the Heathen and planted them in Thou madest roome for it and diddest Dan. 2. Exod. 19. Psal 80. 9 10 11. cause it to take roote and it filled the land She stretched out her branches unto the sea and her boughs unto the river God separated them from all the Sonnes of Adam For the most high God who divided to the nations their inheritance kept them as the apple of his eye And as an Eagle stirreth up her nest fluttereth over her birds stretcheth out her wings taketh them and beareth them on her wings So the Deut. 32. 8. 11 12. Lord alone led Israel But for orders sake I will divide the mercies of God into three severall sections or times Their deliverance in Aegypt the first Their comming out of Aegypt the second Their deliverāce after they were come out the third the last For First for their deliverance in Aegypt first it was much that Gods judgements upon the Aegyptians God should love them being come of the Amorites and Hitites wallowing in their blood that he should love them and choose them for his people as Moses said The Lord your God did not set his love upon you nor chose you because yee were moe in number than Ezech. 16. 3. 6. Deut. 7 8 9. any people for yee were the fewest of all people but because the Lord loved you There was nothing in them why God should choose them for they were no more righteous than others and therefore saith Moses againe unto them Speake not thou in thy heart saying For my Cap. 9. 4 5. Cap. 32. 9 10 11 12. Exod. 1. righteousnesse hath the Lord brought me in to possesse this Land c. For thou shalt inherit this land not for thy righteousnesse or for thy upright heart but for the wickednesse of those nations c. Israel was Gods portion Iacob the lot of his inheritance hee found him in the land of the wildernesse in a wast and roring wildernesse he led him about he taught him and kept him as the apple of his eye As an Eagle stirreth up her nest fluttereth over her birds stretcheth out her wings taketh them and beareth them on her wings So the Lord alone led him and there was no strange God with him God multiplied them not by meanes but by miracle For from seventy soules they grew in few yeares to 600000. and which is more the more that they were kept down the more they prospered like to Camomill the more it is troden the more it groweth or to a Palme-tree the more it is pressed the further it spreadeth or to fire the more it is raked the more it burneth God gave them Moses and Aaron and Miriam Mich. 6. Psal 78. 44 45 46 47 48 49 50. and God plagued the Aegyptians for their sake and did marvelous things in the land of Aegypt even in the field of Zoan He turned their rivers into blood and their flouds that they could not drinke hee sent a swarme of flies among them which devoured them and frogges which destroyed them hee gave also their fruits unto the Caterpiller and their labour unto the grashopper he destroyed their vines with haile and their wild figge-trees with the hailestone he gave their cattell also to the haile and their flockes unto the thunderbolts hee cast upon them the furiousnesse of his anger indignation and wrath and vexation by the sending of evill Angels he made a way to his anger hee spared not their soule from death hee Act. 12. Exod. 8. 17. gave their life to the pestilence If it were much to eate up one man with lice what is it to eate up a whole land If it was much to Iohn 2. Exod. 7. 19. Gen. 19. 2 Reg. 6. turne water-pots into wine what was it to turne all the waters of Aegypt into blood If it was a great thing to smite a few Sodomites Aramites with blindnesse what was it to smite a whole land with darkenesse that no man could rise for three dayes So much for the benefits bestowed upon them in Aegypt Now let us see what he did for them in their deliverance out Exod. 10. Exod. 12. Gen. 50. 3. Ier. 31. 17. of Aegypt In their deliverance he smote al the first borne in Aegypt the chiefe of their strength passed by Israel And wheras there was a great cry in Aegypt like that for Iacob for whom was made a great and an exceeding sore lamentation and like that of Rachel who weeping for her children would not be comforted because they were not there was joy in the land of Goshen hee inclined the hearts of the Gods mercy to Israel after their deliverance out of Aegypt Aegyptians to doe them good and they received of them Iewels of silver and Iewels of gold hee strengthened them so that there was not one feeble person among them Aegypt was glad at their departing for the feare of them had fallen upon them All the Idolls of Aegypt fell downe at their departure even as all the oracles Psal 105. 38. of the world ceased at the comming of Christ even that at Delphos Dodo Delos God brought them as a vine out of Aegypt God did cast out the Heathen and planted them hee made Psal 80. 8 9. a roome for them and caused them to take roote and they filled the land 3. After their deliverance when the red sea was before them the Aegyptians behind them the mountaines on each side of them God made a ready passage for them And caused the sea to runne Exod. 14 21 22. backe by a strong East winde all the night and made the Sea dry land for the waters were divided and the children of Israel went thorough the middest of the Sea upon the dry ground but the Aegyptians pursuing them Psal 105.
the heart of a Dragon that is never satisfied So that Iude might say as Ieremy said My heretage Ier. 12. 8 9. is unto me as a Lion in the forrest it cryeth out against me therefore have I hated it Shall my heretage be unto me as a bird of divers colours c. Thus much generally for the Text. And now to the particular handling of the things therein contained and first he calleth them sleepers He speaketh not of any naturall sleepe but the sleepe that he meaneth is security negligence and in affirming them to be sleepers he meaneth that they were drowsie blockish negligent As Paul said to Titus of the Cretians That they were lyers evill beasts slow bellies so Tit. 1. 12. these were secure and sleepy Sleepe in the Scripture hath three significations sometime it signifieth naturall rest so the Apostles slept So the Evangelist witnesseth that Christ Came unto his disciples and found them asleepe Secondly it signifieth death and so Lazarus slept and Mat. 26. 40. Stephen slept and the Corinthians slept Brethren we shall not all sleep The living in sinne and security like lying asleepe that is we shall not all dye Thirdly it signifieth dulnesse of spirit and the Romanes slept but Paul telleth them that Considering the season it is high time for them to awake from sleepe he meaneth sinne security carelesnesse continuance in sinne For there is a lethergie Iohn 11. Acts 7. Rom. 13. 11. of the minde as there is of the body that men dye sleeping and many are overtaken with it they are as men asleepe like the mice of the Alpes that sleep all winter like Endimion that could not be awaked like Saul and Abner that could not be stirred with Davids shouting Many labour of the lethergy of 1 Sam. 26. 14. the mind they see not the glory of God they heare not his voice they smell not the sweet promises of God in Christ Iesus they taste not how good God is unto them they handle not the Book 1 Pet. 2. 3. of life As a man asleep seeth not heareth not walketh not but is without sense or motion of life for the time for sleepe is a band and an imprisonment of all the senses so is a sinner without remorse he perceiveth not he regardeth not the things that are of God As Christ said to Peter Come behind me Satan thou Mat. 16. 23. savourest not the things that are of God Many wake to the world They rise early they goe late to bed they eate the bread of carefullnesse Psal 127. they are asleepe in all the matters of God A man may say to them as the Prophet Esay said unto the Iewes Know ye nothing Esa 40. 21. have ye not heard it hath it not been told you from the beginning have ye not understood it by the foundations of the earth he sitteth upon the circle of the earth and the inhabiters thereof are as Grashoppers he stretcheth out the Heavens as a Curtaine and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in Their soule it asleepe if not dead for the trumpet of Gods Word hath not awaked them this forty fifty yeeres Sed tempus est surgeudi it is high time for us to awake out of sleepe I will therefore say unto you as Christ said to the Church of Sardis Awake and strengthen the things that remaine Gods Minsters Rom. 13. 11. Apoc. 3. 2. they are as Trumpets to awake the drowsie Souldier and to prepare him to the battell and therefore they are willed to Crie aloud Esa 58. 1. and not to spare to lift up their voyces like trumpets that so they may awake men out of their sleepe of sinne Gods Ministers they are as Cockes to crow and to awaken all to receive the Word for as the body hath Foure powers Appetitive the First Retentive the Second Digestive the Third Expulsive the Fourth So hath the soule it must desire the word and as the Hart brayeth Psal 42. 1. for the rivers of waters so must our soules pant after God and his Word and not onely desire it but keepe it for Blessed are they Luke 11. 28. that heare the Word and keepe it and not onely desire and keepe it but also digest it into good manners that so our conversation may be such as becommeth the Gospell of Christ and not only Phil. 1. 27. desire it keepe it and disgest it but also expell whatsoever is contrary The sleepe of sinne most dangerous unto it Laying aside all maliciousnesse and all guile and dissimulation and envy and all evill speaking but this cannot bee without crying for all men bee in a slumber The Apostle saith awake thou 1 Pet. 2. 1. Ephes 5. 14. 1 Cor. 15. 14. that sleepest stand up from death And he explaineth the phrase in his Epistle to the Corinthians saying Awake to live righteously and sinne not so that to sleepe is to live sinnefully and securely to awake is to live carefully righteously Esay calleth it a Spirit of slumber The Lord saith hee hath covered you with a spirit of slumber Esai 29. 10. and shut up your eyes Salomon saith to the drunkard that hee sleepeth upon the top of a mast and this is true of all sinnes Christ Pro. 23. 34. at his farewell and Vltimum vale cried Vigilate orate watch and Mat. 26. pray he said not Iejunate virginitatem servate Fast and keepe virginity but vigilate watch Christ said to his Apostles Vigilate Mar. 13. watch Paul bad the Thessalonians watch Let us not sleepe as doe 1 Thess 5 6. 1 Pet. 5. 8. Apoc. 3. 2. other but let us watch and bee sober Saint Peter bad the Iewes watch Be sober and watch Iohn bad the Church watch be awake and strengthen the things that remaine Esay bad Ierusalem watch Awake O Esa 40. 1. Ierusalem bee bright for thy light is come As the Turtle hath but one note so the Godly have but one song Vigilate surgite à somno watch and arise from sleepe It is said of Martinus that hee never passed houre of the day without prayer or reading or meditation Semper aliquid boni agebat hee did alwayes some good and it is true that Nostra bona opera sunt flagella diaboli that our good works are whips for the Divell Daimonomastyx if wee be vigilant and diligent in them Wherefore Saint Peters exhortation Give all diligence to joyne vertue with your faith and with vertue knowledge and 2 Pet. 1. 5 6 7. with knowledge temperance and with temperance patience and with patience godlinesse and with godlinesse brotherly kindnesse and with brotherly kindnesse love Mariners saith Tertullian are neuer devoured of the Syrenes but when they are asleepe The Leopard is never taken Tertull. in Apologetico Cant. 5. of the Dragon but then When lost the Church her husband but when she slept when lost Saul his pot his
but to draw the party to remembrance And so there is place left in the Church as well for Cursing as Blessing for rough as for milde speech so that Gods glory bee sought in the suppression of sinne Vt omne os obstruatur that every mouth may be stopped and that all glory may bee given to God Thus we Gen. 3. cap. 9. Deut. 27. read that God cursed the Serpent that Noah cursed Cham of the twelve tribes sixe of them stood on Mount Garazim to blesse and sixe on mount Hebal to curse all the people to say Amen Iacob uttered a dire imprecation upon Simeon and Levie saying Curbe Gen. 49. 7. Mat. 23. Mat. 13. their wrath for it was fierce and their rage for it was cruell And lest any should restraine this to time of the Law Note that Christ pronounceth many woes against the Scribes Pharisees and Hypocrites in one Chapter And hee cried woe to the impenitent saying Woe be to him by whom offences come And againe Woe bee Mat. 11. Mat. 26. to thee Corazim Woe bee to thee Bethsaida c. And againe Woe to that man by whom the Sonne of man is betraied it were good for that man if 8 Cor. 16. hee had not beene borne And againe Woe to the World because of offences And Simon Peter cursed Simon Magus saying Thy money perish 2 Tim. 4. 14. with thee And Paul cried Maranatha Anathema to them that love not the Lord Iesus And hee cursed Alexander the Copper-smith Act. 13. 10. Gen. 49. He hath done mee saith Paul much evill the Lord reward him according to his workes And so hee cursed Elimas the sorcerer and called him the Child of the divell an enemy to all righteousnesse But yet wee must curse the sinnes not the party So Iacob cursed Apoc. 2 the rage of his Sonnes not themselves So God hated the deeds of the Nicholaitans not the men Yea sometimes both sinnes and men may be cursed if they give signes of reprobation So the Church prayed against Iulian not for him And Saint Iohn 1 Iohn 5. 16. tels us that there is a sinne unto death I say not that thou shouldest pray for it But to leave all this Michael striving with the Divell durst not give him a railing sentence but saith The Lord rebuke thee Let us learne this lesson of Michael in all reproaches and bitter speeches of our brethren to say unto them The Lord reprove thee for passion must not overmaster us But these railers wee must answere sometime with silence for unto many natures to answere againe is to put fuell to the fire for anger is fire and words are fuell But if silence will not serve the turne then it is good to give place unto it I meane to goe away from Rem 12. 19. a railing person till his anger be over and if that will not serve the turne then answere him as Michael did here the Divell The Lord reprove thee And in any wise take heed you prouoke We must give account of idle much more of evill words not anger for the forcing of Wrath bringeth forth strife as the churming of milke bringeth forth butter and wringing the nose bringeth forth bloud Let us therefore avoyd the customary sinnes of passions and not answere evill for evill or rebuke for rebuke but say with Michael The Lord rebuke thee And with David Iudge me o God and Prov. 30. 33. Psal 43. 1. defend my cause against the unmercifull people that is the cruell company of mine adversaries deliver me from the deceitfull and wicked man The Lord rebuke thee This teacheth us as to avoyd all railing so to study carefully and diligently the government of the tongue and to beware of rotten speeches The mouth is the messenger of the heart and from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh A filthy tongue argueth a filthy heart an unbridled tongue a licencious heart A poisoned tongue that belcheth out nothing but banning and cursing railing and reviling speeches doth manifest a cursed and corrupt heart Our Saviour saith A Mat. 12. 13 good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth goodthings and an evill man out of the evill treasure of his heart bringeth forth evill things but I say unto you that of every idle word that men shall speake they shall give account thereof at the day of judgement If then at the end of the end of the world and day of judgement wee must reckon and account for idle words How much more for our railing reviling speeches Let us therefore hearken unto the counsell of the Apostle Let not corrupt communion proceed out of your mouths but that which is good to the use of edifying that may Ephes 4. 29. minister grace unto the hearers Wee should be of a patient nature and follow the example of Michael who striving with the Divell durst not give him a railing sentence but say The Lord rebuke thee If an Archangell abstaine from all railing having to doe with the Divell the greatest enemie of God and his people wee that have to do with bad men must not take liberty to our selves to use reviling speeches We must commit revenge unto God who hath said Vengeance is mine I will repay THE NINETEENTH SERMON VERS X. But these speake evill of those things they know not c. Malice turnes men into dogs THis is the fourth note that he giveth unto the wicked you shall know them by their evill speaking they are like unto blacke-mouthed Rabshakeh they rayle on God and good men He calleth them first sleepers secondly defilers of the flesh thirdly despisers of government and here raylers they speake evill of all things As fire lyeth not long in the stubble or in the flaxe but the flame breaketh out so hatred lyeth not long in these mens hearts but breaketh out in evill speeches and many times They will speake evill of things they know not Munster writeth of men in India Qui non loquuntur sed latrant which speaketh not like men but barke like dogs so these barke like dogs against the Moone Gorgon turned men into stones and Circe changed them into swine and malice turneth these men into doggs like Hecuba at the siege of Troy for their rayling David saith The wicked speake evil from their mothers wombe even from their belly have they erred and speake lyes their poyson is even as the poyson of Psal 58. 3 4. a serpent like the deafe Adder that stoppeth her eare that is they passe in malice and subtilty the crafty Serpent the first thing they doe is to speake evill it is Alpha and Omega first and last with them As the serpent vomiteth up her poyson before she drinketh Malice in the heart â—he cause of rayling in the tongue of a cleare fountaine so this is the sinne that must bee avoided before we drinke of the water of life the Word of God Lay
3. For Instruction But first it serveth for terrour it is a wonderfull terrible doctrine to the wicked for how can it be but terrible when the Lord shall come with thousand of his Saints to give iudgement against all men and to rebuke c their hearts shall faile them for feare Luk 21. Apoc. 9. 6 They shall seeke death in those dayes and shall not find it This hath been their day wherein so farre as they could they have done their will The next is the Lords day wherein they must suffer his will how can it be but terrible when they shall see the Sonne of man in the clouds above to condemne them beneath hell mouth open ready to devoure them before the Divels haling No way for the wicked to escape Iudgement them behind them the Saints and all their dearest friends forsaking them on their left hand their sinnes accusing them on the right Iustice threatning them on all sides the world made a bone-fire terrifying them how can it be but terrible when the hilles cannot hide them nor the Mountaines cover them from the presence of the Iudge For hee is here and there and every where If they mount and soare up to heaven he is there if they goe into hell he is there too So that pati intolerabile latere impossibile it is not possible to indure nor possible to avoid the iudgement How can it be but terrible when God shall raine upon them fire and brimstone storme and tempest This shall be their portion to drinke when God shall powre even the vials of his wrath upon them and they shall feele the masse of his displeasure Here the wicked are iudged that they may bee amended but there their iudgement shall be that they may be confounded For there will be no place for repentance If Foelix trembled to heare tell of iudgement What will poore Foelix doe when he must feele Iudgement both in the sentence and execution If Iohn and Daniel at the sight of a mild Angell fell upon the earth as dead Dan. 4. 8. Apoc. 1. 17. How shalt thou miserable sinner indure the presence of the terrible Iudge If Haman could not abide the angry countenance of Assuerus Hest 7. 9. how shalt thou ô wicked man iudure the angry countenance of this frowning Iudge If Adam for the commission of one sinne ranne from God in great feare and hidde himselfe among the trees that were in the garden Gen. 3. 8. whither shalt thou runne ô sinnefull Adamite that hast committed as many sinnes as starres in the sky or sands by the sea Imo horum numerus numero non clauditur ullo Yea the number of them is not to be numbred Whither I say wilt thou run or where shalt thou hide thy selfe from this terrible Iudge If the drowning of the old World the burning of Sodom the opening of the earth to swallow up Corah c. and such like the Iudgements have such horrour in them who can expresse the horrour of this day when many millions of wicked shall be turned into hell with all the people that forget God If it be such a shame to doe penance for one fault in one congregation where men will pray for the offendour what a shame will it be when all our faults shall bee discovered before all the whole world without all hope of pitty and help and all workers of iniquity shall be cast alive into that lake that burneth with fire and brimstone Looke therefore to your selves yee generation of Vipers and wash your hands and clense your hearts For certainly the Iudge of all the world will doe right 2. This doctrine of Iudgement serveth for comfort to all penitent Christians they may lift up their heads rejoice with joy unspeakable and glorious For the Lord shall then come be glorified 2 Thess 1. 10. in his Saints and made marvailous on them that beleeve Hereupon The consideration of the general iudgement should instruct us saith Augustine Quare non gaudes cum venerit iudicare te qui venit iudicari propter te Why dost thou not rejoyce when he shall come to judge thee that came to be judged for thee hee hath beene thy advocate to pleade thy suites to God his Father and certenly when hee comes to judgement hee will not goe against his owne pleading He is thy brother and carries a most brotherly affection unto thee and will he condemne his owne brother He is thy head and hath performed all the offices of an head unto thee and can he then faile thee when thou hast most need of him hee died for us to redeeme us a people peculiar unto himselfe and will he faile us in the last act of our redemption Oh no no lift up your heads then and in patience possesse your soules What though hee bee terrible to the wicked to thee hee will bee kind and mercifull thou shalt not bee wronged by false witnesses neither shalt thou bee iudged by common fame or outward appearance The Iudge will not be transported either by passion or spleene nor will condemne thee to satisfy the people as Pilate did Iesus and besides nothing shall be remembred but what good thou hast wrought and done thy sinnes shall be cleane blotted out of remembrance they shall bee buried in the heart of the earth and drowned in the bottome of the sea they shall never rise up to Iudgement against thee Rejoice therefore poore penitent thou shalt find Christ a friend no foe a Iesus no Iudge a Saviour no confounder thou shalt find Heaven and not Hell Angels not Divels Gods right hand not his left hand everlasting life and not everlasting death 3. This doctrine of judgement serveth for instruction First it should restraine uncharitable censuring and judging one another Who art thou that judgest another mans servant hee standeth or falleth to his master Christ is the Lord of quicke and dead Iudge therefore nothing before the time If wee could consider that we should every one give accompt to God himselfe as Rom. 14. 12. wee should find worke enough to looke to our owne score and little leasure to forestall God in this matter of judging 2. Are there matters of difference among us Let the Saints judge them and end them God will bee contented to put his cause to them at the last day For we know that the Saints shall judge 1 Cor. 6. 2. the World and therefore why should we refuse their arbitrement 3. It should order and moderate our sorrowes for our dead friends We should not sorrow as people without hope seeing we beleeve that all that sleepe in Iesus God will bring with him 1. Thess 4. 13 14 17 18. we shall meet together againe in that day and ever live together with the Lord and therefore wee should comfort one another with these words 4. This summons to judgement gives a dreadfull warning admonition to the world even to all men every where to repent
be adulti of ripe age But alas our English people want judgement therefore all Sects bud in our age The Papists charge us with Sects and variety of opinions that we have Brownists Barrowists Separatists that some will weare Cap and Surplesse some will not they derive twenty Sects from Luther as Anabaptists Adiaphorists Sacramentaries Zwinglians Calvinists c. But we may retort it upon them For they swarme in Staphilus Sects and multitude of opinions as Nominals Reals Augustins Dominicans Franciscans Benedictins as Thâ—mists against Scotists and Canonists against Schoolemen and one against another and God against them all I might speake of Pope against Pope as Stephanus against Formosus one digging vp the grave of another cutting off of their fingers thrusting â—hem into a sack and throwing them into Tyber Councell against Councell as that of Arimine against the Councell of Nice and the two Nicene Councels under Irene against that of Frankford the whole Vniversity of Paris against Iohn 22. Denying the immortality of the soule an opinion condemned there with the blast of trumpets I might name Sir Thomas Moore and Fisher of Rochester striving about Purgatory the one to prove no water in it alledging the place of Zacharie I have loosed the prisoners out of the pit where is no water the other Zach. 9. 11. to prove both fire water in it alledge the saying of the Psalme We went thorow fire and water but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy Psal 66. 12. place I might name Howlet lately condemning all our English Papists for comming to the Church of which mind is Dowanus a late Papist I passe over the stirres between Cardinall Caietane and Cardinall Turrecremata so that if we differ in the shell they in the kernell if wee in the bone they in the marrow if wee in ceremonies they in matters of substance if our contentions be motes theirs bee beames if ours mole-hils theirs bee mountaines Turpe est doctori cum culpa red arguit ipsum it is a shame to rebuke being guilty of the same fault They name us Sectaries for leaving Rome commended so by the Apostle Their faith was published thorowout the world But wee have not left old Rome but Rom. 1. 8. this new Rome the mother of whoredomes as the Spirit of God cals her the denne of theeves as the Prophet speaketh Non Apoc. 18. 2 3. Esay 1. 21. à civitate sed à peste wee are departed not from the City but from the plague in the City not from Rome but from the heresy of Rome Daemonum paschua quoth Bernard Satans chiefe enemis to overthrow the Church division and dissentiori But to leave this Let not us be of the number of these wicked ones which are makers of Sects For a Christian must be carefull to keep three things His heart His minde and conversation His heart from infidelity His minde from false opinions and his conversation from Schisme and scandall By Sects and divisions the Communion of Saints the society of Christians the fellowship and unity that wee should have among our selves is quite overthrowne When God would confound their proud attempt in building Babel He devided their language Gen. 11. 8. and so scattered them abroad into all places of the earth So the Divell knowing unity to be the overthrow of his Kingdome soweth the tares of Sects of Schismes and Heresies amongst us that so he may scatter the workemen that should pull downe his kingdome and set up the kingdome of Christ When King Cyrus would passe over to conquer Scythia as saith Herodotus comming to a great and broad River which hindered his journey his policy was this to cut it and divide it in many armes sluces and so made it passable for all his Army This policy is most ready and common with the Divell also who bringing his power of darkenesse to invade us and overrunne us and finding his passage stopped by the flowing streames of Love and concord hath put in execution his wonted meane practice to separate us divide us into many parts factions For as S. August saith CoÌ„cordes nos scit quòd sic possidere non potest he knoweth August ser 16. de util Ieiâ—nij that being at concord and unity together he canot possesse us he cannot now divide one true God among us he can no more inforce false gods upon us Well he hath yet another way sentit vitam nostram esse charitatem mortem dissentionem hee seeth that love and charity is our life and discord and diffention our death and destruction and therefore lites immisit inter Christianâ—s hee hath sent strife and debate among Christians and because hee cannot frame us to many gods hee laboureth to multiply and distract our opinions and soweth tares of Sects and errors in the Lords field Salomon inhibiteth us to meddle with these men Prov. 24. â—1 Keep no company with the seditious Sedition is moved either for matters Ecclesiasticall or Temporall When for matters Ecclesiasticall it is called Schisme which signifieth a rent a division or a cutting asunder and thereupon comes the word Schismaticks or Sectaries dividers hewers cutters asunder For they divide the body of Christ breake the unity of the Church which is an haynous sinne Hemingius saith Qui violat Ecclesiastic ampolitiam multis modis peccat he that violateth Ecclesiasticall policy offendeth many wayes yet some like Naturall men n either relish grace nor discerne spirituall things Diotrephes because they cannot have the chiefe place in the Church Ideirco illam scindunt vel ab eo deficiunt either they will cut the Church in pieces or forsake it These Sects and Schismes among us have done much hurt as they of Athens said of their dissentions Auximus Phillippum nostris dissentionibus We have augmented and strengthened Philip by our dissentions so wee the Pope and his favourites Remember that it is a mans honour to cease from strife but every foole will bee meddling Remember Prov. 20. 3. that there is but one body and one spirit one hope of your calling one faith one baptisme one God and Father over all for his Ephes 4. 4. bloud that died for us Let all these ones make us one indeavouring to our dying day to avoid these makers of sects and to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace Thirdly he calleth them naturall men No marvell though they jest and mocke at all Religion with Michol flout and fleere with the adversaries of Iude and Beniamin deride and raile with the 2 Sam. 6. Esdr 4. Esa 28. scorners of Ierusalem for why they are meere naturall men and such savour not the things of God as Christ said to Peter Come behinde me Satan thou savourest not the things that are of God but the things that are of men for their understanding is as the Mat. 16. 23. Sunne under a cloud not lightned and their
have done vertuously but thou Pro. 31. 29. surmountest them all As Christ commended Iohn Baptist above all Nazarites saying There is no greater Prophet than Iohn among them Luk. 7. 28. that are begotten of women And the Lord Moses above all Prophets So Iude commendeth Faith above al vertues All precious stones Deut. 34. are good yet none like the Topaze all flowres are faire yet none Iob 28. like the Lily most trees bring fruit but none like the Apple-tree Faith purifies our hearts and makes our actions and persons holy of Persia or the Tree of life which bare twelve manner of fruits and gave fruit every moneth Many vertues are excellent and further our salvation yet none like faith Iustice giveth every man his owne temperancy restraineth lusts fortitude beareth Apoc. 22. 2. 1 Iohn 5. 4. all labour and toile prudence guideth our actions but faith overcommeth the world so doe not other vertues faith is like the three 2 Sam. 23. worthies of David who brake thorow the whole host and drew water of the Well of Bethlem Ionathan and his armour-bearer 1 Sam. 19. slew twenty men Shamgar with an Oxe goade slew six hundred Iudg. 3. 31. Iudg. 15. Philistines Samson with the jaw-bone of an Asse slew a thousand men thus these men brake thorow an whole host and faith overcommeth the whole world In this faith Paul insulted over heaven and earth men and Angels I am perswaded saith Paul that neither life nor death nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor Rom. 8. 38. things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall bee able to separate me from the Love of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. And againe he saith I know whom I have beleeved and I am perswaded that hee is able to keep that which I have committed unto him meaning himselfe against that day It is called Holy yea most Holy for all our works are polluted and receive their holinesse from faith and faith from Christ who is the object of it As the Sunne giveth light to all Planets as salt seasoneth all meates so Faith seasoneth all works for in themselves they are polluted For who can say I have made my heart cleane I am cleane from sinne For as the holy man of god saith Hee found no stedfastnesse Pro. 20. 9. Iob 4. 18 19. in his servants and laid folly upon his Angels how much more in them that dwell in houses of Clay whose foundation is the dust which shall bee destroyed before the moth And againe he maketh this demand and saith What is man that he should be cleane And hee that is borne of a Woman that hee should be just Wee are all as a menstruous cloth Cap. 15. 14. as an uncleane thing we all doe fade like a leafe and our iniquities like the wind haue taken us away only Faith purifieth our hearts To come neerer fidem sanctissimam vocat ratione objecti hee Act. 15. 9. calleth it most holy Faith by reason of the object Deum enim trinum unum respicit it respecteth three and one three in Persons one in Essence Morall vertues they are occupied about humane objects and things created as liberality about giving of good things temperance about meate drinke fleshly lusts leachery c. Fortitude in suffring adversity therefore they cannot be called most holy vertues Againe it is called most holy Faith in respect of the efficient cause thereof that is to say the Holy Ghost For the Holy Ghost bestoweth upon us all good things love joy peace long 1 Cor. 12 Gal. 5. 22. suffering gentlenesse goodnesse Faith meeknesse temperance all these and all the rest are the gifts and graces of the Holy Ghost Now because the Authour is holy his Works his gifts and graces bee holy Nil nisi sanctum à sancto spiritu prodire potest If no holines no Faith Nothing can come from the holy Spirit but that which is holy Aug. Learne here to judge of the works of the elder World their almes their prayer their love what love could there be without faith and what faith could there bee among them without the doctrine of God Faith commeth by hearing and hearing by the Word of God But did they fast often Wee seldome or never Did they Rom. 10. 14. give almes and doe we live unto our selves are our right hands dryed up with Ieroboams Did they pray in the night wee scarce in the day Did they love one another agree together and doe wee sue and sting one another like the Serpents of Sinai O brethren they shall rise in judgement against us as Christ said of the Ninivites Except our righteousnesse our prayers our love exceed theirs wee shall not enter into Heaven our faith is Mat. 11. not most holy no nor holy nay no faith at all And by the way note that hee calleth faith holy not unholy unjust unchaste drunken faith such as the world braggeth of in these dayes the dead faith that Saint Iames inveigheth against so earnestly All lewd men boast of faith but I will say to them as Iames said O stende mihi fidem per opera Shew me thy faith by thy workes shew mee it by thy zeale thy piety thy truth thy chastity thy mercy with our faith let us joyne vertue The Israelites cryed Templum Domini templum Domini the Temple of 2 Pet. 1. 5. the Lord the Temple of the Lord the Pharisees cryed The Baptisme of Iohn the Baptisme of Iohn the Iewes cried We have Abraham to our Father the Scribes cried We have Moses to our Doctor the Ephesians cryed Great is Diana of the Ephesians but Ieremy bade the Israelites amend their wayes and their works Ier. 7. 4. Iohn bade the Pharisees bring forth fruits of Repentance Christ bade the Iewes doe the Workes of Abraham He told the Scribes Luk. 3. 8. Iohn 8. Iohn 5. Ephes 4. 20. that Moses would condemne them and Paul told the Ephesians that they had not so learned Christ and so say we to these men that boast of faith I will reason with them as Ieremy did with the people Will yee steale murder and commit adultery and sweare falsly Ier. 7. 9 10. and burne incense unto Baal and walke after other gods whom yee know not and come and stand before mee in this house whereupon my Name is called even so will we sweare lye raile slander and say that we beleeve Was Gods house a denne for theeves is faith become a cloake for theeves whoremongers lyers swearers usurers Idolaters blasphemers drunkards pot-companions c I say of this faith as Saint Iames said of Wisedome This wisedome descendeth not from above but is earthly sensuall and divelish so Iam. 3. 5. this faith is not from above but is earthly sensuall and divelish For faith sheweth it selfe in good workes and can no more be separated from it
sustaineth the souldier but hope of victory and the mariner but hope of arrival and the husband-man but hope of harvest and the prentise but hope of freedome And shall not the hope of eternall life sustaine us Dum spiro spero whilest I breathe I hope this is the poesy of a Christian the hope of salvation we must put it on as a helmet though we sowe in teares we shall reape in joy Paul 1 Thess 5. 8. Psal 126. 5. setting downe the parts of a Christian life to sweeten the actions of it they being hard to flesh bloud propoundeth the blessed hope saying The grace of God that bringeth salvation to all men hath Tit. 2. 11 12 13. appeared and teacheth us to deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and that we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present World looking for the blessed hope appearing of the glory of the mighty God and our Saviour Iesus Christ It is a blessed hope a blessed place that we looke for it is mount Garisim not mount Hebal Hee is a blessed God Deut. 27. 1 Tim. 6. 16. Rom. 9. 5. Iohn 16. Mat. 25. Apoc. 21. Deut. 27. Exod. 19. Numb 21. Exod. 10. Gen. 3. cap. 13. Zach. 14. Christ is a blessed Saviour the holy Ghost a blessed Comforter wee are blessed Children Heaven is a blessed Kingdome There is mount Garisim without any curse mount Horeb without any thunder the wildernes of Sinai without any serpent the land of Goshen without any darkenesse a Paradise without any serpent Eden without any weeds Ierusalem without any Canaanite there is day without night Summer without Winter riches without measure fulnesse without hunger pleasure without loathing life without death The faith and love of the Colossians sprang from the hope of Heaven therefore Paul tels them that hee thanked God for them and prayed for them ever since hee heard of their faith in Christ and of Col. 1. 4 5. their love towards the Saints for the hopes sake which is layd up for them in Heaven This stayd Iob in all his extremities when his cattell were stollen his houses blowne downe his children slaine his friends grieved his body wounded his wife alienated from him I am sure saith hee my Redeemer liveth and Iob 19. 25. I hope to finde him my deliverer and Saviour yea the Lord Iesus for the joy that was set before him indured the Crosse God will put a Hebr. 12. 2. difference one day betweene his children and bastards betweene them that say that it is but vaine to serve God and what profit is it that wee have kept his Commandements and that wee walked humbly Mal. 3. 14 15. before Lord of Hoasts and those that feare God the Corne shall bee gathered into the Garner the Chaffe shall bee burnt the Mat. 3. Goats shall bee separated from the Lambes the vessels of Clay shall bee broken Here is a mixture of sonnes and of bastards Ma◠25. of Corne and Chaffe of Goates and Lambes vessels Apoc. 2. of Clay and of Gold but in Heaven shall bee a difference and Body and soule shall be glorified in all parts and powers if that were not wee were the most miserable even Tully would not bee rocked againe in his Cradle Amas vivere quoth Aug. in vita aeterna Doest thou love to live everlastingly Hope with David to see the goodnesse of the 1 Cor. 15. 19. Aug. Lord in the land of the living In this life quoth Bern. erit mira serenitas plena securitas aeterna foelicitas wonderfull serenity full security eternall felicity then the whole man shall bee renewed our soules shall bee fully reformed to the Image of God as touching the two powers thereof From our understanding shall be dispelled all darkenesse and it shall be filled with new light and that of her selfe she shall know God and the will of God without preaching without praying without Sacraments without bookes and writings to instruct her for preaching shall have an end prayer an end Sacraments an end wee shall bee as the Angels of God understanding all things Now we know but in part 1 Cor. 13. 12. but then shall wee know even as wee are knowne Our will also shall want all wicked lusts and shall bee filled with all true Love both towards God and man and this love shall never bee interrupted To conclude all the faculties of the soule shall bee filled with God and with his power so as the soule shall nourish the body without meate drinke sleep because hee shall bee replenished with God and God shall be all in all Erimus cives Coeli socij Angelorum Ephes 2. 3. cohaeredes Christi we shall bee Citizens of Heaven fellowes of Angels coheires with Christ Citizens with Saints and of the houshold of God As touching the body the other part of man it shall also bee glorified nulla illius erit senectus nulla mors nullus morbus nullum peccatum No old age shall molest it nor death nor disease nor sinne our bodies shall be like the glorious body of the Lord Iesus Nemo ibi irascitur nemo invidet nemo laeditur there is no man angry no man envieth no man is any way hurt or harmed No lust doth annoy no divell doth terrify there is a Sunne without setting life without dying labour without wearinesse pleasures without tediousnesse there we shall see God as he is in the sight 1 Iohn 2. 3. Aug. of whom wee shall doe foure things wee shall know wee shall love wee shall rejoyce and wee shall praise wee shall know the secrets of God which is a depth without bottome wee shall love God above all and our neighbour as wee should wee shall rejoyce for in Heaven there is fulnesse of joy and at the right Psal 16. 11. hand of God there is pleasure for evermore and we shall praise God without ceasing For saith David Blessed are they that dwell in thy Psal 84. 1. house they shall alwayes bee praysing of thee there our joy shall be full all joy here is at an ebbe but there is the flood of joy perfection Iob 15. 11. fulnesse of joy Againe here all joy is mixt with paine Health with Sicknes Life with Death Summer with Winter the Spring with the Autumne Libertie with bondage there is all solace no sorrow The joyes of of heaven unspeakable incōprehensible the first sorrow cast out into shame But as touching this eternall Life whereof Saint Iude here speaketh a man may well thinke of it and talke of it but hee Apoc. 21. 4. can never thinke nor talke of it as it is Paul saith The eye hath not seene the eare hath not heard the heart of man cannot conceive the 1 Cor. 2. 9. joyes of this life The eye of man What can it not see How little a sound will the eare heare What great matters can the tongue utter What wonderfull things can
cannot equall infinite joy Inter finitum infinitum nulla est comparatio There is no comparison betweene a thing finite and a thing infinite therfore wee merit not The afflictions of this world are not worthy of the Rom. 8. 18. glory that shall bee shewed unto us Againe all our works are imperfect Ergo doe not condignly merit for all our worke commeth immediatly from the Naturall faculties of the soule that is understanding and will but these are imperfect being regenerated but in part therefore our workes are imperfect For the understanding it is said that ex parte tantum videmus we see but in part know but in part For the will it is said Est Lex in membris There is a Law in my members rebelling against the Law of God for I know saith the Apostle that in me that Rom. 7. 18 24. is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing And againe hee crieth out O wretched man that I am who shall deliver mee from the body of death Bern. saith Cantabo non justitiam meam sedtuam Domine I will not Bern. sing my owne righteousnesse but thine O Lord. Should I feare whether that one Iustice will suffice two or no It is not a short cloke that is able to cover a couple thy Iustice is just for evermore and will cover both thee and mee it is largely large and covereth all my sinnes And againe Meritum meum est misericordia Bern. serm 62. in Cant. Domini My merit is Gods mercy I am not void of merit so Our workes merit not jointly with Christs merits long as he is not void of mercy The Papists joyne their works with Christ in case of justifying for they say that wee are Coōperarij fellow-workers and coadjutors and fellow-helpers with God abusing the words of Paul So wee therefore as workers together beseech you that yee recejve 2 Cor. 6. 1. not the grace of God in vaine as Melchior Canus in his common places confesseth that God alone worketh salvation and by and by hee addeth Et nos agere sub Deo cum Deo That wee worke under God and with God to which end he quoteth 1 Cor. 15. Not I but the grace of God with me as if God could not doe it without us But wee need not answere these dogges which can barke but not bite neither can they take away the trueth of God though they can obscure it But I reason thus with them Such as the wound is such is the salve but the wound came by one onely therefore the salve is by one only the Major and Minor are justified by Paul If through the offence of one many be dead much more the grace of God and the gift by grace which is by one man Iesus Christ hath abounded Rom. 5. 15 17 18 19. to many For if by the offence of one death reigned through one much more shall they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousnesse reigne in life through one that is Iesus Christ Likewise then as by the offence of one the fault came on all men to condemnation so by the justifying of one man the benefit abounded toward all men that beleeve to the justification of life For as by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one shall many also bee made righteous The conclusion followeth of the premisses This doctrine of merits is to Christ as the Moone to the Sunne or the earth to the Moone in her eclipse it eclipseth the death and merits of Christ For if righteousnesse bee by the Law then Christ died for Gal. 2. 21. Fulgent admoni nothing Deus salvandos praevenit damnandos invenit praeveniente misericordia velle incipimus subsequente misericordia bonum quod volumus facere valemus c. God preventeth such as are to be saved and findeth such as are to be damned his mercy preventing us we beginne to will and his mercy following us wee are able to doe that good wee will grace in preventing beginneth and in following keepeth grace preventeth the wicked that hee may bee just and grace followeth the just that hee may not bee wicked the beginnings of our vocations the increasings of our justification the rewards of our glorification all these are laid up with God in predestination And againe Deus est qui gratis vocat vocatos justificat c. It is God that freely calleth us and justifieth them that are called and glorifieth them that are justified Rom. 8. 30. Rom. 9. and Paul calleth good men Vasa misericordiae Vessels of mercy not of righteousnesse if he had called them vessels of righteousnesse peradventure they might have thought that they had righteousnesse of themselves Quoth Fulgentius A Deo est initium bonae voluntatis ab eo facultas est bene agendi ab eo perseverantia bonae conversationis From God is the beginning of a good will from him is Many Papists have renounced their own merits the power and ability of well-doing and from him the perseverancy of a good life and conversation hee giveth in this life humility and in the future felicity that they may be happy without end that were humble without end Vtrumque tamen a Deo quoth Fulgentius Yet notwithstanding both from God we claime no Fulgent Epistola 14. ad works but Christs works Yea the Papists at a dead lift say so with us Pighius hath given them all the slip in this point One at his death cried Solus Christus solus ille Salvator Only Christ he alone is a Saviour and Sherwin at his death cried O Iesu Iesa esto mihi Iesus O Iesus Iesus bee to mee a Iesus a Saviour hee knew no other Saviour and Bellarmine having tired himselfe about the question of Iustification at the last he concludeth that Bellar. it is our safest course to rely upon the mercies of God and merits of Christ Iesus propter propriae justitiae incertitudinem periculum inanis gloriae for the uncertainty of our owne righteousnesse and danger of vaineglory And Bernard upon his Sermon of the Annunciation Bern. said that the merits of men are not such as eternall life by right is owing for them his reason is this Omnia merita Dei dona sunt ita homo magis propter ipsa Deo debitor est quà m Deus homini for saith he all our merits are the gifts of God and so man is rather a debtour to God for them then God to man and Frier Ferus affirmeth that whatsoever God giveth us is of grace not of debt and Gregorius Ariminensis upon Peter Lombard defends at large That no worke done by man though comming from the greatest charity merits of condignity either eternall life or any other reward temporall because every such worke is the gift of God For these are his words Ex hoc infero quod nedum vita aeterna nec alius alterius
our selves and take up our crosse and follow Christ Againe Iude here nameth vestem maculatam the spotted garment so the sinne must bee haâ—ed not the person that sinneth the person must bee loved the sinne hated For the person is made after the Image of God and Gods Image must not be hated the person is redeemed with Christs blood and seeing hee Gen. 9. loveth them wee must love them Againe hee can make of Woolves Lambes Exvasisirae vasa misericordiae of vessels of Reprobates not to bee loved or prayed for wrath vessels of mercy therefore seeke thou to save him and instruct them with meekenesse proving if God at any time will give them repentance Quis potest odisse hominem cujus naturam similitudinem videt in humanitate Christi Who can hate a man whose nature 1 Tim. 1. 15. 2 Tim. 2. 25. August and similitude he may behold in the humanity of Christ Deum odit qui hominem odit he hateth God that hateth man therefore amorem cum hominibus odium cum vitijs have love with men hatred with their vices so it is said of Ephesus that they hated the deeds of Apoc. 2. Gen. 49. the Nicolaitans not their persons but their errors so Iacob cursed the wrath of his sonnes but blessed their persons so Paul having bitterly enveighed against the Corinths yet loved the men and spake it not to shame them for so hee himselfe saith I write not these things to shame you but as my beloved children to admonish you 1 Cor. 4. 15. thus would hee have us deale with a bad man with an excommunicate man not to account him an enemy but admonish 2 Thess 3. 15. 1 Cor. 5. him as a brother hee would have his body punished that his soule may be saved But yet in some cases the wicked may bee hated and cursed when they shew open signes of a reprobate mind such God hateth so saith the Prophet Thou art not a God that loveth wickednesse Psal 5. 4 5. neither shall evill dwell with thee the foolish shall not stand in thy sight thou hatest all them that worke iniquity Such must not bee prayed for The Church therefore prayed not for Iulian but against him they knew him to bee a reprobate For there are two Iudgements the judgement of Faith and Love The first is in God the second is left to us Multi enim lupi sunt intùs there bee many woolves within if wee respect the first Et multaeoves foris many sheep without if wee respect the latter and yet wee may judge when men give signes of reprobation and hate such persons thus David hated the wicked bade them be packing Away from mee yee wicked I will keep the Commandements Psal 119. 115. of my God And againe I have not haunted with vaine persons neither kept company with the dissemblers I have hated the assembly of the evill Psal 26. 4 5. and have not companied with the wicked But to leave this Againe it is not inough to leave sinne but wee must leave it with a conscience with a hatred of it many leave it to get credit and some lest they suffer losse by it but not of conscience to God and of many it may bee said they leave not sinne but sinne leaveth them the drunkard leaveth drinking because his stomacke is decayed the Adulterer whoredome for that the strength of nature faileth him the quarreller leaves sighting for that hee is crooked and lame hee cannot bestirre him as in times heretofore the covetour leaves oppressing because hee can oppresse no longer but all this is nothing For the body must not onely leave the act of sinne but the heart must leave the desire of sinne Abhorre that which is evill and cleave unto that Sinne must be hated for conscience which is good And againe wee must cast away the works of darkenesse and put on the armour of light Thus must wee leave sinne of conscience with an hatred of it else it is nothing But many hold Rom. 12. 9. Rom. 13. 12. sinne as Cinegerus the Athenian held the ships of his enemies loden with the rich spoiles of his Countrey and now ready to hoise saile and to be gone First hee held them with his hands till his hands were cut off then with his stumpes till his armes were cut off then with his teeth till his head was cut off and when all was done still he held them in desire So many when God hath cut off all occasions of sinne yet they hold it in heart the old man is sorry that he cannot be young to play the wanton the prisoner that he cannot be abroad to steale and robbe the sicke man that hee cannot revell nor rowte among his companions the disgraced man that hee hath not authority to oppresse the envious man that hee cannot revenge if they might live ever they would sinne ever they are sorry they cannot offend God any more like Iulian who sorrowed at his death because hee could not bee revenged of the Galilaean but wee must leave our sinnes and be angry greeved and displeased with our selves for our sinnes Thus Paul was angry with himselfe with his flesh with his spirit and cals himselfe Wretch Yea miserable miserable wretch for thus he saith Miserable wretch that I am who Rom. 7. 24. shall deliver me from this body of sinne Hee speakes in the excesse hee cals himselfe the first the greatest sinner but when he nameth 1 Tim. 1. 15. 1 Cor. 15. his vertue hee speakes in the defect that hee is the least Apostle the first and greatest sinner but the last and least Apostle Note his zeale against sinne If men could weepe teares of blood for their sinne if they could die a thousand times in one day for very griefe yet could they not bee greeved enough if thou knewest sinne and the reward of sinne in the damned thou wouldest not sinne willingly for ten thousand worlds for the wages of sinne is death not onely the death of the body temporall Rom. 6. 23. death but also the death of body and soule everlasting death when men shall alwayes be a dying and never dead For there men shall seeke for death shall not find it We hate Iudas Herod Pilate Apoc. 9. But hate thine owne manners thy sinnes with theirs were the nayles the speares the thornes that pearced the Lord Iesus All Hebr. 10. say that Christ died for sinne that hee was wounded for our sinnes and smitten for our transgressions yet all make him a Esay 53. patrone of their sinnes the theefe makes him the receivour the murderer his sanctuary the whoremonger his bawde they live in sinne and yet they say Christ died for sinne kill sinne Caluiâ— in Gal. 6. 1. and kill the Divell kill sinne and kill death the first and second death Hee that will encounter with Samson must cut off his lockes hee that will encounter with a
heart is as the kitchin wherein things are prepared for God the vessell is at tilt when dregs and lees wanton and filthy speeches bee drawne from the heart the quiver is empty when never an arrow can bee drawne out never a word that savoureth of goodnes but all our speeches are for our profit or our pleasure wee are men of polluted lippes CHRIST is the fountaine of the water of life and Esa 6. Esa 35. faith in the heart is as the leads or pipes that receive it and hold the water and confession is as the cocke of the conduite Rom. 10. the spowte that lets out the water to all commers Earthly men seldome talke of CHRIST but wee have not so unfruitfully learned CHRIST nor so unhappily given witnesse of his trueth but better things belong to us in better wayes wee will runne our course in a better hope lay downe our bodies Let them talke of the world that make it their portion wee looke for a City whose builder and maker is God Let the Aegyptians talke of their walled The godly talke of God and praise him Cities Nabuchaduezzar of his buildings the foole of his barnes the voluptuous of his hawks and hounds wee will speake of God and our care shall bee to glorify him hee is a God of glory and his is glory to him will wee give glory and honour and thanks for evermore THE ONE AND FORTIETH SERMON VERS XXV To God onely Wise and our Saviour bee Glory Majesty Power and Dominion How Majesty is ascribed to God THere bee six Attributes here in this verse of God Wisedome Salvation Glory Majestie Dominion and Power Wee have handled and heard of three of them that is of his Wisedome Salvation and Glory and I am to speake of the other three Majesty Dominion and Power Majestie is his incomprehensible greatnesse which worketh wonders and bringeth forth most excellent and rare workes to ascribe therefore unto God a power and an incomprehensible might whereby hee doth the workes of wonder is to render majestie to God Hereupon said David Blessed bee the Lord God even the Psal 72. 18 19. God of Israel which onely doth wondrous things and blessed bee his glorious name for ever and let all the earth be filled with his glory so bee it Therefore is David so earnest with the tyrants and great men of the world to give this Majesty to God and addeth often Vno oris halitu that the voyce of the Lord doth all Give unto the Lord O yee mighty give unto the Lord glory and strength give unto Psal 29. 1 2 3 4 10. the Lord glorie due unto his name worship the Lord in his glorious Sanctuary Miracles admired for the the rarenesse The voice of the Lord is upon the Waters The God of glory maketh it to thunder the Lord is upon the great Waters the voice of the Lord is mighty the voice of the Lord is glorious c. The Lord sitteth upon the floud and the Lord doth remaine King for ever Hee repeateth one thing often over for wee passe over all the workes of God without consideration like horse and mule that have no understanding and they are buried in the grave of oblivion Wee Psal 22. will not confesse before the Lord his loving kindnesse and his wonderfull workes before the sonnes of men They that dwell in darknesse and in the shadow of death being bound in miserie Psal 107. 8 10 14 15. and yron hee brought out of darkenesse and shadow of death and brake their bands asunder Let them therefore confesse before the Lord his loving kindnesse and his wonderfull workes before the sonnes of men The like hee saith of the sicke whose soule abhorreth all manner of meate and they are hard at deaths doore and of the mariners which goe downe to the Sea in ships and fee the wonderous workes of God and to all these one and the same conclusion is repeated Let them confesse before the Lord his loving kindnesse and his wonderfull workes before the sonnes of men Wee see many wonders but wee give not God praise in them a wonder lasteth but nine dayes Vilescunt omnia Dei miracuâ—â— all Gods miracles are vile and are not regarded Augustine said God doth not now miracles ob duas causas for two causes First Ne vilescant miracula as I said before Secondly Ne terrena semper Aug. lib. 9. de civitate Dei quaeramus that wee should not alwayes seeke after earthly things it is as great a miracle to governe the World as to feed Iohn 6. five thousand men with five loaves and two Fishes Et tamen illud ownes mirantur hoc nemo yet all men wonder at that none at this Non quia majus sed quia rarum not because it is the greater but because it is rare it is as great a miracle to raise a barley kernel as to raise a dead body out of the grave Vilescit tamen 1 Cor. 15. ob assiduitateÌ„ yet this is not respected because of assiduity whereas the other is thought impossible The Israelites saw the light of Aegypt turned into darkenesse the waters into bloud the dust into lyce the bitter waters of March into sweete the Psal 105. Heaven open to give them Manna the rocke open to give them drinke the flint stone turned into a well yet doubted of Gods Psal 78. Majestie in giving them bread The Pharisees saw and perceived the blind to see the deafe to heare the dumbe to speake the lame to walke the dead to live yet blasphemed God The Luke 7. Iewes saw the fiery and cloven tongues yet railed on the Apostles as men not full of the Spirit but full of new wine Wee Act. 2. in England have seene wonders in Heaven as strange starres never seene before blazing Comets at other times and wonders in Anno 16. Eliz. the Sea as fishes at the I le of Tennet two and twenty yards long and wonders in the Earth as trees to remove in Dorset-shire and Hereford-shire yet have wee ascribed to God no Majestie Nay God reveales himselfe six wayes greater wonders than these have we seene for God did restore to us the light of the Gospell in the greatest darkenes of the world hee did unhorse the Pope in the time of King Henry the eighth and increased the light of it as the noone-day in the dayes of Edward the sixth and after it was eclipsed hee restored the light of it in the daies of Queene Elizabeth he hath put down the Northerne tumults hath drowned the Spanish Navy Oh that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodnesse and declare the wonders that hee doth for the sonnes of men But alas we have eyes but wee see not eares and heare not wee have hearts like mules and understand not wee see no more than beasts wee are as stockes and blockes what folly hath Ier. 5. 21 23. wrapped up all our
substance remaine ever 81 The Scriptures immutable tradition uncertaine 82 Divers acceptions of Saints ibid. The Saints onely the subjects of true Faith 83 The wicked usurpers of Gods gifts ibid. Whatsoever they have is for the Saints sake 84 Sermon 8. THe Church and Religion hath many adversaries 85 Every thing hath its contrary ibid. Religion cause of division 86 Religion must bee maintained to death ibid. Secret enemies most dangerous especially such as in a shew of Religion seeke to undermine Religion ibid. The Divell opposeth the Church sometime as a Lion by cruelty sometime as a Serpent by subtilty but he hurts most by subtilty 87 Poperie prevailes most by policy and fraud 88 All Atheists without God before regeneration and conversion 89 There is a two-fold life the one of Nature the other of Grace 90 Most men live as Naturalists ibid. Atheists worse than Divels ibid. Nature teacheth that there is a divine Power 91 Gods power ruleth in all things and doth often change the course of Nature ibid. Reasons to prove the divine Power 92 Religion is more in profession than practice 94 Many by their lives seeme Atheists ibid. Vngodlinesse hath two branches iniquity in life and manners and impurity in Religion ibid. Many turne the grace of God into wantonnesse ibid. Gods grace and bounty ought to leade to Repentance not to make men presumptuous 95 Afflictions make us seeke God 96 Prosperitie makes us forget him and grow rebellious 97 Wee may not despise or renounce the creatures or blessings of God as the Stoicks Anachorites Hermites c. have done ibid. Epicures their practice described and their end 98 vnde 99 Popish Doctrine tends to licenciousnesse ibid. Sermon 9. GOd is denied many wayes 101 They that professe God and live ungodly denie him ibid. Six degrees in sinne ibid. Gods creatures declare him foure wayes 103 God is present foure wayes ibid. The wicked that deny God here shall hereafter feele and acknowledge him ibid. God is one in substance three in person ibid. The Heathen worshipped many gods and the Papists invocate many as Gods yet there is but one onely true God ibid. The unity and trinity in the God-head illustrated by divers resemblances 104 Christ is denied many wayes 105 Faith is most eminent and confident in persecution ibid. Christ is denied when either the sufficiency or efficacy of his death is denyed 106 Knowledge and profession of Christ without practice nothing worth ibid. The Papists deny the offices of Christ consequently 107 Christ onely paid the full ransome for our Redemption 108 Christ our Lord jure Creationis Redemptionis ibid. Divers effusions of Christs bloud especially five 109 Christs passions for us require that wee should consecrate our whole selves and all the service of our soules and bodies him 110 Sermon 10. DEstruction the end of the ungodly 112 Looke not on the present estate but the end of the wicked 113 God is said to write in a booke for the certenty of his decree 114 Gods decree hath two parts Election Reprobation ibid. The causes of either not to bee inquired after 115 Gods judgements often secret alwayes just ibid. Wee must not pry into Gods secrets ibid. Gods will the cause of our election not faith or works 116 Five signes of election 117 Our election perfected by many degrees 118 Reprobation a second part of Gods decree 119 And as he electeth some so hee reprobates others ibid. As all things els have their contraries so the elect theirs namely the reprobate 120 God ordereth sinne but urgeth not to it ibid. Mans sinne and destruction come from himselfe 121 Three opinions concerning Gods dealing in sinne 122 How God is said to cause evill ibid. How God dealeth in reprobation 122 More then Gods bare permission in sinne ibid. How God is said to harden and to blind 124 God worketh by evill men not in them ibid. God Satan and Men concurre in the same action yet have different ends 125 Sermon 11. THough we know much yet we had neede be put in remembrance 527 Continuall instruction like the continuall dropping of raine ibid. Itching eares listen after novelties rather then wholesome doctrine 129 Preaching alwayes necessary otherwise the soule decayes in grace 130 If instruction faile Satan prevailes ibid. Meditation recordation chiefe meanes to enrich the soule 131 God first offereth mercy before hee inflict judgement 132 Gods abundant mercies and miraculous deliverances of the Israelites 133 Gods wrath upon the Aegyptians ibid. Gods abundant mercies to England 135 God allures by mercyes before hee punisheth 136 Contemners of Gods mercies severely punished ibid. Sinne pleasant in the committing in the end damnable 137 God suffereth the wicked till their sinne be at the full 139 God punishes some sooner some later ibid. Looke not on their present estate but their end 140 Sermon 12. INfidelity the cause of Israels destruction 140 And of their sinne the roote 141 Faith the gift of God 143 And the originall of all vertues ibid. True faith is in few 144 Most men led by the flesh rather than by the Spirit ibid. Faith hath a triple foundation ibid. Faith threefold justifying of miracles hystoricall 145 The causes of Salvation ibid. The just live by Faith if no Faith no accesse to God no interest in him 146 Degrees of Faith ibid. God giveth grace according to the measure of Faith 147 Faith all in all in applying and assuring Salvation ibid. The Angels that fell committed many sinnes in one ibid. Wee must bee wise according to sobriety 148 Angels though Spirits in essence yet appeared in divers formes ibid. The sinne of Angels in generall was Apostacy 149 Some Apostacy is unpardonable ibid. Why the Angels that fell were not restored 150 Three reasons of Dorbell why the wicked shall bee punished in Hell more than the Divels recited rejected ibid. All apostacy dangerous though some not damnable ibid. It is the end that crownes all our actions 151 The Christian must be alwayes increasing ibid. The wicked grow worse and worse 152 There is a decay in most ibid. The estate of Angels considered in regard of three severall times namely of Creation Confirmation last Iudgement 153 Divers names of Angels 154 Whence the Angels fell ibid. God the head but not the Redeemer of the good Angels 155 The time of the fall of Angels uncertaine as also the places whither ibid. The Divels though many in number yet there is one chiefe 156 How the Divell is said to worke and to be in the wicked ibid. The Divels though malicious Spirits yet agree in mischiefe 157 Division the cause of confusion 158 Sermon 13. THe case of the Angels most fearefull to be cast out of Heaven 159 Their abode is not certaine but some in the Ayre some in the Earth some in the Sea 160 The Divels malice infinite but his power by God limited ibid. Satan is said to be loosed Apoc. 20. 7. not simply but comparatively 161 The Divels and wicked
say that bare reading is bare feeding and a thing unable to worke faith in us is to avouch a great untruth But the especiall ordinary meanes and the most powerfull usuall meanes is the word preached This is that which the scripture laieth downe How shall they beleeve in him of whom they have not heard how shall they heare without a preacher And againe It pleaseth Rom. 10. 14. Gal. 3. 1 God by preaching to save Reading is profitable but preaching doth profit more than reading doeth Spice when it is whole smelleth sweetly but when it is broken and bruised by the hand of the Apothecarie it smelleth a great deale more So is the word read of The ministery of the word motion of the spirit meanes of faith us or to us sweet as they hony and bringeth the light of life to many but if the spirituall Apothecarie breake it and bruise it cut it and divide it as the Lord hath appointed by preaching then reacheth the savor of such heavenly sweet to many moe in a fuller measure by reason of the blessing that God giveth unto it The Eunuth read but he understood not but when Philip preached unto him the sweet brake out to his lasting good Act. 8. The inward meanes wherby faith is wrought in us is the blessed Spirit of God which softeneth and openeth our hearts and maketh them as good ground that when the seed of the Word is cast into them it taketh deep rooting and bringeth forth the blessed fruit of faith The Apostle saith that His preaching was 1 Cor. 2. 4 5. in demonstration of the spirit that their faith might be in the power of God And the preaching of the Gospell is tearmed A ministration of the Spirit yea he useth this phrase The Spirit of faith because 2 Cor. 3. 8. cap. 4. 15. that faith is wrought inwardly by the Spirit Thus yee see faith is wrought in us outwardly by the word of God and inwardly by the Spirit of God he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Where are confuted Andradius Latomus Hosius who say that Philosophie iustified the Gentiles that Socrates Plato beleeved aswell as Abraham Isaak and Iacob Yet Howlet a Papist saith that faith is both begunne and increased by the word preached 1 Pet. 1. 23. and that therefore it is called Incorruptible seed Here are confuted also the Atheists that thinke that faith is common For all of them say that they beleeve but faith is a gift yea a most rare gift of God God sent his Patriarchs in the ancientest age of the world and could find no faith Hee sent his Prophets in a latter generation and could find no faith Last of all he sent his owne Sonne a man approved of God and approved his doctrine with miracles and signes following and could find no faith And when the Sonne of man shall come shall he find faith on the earth We read but of two beleevers in all the host of Luk. 18. 8. Num. 14. 1 Pet. 3. 20. 2 Tim. 1. 26. Act. 1. 15. Apoc. 3. 4. Mat. 16. Iam. 2. 19. Israel but of eight in all the old world but of one family that beleeved in all Asia but of a hundred and twentie in all Christs time but of a few in all Sardis Caro sanguis non dant fidem sed pater in coelis Flesh and blood give not faith but the Father in heaven Many boast of faith but if they have any it is the Divels faith Nay many beleeve not so much as the Divell doth but say with the foole Non est Deus non est daemon non est infernus non Psal 14. 1. est coelum There is no God no divell no hell no heaven All by nature are Infidells we draw it from Adams loynes and sucked Gen. 3. it from the breasts of Heva who beleeved the divell before God And in that some few beleeve it is by grace not by nature Now grace is rare therefore saith the Apostle unto you it is given for Christ that not onely yee should beleeve in him but also c. If any aske me when God gave this faith I answere that he did it in the beginning and it hath doth and shall continue for ever This As God is immutable so true faith and Religion commendeth the Faith the Religion of God that it is before all religions the ancientest Philosophers and Poets as Orpheus Homer Hesiod exceeded not the dayes of Salomon who yet lived five hundred yeeres after Moses the writer of the Law Againe all the wonderfull things recounted in the Scripture are recorded by the Heathen as Noahs flood by Berosus the tower of Babel by the Sibyls the storie of Abraham by Dupolimus the acts of Salomon recorded by Herodotus and Diodorus Siculus But to proceed to the next point This faith was once given once for all once for ever which commendeth unto us the constancie of God With whom is no variablenesse nor shadow of change Hee Iam. 1. 17. Psal 33. 9. speaketh and it is done he commandeth and it is made he giveth and granteth without revocation Therefore it was well said Balaam God is not as man that he should lye nor the Sonne of man that he Num. 23. 19. should repent Shall God say and not doe shall he speake and not performe With men there is unconstancy as in Iael who offered Sisera rest and milke but there withall a nayle and a hammer Saul granted peace to David with a breath and with a breath revoked Iudg. 4. 1 Sam. 26. 2 Sam. 13. Iohn 6. it Ammon loved Thamar once but hated her by and by more than hee loved her The Iewes gave Christ the title of a King anon after the title of a Rebell The Antiocheans honored Paul as a God but after changed their mind There is such mutabilitie in men that they change like the Moone they alter like the Cameleon but God alters not but giveth his gifts to his Church once for ever The gifts and calling of God are without repentance Rom. 11. 29. Note this word Once so often repeated once God gave the Law once he gave the Gospell Once more will I shake not the earth only but also Heaven And againe After he had offered one sacrifice Hebr. 12. 26 27. for sinnes sitteth for ever at the right hand of God And againe with one offering he hath consecrated for ever them that are sanctified And againe Heb. 10. 12. 14. Hebr. 9. 27 28. Rom. 6. 10. It is appointed for men once to dye c. so Christ was once offered to take away the sinnes of many And againe In that he died he died once to sinne Note all these Texts one Gospell one Sacrifice one death one appearing of Christ one death of Christ one for all and one for ever If any object and prove a change in God because God gave Circumcision the Passeover the
Sabboth the Sacrifice and after tooke them away againe yee shall understand that hee gave them as figures and shadowes and therefore no mutability in the Lord The shadow must give place to the body the figure to the truth the greene blossome to the ripe fruit the seed time to the harvest So reasoneth Paul Let no man condemne you in meate and drinke or in respect of an Holy day or of the new Moone or of the Sabboths which are but a shadow of things to come but the bodie is in Christ The day-starre must give place to the Sunne-rising and that to the Sunne at Noone-day Chrysostome compareth Though types cease yet truth and substance remain ever the same the Iewes to a candle the Christians to the brightnesse of the Sunne The Iewes to the first draught of an Image in bare lines the Christians to the same Image filled up with all due proportion and furniture of colours the one to the seed-time Hom. 10. in Mat. Gal. 4. the other to the harvest and reaping of the Corne So Paul compareth the Iewes to a Child the Christians to a perfect man the same light though not in the same quantitie the same Image though not with like furniture the same corne though not growne to the like ripenesse the same person though not in the like perfection of age The Iewes note five things wanting in the Gospell and in the latter Temple that were in the first to disprove this that I have said First the fire that came downe from heaven to burne the Holocausts Secondly the glory of the Angells appearing among the Cherubins Thirdly the inspiration of Gods spirit speaking in the Prophets Fourthly the prefence of the Arke Lastly Vrim and Thummim But all this is nothing for there is now a fuller knowledge of God and greater liberty to the conscience yet the same faith still For the Fathers and we have all Col. 2. Ier. 23. 5. but one faith they beleeved that Christ should come according to Ieremies prophecie Behold the dayes come saith the Lord that I will raise unto David a righteous branch and a King shall raigne and prosper and shall execute iudgement and iustice in the earth We beleeve that he is come and that Christ our Passeover is sacrified for us 1 Cor. 5. 7. Esa 7. They said Virgo concipiet a maid shall conceive and bring forth a Sonne we say Virgo concepit a maide hath brought forth her Sâ—â—ne For when the dayes were accomplished that she should be delivered Luk. 2. 7. she brought forth her first begotten Sonne and wrapped him in swadling clothes and laid him in a Cratch They had sacrifices that prefigured his comming we have Sacraments that represent his comming Heb. 9. and being with us they and wee had but one light they had Lucem matutinam the moning light wee Lucem meridianam the light at noone-day Wee differ but In plus minus therefore saith Christ Blessed are the eyes that see the things that yee see Mat. 10. 24. For I tell you that many Prophets and Kings have desired to see the things that yee see and have not seene them and to heare those things that yee heare and have not heard them If any object that God giveth us daily new Paith new graces I answere that God giveth not a new a strange faith but addeth to our old faith to our old graces God increaseth faith and his graces in us but not a new a diverse faith like the Arrians that had Fidem annuam menstruam a yeerely and a monthly The Gospell immutable Traditions uncertain Faith For whom God loves hee loves to the end This also commendeth unto us the Gospell that whereas other Lawes and Doctrines are changed altered augmented and diminished Gods Law is not The Law of the Lord is perfect Iohn 13. 1. Psal 19. The Lawes of the Romanes written by Numa Pompilius in Gold The Lawes of the Athenians written by Draco in Bloud the Lawes of the Persians written in Brasse The Lawes of the Lacedemonians written in Milke were altered but Gods Lawes are not Quoad substantiam as concerning their substance Sed quoad maledictionem as concerning the curse 2 Cor. 3. All traditions therefore all Gospels of Thomas Nicodemus Thaddeus and the eternall Gospell invented in Saint Cyrils time by abusing the place in the Revelation which runneth thus I saw another Angel flying in the middest of Heaven having an Apoc. 14. 6. everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the Earth c. must fall to the ground like the house built upon the sand as also all those Revelations of the Paraclete devised by Montanus together with all those that came after the giving of the Gospell which is perfect for ever and so perfect that If any man shall adde unto it God shall adde to him the plagues that are written in Apoc. 22. 18 19. the Booke and if any man shall diminish from the words of the Prophecie of Gods Booke God shall take away his part out of the Booke of Life and out of the holy Citie c. Let us not then adde nor diminish from the Gospell being so perfect for there is but one God one Faith one Baptisme one Christian Hope once revealed Ephes 4. for all But of the late Romish traditions which have entred long since the Gospell entred one may say to Rome as Esay said to Ierusalem Thy Gold is turned into Drosse thy Wine is mixed with Water thy Seede with Cockle thou wert sometime a faithfull Esay 1. City but now become an Harlot thou wert once the house of God but now turned into a cave of theeves Thou sayest that thou art rich and increased in wealth and standest in neede of nothing Apoc. 3. 17. but thou art poore and blind and naked as God said to the Church of Laodice poore and blind and naked indeed God give them hearts to understand and eyes to see their poverty and nakednesse But to passe with this heavenly Scripture as Moses did with the people to the land of Canaan Thirdly this Faith is given to the Saints By Saints hee meaneth the children of God truely converted not because they are perfectly holy and without sinne but in these foure respects First in respect of Separation for they they are elected and gathered out of this world and joyned to Gods people and dedicated to holy services and uses Secondly In respect of Vocation and therefore the Apostle The Saints the subiects of Faith and all Graces when hee said they were sanctified he said by explication that they were Saints by calling Thirdly In respect of Regeneration because they are now new creatures 1 Cor. 1. 2. And lastly In respect of Iustification or imputation because the holinesse and sanctity of Christ is imputed unto them For men may be Saints in this life For there are Saints in Earth as well as in Heaven