his grace and holie spirite where I might haue been borne in an ignorant time and region God would that I shoulde be borne in these daies and in this countrie where is more knowledge reuealed then euer was here or in manie places els is Where I might haue beene of a corrupt iudgement entangled with manie errours of Papistrie of the familie of loue of that hypocritical Brown by Gods goodnes my iudgement is reformed and he hath lightened mine eies to see my heart to imbrace his sincere truth By all which things I doe confirme my faith of this that God alwaies hath beene is and wil be for euer my father at my departing forth of this world will giue me the crowne of euerlasting glorie Secondlie when as man is euermore doubting of the promises of God be they neuer so certain God of his infinite mercie to preuent all occasions of doubting promiseth to giue his owne spirit as a pledge pawne or earnest pennie vnto his children of their adoption election to saluation Now since it pleased God to call me from hypocrisie to bee a member of his Church I feel that in my self which I neuer felt or heard of before In times past I came to praiers and to the preaching of Gods word euen as a Beare commeth to the stake now the word of God is meate and drinke to me and praier is no burden vnto me but my ordinarie exercise If I rise in the morning I am not well till I haue praied and giuen thankes to God if I doe any thing it commeth into my minde to pray In my praiers I finde great ioy and comforte and the exceeding fauour of God I neuer think I can well take my rest or doe anie thing else except first I aske it at Gods hande in Christ. Lastlie when my minde and heart is whollie occupied in worldlie matters I am stirred vp and as it were drawne to pray vnto God for the remission of my sinnes and the assurance of my saluation and in praier I haue had those grones which for their greatnes cannot bee expressed Nowe from whence commeth all this From the Diuell No. In these actions I haue found him my enemie and a continuall hinderer of them For he by his craft when I haue beene heauie and weake hath assailed to prouoke me to some sinnes whereunto my cursed nature was most giuen and I hauing yeelded to him haue beene so hardened and blinded by those sinnes that for a time I haue made light account of the worde of God and praier Well then peraduenture this came from mine owne selfe No neither This cursed nature of mine hath beene more pleased and delighted with sinne and with the pleasures of the world then with such exercises from which it draweth mee presseth me down as lead I cannot think that such a poisoning Cockatrice can laie such good egges or that wild crabbe trees such as all men are in Adam can bring foorth sweete fruites according to the will of God except God plucke them foorth of Adam and plant them in the garden of his mercie and stocke them and graft the spirite of Christ in them Wherefore these are the workes of Gods spirit and my conscience is thereby certified that God hath giuen me the spirite of adoption and therefore that his fauour and mercie shall continue towardes me for euer For the giftes of God are without repentance and whome God once loueth him hee loueth for euer Thirdlie there bee certaine fruites of Gods children which I finde in mee by which I am confirmed in Gods fauour Saint Iohn in his first epistle saith that hereby wee know that wee are translated from death to life because we loue the bretheren Truelie â— feele in my heart a burning loue towardes them which are good Christians though I neuer knewe them nor saw them and I am verie desirous to doe anie good for them and if drops of my heart bloude would doe them good they should haue them Moreouer I hate all sinne and wickednesse with a bitter hatred and I long to see the comming of my sauiour Christ to iudgement I am grieued and disquieted because I cannot fulfill the law of God as I ought all which I haue learned foorth of Gods word to be tokens of Gods children And thus you see what euidence I haue to shewe that I am a true member of the Church militant and in the fauour of God Timoth. Haue you a stedfast faith in Christ as these arguments seeme to proue without all wauering doubting and distrusting of Gods mercie Euseb. No no. This my faith which I haue in Christ is euen fought against with doubting euer assailed with desperation not when I sinne onely but also in tentations of aduersitie into which God bringeth me to nurture me to shew me mine owne heart the hypocrisie false thoughts that there lie hid my almost no faith at al and as litle loue euen then happily wheÌ„ I thought my self most perfect of all for when tentations come I cannot stand when I haue sinned faith is feble when wrong is done vnto mee I cannot forgiue in sicknes in losse of goods in al tribulation I am vnpatient wheÌ„ my neighbor needeth my helpe that I must depart with him of mine owne then loue is cold And thus I learne feele that there is no power to do good but of God only And in al such tentations my faith perisheth not vtterlie neither my loue and consent to the law of God but they be weake sicke wounded not cleane dead As I dealt with my parents being a child so now deal I towards God my louing father When I was a child my father and mother taught me nurture wisedome I loued my father all his commaundements and perceiued the goodnes he shewed mee that my father loued mee and all his precepts are vnto my wealth and profit and that my father commandeth nothing for anie need he hath thereof but seeketh my profit onelie and therefore I haue a good faith vnto all my fathers promises and loue all his commaundements and doe them with good will and with good will goe euerie daie to the schoole And by â—he waie happilie I sawe companie plaie and with the sight was taken and rauished of my memorie and forgot my selfe and stoode and beheld and fell to plaie also forgetting father and mother all their kindnes all their lawes and mine owne profite also How beit the knowledge of my fathers kindnes the faith of his promisses and the loue that I had againe vnto my father and the obedient minde were not vtterlie quenched but laie hid as all things doe when a man sleepeth or lieth in a traunce And as soone as I had plaied out all my listes or else by some had been warned in the meane season I came againe to my olde profession Notwithstanding manie temptations went ouer my heart and the lawe as a right hangman tormented
the strong man Sathan and cast him out and dwell in thee himselfe Thirdly hee which is no Christian is in danger of al the iudgements of God so that euery moment some of them may befall him He may perish sodainly by water with the olde world he may bee consumed with fire and brimstone with Sodome and Gomorrha hee may bee swallowed vp of the earth with Core Dathan and Abyram hee may hang himself with Iudas he may haue his braines dashed against the grounde and bee eaten vp of dogs with Iesabell he may die in the hardnes of heart with Pharao he may dispaire with Caine and Iudas he may be stricken with sodaine death with Ananias and Saphira his wife he may be eaten of wormes with Herode hee may bee smitten with trembling that he cannot heare Gods worde with Foelix hee may voide his guts at the stoole with Arius he may crie at his death that he is damned with Latomus he may bee left vnto himselfe to mocke blaspheme and renounce Christ with Iulian and hee may suffer manie more fearefull iudgements whereof the Lord hath great store and all tende to the confounding of them which will not be humbled vnder his hand Contrariwise the true Christian is so farre out of the reach of Gods iudgements that they cannot hurt him Christ is a couering and a cloude against the heat and tempest of Gods iudgementes when a mans heart is sprinkled with the bloud of this immaculate Lambe all the plagues of God passe ouer him In the destruction of Ierusalem the righteous beare a marke in their foreheads and are saued Therefore let him that hath regard to his owne safetie become a Christian Thirdly the man which is no Christian is in danger of eternall death and damnation in hell fire and they which fall into this estate it had beene ten thousand folde better for them if they had neuer beene borne for they are quite separated from the presence of God and from his glorie al the company they haue is with the Diuell and his Angels Their bodies and soules are tormented with infinite horrour and anguish arising of the feeling of the whole wrath of God in which as into a bottomlesse sea they are plunged Thus they are alwaies dying and yet are neuer deade Furthermore the length of this torment must bee considered which greatly aggrauates the paine If a man might be deliuered from the panges of hell when he had suffered them so many yeares as there be droppes in the sea or little sands in the whole earth it were some comfort but after that those yeares be expired there shall come no release but the damned shall continue in shriking yelling and gnashing of teeth enduring the consuming heate of Gods wrath without any ende for euer and euer Yea to goe further a wicked man carrieth an hell about him in this life namely an euill conscience which if it bee neuer so litle touched with any of Gods anger a mā shall feele himselfe to haue euen the panges of hell in his heart Nowe therefore all they that woulde escape out of this hellish and damnable estate while they haue time let them pray for the pardon of their sinnes in Christ and walke according to the spirite in newnes of life and then they may assure themselues that there is no condemnation can belong to them And it must be alwaies remembred that he which would liue when he is dead must die while he is aliue namely to sinne And againe he which would rise to eternall life in the daie of iudgement must rise from sin before he die vnto newnes of life The fourth reason God hath appointed vnto euerie man that liueth in the Church a certaine time of repentaunce and of comming to Christ. And hee which mispendeth that time and is not made a Christian then can neuer bee saued This made our Sauiour Christ weepe for Hierusalem and say O if thou hadst knowne at the least in this thy daie those things which belong to thy peace but now are they hidden from thine eies And further signifieth the destruction of Hierusalem because she knew not the time of hir visitation Againe the neglecting of this time is one cause why not one or two but manie shall seek to enter into the kingdome of heauen and yet shall not be able It is a maruailous thing that they which seek to be saued should perish but the fault is theirs which seeke when it is too late Nowe therefore thou secure worldling thy conscience telleth thee that thou hast not yet repented and that thou art not as yet a liuely member of Iesus Christ. And thou knowest further that howsoeuer thou art aliue at this time yet thou hast no lease of thy life God may call thee foorth of this worlde the next yeare the next weeke the next howre Yea he may strike thee with sodaine death at this very present And in very truth if thou goest foorth of this world beeing no Christian thou goest damned to hell Wherefore delaie not one minute of an hower longer but with all speede repent and turne vnto God and bring forth fruites worthie of amendment of life that all thy sinnes may be done away when the day of death or the day of iudgement shal be And doe not thinke with thy selfe that it shall be sufficient to differre thy turning vnto God till the last ende For late repentance is seldome true repentance And he which continueth long in any sinne is in a dangerous case If a man lie long in any disease he will scarce recouer his former health and hee which is growen in the custome of any sin and the sinne is become ripe in him it is a thousand to one he is neuer saued according to that of saint Iames sinne being perfected bringeth forth death The fift reason Eternall life is a thing desired of all men yet none shall be made partakers of it but the true Christian and the glorious estate of this life woulde mooue any man to be a Christian. First of all they which haue eternall life are freed from all pains sickenesses infirmities hunger thirst cold wearines from all sin as anger forgetfulnes ignorance from hell death damnation Sathan from euery thing that causeth miserie according to that of saint Iohn And God will wipe away all teares from their eies there shall be no more death neither sorrow neither crying neither shall there be anie more paine for the first things are passed Secōdly the faithful shall be in the presence of Gods Maiesty in heauen there to behold his face that is his glorie as our Sauiour Christ saith Father I will that they which thou hast giuen me be with me euen where I am that they may beholde my glorie which thou hast giuen me And Dauid saith In thy presence is fulnes of ioy and at thy right hand there are pleasures for euermore Thirdly they
of the last commandement perceiued thereby that the desires and lusts of his hart to which he did not yeeld his consent were sinnes damnable before God and knowing this he then saw himself to be most miserable renoūcing his owne righteousnes he sought for righteousnes in Christ. Lastly it teacheth that originall sinne is done away in Baptisme and that is the least sinne of all other What is this but to extenuate mās corruption for when the root of corruptiō is takē away and it is made so little a sinne actuall sinnes cannot bee taken for such heinous matters And for the second point the Church of Rome dooth too too much extoll the power of man and his naturall strength It saith that all actions of men vnregenerate are not sinnes and that originall sinne needeth no repentance that a man hath some free will to do spirituall things that a man by meere naturales may loue God aboue all things feare God beleeue in Christ if we respect the very acte of the worke that the Gentiles might gather out of Philosophie knowledge sufficient for saluatiō that a man without the helpe of the holy Ghost may performe things acceptable to God that the minde of man vnderstandeth of it selfe manye things which be spirituall and heauenly that a man regenerate may fulfill the whole lawe of God that a man may prepare himself to receiue grace to merit grace at Gods hands that he may do works of Supererogation c. By this it appeareth y t the church of Rome ascribeth to much to the nature of mā which is only altogether euill dead in sinne chained vp in miserable bōdage vnder Sathā the prince of darknes and therefore it is euident that all the preaching that is vsed in that Church will not humble a sinner and make him denie himselfe therefore their preaching may peraduenture benumme a corrupt conscience and make it secure but it cannot pacifie the troubled conscience nor disquiet it by the threatnings of the law that by the promises of the Gospell it maie be quieted Againe this religion teacheth that a man must doubt of his saluation as long as he is in this life behold a Racke or Gibbet erected by the church of Rome for the tormenting of tender consciences for when a man doubteth of his saluatiō he also doubteth of Gods loue and mercie to him he which doubteth of Gods loue cannot loue God again for how can anie man loue him of whose good will he doubteth and when a man hath not the loue of God in him he hath no grace in him therefore his conscience must needes be defiled and voide of true peace yea he must needes be a wicked man and that saying of Salomon must needes agree to him The wicked flieth whē no man pursueth by reason of the guiltines of his conscience but the godlie is bold as a Lion Againe Blessed is the man saith Dauid whose sinnes are pardoned where hee maketh remission of sinnes to bee true felicitie nowe there is no true felicitie but that which is inioied and felicitie cannot be inioied vnlesse it bee felt and it cannot be felt vnlesse a man know himselfe to be in possession of it a man cannot know himselfe to be in possession of it if he doubt whether hee hath it or not and therefore this doubting of the remission of sinnes is contrarie to true felicitie is nothing else but a torment of the conscience For a man cannot doubt whether his sinnes be pardoned or not but strait waie if his conscience bee not seared with an hoat iron the verie thought of his sinne will strike a great feare into him for the feare of eternall death and the horror of Gods iudgements will come to his remembrance the consideration of which is most terrible Vndoubtedlie this religion must needes be comfortlesse Alas poore men as we are we are no better then passengers in this worlde our waie it is in the middle of the Sea where wee can haue no sure footing at all and which waie so euer wee cast our eies wee see nothing but water euen opening it selfe to deuoure vs quicke the Diuell and our rebellious flesh raise vp against vs infinite thousandes of tempestes and stormes to ouerthrowe vs but beholde God of his great and endlesse mercie hath brought vs to Christ as to a sure Ancker holde hee bibddeth vs to vndoo our Gables and fling vp our Anckers within the vaile and fasten them in Christ we do it as we are commanded but a Sister of ours I meane the Church of Rome passing in the Ship with vs as it seemeth who hath long taken vppon hir to rule the healme dealeth too too vnkindelie with vs shee vnlooseth our Anckers and cutteth in pieces our Gables shee telleth vs that wee maie not presume to fasten our Ancker on the rocke shee will haue vs freelie to roue in the middle of the Sea in the greatest fogges and the fearefullest tempestes that bee if wee shall follow hir aduise wee must needes looke for a Shippewracke for the least flawe of winde shall ouerturne vs and our poore soules shall bee plunged in the gulphs of hell Lastlie Iustificatiō by works causeth trouble disquietnes to the cōscience No mās conscience can bee appeased before Gods wrath be appeased Gods wrath cānot be appeased by anie workes for the best works the regenerate can doe are imperfect and are stained with some blemish of corruption as may appeare both in the Prophet Esai and in Paule both which had a great misliking of that good which they did because it was mingled with sin And againe euerie man is bound by duetie to keepe the whole lawe so that if a man could keepe it perfectlie he should doe no more then that he is by duetie inioined to doe and therefore he which looketh to merite eternal life at Gods hand by keeping the lawe trusteth but to a broken staffe and is like the Bankrupt that will paie one debt by another for by his sinne euerie man is indebted to the Lord and is bound to answere to the Lord the full punishment of all his sinnes this debt the Papist saith we maie discharge by obedience to the law that is by a new debt which we are as well bounde to paie to our God as the former To end this point let a man looke to bee saued by works and therefore let a man imploie himselfe to do the best works he can yet he shall neuer come to knowe when he hath done sufficient to satisfie Gods wrath and this vncertaintie all his life but especiallie in the houre of death must needes disquiet him And truelie when a man shall haue done manie thousand workes yet his heart can neuer be at quiet as it appeareth in the young man who though hee had laboured all his life to fulfill the law thereby to be saued yet
euen of religion whereof I see you are an olde professor And first of all let me be bold to aske this question of you how it pleased God to make you a true Christian and a member of Christ Iesus whom I see you serue continually with a feruent zeale Eusebius For that olde acquaintance that was betweene vs and for that you are desirous to liue a godly life in Christ Iesus I will not conceale the good worke of my God in me therefore I pray you marke a little what I shall say and I will declare vnto you the truth euen foorth of the feeling of mine owne conscience The fall of Adam did make mee the heire of vengeance and wrath of God and heire of eternall damnation and did bring mee into captiuitie and bondage vnder the Diuell And the Diuell was my Lorde and my ruler my heade my gouernor and my prince yea and my god And my will was locked knit faster vnto the will of the Diuell then coulde an hundred thousand chaines binde a man vnto a post Vnto the Diuels will did I consent with all my heart with all my minde with all my might power strength will and life so that the lawe and will of the Diuell was written as well in my heart as in my members and I ran headlong after the Diuel with full soule and the whole swing of all the power I had as a stone cast vp into the aire commeth downe naturally of it self with al the violent swing of his own weight O with what deadly venemous heart did I hate mine enimies with howe great malice of minde inwardlie did I sley and murther With what violence and rage yea with what seruent lust committed I adulterie fornication and such like vncleannes With what pleasure and delectation like a glutton serued I my bellie With what diligence deceiued I Howe busilie sought I the things of the world whatsoeuer I did worke imagine or speak was abhominable in the sight of God for I could referre nothing vnto the honour of GOD neither was his lawe or will written in my members or in my hart neither was there anie more power in me to followe the will of GOD then in a stone to ascend vpward of it selfe And besides that I was a sleepe in so deepe blindnesse that I could neither see nor feele in what miserie thraldome and wretchednes I was till Moses came and awaked mee and published the lawe When I heard the lawe truelie preached how that I ought to loue and honour God with all my strength and might from the lowe bottome of the heart because hee did create mee lord ouer it and my neighbour yea mine enemies as my selfe inwardlie from the ground of my heart because God hath made them after the likenesse of his owne Image and they are his sonnes as well as I and Christ hath bought them with his bloud and made them heires of euerlasting life as well as I and howe I ought to doe whatsoeuer God biddeth and to abstaine from whatsoeuer God forbiddeth with all loue and meekenesse with a feruent and burning lust from the entire of the heart Then beganne my conscience to rage against the lawe and against God No sea bee it neuer so great a tempest was so vnquiet for it was not possible for mee a naturall man to consent to the lawe that it should be good or that God should be righteous which made the lawe in as much as it was contrarie vnto my nature and damned mee and all that I could doe and neuer shewed mee where to fetch helpe nor preached any mercy but onelie set mee at variance with God and prouoked and stirred mee to raile on God and to blaspheme him as a cruell tyrant And indeed it was not possible to doe otherwise to thinke that God made me of so poisoned a nature and gaue me an impossible lawe to performe I beeing not borne againe by the spirite and my wit reason and will beeing so fast glewed yea nailed and cheined vnto the wil of the Diuell This was the captiuitie and bondage whence Christ deliuered mee redeemed and loosed me His bloud his death his patience in suffering rebukes and wronges and the full wrath of God his prayers and fastings his meekenes fulfilling the vttermost points of the lawe appeased the wrath of God brought the fauour of God to mee againe obtained that God should loue mee first be my father and that a mercifull father that would consider my infirmitie weaknesse and would giue mee his spirit againe which hee had taken awaie in Adam to rule gouerne and strengthen mee and to breake the bandes of Sathan wherein I was so straight bound When Christ was on this wise preached and the promises rehearsed which are cōtained in the booke of God which preaching is called the gospell or glad-tidings and I had deepelie considered the same then my heart began to waxe soft melt at the bounteous mercie of God and kindnesse shewed of Christ. For when the gospell was preached the spirite of God me thought entred into my heart and opened my in warde eyes and wrought a liuely faith in me and made my woful conscience feele and taste how sweet a thing the bitter death of Christ is how merciful louing God is through Christs purchasing and merits and made mee beginne to loue againe and to consent to the lawe of God how that it is good and ought so to bee and that GOD is righteous that made it lastlie it wrought in me a desire to bee whole and to hunger and thirst after more righteousnesse and more strength to fulfil the law more perfectlie and in all that I doe or leaue vndone to seeke Gods honour and his will with meeknesse euermore condemning the imperfectnes of my deeds by the law Now then this good work of God to my saluation standeth in two pointes the working of the law and the working of the gospell the preaching of the lawe was a key that bound and damned my conscience the preaching of the gospell was an other key that loosed me againe These two salues I meane the lawe the gospell vsed God his preacher to heale and cure mee a wretched sinner withall The lawe did driue out my disease and made it appeare and was a sharpe salue and fretting corasiue killed the dead flesh and losed and drewe the sore out by the roote and all corruption It pulled from me all trust and confidence I had in my selfe and in mine owne workes merits deseruings and ceremonies and robbed me of all my righteousnes made me poore It killed me in sending me downe to hell and bringing mee almost to vtter desperation prepared the way of the Lord as it is written of Iohn Baptist. For it was not possible that Christ should come vnto mee as long as I trusted in my selfe or in any worldly thing or had anie righteousnes of mine owne or riches of holie workes
sit one on y e right hand of Christ the other on the left They would pray that fire might descend froÌ„ heaueÌ„ consume the Samaritans WheÌ„ Christ asked who say men that I am Peter answered Thou art the sonne of the liuing God as though Peter had beene as perfecte as an Angell But imediatlie after when Christ preached â—nto them of his death and passion Peter was angry and rebuked Christ and thought earnestlie that hee had raued and not wist what hee had said as at another time when Christ was so feruentlie busied in healing the people that he had no leasure to eate they went out to holde him supposing that hee had beene beside himselfe And one that cast foorth Diuelles in Christes name they forbadde because hee waited not on theÌ„ so glorious were they yet And though Christ taught alway to forgiue yet Peter after long going to schole asked whether men should forgiue seauen times thinking that eight times had beene too much And at the last supper Peter woulde haue died with Christ but yet within fewe houres after he denied him both cowardly shamefullie And after the same manner though he had so long hearde that no man must auenge himselfe but rather turne the other cheeke to the smiter againe yet when Christ was in taking Peter asked whether it were lawfull to smite with the sworde and taried no answere but laide on rashlie So that although wee bee once reconciled to God yet at the first we be but children and yong scholers weake and feeble and must haue leasure to growe in the spirite iâ— knowledg loue and deeds thereof as yong children must haue time to growe in their bodies and so in like manner the sting of the serpent is not pulled out at once but the poyson of our nature is minished by little and little and cannot before the houre of death be wholie taken awaie Timoth. I perceiue by your godlie discourse the manifolde conflictes betweene the flesh and the spirite and that the flesh is like to a mightie Giant such a one as was Goliah strong lustie stirring enimie to God confederate with the Diuell and the spirite like to a little childe such a one as was little Dauid new borne weake and feeble not alwaies stirring nowe then what meanes do you vse to weaken the flesh and strengthen the spirit Euseb. I vse to tame my flesh with praier and fasting watching deedes of mercie holie meditations reading the scriptures and in bodilie labour and in with-drawing all manner of pleasures from the flesh and with exercises contrarie to the vices which I finde in my bodie most inclined to and with absteining from all things that encourage the flesh against the spirit as reading of toyes and wanton bookes seeing of plaies and enterluds wanton communication foolish iesting effeminate thoughts and talking of couetousnes which Paul forbiddeth Eph. 5. magnifying of worldly promotions If these will not mortifie my flesh then God sendeth me some troubles and so maketh me to grow waxe perfect and fineth and trieth me as gold in the fire of tentations and tribulations Thus verie often he maketh me to take vp my crosse naileth my flesh vnto it for the mortifying thereof Marke this if God send thee to the sea promise to go with thee he wil raise vp a tempest against thee to prooue whether thou wilt abide by his word and that thou maist feele thy faith weakenes and perceiue his goodnes for if it were alwaies faire weather and thou neuer brought into such ieopardie whence his mercie onlie deliuereth thee thy faith should bee onelie a presumption thou shouldest be euer vnthankefull to God and merciles vnto thy neighbour If God promise riches the waie therevnto is pouertie whom he loueth him he chasteneth whom he exalteth hee casteth downe whom he saueth he first damneth hee bringeth no man to heauen except he send him to hell first if hee promisâ— life he slayeth first when he buildeth he casteth downe all first he is no patcher hee cannot abide another mans foundation he will not worke till all bee past remedie and brought to such a case that meÌ„ may see how that his haÌ„d his power his mercy his goodnes his truth hath wrought altogether hee will let no man be partaker with him of his praise and glorie his works are wonderfull contrarie to mans workes who euer saue he deliuered his own sonne his only sonne his deere son his darling vnto the death for his enimies to win his enimies to ouercome theÌ„ with loue that he might see loue loue again and of loue likewise to doe to other men to ouercome them with well doing Ioseph saw the Sun and the Moone and seauen starres worshipping him neuertheles ere that came to passe God laid him where he could see neither sun nor moone neither anie star of the skie and that many yeres and also vndeserued to nurture him to make him humble meeke to teach him Gods waies and to make him apte and meete for y t roome honor again he came to it that he might be strong in the spirit to minister it well God promised the children of Israel a land with riuers of milke honie yet hee brought them foorth the space of fortie yeares into a lande where in riuers of milke and honie were but where so much as a drop of water was not to nurture and teach them as a father doth his sonne and to doe them good at the latter ende to seduce their cankred nature to make them strong in the spirite to vse his benefites aright Lastlie God promised Dauid a kingdome and immediatelie stirred vp Saul against him to persecute him and to hunt him as men doe hayres with gray-houndes and to ferret him out of euerie hole and that for the space of manie yeares to turne him to make him to mortifie his lustes to make him feel his own diseases in fine to make him a good man and a good King Timoth. But how if it come to passe that you be tempted to anie great sinne and the fleshe ouercome the spirit in what case are you then Euseb. There is no bodie here but you I and I take you to bee a Christian and a faithfull friende therefore I will shewe a little of my exhortation The last yeare by reason of the dearth I and my familie were put to great pinches and most commonly we had nothing but bread and water here vpon I bethought mee howe I might get somewhat to releiue my familie It came into my minde that in our Towne a rich man had a great flocke of sheepe and that I might take one of them without any hurt of him I was verie loath at the first but because there was such great stealing of sheepe I was in extremitie in the night I went among his sheep and tooke a lambe and told my familie that it was giuen me I presently killed it the
this case in which thou art at this present Christian. Heerein thou prouest thy selfe to be a lying spirite for the Prophet Dauid â—aith of himselfe that he was foolish and as a beast before God and yet he euen then trusted in God And Paule was so led capâ—iue of sinne that he was not able to do the good he would but did the euill which hee â—ated and so in great pensiuenes of heart desired to be deliuered from this world that â—ee might bee disburdened of his corrupt â—â—esh Sathan Thou miserable wretch doest â—â—ou feele thy selfe gracelesse and wilt thou â—eare the face of a Christian and by thy â—ypocrisie offend God as thou art so shew â—â—y selfe to the world Christian. Auoide Sathan Christe hath anquished and ouercome thee for my â—ause that I might also triumph ouer thee â— am no hypocrite for whereas I haue had â—eeretofore some testimonie of my faith at his time I am lesse mooued though faith â—â—eme to be absent like as a man may seeme 〈◊〉 bee dead both in his owne sense and by the iudgement of the Phisition and yet maie haue life in him so faith maie bee though alwaies it doe not appeare Sathan But thou art a man starke dead in sin God hath now quite forsaken thee hee hath left thee vnto me to be ruled hee hath giuen me power ouer thee to bring thee to damnation he will not haue thee to trust in him anie longer Christian. Strengthen me good Lord remember thy mercifull promises that thou wilt reuiue the humble giue life to them that are of a contrite heart Sathan These promises concerne not thee which hast no humble and contrite but a froward and a rebellious heart Christian. Good Lorde forget not thy former mercies giue an issue to these temptations of mine enemie Satan And you my bretheren which know my estate praie for me that God woulde turne his fauourable countenance towards me for this I know that the ptaier of the righteous auaileth much if it be feruent Howe a man should applie aright the word of God to his owne soule I EVerie Christian containeth in himselfe two natures flat contrarie the one to the other the flesh and the spirite and that he may become a perfect man in Christ Iesus his earnest indeuour must bee to tame and subdue the flesh to strengthen and confirme the spirit II Answerable to these two natures are the two parts of Gods worde First the Lawe because it is the ministerie of death it fitlie serueth for the taming and maistering of the rebellious flesh and the Gospell containing the bountifull promises of God in Christ is as oile to powre into our wounds and as the water of life to quench our thirstie soules it fitlie serueth for the strengthening of the Spirite III Well then art thou secure Art thou prone to euill Feelest thou that thy rebellious flesh carrieth thee captiue vnto sinne Looke nowe onelie vpon the lawe of God applie it to thy self examine thy thoughts thy words thy deedes by it pray vnto God that he would giue thee the Spirit of feare that the law maie in some measure huÌ„ble terrifie thee for as Salomon saith blessed is the man that feareth alwaies but cursed is he that hardeneth his heart IIII In the Law these are most effectuall meditations to humble and bridle the flesh which follow First meditate on the greatnes of thy sinnes and of their infinite number and if it may be gather them into a Catalogue set it before thee and looke vnto it that thou think no sinne to be a small sin no not the bare thoughts and motions of thy heart Often with diligence consider the strange iudgements of God vpon men for their sinnes which thou shalt find partlie in the Scriptures partlie by dailie experience Doubtlesse thou must thinke that euerie iudgement of God is a sermon of repentance Thinke oft on the fearefull curse of the law due vnto thee if thou shouldest sin neuer but once in al thy life and that neuer so litle Remember that whensoeuer thou committest a sin God is present and his holie Angels that he is an eie witnes that he taketh a note of thy sin registreth it in a booke Thinke dailie of thy ende and know that God maie strike thee with sodain death euerie moment and that if then thou haue not repented before that time there is no hope of saluation Thinke on the sodain comming of our Sauiour Christ to iudgement let it moue thee continually to watch and praie If these will not moue thee think on this that no creature in heauen or in earth was able to pacifie the wrath of God for thy sins but his owne Sonne must come downe from heauen out of his Fathers bosome and must beare the curse of the lawe euen the full wrath of his Father for thee V When by these meanes thou art feared and thy minde is disquieted in respect of Gods iudgement for thy sin haue recourse â—o the promises of mercie contained in the â—ld and new Testament Is thy conscience stung with sin And doth the law make theâ— feele it With all speede runne to the braseâ— Serpent Christ Iesus look on him with the eie of faith and presently thou shalt be healed of thy sting or wound VI When thou doest meditate on the promises of the Gospell diligentlie consideâ— these benefites which thou enioiest by Christ. Through Adam thou art condemned to hell by Christ thou art deliuereâ— from it Through Adam thou hast transgreâ—sed the whole law in Christ thou hast fulfilled it Through Adam thou art before Goâ— a vile a lothsome sinner through Chriâ—â— thou doest appeare glorious in his eies Bâ— Adam euerie litle crosse is the punishmenâ— of thy sin and a token of Gods wrath by Christ the greatest crosses are easie profitable and tokens of Gods mercie By Adam thou diddest loose all thinges in Christ aâ— things are restored to thee again By Adam thou art dead by Christ thou art quickneâ— and made aliue againe By Adam thou art slaue of the Diuel and the childe of wratâ— but by Christ thou art the child of God 〈…〉 Adam thou art worse than a Toade moâ—… detestable before God but by Christ thoâ— art aboue the Angels For thou art ioined vnto him and made bone of his bone misticallie Through Adam sinne and Sathan haue ruled in thee and led thee captiue by Christ the spirite of God dwelleth in thee plenteouslie By Adam came death to thee it is an entrance to hel by Christ though death remain yet it is onelie a passage vnto life Lastlie in Adam thou art poore and blinde and miserable In Christ thou art rich and glorious thou art the King of heauen and earth fellow heire with him and shalt as sure be partaker of it as he is euen now Adam when he must needs tast
And this appeareth in Iobs example when he saith Lo though hee sleie me yet will I trust in him I will reprooue my waies in his sight he shal be my saluation also for the hypocrite shal not come before him hee declareth his faith yet when he saith presentlie afterwarde Wherefore hidest thou thy face and takest me for thine enimie hee declareth the want of that feeling which you speake off Christian. Yet euerie true beleeuer feeles the assurance of faith otherwise Paul would not haue said Proue your selues whether you are in the faith or not Minister Indeed sometimes he doth but at some other times he doth not as namely at that same time when God first calleth him and in the time of temptation Christian. What a case am I in then I neuer felt this assurance onelie this I feele that I am a most rebellious wretch abounding euen with a whole sea of iniquities me thinkes I am more vglie in the sight of God then anie toade can be in my sight O then what shall I doo Let mee heare some worde of comfort from thy mouth thou man of God Minister Tell me one thing plainly you say you feele no assurance of Gods mercie Christian. No in deede Minister But do you desire with all your hart to feele it Christian. I doo indeed Minister Then doubt not you shal feele it Christian. O blessed be the Lord if this be true Minister Why it is most true For the man that would haue anie grace of God tending to saluation if hee do truelie desire it hee shall haue it for so Christ hath promised I will giue to him that is a thirst of the well of the water of life freely Whereby I gather that if any wante the water of life hauing an appetite after it he shall haue inough of it And therefore feare you not onely vse the meanes which God hath appointed to attaine faith by as earnest prayer reuerent hearing of Gods worde and receiuing of the Sacraments and then you shall see this thing verifyed in your selfe Christian. All this which you saie I finde in my selfe by the mercie of God my harte longeth after that grace of God which I want I know I doe hunger after the kingdome of heauen the righteousnes thereof and further though I want the feeling of Gods mercie yet I can pray for it from the verie roote of my heart Minister Bee carefull to giue honour to god for that you haue receiued already For these thing are the motions of the spirite of God dwelling in you And I am perswaded of this same thing that God which hath begon this good worke in you will perfect the same vnto the day of Iesus Christ. Christian. The third thing that troubles me is this I haue long prayed for manie graces of God and yet I haue not receiued them whereby it comes oft to my minde that God loues me not that I am none of his child therefore that I haue no faith Minister You are in no other case then Dauid himselfe who made the same complaint I am wearie of crying my throate is driâ— mine eies faile whiles I waite for my God Christian. But Dauid neuer praied so manie yeares without receiuing an answere as I haue done Minister Good Zacharie waited longer on the Lord before he granted his request then euer you did It s like hee praied for a child in his yonger yeres yet his praier was not heard before he was old And further you must note that the Lord may heare the praiers of his seruants and yet they bee altogether ignorant of it For the manner that God vseth in graunting their requests is not alwaies knowen as maie appeare in the example of our Sauiour Christ. Who in the daies of his flesh did offer vp praiers and supplications with strong crying and teares vnto him that was able to saue him from death and was also heard in that which he feared And yet wee knowe hee was not freed from that cursed death but must needes suffer it How then was he heard On this manner hee was strengthened to beare the death he had an Angell to comfort him hee was afterward freed from the sorrowes of death And so it is with the rest of Christes bodie as it was with the head Some being in want pray for temporall blessings God keepes them in this want and yet hee heares their praiers in giuing them patience and strength to abide that want Some being in wealth and aboundance praie for the continuing of it if it be the will of God The Lorde dinges them into a perpetuall miserie and yet hee heares their praiers by giuing theÌ„ blessednesse in the life to come You praie for the encrease of faith and repentance and such like graces you feele no increase after long praier yet the mercifull God hath no doubt heard your praier in that by delaying to performe your request he hath stirred vp in you the spirite of praier hee hath humbled you and made you feele your owne wants the better to depend on his mercie for the beginning and encreasing of euerie spirituall grace Christian. The fourth thing that troubles me is that I cannot feele faith purifie my heart and to worke by loue in bringing foorth liuelie fruits Minister If this bee so continuallie that faith bring forth fruit it is verie dangerous and argueth a plaine want of faith yet for a certaine time it maie be so Faith hath not onelie a spring time and a sommer season but also a winter when it beareth no fruit And there is manie a true Christian like the brused reede that is ouerturned with euerie blast of wind and like the flaxe that hath fire in it which by reason of weakenes giue neither heate nor light but onelie a smoke Christian Thus much shall suffice for my first temptation wherein I take my selfe satisfied nowe if you please I will bee glad to rehearse the second Minister I am content let vs heare it Christian. I am afraide least I haue not truelie repented and therefore that all my profession is onelie in hypocrisie Minister What mooueth you to thinke so Christian. Two causes especiallie the first is they which repent leaue off to sinne But I am miserable sinner I am laden with great burdens of sinne I doo continuallie displease God by my euill thoughts words and deeds Minister You need not feare For where sinne aboundeth that is the knowledge and feeling of sinne there grace aboundeth much more Christian. I finde not this in my selfe Minister But yet you finde thus much in your selfe those corruptions which you feele and those sinnes that you commit you hate theÌ„ you are displeased with your selfe for them and you endeuour your selfe to leaue them Christian. Yea that I doo with all my heart Minister Then howe miserable so euer you feele your selfe by reason of the masâ—e of your sinne yet you are not subiecte to