Thou hast made him to haue dominion in the workes of thy handes and therefore God hauing created him in his image biddeth him rule ouer the fishes of the sea ouer the fowles of the heauen and ouer euery beast that mooueth vpon the earth afterward he brought them all to him as to a soueraigne lord and king to be named by him and answerably euery creature in his kind gaue reuerence and subiection vnto man before his fall as vnto their lord and king Where by the way we must remeÌ„ber that when we see any creature that is hurtfull and noysome vnto man and would rather deuoure then obey him it must put vs in minde of our sinne for by creation we were made lords and kings ouer all creatures and they durst not but reuerence and obey vs but the rebellion of man vnto God is the cause of the rebellion of the creatures vnto vs. The third part of mans dignitie by creation is that before his fall he had a wonderfull beautie and maiestie aboue all creatures in his bodie whereupon Dauid saith the Lord hath crowned him with glorie and worship And in the renuing of the couenant with Noe God saith that the dread and feare of man shall be vpon all creatures which nowe though it be but small yet doth it plainely shewe what was the glorie and maiestie of mans person at the first The fourth dignitie of mans estate in innocencie is that his labour was without paine or wearinesse if he had neuer fallen he should haue laboured in the garden but so as he should neuer haue beene wearied therewith For when Adam was fallen God said In the sâ—eate of thy face shalt thou eate thy bread now if the paine in labour come after as a curse vpon man for his transgression then before his fall man felt no paine in his affaires And in these foure things consisteth mans dignitie which he had in the creation Now in the third followeth mans calling before his fall which is twofold I. particular II. generall Mans particular calling was to come into the garden of Eden to keepe it and to dresse the trees and fruits thereof This shewes vnto vs a good lesson that euery man must haue a particular calling wherein he ought to walke and therefore such as spende their time idlely in gaming and vaine delights haue much to answer to God at the day of iudgement This will not excuse a man to say theÌ„ that he had land liuing to maintaine himselfe and therefore was to liue as he list for euen Adam in his innocencie had all things at his will wanted nothing yet euen then God imploied him in a calling therfore none must be exempted euery man both high low must walke in his proper calling AdaÌ„s general calling was to worship his Creatour to which he was bound by the right of creation considering the morall law was written in his heart by nature Which is signified in the Decalogue where the Lord requires worship and obedience of his people because he is Iehouah that is one which hath beeing in himselfe and giues beeing to all men by creation For the better vnderstanding of this point we are to consider three things I. The place where Adam did worshippe II. The time III. The sacraments For the first God euer since the beginning had a place where he would be worshipped and it is called Gods house which then was the garden of Eden For it was vnto Adam a place appointed by God for his worship as Church-assemblies are vnto vs where also the Lord at some time did in a speciall manner shew himselfe vnto his creature Touching the time of Gods worship it was the seuenth day from the beginning of the creation the Sabbath day And here we must note that the keeping of the Sabbath is morall Some indeede doe pleade that it is but a ceremonie yet falsly for it was ordained before the fall of man at which time Ceremonies signifying sanctification had no place Nay marke further Adam in his innocencie was not clogged with sinne as we are and yet then he had a set Sabbath to worship God his creatour and therefore much more neede hath euery one of vs of a sabbath day wherein we may seuer our selues from the workes of our callings and the workes of sinne to the worship of God in the exercise of religion and godly meditation of our creation This point must be learned of vs for when no occasion is offered of busines then men will formally seeme to keepe the sabbath but if there come occasion of breaking the sabbath as traffike gaming and vaine shewes then Sabbath farewell men will haue their pleasures let them worship God that will But let vs remember in the feare of God that whosoeuer continueth in the breach of this law beeing moral God will no lesse powre forth his punishments vpon them then for the breach of any other commaundement the consideration whereof must mooue euery man to a reuerent sanctifying of the Lords day Now for Adams sacraments they were two the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and euill these did serue to exercise Adam in obedience vnto God The tree of life was to signifie assurance of life for euer if he did keepe Gods commandements the tree of knowledge of good and euill was a sacrament to shew vnto him that if he did transgresse Gods coÌ„mandements he should die and it was so called because it did signifie that if he transgressed this law he should haue experience both of good and euill in himselfe Now in the fourth place followeth the ende of the creation of man which is twofold First that there might be a creature to whome God might make manifest himselfe who in a speciall maner should set forth and acknowledge his wisdome goodnesse mercie in the creation of heauen and earth and of things that are in them as also his prouidence in gouerning the same Secondly God hauing decreed to glorifie his name in shewing his mercie and iustice vpon his creature hereupon in time createth men to shew his mercie in the saluation of some and to shew his iustice in the iust and deserued damnation of other some And therfore he hath appointed the creation specially of man to be a meanes of manifestation and beginning of the execution of his eternal counsell Thus much concerning mans creation in generall The speciall parts of man are two bodie and soule And the reason why the Lord would haue him stand on these two parts is this Some creatures made before him were onely bodily as beasts fishes foules some spirituall as Angels now man is both spirituall in regard of his soule corporall and sensible in regard of his bodie that nothing might be wanting to the perfection of nature If it be alleadged that man consists of three parts bodie soule and spirit because Paul praies that the Thessalonians may be sanctified in bodie soule and
This is performed when as any one by the instinct of the holy Ghost doth purpose will desire and endeauour to relinquish his former sinnes and to become a new man Psal. 119.112 I haue applied my heart to fulfill thy statutes alway euen vnto the ende 1. Ioh. 3.3 Act. 11.23 Who when he was come and had seene the grace of God was glad and exhorted all that with purpose of heart they would cleane vnto the Lord. The fruit of Repentance is a Christian conuersation wherein are brought forth fruits worthie amendment of life Matth. 3.8 Bring yee therefore forth fruits worthie of repentance A Christian conuersation is such a course of life whereby we following Christs example doe by him performe new obedience to God Math. 11.29 Take my yoke on you and learne of me that am meeke and lowly in heart and ye shall finde rest vnto your soules 1. Pet. 4.1 For as much as Christ hath suffered for vs in the flesh arme your selues likewise with the same minde which is that he which hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sinne 1. Pet. 2.21 For hereunto are ye called for Christ also suffered for vs leauing vs an ensample that we should follow his steps 1. Pet. 3.10 11. If any man long after life and to see good daies let him refraine his tongue from euill and his lippes that they speake no guile Let him eschew euill and doe good let him seeke peace and follow after it There are two parts of new obedience the deniall of our selues and the profession of Christ. Math. 16.24 If any man will follow me let him forsake himselfe take vp his crosse and follow me The deniall of our selues consisteth partly in Christian warrefare partly in the patient bearing of affliction CHAP. 40. Of Christian warfare CHristian warfare is concerning the right way of fighting in the spirituall battell The partes thereof are the preparation to battell and the combate it selfe To the preparation we must vse the complet armour of God Eph. 6.13 For this cause take vnto you the whole armour of God that yee may be able to resist in the euill day and hauing finished all things stand fast The parts hereof are especially sixe I. Trueth II. Iustice. III. Euangelicall obedience IV. Faith V. The word of God VI. Continuall and feruent prayer with watching Eph. 6.14 Stand therefore and your loynes girded about with veritie and hauing on the brestplate of righteousnesse 15. And your feete shodd with the preparation of the Gospell of peace 16. Aboue all take the sheild of faith wherwith ye may quench all the fierie dartes of the wicked 17. And take the helmet of saluation and the sword of the spirit which is the word of God 18. And praie alwaies with all manner praier and supplication in the spirit and watch thereunto with all perseuerance and supplication for all Saints 1. Pet. 5.8 Be sober and watch for your aduersarie the deuill as a roaring lyon walketh about seeking whome hee may deuoure The combate is a mutuall conflict of them that fight spiritually The warriours are the tempter and the Christian souldier Ephes. 6.12 For we werestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities against powers and against the wordly gouernours the princes of the darkenesse of this world against spirituall wickednesses which are in high places The Tempter is the prince or his helpers The prince is Satan and his angels which are spirituall wickednesses in high things His helpers are the flesh and the world The conflict of all these is temptation whereby man is prouoked to cōmit such wickednes as is hurtfull to the saluation of his soule 1. Pet. 2.11 Dearly beloued I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims abstaine from fleshly lusts which fight against the soule In the Souldier two things are to be considered his resisting and his fall Resistance is an action whereby the souldier doth withstand temptation through grace working inwardly in him 1. Ioh. 2.14 I write vnto you babes because ye haue knowne the father I haue written to you fathers because ye haue known him that is from the beginning I haue written to you yong men because ye are strong and the word of God abideth in you and ye haue ouercome the wicked 1. Pet. 5.8 Eph. 6.16 Psal. 91.13 Thou shalt walke vpon the lyon and aspe the young lyon and the dragon shalt thou tread vnder feete To confirme this these preseruatiues which follow are very necessarie I. When thou art tempted to sinne doe not onely abstaine from it but earnestly loue and followe after the contrarie Ioh. 8.44 II. Neuer yeeld or consent to Satans wordes whether he speake the truth accuse falsely or flatter dissemblingly Ioh. 8.44 Yee are of your father the deuil and the lusts of your father ye will doe he hath beene a murderer from the beginning and abode not in the truth because there is no truth in him when he speaketh a lie then speaketh he of his owne for he is a lier and the father thereof Mark 1.24 And cried with a loud voice and said What haue I to do with thee Iesus the sonne of the most high God And Iesus said Hold thy peace and come out of him Act. 16.17 Shee followed Paul and vs and cried saying These men are the seruants of the most high God which shewe vnto vs the waie of saluation c. August Serm. 241. III. One temptation is to be looked for after another and then especially when our enemie after he hath set his snares is at rest for the deuill neuer maketh an ende of his malice 1. Pet. 5.8 The fall is whereby the souldier through infirmitie fainteth being subdued by the power of the enemie Gal. 6.1 Brethren if a man be fallen by occasion into any fault ye which are spirituall restore such a one with the spirit of meeknesse considering thy selfe least thou also be tempted To this appertaineth the spirituall remedie A remedie is a thing hauing aptnesse to restore him which is fallen to his former estate Gal. 6.1 And here two things must alwaies be thought on I. If there be a willing mind euery one is accepted for that grace which he hath not for that which he hath not 2. Cor. 8.12 For if there be first a willing mind it is accepted according to that a mā hath not according to that he hath not II. In all these things whosoeuer will lead a godly life in Christ the power of God is to be made perfect through their infirmitie 2. Cor. 12.9 And hee said vnto me My grace is sufficient for thee for my power is made perfect through weakenesse very gladly therefore will I reioice rather in mine infirmities that the power of God may dwell in me 10. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities in reproches in necessities in persecutions in anguish for Christs sake for when I am weake then am I strong CHAP. 41. Of the first Assault ASsaults are threefold The first is about the
of himselfe saith Psal. 22.1 My God my God why hast thou forsaken me and art so farre from my health and from the words of my roring The remedie is double First the operatioÌ„ of the holy spirit stirring vp faith increasing the same Phil. 1.6 I am perswaded of this same thing that he that hath begunne this good worke in you will performe it vntill the day of Iesus Christ. Luk. 17.5 And the Apostles said vnto the Lord Increase our faith The second is an holy meditation which is manifold I. That it is the commandement of God that we should beleeue in Christ. 1. Ioh. 3.22 This is then his commandement that we beleeue in the name of his Sonne Iesus Christ and loue one another as he gaue commandement II. That the Euangelicall promises are indefinite and doe exclude no man vnlesse peraduenture any man doe exclude himselfe Esay 55. 1. Ho euery one that thirsteth come ye to the waters and ye that haue no siluer come buie and eate come I say buie wine and milke without siluer and without money Matth. 11.28 Come vnto me all ye that are wearie and laden and I will ease you Ioh. 3.15 That whosoeuer beleeueth in him should not perish but haue eternall life Also the Sacraments of Baptisme and the Lords Supper doe to euery one seuerally applie indefinite promises and therefore are very effectuall to enforce particular assurance or plerophorie of forgiuenes of sinnes III. That doubtfulnes and despaire are most grieuous sinnes IV. That contrarie to hope men must vnder hope beleeue with Abraham Rom. 4.18 Which Abraham aboue hope beleeued vnder hope that he should be the father of many nations according to that which was spoken to him so shall thy seede be V. That the mercie of God and the merit of Christs obedience beeing both God and man are infinite Esai 54.10 For the mountaines shall remooue and the hills shal fall downe but my mercie shall not depart from thee neither shal my couenant of peace fall away saith the Lord that hath compassion on thee Psal. 103.11 For as high as the heauen is aboue the earth so great is his mercie toward them that feare him 1. Ioh. 2.1 My babes these things write I vnto you that ye sinne not and if any man sinne we haue an aduocate with the Father Iesus Christ the iust 2. And he is the reconciliation for our sinnes and not for ours onely but also for the sinnes of the whole world Psal. 130.7 Let Israel wait on the Lord for the Lord is mercie and with him is great redemption VI. That God measureth the obedience due vnto him rather by the affection and desire to obey then by the act and performance of it Rom. 8.5 For they that are after the flesh sauour the things of the flesh but they that are after the spirit the things of the spirit 7. Because the wisdome of the flesh is enmitie against God for it is not subiect to the law of God neither indeede can be Rom. 7.20 Now if I doe that I would not it is no more I that doe it but the sinne that dwâ—lleth in me 21. I find then by the law that when I would doe good euill is present with me 22. For I delight in the law of God concerning the inner man Mal. 3.17 I will spare them as a man spareth his sonne that reuerenceth him VII When one sinne is forgiuen all the rest are remitted also for remission being giuen once without any prescriptioÌ„ of time is giuen for euer Rom. 11.29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance Act. 10.43 To him also giue all the Prophets witnes that through his name all that beleeue in him shall receiue remission of sinnes VIII That grace and faith are not taken away by falls of infirmitie but thereby are declared and made manifest Rom. 5.20 Moreouer the law entred thereupon that the offence should abound neuerthelesse when sinne abounded there grace abounded much more 2. Cor. 12.7 And least I should be exalted out of measure c. there was giuen vnto me a pricke in the flesh the messenger of Satan to buffet me 8. For this thing I besought the Lord thrise that it might depart from me 9. He said May grace is sufficient for thee IX That all the workes of God are by contrarie meanes 2. Cor. 12.9 My power is made perfect through weakenesse CHAP. 43. Of the third Assault THe third Assault is concerning Sanctificatioâ— The tentation is a prouoking to sinne according as the disposition of eâ—â—ry man and as occasion shall offer it selfe 1. Chron. 21.1 And Satan stâ—â—d vp against Israel and prouoked Dauid to number Israel Ioh. 13.2 And when supper was done the deuill had now put into the heart of Iudas Iscariot Simons sonne to betray him In this tentation the deuil doth wonderfully diminish and extenuate those sinnes which men are about to commit partly by obiecting closely the mercy of god and partly by couering or hiding the punishment which is due for the sinne Then there are helpes to further the deuill in this his tentation First the flesh which lusteth against the spirit sometimes by begetting euill motions and affections and sometimes by ouerwhelming and oppressing the good intentents and motions Gal. 5.17 For the flesh lusteth against the spirit the spirit against the flesh and thesâ— are contrarie one to another so that ye cannot doe the same things that ye would 19. Moreouer the works of the flesh are manifest which are adulterie fornication vncleannesse wantonnesse 20. Idolatrie witchcraft hatred debate emulations wrath contentions seditioÌ„s heresies 21. Enuy murthers drunkennesse gluttonie and such like whereof I tell you before as I also haue told you before that they which doe such things shall not inherit the kingdome of god Iam. 1.14 But euery man is tempted when he is drawne away by his owne concupiscence and is entised Secondly the world which bringeth men to disobedience through pleasure profit honour and euill examples Eph. 2.3 Among whom we also had our conuersation in time past in the lusts of our flesh in fulfilling the will of the flesh and of the minde and were by nature the children of wrath as well as others 1. Ioh. 2. 16. For all that is in the world as the lusts of the flesh and the lust of the eies and the pride of life is not of the father but is of the world Resistance is made by the desire of the spirit which worketh good motioÌ„s and affections in the faithfull and driueth forth the euill Gal. 5.22 But the fruite of the spirit is loue ioy peace long suffering gentlenes goodnes faith 23. Meeknes temperancie against such there is no law 24. For they that are Christs haue crucified the flesh with the affections and the lusts thereof 26. Let vs not be desirous of vaine glory prouoking one another enuying one another The preseruatiues are these whereby Men are strengthened in resisting I. To account no sinne
hereby confuted otherwise in respect of the diuers estate and condition of men sinnes are either veniall or mortall Veniall they are to the elect whose sinnes are pardonable in Christ but to the reprobate all sinnes are mortall Neuertheles we holde not all sinnes equall but that they are greater or lesse according to the diuersitie of obiects and other circumstances Thus much of sin in generall nowe we come to the parts of it The first sin of all that euer was in man is the sinne of Adam which was his disobedience in eating the forbidden fruite In handling whereof sundrie points are to bee opened but let vs begin with the causes thereof The outward efficient cause was the deuill And though he bee not named by Moses in the historie of the fall yet that is not to trouble vs for wee must not conceiue otherwise of the serpent then of the instrument and mouth of the deuill For it is not likely that it beeing a bruite creature should be able to reason and determine of good and euill of trueth and falshood Nowe in this temptation the deuill shewes his malice and his fraud His malice in that whereas he cannot ouerturne God himselfe yet he labours to disturbe the order which he hath set downe in the creation and especially the image of God in the most excellent creatures on earth that they may be in the same miserable condition with himselfe His fraud first in that he begins his temptation with the woman being the weaker person not with the man which course he still continues as may appeare by this that more women are intangled with witchcraft and sorcerie then men Secondly he shewes his fraude in that he proceeds very slily and intangles Eve by certaine steppes and degrees For first by moouing a question he drawes her to listen vnto him and to reason with him of Gods commandement Secondly he bringes her to looke vpon the tree and wishly to viewe the beautie of the fruite Thirdly he makes her to doubt of the absolute truth of Gods word and promise and to beleeue his cōtrarie lies Fourthly hauing blinded her minde with his false perswasions shee desires and lustes after the forbidden fruit and therevpon takes it eates it and giues it to her husband The inward cause was the wil of our first parents euen in the testimonie of their owne consciences as Salomon saith This haue I found that God made man righteous but they haue found many inuentions But it may be obiected that if Adam were created good he could not be the cause of his owne fall because a good tree cannot bring forth euill fruit Answer Freedome of wil is fourefold I. freedome to euil alone this is onely in wicked men and angels and is indeed a bondage the second is freedome to good alone and that is in God and the good Angels by Gods grace the third is freedome to good in part ioyned with some want of libertie by reason of sinne and this is in the regenerate in this life the fourth is freedom either to good or to euill indifferently And this was in Adam before his fall who though he had no inclination to sinne but onely to that which was acceptable to God yet was he not bound by any necessitie but had his libertie freely to choose or refuse either good or euil And this is euident by the very tenour of Gods commandement in which he forbids Adam to eate the forbidden fruit and thereby shewing that hee beeing created righteous and not prone to sinne had power to keepe or not to keepe the commandement though since the fall both hee and wee after him cannot but sinne Wherefore Adam beeing allured by Satan of his owne free accord changed himselfe and fell from God Nowe then as the good tree chaunged from good to euill brings forth euill fruite so Adam by his owne inward and free motion changing from good to euil brings forth euill As for God he is not to be reputed as an author or cause any way of this sinne For he created Adam and Eue righteous indued them with righteous wills and he told them what he would exact at their hands and what they could performe yea he added threatnings that with the feare of daunger he might terrifie them from sinne Some may say whereas God foresaw that Adam would abuse the libertie of his will why would he not preuent it Answ. There is a double grace the one to be able to will and doe that which is good the other to be able to perseuere in willing and doing the same Nowe God gaue the first to Adam and not the second And he is not to be blamed of vs though he confirmed him not with new grace for he is debter to no man to giue him so much as the least grace whereas he had alreadie giuen a plentifull measure thereof to him And God did hold backe to conferre any further grace vpon iust grace I. It was his pleasure that this fact should be an occasion or way to exercise his mercie in the sauing of the Elect and his iustice in the deserued condemnation of impenitent sinners And vnlesse Adam had fallen for himselfe and others there should haue beene found no miserie in men on whome God might take pitie in his Sonne nor wickednesse which he might condemne and therefore neither manifestation of iustice nor mercie II. Againe it was the will of God in part to forsake Adam to make manifest the weaknes that is in the most excellent creatures without the speciall and continuall assistance of God III. There is a double libertie of will one is to will good or euill this belongs to the creature in this world and therefore Adam receiued it The other is to will good alone This he wanted because it is reserued to the life to come And though he knew no cause of this dealing of God yet is it one steppe to the feare of God for vs to hold that good and righteous which he appointeth or willeth and not to square the workes and iudgements of God by our crooked reason And yet to come to reason it selfe Who can here complaine of God Can the deuill but God did not cause him to tempt or deceiue our first parents Can Adam and Eue but they fell freely without any motion or instigation from God and their owne consciences accused them for it Can the posteritie of Adam but the Elect receiue more in Christ then they lost in Adam and the reprobate ouerwhelmed with the burden of their owne sinnes and thereupon receiuing nothing but due and deserued damnation can not finde fault But some may further replie and say he that foreseeth an euill and doth not preuent it is a cause of it but God did foresee the fall of man and did not preuent it Answ. The rule is generally true in man that the foreseer of an euill not preuenting it is in some sort a doer of it for it is the
serueth onely for the offence of some with the delight of others is not tollerable because all speech must edifie and minister grace to the hearers neither doth it agree with Christian grauitie and modestie But two kindes of iesting are tollerable the one is moderate and sparing mirth in the vse of things indifferent in season conuenient without the least scandall of any man and with profit to the hearers The second is that which the Prophets vsed when they iested against wicked persons yet so as withall they sharpely reprooued their sinnes At noone Eliah mocked them and said Crie aloud for hee is a God either he talketh or pursueth his enemies or is in his iourney or it may bee he sleepeth and must be awaked As for laughter it may be vsed otherwise God would neuer haue giuen that power and faculty vnto man but the vse of it must be both moderate and seldome as sorrowe for our sinnes is to be plentifull and often This we may learne in Christs example of whome wee reade that hee wept three times at the destruction of Ierusalem at the raising of Lazarus and in his agonie but we neuer read that he laughed And specially remember the saying of Chrysostome Si risus in Ecclesia diaboli opus est that is to mooue laughter in the Church is the worke of the deuill Fidelitie is constancy in all our lawefull sayings and promises A promise is to be made with this condition if God will and then if a man be preuented by death or by any like meanes he is not to blamed otherwise a mans lawefull word and promise bindeth him according to the will pleasure of him to whome it is made Nowe if afterward it be hurtfull to him that made it hee may craue to bee free from his promise and libertie beeing graunted take it But a promise bound with an oath is to be kept though priuate hinderances followe yet so as the Magistrate may order the matter and proceede in equitie that the dammage may be the lesse The last grace which is to bee vsed in speech is care of our neighbours good name which is farre better to him then great riches Here is condemned the tale bearer which of an euill minde telleth a thing of an other to bring him into hatred or to reuenge himselfe or to get something which otherwise he could not obtaine This tale bearing is of diuers sortes One is when men whisper abroad secretly the fault of another whereas they should rather admonish the partie as Cham when he had seene his fathers nakednes ran straight and tolde his brethreÌ„ The secoÌ„d wheÌ„ they adde to or chaÌ„ge the thing said or done as it serueth for their purpose Some of the witnesses which came against Christ charged him to say I will destroy this temple which is made with handes and in three daies build another without handes Where first they change his meaning for Christ spake of the temple of his bodie Secondly they adde to the words For Christ said not I will destroy this temple but destroy ye this temple Therefore the holy Ghost noteth them with the name of false witnesse bearers The third when men surmisse and tell that which was neuer done When Ieremy was going out of Ierusalem to the land of Beniamin and was in the gate of Beniamin Irijah tooke him and said Thou fliest to Chaldeans Then said Ieremie that is false I flie not to the Chaldeans but hee would not heare him The fourth is the coloured tale-bearing when one speaketh euill of another with fine prefaces preamples faining that he is very sorrie that his neighbour hath done such or such a thing that he speaketh it not of malice but of a good mind that he is constrained to speake that he speaketh not all he could speake that the partie to whome the tale is tolde must keepe it secret Luther writeth of this fault very well This vice saith he whereby wee tell abroad the things which wee heare of others and take them in worse part is very rife and of great force to sowe discords the rather because it often shewes it selfe vnder the pretence and name of counsell and good aduise And it is a notable vizard for a talebearer to transforme himselfe into an angel of light and vnder zeale for Gods glorie to backbite and accuse his neighbour of heresie errour and wicked life Therefore the Prophets meaning is that we should conceale the euils that bee in our neighbour and not speake them to others though hee be an enemie and deserue it at our handes and onely speake of those good things in him which seeme to preserue concord for this we would that men should doe vnto vs. Yea and let vs take heede that we iudge not or condemne any mans saying or doing rashly Augustine saith that this was the care which his mother had towards her enemies To doe this is a notable point of iust dealing but indeede there is no man vtterly without this fault in this life such is our wretched state in this world For though some are of this minde that they desire not to haue other mens wants tolde them and will not take all in worse part yet if they bee tolde and taken in worse part of others they can willingly heare them neither will they checke the teller but suffer bad surmises to take place with them But Gedaliah the sonne of Ahicham excelled in the contrarie vertue who â—hose rather to hazard his life then to suspect euill by Ismael This tale-bearing is the common table talke in England and it is wonderfull to see how those who are otherwise godly are ouertaken with it but men must learn to stand more in awe of Gods coÌ„mandement and also to consider that the same thing a man speaketh of another commeth home againe by his owne doore Such as vse tale-bearing and backbiting are by Gods iust iudgement paid home in the same kind and hereupon Christ saith Iudge not that ye be not iudged for with what iudgement ye iudge ye shall be iudged Wherefore when men shall enter any euill communication of others we are to interrupt it by other talke as not regarding it Here remember that when gouernours and magistrates shall vse hard words not in the way of defamation but for the reproouing of a vice it is not to slaunder as O foolish Galatians O generation of vipers And Christ tearmeth Herod Foxe CHAP. VIII Of the bondes of Truth THus much of grace in speech Now followeth bonds of truth whereby the truth of our talke is testified and confirmed There are three A simple assertion an asseueration an oath A simple assertion is either a simple affirmation as yea yea or a simple negation as nay nay And they are to be vsed onely in our familiar and common talke Let your communication be yea yea nay nay and whatsoeuer is more commeth of euill If the
vnbeleefe presuming doubting c. As the man in the gospel saith Lord I beleeue helpe mine vnbeleefe By reason of this fight when vnbeleefe preuailes the very childe of God may fall into fits and pangs of despaire as Iob and Dauid in their temptations did For Dauid once considering the propseritie of the wicked brake out into this speech Certainly I haue clensed mine heart in vaine and washed mine hands in innocency Yea this despaire may be so extreame that it shall weaken the bodie and consume it more then any sicknesse No man is to thinke this strange in the child of God For though hee despaire of his election and saluation in Christ yet his desperation is neither totall nor finall It is not totall because he doth not dispaire with his whole heart faith euen at that instaÌ„t lusting against despaire It is not finall because he shall recouer before the last end of his life To proceede the combat in the will is this The will partly willeth partly nilleth that which is good at the same instant and so likewise it willeth and nilleth that which is euill because it is partly regenerate and partly vnregenerate The affections likewise which are placed in the will partly imbrace and partly eschew their obiects as loue partly loueth and partly doth not loue God and things to be loued feare is mixed and not pure as schoolemen haue dreamed but partly filial partly seruil causing the child of God to stand in awe of God not onely for his mercies but also for his iudgements punishments The will of a man regenerate is like him that hath one legge sound the other lame who in euery steppe which he makes doth not wholly halt or wholly goe vpright but partly goe vpright and partly halt Or like a man in a boate on the water who goeth vpward because he is carried vpward by the vessell and at the same time goes downeward because he walkes downeward in the same vessell at the same instant If any shall say that contraries can not be in the same subiect the answer is they can not if one of them be in his full strength in the highest degree but if the force of them both be delaied and weakned they may be ioyned together By reason of this combat when corruption preuailes against grace in the will and affections there ariseth in the godly a certaine deadnesse or hardnesse of heart which is nothing else but a want of sense or feeling Some may say that this is a fearefull iudgement but the answer is that there be two kindes of hardnesse of heart one which possesseth the heart and is neuer felt this is in them who haue their consciences seared with an hote yron who by reason of custome in sinne are pâ—st all feeling who likewise despise the meanes of softening their hearts And indeede this is a fearefull iudgement There is an other hardnesse of heart which is felt and this is not so daungerous as the former for as we feele our sicknesse by contrarie life and health so hardnesse of heart when it is felt argues quicknesse of grace and softnes of heart Of this Dauid often complained in the Psalmes of this the children of Israel speake when they say Why hast thou hardned our hearts from thy waies Thus much of the manner of the combat in particular before we proceede any further let vs marke the issue of it which is to preuaile against the flesh The spirit preuailes against the flesh at two times in the course of a mans life and at his ende but yet with some foiles receiued I say the spirit preuailes not in one instant but in the whole course of a mans life So S. Iohn saith He which is begotten of God sinneth not for he preserueth himselfe the grace of God in his heart ordinarily preuailing in him And Paul makes it the propertie of the regenerate man to walke according to the spirit which is not now and then to make a steppe forward but to keepe his ordinarie course in the way of godlinesse As in going from Barwicke to London it may be a man now and then will goe amisse but he speedily returnes to the way againe and his course generally shall be right Againe the spirit preuailes in the end of a mans life For then the flesh is vtterly abolished and sanctification accomplished because no vncleane thing can enter into the kingdome of heauen This further must be conceiued that when the spirit preuailes it is not without resistance and striuing as Paul testifieth I doe not the good which I would but the euill which I would not that doe I. Which place is not to be vnderstood onely of thoughts and inward motions as some would haue it nor of particular offences but of the generall practise of his dutie or calling through the whole course of his life And it is like the practise of a sicke man who hauing recouered of some grieuous disease walkes a turne or twaine about his chamber saying ah I would faine walke vp and downe but I can not meaning not that he can not walke at all but signifying that he can not walke as he would beeing soone wearied through faintnesse I added further that this preuailing is with foyles A foyle is when the flesh â—or the time vanquisheth and subdueth the spirit In this case the man regenerate is like a souldier that with a blow hath his brain-pan cracked so as he lies groueling astonished not able to fight or like him that hath a fit of the falling sicknesse who for a time lies like a dead man Hence the question may be mooued whether the flesh preuailing doth not extinguish the spirit and so cut off a man from Christ till such time as he be ingrafted againe The answer is this There be two sorts of Christians one who doth onely in shew name professe Christ and such an one is no otherwise a member of Christs mysticall bodie then a woodden legge set to the bodie is a member of the bodie The second is he that in name and deede is a liuely part member of Christ. If the first fall he can not be said to be cut off because he was neuer ingrafted If the second fall he may be and is cut off from Christ. But marke how he is not wholly cut off but in some part namely in respect of the inward fellowshippe and communion with Christ but not in respect of coniunction with him A mans arme taken with the dead palsie hangs by and receiues no heat life or sense from the rest of the members or from the head yet for all this it remaines still vnited and coupled to the bodie and may againe be recouered by plaisters and physicke so after a grieuous fall the child of God feeles no inward peace and comfort but is smitten in conscience with the trembling of a spirituall palsie for his offence and yet indeede still remaines before
himselfe as hee testifieth of himselfe in the prophet Esai I make peace and create euill Nowe euill is of three sortes naturall morall materiall Naturall euill is the destruction of that order which God set in euery creature by the creation Morall euill is the want of that righteousnesse and vertue which the lawe requires at mans hand and that is called sinne Materiall euill is any matter or thing which in it selfe is a good creature of God yet so as by reason of mans fall it is hurtfull to the health and life of man as henbane wolfebane hemlocke and all other poisons areâ— Nowe this saying of Esai must not be vnderstood of morall euills but of such as are either materiall or natural to the latter of which death is to be referred which is the destruction or abolishment of mans nature created The procurer of death is man not God in that man by his sinne and disobedience did pull vpon himselfe this punishment Therefore the Lord in Oseah O Israel one hath destroyed thee but in me is thine helpe Against this it may bee obiected that man was mortall in the estate of innocency before the fall Answere The frame and composition of mans bodie considered in it selfe was mortall because it was made of water and earth and other elements which are of themselues alterable and changeable yet if wee respect that grace and blessing which God did vouchsafe mans bodie in his creation it was vnchangeable and immortall and so by the same blessing should haue continued if man had not fallen and man by his fall depriuing himselfe of this gift and blessing became euery way mortall Thus it appeares in part what death is yet for the better clearing of this point we are to consider the difference of the death of a man and of a beast The death of a beast is the totall and finall abolishment of the whole creature for the bodie is resolued to his first matter and the soule arising of the temperature of the bodie vanisheth to nothing But in the death of man it is otherwise For though the bodie for a time be resolued to dust yet must it rise againe in the last iudgement and become immortall and as for the soule it subsisteth by it selfe out of the bodie and is immortall And this beeing so it may be demaunded how the soule can die the second death Answ. The soule dies not because it is vtterly abolished but because it is as though it were not and it ceaseth to be in respect of righteousnesse and fellowship with God And indeede this is the death of all deaths when the creature hath subsisting and beeing and yet for all that is depriued of all comfortable fellowship with God The reason of this difference is because the soule of a man is a spirit or spirituall substance whereas the soule of a beast is no substance but a naturall vigour or qualitie and hath no beeing in it selfe without the bodie on which it wholly dependeth The soule of man contrariwise beeing created of nothing and breathed into the bodie and as well subsisting forth of it as in it The kindes of death are two as the kindes of life are bodily and spirituall Bodily death is nothing else but the separation of the soule from the bodie as bodily life is the coniunction of bodie and soule and this death is called the first because in respect of time it goes before the second Spirituall death is the separation of the whole man both in bodie and soule from the gracious fellowship of God Of these twaine the first is but an entrance to death and the second is the accomplishment of it For as the soule is the life of the bodie so God is the life of the soule and his spirit is the soule of our soules and the want of fellowship with him brings nothing but the endlesse and vnspeakable horrours and pangs of death Againe spirituall death hath three distinct and seuerall degrees The first is when a man that is aliue in respect of temporall life lies dead in sinne Of this degree Paul speakes when he saith But shee that liueth in pleasure is dead while shee liueth And this is the case of all men by nature who are children of wrath and dead in sinnes and trespasses The second degree is the very ende of this life when the bodie is laid in the earth and the soule descends to the place of torment The third degree is in the day of iudgement when the bodie and soule meete againe and goe both to the place of the damned there to be tormented for euer and euer Hauing thus found the nature and differences and kinds of death it is more then manifest that the text in hand is to be vnderstood not of the spirituall but of the bodily death because it is opposed to the birth or natiuitie of man The words then must carrie this sense The time of bodily death in which the bodie and soule of man are seuered asunder it is better then the time in which one is brought into the world Thus much of the first point nowe followeth the second and that is howe this can be true which Salomon saith that the day of death is better then the daie of birth I make not this question to call the Scriptures into controuersie which are the trueth it selfe but I doe it for this ende that wee might without wauering bee resolued of this which Salomon auoucheth For there may be sundrie reasons brought to the contrarie Therefore let vs handle the question the reasons or obiections which may be alleadged to the contrarie may all bee reduced to sixe heades The first is taken from the opinion of wise men who thinke it the best thing of all neuer to be borne and the next best to die quickely Nowe if it bee the best thing in the worlde not to bee borne at all then it is the worst thing that can bee to die after a man is borne Answere There bee two sortes of men one that liue and die in their sinnes without repentance the other which vnfamedly repent and beleeue in Christ. Nowe this sentence may bee truely auouched of the first of whome wee may say as Christ said of Iudas It had beene good for him that hee had neuer beene borne But the saying applied to the second sort of men is false For to them that in this life turne to God by repentance the best thing of all is to be borne because their birth is a degree of preparation to happinesse and the next best is to die quickly because by death they enter into possession of the same their happinesse For this cause Balaam desired to die the death of the righteous Salomon in this place preferres the daie of death before the day of birth vnderstanding that death which is ioined with godly life or the death of the righteouâ— The second obiection is taken from the testimonies of Scripture Death is
Father is well pleased and for whose sake alone he is well pleased with vs. IV. Obiect Sundrie persons in Scripture are commended for perfectionâ— as Noe and Abraham Zacharie and Elizabeth and Christ biddeth vs all bee perfect and where there is any perfection of workes there also workes may iustifie Ans. There be two kinds of perfection perfection in parts and perfection in degrees Perfection in part is when being regenerate and hauing the seedes of all necessarie vertues wee indeauour accordingly to obey God not in some few but in all and euery part of the law as Iosias turned vnto God according to all the law of Moses Perfection in degrees is when a man keepeth euery commandement of God and that according to the rigour thereof in the very highest degree Nowe then whereas we are commanded to be perfected and haue examples of the same perfection in scripture both commandements and examples must be vnderstood of perfection in parts and not of perfection in degrees which caÌ„â—ot be attained vnto in this life though we for our parts must daily striue to come as neere vnto it as possibly we can V. Obiect 2. Cor. 4. 17. Our momentany afflictions worke vnto vs a greater measâ—re of glorie nowe if afflictions worke our saluation then workes also doe the same Ans. Afflictions worke saluation not as causes procuring it but as means directing vs thereto And thus alwaies must we esteeme of works in the matter of our saluation as of a certen way or a marke therein directing vs to glorie not causing and procuring it as Bernard saith they are via Regni non causa regnandi The waie to the kingdome not the cause of raigning there VI. Obiect We are iustified by the same thing whereby we are iudged but we are iudged by our good works therfore iustified also Ans. The proposition is false for iudgement is an act of God declaring a man to bee iust that is alreadie iust and iustification is another distinct act of God whereby he maketh him to be iust that is by nature vniust And therefore in equitie the last iudgement is to proceede by workes because they are the fittest meanes to make triall of euery mans cause and serue fitly to declare whome God hath iustified in this life VII Obiect Wicked men are condemned for euill workes and therefore righteous men are iustified by good workes Ans. The reason holdeth not for there is great difference betweene euill and good workes An euill worke is perfectly euill and so deserueth damnation but there is no good worke of any man that is perfectly good and therefore cannot iustifie VIII Obiect To beleeue in Christ is a worke and by it we are iustified if one worke doe iustifie why may we not be iustified by all the workes of the law Ans. Faith must be considered two waies first as a worke qualitie or vertue secondly as an Instrument or an hand reaching out it selfe to receiue Christs merit And we are iustified by faith not as it is a work vertue or qualitie but as it is an instrument to receiue and apply that thing whereby we are iustified And therefore it is a figuratiue speech to say We are iustified by faith Faith considered by it selfe maketh no man righteous neither doth the actioÌ„ of faith which is to apprehend iustifie but the obiect of faith which is Christs obedience apprehended These are the principall reasons commonly vsed which as we see are of no moment To conclude therefore we holde that workes concurre to iustification and that we are iustified thereby as by signes and effects not as causes for both the beginning middle and accomplishment of our iustification is onely in Christ and hereupon Iohn saith If any man beeing already iustified sinne we haue an aduocate with the father Iesus Christ and he is the propitiation for our sinnes And to make our good workes meanes or causes of our iustification is to make euery man a Sauiour to himselfe The V. point Of merits By merit we vnderstand any thing or any work whereby Gods fauour life euerlasting is procured and that for the dignitie and excellencie of the worke or thing done or a good worke done binding him that receiueth it to repay the like Our Consent Touching merits we consent in two conclusions with them The first coÌ„clusion that merits are so farre forth necessarie that without them there can be no saluation The second that Christ our Mediatour and Redeemer is the roote and fountaine of all merit The dissent or difference The popish Church placeth merits within man making two sorts thereof the merit of the person and the merit of the worke The merit of the person is a dignitie in the person whereby it is worthie of life euerlasting And this as they say is to be found in Infants dying after baptisme who though they want good workes yet are they not void of this kind of merit for which they â—eceiue the kingdome of heauen The merit of the worke is a dignitie or excellencie in the worke whereby it is made fitte and inabled to deserue life euerlasting for the doer And works as they teach are meritorious two waies first by couenant because God hath made a promise of reward vnto them secondly by their own dignitie for Christ hath merited that our works might merit And this is the substance of their doctrine From it we dissent in these points I. We renounce all personall merits that is all merits within the person of any meere man II. And we renounce all merit of workes that is all merit of any worke done by any meere man whatsoeuer And the true merit whereby we looke to attaine the fauour of God and life euerlasting is to bee found in the person of Christ alone who is the storehouse of all our merits whose prerogatiue it is to be the person alone in whome God is well pleased Gods fauour is of infinit dignitie and no creature is able to doe a worke that may counteruaile the fauour of God saue Christ alone who by reason of the dignitie of his person beeing not a meere man but God-man or Man-god hee can doe such workes as are of endles dignitie euery way answerable to the fauour of God and therefore sufficient to merit the same for vs. And though a merit or meritorious work agree only to the person of Christ yet is it made ours by imputation For as his righteousnes is made ours so are his merits depending thereon but his righteousnes is made ours by imputation as I haue shewed Hence ariseth another point namely that as Christs righteousnes is made ours really by imputation to make vs righteous so wee by the merit of his righteousnesse imputed to vs doe merit and deserue life euerlasting And this is our doctrine In a word the Papist maintaineth the merits of his owne workes but we renouuce them all and rest only on the merit of Christ. And that our doctrine is trueth and theirs
one the fault came on all men to condemnation so by the iustifying of one the benefit abounded toward all men to the iustification of life The third Principle Q. What meanes is there for thee to escape this damnable estate A. Iesus Christ the eternall sonne of God beeing made man by his death vpon the crosse and by his righteousnes hath perfectly alone by himselfe accomplished all things that are needfull for the saluation of mankind 1. Iesus Christ the eternall sonne of God And the word was made flesh and dwelt among vs and we sawe the glory thereof as the glory of the onely begotten Sonne of the Father full of grace and trueth 2. Being made man For he in no sort tooke the angels but he tooke the seede of Abraham 3. By his death vpon the crosse But he was wounded for our transgressions he was broken for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was vpon him and with his stripes we are healed 4. And by his righteousnes For as by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one shall many also be made righteous For he hath made him to be sinne for vs which knewe no sinne that wee should be made the righteousnes of God in him 5. Hath perfectly Wherefore he is able also perfectly to saue them that come vnto God by him seeing hee euer liueth to make intercession for them 6. Alone by himselfe Neither is there saluation in any other for among men there is giuen none other name vnder heauen whereby we must be saued 7. Accomplished all things needefull for the saluation of mankind And he is the reconciliation for our sinnes and not for ours onely but also for the sinnes of the whole worlde The fourth Principle Q. But how maiest thou be made partaker of Christ and his benfits A. A man of a contrite and humble spirit by faith alone apprehending applying Christ with all his merits vnto himselfe is iustified before God and sanctified 1. A man of a contrite and humble spirit For thus saith hee that is high and excellent he that inhabiteth the eternitie whose name is the holy one I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit to reuiue the spirit of the humble and to giue life to thē that are of a contrite heart The sacrifices of God are a contrite spirit a contrite and a broken heart O God thou wilt not despise 2. By faith alone As soone as Iesus heard that word spoken he said vnto the Ruler of the Sinagogue be not afraid onely beleeue So Moses made a serpent of brasse and set it vp for a signe and when a serpent had bitten a man then he looked to the serpent of brasse and liued And as Moses lift vp the serpent in the wildernesse so must the sonne of man bee lifted vp That whosoeuer beleeueth in him should not perish but haue eternall life 3. Apprehending and applying Christ with all his merits vnto himselfe But as many as receiued him to them he gaue power to bee the sonnes of God to them that beleeue in his name And Iesus said vnto them I am the bread of life hee that commeth to me shall not hunger and he that beleeueth in me shall neuer thirst 4. Is iustified before God For what saith the Scripture Abraham beleeued God and it was counted to him for righteousnes Euen as Dauid declareth the blessednes of the man vnto whome God imputeth righteousnes without workes saying Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiuen and whose sinnes are couered 5. And sanctified And he put no difference betweene vs and them after that by faith he had purified their hearts But ye are of him in Christ Iesus who of God is made vnto vs wisdome and righteousnesse and sanctification and redemption The fift Principle Q. What are the ordinarie or vsuall meanes for the obtaining of faith A. Faith commeth only by the preaching of the word and increaseth daily by it as also by the administration of the Sacraments and praier 1. Faith cōmeth only by the preaching of the word increaseth daily by it But howe shal they cal on him in whom they haue not beleeued how shal they beleeue in him of whome they haue not heard and howe shall they heare without a preacher Where there is no vision the people decay but he that keepeth the lawe is blessed My people are destroyed for lacke of knowledge because thou hast refused knowledge I will also refuse thee that thou shalt bee no priest to mee and seeing thou hast forgotten the lawe of thy God I will also forget thy children 2. As also by the administration of the Sacraments After he receiued the signe of circumcision as the seale of the righteousnes of the faith which he had when he was vncircumcised that he should bee the Father of all them that beleeue not beeing circumcised that righteousnes might be imputed to thē also Moreouer brethren I would not that yee should bee ignorant that all our Fathers were vnder the cloud and all passed through the sea c. 3. And Praier For whosoeuer shall call vpon the name of the Lord shall be saued The sixt Principle Q. What is the estate of all men after death A. All men shal rise againe with their owne bodies to the last iudgement which beeing ended the godly shall possesse the kingdome of heauen but vnbeleeuers and reprobates shall bee in hell tormented with the diuell and his angels for euer 1. All men shall rise againe with their owne bodies Maruell not at this for the houre shall come in the which all that are in the graues shall heare his voice And they shall come forth that haue done good vnto the resurrection of life but they that haue done euill vnto the resurrection of condemnation 2. To the last iudgement For God will bring euery worke vnto iudgement with euery secret thing whether it be good or euill But I say vnto you that of euery idle worde that men shall speake they shall giue account thereof at the day of iudgement 3. VVhich beeing ended the godly And deliuered iust Lot vexed with the vncleane conuersation of the wicked And the Lord said vnto him goe through the middest of the cittie euen through the middest of Ierusalem and set a marke vpon the foreheads of them that mourne and crie for all the abominations that be done in the middest thereof 4. Shall possesse the kingdome of God Then shall the king say to them on his right hand Come ye blessed of my father inherit ye the kingdome prepared for you from the beginning of the world 5. But vnbeleeuers and rebrobates shall bee in hell tormented with the deuill and his angels Then shal he say vnto them on the left
forsaking Gods word and seeking other wisdome 4. Their pride in seeking to magnifie theÌ„selues and to become like God 5. Contempt of God in transgressing his commandements against their owne conscience 6. In that they preferre the diuell before God 7. Ingratitude who in as much as in them lieth expel Gods spirit dwelling in them and despise that blessed vnion 8. They murther both themselues and their progeniâ— III. The fruit or effects Out of this corrupt estate of our first parents arose the estate of infidelitie or vnbeleefe whereby God hath included all men vnder sinne that he might manifest his mercie in the saluation of some and his iustice in condemnation of others Rom. 11.32 God hath shut vp all men in vnbeleefe that he might haue mercie on all Gal. 3.22 The Scripture hath concluded all vnder sinne that the promise by the faith of Iesus Christ should be giuen to them that beleeue In this estate we must consider sinne and the punishment of sinne Sinne is threefold The first is the participation of Adams both transgression and guiltinesse whereby in his finne all his posteritie sinned Rom. 5. 12. As by one man sinne enered into the world and by sinne death so death entred vpon all men in that all men haue sinned The reason of this is ready Adam was not then a priuate man but represented all mankinde and therefore looke what good he receiued from God or euill elsewhere both were common to others with him 1. Cor. 15.22 As in Adam all men die so in Christ all men rise againe Againe when Adam offended his posteritie was in his loynes from whoÌ„ they should by the course of nature issue and therefore take part of the guiltines with him Hebr. 7.9,10 And to say as the thing is Levi c. paied tithes to Melchisedec for he was yet in the loynes of his father Abraham when Melchisedec met him CHAP. 12. Of Originall sinne OVt of the former transgression ariseth another namely Originall sinne which is corruption ingendred in our first conception whereby euery facultie of soule and bodie is prone and disposed to euil Psal. 1.1 I was borne in iniquitie and in sinne hath my mother conceiued me Gen. 6. 5. Tit. 33. We our selues were in times past vnwise disobedient deceiued seruing the lusts and diuerse pleasures liuing in maliciousnes and enuie hatefull and hating one another Hebr. 12.1 Let vs cast away euery thing that presseth downe and the sinne that hangeth so fast on By this we see that sinne is not a corruption of mans substance but onely of faculties otherwise neither could mens soules be immortal nor Christ take vpon him mans nature All Adams posteritie is equally partaker of this corruptioÌ„ the reason why it sheweth not it selfe equally in all is because some haue the spirit of sanctification some the spirit onely to bridle corruption some neither The propagation of sinne from the parents to the childreÌ„ is either because the soule is infected by the contagion of the body as a good ointment by a fustie vessell or because God in the very moment of creation and infusion of soules into infants doth vtterly forsake them For as Adam receiued the image of God both for himselfe and others so did he loose it from himselfe and others But whereas the propagation of sinne is as a common fire in a towne men are not so much to search howe it came as to bee carefull howe to extinguish it That wee may the better knowe originall sinne in the seuerall faculties of mans nature three circumstances must be considered 1. How much of Gods image we yet retaine 2. How much sinne man receiued from Adam 3. The increase thereof afterward I. In the minde The remnant of Gods image is certaine notions concerning good and euill as that there is a God and that the same God punisheth transgressions that there is an euerlasting life that we must reuerence our superiours not harme our neighbours But euen these notions they are both generall and corrupt and haue none other vse but to bereaue man of all excuse before Gods iudgement seat Rom. 1.19,20 That which may be known concerning God is manifest in them for God hath shewed it vnto them For the inuisible things of him that is his eternall power Godhead are seene by the creation of the world being considered in his works to the intent they should be without excuse Mens mindes receiued from Adam 1. IgnoraÌ„ce namely a want or rather a depriuation of knowledge in the things of God whether they concerne his sincere worship or eternall happines 1. Cor. 2.14 The naturall man perceiueth not the things of the spirit of God for they are foolishnes vnto him neither can hee know theÌ„ because they are spiritually discerned Rom. 8.7 The wisdome of the flesh is enimitie with God for it is not subiect to the law of God neither indeede can be II. Impotencie whereby the minde of it selfe is vnable to vnderstand spirituall things though they be taught Luk. 24.45 Then opened he their vnderstanding that they might vnderstand the Scriptures 2. Cor. 3.5 Not that we are sufficient of our selues to think any thing as of our selues but our sufficieÌ„cie is of God III. Vanitie in that the minde thinketh falsehood truth and trueth falsehood Eph. 4.7 Walke no more as other Gentiles in the vanitie of your vnderstanding 1. Cor. 1.21 It pleased God by the foolishnes of preaching to saue those which beleeue 23. We preach Christ crucified to the Iewes a stumbling blocke but to the Grecians foolishnes Prou. 14.12 There is a way which seemeth good in the eies of men but the end thereof is death IV. A naturall inclâ—nation onely to conceiue and deuise the thing which is euill Gen. 6.5 The Lord saw that the wickednes of man was great vpon earth all the imaginations of the thoughts of the heart were onâ—ly euill continually Iere. 4. 22. They are wise to doe euill but to do well they haue no knowledge Hence it is apparant that the originall and as I may say the matter of all heresies is naturally ingrafted in mans nature This is worthie the obseruation of students in diuinitie The increase of sin in the vnderstanding is 1. a reprobate sense when God withdraweth the light of nature Ioh. 12.40 He hath blinded their eies and hardened their harts least they should see with their eies vnderstaÌ„d with their harts and I should heale them and they be conuerted Rom. 1.28 As they regarded not to know God so God deliuered theÌ„ vp vnto a reprobate minde to do those things which are not conuenient 2. The spirit of slumber Rom. 11.8 God hath giuen them the spirit of slumber c. 3. A spirituall drunkennesse Esay 29.9 They are drunken but not with wine they stagger but not with strong drinke 4. Strong illusions 2. Thess. 2.11 God shall send them strong illusions they shall beleeue lies The remnant of Gods image in the conscience is an
with them he besought the Lord to open his seruants eyes that he might see and the Lord opened his eies and he looked and beholde the mountaines were full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha So likewise not many yeres agoe our land was preserued from the inuasion of the Spaniards whose huge Nauy lay vpon our sea coasts but how were we deliuered from them surely by no strēgth nor power nor cunning of man but it was the Lord no doubt by his Angels that did keepe our coasts and did scatter our enemies and drowne them Let enemies rage and let them doe what they will if a man keepe himselfe in the waies which God prescribeth hee hath Gods Angels to guide and preserue him which thing must mooue men to loue and embrace the true religion and to conforme themselues in all good conscience to the rule of Gods worde For when a man doeth not so all the Angels of God are his enemies and at all times readie to execute Gods vengeance vpon him but when men carrie themselues as dutifull children to God they haue this prerogatiue that Gods holy Angels doe watch about them and defend them day and night from the power of their enemies euen in common calamities and miseries Before God sendes his iudgementes on Ierusalem an angell is sent to marke them in the foreheades that mourne for the abominations of the people And this priuiledge none can haue but he whose heart is sprinckled with the bloode of Christ and that man shall haue it vnto the ende And thus much of the creation of Angels Now it followes to speake of the creation of Man wherein we must consider two things I. the points of doctrine II. the vses For the points of doctrine First Man was created and framed hy the hand of God and made after the image of God for Moses bringes in the Lord speaking thus Let vs make man in our image c. in the image of God created he them which also must be vnderstood of Angels The image of God is nothing els but a conformitie of man vnto God whereby man is holy as God is holy for Paul saith Put on the newe man which after God that is in Gods image is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse Nowe I reason thus wherein the renuing of the image of God in man doth stand therein was it at the first but the renuing of Gods image in man doth stand in righteousnesse and holinesse therefore Gods image wherein man was created at the beginning was a conformitie to God in righteousnes and holines Now whether Gods image doth further consist in the substance of mans bodie and soule or in the faculties of both the Scripture speaketh nothing This Image of God hath two principall parts I. wisdome II. holinesse Concerning wisdome Paul saith Put ye on the new man which is created in knowledge after the image of him which created him This wisdome consisteth in three points I. in that he knew God his creator perfectly for Adam in his innocencie knewe God so farre forth as it was conuenient for a creature to know his creatour II. He knewe Gods will so farre forth as it was conuenient for him to shewe his obedience thereunto III. He knewe the wisdome and will of his creatour touching the particular creatures for after Adam was created the Lord brought euery creature vnto him presenting them vnto him as beeing lord and king ouer them that he might giue names vnto them Whereby it appeares that Adam in his innocencie did know the nature of all creatures and the wisdome of God in creating them else he could not haue giuen them fitte names and when God brought Eue vnto Adam he knew her at the first and said This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh shee shall be called woman c. The second part of Gods image in man is holines and righteousnes which is nothing els but a conformity of the wil affections and of the whole disposition of man both in bodie soule to the will of God his creator Yet we must remember that Adam in his innocencie had a changeable will so as he could either will good or euill he was created with such libertie of will as that he could indifferently will either And we must not thinke that the will of the creature was made vnchangeably good for that is peculiar to the will of God and hereby is the Creatour distinguished from the creature And here two things offer themselues to be considered The first why the man is called the image of God and not the woman Ans. He is so called not because holinesse and righteousnesse is peculiar to him which is common to both but because God hath placed more outward excellencie and dignitie in the person of a man then of a woman The second how Christ should be called the image of God Ans. He is so called for two speciall causes First because he is of the same substance with the father and therefore is his most absolute image and as the author of the Hebrewes saith the brightnesse of his glorie and the ingraued forme of his person Secondly because God beeing inuisible doth manifest himselfe in Christ in whome as in a glasse we may behold the wisdome goodnes the iustice and mercie of God The second point to be considered in the creation of man is the dignitie of his person for Dauid saith Thou hast made man little inferiour to the Angels and crowned him with glorie and worship This dignitie stands in foure points I. A blessed communion with the true God for Paul speaking of the Gentiles which were not called saith they were straungers from the life of God Where by the contrarie we may gather that our first parents in their innocencie liued the life of God which is nothing else but to lead such a life here on earth as that the creature shall haue a blessed and immediate fellowship with God which stands in this that before the fall of man God reuealed himselfe in a speciall manner vnto him so as his very bodie and soule was a temple and dwelling place of the Creatour This fellowship betweene God and man in his innocencie was made manifest in the familiar conference which God vouchsafed to man but since the fall this communion is lost for man can not abide the presence of God And therfore when Peter had fished all night and caught nothing our Sauiour bad him cast downe his net to make a draught who did so but when he saw the great multitude of fishes that were taken at this sight beholding but as it were some sparkes of the glorious maiestie of God in Christ he fell downe at his feete saying Lord depart from me for I am a sinner The second point wherein mans dignitie consisteth is that man was made lord and king ouer all creatures as Dauid saith
in the very middest of all confusion there is order to be founde because he can and doth despose it to the glorie of his owne name and to the good and saluation of his chosen as also to the confusion of his enemies Againe it may be obiected that with vngodly and wicked men all thinges goe well and contrariwise with the godly all things goe hardly For through the world none are more molested and more vnder outward miserie then they but if there were any prouidence of God then it should be otherwise the godly should flourish and the wicked perish Ans. The consideration of the outward estate of men in the world was to Dauid an occasion of a sore temptation For when he sawe the wicked to prosper alwaie and their riches to increase he brake forth and said Certenly I haue clensed my heart in vaine and washed mine hands in innocencie Now if we would repell this temptation as Dauid afterward did then wee must goe into the Lords sanctuarie with him and learne to be resolued in these points I. Though the godly bee laden with miseries yet euen that by the especiall prouidence of God turnes to their great good For euery man since the fall of Adam is stained with the loathsome contagion of sinne Now the child of God that is truly regenerate and must be fellow heire with Christ after this life in the kingdome of glory must in this life be cast into the Lords furnace that in the fire of afflliction he may more and more be skoured and purified from the corruption of his nature and be estranged from the wickednes of the worlde II. The prosperous successe of the wicked their spoiles their reuenewes and all their honour turnes to their greater woe in the ende as doth appeare in Iobs historie in the examples of the Chaldeans of Dauids enimies and of Diues and Lazarus Thirdly it may be obiected that many things came to passe by chance and therefore not by Gods prouidence because chaunce and prouidence cannot stand togither Ans. We must distinguish betweene chance and meere chance Chaunce is when any thing comes to passe the cause thereof beeing vnknowne not simply but in respect of man aad therefore in regard of men which knowe not the reason of things we may say there is chaunce and so the spirit of God speaketh Time and chaunce commeth to them all And againe By chaunce there came downe a priest the same way Now this kind of chance is not against the prouidence of God but is ordered by it For things which in regard of men are casuall are certainely knowne and determined by God Meere chaunce is when things are said or thought to come to passe without any cause at all But that must be abhorred of vs as ouerturning the prouidence of God Thus seeing it is plaine that there is a prouideÌ„ce let vs in the next place see what it is Prouidence is a most free and powerfull action of God whereby he hath care ouer all things that are Prouidence hath two parts knowledge and gouernment Gods knowledge is whereby all things from the greatest to the least are manifest before him at al times As Dauid saith His eies will consider his eie lids will trie the children of meÌ„ And againe He abaseth himselfe to beholde the things that are in the heauen and the earth And the Prophet Hanani said to Asa The eies of the Lord behold all the earth And Saint Iames saith From the beginning of the world God knoweth all his workes This point hath a double vse First as Saint Peter saith it must mooue vs to eschewe euill and doe good why Because saith he the eies of the Lord are vpon the iust and his countenance against euill doers Secondly it must comfort all those that labour to keepe a good conscience For the eies of God behole all the earth to shewe himselfe strong with them that are of perfect heart towards him Gouernment is the â—econd part of Gods prouidence whereby he ordereth all things and directeth them to good endes And it must be extended to the very least thing that is in heauen or earth as to the sparrowes and to oxen and the haires of our heades And here we must consider two things the manner of gouernment and the meanes The manner of gouernment is diuers according as things are good or euill A good thing is that which is approoued of God As first of all the substances of all creatures euen of the deuils themselues in whome whatsoeuer is remaining since their creation is in it selfe good Secondly the quantities qualities motions actions and inclinations of the creatures in themselues considered with all their euents are good Againe good is either naturall or moral Naturall which is created by God for the lawefull vse of man Morall which is agreeable to the eternall and vnchangeable wisdome of God reuealed in the morall lawe Now God gouerneth all good things two waies First by sustaining preseruing them that they decay not secondly by moouing them that they may attaine to the particular endes for which they were seuerally ordained For the qualities and vertues which were placed in the Sunne Moone starres trees plants seedes c. would lie dead in them and be vnprofitable vnlesse they were not onely preserued but also stirred vp and quickened by the power of God so oft as he imploies them to any vse Euill is the destruction of nature and it is taken for sinne or for the punishment of sinne Nowe sinne is gouerned of God by two actions the first is an operatiue permission I so call it because God partly permitteth sinne and partly worketh in it For sinne as it is commonly taken hath two parts the subiect or matter and the forme of sinne the subiect of sinne is a certaine qualitie or action the forme is the anomie or transgression of Gods lawe The first is good in it selfe and euery qualitie or action so farre forth as it is a qualitie or action is existing in nature and hath God to be the author of it Therefore sinne though it be sufficiently euil to eternall damnationâ— yet can it not be said to be absolutely euill as God is absolutely good because the subiect of it is good therfore it hath in it respects regards of goodnes In respect of the second that is the breach of the lawe it selfe God neither willeth nor appointeth nor commandeth nor causeth nor helpeth sin but forbiddeth condemneth and punisheth it yet so as withall he willingly permitteth it to be done by others as men and wicked angells they beeing the sole authors and causes of it And this permission by God is vpon a good ende because thereby heâ— manifesteth his iustice and mercie Thus it appeares that in originall sinne the naturall inclination of the minde will and affections in it selfe considered is from God and the ataxie or corruption of the inclination in no
wise from him but onely permitted againe that in actuall sinne the motion of the bodie or minde is from God but the euilnes and disorder of the motion is not from him but freely permitted to be done by others As for example in the act of murder the actions of moouing the whole bodie of stirring the seuerall ioynts and the fetching of the blowe whereby the man is slaine is from God for in him we liue mooue and haue our beeing but the disposing and applying of all these actions to this ende that our neighours life may be taken away and we thereby take reuenge vpon him is not from God but from the wicked will of man and the deuill Gods second action in the gouernment of sinne is after the iust permission of it partly to restraine it more or lesse according to his good wil and pleasure and partly to dispose and turne it against the nature thereof to the glorie of his owne name to the punishment of his enemies and to the correcting chastisement of his elect As for the second kind of euill called the punishment of sinne it is the execution of iustice and hath God to be the author of it And in this respect Esai saith that God createth euill and Amos that there is no euill in the cittie which the Lord hath not done And God as a most iust iudge may punish sinne by sinne himselfe in the meane season free from all sinne And thus the places must be vnderstood in which it is said that God giueth kings in his wrath hardeneth the heart blindeth the eies mingleth the spirit of errours giueth vp men to a reprobate sense sends straunge illusions to beleeue lies sends euill spirits giuing them commandement to hurt and leaue to deceiue c. Thus hauing seene in what manner God gouerneth all things let vs nowe come to the means of gouernment Sometimes god worketh without means thus he created all thinges in the beginning and he made trees and plants to growe and flourish without the heate of the sunne or raine sometimes hee gouernes according to the vsuall course and order of nature as when he preserues our liues by meate and drinke yet so as he can and doth most freely order al things by meanes either aboue nature or against nature as it shall seeme good vnto him As when he caused the sunne to stand in the firmament and to goe backe in Achas diall when he caused the fire not to burne the three children when he kept backe dewe and raine three yeres in Israel when hee made waters to flowe out of the rocke when he caused Elias cloake to deuide the waters of Iorden when he caused Iron to swimme when he preserued Ionas aliue three daies and three nights in the whalles bellie when he cured diseases by the strength of nature incureable as the leprosie of Naaman the issue of blood and blindnesse c. Among all the meanes which God vseth the speciall are the reasonable creatures which are no passiue instrument as the toole in the hand of the workman but actiue because as they are mooued by God so againe being indued with will and reason they mooue themselues And such instruments are either good or euill Euill as wicked men and angels And these he vseth to do his good will and pleasure euen then when they doe least of all obey him And considering that the sinning instrument which is mooued by God doth also mooue it selfe freely without any constraint on Gods part God himselfe is free from all blame when the instrument is blame-worthie In directing the instrument God sinneth not the action indeede is of him but the defect of the action from the instrument which being corrupt can it selfe doe nothing but that which is corrupt God in the meane season by it bringing that to passe which is very good The whole cause of sinne is in Satan and in vs as for God he puts no wickednes into vs but the euill which he findes in vs he mooues that is orders and gouerns and bendes it by his infinite wisdome when and in what manner it pleaseth him to the glory of his name the euil instrument not knowing so much nay intending a farre other ende As in the mill the horse blindfolded goes forward and perceiues nothing but that he is in the ordinary waie whereas the miller himselfe whips him and stirres him forward for another ende namely for the grinding of corne And this is that which we must hold touching Gods prouidence ouer wicked men and angels and it standâ—s with the tenour of the whole Bible Iosephs brethren sold him into Egypt very wickedly euen in the testimonie of their own consciences yet Ioseph hauing respect to the counsell and worke of God which he perfourmed by his brethren saith that the Lord sent him thither And the Church of Ierusalem saith that Herod and Pontius Pilate did nothing in the death of Christ but that which the hand counsell of god had determined to be done because though they wickedly intended nothing but to shewe their malice and hatred in the death of Christ yet God propounding a further matter by them then euer they dreamed of shewed forth his endles mercy to man in the worke of redemption On this manner must all the places of Scripture be vnderstood in which it is said that God gaue the wiues of Dauid to Absalom that God mooued Dauid to number the people that he commanded Shemei to raile on Dauid that the Medes and Persians are his sanctified ones that the reuolt of the tenne tribes was done by God c. By all these examples it appeares that wee must not seuer Gods permission from his wil or decree and that we must put difference betweene the euill work of man and the good worke of God which he doth by man the whole matter may yet be more clearely perceiued by this comparison A theefe at the day of assise is condemned the magistrate appoints him to be executed the hangman owing a grudge to the malefactour vseth him hardly prolongeth his punishment longer then he should Now the magistrate and the hangman doe both one and the same worke yet the hangman for his part is a murderer the magistrate in the meane season no murderer but a iust iudge putting iustice in executioÌ„ by the hangman so god though he vse euil instruments yet is he free from the euil of the instrumeÌ„ts And further we must here marke the difference which must be made in Gods vsing of all kinds of instruments When he vseth good creatures as angels he worketh his will not onely by them but also in them because hee inspires them and guides them by his spirit so as they shall will and doe that which he willeth and intendeth As for euill instruments he worketh by them only and not in them because he holds backe his grace from them and leaues them to themselues to put in
sentence of the law of God to which man was bound from the first creation But God is aboue all his laws and not bound to them he is an absolute lord and law-giuer and therfore his actions are not within the compasse of morall lawes as mens are Whereupon it followes that though he did foresee mans defection yet is hee free from all blame in not preuenting of it For with him there be good causes of permitting euill And though God be no cause of mans fall yet must we not imagine that it came to passe by chance or fortune whereas the least things that are come to passe with Gods prouidence Neither was it by any bare permission without his decree and his will for that is to make an idle prouidence neither did it happen against the will of God he vtterly nilling it for then it could not haue beene vnlesse we denie God to be omnipotent It remaines therefore that this fall did so proceede of the voluntarie motion of Adam as that God did in part ordaine and will the permitting of it not as it was a sinne against his commandement but as it was further in the counsell of God a way to execute his iustice and mercie Against this which I say diuers things are obiected First that if Adam did that which God in any respect willed then he did not sinne at all Answ. He that willeth and doth that which God willeth for all that sinnes vnlesse he will it in the same manner with God and for the same ende Now in the permitting of this fact God intended the manifesting of his glorie but our first parents intending no such thing sought not onely to be like but also to be equall with God Secondly it is alleadged that Adam could not but fall necessarily if God did decree it Answ. Adams fall that came not to passe without Gods decree and therefore in that respect was necessarie was neuerthelesse in respect of Adams freewill contingent and not necessarie Gods decree not taking away the freedome of will but onely ordering it Lastly it is alleadged that Gods will is the cause of Adams will and Adams wil the cause of his fall and that therefore Gods will shall be the cause of the fall Ans. It must be granted that Gods will is a moouing cause of the wills of euil men yet marke how not as they are euill wills simply but as they are wills and therefore when God inclines the euill will of his creature to his good purpose he is nothing at all intangled with defect or euill of his will Touching the time of the fall the receiued opinion in former ages hath beene that our first parents fell the same day in which they were created and therefore Augustine writes that they stood but sixe houres And though we cannot determine of the certen time yet in all likelihood was it very short For Moses presently after that he had set downe the creation of man without the interposition of any thing else comes immediatly to the fall And considering the nature of the deuill is without ceasing to shew his malice no doubt he tooke the first occasion that possibly might be had to bring man to the same damnation with himselfe And our Sauiour Christ saith that the deuill was a man-slayer from the beginning namely from the beginning not of the creation of the world or of time but of man And Eue saith We shall eate of the fruit of the trees of the garden it may be insinuating that as yet shee had not eaten when the deuill tempted her Touching the greatnes of mans fall some haue made a small matter of it because it was the eating of an apple or some such fruit But we must not measure the greatnesse or the smalnesse of a sinne by the obiect or matter whereabout it is occupied but by the commandement of God and by the disobedience or offence of his infinite maiestie And that this fact of Adam and Eue was no small fault but a notorious crime and Apostasie in which they withdraw themselues from vnder the power of God nay reiect and denie him will euidently appeare if we take a viewe of all the particular sinnes that be contained in it The first is vnbeleefe in that they doubted and distrusted of the truth of Gods word which he spake to them The second is contempt of God in that they beleeued the lies of the deuill rather then him For whē God saith In the day that ye shall eate thereof ye shall die the death it is as nothing with Eue but when the deuill comes and saith Ye shall not die at all that shee takes hold on The third is pride and ambition For they did eate the forbidden fruit that they might be as gods namely as the Father the Sonne the holy Ghost The fourth is vnthankfulnesse God had made them excellent creatures in his owne image that is nothing with them to be like vnto him vnlesse they may be equall vnto him The fifth is curiositie whereby they affected greater wisdome then God had giuen them in creation and a greater measure of knowledge then God had reuealed to them The sixth is reprochfull blasphemie in that they subscribe to the sayings of the deuill in which he charged God with lying and enuie The seuenth is murder For by this meanes they bereaue themselues and their posteritie of the fellowship and graces of Gods spirit and bring vpon their owne heads the eternall wrath of God The eight is discontentation in that they sought for an higher condition then that was in which God had placed them In a word in this one single fact is comprised the breach of the whole law of God And we should often thinke vpon this that we may learne to wonder at the iust iudgements of God in punishing this fall and his vnspeakable goodnesse in receiuing men to mercie after the same And here we must not omit to remember the largenesse of Adams fall Sinnes are either personall or generall Personall are such as are peculiar to one or some fewe persons and make them alone guiltie Generall that is common to all men and such is Adams fall It is a sinne not onely of the person of one man but of the whole nature of man And Adam must be considered not as a priuate man but as a roote or head bearing in it all mankind or as a publike person representing all his posteritie and therefore when he sinned all his posteritie sinned with him as in a Parliament whatsoeuer is done by the burgesse of the shiere is done by euery person in the shiere As Paul saith By one man sinne entred into the world and so death went ouer all for as much as all haue sinned And here lies the difference betweene Adams fall and the sinnes of men as Cains murder which makes not the posteritie of Cain guiltie because he was neuer appointed by God to be the roote of his posteritie
To him is giuen a name at which euery knee doth bow of things in heauen and things in earth and things vnder the earth As for the reasons which be alleadged to the contrarie they are of no moment I. Obiect The word of God can not be God the sonne is the word of the father therefore he is not God Answ. The word is taken two waies first for a sounding word standing of letters and syllables vttered either by God or by the creatures now on this manner Christ is not the word of God Secondly there is a substantiall word which is of the substance of him whose word it is And thus Christ is the word of God the father And he is so tearmed I. in respect of the father for as reason and speach hath his beginning from the mind without any passion in the minde so hath he beginning from the father And as the speach is in the minde and the minde in the speach so the father is in the sonne and the sonne in the father II. In respect of all creatures The father doth all things by the sonne by whose powerfull word the world was made is now preserued and shall be abolished III. In respect of the Church For the father by him speakes vnto vs both in the outward ministerie of the word and by the inward operation of the spirit and againe we by him speake to the father II. It may be obiected thus God hath no beginning from any other Christ hath beginning from the father therefore he is not God Answ. Christ must be considered both in regard of his godhead and in regard of his person in regard of his godhead he came not of any but is of himselfe as well as the father is yet in regard of his person he is from the father who is a beginning to the rest of the persons both in respect of order for the Scripture saith not the holy Ghost the Sonne the Father but the Father the Sonne the holy Ghost as also in respect of the communication of the Godhead And whereas it is said that God is of himselfe if the name of God be taken for the Godhead it selfe absolutely considered it is true but if it be taken for any particular person in the godhead it is false III. Ob. None is greater then God but the father is greater then Christ for so he saith the father is greater then I. Ans. Christ there speakes of himselfe as he was a man abased in the forme of a seruant in which respect he is lesse then the father who neuer was incarnate and abased in our nature And though Christ in respect of his nature assumed be inferiour to the father yet doth it not hinder but that he may be equall to him as he is the second person in trinitie or as he is God by one and the same Godhead with the father IV. Obiect He that is made of God this or that is not God but Christ is made God as Paul saith Christ is made vnto vs wisdome righteousnes c. Answ. Christ is said to be made not because there was any beginning of his godhead or any change or alteration in his person but because in the eternall counsell of the father he was set apart before all times to execute the office of a Mediatour and was withall in time called and as it were consecrated and ordained thereunto in his baptisme he is made therefore in respect of his office but not in respect of his person or nature V. Obiect God hath no head Christ hath an head as Paul saith God is Christs head Answ. God that is the father is head of Christ not as he is God simply but as he is God incarnate or made manifest in the flesh and in respect of the office to which he willingly abased himselfe VI. Obiect He which giues vp his kingdome is not God Christ giues vp his kingdome Then saith Paul shall be the ende when he hath deliuered vp the kingdome to God euen the father Answ. Christ is king two waies as he is God and as he is Mediatour as he is God he raignes eternally with the Father and the holy Ghost but as he is Mediatour in the ende of the world when all the companie of the Elect are gathered his kingdome shall cease not simply but in respect of the outward manner of administration for the execution of ciuill and ecclesiasticall functions shall cease And whereas in the same place it is saide that Christ shall be subiect vnto God eternally after the ende it must be vnderstoode partly in regard of the assumed manhoode partly in respect of his mysticall bodie the Church most neerely ioyned vnto him in heauen VII Obiect The first borne of euery creature and of many brethren is a creature and not God but Christ is the first borne of euery creature and of many brethren Answ. He is called the first borne by resemblance or allusion to the first borne in the old testament for as they were principall heires hauing double portions allowed them and the chiefe or gouernours of the familie so Christ is made heire of the world and the head of Gods familie which is his church elected and adopted in him And againe he is called the first borne of euery creature because he was begotten of the substance of his father before any creature was made and therefore it is not here saide that he was first created but first begotten By the reasons which haue bin alleadged as also by the insufficiencie of the contrarie arguments it is more then manifest against all heretikes that Christ is very God Yet to stoppe the mouths of all Atheists and to satisfie all wauering and doubting minds I will adde one reason further The Gospel of Saint Iohn was chiefly penned for this end to prooue the deitie of Christ among other arguments alleadged this is one that Christ gaue a resolute and a constant testimonie of himselfe that he was the sonne of God and very God Now if any man shall say that sundrie persons since the beginning of the world haue taken vpon them and that falsly to be gods I answer that neuer any creature tooke this title and honour vpon him to be called God but the fearefull iudgements of God were vpon him for it In the estate of mans innocencie the deuill told our first parents that by eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and euill they should be as gods knowing good and euill now they beleeued him and affected diuine honour but what came of it surely Adam with all his posteritie is shut vp for this very cause vnder eternall damnation Herod likewise araied in royall apparell and sitting on the iudgement seat made an oration to the men of Tyre and Sidon who gaue a shout saying the voyce of God and not of man Now because he tooke the glorie of God to himselfe and did not returne it to
righteous from the wicked and the elect from the reprobate He which knoweth the hearts of all men knoweth also howe to doe this and he will doe it This full and finall separation is reserued to Christ and shall not be accomplished till the last day For so it is in the parable that the tares must grow with the wheate til haruest and the reapers must separate them and gather the wheate into the barne but the tares must be burned with vnquenchable fire By the consideration of this one point we learne diuers things I. that in the Church of God in this world good and badde are mingled togither elect and reprobate and wee are not to imagine any perfection of the church of God vpon earth as many haue dreamed which when they could not finde they haue therefore forsaken al assemblies I confesse indeede that the preaching of the word is the Lords fanne whereby he clenseth his Church in part but yet the finishing of this worke shall not be before the last iudgement For when the ministers of God haue done all that they can yet shall the wicked be mingled with the godly Therefore the Church is compared to a barne flore where is both wheate chaffe and a corne fielde where is both tares and good corne and a draw net wherin is both good fish and badde Secondly whereas this separation must not be before the ende of the world hence wee learne the state of Gods Church in this life It is like a flocke of sheepe mingled with goates and therefore the condition of Gods people in this world is to bee troubled many waies by those with whome they liue For goates vse to strike the sheepe to annoy their pasture and to make their water muddie that they can not drinke of it and therefore we must prepare our selues to beare all annoyances crosses and calamities that shall befall vs in this world by the wicked ones among whome we liue Thirdly we are taught that howesoeuer the goates and the sheepe be very like and feede in one pasture and lie in one folde all their life time yet Christ can and will seuer them asunder at the last day Therefore considering as wee are borne of Adam wee haue the nature of the goate yea of the wilde beast and not of the sheepe it standes vs in hand to lay aside our goatish conditions and to take vnto vs the properties of the sheepe of Christ which hee expresseth in these words My sheepe saith he heare my voice I know them and they follow me And the properties are three to know him to be knowne of him and to follow him namely in obedience and he that findes them all in himselfe weareth the brand and marke of the true sheepe of Christ but contrariwise they that make profession of Christ and yet therewithall ioyne not obedience howsoeuer the world may account of them they are but goates and no sheepe Let vs therefore with the knowledge of Christ ioyne obedience to his word that when the day shall come that the goates must be separated from the sheepe we may be found to be in the number of the true sheep of Christ. We may deceiue men both in life and death and beare them in hand that we are sheepe but when the iudgement shall come we cannot deceiue Christ he it is that formed vs he knowes our hearts and therefore can easily discerne what we are The fifth thing is the triall of euery mans particular cause a point especially to be considered For as at the barre of an earthly iudge the malefactour is brought out of prison and set before the iudge and there examined euen so in that great day shall euery man without exception be brought before the Lord to be tried But how shall this triall be made Ans. By workes as the Apostle saith We must all appeare before the iudgement seat of Christ that euery man may receiue the things which are done in his bodie according to that he hath done whether it be good or euill And the reason is because works are the outward signes of inward grace and godlinesse And though we be iustified by faith alone without workes yet may we be iudged both by faith and workes For the last iudgement doth not serue to make men iust that are vniust but only to manifest them to be iust indeed which were iust before in this life truly iustified The consideration of this very point should mooue vs al to repent vs of our sinnes past and to reforme our selues throughout and to be plentifull in all good works And vndoubtedly if we seriously thinke vpon it it will hold vs more straightly to all good duties then if with the Papists we held iustification by workes Furthermore in this triall two things must be skanned I. how all mens workes shall be made manifest II. by what meanes they shall be examined Of the manifestation of euery mans worke S. Iohn speaketh And I saw saith he the dead both great and small stand before God and the bookes were opened and another booke was opened which is the booke of life and the dead were iudged of these things which were written in the bookes according to their workes God is said to haue bookes not properly but because all things are as certen and manifest to him as if he had his Registers in heauen to keepe rolles and records of thē His bookes are three the booke of Prouidence the booke of Iudgement the booke of Life The booke of his prouidence is the knowledge of all particular things past present to come Of this the Psalmist speaketh Thine eyes did see me when I was without forme for in thy booke were all things written which in continuance were fashioned when there was none of them before The booke of iudgement is that whereby he giues iudgement and it is twofold The first is Gods knowledge or prescience in which all the affaires of mē their thoughts words and deedes are as certenly knowne and set downe as if they were put in bookes of record We may forget our sinnes but God keepes them in a register he knowes them euery one The second booke is euery mans particular conscience which also brings to remembrance and testifies what men haue done and what they haue not done The booke of life is nothing else but the decree of Gods election in which God hath set downe who be ordained to life eternall Now the opening of these bookes is a thing wherein the endles power of God shall most notably shew it self For when we shall stand before the iudgement seat of Christ he then knowing all things in his eternall counsell shall reueale vnto euery man his owne particular sinnes whether they were in thought word or deede and then also by his mightie power he shall so touch mens consciences that they shall afresh remember what they haue done Now indeede the wicked mans conscience is shut vp
as a closed booke but then it shall be so touched and as it were opened that he shall plainely see and remember all the particular offences which at any time he hath committed and his very conscience shall be as good as a thousand witnesses whereupon he shall accuse and vtterly condemne himselfe The consideration of this ought to terrifie all those that liue in their sins for howsoeuer they may hide couer them from the world yet at the last day God will be sure to reueale them all Now after that mens workes are made manifest they must further be tried whether they be good or euill And that shall be done on this manner They that neuer heard of Christ must be tried by the law of nature which serues to make them inexcusable before God As for those that liue in the Church they shall be tried by the Law and the Gospel as Paul saith As many as haue liued by the law shall be iudged by the law And againe At the day of iudgement God shall iudge the secrets of our hearts according to his Gospell And By faith Noah builded an arke whereby he condemned the old world If this be true then we must in the feare of God heare his word preached and taught with all reuerence make conscience to profit by it For otherwise in the day of iudgement when all our works shall be tried by it the same word of God shall be a bill of inditement and the fearefull sentence of condemnation against vs. Therefore let vs be humbled by the doctrine of the law willingly embrace the sweete promises of the Gospel considering it is the onely touchstone whereby all our words thoughts and works must be examined The sixth point in the proceeding of the last iudgement is the giuing of sentence which is twofold the sentence of absolution and the sentence of condemnation both which are to be obserued diligeÌ„tly that we may receiue profit thereby And first of all Christ shall begin his iudgement with the sentence of absolution which shewes that he is readie to shew mercie slow to wrath In this sentence we are to consider foure points I. a calling of the Elect to the kingdome of heauen II. the reason thereof III. a replie of the Elect IV. the answer of Christ to them againe The calling of the Elect is set downe in these wordes Come yee blessed of my father inherit the kingdome prepared for you from the beginning of the world And the words are to be obserued one by one Come ye blessed Though Christ nowe sit in glorie and maiestie in iudgement yet he ceaseth not to shew his tender aâ—fection of loue vnto his chosen And this ouerthroweth the opinion of the Church of Rome which would haue vs rather to come vnto Christ by the intercession of saints then by our selues immediatly because he is now exalted in glorie and maiestie But marke when he was here on earth he said Come vnto me all ye that are heauie laden and I will ease you And when he shall be most glorious in maiestie and power at the day of iudgement he will then also say Come ye blessed of my father and therefore we may resolue our selues that it is his will now that we should come vnto him without any intercession of Saints Ye blessed of my father The Elect are here called the blessed of God because their righteousnes saluation and all that they haue springs of the meere blessing of God Nothing therefore must be ascribed to the worke of man Inherit that is receiue as your inheritance therefore the kingdome of heauen is Gods meere gift A father giueth no inheritance vnto his sonne of merit but of his free gift wherupon it followes that no man can merit the kingdom of heauen by his works The kingdome that is the eternall estate of glorie and happines in heauen therefore in this life we must so vse this world as though we vsed it not all that we haue here is but vaine and transitorie and all our studie and endeauour must be to come to the kingdome of heauen Prepared Here note the vnspeakable care of God for the faithful Had he such care to prouide a kingdome for his children before they were then we may assure our selues he wil haue greater care ouer them now when they haue a beeing For you that is for the elect and faithfull Hence it appeares that there is no vniuersall election whereby as some suppose God decrees that all and euery man shall be saued Indeede if he had said Come ye blessed of my father inherit the kingdome prepared for all but receiued of you it had bin something but he saith onely prepared for you and therefore all were not chosen to saluation The reason of this calling is taken from workes as from signes in these words For I was hungrie and ye gaue me meate c. When he saith for I was hungrie he meanes his poore and distressed members vpon earth and thereby he signifies vnto vs that the miseries of his seruants are his owne miseries Thus the Lord saith in Zacharie He which toucheth you toucheth the apple of mine eye And when Saul was going to persecute them in Damasco and else where that called on the name of Christ he cried from heauen Saul Saul why persecutest thou me And this is a notable comfort to Gods Church and people that they haue an high priest who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities and if he account our miseries his owne miseries then no doubt he will pitie our estate and make vs able to beare the worst And ye gaue me meate Here we note that the principall works of men are those which are done to the poore members of Christ. We are indeede to helpe all in as much as they are our very flesh and the creatures of God but the rule of S. Paul must be remembred Doe good to all but especially to those that are of the houshold of faith Many are of mind that the best works are to build Churches and Monasteries but Christ tells vs here that the best worke of all is to releeue those that be the liuing members of his mysticall bodie The third point is the replie of the Saints to Christ againe in these words Lord when saw we thee an hungred and fedde thee c. They doe not denie that which Christ auouched but doe as I take it standing before the tribunall seat of God humble themselues hauing still an after-consideration of the infirmities and offences of their liues past Here note then that it is a Satanicall practise for a man to bragge of workes and to stand vpon them in the matter of iustification before God And we must rather doe as the Saints of God doe abase our selues in regard of our sinnes past The last point is the answer of Christ to them againe in these words Verily I say vnto you in as much as
Lead vs not Or carrie vs not into temptation To be led is to be ouercome of the temptation when it preuâ—iles and wholly gets the victorie so as men tempted are brought to perdition Then the meaning is thisâ— When wee are mooued or entised to sinne Lord keep vs that we bee not ouercome and giue thou an issue with the temptation Quest. God is iust and cannot sinne but if he lead men into temptation shal he not be the author of sinne Ans. Indeed many fearing to charge God with sinne read the words thus Suffer vs not to be ledde But the text is very plaine Lead or carrie vs not And the scriptures elsewhere vse the like phrases of god Exod. 7.3 God is said to harden Pharaohs heart 2. Sam. 24. 1. The Lord mooued Dauid to number the people 2. Thess. 2.11 God sent strong delusions that men might beleeue lies These and such like places haue a speciall meaning thus to be gathered There is no action of man or of the deuill absolutely euill but although in some respects it be euill yet in some other it is good for wee are not to thinke that as there is a maine or absolute good so also there is a maine or absolute euill Thus then temptation being an action it is not in euery respect euill but in some good in some euill And so farre forth as it is good the Lord workes it but as it is euill he doth not worke it but willingly permits it to be done by man and Satan 1. And there be foure respects in which God may be a worker in temptations and yet be free from sinne I. First he tempteth by offering occasions obiects to trie whether a man will sinne or not A master suspecting his seruant which in word professeth fidelitie laies a purse of money in his way to trie if he will steale it which if he steale he hath found by watching him a secret thiefe and so hath laid him open for deceiuing any more Nowe this trying of him is no sinne though he sinne in stealing In the same manner tempteth God his owne seruants to prooue and trie them Deut. â—3 3 Thou shalt not harken vnto the wordes of the prophet or dreamer of dreames for the Lord thy God prooueth you to knowe whether ye loue the Lord your God with all your heart 2. Secondly God leades into temptation by withdrawing his grace Neither can this be a sinne in God because he is bound to no man to giue him grace And here is a difference between the tempting of God and Satan God holds backe grace when he tempts the deuill suggests euill motions 3. Euery action so farre forth as it is an action is good and of God Act. 17. 28. In him we liue mooue and haue our being Therfore god is a worker in temptations so farre forth as they are actions One man kils another the very moouing of the bodie in the doing of this villanie is of God but the wickednes of the actioÌ„ is from man and the deuil A man rides vpon a lame horse and stirs him the rider is the cause of the motion but the horse himselfe of the halting in the motion So God is authour of the action but not of the euill of the action 4. The fourth way is in regard of the end God tempts his seruants onely to correct and humble them for their sinnes and to trie howe they will abide the crosse and to mooue them the more to loue him Deut. 8.2 God afflictes the children of Israel to trie them whether they would keepe his commandements 2. Chr. 31.31 He trieth Ezechias to see what was in his heart The deuils ende in tempting is onely to bring the partie to destruction Thus we neede not feare to say that God in some respects doth tempt his owne seruants Deliuer vs from euill That is free vs from the power of the flesh the deuil and the world Some take euill in this place onely for the deuill but wee may take it more largely for all spirituall enemies 1. Ioh. 5.19 The whole world lieth in euill vz. Vnder the power of sinne and Satan These words as I haue said are a proofe and explanation of the former for when a man is deliuered from euill he is not led into temptation the cause being taken away the effect ceaseth 3. The vses 1. HEnce we learne what a righteous God Iehoua is that can worke in euill actions and yet be void of sinne 2. Whereas we say lead vs not c. Wee note that the deuill in temptationâ— can goe no further then God permits him 3. We are not to pray that temptations be quite taken from vs or that wee be wholly freed from them but that they doe not ouercome vs. For it is the Lords wil that his Church should be tempted Nay Dauid desired some kind of temptations Psal. 26.1 Prooue me O Lord. And Iames saith Account it for exceeding ioy when ye shall fall into diuers temptations Iam. 1.2 4. Note also that euery man by nature is the bondslaue of sinne and Satan For where is deliuerance there was a bondage first This confutes the Papists who maintain free wil for we are dead in sinne by nature as a man in a graue and we must still pray thus till we be fully deliuered 4. Wants to be bewailed THe corruption which in this petition we ought to mourne for is the coÌ„tinuall rebellion of our wicked natures and our pronenesse to yeeld vp our selues in euery temptation to sinne Satan And the remnants of the old bondage vnder Satan must be grieuous and irkesome vnto vs and wee must bewaile them bitterly The Iewes in a bodily captiuitie wept when they remembred Sion Psal. 1.27 How much more should wee weepe when wee feele the lawe of our members rebelling against the lawe of our mindes and leading vâ— captiue to sinne 5. Graces to be desired THe contrarie blessing to be desired is that God would stablish vs by his free spirit Psal. 51.12 Which is so called because it sets vs euery day more and more at libertie out of the reach of sinne and Satan For thine is the kingdome the power and glorie for euer 1. The meaning THese wordes containe a reason of all the former petitions whereby wee are mooued to craue things needfull at Gods hand Thine is Earthly kings haue kingdome power and glorie Dan. 2.37 Yet not from themselues but from God whose vicegerents they are on earth Therefore to make a difference betweene Gods kingdome power and glorie and those of earthly kings it is said Thine is the kingdome c. that is that God hath all these in himselfe and from himselfe and men from him The kingdome These words 1. Chro. 26.11 are fully expounded Thine O Lord is greatnesse power and victorie and praise and all that is in heauen earth is thine thine is the kingdome and thou excellest as head ouer all c. The kingdome is said to bee Gods
in more speciall manner they giue assent vnto the couenant of grace made in Christ that it is most certaine and sure and they are perswaded in a general and confused manner that God will verifie the same couenant in the members of his Church This is all their faith which indeede proceedeth from the holy Ghost but yet it is not sufficient to make them sound Professors For albeit they doe generally beleeue Gods promises yet herein they deceiue themselues that they neuer applie and appropriate the same promises to their own soules An example of this faith we haue Ioh. 2.24 where it is said that when our Sauiour Christ came to Ierusalem at the feast of Easter manie beleeued in his name and yet hee would not commit himselfe vnto them because he knewe them all and what was in them To come to the second thing those professors which are indued with thus much grace as to beleeue in Christ in a confused maner goe yet further for this their faith though it be not sufficient to saluation yet it sheweth it selfe by certaine fruites which it bringeth forth for as a tree or a branch of a tree that hath no deepe rooting but either is couered with a few moules or els lieth in the water at the season of the yeare bringeth forth leaues and blossomes and some fruite too and that for one or two or moe yeares so one that is an hearer of the word may receiue the word and the worde as seed by this generall faith may bee somewhat rooted in his heart and setled for a season and may bring foorth some fruites in his life peraduenture very faire in his owne and other mens eies yet indeede neither sound nor lasting nor substantiall What these fruites are it may be gathered forth of these wordes where it is said that they receiue the word with ioy when they heare it for here may be gathered First that they doe willingly subiect themselues to the ministerie of the word Secondly that they are as forward as any and as ioyfull in frequenting sermons Thirdly that they reuerence the Ministers whome they so ioyfully heare Lastly they condemne them of impietie which will not be hearers or be negligent hearers of the word Now of these and such like fruâ—ts this may be added though they are not sound yet they are void of that grosse kind of hypocrisie For the mindes of those Professors are in part enlightened and their hearts are indued with such a faith as may bring forth these fruits for a time and therefore herein they â—issemble not that faith which they haue not but rather shew that which they haue Adde hereunto that a man beeing in this estate may deceiue himselfe and the most godly in the world which haue the greatest gifts of discerning how they and their brethren stand before the Lord like as the figtree with greene leaues deceiued our Sauiour Christ as he was man for when in his hunger he came vnto it to haue had some fruit he found none If this be so it may be then required how these vnsound professours differ from true professours I answer in this they differ that they haue not sound hearts to cleaue vnto Christ Iesus for euer Which appeareth in that they are compared to stonie ground Now stonie groundes mingled with some earth are commonly hot and therefore haue as it were some alacritie and hastinesse in them and the corne as soone as it is cast into this ground it sprouteth out very speedily but yet the stones will not suffer the corne to be rooted deepely beneath and therefore when sommer commeth the blade of the corne withereth with rootes and all So it is with these professours they haue in their hearts some good motions of the holy Ghost to that which is good they haue a kind of zeale to Gods word they haue a liking to good things and they are as forwards as any other for a time and they doe beleeue But these good motions and graces are not lasting but like the flame and flashing of straw and stubble neither are they sufficient to saluation With the true professours it is farre otherwise for they haue vpright and honest hearts before the Lord Luk. 8. 15. And they haue faith which worketh by loue Gal. 5.6 And that Christian man which loueth God whatsoeuer shall befall yea though it were a thousand deaths yet his heart can neuer be seuered from the Lord and from his Sauiour Christ as the spouse speaketh vnto Christ of her owne loue Cant. 8.6 Set me as a seale on thy heart as a signet vpon thy arme for loue is as strong as death iealousie is as cruell as the graue the coales thereof are fierie coales and a vehement flame Much water cannot quench loue neither can the flouds drowne it if a man should giue all the substance of his house for loue they would greatly contemne it Wherefore good Reader seeing there is such a similitude and affinitie betweene the temporarie professor of the Gospell and the true professor of the same it is the dutie of euery Christian to trie and examine himselfe whether he be in the faith or not 2. Cor. 13.5 And whereas it is an hard thing for a man to search out his own heart we are to pray vnto God that he would giue vs his spirit to discerne betweene that which is good and euill in vs. Now when a man hath found out the estate of his heart by searching it he is further to obserue and keepe it with all diligence Prou. 4. 23. that when the houre of death or the day of triall shall come he may stand sure and not be deceiued of his hope And for this purpose I haue described the most of these small treatises which follow to minister vnto thee some helpe in this examining and obseruing of thine own heart Read them and accept of them and by the blessing of God they shall not be vnprofitable vnto thee And if they shall any whit helpe thee helpe me also with thy prayer 1595. FINIS CERTAINE PROPOSITIONS DECLARING HOW FARRE A MAN MAY goe in the profession of the Gospel and yet be a wicked man or a Reprobate I. A Reprobate hath in his mind a certain knowledge of God of common equitie among men of the difference of good from bad and this is partly from nature partly from the contemplation of Gods creatures in which the wisdome the power the loue the mercie the maiestie of God is perceiued II. This knowledge is only generall and imperfect much like the ruines of a Princes pallace it is not sufficient to direct him in doing of a good work For example he knoweth that there is a God and that this God must be worshipped come to particulars who God is what a one he is how he must be worshipped Here his knowledge faileth him and he is altogither vncertain what to doe to please God III. By reason of this knowledge the Reprobate doeth
owne children From Adoption proceede many other benefits First the elect child of God hereby is made a brother to Christ. Secondly he is a King and the kingdome of heauen is his inheritance Thirdly he is lord ouer all creatures saue Angels Fourthly the holy Angels minister vnto him for his good they guard him and watch about him Fifthly all things yea grieuous afflictions and sinne it selfe turne to his good though in his owne nature it be neuer so hurtfull and therefore death which is most terrible vnto him is no entrance into hell but a narrow gate to let him into euerlasting life Lastly beeing thus adopted he may looke for comfort at Gods hand answerable to the measure of his affliction as God hath promised XXX The inward assurance of Adoption is by two witnesses The first is our spirit that is an heart and conscience sanctified by the sprinkling of the blood of Christ. Now because it commeth to passe that the testimonie of our spirit is often feeble and weake God of his goodnes hath giuen his owne spirit to be a fellow witnesse with our spirit for the Elect haue in themselues the spirit of Iesus Christ testifying vnto them and perswading them that they are the adopted children of God For this cause the holy Ghost is called the spirit of adoption because it worketh in vs the assurance of our adoption and it is called a pawne or earnest For as in a bargaine when part of the price is payed in earnest then assurance is made that men will pay the whole so when the childe of God hath receiued thus much from the holy Ghost to be perswaded that he is adopted and chosen in Christ he may be in good hope and he is alreadie put in good assurance fully to enioy eternall life in the kingdome of heauen Indeede this testimonie is weake in most men and can scarce be perceiued because most Christians though they may be old in respect of yeares yet generally they are babes in Christ and not yet come to a perfect growth and may finde in themselues great strength of sinne and the graces of God to be in small measure in them And againe the children of God beeing most distressed as in time of triall and in the houre of death then the inward working of the holy Ghost is felt most euidently But a reprobate can not haue this testimonie at all though indeede a man flattereth himselfe and the deuill imitating the spirit of God doth vsually perswade carnall men and hypocrites that they shall be saued But that deuillish illusion and the testimonie of the Spirit may be discerned by 2. notes The I. is heartie feruent praier to God in the name of Christ. For the same spirit that testifieth to vs that we are the adopted children of God doth also make vs crie that is feruently with grones sighs filling heauen and earth pray to God Now this heartie feruent and loud crying in the eares of God can the deuill giue to no hypocrite for it is the speciall marke of the Spirit of God The other note is that they which haue the speciall testimonie from the spirit of God haue also in their hearts the same affections to God which children haue to their father namely loue feare reuerence obedience thankfulnes for they call not vpon God as vpon a terrible Iudge but they crie Abba that is father And these affections they haue not whome Satan illudeth with a phantasticall imagination of their saluation for it may be that through hypocrisie or through custome they may call God father but in truth they can not doe it XXXI The elect being thus assured of their adoption and iustification are indued with hope by which they looke patiently for the accomplishing of all good things which God hath begun in them And therefore they can vndergoe all crosses and afflictions with a quiet and contented minde because they know that the time will come when they shall haue full redemption from all euills This was the patience of Pauls hope when he saide that nothing in the world could seuer him from the loue of God in Christ. And like to this was the patience of Policarpe and of Ignatius who when he was condemned and iudged to be throwne to wild beasts and now heard the Lyons roring he boldly and yet patiently said I am the wheat of Christ I shall be ground with the teeth of wild beasts that I may be found good bread Also the same was the patience of the blessed Martyr S. Laurence who like a meeke lambe suffered himselfe to be tormented on a fierie gridyron and when he had bin pressed downe with fire pikes for a great space in the mightie spirit of God spake vnto the Emperour that caused him thus to be tormented on this wise This side is now rosted enough turne vp O tyrant great Assay whether rosted or rawe thou thinkest the better meate XXXII The third maine benefit is inward sanctification by which a Christian in his mind in his will and in his affections is freed from the bondage and tyrannie of sinne and satan and is by little and little inabled through the spirit of Christ to desire and approoue that which is good to walke in it And it hath two parts The first is mortification when the power of sinne is continually weakned consumed and diminished The second is viuification by which inherent righteousnes is really put into them and afterward is continually increased XXXIII This sanctification is wrought in all Christians after this manner After that they are ioyned to Christ and made mystically bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh Christ worketh in them effectually by his holy spirit and his workes are principally three First he causeth his own death to worke effectually the death of all sinne to kil the power of the flesh For it is as a corrasiue which beeing applied to the part affected eateth out the venome and corruption and so the death of Christ by faith applied fretteth out and consumeth the concupiscence the corruption of the whole man Secondly his buriall causeth the buriall of sinne as it were in a graue Thirdly his Resurrection sendeth a quickning power into them and serueth to make them rise out of their sinne in which they were dead and buried to worke righteousnes and to liue in holines of life Lazarus bodie lay foure daies and stanke in the graue yet Christ raised it and gaue him life again and made him do the same works that liuing men doe so also Christ dealeth with the soules of the faithfull they rot and stinke in their sinns and would perish in them if they were left alone but Christ putteth a heauenly life into them maketh them actiue and liuâ—ly to doe the will of God in the workes of Christianitie and in their works of their callings
liuing in the yeare â—46 acknowledged Lotharius the Emperour for his prince 4 No Bishop may be called vniuersall 5 The Church of Rome hath no more authoritie ouer other Churches then other Churches ouer it 6 A Priest and a Bishop were in times past all one 7 The Pope hath no power to giue or sell pardons 8 There can be no merit by fasting or abstinence from flesh 9 The masse is nothing but the forme of diuine sacrificâ— By this which hath beene said it doth in part appeare that the religion of the Church of Rome is repugnant to it selfe and it could not so be if it were from the word of God A Corollarie gathered out of the former assertion 1. A man being indued with no more grace then that which hee may obtaine by the religion of the Church of Rome is still in the state of damnation A DIALOGVE CONTAINING THE CONFLICTS betweene Satan and the Christian. Sathan OVile helbound thou art my slaue and my vassall why then shakest thou off my yoke Christian. By nature I was thy vassal but Christ hath redeemed me Sathan Christ redeemeth no reprobates such as thou art Christian. I am no reprobate Sathan Thou art a reprobate for thou shalt be condemned Christian. Lucifer to pronounce damnation belongeth to God alone thou art no iudge it is sufficient for thee to be an accuser Sathan Though I cannot condemne thee yet I knowe God will condemne thee Christian. Yea but God will not condemne me Sathan Goe too let vs trie the matter Is not God a Lord and a King ouer thee and may he not therefore giue thee a lawe to keep and punish thee with hell fire if thou breake it Christian. Yes Sathan And hast thou kept the lawe of this thy Lord and King Christian. No. Sathan Let vs proceed further Is not the same Lord also a most righteous iudge And therefore a most sharp reuenger of sinne Christian. Yes truely Sathan Why then wilt thou flatter thy selfe thou hypocrite God cannot winke at thy sinnes except he should be vniust Wherefore there is no remedie thou art sure to be damned hel was prouided for thee and now it gapeth to deuoure thee Christian. There is remedie enough to deliuer me from condemnation For God is not onely as thou affirmest a Lord and a iudge but also a sauing and a most mercifull father Sathan But thou firebrand of hel fire and child of perdition looke for no mercie at Gods hands because thou art a most grieuous sinner for 1 Original sin runneth wholly ouer thee as a loathsome botch or leprosie 2 Thy mind knoweth not the things that be of God 3 In the law of God thou art stark blind sauing that thou hast a few principles of it to make thee inexcusable 4 The Gospel is foolishnes and madnes vnto thee thou makest no better account of it then of thine owne dreame 5 Thy conscience is corrupt because it flattereth thee and excuseth thy sinne 6 Thy memorie keepeth and remembreth nothing but that which is against Gods word but things abominable and wicked it keepeth long 7 Thy will hath no inclination to that which is good but onely to sinne and wickednes 8 Thy affections are set onely on wickednes they are as mightie gyants and princes in thee they haue thee at coÌ„mandement RemeÌ„ber that for very anger thou hast bin sicke that the lust of thy flesh hath driuen thee to madnes forget not thy Atheisme thy contempt of Gods word thy inward pride thy enuie hatred malice thy couetousnesse and infinit other wicked desires which haue led thee captiue and made thee outragious in all kind of naughtines 9 Thy actuall sinnes committed partly in secret partly in publike are most filthie and most infinite Remember how in such a place at such a time thou diddest commit fornication in another place thou diddest steale c. God saw this I warrant thee yea all thy sinnes are written in his booke wherefore thou cursed wretch all hope of mercie is cut off from thee Christian. But Gods mercie farre exceedeth all these my sinnes and I can not be so infinite in sinning as God is infinite in mercie and pardoning Sathan Darest thou presume to thinke of Gods mercie why the least of thy sinnes deserueth damnation Christian. None of my sinnes can feare me or dismay me Christ hath borne the full wrath and vengeance of his Father vpon the crosse euen for me that I might be deliuered from condemnation which was due vnto me Sathan If Gods purpose were not to condemne thee perswade thy selfe he would neuer lay so many afflictions and crosses on thee as he doth What is this want of good name this weaknesse and sicknesse of thy bodie these terrours of the minde this dulnesse and frowardnes of thy heart what are all these I say and many other euills but the beginnings and certaine flashings of the fire of hell Christian. Nay rather my afflictions are liuely testimonies of my saluation For God as a louing father partly by them as with scourges chasteneth my disobedience and bringeth me into order partly conformeth me vnto my Sauiour Christ and so by little and little laieth open to me mine owne sinnes that I may dislike my selfe and hate them and maketh me to renounce the world thy eldest sonne and stirreth me vp to call vpon him and to pray earnestly with grones sighes which I am not able to expresse with any words as I feele them Sathan Thy afflictions are heauie and comfortlesse therefore they can not be arguments of Gods fauour Christian. Indeede their nature is to bring griefe and heauines to the soule but I haue had ioy in the midst of my afflictions strength sufficient to beare them and after them haue bin many waies bettered which befalleth to none of the wicked and for that cause it is a great perswasion to me that I shall not be damned with the wicked world but in spite of all thy power passe from death to euerlasting life Sathan After these thy manifold afflictions thou must suffer death which is most terrible and a very entrance into hell Christian. Death hath lost his sting by Christs death and vnto me it shal be nothing els but a passage vnto euerlasting life Sathan Admit thou shalt be deliuered from hell by Christ what will this auaile thee considering that thou shalt neuer come to the kingdom of heauen for Christs death onely deliuereth thee from death eternall it cannot aduance thee to euerlasting life Christian. I am now at this time a member of Christs kingdome and after this life shall raigne with him for euer in his euerlasting kingdome Sathan Thou neuer didst fulfill the law therefore thou canst not come into the kingdome of heauen Christian. Christ hath perfectly fulfilled euery part of the law for me and by this his obedience imputed vnto me I my selfe doe keepe the
faith which I haue in his blood God is not displeased if my body be sicke and subiect to diseases no more is he displeased at the disease and sicknes of the soule A naturall father will not slay the bodie of his child when he is sicke and abhorreth comfortable meates and my heauenly father will not condemne my soule although through the infirmitie of faith and the weaknes of the spirit I commit sinne and often loath his heauenly word the foode of my soule Nay which is a strange thing I know it by experience that God hath turned my filthie sinnes to my great profit and to the amendment of my life like as the good Phisitian of rancke poyson is able to make a soueraigne medecine to preserue life Sathan Well be it so that now thou art in the state of grace yet thou shalt not continue so but shalt before death depart from Christ. Christ. I know I am a member of Christs mysticall bodie I feele in my selfe the heauenly power vertue of my head Christs Iesus for this cause I can not perish but shal cōtinue for euer raigne in heauē after this life with him The conflicts of Sathan with the weake Christian. Sathan Thy minde is full of ignorance and blindnes thy heart is ful of obstinacie rebellion and frowardnes against God thou art wholly vnfit for any good worke wherefore thou hast no faith neither canst thou be iustified and accepted before God Christian. If I haue but one drop of the grace of God and if my faith be no more then a little graine of mustard seede it is sufficient for me God requireth not perfect faith but true faith Sathan Yea but thou hast no faith at all Christian. I haue had faith Sathan Thou neuer hadst true faith for in time past when according to thine opinion thou didst beleeue then thou hadst nothing but a shadow of faith and a foolish imagination which all hypocrites haue Christian. I will put my trust in God for euer and his former mercies shewmed me heretofore strengthen me now in this my weaknes 1 He created me when I was nothing 2 He created me a man when he might haue made me an vgly toad 3 He made me of comely body and of good discretion whereas he might haue made me vgly and deformed franticke and madde 4 I was borne in the daies of knowledge when I might haue bin borne in the time of ignorance and superstition 5 I was borne of Christian parents but God might haue giuen me either Turkes or Iewes or some other sauadge people for my parents 6 I might haue perished in my mothers wombe but he hath preserued me and prouided for me by his prouidence euen vnto this houre 7 Soone after my birth God might haue cast me into hell but contrariwise I was baptized and so receiued the seale of his blessed couenant 8 I haue had by Gods goodnes some sorrow for my sinnes past and haue called on him in hope and confidence that he would heare me 9 God might haue concealed his word from me but I haue heard the plētifull preaching of it I vnderstand it and haue receiued comfort by it 10 Lastly at this time God might powre his full wrath on me which he doth not but mercifully maketh me to feele mine owne wants that I might be humbled and giue all glorie vnto him for his blessings Wherefore there is no cause why I should be disquieted but I will trust still in the Lord and depend on him as I haue done Sathan Thou feelest no grace of the holy Ghost in thee nor any true tokens of faith but thou hast a liuely sense of the rebellion of thy heart and of thy lewd and wretched conuersation therefore thou canst not put any confidence in Christs death and sufferings Christian. Yet I will hope against all hope although according to mine owne sense and feeling I want faith yet I wil beleeue in Iesus Christ and trust to be saued by him Sathan Though the children of God haue bin in many perplexities yet neuer any of them haue beene in this case in which thou art at this present Christian. Herein thou prouest thy selfe to be a lying spirit for the prophet Dauid saith of himselfe that he was foolish and as a beast before God and yet he euen then trusted in God And Paul was so ledde captiue of sinne that he was not able to doe the good he would but did the euill which he hated and so in great pensiuenes of heart desired to be deliuered from this world that he might be disburdened of his corrupt flesh Sathan Thou miserable wretch doest thou feele thy selfe gracelesse and wilt thou beare the face of a Christian and by thy hypocrisie offend God as thou art so shew thy selfe to the world Christian. Auoide Sathan Christ hath vanquished and ouercome thee for my cause that I might also triumph ouer thee I am no hypocrite for whereas I haue had heretofore some testimonie of my faith at this time I am lesse moued though faith seeme to be absent like as a man may seeme to be dead both in his own sense and by the iudgement of the physitian and yet may haue life in him so faith may be though alwaies it doe not appeare Sathan But thou art a man starke dead in sinne God hath now quite forsaken thee he hath left thee vnto me to be ruled he hath giuen me power ouer thee to bring thee to damnation he wil not haue thee to trust in him any longer Christian. Strengthen me good Lord remember thy mercifull promises that thou wilt reuiue the humble and 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 a rebellious heart Christian. Good Lord forget not thy former mercies giue an issue to these temptations of mine enemie Sathan And you my brethren which know my estate pray for me that God would turne his fauourable countenance towards me for this I know that the praier of the righteous auaileth much if it be feruent HOW A MAN SHOULD APPLIE ARIGHT the word of God to his owne soule I. EVery Christian containeth in himselfe two natures flatte contrarie one to the other the flesh and the spirit and that he may become a perfect man in Christ Iesus his earnest indeauour must be to tame and subdue the flesh and to strengthen and confirme the spirit II Answerable to these two natures are the two parts of Gods word First the Law because it is the ministerie of death it fitly serueth for the taming and mastering of the rebellious flesh and the Gospell containing the bountifull promises of God in Christ is as oyle to power into our woundes and as the water of life to quench our thirstie soules and it fitly serueth for the strengthening of the spirit III Wel then art thou secure Art thou prone to
not hold him guiltlesse that taketh his name in vaine And the Angels in reuerence to Gods Maiestie couer their faces Isai. 6.2 Concerning our neighbour wee are to consider whether the thing which we are about to speake be good or euill This being weighed if it be good and so commendable then we are readily and cheerefully and that vpon euery occasion to vtter it especially in his absence whether he be a friend or a foe as Saint Iohn writeth of Demetrius Demetrius saith he hath good report of all men and of the trueth it selfe yea and we our selues beare record and ye know that our testimonie is true As for the euill which any shall knowe by his neighbour hee is in no wise to speake of it whether it be an infirmitie or a grosse sinne vnlesse in his conscience he shall find himselfe called of God to speake A man is called to speak in three cases First when he is called before a magistrate and is lawfully required to testifie the euil which he knoweth by another II. When any is to admonish his brother of any fault for his amendment III. When the hurt or danger that may arise of the euil is to be preuented in others As a man may say to one well disposed Take heed of such a mans cōpany for he is giuen to such or such a vice To this ende they of the house of Cloe doe certifie Paul of the disorders in Corinth And Ioseph certifieth his father of his brethrens slanders In this case all treasons are to be reuealed as tending to the ruine of the whole common wealth Thus Elisha reuealeth the secret of the king of Syria And if it shall be thought conuenient to mention the euil which we know by any man it must be done onely in generall manner the person and all circumstances which wil descrie the person concealed Concerning things which are secret in our neighbour we are not to be suspitious but to suspēd both speech iudgement Loue suspecteth no euill Iudge nothing saith Paul before the time vntill the Lord come who will lighten thinges that are hid in darkenes and make the counsels of the heart manifest Augustine hath a good and speciall rule to this purpose that there be three things of which we must giue no iudgement Gods predestination the Scriptures and the estate of men vncalled As touching a mans selfe hee is neither to praise nor dispraise himselfe As Salomon saith Let another praise thee and not thine owne mouth a straunger and not thine owne lippes Yet otherwhiles the times doe fall out that a man may vse an holy kind of boasting especially when the disgrace of the person is the disgrace also of the gospell and of religion and of God himselfe as Paul did But wherein saith he any will vse boldnesse I speake foolishly I will vse boldnes They are Hebrewes so am I c. CHAP. III. Of the manner of our speech and what must be done before we speake THus much of the matter of our speech Nowe followeth the manner In the manner of our speaking three things are to bee pondered what must be done before we speake what in speaking what after wee haue spoken Before we speake consideration must bee vsed of the thing to be spoken and of the ende Iames requireth that men should be slowe to speake and swift to heare Salomon saith Hee that answereth a matter before he heare it it is folly and shame to him The minde is the guid of the tongue therefore men must consider before they speake The tongue is the messenger of the heart and therefore as oft as we speake without meditation going before so oft the messenger runneth without his arrand The tongue is placed in the middle of the mouth and it is compassed in with lips and teeth as with a double trench to shewe vs howe we are to vse heede and preconsideration before wee speake and therefore it is good aduise to keep the key of the mouth not in the mouth but in the cupbord of the mouth Augustine saith well that as in eating and drinking men make choice of meates so in manifolde speeches wee should make choice of talke Here are condemned idle words that is such wordes as are spoken to little or no end or purpose And they are not to be esteemed as little sinnes when as men are to giue account of euery idle word CHAP. IV. What is to be done in speaking and of wisdome VVHen we are in speaking two things are to bee practised first care must be had of the speech that it be gratious secondly it is to be vttered with conuenient bonds of trueth The speech is gratious whē it is so vttered that the graces of god wrought in the heart by the holy Ghost are as it were pictured and painted forth in the same for speech is the very image of the heart Contrarie to this is rotten speech that is all such talke as is voide of grace which is the heart and pith of our speech And by this it appeareth that no voice can bee named but with disliking and hereupon in Scriptures when by occasion a vice should be named in token of a loathing thereof the name of the vice is omitted and the name of the contrarie vertue vsed in the roome thereof as in these wordes For Iob thought It may be that my sonnes haue sinned and blessed that is blasphemed God This being true then by proportion the visible representation of the vices of men in the world which is the substance and matter whereof plaies and enterludes are made is much more to be auoided Gods graces which we are to shew forth in our communication are thes◠Wisdome Truth Reuerence Modestie Meekenes Sobrietie in iudgement Vrbanitie Fidelitie Care of others good name and let vs consider of them in order Wisdome in our speech is a goodly ornament The Apostles when they waited for the holy Ghost in Ierusalem it descended vpon them in the forme of fierie tongues then it is said that they spake as the holy Ghost gaue them vtterance in Apophthegmes or wise sentences And hee that gouerns his tongue wisely addeth doctrine to the lips that is so speaketh as that others be made wise thereby This wisedome is then shewed when a man can in iudgement apply his talke and as it were in good manner make it fit to al the circumstances of persons times places things A foole poureth out all his minde but a wise man keepeth in till afterward A word spoken in his place is like apples of gold with pictures of siluer Now he that would haue his speech to be wise must first of al himselfe become a wise man And the wise man of whome the holy scriptures speake is a godly man and such an one as feareth God because this feare of God is the beginning and head of wisdome as on the contrarie
the foole whereof the scripture often speaketh is the vngodly person that maketh no conscience of any sinne And indeede such an one is the most sensles foole of all He that shall euer and anon be casting himselfe into the fire and water and run vpon dangerous places to breake his legges armes necke and further shal take pleasure in doing all this is either a foole or a mad man Now the vngodly man as oft as he sinneth he endeuoureth as much as in him lieth to pitch his soule into hell and whereas he taketh pleasure in sinne he sports himselfe with his owne destruction Furthermore the man fearing god must haue two things in his heart a perswasion of Gods presence and Awe The perswasion of Gods presence is whereby a man is continually resolued that whersoeuer he is he standeth before God who doth see eueÌ„ into the secrets of his heart This was in Cornelius Now therfore saith he we are in gods presence to heare all things that are commanded thee of God Awe in regard of God is that whereby a man behaueth himselfe reuerently because he is in Gods presence Awe is either in regard of sinne or of chastisements Awe in respect of sinne is when one is afraid to sinne fearing not so much the punishment as sinne it selfe because it is sinne For he feareth God indeed which is of this minde that if there were no Iudge to condemne him no hel to torment him no deuil nor conscience to accuse him yet hee would not sinne because Gods blessed Maiestie is by it offended and displeased and if hee had it in his choice whether he would sinne or loose his life he had rather die theÌ„ willingly and wittingly sinne against God This awe being in Ioseph was the cause that moooued him not to commit folly with Putiphars wife How then saith he can I doe this great wickednes and sinne against God Awe in chastisements is when one humbleth himselfe vnder the mightie hand of God with all meekenes and patience when God laieth his hand on him more or lesse When Shemi came foorth and cursed Dauid and flung stones at him what did he truely he stood in awe of God and therefore said What haue I to doe with you ye sonnes of Zeruiah for hee curseth euen because the Lord hath bidden him curse Dauid who dare then say Wherefore hast thou done so When a man is thus made wise that is righteous and fearing God he is so guided by the spirit of feare that he can not but speake wisely Salomon saith The lippes of the righteous know what is acceptable but the mouth of the wicked speaketh froward things And againe The heart of the wise guideth the mouth wisely Contrarie to this is fonde and foolish talke an example hereof we haue in Luke where Pilate wanting the feare of God saith I finde no fault in Christ let vs therefore chastise him and send him away Whereas he ought to haue reasoned thus I finde no fault in him therefore let vs send him away without chastisement CHAP. V. Of Truth and of Reuerence in speech TRuth of speech is a vertue whereby a man speaketh as he thinketh and so consequently he speaketh as euery thing is so farre forth as possibly he can It is made a note of a righteous man to speake the truth from the heart and they that deale truly are Gods delight This is alwaies required in all our doctrines accusations defences testimonies promises bargainings counsels but especially in Iudges and Magistrates sitting on iudgement seat because then they stand in Gods stead who is truth it selfe To this place belongeth Apologie which is when a Christian called before a Magistrate and straightly examined of his religion confesseth Christ boldly and denieth not the truth Contrarie to this is lying cogging glosing smoothing dissembling as for example Gehazi after he had receiued money and garments of Naaman the Syrian against Elishas will he went and stood before his master who said vnto him Whence commest thou Gehazi who making it nothing to lie for a vantage smoothed it ouer finely and said Thy seruant went no whither To the like effect and purpose report is made of a rich man that had two chests the one whereof he calleth all the world the other his friend In the first he putteth nothing in the second he putteth all his substance When his neighbour came to borrow money he vseth to answer truly I haue neuer a pennie in all the world meaning his emptie chest but I will see saith he what my friend can doe looking thereby for interest by the money out of his other chest This vice is very common and it is a rare thing to finde a man that maketh a conscience of a lie Lying is when a man speaketh otherwise then the truth is with a purpose to deceiue Here note that there is great difference betweene these two speeches It is an vntruth and It is a lie The first may be vsed when a man speaketh falshoods But in vsing the second we must be heedie and sparing for when a man is chalenged for a lie three things are laid to his charge I. That he speaketh falsly II. That he is willing to doe so III. That he hath a desire and purpose to deceiue Quest. Whether may not a man lie if it be for the procuring of some great good to our neighbour or to the whole countrey where we are Ans. No Reasons are these I. Lying is forbidden as an abomination to the Lord. II. We are not to doe any euill that good may come thereof III. He which lieth in so doing conformeth himselfe to the deuil who is a lier and the father thereof Obiect I. Such lying is for our neighbours good and not against charitie Ans. No for charitie reioyceth in the truth Obiect II. The holy Scriptures haue mentioned the lies of the Patriarkes Ans. We must not liue by examples against rules of Gods word Obiect III. Rahab and the midwiues of Egypt in sauing the spies and in preseruing the Israelites infants vsed lying and are commended for their facts Ans. They are commended for their faith not for their lying The workes which they did were excellent works of mercie and theâ—efore to be allowed and the doers failed onely in the manner of performing them As truth is required in speech so also reuerence to God and man Reuerence to God is when we so speake of God and vse his titles that we shew reuerence our selues and more reuerence in others If thou wilt not keepe saith the Lord and doe all the wordes of this law that are written in this booke and feare the glorious and fearefull name THE LORD THY GOD then the Lord will make thy plagues wonderfull Here take heede of all maner of blaspheming which is when men vse such speeches of God as doe either detract any thing from his Maiestie or ascribe any thing to him
Honour thy father and thy mother that they may prolong thy daies Now they prolong the childrens daies by praying to God for blessings on them and by such like duties It is an vse in all places when a man neeseth to salute him by saying Christ helpe you But there is no cause why the words should then be vsed more then at another time The reasons are I. it is an olde custome fetched from the Gentiles before Christ and hath no ground at all for they vsed with the like wordes to wish men health because they thought neesing to be a sacred and holy thing and because some take it to be a signe of vnhappie and euill successe which indeed is otherwise II. If there be any daunger in the braine before neesing when a man hath neesed the danger is past as learned physitians teach therefore there is no cause of the vsing such words then more then at coughing Against the practise of saluting each other some things may be obiected 1. Ioh. epist. 2. vers 10. If there come any vnto you and bring not this doctrine receiue him not to house neither bidde him God speede Answer This place doth not forbid common ciuilitie and curtesie of man to man but onely familiaritie and acquaintance with heretickes yea such acquaintance and familiaritie as may seeme to giue approbation and applause to their badde proceedings II. Elisha sending Gehazi his seruant to lay his staffe on the dead childe of the Sunamite bad him if he met any not to salute them and if they spake to him not to answer them 2. King 4.29 And whē our Sauiour Christ sent his Disciples to preach in Iudea he had them to salute no man by the way Luk. 10.4 Answ. The intent of these two places is not to forbid men to salute others but rather to inioyne Gehazi and the Disciples of Christ onely to omit for that time the practise of the duties of common curtesie so farre forth as they might hinder or delay the performance of weightier affaires Our answers must be soft that anger be neither kindled nor increased A soft answer putteth away wrath but grieuous words stirre vp anger Nabal by churlish language prouoked Dauid to wrath but Abigail by the contrarie appeased him Gedeon spake gently to the men of Ephraim when they were angrie against him and appeased them For the text saith When he had thus spoken then their spirits abated towardes him Therefore Salomon saith well A ioy commeth to a man by the answer of his mouth but how good is a word in due season Now if any shall raile on vs our dutie is not to raile againe Blesse them that persecute you blesse I say and curse not Be courteous not rendring euill for euill neither rebuke for rebuke but contrariwise blesse knowing that ye be thereunto called that you should be heyres of blessing This thing was notably practised by Dauid Psal. 109.4 For my friendship they were mine aduersaries but I gaue my selfe to prayer And therefore in this case either silence is to be vsed or at the most onely a iust and manifest defence of our innocencie to be made Ezechias commaunded the people to be silent and not to say any thing to the speech of Rabsachai now flattering now threatning When Eli spake hardly of Anna and bad her put away her drunkennes shee answered Nay my lord I am a woman troubled in spirit I haue neither drunke wine nor strong drinke but haue powred out my soule before the Lord. Thus Ioseph cleares himselfe saying I haue done nothing wherefore they should put me in the dungeon And Daniel to Nabuchodonosor Vnto thee O King haue I done no hurt And our Sauiour Christ when the Iewes said vnto him Say we not true that thou art a Samaritane and hast a deuill answered I haue not a deuill but I honour my father and ye haue dishonoured me And Paul beeing to make an Apologie for himselfe beginnes thus Men and brethren I haue in all good conscience serued God vnto this day Now when a man hath thus cleared himselfe though his owne word in his owne behalfe take no effect yet let him patiently commit his cause to God who in time will manifest the truth and bring it to light as Dauid did Iudge me O God saith he for I haue walked in min◠innocencie And againe The wicked watcheth the righteous and seeketh to slay him but the Lord will not leaue him in his hand nor condemne him when he is iudged Meekenes in reproofe is when any shall admonish his brother of any fault for his amendment with the like moderation that Chirurgeons vse who beeing to set the arme or legge that is forth of ioynt handle it so tenderly that the patient shall skant feele when the bone falls in againe This counsell Paul giueth Brethren if any man be fallen by occasion into any fault ye which are spiritual restore such a one or set him in ioynt againe with the spirit of meeknes This was practised by Abraham towards Lot when their heardmen were at variance saying Let there be I pray thee no strife between thee me neither between mine heardmen and thine for we are brethren And this is done foure waies First when we reproue a man generally as Nathan did Dauid by a parable Secondly when in the roome of a reproofe we put an exhortation in the exhortation insinuating an oblique reproofe as when a man shall sweare in his talke I shall not neede alwaies to say Ye do very il to sweare and so to dishonour God but I wil lap it vp in the forme of an exhortation as pills are lapt in sugar by saying Yea and nay yea and nay shall serue among vs. Rebuke not an elder but exhort him as a father and young men as brethrē saith Paul to Timothie Thirdly when the reproofe is propounded in a mans own person as though he were faultie which reprooueth Paul practised this Now these things brethren saith he I haue figuratiuely applied to mine owne selfe and Apollos for your sakes that yee might learne by vs that no man presume aboue that which is written Fourthly when the fault is directly reprooued but yet partly with prefaces that we doe it of loue that we wish well to the partie that we speake as considering our selues that wee also are in danger of the same fault and partly by framing the reproofe out of the worde of God that the partie may see himselfe rather to be reprooued by God then by vs after this maner the inferiour may admonish his superiour especially when there is no other way of redresse and he is to listen yeelding himselfe tractable Naaman is aduised by his seruant who said Father if the Prophet had commanded thee a great thing wouldst thou not haue done it howe much rather then when he saith to thee Wash be cleane Then went he downe
admitte an vntrueth As for the measure of grace it can be but small in respect where as we doe receiue but the first fruits of the spirit in this life and must waite for the accomplishment of our redemption till the life to come For all this the power and efficacie of the spirit is such that it is able to preuaile ordinarily against the flesh For the flesh receiues his deadly wound at the first instant of a mans conuersion and continually dieth after by little and little and therefore it fights but as a maymed souldier And the spirit is continually confirmed and increased by the holy Ghost also it is liuely and stirring and the vertue of it is like muske one graine whereof will giue a stronger smell then many ounces of other perfumes Some may say that the godly man doeth more feele the flesh then the spirit and therefore that the flesh is euery waie more then the spirit I answere that we must not measure our estate by feeling which may easily deceiue vs. A man shall feele a paine which is but in the top of his finger more sensibly then the health of his whole bodie yet the health of the bodie is more then then the paine of a finger Secondly wee feele corruption not by corruption but by grace and therfore men the more they feele their inward corruptions the more grace they haue Thus much of the combate it selfe nowe let vs come to the manner of this fight It is fought by Lusting To lust in this place signifies to bring forth and to stirre vp motions and inclinations in the heart either to good or euill Lusting is two-fold the lusting of the flesh and the lusting of the spirit The lusting of the flesh hath two actions the first is to engender euill motions and passions of selfe-loue enuie pride vnbeleefe anger c. Saint Iames â—aith that men are enticed and drawne away by their owne concupiscence Nowe this enticing is onely by the suggestion of bad cogitations and desires This action of the flesh made Paul say that he was carnall sold vnder sinne The second action of the flesh is to hinder and quench and ouerwhelme all the good motions of the spirit Paul found this in himselfe when hee said I see another lawe in my members rebelling against the lawe of the minde and leading me captiue to the lawe of sinne By reason of this action of the flesh the man regenerate is like to one in a slumber troubled with the disease called Ephialtes or the mare who thinkes that he feeles something lying on his breast as heauy as a mountaine and would faine haue it away whereupon hee striues and labours by hands and voice to remooue it but for his life can not doe it On the contrarie the lusting of the spirit containes two other actions The first is to beget good meditations motions inclinations and desires in the minde will and affections Of this Dauid speaketh My reines teach me in the night season that is my minde affection and will and my whole soule beeing sanctified and guided by the spirit of God doe minister vnto me coÌ„sideratioÌ„s of the way in which I ought to walke Isaias prophesying of the church of the newe testament saieth When a man goeth to the right hand or to the left hee shall heare a voice saying Here is the waie walke ye in it Which voice is not onely the outward preaching of the ministers but also the inward voice of the spirit The second action of the spirit is to hinder and suppresse the bad motions and suggestions of the flesh S. Iohn saith he that is borne of God sinneth not because his seede remaineth in him that is grace wrought in the heart by the holy Ghost which resisteth the rebellious desires of the flesh That the manner of this fight may more clearely appeare wee must examine it more particularly In the soule of man there bee to speciall partes the minde and the will In the minde there is a double combate The first is betweene knowledge of the word of God and naturall ignorance or blindnesse For seeing we doe in this life knowe but in part therefore knowledge of the truth must needs be ioyned with ignorance in all that are enlightened and one of these being contrarie to another they striue to ouershadowe and ouercast each other Hence we may learne the cause why excellent diuines doe varie in diuers points of religion and it is because in this combate naturall blindnesse yet remaining preuailes more or lesse Men that are dimme sighted and cannot discerne without spectacles if they be set to discrie a thing a farre off the most of them would be of diuers opinions of it And men inlightned and regenerate in this life doe but see as in a glasse darkely Againe this must teach all students of diuinitie often to suspect themselues in their opinions and defences seeing in them that are of soundest iudgement the light of their vnderstanding is mixed with darkenes of ignoraÌ„ce And they can in many points see but as the maÌ„ in the gospell who when our Sauiour Christ had in part opened his eies saw meÌ„ walking not as meÌ„ but in the forme of trees Also this must teach al that read the scriptures to inuocate cal vpon the name of god that he would enlighten them by his spirit and abolish the mist of naturall blindnesse The Prophet Dauid was worthily inlightned with the knowledge of Gods word so as he excelled the auncient and his owne teachers in wisdome yet beeing priuie to himselfe touching his owne blindnesse often praieth in the Psalmes Inlighten mine eies that I may vnderstand the wonders of thy lawe By reason of this fight when naturall blindnesse preuailes the child of god truely inlightned with knowledge to life euerlasting may erre not onely in lighter points but euen in the verie foundation of religion as the Corinthians and the Galathians did And as one man may erre so an hundred men may also yea a whole particular Church and as one Church may erre so an hundred more may For in respect of this combate the estate and condition of all men is alike Whence it appeares that the Church militant vpon earth is subiect to errour But yet as the diseases of the bodie be of two sortes some curable and some incurable which are to death so likewise errours are And the Church though it be subiect to sundrie falls yet it cannot erre in foundation to death the errours of Gods children be curable Some may here say If all men and Churches be subiect to errour then it shall not be good to ioyne with any of them but to separate from them all I answere though they may and doe erre yet wee must not separate from them so long as they doe not separate from Christ. The second combate in the mind is between faith and vnbeleefe For faith is imperfect and mixt with the contrarie
God a member of Christ in respect of coniunction with him and shall be restored to his former estate after serious repentance And God permits these foiles for weightie causes first that men might be abashed and confounded in themselues with the consideration of their vile natures and learne not to swell with pride because of Gods grace Paul â—aith thâ—t after he had beene rapt into the third heauen the angel Satan was sent to buâ—fet him and as we say to beate him blacke and blew that he might not be exalted out of measure The second that we may learne to denie our selues cleâ—ue vnto the Lord froÌ„ the bottom of our hearts Paul saith that he was sick to death that he might not trust in himselfe but in God who raiseth the dead Thus much of the manner of the combat now followes the cause of it The cause is the contrarietie that is betweene the flesh and the spirit As Paul saith The wisdome of the flesh is enmitie to God Hence we are taught that since the fall there is no free-will in man in spirituall matters concerning either the worship of God or life euerlasting For flesh is nothing else but our naturall disposition and man is nothing else but flesh by nature for the spirit comes afterward by grace and the flesh is flatte contrarie to the spirit which makes vs doe that which is pleasing vnto God Wherefore the will naturally is a flat bondslaue vnto sinne Againe hence we may learne that it is not an easie matter to practise religion which is to liue according to the spirit to which our naturall disposition is as contrarie as fire to water wherefore if we will obey God we must learne to force our natures to the duties of godlines yea euen sweate and take paines therein Lastly here we may learne the nature of sinne The spirit is not a substance but a qualitie and therefore the flesh which is nothing else but originall sinne and is contrarie to the spirit must also be a qualitie for such as the nature of one contrarie is such is the other There is in euery man the substance of bodie and soule this can not be sinne for then the spirit also should be the substance of man There is also in the substance the faculties of bodie and soule and they can not be sinne for then euery man should haue lost the faculties of his soule by Adams fall Lastly in the faculties there is a contagion or corruption which carieth them against the law and that is properly sinne and the flesh which is contrarie to the spirit The fourth point is touching the persons in whome this combate is Paul shewes who they are when he saith So that ye can not c. where it appeares that such as haue this combat in them must be as the Galatians men iustified and sanctified and yet not all such but onely they that be of yeares for the infants of the faithfull howsoeuer we must repute them to belong to the kingdome of heauen and therefore to be iustified and sanctified yet because they doe not commit actuall sinne they want this combat of the flesh and spirit which stands in action As for those which be vnregenerate they neuer felt this fight If any say that the worst man in the world when he is about to commit any sinne hath a strife and fight in him It is true indeede but that is an other kinde of combat which is betweene the conscience and the heart The conscience on the one part terrifying the man from sinne the will and the affections hailing and pulling him thereunto the will and the affections wishing and desiring that sinne were no sinne and Gods commandement abolished whereas contrariwise the conscience with a shrill voice proclaimes sinne to be sinne This fight was in Pilate who by the force of his conscience feared to condemne Christ and yet was willing and yeelded to condemne him that he might please the people Furthermore this combat is in the regenerate but during the time of this life For they which are perfectly sanctified feele no strife If any shall say that this combat was in Christ when he said Father if it be thy will let this cuppe passe from me yet not my will but thine be done Indeede here is a combat but of an other sort namely the fight of two diuerse desires the one was a desire to doe his fathers will in suffering the death of the crosse the other a naturall desire which was no sinne but a meere infirmitie of humane nature whereby he in his manhood desires as the manner of nature is to seeke the preseruation of it selfe to haue the cursed death of the crosâ—e remooued from him The fifth point is the effect of this combat which is to make the man regenerate that he can not doe the things which he would and this must be vnderstood in things both good and euill And first he can not doe the euill which he would for two causes First because he can not commit sinne at what time soeuer he would Saint Iohn saith He that is borne of God sinneth not neither can he sinne because he is borne of God that is he can not sinne at his pleasure or when he will Ioseph when he was assaulted by Putiphars wife to adulterie because the grace of God abounded in him whereby he answered her saying Shall I doe this and sinne against God he could not then sinne Lot because his righteous heart was grieued in seeing and hearing the abominations of Sodom could not then sinne as they of Sodom did Hence it appeares that such persons as liue in the daily practise of sinne against their own consciences though they be professours of the true religion of Christ haue no soundnes of grace in them Secondly the man regenerate can not sinne in what manner he would and there be two reasons thereof First he can not sinne with full consent of will or with all his heart because the will so farre forth as it is regenerate resisteth and and draweth backe yea euen then when a man is carried headlong by the passions of the flesh he feeles some contrarie motions of a regenerate conscience It is a rule that sinne doth not raigne in the regenerate For so much grace as is wrought in the minde will affections so much is abated proportionally of the strength of the flesh Wherefore when he commits any sinne he doth it partly willingly and partly against his will As the marriners in the tempest cast Ionas into the sea willingly for otherwise they had not done it and yet against their wills too which appeares because they praied and cast their goods out of the shippe and laboured in the rowing against the tempest and that very long before they cast him out And herein lies the difference betweene two men committing one and the same sinne the one of them beeing regenerate the other vnregenerate For the latter sinnes
hoping of your Lordships good acceptance I commend you to God and to the word of his grace 1596. Iune 14. Your L. to command William Perkins OF CONSCIENCE CHAP. I. What Conscience is COnscience is a part of the vnderstanding in all reasonable creatures determining of their particular actions either with them or against them I say conscience is a part of the vnderstanding and I shewe it thus God in framing of the soule placed in it two principall faculties Vnderstanding and Will Vnderstāding is that facultie in the soule wherby we vse reason it is the more principall part seruing to rule order the whole man therfore it is placed in the soule to be as the wagginer in the waggin The Will is another facultie whereby wee doe will or nill any thing◠that is choose or refuse it With the will is ioyned sundrie affectiōs as ioy sorrow loue hatred c. whereby we imbrace or eschewe that which is good or euill Nowe conscience is not placed in the affections nor will but in the vnderstanding because the actions thereof stand in the vse of reason Vnderstanding againe hath two parts The first is that which stands in the viewe and contemplation of trueth and falshood and goes no further The second is that which standes in the view and consideration of euery particular action to search whether it be good or badde The first is called the Theoricall the second the practicall vnderstanding And vnder this latter is conscience to be comprehended because his propertie is to iudge of the goodnes or badnes of things or actions done Againe I say that conscience is a part of the minde or vnderstanding to shewe that conscience is not a bare knowledge or iudgement of the vnderstāding as men commōly write but a naturall power facultie or created qualitie from whence knowledge and iudgement proceede as effects This the Scriptures confirme in that they ascribe sundrie workes and actions to conscience as accusing excusing comforting terrifying which actions could not thence proceede if conscience were no more but an action or act of the mind Indeede I grant it may be taken for a kind of actuall knowledge in the minde of man but to speake properly this knowledge must proceede of a power in the soule the propertie whereof is to take the principles and conclusions of the mind and apply them and by applying either to accuse or excuse This is the ground of all and this I take to be conscience If it be obiected that conscience cannot be a naturall power because it may be lost I answer if conscience be lost it is onely in respect of the vse thereof as reason is lost in the drunken man and not otherwise I adde that the proper subiects of conscience are reasonable creatures that is men and Angels Hereby conscience is excluded first of all from bruite beasts for though they haue life and sense and in many things some shadows of reason yet because they want true reason they want conscience also Secōdly from God the creator who beeing righteousnes it selfe needeth not conscience to order and gouerne his actions And whereas Peter saieth 1. Pet. 2. 19. that men must endure griefe wrongfully for conscience of god his meaning is not to shewe that God hath conscience but that men are to suffer many wrongs because their conscience doe bind them in so doing to obey Gods wil which conscience directly respecteth And I say that conscience is in all reasonable creatures that none might imagine that some men by nature haue conscience in them some none at all For as many men as there are so many consciences there be and euery particular man hath his owne particular conscience The proper end of conscience is to determine of things done And by this conscience is distinguished from all other gifts of the minde as intelligence opinion science faith prudence Intelligence simplie conceiues a thing to be or not to be opinion iudgeth a thing to be probable or contingent science iudgeth to be certen and sure faith is a perswasion whereby we beleeue things that are not prudence discerneth what is meet to be done what to bee left vndone but conscience goes further yet then all these for it determines or giues sentence of things done by saying vnto vs this was done this was not done this may bee done this may not be done this was well done this was ill done The things that conscience determines of are a mans own actions his own actions I say To be certen what an other man hath said or done it is commōly called knowledge but for a man to be certaine what he himselfe hath done or said that is conscience Againe conscience meddles not with generals onely it deales in particular actions and that not in some few but in all The manner of consciences determination is to set downe his iudgement either with the creature or against it I adde this clause because conscience is of a diuine nature and is a thing placed of God in the middest betweene him and man as an arbitratour to giue sentence and to pronounce either with mā or against man vnto God For otherwhiles it consents and speaks with God against the man in whome it is placed otherwhiles againe it consents with him and speakes for him before the Lord. And hence comes one reason of the name of conscience Scire to knowe is of one man alone by himselfe and conscire is when two at the least knowe some one secret thing either of them knowing it togither with the other Therefore the name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or conscientia Conscience is that thing that combines two togither and makes thē partners in the knowledge of one and the same secret Now man and man or man and Angel cannot be combined because they cannot knowe the secret of any man vnlesse it be reuealed to them it remaines therefore that this combinatiō is onely betweene man and God God knowes perfectly all the doings of man though they be neuer so hid and concealed and man by a gift giuen him of God knowes togither with God the same things of himselfe and this gift is named Conscience CHAP. II. Of the duties of Conscience THe proper actions or duties of conscience are twofold to giue testimony or to giue iudgement Rom. 2.15 Conscience giues testimonie by determining that a thing was done or it was not done Rom. 2.15 Their conscience also bearing witnesse 2. Cor. 1.12 Our reioycing is the testimonie of our conscience that in c. Here we must consider three things I. of what things conscience beares witnes II. in what manner III. how long For the first conscience beares witnesse of our thoughts of our affections of our outward actions That it beares witnesse of our secret thoughts it appeares by the solemne protestation which at some time men vse In my conscience I neuer thought it whereby they signifie that they thinke something or they
good and euill Now the heart of man beeing exceedingly obstinate and peruerse carrieth him to commit sinnes euen against the light of nature and common conscience by practise of such sinnes the light of nature is extinguished and then commeth the reprobate minde which iudgeth euill good and good euill after this followes the seared conscience in which there is no feeling or remorse and after this comes an exceeding greedines to all manner of sinne Eph. 4.18 Rom. 1.28 Here it may be demanded how mens consciences shall accuse them in the day of iudgement if they be thus benummed and seared in this life Ans. It is said Rev. 20.12 that at the last iudgement all shall be brought before Christ and that the bookes then shall be opened among these bookes no doubt conscience is one Wherefore though a dead conscience in this life be as a closed or sealed booke because it doth either little or nothing accuse yet after this life it shall be as a booke laide open because God shall inlighten it and so stirre it vp by his mightie power that it shall be able to reueale and discouer all the sinnes that a man euer committed Stirring conscience is that which doth sensibly either accuse or excuse And it hath foure differences The first which accuseth a man for doing euill This must needes be an euill conscience Because to accuse is not a propertie that belongs to it by creation but a defect that followeth after the fall And if the conscience which truly accuseth a man for his sinnes were a good conscience then the worst man that is might haue a good conscience which can not be When the accusation of the conscience is more forcible and violent it is called a wounded or troubled conscience which though of it selfe it be not good nor any grace of God yet by the goodnes of God it serueth often to be an occasion or preparation to grace as a needle that drawes the threed into the cloath is some meanes whereby the cloath is sewed togither The second is that which accuseth for doing well And it is to be found in them that are giuen to idolatrie and superstition As in the Church of Rome in which because mens consciences are iâ—snared and intangled with humane traditions many are troubled for doing that which is good in it selfe or at the least a thing indifferent As for exaÌ„ple let a priest omit to say masse to say his canonical houres his conscieÌ„ce will accuse him therfore though the omitting of the canonicall houres and of the idolatrous masse be indeed by-Gods word no sinne The third is the conscience which excuseth for doing that which is euill This also is to be found in them that are giuen to idolatrie and superstition And there is a particular example hereof Ioh. 16. â— Yea the time shal come that whosoeuer killeth youâ— will thinke that he doth God good seruice Such is the conscience of Popish traytours in these daies that are neuer touched at all though they intend and enterprise horrible villanies and be put to death therefore The fourth is that which excuseth for well doing at some times in some particular actions of carnall men When Abimelech had taken Sarai from Abraham God said vnto him in a dreame I know that thou diddest this with an vpright minde Gen. 20.6 This may be tearmed good conscience but is indeede otherwise For though it doe truly excuse in one particular action yet because the man in whom it is may be vnregenerate and as yet out of Christ and because it doth accuse in many other matters therefore it is no good conscience If all the vertues of naturall men are indeede but certaine beautifull sinnes and their righteousnes but a carnall righteousnes then the conscience also of a carnall man though it excuse him for well doing is but a carnall conscience CHAP. IIII. Mans dutie touching conscience MAns dutie concerning conscience is two-fold The first is if he want good conscience aboue all things to labour to obtaine it for it is not giuen by nature to any man but comes by grace For the obtaining of good conscience three things must be procured a preparation to good conscience the applying of the remedie the reformation of conscience In the preparation foure things are required The first is the knowledge of the law and the particular commandements thereof whereby we are taught what is good what is badde what may be done and what may not be done The men of our daies that they may haue the right knowledge of the law must lay aside many erronious and foolish opinions which they hold flat against the true meaning of the law of God otherwise they can neuer be able to discerne betweene sinne and no sinne Their speciall and common opinions are these I. That they can loue God with all their hearts and their neighbours as themselues that they feare God aboue all and trust in him alone and that they euer did so II. That to rehearse the Lords praier the beleefe and ten Commandements without vnderstanding of the wordes and without affection is the true and whole worship of God III. That a man may seeke to wizzards and soothsaiers without offence because God hath prouided a salue for euery sore IV. That to sweare by good things and in the way of truth is not a sinne V. That a man going about his ordinarie affaires at home or abroad on the Sabbath day may as well serue God as they which heare all in the sermons in the world VI. That religion and the practise thereof is nothing but an affected precisenes that couetousnes the roote of euill is nothing but worldlines that pride is nothing but a care of honestie and cleanlines that single fornication is nothing but the tricke of youth that swearing and blaspheming argue the couragious minde of a braue gentleman VII That a man may doe with his owne what he will and make as much of it as he can Hence arise all the frauds and bad practises in trafficke betweene man and man The second thing required is the knowledge of the iudiciall sentence of the law which resolutely pronounceth that a curse is due to man for euery sinne Gal. 3.10 Very few are resolued of the truth of this point and very few doe vnfainedly beleeue it because mens minds are possessed with a contrarie opinion that though they sinne against God yet they shall escape death damnation Dauid saith The wicked man that is euery man naturally blesseth himselfe Psal. 10.3 and he maketh a league with hell and death Esa. 28.15 This appeareth also by experience Let the ministers of the Gospell reprooue sinne and denounce Gods iudgements against it according to the â—ule of Gods word yet men will not feare stones will almost as soone mooue in the walls and the pillars of our Churches as the flintie hearts of men And the reason hereof is because their mindes are forestalled with
See Petrarch saith Once Rome now Babylon And Ireneus booke 5. chap. last said before all these that Antichrist should be Lateinus a Romane Againe this commandement must not so much be vnderstood of a bodily departure in respect of cohabitation and presence as of a spirituall separation in respect of faith and religion And the meaning of the holy Ghost is that men must depart from the Romish Church in regard of iudgement and doctrine in regard of their faith and the worship of God Thus then we see that the words containe a commandement from God inioyning his Church and people to make a separation froÌ„ Babylon Whence I obserue That all those who will be saued must depart and separate themselues froÌ„ the faith and religion of this present Church of Rome And whereas they are charged with schisme that separate on this manner the truth is they are not schismaticks that doe so because they haue the commandement of God for their warrant and that partie is the schismaticke in whome the cause of this separation lieth and that is the Church of Rome namely the cup of abomination in the whores hand which is their hereticall and schismaticall religion Now touching the dutie of separation I meane to speake at large not standing so much to prooue the same because it is euident by the text as to shew the manner and measure of making this separation and therein I will handle two things First how farforth we may ioyne with them in the matter of religion secondly how farforth and wherein we must dissent and depart from them And for this cause I meane to make choice of certaine points of religion and to speake of them in as good order as I can shewing in each of them our consent and difference and the rather because some harpe much vpon this string that a Vnion may be made of our two religions and that we differ not in substance but in points of circumstance The first point wherewith I meane to beginne shall be the point of Free-will though it be not the principall I. Our consent Freewill both by them and vs is taken for a mixt power in the minde and will of man whereby discerning what is good and what is euill he doth accordingly choose or refuse the same I. Conclus Man must be considered in a foure-fold estate as he was created as he was corrupted as he is renewed as he shal be glorified In the first estate we ascribe to mans will libertie of nature in which he could will or â—ill either good or euill in the third libertie of grace in the last libertie of glorie All the doubt is of the second estate and yet therein also we agree as the conclusions following will declare II. Conclus The matters where about freewill is occupied are principally the actions of men which be of three sorts naturall humane spirituall Naturall actions are such as are coÌ„mon to men with beasts as to eate drink sleepe heare see smell tast and to mooue from place to place in all which we ioyne with the Papists and hold that man hath freewil and euen since the fall of Adam by naturall power of the mind doth freely performe any of these actions or the like III. Conclus Humane actions are such as are common to all men good bad as to speake and vse reason the practise of all mechanicall and liberal arts and the outward performance of Ciuill and Ecclesiasticall duties as to come to the Church to speake and preach the word to reach out the hand to receiue the Sacrament and to lend the eare to listen outwardly to that which is taught And hither we may referre the outward actions of ciuill vertues as namely Iustice temperance gentlenes liberalitie And in these also we ioyne with the Church of Rome and say as experience teacheth that men haue a naturall freedome of will to put them or not to put them in execution Paul saith Rom. 2.14 The Gentiles that haue not the law doe the things of the law by nature that is by natural strength and he saith of himselfe that before his conuersion touching the righteousnes of the law he was vnblameable Phil. 3. 6. And for this externall obedience naturall men receiue reward in temporall things Matth. 6.5 Ezech. 29.19 And yet here some caueats must be remembred I. that in humane actions mans will is weake and feeble and his vnderstanding dimme and darke and thereupon he often failes in them And in all such actions with Augustine I vnderstand the will of man to be onely wounded or halfe dead II. That the will of man is vnder the will of God and therfore to be ordered by it as Ieremie saith chap. 10.23 O Lord I know that the way of man is not in himselfe neither is in man to walke or direct his steppes IV. Conclus The third kind of actions are spirituall more neerely concerning the heart or conscience and these be two-fold they either concerne the kingdome of darknes or els the kingdome of God Those that concerne the kingdome of darknes are sinnes properly and in these we likewise ioyne with the Papists and teach that in sinnes or euill actions man hath freedome of wil. Some peraduenture will say that we sinne necessarily because he that sinneth cannot but sinne and that freewill necessitie cannot stand together Indeed the necessitie of compulsion or coaction and freewill cannot agree but there is another kind of necessitie which may stand with freedome of will for some things may be done necessarily and also freely A man that is in close prison must needes there abide and can not possibly get forth and walke where he will yet can he mooue himselfe freely and walke within the prison so likewise though mans will be chained naturally by the bonds of sinne and therefore cannot but sinne and thereupon sinneth necessarily yet doth it also sinne freely V. Conclus The second kind of spirituall actions or things concerne the kingdome of God as repentance faith the conuersion of a sinner new obedience and such like in which we likewise in part ioyne with the Church of Rome and say that in the first conuersion of a sinner mans freewill concurres with Gods grace as a fellow or coworker in some sort For in the conuersion of a sinner three things are required the word Gods spirit and mans will for mans will is not passiue in all euery respect but hath an actioÌ„ in the first coÌ„uersion and change of the soule When any man is conuerted this worke of God is not done by compulsion but he is conuerted willingly and at the very time when he is conuerted by Gods grace he wills his conuersion To this ende saide Augustine Serm. 15. de verb. Apost He which made thee without thee will not saue thee without thee Againe That is certen that our will is required in this that we may doe any good thing well but we haue it not from our owne
thee that if thou be demaunded what in thy estimation is the vilest of the creatures vpon earth thine heart and conscience may answer with a loud voyce I euen I by reason of mine own sinnes and againe if thou be demanded what is the best thing in the world for thee thy heart and conscience may answer againe with a strong and loude crie One droppe of the blood of Christ to wash away my sinnes 6 Shew thy selfe to be a member of Christ a seruant of God not onely â—n the general calling of a Christian but also in the particular calling in which thou art placed It is not enough for a Magistrate to be a christiaÌ„ man but he must also be a christian magistrate it is not enough for a master of a family to be a christian man or a christian in the church but he must also be a christian in his family in the trade which he followeth daily Not euery one that is a coÌ„mon hearer of the word and a frequenter of the Lords table is therefore a good Christian vnles his conuersation in his priuate house in his priuate affaires and dealings be sutable There is a man to be seene what he is 7 Search the Scriptures to see what is sinne what is not sinne in euery action this done carrie in thy heart a constant a resolute purpose not to sin in any thing for faith and the purpose of sinning can neuer stand together 8 Let thine indeuour be sutable to thy purpose therefore exercise thy selfe to eschew euery sinne and to obey God in euery one of his commandements that pertaine either to the generall calling of a Christian or to thy particular calling Thus did good Iosias who turned vnto God with all his heart according to all the law of Moses 1. King 25.25 thus did Zacharie Elizabeth that walked in all the coÌ„mandemeÌ„ts of God without reproof Luk. 1.6 9 If at any time against thy purpose resolution thou be ouertaken with any sinne litle or great lie not in it but speedily recouer thy self by repeÌ„tance humble thy selfe confessing thy offences by praier intreating the Lord to pardon the same and that earnestly till such time as thou findest thy conscience truly pacified and thy care to eschew the same sinne encreased 10 Consider often of the right and proper ende of thy life in this world which is not to seeke profit honour pleasure but that in seruing of men we might serue god in our callings God could if it so pleased him preserue man without the ministerie of man but his pleasure is to fulfill his worke and willing the preseruation of our bodies saluation of our soules by the imploiment of men in his seruice euery one according to his vocation Neither is there so much as a bondslaue but he must in and by his faithfull seruice to his master serue the Lord. Men therefore doe commonly profane their labours and liues by aiming at a wrong ende when all their care consisteth onely in getting sufficient maintenance for them and theirs for the obtaining of credit riches and carnall commodities For thus men serue themselues and not God or men much lesse doe they serue God in seruing of men 11 Giue all diligence to make thy election sure and to gather manifold tokens thereof For this cause obserue the workes of Gods prouidence loue and mercie both in thee and vpon thee from time to time for the serious consideration of them and the laying of them together when they are many and seuerall minister much direction assurance of Gods fauour and comfort This was the practise of Dauid 1. Sam. 17.33 Psal. 23. all 12 Thinke euermore thy present estate whatsoeuer it be to be the best estate for thee because whatsoeuer befalls thee though it be sicknes or any other affliction or death befalls thee of the good prouidence of God That this may be the better done labour to see and acknowledge a prouidence of God as well in pouertie as in aboundance as well in disgrace as good report as well in sicknes as in health as well in life as in death 13 Pray continually I meane not by solemne and set praier but by secret and inward ejaculations of the heart that is by a continuall eleuation of mind vnto Christ sitting at the right hand of God the father that either by praier or giuing of thanks so often as any occasion shall be offered 14 Thinke often of the worst and most grieuous things that may befall thee either in life or death for the name of Christ make a reckoning of them and prepare thy self to beare them that when they come they may not seeme strange and be borne more easily 15 Make conscience of idle vain vnhonest vngodly thoughts for these are the seeds beginnings of actuall sinne in word and deede This want of care in ordering composing of our thoughts is often punished with a fearfull temptâ—tion in the very thought called of Diuines Tentatio blasphemiarum a tenâ—tion of blasphemies 16 When any good motion or affection riseth in the heart suffer it not to passe away but feede it by reading meditating praying 17 Whatsoeuer good thing thou goest about whether it be in word or deede doe it not in a conceit of thy selfe or in the pride of thy heart but in humilitie ascribing the power whereby thou doest thy worke and the praise thereof to God otherwise thou shalt finde by experience he will curse thy best doings 18 Despise not ciuill honestie good conscience and good manners must goe togither therefore remember to make conscience of lying and of customable swearing in common talke contend not either in deede or word with any man be courteous and gentle to all good bad beare with mens wants and frailties as hastines frowardnes selfe-liking curiousnes c. passing by them as beeing not perceiued returne not euill for euill but rather good for euill vse meate drinke and apparell in that manner and measure that they may further godlines and may be as it were signes in which thou maiest expresse the hidden grace of thy heart Striue not to goe beyond any vnlesse it be in good things goe before thine equalls in giuing of honour rather then in taking of it make conscience of thy word and let it be as a band professe not more outwardly then thou hast inwardly in heart oppresse or defraud no man in bargaining in all companies either doe good or take good FINIS a Mark 4.32 Matth. 26.38 b Ioh. 12.27 Mark 14.35 c Matth. 26.37,42 Ioh. 12. 29. Hebr. 5.7 d Luk. 22.44 e Hebr. 9.5 1. Cor. 5.5,7 Esa. 53.10,11 f Matt. 26.47 g Ioh. 18.13,14 h Ioh. 18.29 i Luk. 2â— 7,8 k Luk. 23. 15. l Matth. 27.24 26. m the same place n Ioh. 19.18 o Gal. 3. 13. p Matth. 27.35,46 q Coloss. 1.24,15 r Ioh. 19.34 s Heb. 9.15,16 t Luk. 23.43,46 u Ioh. 19. 33,42 x
a queene Luk. 18.11 The Pharisie standing thus praied to himselfe I thanke thee O God that I am not as other men extortioners vniust adulterers nor yet as this Publiâ—an vers 12. I fast twise in the weeke and giue tithe of all my possessions V. That the Gospell of Gods kingdome is meere foolishnes 1. Cor. 2. 14. The naturall man perceiueth not the things of the spirit of God for they are foolishnes vnto him VI. To thinke vncharitably malitiously of such as serue God sincerely Math. 12.24 When the Pharisies heard that they said he casteth not out diuels but by the prince of diuels Psal. 74.2 They said in their heartsâ— Let vs destroy them altogither VII To thinke the day of death farre off Esay 28.15 Ye haue said We haue made a couenant with death and with hell we are at agreement though a scourge runne ouer and passe through it shall not come at vs. VIII That the paines of hell may be eschewed in the place before mentioned they say With hell haue we made agreement IX That God will deferre his both particular and last generall comming to iudgement Luk. 12. 19. I will say vnto my soule soule thou hast much goods laid vp for many yeres and vers 45. If that seruaÌ„t say in his heart my master will deferre his comming c. Many carnall men pretend their good meaning but when God openeth their eies they shall see these rebellious thoughts rising in their minds as sparkles out of a chimney The actuall sinne of both wil and affections is euery wicked motion inclination and desire Gal. 5. The flesh lusteth against the spirit An actuall outward sinne is that to the committing whereof the members of the bodie doe together with the faculties of the soule concurre Such sinns as these are infinite Psal. 40. 12. Innumerable troubles haue compassed me my sins haue taken such hold vpon me that I am not able to looke vp yea they are more in number then the haires of mine head Actuall sinne is of omission or commission Again both these are in words or deedes In the sinne of commission obserue these two points The degrees in committing a sinne and the differences of sinnes committed The degrees are in number foure Iames 1. 14 15. Euery man is tempted when hee is drawne away by his owne concupiscence and is entised Then when lust hath conceiued it bringeth foorth sinne and sinne when it is finished bringeth foorth death The first degree is temptation whereby man is allured to sinne This doth Satan by offering to the mind that which is euill Ioh. 13.2 The diuell had now put into the heart of Iudas Iscariot Simons sonne to betray him Act. 5.3 Peter said to Ananias Why hath Satan filled thine heart that thou shouldest lie c. 1. Chr. 21. 1. And Satan stood vp against Israel and prouoked David to number Israel This also is effected vpon occasion of some externall obiect which the senses perceiue Iob 31.1 I haue made a couenant with mine eyes why then should I looke vpon a maide Tentation hath two parts abstraction and inescation Abstraction is the first cogitation of committing sinne whereby the mind is withdrawne from Gods seruice to the which it should be alwaies readie prest Luk. 10.27 Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thy heart and all thy soule with all thy thought Inescation is that whereby an euill thought conceiued and for a time retained in the minde by delighting the will and affections doth as it were lay a baite for them to draw them to consent The second degree is conception which is nothing els but a consent and resolution to commit sinne Psal. 7. 14. He shall trauaile with wickednes he hath conceiued mischiefe but he shall bring forth a lie The third degree is the birth of sinne namely the committing of sinne by the assistance both of the faculties of the soule and the powers of the bodie The fourth degree is perfection when sinne beeing by custome perfect and as it were ripe the sinner reapeth death that is damnation This appeareth in the example of Pharaoh wherefore custome in any sinne is fearefull Sinne actually committed hath fiue differences First to consent with an offendour and not actually to commit sinne Eph. 5.11 Haue no fellowship with the vnfruitfull works of darknes but reprooue them rather This is done three manner of waies I. When as a man in iudgement somewhat alloweth the sinne of another Numb 20.6,10 Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rocke and Moses said vnto them Heare now ye rebels shall we bring you water out of the rocke vers 12. The Lord spake to Moses and Aaron because ye beleeued me not to sanctifie me in the presence of the children of Israel into the land which I haue giuen them II. When the heart approoueth in affection and consent Hither may we referre both the Ministers and the Magistrates concealing and winking at offences 1. Sam. 2. 23. Ely said Why doe ye such things for of all this people I heare euill of you Doe no more my sonnes c. Now that Elies will agreeth with his sonnes sinnes it is manifest vers 29. Thou honourest thy children aboue me III. Indeede by counsell presence entisement Rom. 1. 31. They doe not onely doe the same but also fauour them that doe them Mark 6.25 26. Shee saide vnto her mother What shall I aske and shee said Iohn Baptists head c. Act. 22. 20. When the blood of thy Martyr Steuen was shed I also stood by and consented vnto his death and kept the clothes of them that slue him The second difference is to sinne ignorantly as when a man doth not expresly and distinctly know whether that which he doth be a sinne or not or if he knew it did not acknowledge and marke it 1. Tim. 1.23 I before was a blasphemer and a persecutor and an oppressour but I was receiued to mercie for I did it ignorantly through vnbeleefe Nomb. 35.22 23 24. If he pushed him vnaduisedly and not of hatred or cast vpon him any thing without laying of waite or any stone whereby he might be slaine and saw him not or caused it to fall vpon him and he die and was not his enemie neither sought him any harme then the congregation shall iudge betweene the slayer and the auenger of blood according to these lawes 1. Cor. 4 4. I know nothing by my selfe yet am I not thereby iustified Psal. 19 13. Cleanse me from my secret sinnes The third difference is to sinne vpon knowledge but of infirmitie as when a man fearing some imminent daunger or amazed at the horrour of death doth against his knowledge denie that truth which otherwise he would acknowledge and embrace Such was Peters fall arising from the ouermuch rashnes of the minde mingled with some feare Thus all men offend when the flesh and inordinate desires so ouerrule the will and euery good endeauour that they prouoke man to
that which hee from his heart detesteth Rom. 7.19 I doe not the thing which I would but the euill which I would not that doe I. The fourth difference is presumptuous sinning vpon knowledge Psal. 19. 13. Keepe thy seruant from presumptuous sinnes let them not raigne ouer me Hitherto belongeth I. euery sinne committed with an high hand that is in some contempt of God Numb 15.30 The person that doth presumptuously c. shal be cut off from amongst his people because he hath despised the word of the Lord and and hath broken his commandement II. Presumption of Gods mercie in doing euill Eccles. 8.11 Because sentence against an euill worke is not executed speedily therefore the heart of the children of men is fully set in them to doe euill Rom. 2.4 Despisest thou the riches of his bountifulnes c. not knowing that the bountifulnes of God leadeth thee to repentance c. The fift difference is to sinne vpon knowledge and set malice against God and to this is the sinne against the holy Ghost referred CHAP. 14. Of the punishment of sinne HItherto we haue intreated of sinne wherewithall all mankind is infected in the next place succeedeth the punishmeÌ„t of sinne which is threefold The first is in this life and that diuerse waies The first concerneth the bodie either in the prouision with trouble for the things of this life Gen. 3. 17. or a pronenesse to disease Matth. 9.2 Sonne be of good comfort thy sinnes be forgiuen thee Ioh. 5. 14. Behold thou art made whole sinne no more least a worse thing fall vpon thee Deut. 28.21,22 The Lord shall make the pestilence cleaue vnto thee vntill he hath consumed thee from the land c. Or shame of nakednesse Gen. 3.7 Or in womens paines in childbirth Gen. 3. 16. Vnto the woman he said I will greatly encrease thy sorrowes and conceptions in sorrow shalt thou bring forth children II. The soule is punished with trembling of conscience care trouble hardnesse of heart and madnesse Deut. 28.28 The Lord shall smite thee with madnesse and with blindnesse and with astonying of heart III. The whole man is punished 1. with fearefull subiection to the regiment of Satan Col. 1.13 Which freed vs from the power of darknesse and translated vs into the kingdome of his beloued Sonne Heb. 2. 14. He also himself tooke part with them that he might destroy through death him that had power of death that is the diuell 2. A separation from the fellowship of God and trembling at his presence Eph. 4. 18. Hauing their cogitation darkned and beeing straungers from the life of God Gen. 3. 10. I heard thy voice in the garden and was afraid because I was naked therefore I hid my selfe 3. Vpon a mans goods diuers calamities and dammages Deut. 28.29 Thou shalt euer be oppessed with wrong and be pouled and no man shall succour thee c. to the ende of the chapter To this place may be referred distinction of Lordships and of this commeth a care to enlarge them and bargaining with all manner of ciuill seruitudes 4. The losse of that Lordly authoritie which man had ouer all creatures also their vanitie which is not onely a weakning but also a corrupting of that excellencie of the vertues and powers which God at the first put into them Rom. 8.20 21. The creature is subiect to vanitie not of it owne will but by reason of him which hath subdued it vnder hope c. 5. In a mans name infamie and ignominie sometimes after his death Ierem. 24.9 The second is at the last gaspe namely death or a change like vnto death Rom. 6.23 The wages of sinne is death The third is after this life euen eternall destruction from Gods presence and his exceeding glorie 2. Thess. 1.9 Who shal be punished with euerlasting perdition from the presence of God and the glorie of his power CHAP. 15. Of Election and of Iesus Christ the foundation thereof PRedestination hath two parts Election and Reprobation 1. Thess. 5.9 God hath not appointed vs to wrath but to obtaine saluation by the meanes of our Lord Iesus Christ. Election is Gods decree whereby on his owne free will he hath ordained certaine men to saluation to the praise of the glorie of his grace Eph. 1.4 5 6. He hath chosen vs in him before the foundation of the world according to the good pleasure of his will to the praise of the glorie of his grace This decree is that booke of life wherein are written the names of the Elect Revel 20.12 Another booke was opened which is the booke of life and the dead were iudged of those things that were written in the bookes according to their workes 2. Tim. 2.19 The foundation of God remaineth sure and hath this seale The Lord knoweth who are his The execution of this decree is an action by which God eueÌ„ as he purposed with himselfe worketh all those things which he decreed for the saluation of the Elect. For they whome God elected to this ende that they should inherite eternall life were also elected to those subordinate meanes whereby as by steppes they might attaine this end and without which it were impossible to obtaine it Rom. 8. 29 30. Those which he knew before he also predestinate to be made like to the image of his Sonne that he might be the first borne amongst many brethren Moreouer whome he predestinate them he called whome he called them â—ee iustified and whome hee iustified them also he glorified There appertaine three things to the execution of this decree First the foundation Secondly the meanes Thirdly the degrees The foundation is Christ Iesus called of his father from all eternitie to performe the office of the Mediator that in him all those which should be saued might be chosen Heb. 5.5 Christ tooke not to himselfe this honour to bee made the high Priest but he that said vnto him Thou art my Sonne this day begate I thee gaue it him c. Esa. 42.1 Behold my seruant I will stay vpon him mine elect in whome my soule delighteth I haue put my spirit vpon him he shall bring foorth iudgement to the Gentiles Eph. 1.4 Hee hath chosen vs in him meaning Christ. Question Howe can Christ be subordinate vnto Gods election seeing he together with the Father decreed all things Answ. Christ as he is Mediator is not subordinate to the very decree it selfe of election but to the execution thereof onely 1. Pet. 1.20 Christ was ordained before the foundation of the world Augustine in his booke of the Predestinaiion of the Saints chap. 5. Christ was Predestinate that he might be our head In Christ we must especially obserue two things his incarnatioÌ„ his Office To the working of his Incarnation concurre First both his Natures Secondly their Vnion Thirdly their distinction Christs first Nature is the Godhead in as much as it belongeth to the Son whereby he is God Phil. 2.6 Who beeing in the forme of God thought it