that all corrections ought to leuell at The bluenesse of the wound serueth to purge the euill and the stripes within the bowels of the belly Secondly The terrifying of others to commit the like offences which God in the execution of his Lawes hath a speciall eye vnto That q Deut. 13. 11. all Israel may heare and tremble Lastly concerning Magistrates Let it bee knowne that the vse of the Sword standeth also in lawfull and iust Warre in fighting the Lords Battailes as shee speaketh r 1. Sam. 25. 28. vnto DAVID For IEHOVAH will certainly make for my Lord a sure House if my Lord fight the Battailes of IEHOVAH and euill bee not found in thee all thy dayes The Ministers Dutie is to attend publike teaching From the Ministerie publike teaching to be diligent therein I ſ Esay 62. 6. haue set Watch-men vpon thy wals O Ierusalem which all the day and all the night shall not cease the t Rom. 12. 7. 8. teacher let him continue in his teaching the exhorter in his exhortation c. The u 1. Pet. 1. 2. Elders among you I exhort c. Feed the Flocks of God that dependeth vpon you Take x Acts 20. 28. heed to your selues and to all the Flocke wherein the Holy Ghost hath made you Bishops that you feede the Church of God which hee hath purchased with his owne bloud The contrarie whereof are First Idoll shepheards that cannot teach at all such as the Prophet complayneth of Their y Esay 56. 10. watch-men are all blinde they haue no knowledge they are dumbe dogges they cannot barke Secondly Negligent Preachers which as Esay there saith lye and sleepe and delight in sleeping Wherefore God telleth z Ezech. 3. 17 18. EZECHIEL Sonne of man I haue appointed thee a Watch-man to the House of Israel and thou shalt heare the Word out of my mouth that thou maist giue warning vnto them from me when I say vnto the wicked man Thou shalt certainly dye and thou doe not giue him warning nor speake to warne the wicked man of his euill way to keepe him aliue that wicked man shall dye by his owne iniquitie but his bloud will I require at thine hand The Dutie of those that haue any charge or gouernment From priuate authoritie Prouision of Food and Rayment is First Prouision of food and rayment whereof the a 1. Tim. 5. 8. Apostle saith If any prouide not for his owne and specially for those of his owne house he is worse then an Infidell For this doth SALOMON commend the vertuous woman Prou. 31. 15. Rising whilest it is yet night she giueth meate to her houshold and the ordinarie to her Maides And b Verse 21. againe She feareth not the Snow for her Family For all her Family is clothed with double clothes And Pro. 27. 27. he saith not onely Let the milke of the Goates be sufficient for thy food but further also for the food of thy Family and for the sustenance of thy Maides Secondly Familiarly to teach their Inferiours as the c Ephes 6. 4. Familiarly to teach their Inferiours Apostle exhorteth fathers to bring vp their children in instruction and information of the Lord for which Abraham d Gen. 18. 19. is highly commended of God I know saith hee that he will command his Sonnes and his Family after him to keepe the way of IEHOVAH in doing righteousnesse and iudgement Thirdly To goe before them in Prayer so did e Gen. 25. 20. and in Prayer to goe before them Isack pray vnto IEHOVAH ouer-against his Wife that is in her presence and together with her and for her because she was barren The Dutie of Parents more particularly is From both the Parents To apply their children to that they are fit for First To apply their children to that they are fit for f Pro. 22. 6. Instruct a childe after the manner of his way euen when he is verie old he will not depart from it ADAM g Gen. 4. 2. in the first beginning of the World practised this Lesson for hauing two sonnes CAIN and HABEL HABEL was a Shepheard and CAIN an Husbandman Secondly To prouide for them For h 2. Cor. 12. 14. Children ought and to prouide for them From the Father to name the Childe not to store vp for Parents but Parents for their Children Speciall to the Father is to name the Childe which authoritie Zacharie Father of Iohn Baptist tooke vpon him when the Mother of the friends i Luk. 1. 62 63. striuing about the name hee decided the Controuersie and called him Iohn Of the Mother another Dutie is more specially to bee From the Mother to nurse it obserued that she nurse the Childe Holy women haue alwayes reckoned this to belong vnto them k Gen. 21. 7. Sarah a great Princesse maketh no doubt but that hauing a Childe she was to giue it sucke Who would haue said to ABRAHAM SARAH shall certainly giue sucke for I haue borne a Sonne In like sort l 1. Sam. 1. 23. Anna is recorded to haue giuen suck to Samuel as was the common course then of religious and godly Matrones whereupon the m 1. Tim. 5. 10. Apostle requireth this in the first place as one of the most special good workes which hee would haue that woman to bee well reported for that should be associate into the number of Widdowes that she haue nursed her Children From Masters due respect of their Seruants trauailes The Dutie of Masters is to haue a due respect of their Seruants trauailes whereof there is a speciall Law n Deut. 15. 12 13 14. When thou sendest out free from thee in the seuenth yeere thy brother an Hebrew that hath serued thee six yeeres thou shalt not let him goe away emptie but shalt giue him a liberall From Husbands cherishing of their Wiues with all entyre affection reward of thy Sheepe and of thy Corne and of thy Wine c. The Dutie of Husbands is that they cherish their Wiues with all entyre affection Ye o Eph. 5. 25. 29. Husbands loue your Wiues euē as Christ hath loued the Church for no man at any time hath hated his own flesh but nourisheth it cherisheth it The Dutie of Equals one vnto another is Secondly it is of equals one vnto another in louing honouring and First To loue and to honor each other Be p Rom. 12. 10. affectioned to loue one another with brotherly loue In giuing honour go one before another submitting q Ephes 5. 21. your selues one vnto another in the feare of GOD. Wherefore wee are to testifie that our loue and respect to others by all holy tokens and outward signes of salutation or otherwise Greet r 1. Pet. 5. 14. ye one another with the Kisse of loue Salute ſ Rom. 16. 16. one another with an holy Kisse The Churches of Christ salute you
should walke in them Ephes 1. 4. He hath chosen vs to bee vnblameable and vndefiled before him in loue And Iohn 15. 16. I haue chosen you c. that you might bring forth fruit Heere is the comfort of the Saints of God who labour to walke as new Creatures that they haue the same as a most certaine Badge and Marke of their Election Whereto the exhortation of d 2. Pet. 1. 10. Peter tendeth willing vs to make our Election sure by our good workes This vse the Apostle teacheth Rom. 9. 24. c. when hauing established the Doctrine it selfe to the end we should not seeke the testimonie of it in the secret counsell of God but by the calling which is set forth and made manifest in the Church hee layeth before vs the example of the Iewes and Gentiles not of euery one but of so many as by faith apprehended the outward calling and thereby made it effectuall to themselues That hee might make knowne the riches of his glorie vpon the Vessels of his Mercy which hee hath before prepared vnto Glorie euen vs saith he whom he hath called not of the Iewes onely but also of the Gentiles And who those Called ones be of the Iewes and Gentiles hee telleth vs Verse 30. As many as haue attayned to the righteousnesse of Faith So in the tenth Chapter by an excellent gradation he teacheth how and which way wee climbe vp to the consideration of this wonderfull hidden mysterie shewing that true inuocation and calling vpon Gods Name or a sound and syncere profession of the truth whereof hee had spoken Verse 9 10. is a testimonine of true Faith true Faith of a true and sound Calling by the Ministerie of the Word and that an vndoubted argument of our Election to be saued Whosoeuer e Rom. 10. 13 14 15. shall call vpon the Name of the Lord shall bee saued but how shall they call vpon him of whom they haue not heard and how shall they heare without a Preacher This is the meanes whereby we may most surely and infallibly perswade our soules that wee are of the number of Gods Elect and those that vndoubtedly shall be saued for which wee shall not need to slye to Visions and Reuelations God himselfe in his Word hath tracked the path for vs. Otherwise our Sauiour f Luke 10. 20. would neuer will vs to reioyce that our names are written in Heauen vnlesse we had certaine rules to be assured of it Againe that God hath appointed to destitute the Reprobate of his Grace and leauing them in their sinnes to bring them to perdition is euident by g 1. Pet. 2. 3. PETER that those which stumble at the Word and are disobedient were ordayned thereunto And Acts 27. 28. it is said HEROD and PILATE with the Nations and people of Israel came together to doe whatsoeuer the hand and counsell of God had fore-determined to bee done that is to condemne Iesus And Luke 2. 34. Christ is set for the fall and rising of many and for a marke to bee gain-said For this cause GOD sendeth the Ministerie of his Word to some and from some he doth with-hold it Paul was forbidden by the Holy Ghost to speake the Word of God in Asia in Bithynia c. Contrariwise he was commanded to preach in Macedonia at Corinth c. And h Acts 18. 10. why Because saith the Holy Ghost I haue much elect people there Againe in those that heare of some hee toucheth their hearts and openeth their vnderstanding of other some he dawbeth and closeth vp the eyes Mat. 11. 25. I giue thankes vnto thee O Father because thou hast hidden these things from the wise and men of vnderstanding meaning the Reprobate and reuealed them vnto Babes these are the Elect Luke 8. 10. To you it is giuen to know the Mysteries of God but to other in Parables that seeing they should not see and hearing they should not vnderstand The Obiections against all this that hitherto hath bin said are of no value God say some would haue all men saued 1. Tim. 2. 4. and none to perish but all to come to Repentance 2. Pet. 3. 9. And Christ is a Propitiation for the sinnes of the whole World 1. Iohn 2. 2. But they vnderstand not that those generall speeches are to bee restrayned to the subiect there in hand for the Apostle sheweth in the first of those places that howsoeuer that be true which else-where hee teacheth that not many noble not many mightie ones not many of account are called to the profession of the Gospell yet there is no estate so high or great nor any estate or sort of men at all but God hath his among them for whom wee are to pray that in his good time hee would vouchsafe to bring them to the knowledge of the Truth And so is this particle all in sundry places applyed to euery sort and kinde and namely Mat. 4. 23. where our Sauiour Christ is said to haue healed all diseases that is all kind of diseases That of Peter is plainly meant of the Elect alone And Iohn sheweth that our Sauiour dyed not for the Nation of the Iewes or those that liued in his time onely but for all the Elect of Iewes and Gentiles out of euery Kindred Tongue Nation and People as it is said Reuel 5. 9. and of all ages from the beginning of the World And so is this place notably expounded Iohn 11. 51 52. that Iesus was to dye for that Nation and not for that Nation onely but that hee might gather into one the Children of God dispersed According whereunto you must take the name of World Iohn 1. 29. The Lambe of God that taketh away the sinne of the World And Iohn 4. 42. This is of a truth that Christ the Sauiour of the World and in other such like places As for that dotage that Christ should dye for all absolutely and without restriction it is absurd for Christ died not for them for whom he vouchsafeth not to pray nor is a Redeemer where hee is no Intercessor Now he himselfe saith he i Iohn 17. 9. prayeth not he is no Intercessor for all Therefore we may conclude hee dyed not hee is no Redeemer of all Nay the very distinction so common in the Schooles betweene the sufficiencie of Christs death and the efficiencie of it as though his death or one drop of his bloud as some are not afraid to speake were sufficient for the saluation of all though it effect not nor worke saluation vnto all is too light and carrieth no waight with it if it bee waighed at the Lords Beame for the sufficiencie of Christs death is not to be measured by our owne conceit of it but by the Ordinance and Decree of GOD. The Messias was neuer promised but onely to the Church Therefore hee was neuer destinated but vnto them alone To k Gen. 3. 15. the rest the seed or children of the Deuill as hee
calleth them Iohn 8. 44. he is the Seed of the woman to bruise and tread downe their head in perpetuall enmitie and defiance with them not a friend to dye and suffer for them being that wherein he doth so much l Rom. 5. 8. commend his loue Christ indeed gaue an infinite merit to all his Actions to the end whereunto he purposed them and suffered in waight and measure a proportionable punishment for the Redemption of all Gods people But the Scripture speaketh euidently that m Gal. 2. 21. Christ dyed not he suffered nothing in vaine nor more then was of necessity for the sauing of his Church And when Prayers and Intercession which hee offered not for all are one part of his Priesthood and consequently of that sufficiencie which it was requisite hee should performe to God-ward for vs it is manifest that in the Ordinance and Decree of God his death without the same had not beene thorowly sufficient for the sauing of the Elect themselues much lesse of all the World And why should we imagine a halfe sufficiencie wrought for them in his death and sufferings when the other part of his Prayers and Intercession without which there is no complete nor perfect sufficiency at all cannot be drawne vnto them No better is the Dreame of vniuersall Grace in Christ offered vnto all and that for the vnbeliefe which God fore-saw would be in some hee hath decreed to reiect them which beside the Word of God common sense and experience doth controll since it is plaine and stands prooued before at large that all men are not called no not without an outward call Sixtly The end of all is the setting forth of his Glorie to set forth in them the prayse of his Mercie specially in Election to shew the riches of his Mercie in Reprobation the seueritie of his Iustice as the Wiseman saith n Pro. 16. 4. God hath made all for himselfe that is for his Glorie sake euen the wicked vnto the day of euill The end therefore of these Decrees is not simply the sauing of the one and the destroying of the other but a farther and a farre more excellent and precious end to manifest the Glorie of God in them both His Wisedome Power Truth Lenitie Patience Long sufferance Hatred of sinne loue of Righteousnesse and other Vertues as hath appeared before out of the ninth to the Romanes But especially his Mercie and Iustice heere shine foorth and carrie away the prayse His wonderfull and seuere Iustice in punishing transgression and inflicting wrath which end the Apostle teacheth Rom. 9. 22. What if God willing to shew wrath c The riches of his Mercie and Goodnesse in helping out of miserie in and of and by for himselfe poore silly and wretched man whom otherwise saluation it selfe had not beene able for to saue This end the Apostle there teacheth plainely That o Rom. 9. 23. he might make knowne the riches of his Glorie vpon the vessels of mercie which he hath before prepared vnto glorie And Ephes 1. 5 6. He that predestinated vs to be his adopted sonnes through Iesus Christ to the praise of the glorie of his grace That so no flesh p 1. Cor. 1. 29. might reioyce before him but euerie q Phil. 2. 11. tongue might confesse that Iesus Christ is the Lord to the praise of God the Father To returne to the Couenant mediated by Christ Because This Couenant is called the Couenant of Grace the same commeth from the onely mercie and fauour of God in his Sonne it is called the Couenant of Grace Here therefore is another Couenant that God hath made with man ouer beside the Couenant of Works which he made before A Couenant of another and a quite differing nature for First it is grounded vpon the free mercie of God in Christ otherwise it is in the Couenant of Works where Christ or the Grace of God in Christ was no part at all of the Couenant for there needed then no Mediator because in the beginning God and man were not at oddes Secondly the conditions of these two Couenants differ the Law or Couenant of Workes offereth saluation vnder condition of perfect obedience The Gospell or Couenant of Grace vnder the condition of faith that is to say if we beleeue in Christ who hath done it for vs. Of both these Couenants the Couenant of Workes and the Couenant of Grace Ieremie r Ier. 31. 31. speaketh in his one and thirtieth Chapter and Paul to the Å¿ Gal. 4. 24. Galatians sheweth how they were shadowed by two women as by two types that is to say by Hagar the bond and Sara the free-woman for these women saith hee are the two Couenants You may see further touching them both t Phil. 3 9. That I might be found in him that is not hauing mine owne righteousnesse which is of the Law but that which is through the faith of Christ euen the righteousnesse which is of God through Christ Phil. 3. u Rom. 9. 30 31 32. What shal we say then that the Gentiles which followed not righteousnesse haue attained vnto righteousnesse euen the righteousnesse which is of faith Put Israel which followed the Law of righteousnes could not attain vnto the Law of Righteousnesse Wherefore because they sought it not by faith but as it were by the workes of the Law Rom. 9. x Rom. 10. 3 â— 5 6 7. For they beeing ignorant of the righteousnesse of God and going about to establish thei owne righteousnesse haue not submitted themselues to the righteousnesse of God for Christ is the end of the Law for righteousnesse to euerie one that beleeueth for Moses thus describeth the righteousnesse which is of the Law that the man which doth these thinks shall liue thereby But the righteousnesse which is of faith speaketh on this wise Say not in thine heart Who shall ascend into Heauen That is to bring Christ from aboue Or Who shall goe downe into the deepe That is to bring vp Christ from the dead Rom. 10. y Gal. 3. 11 12. That no man is iustified by the Law in the sight of God it is euident for the iust shall liue by faith Now the Law is not of faith but the man that doth these things shall liue by them Gal. 3. And these two being the onely meanes whereby true happinesse may bee attained are so contrarie one vnto another that where the one is the other cannot bee neyther can saluation come in part by the one and in part by the other Whereupon the Apostle vseth to dispute that we are iustified by workes onely or by faith alone This is the summe of his whole Argument in the three first Chapters of the Epistle to the Romans Eyther we are iustified by Workes or by Faith But not by workes neyther of the Law of Nature nor of the morall Law neyther Gentile which is without the Law written nor Iew which hath it