from me ye that work iniquity To us also ye see this is a certainty for St. John puts in himself we taking himself certainly for one And though he saith all we speaking for them that are to come as well as for them that are past yet for certainties sake he speaks in the time past as the Prophets use to speak of things to come have all we received And why not for God not onely hath his seal but affordeth us to have ours We are sealed with the holy spirit of promise Eph. 1.13 There 's his He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal Joh. 3.33 there 's ours yea our certainty indeed dependeth upon his even because of his immutability because whom he loveth unto the end he loveth them Joh. 13.1 and because the gifts and calling of God are without repentance Rom. 11.29 and with him is no variableness nor shaddow or turning Jam. 1.17 Therefore the Apostle saith Ye know God or rather are known of God Gal. 4.9 And hee laboureth to apprehend that for which also he is apprehended Phil. 3.12 And is there indeed a certainty to be had why then doe we not labour to attain it why doe we not give diligence to make our calling and election sure 1 Pet. 2. why do we not lay hold on eternal life 1 Tim. 6. why do we not edifie our selves in our most holy faith Jude 20. that we may be rooted and grounded in love that we may have boldness and confidence by faith in him Eph. 3. And be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might Eph. 6. No doubt but this may be done for we see it here and Gal. 2.20 I live by faith in the Son of God who hath loved me and given himself for me Yea no doubt but it must be done for without faith it is impossible to please God Heb. 11.6 Yea no doubt but it is done of every one that beleeveth for what is faith else but the ground and evidence even of our particular hopes Heb. 11. For if it be not particular to our self then it is but joynt and common to and with the devil Thou beleevest there is one God thou doest well the devils beleeve and tremble Joh. 2.19 Wo then to them that deny us the possibility of this comfort the particular certainty of Faith for herein they kill the very life of Faith which indeed is comfort they make so deadly a wound therein that all their Pardons and Indulgences Satisfactions and Merits can never recover and heale it up again And with certainty here is also generality all we But may some say if so what needs then care or labour for certainty for if all receive then there is no doubt to any The word all may be taken either at the largest or in a restrained and limited sense If we take it at the largest that all have received then we must distinguish upon their receiving to wit that all do receive and partake of Christ outwardly in respect of the ear and the outward calling No doubt their sound went out into all the earth and their words into the ends of the world Rom. 10.18 The Gospel shall be preached throughout all the world Mat. 24.14 And so that may be taken 2 Tim. 2.4 God will that all men shall be saved namely by his revealed will he gives the precept the command the outward calling unto all Whereby we may see that Christ is sufficient for all and there is no defect in the receipt but in the receivers And if we will put off the defect from our selves to God because he gives not the inward as well as the outward calling the effect as well as the offer why here is his clearing Eccl. 7.29 God made man righteous but they have sought out many inventions He made us he is not bound to new-make us he gave grace he is not bound to restore it If we had been all left in Adams perishing without any measure of mercy yet God should be justified and clear when or howsoever we should presume to judge him But here no doubt the Text speaketh of the effectuall receipt of Grace and therefore the word all must be restrained and limited And that St. Augustine doth in his Enchirid. ad Laur. speaking of that 2 Tim. 2.4 And he restraineth it doubly First God will have all to be saved that is saith he all that are saved God will have to be saved and none are saved without or against his will And so it may bee here taken All that doe receive Grace doe receive it of Christs fulnesse there is no other fountain pipe or stream from or by which it floweth He is fons perennis a living lasting spring Labitur labetur in omne volubilis aevum his running hath been and shall be from the beginning to the end of theworld For he was that lambe slain from the beginning of of the world Rev. 13.8 whose goings forth have been from the beginning and from everlasting Mic. 5.2 No doubt then that Doctrine is but a dotage and a meer fancy that affirmeth Christ to have been insufficient to the Fathers and Patriarks and other faithfull before him in this point namely that they could not be admitted into Gods presence and into the fullnesse of joy before Christ was actually offered and his sacrifice accomplished but were kept in limbo in a place of banishment This I say must needs be a fancy For seeing all have received Christ even they as well as we as it is plain 1 Cor. 11.3 They did all eat the same spirituall meat they did all drink the same spirituall drink for they drank of that spirituall Rock that followed them and that Rock was Christ therefore no doubt they had the same end and issue and benefit of their faith as we have even the salvation of their souls and that in present fulnesse of joy immediately after their dissolution and not so tedious a banishment and so long as some of their deaths were be-before Christ The other restraint and exposition of Saint Augustine is that the word All must be taken for all sorts of conditions sexes and ages states and degrees And this is the common received construction that the word all in such speaking is to be taken non pro singulis generum sed pro generibus singulorum not for every of all kinds but for some of every kind for there is no respect of persons with God he made all and he disposeth of all he made all It is he that hath made us and not we our selves Ps 100. He disposeth of all The Lord maketh poor and maketh rich 1 Sam. 2.7 And as at first in the creation he found no fault with his works but all was very good Gen. 1. so still in his providence he hath no fault to find but all is good therefore doth he despise the work of his hands in neither kind but he that is Lord over all is rich
home to him Againe as in regard of their objects so likewise of their subject or matter they were each one to be divided in himself Their matter how I doe not meane materia prima as I may call it their first matter the ground and foundation of their work for in that every one must be semper idem no changling For there is one Faith one Baptism Ephes 4.5 Other foundation can no man lay then that which is layd which is Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 3.11 Jesus Christ yesterday and to day and the same for ever Heb. 13.8 But I meane their matters of discourse and treatise their severall buildings upon this foundation In that diversity is required according to differences of times and places companies and occasions Namely to comfort and to threaten to speake learnedly and plainly properly and fitly as their audience shall require The Apostle bids Timothy Reprove rebuke exhort 2 Tim. 4.2 These be divers workes And he prescribeth milk for babes and strong meat for the strong Hebr. 5.13 These bee divers meates And hee knowes how both to abound and to be abased Phil. 4.12 these be divers measures And to be made all things to all men that by all means he may save some 1 Cor. 9.22 these be divers manners Ye see then we are not still to be tyed to one strain but to divide our tongues and to use our liberty in the spirit of discretion to all purposes And the learned may not despise our plainnesse for the ignorants sake nor the ignorant begrudge our learning for the learneds sake but bear one anothers burthen for Christs sake And not marvaile if sometimes ye hear the Law as well as the Gospell for the Holy Ghost came in cloven tongues intending thus to cleave and divide the Apostles tongues to severall purposes So much of their division But no doubt the most proper and direct purpose of those cloven tongues was to signifie the gift of divers tongues now to be bestowed upon the Apostles that they should bee endued with divers tongues enabled to speak divers languages which presently appeared to bee fulfilled And this as before I noted for my last point implyeth Union Namely the gathering of all Nations unto Christ that there might bee one field and one husbandman one flock and one shepheard For to that end the Gospel must be preached through the whole world And for the speeding thereof the Apostles are instantly furnished if not with all yet with the most languages What then look how the Nations were at first divided by the same they were now to be gathered Gen. 11. By division of tongues they were scattered and made divers people By division of tongues they are to bee gathered and made one people and to speake one language the language of Canaan the profession of the Gospell What then Note that God worketh by contraries and hee worketh upon contraries 1. Hee worketh by contraries that he may unite hee divideth that hee may gather hee scattereth that hee may exalt he bringeth low as in Joseph that hee may bring low hee exalteth as in Haman He giveth prosperity to some to befool them Thou fool this night will they take away thy soul from thee Luk. 12.20 And he taketh away riches from some to make them wise It is good for mee that I have been in trouble that I may learn thy statutes Psal 119.71 Yea he chooseth the foolish things of this world to confound the wise 1 Cor. 1. Yea he maketh the means of salvation to be to some the means of condemnation even the savour of death unto death 2 Cor. 2.16 And onely to serve to make them to know that there hath been a Prophet amongst them Ezek. 2.5 Beware then that yee measure not Gods works by outward appearance For no man knoweth either love or hatred of all that is before him Eccles 9.1 Presume not in prosperity despaire not in adversitie but pray for the right use and end of both that whether it be rod or staffe it may comfort thee And bee not content with outward things no not with outward hearing but take heed how ye hear lest ye make your condemnation the greater For God worketh by contraryes even gathering by division Lastly God worketh upon contraries to turn evill into contrary evill And again to turn evill into good 1. He turneth evill into contrary evill sinne into punishment A wicked union was turned into a cursed division the greatest conspiracie into the greatest confusion Namely the builders of Babel by division of tongues were scattered upon the face of the whole earth That Simeon and Levi all brethren in evill may knovv what the portion of evill union is namely division and separation I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel Genesis 49.7 Yea that all rebellious practisers against God may know that there is neither wisdome nor understanding nor counsell against the Lord Prov. 21.30 But the last is the best of all to wit that hee draweth good out of evill and turneth cursing into blessing What evill was there ever so great wherein Gods goodnesse hath not appeared The very sinne of Adam what abundance of goodnesse hath it drawn from God The malice of Joseph's brethren what a deale of good did God worke by it to him and them and to their families The crueltie of the Jews to Christ did not God turne it to the accomplishment of mans salvation That cursed confusion of Tongues at the building of Babel is it not now recompenced with a blessed division of Tongues whereby to make a spirituall building of living stones an holy temple unto the Lord our God What then Let us not contend with GOD for his suffering or for his punishing of evill in us but let us glorifie him for that he hath made every thing beautifull in its time Eccles 3.15 Yea that his mercie rejoiceth over his justice He will not alway be chiding neither keepeth hebis anger for ever Yea that as all natnrall motions are strongest at last so likewise his goodnesse increaseth with continuance like the Moon till it come to the full Old curses are turned into new blessings Behold all things are become new The Old Testament endeth with cursing Malach. 4.6 but the New with blessing Revelat. 22.21 God hath fully revealed himselfe in grace and shall shortly in glory In that therefore let us settle with glory to him and joy to ourselves even in that Amen of the Gospell which giveth grace and promiseth glory Even so Amen come Lord JESUS Finis Serm. sive tract 6. Trino-uni gloria Per me Gulielmum Gaium A SERMON against HYPOCRISIE Text. Luk. 12.1 Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees which is hypocrisie OF Truth and Righteousnesse God is the onely Author but deceit and falshood spring from the corrupted heart of man Onely loe this have I found saith Solomō Eccl. 7 that God made man righteous but they have sought out many inventions God made man
XI CHOICE SERMONS Preached upon Severall Occasions With a CATECHISME Expounding the Grounds and Principles of Christian RELIGION By WILLIAM GAY B. D. Rector of Buckland LONDON Printed for Humphrey Moseley and are to be sold at his Shop at the Princes Armes in St. Pauls Church-yard 1655. TO THE HONORABLE Sr Henry Frederick Thinne Knight and Baronet continuall increase of Honour and Happiness SIR THese following papers have long been design'd to kiss your hand where if they now find acceptance I shal conceive them the better able to weather those stormes which they may expect to meet withall abroad You are not ignorant how the injurious malice of some men which though divers years are past hath not sufficiently evaporated its malignity hath subjected the Author to an hard and yet honorable suffering his innocence may perhaps be the more conspicuous to cādid judgments when these his meditations shal appear under the shelter of your honored Name and his opposers may be lesse forward to blast his memory It was his intention to have presented it with his own hand but death prevented it and providence hath cast this as a necessary duty upon me all his ambition was to acknowledge to the world his many deep obligements hoping this might remain as an undoubted testimony that his earnest desires to honor and serve you could not expire but with his breath and mine shall be no other then to have the honor to be esteemed Sir Your devoted Servant W. G. Sep. 27. 1654. A CATECHISM The First Section Of Catechising 1. Quest WHat is the title of your common Catechism A. An Instruction 2. Q. What doth it concern A. The Principles and Grounds of Religion and it is therefore called the laying of the foundation Heb. 6.1 3. Q. In what manner or kind is it A. By Questions and Answers and it is therefore called Catechism which signifies resounding or answering again 4. Q. Who must be the Learners A. Children whether they be so in age Prov. 22.6 or in understanding 1 Cor. 14.20 Heb. 5.12 1 Pet. 3.15 5. Q. Who must be the Teachers A. Masters to their Families Eph. 6.4 Gen. 14.14 18.19 but especially Ministers to their flocks 1 Cor. 3.2.10 Acts 5.42 20.20 6. Q. What reason can you shew that this work belongeth to Masters of families A. Because they are bound to provide for their Families corporally 1 Tim. 5.8 therefore spiritually 7. Q. Have women any part or share in this work A. No doubt they have whether they be Wives or Widdows Tit. 2.3 4. Prov. 31.1 26. 8. Q. Is Catechising to be preferred before Preaching A. Yes for order though for honour Preaching excelleth it as the compleat habitation excelleth the foundation 9. Q. What learn you out of all aforesaid A. To love this exercise because it is instruction Prov. 15.32 and the foundation of building me up to God and the surest way for Teacher and Learner to understand one another Sect. 2. Of our spiritual danger or miserie 1. Q. WHat are the chiefest parts or points of this foundation A. The knowledge of our danger of our remedy of our receiving the remedy and of the proof of our receiving it 2. Q. What is our common danger in our spirituall estate A. That we are by nature subject to Gods wrath Eph. 2.3 3. Q. What is the especial effect thereof to us A. A threefold death Gen. 2.17 Rom. 6.23 viz. a naturall Gen. 3.19 spirituall Eph. 2.1 eternal which is called the second death Rev. 2.11 20.6 and eternall damnation Mar. 3.29 and eternall judgement Heb. 6.2 4. Q. Can you declare and expresse what that second death is A. No more then its opposite or contrary the joyes of heaven can be expressed 1 Cor. 2.9 But it is summed in poena damni poena sensus both everlasting all included Mat. 25.41 5. Q. How comes this so infinite punishment to be due to us A. For Adams first sin and for every sin of our own 6. Q. How in point of Justice for Adams sin A. Because we were then all in him not only as the root from which we were to spring but as the body in which we were included and represented hee being though but one man yet that publick one that stood for all so that both his receipt and breach of the Covenant was ours 1 Cor. 15.22 Rom. 5.18 19. 7. Q. How in point of Justice for every sin of our own seeing to us many sins seem light and small A. Because God is infinite therefore every sinne being the transgression of his will 1 Joh. 3.4 deserveth infinite punishment Rom. 6.23 8. Q. How came Adam by sin was he created sinful A. No but by Satans temptation to the Woman and by her to him he fell into it Gen. 3.1 2 Cor. 11. 9. Q. Who or what was Satan and how came he to be sinfull A. Satan is a name implying and including all and every of the Devils who being with infinite other Angels created in glory and Angels of light of themselves and through their own frailty and presumption fell in sin and became eternally reprobated Angels of darknesse Joh. 8.44 2 Pet. 2.4 Jude 6. 10. Q. What can you gather out of this doctrine of our danger and fall of the creatures A. 1. That there is but one unchangeable Essence one God Deut. 6.4 Jam. 1.17 2. That we should not be proud of ourselves nor scornfull of others 1 Cor. 4.7 Rom. 14.10 Gal. 6.1 2. 3. That we can never be too watchfull or carefull of ourselves 2 Pet. 3.11 4. That we have no help in our selves but must look it without us Rom. 7.14.18 2 Cor. 3.5 Sect. 3. Of our Remedy 1. Q. BY whom are we delivered from our foresaid danger A. By Jesus Christ Rom. 5.9 1 Thes 1.10 2. Q. How did he deliver us A. By making satisfaction to God for us 1 Joh. 2.2 3. Q. How did he make satisfaction for us A. By his sufferings Is 53.5 1 Pet. 2.24 and by his doings Jtr. 23.6 1 Cor. 1.30 4. Q. What needed any satisfaction seeing God is mercifull A. Because he is also just and cannot deny himself 2 Tim. 2.13 5. Q. But how could Christs doing and suffering in Justice stand and passe for ours A. Because he was our voluntary surety Gal. 1.4 our head answerable to the first Adam Rom. 5.18 19. Col. 1.18 our husband Eph. 5.23 24. 6. Q. But how could Christs satisfaction be sufficient for all men A. Because he was God as wel as man therefore the virtue and value of it was infinite Acts 20.28 Acts 3.15 1 Cor. 2.8 7. Q. What followeth for our instruction in point of practise out of this doctrine of our redemption by Christ A. Great provocation of our love to God to our self and our neighbour 8. Q. Why to God A. Because we are not our own but his bought with a price 1 Cor. 6.20 and that a precious one 1 Pet. 1.19 9. Q. Why to our self A.
other faculties and acted other exercises yet in the Psalmes we find him very frequent in the meditation and contemplation and examination of mans estate and condition which indeed was the knowledge of himselfe And it seemes he had studied this point so far that he was gone beyond himself in it and had learn'd more then he was able to utter But hee doth set it forth as far as possibly he can and as far as words may significantly expresse it For in the 144th Ps ver 4. he saith Man is like unto Vanity And in the 39th Psa ver 5. he goes farther and saith Every man at his best state is altogether vanity And yet farther in the 62. Psa ver 9. he goes farther and spares neither high nor low but saith Surely men of low degree are vanity and men of high degree are a lie to be laid on the ballance they are altogether lighter then vanity Like vanity At the best altogether vanity Altogether lighter then vanity And yet farther and beyond all in this Psalme and in this verse of the Psalm hee goes farther for he doth not here say what man is but hee makes a question of it he brings it to a question As if he could not tell what to say of it as if it were a thing not possible to be told What is man that thou art mindfull of him This passionate exclamation of the Prophet concerning man groweth and ariseth from his considering the Heavens the Moon and the starrs as appeareth in the verse next foregoing And it so ariseth necessarily and by good consequence For in those admirable and excellent creatures whether he considered their place and situation or their influence and operation or their uncessant and untired motion or their long undecaying durance and continuaation very just cause had he to say What is man And on the other side whether hee considered that they are all made for mans use and service the Sun to rule the day the moon and the Starres to govern the night Psa 136. or whether he considered that man shall one day be placed higher then they and be advanced in glory above them all very just cause had he then to adde the other words also and say that thou art mindfull of him Here therefore I take it we have three things offered to our consideration 1. The vilenesse or baseness of man 2. The unworthinesse of man 3. The providence of God For in that out of the consideration of the heavens the moon and starres he raiseth the question What is man we may gather that he intimateth mans vilenesse in respect of their excellencie And in that he makes the question with mention of Gods providence wee may gather that he aimeth at mans unworthinesse in reference to Gods goodnesse and mercie And in that hee makes mention of Gods mindfulnesse we may plainly see he sets forth Gods good providence to man notwithstanding his vilenesse in himself and his unworthinesse towards God To begin with the first mans vilenesse or baseness This will be discovered in a twofold consideration namely of what we are or belongs unto us in our corporall and what in our temporall state and condition each of them again have a double reference or respect First for our corporal state and condition our vilenesse therein will appear in respect both of our beginning and of our ending First for our beginning If I should speak of our next and nearest natural beginning I mean our conception and birth I fear I should then make it too plain and more offend your eares then edifie your soules I should scarce I doubt find words modest and civill enough to bring me off with good manners It is a subject so unseemly for discourse that it may be enough if not too much for my present purpose onely to have named it Passing therefore that let us look I pray you on our first and primary beginning namely in Adam or rather on Adams beginning For though he was the beginning of all us yet he was not the beginning of himself No he had his beginning as well as other men And whence was it yee may see Gen. 2.7 The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground Loe then here is our noble parentage our high descent of dignity our honorable house Yea this is the very foundation of the house we dwell in houses of clay whose foundation is in the dust Job 4.19 And what can be more vile and contemptible then the dust of the earth which is troden under foot of all creatures which is scattered abroad of every blast of wind which beareth no herb nor fruit which serveth for no use to any creature unlesse for meat to the most cursed creature that is the serpent Thou art cursed above all cattell upon thy belly shalt thou go and dust shalt thou eat saith God to the serpent Gen. 3.19 But if any man or woman in the pride of their beauty or other excellencie will not apprehend their vilenesse by considering from whence they came yet let them apprehend and own and acknowledge it by considering whereto they shall shortly return What can be more odious to a living man then the carcasse of a dead man what can be more loathsome to his slight more noisome to his smell more infectious to his body And yet such we all are I may say we are For indeed we are so by natures judgement disposition and inclination I may say such we are for certainly such we shall be and onely God knowes how soon such must every man and womans body be be it never so strong and able never so sound and healthful never so fair and beautifull And as the generation of man originally was from the dust which is serpents meat so for farther expresse of our vilenesse as some naturalists note the corruption of a man is the seed or generation of a serpent For so they write Ex spina humana corrupta out of the corrupted Carcas of a man is ingendred a serpent And Aug. de morib Manic ca. 17 saith Scarabaeus ex fimo aper ex bove anguis vel scorpio ex homine other things and other corruptions but of mans corruption comes a snake or scorpion I may therefore well cry out with the Son of Sirach Why is Earth and ashes proud For when a man is dead he shall inherit creeping things beasts and worms Why doth not this teach us rather to be humble and lowly and not to have so proud a conceit of our bodies as too commonly we have nor to be so excessively curious in the delicate feeding and pampering of them in the soft and tender lodging of them in the superfluous trimming and adorning of them For it is but dust for the feeding whereof so many creatures suffer death It is but dust for the lodging whereof wee spend so much time in building tabernacles It is but dust for the clothing whereof we teare both surface and bowels of the Earth