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A11590
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The Christians strength. By William Sclater. Batchelar of Diuinity and minister of the word of God at Pitmister in Somerset
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Sclater, William, 1575-1626.
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1612
(1612)
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STC 21833; ESTC S116804
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11,631
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22
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are right hands of iniquity Beloved heare Peters exhortation l 2. Pet. 1.5 Ioine to faith vertue to vertue knowledge to knowledge tēperance c Virtutes christianae are Copulativae and so linked in amity each to other that as Nami speaks to Ruth m Ruth 1.16 Qui vnam virtutem habet Aug. ep 29. where thou goest I go where thou dwellest I dwell nothing but death can sever So where one dwels al dwell where one is wanting no one is obtained Passe we vnto the third member the fountaine of the blessing I can do all things through Christ c. These are magnifica that Paule speakes of himselfe and such speeches as these of himselfe made Porphyrie charge him with the crime of boasting But yet this shall ever be noted as the nature of thankfulnesse It is willing to draw out received benefits to the vtmost extent but still with reference to the praise of the bestower I can do all things but the fountaine of this power is Christ So els where n 1. Cor. 15.10 I haue laboured more then all yet not I but grace which is with me And what if we say with Bernard we are not only o Bern. de grat lib. arbit operis ministri per effectum but operantis quodammodo socij per consensum If this be withal acknowledged that God Communicates the worke vnto vs and that will and worke proceed from him p Aug. de haeres cap. 88. Pelagius in Austins old age set this heresy on foot that man in nature as now borne of Adam hath power of himselfe to keepe all the Commandements From him it should seeme the Greekes tooke their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that naturall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 selfe abilitie and sufficiency which they dreamed to be in nature even to things supernaturall as beliefe and repentance My purpose is not to run out into the large discussing of that controversie this only it will not be amisse to shew how farre natures strength reacheth in moralities and to what it extends not This then I thinke may be granted to Pelagius without any preiudice of truth That naturall mē haue some kind of command over the locomotiue facultie and may doe the externall workes of piety towards God and iustice to men without any more then the generall influence of providence or the common worke of Gods spirit which is vouchsafed to hypocrits in the Church yea to some heathen out of it The q Rom. 2.14 Gētiles by nature .i. by instinct direction power of nature doe the things of the law I say not all things I say not any thing in the right manner Yet Seneca spake much if performance were answerable Si scirem Deos ignoscituros homines ignoraturos tamen propter peccati turpitudinem peccare dedignarer Were J sure of pardō fom God and concealement from men yet for the turpitude sin hath in it I would scorne to commit it Magna sunt haec in homine Philosopho and a saying as neere as any to christian sinceritie But yet if this be true that principium finis denominant actionem the motiue and ende denominate the action nature will never reach I say not to do al things but not to doe any thing morally good or acceptable to God The principles of moral actions that they may be acceptable according to the law are two Loue and Dutie Loue inclining the affections Duty pressing the conscience And how of loue to God we should do duties that haue not had Gods loue shed abroad in our hearts I know not seeing Iohn saith r 1. Ioh. 4.19 wee loue him because he loved vs first And who ever could finde a naturall man so rectifyed as that he performed his religious or civil offices for conscience of God The end is ſ Mat. 5.16 Gods glory And if ever heathen or vnsanctified men come thus farre to such intention Pelagius shall soone be acknowledged a teacher of truth Dulce decorum honestum and honorificum Virtutes istae tali fine turpes defermes Aug. cont Iulian. Pelag lib. 4 cap 3. Non ossiciis sed sinibus a vitiis discernendae virtutes Idem ibidem vaine glory and eternitie of fame these were motiues heathenish But for Gods glory who so findes in nature a desire to advance it findes more then the Lord himselfe coulde finde in his most strict surview of man in his naturals t Psal 14 2 3. There is none that vnderstandeth none that seeketh after God And what lacke Papists of Pelagianisme that allow to nature a power dispositiue and ability to prepare it selfe to regeneration The Apostle that u Philip. 3.6 in nature went as farre as any yet acknowledgeth all his power to proceed from Christ And our Saviour himselfe * Ioh. 15.5 Without me yee can doe nothing no saith the Apostle x 2. Cor. 3.5 not thinke a good thought And howsoever it bee true Gods children haue power to practise yet is the fountaine of all power Christ Iesus On him first rested y Isai 11.2 the spirit of strength and z Ioh. 1 16. of his fulnesse wee all receaue grace for grace grace be it what it will bee a Eph. 4.7 according to the measure of the donation of Christ Now brethren beloved longed for what remains for vs but b Ps 116.12 13 to take the cup of Salvation and giue thankes vnto the Lord It is all the recompence the Lord expects from vs for all the blessings he hath bestowed on vs. It may be we can say some of vs that the bloody fluxe of naturall corruption is stopped in vs we shall be vnthakfull if we acknowledge not c Mark 5.30 the vertue to haue come from Christ It may be wee can say our lips are purged that we can now speake to the praise of the Lord but Isai would acknowledge d Isa 6 6. that the coale came from this Altar It may be that we haue receaved e Isai 50 4. a tongue of the learned but can we forget that the Lord hath given it It may be a spirit and power in prayer but shall we not remember that it is the f Rom. 8.26 spirit that helpes our infirmities Yea go over all the good things thou inioyost thou shalt be forced to acknowledge Christ for the fountaine And why may I not againe inferre that seeing our rivers flowe all from this sea they should g Ec. 1.7 thether return as tributaries whence they first proceeded my meaning is the guifts we haue receaved frō Christ we should vse all h Rom. 11. vlt to the honour of him from whome we haue receaved them It is good in Christianity in some sense to circulate and if in the vse of our guifts receaved we could make our whole life a circle to close in the point whence it began the motion were heavenly This doe then Marshall vp your graces
that you haue receaved set them as the Cherubims on the mercy seat i Exod. 25.20 each facing another all with their faces turned to Christ Zeale and knowledge faith and charity let each looke to other knowledge to direct zeale zeale to vse knowledge to the glory of him that hath enlightned our eies to see and enflamed our hearts to loue him in truth The last member remaines the supply of the blessing in the description of Christ by his effect Christ which strengthneth Christ strengthneth two waies 1. by infusing habituall strength I meane by giving the habits of graces whereby we are fitted to do all things required of vs to salvation as faith patience charity c. 2 by giving vse of these gifts when occasion requireth Both are here implyed but this latter rather to be insisted on Whence obserue two things 1. the necessity 2. the certainety of Christs assistence in practise of christian duties Necessity even after grace received So that when a man is indued with habituall faculties yet is not he enabled for any actuall performance without speciall assistence of Christ by his spirit See Ioh. 15.5 Phi. 2.13 the places are known No one act of faith patience charity c. but hath neede of Christs speciall assistence for right performāce Titus had received the habit of loue yet k 2 Cor. 8.16 thanks be to God saith the Apostle that hath put into the heart of Titus this care for you Augustine speaks excellently to this purpose l De grat lib Arbit cap. 17. sine illo vel operante vt velimus vel cooperante cum volumus ad bona pietatis opera nihil valemus The altar of the sanctuary at the base had Lyons of brasse for supporters It may be as types of Christ the Lyon of the tribe of Iudah supporting vs in every particular action of worship acceptable to God The church is described comming out of the wildernes of this world m Cant. 8.5 leaning on her beloved Bernard is alwaies elegant not alwaies apt in this glosse me thinks aptnes and elegancie haue met togither Frustra nititur si non innitur It is vaine to attempt one step without this staffe to leane on Petrus ex egregio praesumptore creber negator effectus Aug ep 120. Peters lamentable experience is evidence enough presuming but a litle of himselfe we know how fowly he fell There is an heresie about providence that God indeed giues to every creature the first power and ability of moving but after that once given affords no more but generall influence for vsing the faculties received The Lord confutes it in Ieroboam n 1. Reg. 13.4 stretching out his hand to smite the Prophet but not able to pull it in Not much vnlike is that heresie about the grace of God that God indeed prevēts with grace but needs not supply vs with grace subsequent for actuall performances Would God our own dayly wofull experiences were not too plentifull confutation of this errour Alas how often finde we it true That we would doe good but o Rom. 7.21 evill is so present with vs that we are not able to performe it How many holy purposes faile of execution through Gods iust withholding his assisting grace for our pride and vnthankfulnes Whiles Moses was praying in the mount at Iosuah his great battell with the Amalekites his p Ex 17.12 hands grew feeble and Aaron and Hur were faine to support them Beloved not Aaron and Hur but Christ himselfe must support vs if in any action we desire performance This do thē whether thou read or heare or pray or practise à Christo principium pray Christ to strengthen and giue ability for performance That which remaines I contract into this short compendium We haue heard the necessity see we now the certainty of Christs assistēce in every necessary duty of christianity our indeavours being adioined Christ which strengtheneth so certain is assistence where a christian indeavours And let it be our incouragement in all necessary duties how difficult so ever they seem to vs. It is the fault of many to forbeare indeavours thorough despaire of performance And as the sluggard in Salomon we are ever in christianity fancying difficulties a great deale more then the duties containe A Lyon is in the way c. It is a sweet epithet here given to Christ he is strong in himselfe and giues strength to vs q 2. Cor. 12 9. my grace is sufficient for thee and my power is made perfect in weaknes What he commands as necessary to salvation he enables in acceptable measure to performe by his gracious assistence I conclude all with that saying of Moses to the Isralites When he saw them dismaid with the sight of the Aegiptian host pressing so hard after to destroy them r Ex. 14 13.14 Feare not faith Moses stand still and yee shall see the salvation of the Lord. So say I vnto you beloved whereas you shall see the huge host of your rebellious corruptions threatning your overthrow and vtter destruction yet despaire not of victory Feare not stand still be of good Courage yee shall see the great salvation of the Lord. None of them so strong but by resistance thou shalt be enabled to overcome No duty so difficult but Christ shall enable thee in acceptable measure to performe FINIS