some Patron of power to defend or protect them from injury oppression and detraction so I knowing nothing of worth in these evill times can escape detraction and oppression doe commend these works of Iohn Arndt concerning true Christianity to God the onely patron and defeâ—der of his own profession and no earthly protector assuring my selfe that as they have escaped the envie of his own countrey-men and have been protected by the heavenly power from the fire of persecution sword and injury so likewise I do assure my selfe these books shall here continue in our native tongue and be preserved to a long-lasting memory to Gods glory and his countries good which is the translators onely aim and desire O these doe hang out before the doore of the house an encomium or title of praise as it were an Ivy-bush to draw custome to the Wine-celler The name of this book is instead of an Ivybush to all good Christians and better wine then is within it cannot be had even that wine for which wee contend with so much losse of British bloud and we the laymen do stand up for with hazard of our lives and fortunes I say that heavenly pearle or hidden treasure in the field which by most if not all the Bishops since the dayes of Langfrank and Thomas hath been defaced or neglected even to this day wherein the Bishops still with their Prelatical faction doe labour after the â—â—â— example who fought for preheminence honour wealth and wine for the belly preferring it before the true vine and wine of John Arndt in this body comprised which undoubtedly is the best unlesse it may be impaired something in the Celler through the default of the Drawer yet seeing it retaineth the true taste spirit and in it self is found good and wholsome and by your good favours gentle Readers covered and conveyed in the cup of charity which maketh the good will more acceptable then the Simon Castrensis Machivelenum Auglicanum edidit gift it may easily draw from the Translator the remainder of the vessell in such expressions as Philopatiris is able So resteth your devoted servant to be commanded Radulphus Castrensis Antimachivalensis THE FIRST BOOKE of true Christianity CHAP. I. Of the Image of GOD. EPHES. 4. Be renewed in the spirit of your minds and put on the new Man which is created after God in justice and in the sanctity of truth THE Image of God in Man is a conformity or similitude of the Man concerning thâ—e Soule Understanding Spirâ—t Mind Will and all the faculties both of Body and Mind with God or the holy Trinity and with all his divine Attributes vertues will and proprieties said Faciamus Let us make which are words as I may sâ—y of the Man the Image of the Trinity sacred Senate of the holy Trinity Gen. 1. man after our image and similitude and let him rule over the fishes of the sea and fowles of heaven and beasts of all the earth and every creeping thing that moveth on the earth Whereby evidently appeareth that the holy Trinity planted his Image in man so as meere divine holinesse justice and goodnesse might shine and send forth light in his soule understanding will and hearts desâ—â—e yea even in his life and all his actions nothing but divine love vertue and purity be found in him no otherwise then in the blessed Angels This Image God had made in man to take delight in and rejoyce as it wee in his soule Truly even as one becomming a father and beholding himselfe or an other selfe in his off-spring cannot but rejoyce with an inward joy hardly to be expressed So Gods delight and chiefe pleasure was to be with the sonnes of men or our first Parents Prov. 8. For although God rested in all his works yet he did take singular and chiefe delight in man because in him his divine Image did most perfectly and exactly appeare or shine forth by his innocency and excellency The Image of the Trinity in the soul or inward beauty For â—â—at cause God had planted three chiefe faculties as a most ample dowrie in the soule of man to wit Intellect Will and Memory and those the same holy Trinity doth produce preserve sanctifie and illuminate and lastly doth most beautifully adorne them with his graces gifts and works Certainly it is the property of every image whatsoever to set forth the like forme and figure neither can it be thought worthy the name of an image unlesse it be as like as it may be to that body that it ought to represent Let us take for example of what we say a looking-glasse in this an image cannot appeare unlesse it draw a similitude or like form from elsewhere and as I may so say conceive it then also by how much purer and clearer the glasse is so much the more evidently doth the image of God appear in it In like manner the more clearer and pure the mans soule is so much the clearer doth the divine Image shew forth it selfe And therefore to this end our great God created man altogether pure without blemish or spot indued with faculties of soul and body blamelesse unreproveable that the image of God might be seen in him and not so as in a glasse a vain and livelesse shadow appeareth but a true and a living Image and likenesse or similitude of the invisible God and of his inward hidden immense beauty I say an Image of the divine wisedome the understanding of man of long suffering goodnesse meeknesse and patience of God in the spirit of man of love and mercy in the affections of the heart of justice sanctity sincerity and purity in the will of lowlinesse gentlenesse humanity and vertue in all his actions and words of power in his Dominion and rule over the earth and fear of The true use of the image of God all living creatures granted unto him last of all of eternity in the immortalitie of the soule Moreover out of this Image man should or ought first of all know God and then himselfe I say God his Creator to be all things the chiefe and only being of whom all other created things have their being and all those essentially whose image should shine in man Therefore seeing that he should cary the image of God is all goodness essentially the divine Goodnesse it consequently followeth that God is the chiefe and universall goodnesse essentially and also the essentiall love life and holinesse wherefore to God alone all honour praise glory magnificence wherefore to God alone honor glory is due fortitude power and vertue is due because he is all these essentially but to any creature none of all these is due And thereupon it is Matth. 19. to a certain man thinking Christ to be onely man and therefore saying Good master what good shall I doe that I may have eternall life answer is made What doest thou call me good None is good but onely God
most noble is that man in whom Christ is all and doth all whose noble thoughts mind words are the will of Christ the thoughts of Christ and the mind of Christ according to that of Paul * 1 Cor. 2. We have the mind of Christ Lastly whose words are Christs And so it needs to be indeed because the life of Christ is that new and another life in man neither is the new man any other thing then he who liveth in Christ according to the Spirit whose life I say courtesie patience and humility is no other then that of Christ And this the new creature and the life of Christ in us according to that of Paul to the Galatians Gâ—l 2. I live but not I but Christ in me liveth this also is to follow Christ truly and truly to repent for by this method the old man is destroyed and the carnall life declineth the new spirituall and heavenly life ariseth and breaketh out of the clouds This who ever doth he truly is a Christian not in title only but in work and truth a true son of God begotten of God and Christ renewed in Christ and quickened by faith and so long as the inward man dwelleth in flesh and blood we may wish so much perfection rather then attain unto it but it is as meet and necessary to indeavour and to aspire thereunto and study the same and to wish it from our inward minde and to strive that the life and kingdom The strife daily fighting with corrupt nature of Christ may be in us and not the life of Satan let all our counsels respect this all our cares and inward groans be sent this way and let this be our only strife and warfare that we may mortifie the old man by daily repentance For how much every one dieth to himself so much doth Christ live in him how much corruption How the man is daily renewed departeth from our nature by the Holy Ghost so much divine grace cometh in how much the flesh is crucified so much is the spirit quickened so much of the work of darknesse as is destroyed so much is the man illuminated by how much the exterior man is lessened and wasted so much the inward is renewed 2 Cor. 4. so much as you lose of your vaine affections and carnall life and are wasted as self-self-love ambition wrâ—th covetousnesse and voluptuousnesse so much Christ liveth in you the further a mans heart is set from the world from concupiscence of the eyes flesh and pride of life so much more of God Christ and the Holy Spirit doth flow into him Last of all the more nature flesh darknesse and the world do bear rule in man so much lesse grace spirit of light God and Christ is found in him Moreover this new kind of living is to the flesh The new life is the crosse of the flesh an enemy and bitter crosse because it is that by which it is subjugated and brought under and crucified with all the desires and concupiscences thereof but yet is that wherein the whole power and fruit of penitency consisteth This is the inward desire of the flesh and blood that it had rather lead a free life dissolute according to its own will and among pleasures and all kind of voluptuousnesse for it only knows this to be sweet and pleasant as contrariwise the life of Christ to the flesh and the old man is a heavie crosse but to the new man and him that is spirituall it is an easie yoak a light burden and a most quiet Sabbath truly the true rest is sought for in vain else were they in the faiâ—h of Christ and in his sweetness humility patience and love of Christ whereupon it is said Mat. 11. You shall find rest for your souls Truly he that loveth Christ will not think it bitter to suffer death it self for him This therefore is that sweet yoak of Christ which we are commanded to take upon us that our soules might be refreshed and come into his rest which command if we determine to obey and mean to put on Christ his life and yoak then we must shake off the yoak of the Devill our way of carnall life wicked and dissolute nor must we suffer the flesh as a Lady to insult and disquiet the spirit but all things are to be brought under the Law obedience and yoak of Christ will I say reason understanding and all carnall What the yoak of Christ is appetites which the concupiscence of Adam and this flesh of ours is well pleased to be honoured worshipped and to be praised of men to abound in riches and pleasures to bring all which on the other side under the yoak of Christ and his discipline nothing regarding his ignominy contempt and poverty to think himself unworthy all things that the world gapeth What the life of Christ is after and for which other men do contend that truth is the crosse of Christ wherewith the flesh is delighted I say that extreme humility of Christ and his most noble life which to the spirit is a most easie yoak and a most easie burden for what other was the whole life of Christ then holy poverty extreme contempt and vile persecution who came not into the world to be attended on but to serve us himself and spend his life and shed his dearest blood to redeem our offences It is the property of The naturall man the spirituall the naturall man to seek after honours and hunt after great things The spirituall on the other side loved the humility of Christ and desireth to become nothing And whereas most men do desire to go before or excell others scarce one coveteth to be reputed as nothing of whom the one belongeth to the square or rule of life of the old Adam the other to the rule of Christ The carnall man and he who hath not yet learned what Christ is that is to say meer humility courtesie and love accounteth it folly to live as Christ liveth and thinketh those onely wise that live after their owne The false true light will delicately and easily not knowing that then he chiefly liveth in the Devill when most foolishly he applaudeth himselfe and esteemeth his own life as the best and most pleasing which most miserable men being fast bound in the lust of their own carnall wisdome doe inforce others to follow the like errours contrariwise those whom the true and eternall light hath inlightned those are touched at the heart when they doe see the pomp and disdaine pride pleasure wrath revenge and such kind of fruit of the carnall life which causeth them to sigh from the bottome of their hearts saying How farre is this from Christ and his knowledge from true repentance from genuine Christianity and lastly from the fruits of the new birth of the sonnes of God for he liveth yet in Adam in the old creature and in the Devill himselfe for to offend
meere love Wherefore he that liveth not in Charity this man is a dead member of Christ manifestly if hee bee in the body of Christ For even as a dead member is not warmed with naturall heat nor nourished and for that cause is altogether without life So hee that liveth not in charity hath not the spiritual life of Christ but is dead to God and Christ because he is without faith and is a dry tree without juice from the Vine which is Christ and to be cut off lastly He that hath no charity is dead without God Christ and the holy Ghost the Christian Church and life eternall where God face to face shall bee seen which is love it self CHAP. XXXIII God giveth no respect to the works of the persons he judgeth and esteemeth the worke according to the heart Prov. 21. Every way of a man seemeth right to himselfe but God trieth the heart WHen the Prophet Samuel by the commandement of God went to anoint David King he entred his Fathers house and would have anointed his first-born the Lord said Doe not thou respect his countenance nor the height of his stature being I have rejected him neither doe I judge according to the countenance of a man for a God iudgeth all things by the heart man seeth those things that are open and evident but the Lord beholdeth the heart By which example God teacheth us that he hath no regard to any person although never so great and illustrious when his heart is void of goodnesse love faith and humility but to esteem of the workes by the inward spirit and intention of the mind and to allow them according as it is in the 21. of the Prov. Moreover all gifts how great soever illustrious praise-worthy and excellent they are in the judgment of the world unlesse they proceed from a pure heart unlesse they respect the sole honour of God and the profit of our neighbour lastly unlesse they be free and altogether separated from pride arrogancy self-love desire of private praise and glory they cannot please God Therefore whosoever thou art O man be assured and certainly Arrogancie corrupteth all gifts perswaded that if God should bestow on thee alone all the gifts he hath bestowed on all men yet if thou shouldst not use them to the profit of thy neighbour and honour of God to which end God bestowed them upon men but shouldest use them as certain instruments of praise glory honour and lucre God would abhorre them no otherwise then the greatest sinnes This you may learn from the example of Luâ—ifer a fairer and more beautifull Angel heaven had not who when hee vilified the gifts of God with his own honour and selfe-love and did not purely respect the love and glory of God by his own act hee became a Devil and was cast from heaven Therefore those things which God will accept and account well of ought to proceed out of faith alone and most pure love of God and men and ought to be void of all selfe-love arrogancy and private gaine so much as may be by the grace of God in this infirmity whereof Saint Paul writeth If I speak with the tongues of Men and Angels and have not charity I am as a sounding brasse and a tinckling Cymball that is I am in vain and altogether unprofitable In truth God regardeth no faculty but in humble hearts not arts not much learning but whether our spirit doth seek the honour of God Miraculous faith saving faith differ edification of our neighbour not a miraculous faith to remove mountaines for glory sake but the pure and contrite in spirit trembling at his word as it is read in Isa 66. not lastly if any covetous of fame and renown doe distribute all he hath to feed the poore and give his body to be burned alive but the heart and the cause of them all That which is manifest by many examples to be brought Cain and Abel both of them brought Sacrifices Differing sacrifices to God one of them acceptable the other was execrable by reason of the disparity of minds The same reason was of David and Saul both which attended Gods service but with unlike event for the foresaid cause David Manasses Nebuch adnezzar and Peter by repentance obtained grace contrariwise Saul Pharaoh Vnequal repentaÌ„ce and Judas did misse the same by reason of the same variety of mind Pharaoh and Saul and Manasses used the same prayer Lord I have sinned they received unlike rewards Judith and Hester and the daughters of Israel Esay 3. they adorned themselves and combed themselves with praise and renown the one the other dispraise and reprehension In like manner the prayer of Hezekia Josua and Gideon by which they required a signe from heaven as approved is praised Contrariwise the Pharisees Mat. 12. doing the same are reproved of the Lord. The Publican and the Pharisee both of them pray in the Temple not approved The Ninivites and the Jewes and Pharisees doe fast alike but the one God heard the other he heard not wherefore Isai 58. they cry Wherefore have wee fasted and thou regardest us not The Widow which brought into the Treasury two small Mites is praised of Christ he that gave more was not Herod and Zacheus in the sight of Christ doe rejoyce but had most differing rewards The holy Martyrs for Christ suffered death Achab and Manasses offer unto the Lord their own children and God accepted the sacrifice of the one and the other was rejected Which variety proceedeth from no other cause then from the heart which God onely respecteth whereupon hee onely accepteth those works which come from a heart unfained and sincere charity and free humility Contrariwise whatsoever gifts they be if arrogancy self-love and the contagion of lucre doe infect them he rejecteth them CHAP. XXXIV That a man doth nothing at all to his salvation but God doth all things to us onely we admit of his grace as a sick man doth his Medicines to those without repentance the merit of Christ is not imputed 1 Corinth 1. Christ is made unto us the Wisdome of God and justice and sanctification and Redemption BY this Sentence Saint Paul teacheth us what things are necessray for our salvation by Christ all things are done for us For when we were ignorant of the way of life he was made wisedom unto us wheÌ„ we were sinners our justice when we were abominable our sanctification lastly when A man cannot help himself we were damned our redemption Whereupon it remaineth that the man doth not confer one jot to the beginning middle and end of his salvation with all his merits of works strength and free will But sinne he could of himselfe but he could not justifie himselfe again lose but not recover kill but not raise again to life be subdued to the Devill but not set free from him again For even as a dead carkasse cannot quicken it selfe again so neither
contempt persecution contumely and reproach the crosse death martyrdome and punishment whereupon Moses preferred the contumely of Christ before the treasure of Aegypt which is true illumination XV. The true name of Christians written The name of Christians in heaven is the true knowledge of Christ in faith by which we are transplanted into Christ and written in him as in the book of life from whom do flow living virtues which God in that day will beautifie with an honorable testimonie Mat. 25. bringing forth all those treasures which we have layed up in heaven 1 Tim. 6. and bringing to light every work which is wrought in God Joh. 3. None of the Saints hath made himselfe famous by any vertue which will be forgotten Psal 112. And this vertue of his as faith charity mercy patience and the like are that name written in heaven and the note and character of the Saints and the eternall names of heaven Of which more in the second Book CHAP. XLI In which is repeated the summe of the whole Book That the whole Christian Religion doth consist in the restauration of the divine Image in Man and extirpation of the Image of Satan 2 Corinth 3. We all beholding with a revealed face the glory of the Lord are transformed into the same Image from glory to glory as it were by the Spirit of the Lord. IN the true knowledge of Christ and of his person offices benefits and heavenly gifts doth consist the blessed life which the H. Ghost doth enlighten in us as a certain new light which in it selfe becometh more and more cleare as a certain metalline body Wherin consists eternall life or a glasse by making it cleane becommeth more neat and clearer or as an infant daily augmented in stature and growth For even as righteousnesse is given to a man by faith in Christ and then hee beginneth his conversion or regeneration or to bee begotten in his conversion and daily to be renewed after the Image of God neither is he by and by a man but is an infant whom afterwards the holy Ghost doth nourish and from day to day doth more and more conform him to Jesus Christ For the whole life of a Christian man upon this earth What Christianity is ought to be nothing else then a reformation of the image of God so that hee might live continually in the new birth and on the contrary mortifie the old man daily Which manner of life is onely begun in this world and perfected in the world to come Therefore he that before the day of the last judgement and so of his death hath not made his beginning in this man the Image of God shal never be erected to all eternity Wherefore I hold it very needfull forthwith to inculcate and inform what is the Image of God and also what the Image of Satan is seeing that in the knowledge of these the whole Christian religion consisteth and from this one head many other doctrines of originall sin of freewill and so of repentance of faith of justification of prayer of regeneration renovation sanctification and of the new life and obedience come to be explained Therefore the soul of man is an immortall spirit indued by God with excellent powers and faculties as understanding will memory and other motions and affections of the mind And this ought to be turned to God in him to be made the image of God so The soul of man is the glass of God that as the object in a glasse so in it God may be manifested and made conspicuous In which sense Saint Paul speaketh 1 Cor. 3. That the glory of God in the image of God renewed doth shine as in a glasse Moreover as God is good and holy himself so the substance and essence of the soule in the beginning The conformity of our soule with God in the state of inâ—ocency was originally good and holy And as in God there was no evill so the soul of man was without all evill from the beginning as in God nothing is but good Deut. 32. Psal 92. so in the soule there was nothing that was not good as God is all-knowing and wise the humane soule was full of divine knowledge and spiritualls celestiall and eternal wisdome as the divine wisdome disposed all things in number weight and measure and knew the strength of all creatures as wel celestial as terrestrial so the mind of man was enlightned by the same light Neither was the will inferiour to the understanding as equally holy and conformable to the divine wil in all things Therefore as God was so the soule of man was just benigne merciful long suffering patient meek courteous true and chast Which conformity of the humane wil with the divine all the affections appetites desires motions of the heart did participate emulating or following most perfectly the motions and affections of the divine wil even as God is charity so the affections of the man did breathe nothing but meer charity and as God Father Sonne and holy Ghost are joyned together and conspire in ineffable and eternal love so all the affections motions and desires of the humane soule by a meer most pure most perfect and most ardent love from the bottome of the heart did grow warm and Thâ— body of man is the temple of God prosper together so that the man loved God and his honour more dearly then himselfe Moreover even as in the soule so also in the body the image of God did shine most gloriously which therefore in all the faculties thereof was holy chast subject to no filthy concupiscences or motions beautiful comely of perfect health immortal and was without molestation tediousnesse passion griefe vexation and old age In brief the whole man both in mind and body was perfect holy just and acceptable to God every way For as the man was the image of God it followeth necessarily that the body it self be holy and conformable to God according to blessed Paul who commanded to sanctifie the body soule and spirit together For seeing that the man consisteth of soule and body and therefore bodily and spiritual functions going together it is necessary that a soule holy and just accomplishing its workes through the body and in the body should have an observant instrument and equally holy as it selfe Therefore as the soule did burn or was zealous in the most pure love of God so all the faculties of the body did imitate the same gesture in the love of God and his neighbour As the soule was all mercifull so the body with all the powers thereof did incline to clemency As in the divine soul chastity did shine so all the body with all internall and externall senses and powers did use perfect purity and chastity In brief the perfections of virtues were conspicuous no lesse in the body then in the mind or soul Wherefore it was easie What heart signifieth in Scripture for a man in the
alone that is to say essentially and but for and without God no good can be Yet further is to be noted that man out of this Image should learn to know himselfe to wit that there The Image of God ought to represent nothing but God is a very great difference between him and God and man not God himselfe but his Image similitude likenesse or proportion in whom God alone should be seen And therefore besides God nothing should live appeare work will love think speak and rejoyce in man but if any thing else besides God should move and work in him then the man cannot be the Image of God but his contrariwise by whom he is moved driven and carried away And to speak briefly the man ought to suffer himselfe wholly to be delivered up devoted resigned up to God fulfilling the divine God wil be all things in man will by a passive manner by denying his 〈◊〉 proper will and suffering God alone to doe and work in him this truly is the accomplishment of God so that the man may be a more pure and holy instrument of God and his works and will by which it cometh to passe the man doth not move his will but hath the divine will for his own he loveth not himselfe but God he seeketh not his own honour but Gods he challengeth no goods to himselfe being contented to possesse God and consequently without the love of the world and the creatures In briefe nought should be in man live and work in him but God alone wherein consisteth the chief innocency purity and holinesse of man for what greater The chiefe innocency and simplicity innocency can be thought upon then that the man should not do his own proper will but to suffer God in him to work and finish all things what greater simplicity can there be then that in little children void of all ambition and selfe-love The Kingdome of God in man both without and within Christ Jesus shewed a most perfect â—xample of in his life time which was the most absolute Image of God by sacrificing Christ the perfect Image of God and consecrating his will to his heavenly Father in perfect obedience humility and meeknesse dispoyling himselfe of all honour and selfe-love all pleasure and joy permitting God alone to think speak and doe all things in him by himselfe alone In a word he had the will and pleasure of God for his own that which God himselfe testified by a voyce sent from heaven Mat. 3. This is my welbeloved Sonne in whom I am well pleased this Jesus Christ I say is the true Image of God out of whom nothing did appeare and shine forth but God himselfe that is to say meer love and mercy long-suffering patiences meeknesse mildnesse love towards man holinesse consâ—lation life and blessednesse eternall by him the invisible God would be seen manifested God manifested in Christ and known to men who also yet after a more sublime manner is the Image of God according to his Divinity as being God himselfe and his essentiall Image a splendor or clearnesse of the uncreated light as it is Heb. 2. of which I will say nothing now but onely of his appearing and manifestation according to his humanity in his life and most holy conversation such an Image of God or most perfect innocency also Adam had which I would to God he in true humility and obedience had kept and had acknowledged himselfe not to be the chiefe good but yet to be the expresse and perfect Image of the chiefe good Now seeing he would be the chiefe good and God himselfe herewith he contaminated himselfe with the greatest and most detestable of all sins But there was another part of knowing himselfe through the Image to be desired that he was made capable of the benefits of this divine Image and most sincere pleasure of flowing love joy peace life rest fortitude vertue and light that God alone in him should be all things and alone live and work selfe-will being excluded and the love and honour and praise of himself denied only God should be his glory and praise and honour for e-every like is capable of his like not of his contrary and in that rejoyceth and is glad In this wise God had decreed to infuse himselfe with all the treasures of his goodnesse into the man and so goodnesse is most of all communicative of it selfe Last The chiefest tranquility is the union of God of all by the image of God the man ought to understand that he is by it united to God and in this union the true union of the man doth rest peace joy life and everlasting happinesse contrariwise the chief unrest of the mind torment and vexation cannot happen otherwise then by ceasing to be the Image of God or giving over to be the Image of God turning himselfe from God to the creature and consequently hereby is frustrated or deprived of the chiefe and eternall good CHAP. II. Of the fall and apostasie of Adam Rom. 5. As by the disobedience of one man many were made sinners so by the obedience of one also many are made righteous THe sin of Adam is disobedience against God by which the man turned from God to himselfe became a theefe of the divine honour whilst he went about to make himselfe God deprived himselfe of the divine image and perfect hereditary justices and holinesse blinded in his understanding in will undutifull and contumelious against God Lastly as concerning the affection of the whole heart from God alienated and in hostiall manner opposite Which abomination in all men is propagated by carnall generation and passeth by hereditary necessity and bringeth to passe that man is spiritually dead and the sonne of wrath and condemnation unlesse Christ redeem him and therefore let poore simple Christians take heed lest they extenuate the fall of Adam in their own interpretation The fall of Adam was the greatest sin and account it as a light matter and the eating of an Apple but rather let them beleeve that Adams and Lucifers was one and the same offence and that most grievous one and extreamly to be detested even a tyrannicall affectation of the divine Majesty This sinne in the beginning was conceived in the heart soon after by eating of the forbidden apple broke forth into light of which the sinne of Absolom giveth us a faire and elegant example or pattern for as he was not content first of all to be the sonne of a King then to be the most beautifull amongst men without blemish from the head to the sole of the foot thirdly most dearly beloved of his parents as may be gathered by the teares of David unless actually he were a King by thrusting his father out of his Kingdome by violence which opinion once confirmed in the mind he did after professe himselfe the enemy of his father and began to lie in wait for his life So when man did not account
it sufficient to be the Sonne of God that he was the fairest of all creatures in body and mind without fault and lastly that he was in the favour and love of God unlesse he should be God himselfe hereupon he conceived hostile hatred against God being ready as farre as in him lay utterly to deface and extirpate God A more detestable sinne then this can no man think Then afterwards it followed Adam and the Devill Lucifer committed one fault that the man concerning his heart and minde became like unto the Devil because they both committed one fault and now was no more the sonne of God nor the Image of God but of the Devil and the instrument of the Devill capable of all Devillish malice to this adde that he became of a divine celestiall and spiritual Image altogether earthly and carnall and a beastly creature for the Devill that he might erect his own Image in man durst first by inticing deceitfull and crafty speeches sow his seed in man that is to say selfe-love ambition selfe-will and affectation of the Divinity whereupon the Scripture calleth all selfe-lovers a Generation of vipers Matth. 3. and those that be of a Devillish nature The seed of the Serpent I will put enmity between the seed of the Serpent and the seed of the woman Gen. 3. And from this seed of the Serpent or seed of Vipers nothing or no off-spring can come but terrible fruit as the Image of Satan the off-spring of Belial the children of the Devil for as even as in any other seed be it never so small yet after a wonderfull and hidden manner all the qualities and properties stature thicknesse length bredth with boughes leaves flowers and fruits and so the whole tree with innumerable fruits of the whole stock and plants is contained so in this pestilent and The pestilent seed of Adam fatall seed of the Serpent I say in the self-love of Adam and his disobediences so oft as we delivered it by carnall generation there lieth the death deadly bearing tree the innumerable fruits of malice and lastly the image of Satan with all his markes and properties For shew me any child and behold even from his mothers womb first swadling cloaths this native Scandal called an action originally sinne corruption and especially disobedience and selfe-love doe grafie or sow it selfe and so soon as it groweth up regard and you shall see a violent naturall self-love ambition a desire of glory covetous of revenge lying and by and by as an Army marching commeth on disdain arrogancy pride blasphemy oathes fearfull dire imprecations deceits contempts of God and his Word contempts of his parents Magistrates to these adde wrath brawlings hatreds envie dissimulations revenge homicide and all kind of cruelty especially when scandals and occasions doe happen therewith which as Midwives doe help to bring forth the off-spring of Adams and the Devils corruption for you shall see break forth impudencie shamelesnesse lust venereall cogitations whoredoms obscene and filthy speeches shamelesse behaviour both in words and deeds drunkennesses gluttony intemperance in food and apparell levity effeminacie Besides all these covetousnesse usury deceits frauds fallacies craftinesse impostures and juglings and to speak all at once all kind of wickednesse and naughtinesse and so various and abounding that cannot be declared Scandals of doctrine according to that of Jeremy 17. The heart of man is wicked and inscrutable who shall find it out But if you adde thereunto the seducing and hereticall spirit then you shall heare renouncing of God forsaking of him idolatry hatred of the truth and persecution the sinnes against the holy Ghost faith-breakings corruptions of the faith depraving of Scriptures and terrible seducings All which are no other then the fruits of the Serpent and the image of Satan in the man And who could even suspect in the beginning in so weake and feeble an Malice is hidden in man infant such a heap of wicked deeds or a heart so pestililent and that such a Basilisk did therein lurk and hide it selfe thereunder but he that is in life and conversation worst of all and in the cogitation of his heart intentive to evill at all times even from his tender infancy as it is Gen. 6. written who could have produced these things to light and expressed them if triall had not manifested it therfore wicked and extream evill is that root from whence so deadly and pestiferous a tree doth grow O terrible seed of the Serpent and of vipers from whom so deformed and stinking an image doth arise and increase for within all evils are fomented and from thence doe arise and grow provoked nourished set forward by externall provocations for what cause it is to Why offences were for bidden by Christ be thâ—ught Christ Jesus did so seriously prohibit that children should be provoked by evil example for in whom this seed of the serpent lurketh and the beginning of all wickednesse and flagitious acts their beginning and entrances are closely hidden and are deceiveable no otherwise then cruell poyson in a pestilent worm Learn therefore O man of me that the sins of Adam and originall corruption of Originall sin unexpressible our kind is not lightly to be regarded or slighted because this infection and depravation is greater then any words can expresse or human intellect can search into know thy selfe and what thou becamest to be after the fall of Adam consider how thou from the Image of God became the Image of the Devill a compendium I say and an epitome or an abridgement to receive all Devillish nature malice and wickednesse into a little roome for even as in the Image of God all vertues and divine The Image heavenly and earthly properties were contained and as before the fall man did carry the celestial Image that is to say he was all heavenly spirituall Angelical and divine so now after his apostasie he carrieth about with him the image of The man is a beast the earthly and is become altogether and fundamentally earthly carnall and beastly And why so This thy fierce wrath is it thine Is it proper to a Lion or to a Man Thy envie and covetousnesse insatiable do not Dogges and Wolves the same Thy intemperance and shamelesnesse is hoggish yea if thou look rightly into thy selfe thou shalt find within even in thy heart a certain world of beasts yea even in thy tongue alone in that least of thy members as St. James saith Chapt. 3. a lake and a sea of venemous worms a harbour of unclean spirits a biding place or cage of unclean birds as witnesse Isa 3. Apoc. 18. but we often increase so much in malice that in wrath we exceed all kind of beasts the Dogges in envie the Wolves in covetous ravening the Foxes in craftinesse the Basilisk in poyson of the eye and last of all the very Hogges in filthinesse And from this beastly nature Christ Mat. 3.
calleth Herod a Fox and the impure Dogges and Hogges Matth. 7. Furthermore whosoever amendeth not the corruptions of our generation and is not renewed in Christ but dieth such a beastly man as we have described this man shall everlastingly retain his Satanicall nature arrogant disdainfull proud and shall remain a cruell Lion an envious Dogge a ravenous Wolfe a venemous worm and a Basilisk never to be reformed he carrieth about with him alwayes the image of Satan in everlasting darknesse to beare witnesse he lived not in Christ nor was renewed according to the Image of God according to John Apoc. 21. Without be Dogges Idolaters and all Inchanters that love and tell lies CHAP. III. How the man is renewed in Christ to life eternall Galat 6. In Christ Jesus neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but a new Creature REgeneration is the work of the holy Ghost by which the man the sonne of wrath and eternall condemnation is made the sonne of grace and salvation and of a sinner a just man through Faith the Word and the Sacraments by which our hearts both sense mind understanding will and affections are renewed illuluminated and sanctified in Christ and according to Christ unto a new creature Therefore regeneration is conceived chiefly in two benefits and graces I say in Justification and Sanctification or Renovation Cap. 3. ad Tit. Wherefore the originall of every Christian is two-fold his line or Twofold birth nativity and generation the one carnall defiled with sin damned and accursed descending from Adam by which the seed of the Serpent the image of the Devill and the earthly and beastly man is propagated The other spirituall holy heavenly happy and blessed new birth or regeneration through Christ doth plentifully grow forth by which the seed and image of God and the man of God so heavenly and like unto God is after a spirituall manner begotten produced for even as the stem of old Adam is in us so is it necessary also that the new stock progeny and kindred of Christ be truly in us And this is that old new man old and new birth old new Adam The word of God is the seed of the new birth the earthly and heavenly image the old and new Jerusalem the flesh and the spirit Adam and Christ in us lastly the outward and inward man Now goe to let us see how we are regenerated by Christ Even as the old birth is propagated carnally from Adam so regeneration is made spiritually from Christ through the word of God which is like unto a seed of a new creature born saith Peter Epist 1. cap. 1. not of a corruptible seed but of incorruptible by the word of God living and remaining for evermore And blesed John Cap. 1. For he begot us voluntarily by the word of his faith tbat we might be a certain beginning of his creatures Therefore this Word produceth Faith which apprehendeth in like manner the Word and in that Jesus Christ together with the holy Ghost and by that vertue force and efficacie the man is regenerated Briefly regeneration is made first by the holy Ghost John 3. and this doth Christ call or term to be born of the Spirit Secondly by faith John 5. He that beleeveth Jesus to be Christ is born of God Thirdly by Baptisme John 3. Vnlesse one be born again of water and the Spirit he cannot Faith is the means of the new birth enter into the Kingdome of heaven Of which things let us see further By Adam the man came by the greatest and chiefest of evils sinne abomination wrath death devill hell and damnation for these are the fruits of the old descent and originall but in Christ the man recovereth and receiveth the chiefest good as justice grace blessing The fruits of both births life and eternall salvation From Adam the man hath a carnall spirit and the ruâ—e and dominion of wicked spirits contrariwise from Christ he hath the holy Ghost with his gifts and a most quiet reigne and Kingdom for such as the spirit of man is such is his originall nativity and propriety You know not of what spirit you are of saith Christ Luke 9. From Adam the man hath an arrogant spirit swelling and proud who if he have a desire to be regenerate and born again and to be renewed then it will be necessary for him to receive an humble spirit plain and simple from Christ by A new spirit from Christ faith From Adam we receive an unbeleeving spirit blasphemous and ungratefull therefore it behoveth us by faith in Christ to attain to a beleeving spirit faithfull acceptable and well pleasing unto God From Adam a disobedient fierce and rash spirit is given unto us from Christ we must take the spirit of obedience meeknesse and modesty through faith in Christ From Adam we possesse the spirit of wrath hostility revenge and homicide but from Christ by faith in the place thereof is to be gotten the spirit of long-suffering love of man and goodnesse it selfe which is charity From Adam by our nativity and carnal off-spring the man hath a covetous heart and spirit churlish seeking onely his owne commodities and profits snatching and catching that which is another mans but from Christ by faith is to be obtained the spirit of mercy piety and liberality From Adam by carnall propagation doth proceed the spirit of shamelesnesse uncleannesse and intemperance against which it is meet to seek to obtain a chaste spirit clean and temperate From Adam is communicated to him a lying spirit speaking nothing but falsenesse and calumniation from Christ we ought to participate the spirit of truth integrity and constancy Last of all from Adam doth From Adam all evill from Christ all goodnesse passe the spirit of beasts terrene or earthly and meere brutish and contrariwise there is to be conceived from Christ a spirit from heaven celestiall and divine and for that cause it was behoovefull for Christ to take humanity upon him to be conceived by the holy Ghost and to abound with the same spirit above measure yea for this cause it was convenient that the Spirit of the Lord the Spirit of wisdome and understanding the Spirit of counsell and fortitude the Spirit of knowledge and the feare of God should rest upon him as saith Isaias Chap. 11. that the humane nature in him The human nature is renewed by Christ and his Spirit and by him should be renewed and that we in him and by him and through him should become a new off-spring and a new creature receiving from him the spirit of wisdome and understanding for the spirit of foolishnesse the spirit of knowledge in room of our naturall and inbred blindnesse the spirit of the feare of the Lord in stead of the spirit of impiety in which permutation consisteth the new life the fruit of the new creature or regeneration For as in Adam we were all spiritually dead neither could
we expect other then death and works of darknesse it selfe in Christ In Christ by faith we are restored to life again we must be raised again to the workes of light As by carnall generation we entred into the sinne of Adam so by faith through Christ we must attain unto righteousnesse As by the flesh of Adam pride covetousnesse lust and all kind of uncleannesse is begotten born and groweth old in us so by the holy Spirit our nature ought to be renewed sanctified and repurged from all pride covetousnesse lust and envie And it is needful that we from Christ should draw a new spirit a new heart sense and minde in the same manner as we drew from Adam our fleshly subject to sinne And as concerning regeneration Christ saith Isai 9. Our Al good works ought to proceed out of the new birth Father is eternall After this manner then are we renewed in Christ to life eternall regenerated by Christ and in Christ become a new creature by this regeneration by Christ and the holy Ghost and Faith it is necessary works must flow and proceed which we desire we should please God in so we live in the new birth and the new birth doth live in us so we in Christ and Christ in us so last of all we live in the The description of the new birth and the fruits thereof Spirit of Christ and the Spirit of Christ in us This regeneration and the fruits thereof Paul Ephes 4. calleth and termeth thus To be renewed in the spirit of our minde to put off the old man to be transformed into the Image of God 2 Cor. 3. To be renewed and known according to his Image that made you to the Coloss 3. Regeneration and renovation of the holy Ghost to Titus 3. Last of all to take away the stony heart and to give us a New birth is from Christ fleshy heart Ezek. 11. And by this appeareth how by the incarnation and humanity of Christ regeneration is raised or proceedeth that is to wit because man out of his ambition pride and disobedience offended and turned himself from God this Apostasie could not be amended or put away but by extream humility lowlinesse of will and obedience of the Sonne of God And as Christ in his conversation upon earth among men was most humble it is necessary that he should be the same in thee to live in thee and to renue the Image of God in thee See now and behold the most amiable the most lowly curteous the most The life of Christ in us The example of Christ is the rule of our life obedient and most patient Christ and learn of him or even as he is live in him For what was the cause sayest thou why he so lived Truly that he might be thy example looking-glasse and rule of life He I say and no St. Bennets rule nor of any other man commended unto thee but the example of Christ I say of Christ which his Apostles with one consent and direct finger did alone point at And this is the reason of his passion death and resurrection that is to say that thou with The new life is the fruit of the death passion of our Lord. him mayst die from thy sinnes and again in him with him and by him mayst rise spiritually walk in a new life of which argument thou mayst see more hereafter in the 11. and 31. Chapters therefore our regeneration ariseth out of and disperseth it selfe from the healthfull fountain of the passion death and resurrection of Christ whereupon S. Peter 1 Epist 1. saith God hath regenerated us to a lively hope through Jesus Christ and thereupon it commeth to passe that the Apostles every where do lay the foundation of penitence and the new life to be the passion of Christ as Rom. 6. 1 Pet. 1. Spend your time in reverent fear knowing that you are not redeemed with corruptible gold or silver but with the pretious bloud even the Lamb the Lord Jesus Where thou seest the most pretious ransom of our redemption to be the cause of our holy conversation The same Peter Epist 1. Cap. 3. writeth Christ bought our sinnes in his body upon the Crosse that being dead unto sinne we might live unto righteousnesse by whose stripes we are healed And Christ himselfe Luke 24. saith So it behooved Christ to suffer and rise again from the dead the third day and preach repentance and remission of sinnes in his name By which words it is manifest that from the fountain of the passion death and resurrection of Christ doth flow both preaching and repentance Therefore the passion of Christ is both satisfaction for our sinnes and the renewing of man by faith both which together and at once are required to the redemption and reparation of mankind because this is the fruit and this is the efficacie of the passion of Christ working in us renovation and sanctification 1 Cor. 1. This lastly is the means whereby we are born again and renewed in Christ neither is the laver of regneration any other thing wherein we are dipt to the death of Christ to wit to die with Christ from our sinnes by the help and efficacy of his death and arise from sin by the grace of his glorious resurrection CHAP. IV. What is true Repentance what also is the Crosse and Yoak of Christ Galat. 5. Those which are of Christ have crucified their own flesh with the vices and concupiscence thereof REpentance and true conversion is the work of the holy Ghost through which the man acknowledging his faults by the Law and together therewith the most just wrath of God against sin doth earnestly grieve for the same and would not have committed those things he hath done and through the Gospel understanding the grace of God by faith in Christ obtaineth the remission of his sins and by this penitency the mortification and crucifying The property of true repentance of the flesh and all carnall pleasures and concupiscences of the heart is accomplished and together with the same quickning of the spirit whereby it followeth that Adam with all his corruptions dieth in us and Christ contrarily liveth in us by faith because these two neceslarily do grow together so as the resurrection or renewing of the spirit doth follow the mortification The old mans death is the life of the new of the flesh at the heeles and the quickning of the new spirit followeth the abolishing of the old man although the outward man decay yet the inward man is renewed daily 2 Cor. 4. Mortifie your earthly members Coloss 3. and so think your selves dead in sinne but alive in God through Christ The flesh is mortified by true repentance Jesus our Lord Rom. 6. But let us consider why the flesh is to be mortified by true repentance We said even now by the fall of Adam that the man became even devillish earthy carnall without God and without love
in the heart with earnest sorrow and most assured feeling of heavinesse we be made contrite and afflicted and again be made holy and joyfull purged and changed and amended by remission of sinnes by faith in Jesus Christ whereby it cannot but come to passe that the outward life and manners be renewed and changed What if now one should onely doe outward penance or repentance abstain from great and erroneous offences for the feare of punishment and the inward man doe keep his old spots still and take no care to enter into the inward and new life in Christ shall not such a one neverthelesse be damned neither shall it profit him a straw to cry Lord Lord but he shall be constrained to hear that terrible voice I know you not For certain and sure it is not all that say Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdome of heaven but onely those that doe the will of the heavenly Father Under which terrible sentence of the Divine Majesty it is manifest men of all orders are comprised for as many as doe not inwardly and from the heart truly repent and become new creatures in Christ those surely Christ will not acknowledge for his CHAP. V. What is true Faith 1 John 1. 5. Every one that beleeveth that Jesus is Christ is born of God FAith is a solid trust and a firm and cernain perswasion of the grace of God promised in Christ for the remission of sinnes and life eternal kindled through the word of God and the holy Ghost in our hearts by this faith is conferred unto us the remission of our sinnes and that gratis or freely for no merits of ours but Christs alone and that of meere grace that our faith may remain fixed or unmoveable upon a firme and solid foundation And this absolution or forgivenesse of our sinnes is our justice or justification and that true solid and eternall before God For neither is it of Angels but by the obedience of the Sonne of God his merits and ransome which by faith we appropriate unto us fixing and applying the same to our selves therefore neither is the imperfections Properties of a true faith of our life or any sinnes left remaining to withstand us but they be covered with the vaile of grace for Christs sake Psal 32. Furthermore by this solid and firm trust this followeth that the man doth dedicate his whole heart solely to God in him he resteth alone to this one is he glewed or fastened with this alone he entreth society and is joyned to God and participateth all things that are of God and Christ and is made one spirit with God taketh and collecteth from him power and strength a new life new joyes many recreations peace lightnesse of heart the soules Sabbath and rest Lastly justification and holinesse or sanctification in the holy Ghost What other thing then is it at the length but to be regenerated through faith for where true faith is there is Christ with all his justice holinesse redemption merit grace remission of sins adoption and inherttance of life eternall And this is the new life and regeneration New birth through faith in Christ whereupon the Apostle to the Hebrews Cap. 11. calleth faith a Substance that is the undoubted solid firm trust of things which were hoped for and a certain manifest and notable conviction and experience of things invisible And finely so great and powerfull is the consolation of a true living faith in our hearts as it cannot but convince by arguing most firmly from experience and tast of the soveraigne good in his soule that is from the quietnesse and peace in God Iustified faith where peace whereby that preservation remaineth most certain which a Christian doubteth not to seale with his death and this is that strength of spirit and inward man this is vigor and alacrity of faith or Parrhesia Eph. 3. Phil. 1. 1 Joh. 2. 3. this joy in God 1 Thess 2. Lastly this Plerophoria and immoveable The certainty of faith firm certainty 1 Thess 3. even for which I shall dare to dye that truly cannot but first be perswaded in my mind most firmly through the H. Ghost infixed and impressed in my inward understanding also it behoveth to be lively inward in most powerful consolation wherby that commeth to the mind which is supernaturall divine and a celestiall strength to overcome the feare of death and the love of he world to be uttetly extinguished in me I say so great so solid Prolepsis or perswasion To be born of God is no dead work and union with Christ is needfull that neither death nor life can dissolve it Rom. 8. whereupon B. John pronounceth That he that is born of God hath overcome the world But to be born of God cannot be any vain or shadowed thing it ought to be a lively thing and very powerfull For it were wickednesse to beleeve that the living God did beget a dead off-spring frivolous anâ— dead members or instrumentss but It is living overcometh so it be true faith rather it is for a certain rule that God cannot being a living God but beget a living man no other then new Now seeing our faith is the victory by which we overcome the world who can doubt that it should overcome being indued with powerfull strength and greatest force and that our faith which is commanded by God to overcome the world ought to be lively overcomming and affections working divine faith a certain force and influence yea Christ himselfe apprehended by faith and fixed in our minds and graffed in our understanding and by this vertue of God What we are with Christ without him what we return into God and become intimate and one with God And from Adam as from a cursed Vine we are transplanted into Christ that living and blessed Vine John 15. So in Christ we possesse all his goods and in him are justified Even as a Scien or a plant graffed in a good tree groweth flourisheth and beareth fruit without it it withereth so man without Christ is a cursed vine and all his works are sinfull the grapes of it are bitternesse gall Deut. 32. but in Christ blessed and justified wherefore St. Paul saith 2 Cor. 5. that hee â—hat knew no sinne for us became sinne that we might be justified before God in him By this it appeareth manifestly that works do not justifie because we must be graffed in Iustification is not by works Christ by faith before we can do any good work and so thy justification is the gift of God freely given before and preventing all our merits we may as well say a dead man may see stand and doe good of himselfe I think so indeed but he must first bee raised from death so thou likewise that art dead in sinne to God canst not performe any work to God unlesse thou be first raised by Christ to life which being granted it followeth thy
strife of the flesh spirit is the mystical faith of Abraham Mystical Sodome rather then Christ Furthermore with Abraham as Abraham did thou must fight against five Kings which are within thee I say the Flesh the World Death Devill and Sinne. And with Lot tâ—ou must goe out of Sodom and Gomorrah that is thou must renounce thy wicked and worldly life neither must thou with Lots wife look back as Christ commandeth Luke 12. Briefly our great God hath composed all the holy Scriptures for faith and the Spirits sake And it all ought to be fulfilled in thee spiritually And to this belongeth all the warres and battels of Israel against the The type of the old Testament is to be fulfillled by faith Infidels and Heathen people And no other thing covered under the bark of the letter and the history then the continuall strife between the flesh and the spirit Of this place and to this purpose is whatsoever is extant of the Mosaicall Priesthood the Tabernacle the Ark of Covenant and Propitiatory all which doe pertain unto thee to whom it belongeth to pray in faith and spirit to burn incense and to kill the Sin-offering Christ Jesus will have all these to be done and performed in thee who hath contracted these in the new Man and Spirit as an epitome and words abbreviated to be fulfilled in thee by faith and sometimes in one sigh for the man is a breviary of all natures is the Center and little world so is it a compendium of the sacred All the new testament is to be fulfilled in man Scripiure and abridgement of the Word And to come to the new Testament what other thing is it according to the letter theÌ„ an externall testimony and pattern because all things in like maner are to be iterated fulfilled by faith in man I say all even all the new testament so much as it is ought to be in us this one thing it doth require look for at our hands because the kingdom of God is in us Therfore even as Christ by the holy Ghost in the faith of Mary was conceived and brought forth so ought the Sonne in me likewise be conceived after a spirituall manner and begotten increase and grow up Furthermore because I am become a new creature in Christ it remaineth The life of Christ in us and it followeth that I should live and walk in it in it and with it to flie into exile with it to exercise humility contempt of the world patience loving kindnesse and charity and to pardon or forgive our enemies their injuries to use mercy to love our enemies to doe the will of the Father being tempted of Satan to carry away the victory from him by reason of the truth that is in me derided despised and contemned and if necessity require to die for and with him after the example of all the Saints to beare witnesse before him and all the elect that he is in me and I in him was joyned by faith and so lived And this is that which is spoken saying To be conformed to the image of Christ for example to be born with and in Christ to The death and resurrection of Christ in us put on Christ to grow up and wax strong in him to live in exile to be dipped in his baptisme with him to be derided to die together and to be crucified together to arise together from the dead and reigne together and not that alone by the crosse and patience and suffering adversity together but by daily repentance and inward contrition and griefe for his sinnes committed I say after this manner to die daily with Christ and by crucifying our flesh if we be minded to be joined w th him as with our Christ ought to be in us head and to be united therewith if it be otherwise done then is it not in thee but without thee far from faith heart spirit otherwise it will profit thee nothing for he would have thee to be inwardly retained so to live to bee inwardly consolated All things ought to be fulfilled in faith and kept safe All which faith in Christ performed whilst the word of God doth live within us and it is as it were a living witnesse in us of those things which are spoken of in the holy Scripture And after this manner faith is called Hypostasis or a Substance Heb. 11. And out of this which we have said it doth appeare manifestly all the Sermons and Epistles of Christ the Prophets and the Apostles and the Scriptures so generall doe belong to one man The whole Scripture belongeth to man yea to us all with all the Parables and Miracles the history of Christ is replenished therefore neither was it necessary those things should be appointed to come to passe written to the knowledge of all people unlesse they were spiritually in us to be fulfilled Therfore when I read that Christ cured others I doe promise to my self the same because we live one with another when he cured the blind I am in good hope that he will give unto me being spiritually blinded by his grace and blessing a spirituall sight I mean other miracles seeing there is the same reason of all and then being blind lame palsie leprous and dead in sinne doe thou understand it by The letter of the Scriptures by faith is to be fulfilled thy selfe acknowledge it and confesse and he will make thee whole in him that thou maist have part in the first resurrection the summe is the Scripture doth bear witnes outwardly to those things which inwardly by faith the man should fulfill So it painteth out the image of God outwardly according to which inwardly within thee by faith thou oughtest to be so So is the Kingdome of God according to the letter Christ according to the spirit as speaketh the Apostle 2 Cor 5. So Adam his apostasie and redemption the new Jerusalem regeneration finally another creature he describeth outwardly all within thee by faith yea thou thy selfe ought to be so or the Scripture profiteth thee nothing And thus much of faith the work of it in us yea of God himselfe and the reigne of Christ in our heart CHAP. VII How the Law of God is written in the hearts of all men that they be inexcusable at the day of Judgement Rom. 2. When the Gentiles that have not the Law doe naturally the things of the Law shening the work of the Law written in their hearts VVHen God made man after his Image in perfect justice and holinesse he adorned him with divine vertues of all kinds as some pattern of Art and an unimitable work and most accurately set it forth three things he infixed in his conscience so firmly and imprinted them that Three things notable implanted in the soul they could never be put out or defaced The first is the naturall testimony of God the second is an inbred knowledge of the last
whose hearts not onely by nature but by the word revealed the new covenant the word of God is written and yet do despise and cast behind them this grace and favour Of which new Covenant Jeremy saith Chap. 3. This shall be my compact I will put my Lawes into their inwards and I will write it in their hearts and a man shall not any more teach his neighbour and a man his brother saying Know the Lord for all men shall know me saith the Lord even from the least to the greatest because I will forgive their iniquity and I will not remember their sins any more Heare what is said Heb. 10. To those that voluntarily offend or sinne against God after the knowledge he hath received for such there is no sacrifice left for him but a certain terrible expectation of judgement and offering by fire which consumeth the adversary He that breaketh the Law of Moses without any mercy by the mouth of two or three witnesses shall die the death how much more and worse doe you thinke doe they deserve death which have contemned against the Sonne of God and polluted the bloud of the Testament in whom he is sanctified and contumaciously despised the spirit of grace for we know who hath said Vengeance is mine and I will return it upon them And again because the Lord will judge his people It is a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of the living God With which heavie sentence without doubt those are not strucken which fall through humane frailty but those that wittingly and willingly sin against the truâ— knowledge and persevere in impenitencie CHAP. VIII Without true repentance no man can challenge Christ and his merits to belong unto him Numb 9. The unclean may not celebrate the Passeover THe words of our Saviour Christ Mat. 9. are The healthy hath no need of the Physitian but the sick I did not come to call the just but the sinners to repentance whereby we are clearly taught that Christ indeed did call sinners but to repentance neither can any come unto him without repentance without conversion from sinne and What is true repentance faith for repentance is no other thing then by true contrition and sorrow to die unto sinne and by faith to obtain forgivenesse for sinne and to live unto righteousnesse in Christ so that in true repentance necessarily serious and divine contrition must go before a heart as I may say broken and câ—ucifying the flesh whereupon in Cap. 6. Epist ad Hebr. Repentance is said to be or is called the worke of dead men because by it we abstain from those works whose reward is death which if it be not done then the merit of Christ profiteth not us one haire For seeing Christ proffereth himselfe to be the Physitian of our souls his holy bloud to be the only and most true medicine of our sins and no medicine although it be most pretious can cure the sick man which will not refraine from hurtfull thinâ—s and things resisting the power of the medicine so it remaineth that the bloud of Christ and death can profit nothing those that purpose not to abstain from sinne Whereupon blessed Paul cap. 5. ad Galat. saith Whosoever doth such things the works of the flesh doe not obtaine the Kingdome of heaven nor shall have any part in Christ Moreover if Christ by his bloud is become our medicine who can doubt that first we must be sick for the whole have no need of a Physitian but the weake And none is spiritually sicke who is not penitent and who is not sorrowfull from his heart for his sinnes who hath not a contrite heart and humble who is secure as concerning the wrath of God who hath not resolved and firmly in his mind decreed to flye all worldly concupiscence who lastly seeking after honour wealth and pleasure takes no knowledge of his sinnes such as are so those are not sick and consequently need no Physitian and Christ profiteth them nothing it is manifest Therefore again and again let this be remembred that Christ called sinners but it was to repentance because a penitent heart contrite pensive and faithfull onely and alone is capable of the most pretious bloud death and merit of Christ I account him happy whosoever he be that heareth this holy calling inwardly and in his heart I call that a divine sorrow and anguish for sinnes which worketh repentance God worketh spirituall sorrow to stedfast salvation as the words be 2 Cor. 7. The holy Spirit doth produce this divine sorrow by the Law and serious meditation of the passion of the Lord because it not onely aboundeth with the documents of grace but also withall hath in it an earnest exhortation to repentance and a most terrible glasse of the divine wrath For if we seek into the cause of his The Passion of Christ efficieÌ„t to repentance most bitter death what else can we say was the cause but our sinnes If you joyn the divine love out of which he most willingly gave his Son for us as also you shall have his singular example both terrible and wonderfull of his divine justice and clemency which seeing they are so who then sincerely loving Christ can be affected and delighted with sinne which he knows Christ had with his bloud washed and purged Consider also with me O man which art subject to pride and art slave unto ambition with what contempt and how great humility Christ Jesus ought to repaire our pride and insolency think of his poverty that he might satisfie for thy covetousness The fruits of Christs passion surcease at last through God so studiously to seek after wealth and insatiably to thirst after riches most wretchedly He with incredible griefe of mind and anguish not to be uttered doth satisfie and abolish the pleasures and concupiscence of the flesh and thou contrariwise continually dost give thy selfe to pleasure and lust how evill is thy preposterousnesse pravity and wickednesse to take delight and pleasure in those things which to Christ were so wonderfully bitter he died to expiate thy wrath hatred enmity rancor bitternesse desire of revenge and implacability with extreame mildnesse and patience and wilt not thou even for the least cause be very angry and account revenge more pleasant then life even for which thy Redeemer did drink the most bitter cup of death wherefore so many as aspire to the name of Christians and doe not abstain froÌ„ sin those I say do even crucifie Christ and doe make a mock of him as it is said The impenitent do even crucifie Christ in the Epistle to the Hebrews Chap. 6. Therefore it is unpossible that those should participate of the merits of Christ which indeed they doe tread under foot as it is in the same Epistle Chap. 10. And because they doe pollute the blood of the Testament neither beleeve truly that their sinnes are expiated by him or much esteem his death or think
them saith the Lord Jer. 31. For then the death of Christ is effectuall and cometh to perfection or bringeth forth his fruits and therefore the Angels of God in heaven rejoyce because the bloud of Christ is become profitable to sinners for whom it was shed CHAP. IX The Antichristian life of men of this time doth deny Christ and the true faith 2 Timoth. 3. They have a certain form of godlinesse but doe deny the vertue thereof BEcause no man doth boast himself that he is no Christian although he doe no part of a Christian it followeth that by Christ is derided by a wicked life those manners he denieth Christ or Christ is denied contemned derided blasphemed whipt crucified slain and buried according to the Apostle who saith that certain men crucified the Sonne of God again and doe boast thereof and also according to Daniel who in the twelfth chapter foretelleth that Christ shall be pulled up by the roots which Prophesie is vulgarly expounded of Christ crucified at Jerusalem by the Jewes crying Away with him Away with him crucifie him which exposition I would to God it were true and that Christ were not yet daily by the Antichristian life taken from amongst us so that his life truly holy and excellent at this day is no where Where the life of Christ is not there is no Christ to be found for what darest thou speak of thy faith and doctrine where the life of Christ is banished there is no Christ that is more true then may be doubted or what is faith without a Christian life even a barren tree without fruit according to blessed Jude who calleth the false Apostles Summer trees without fruit twice dead of which sort the world is full That which Christ foretold would come to passe Luke 18. When the Sonne of Man commeth doe you True faith think he shall find faith upon the earth He speaketh of faith not this faith of which the world is full and which we professe in our mouthes and deny the same in our workes as if it consisted in this to love Christ in words and not in deeds and truth but the new man is another man regeneration a good tree with his fruits a man renewed by faith in whom Christ liveth and dwelleth by faith This is the faith that our Saviour meant which according to his prophesie is almost no where to be found at this day For where true faith is there Christ and his life must needs be even so contrariwise whosoever doth not imitate the life of Christ by faith in him is neither faith nor Christ The words of our Saviour are Luk. 12. He that shall deny me before men I will deny him before the Angels of God This deniall Deniall of Christ is not onely done in words or by the mouth as when we renounce our faith and Christ but much more and more powerfully when in deeds and life we resist Christ and the holy Ghost voluntarily that which St. Paul calleth deniall in workes and deeds For it is most certain that Christ is no lesse denied by a wicked and Diabolicall life then if he were denied openly by open words even so it is with hypocrisie with a specious and verball holinesse as if it were by doctrine to which purpose the Parable is extant Matth. 21. of two sons to one of which his father said My sonne goe worke to day in my vineyard but be answered and said I will not yet afterwards he repented him and did goe And coming to the other sonne he said in like manner to him who answered I goe Lord and went not which of these two did the will of his father They said The first who denied to goe yet afterwards did goe and labour But the other that said he would and lied or deceived did not he The greatest contempt of God is in or by a wicked life mock and deny his father And so there are many at this day of our false Christians crying So so Lord Lord the worst of all others not any of them doing the commandement of the Father And to this belongeth the saying of Saint Paul They have indeed a shew of godlinesse but denie the power thereof And what else is it to deny the power of godlinesse then to betray False Christians and violate their faith towards Christ and to play the Ethnick under the name of a Christian whom therefore St. Paul rightly calleth Infidels the children of infidelity having no faith Lastly those that usurp a Christians name and doe nothing and therefore Christ saith Depart from me yee accursed because I know you not And worthy it is that I should deny you who first durst and did deny me CHAP. X. The moderne life of worldly men is against Christ and is false Christianity Matth. 12. He that is not with me is against me IF any will examine the life and manners The life of the worldly of these times after the square of the life and doctrine delivered by Christ shall not he find the life of most men to be Antichristians because they have no other thing more then covetousnesse the study of getting usury concupiscence of the flesh and of the eyes pride of life ambition pomp hunting after fame and glory disobedience wrath strife warre disorder displeasure thirsting after revenge secret hatred envie implacability unrighteousnesse uncleannesse falsenesse frauds and backbitings In briefe we are all for the most part selfe-lovers seekers of the world greedy The life of Christ Christians affecters of honours and our own proper gain when contrariwise the life of Christ is nothing but the most pure and sincere love of God and man courtesie mildnesse humility patience obedience to death mercy righteousnesse truth chastity holinesse contempt of the world of honours wealth and pleasures deniall of our selves to beare the crosse continually trouble and affliction daily study and thirst after the Kingdome of God and lastly an unexpressible desire to fulfil the divine will seeing Christ saith He that is not with me is He that hath not the Spirit of Christ is Antichrist Antichrist But the modern life of worldly men hath no community with Christ but most men are at discord with Christ and dissent with their whole heart will mind and spirit from Christ Paul 1 Cor. 2. commanding another thing But we have the will of Christ and to the Phil. 2. Have yee the same manners with Christ it is agreeable that all worldly men should be adverse to Christ what every one doth this is Antichrist not in doctrine but in manner of life which being so in what place shall we find true Christians Seeing then this flock should be lowly in their own eyes Luke 12. to whom the Prophet Isaias agreeth who compareth the faithfull assembly and true Church to a little Cottage in a Vineyard The paucity of true Christians and a Watch-tower in a garden of Cucumbers and to a wasted
the same as other mens goods with feare and trembling not to his private pleasure or instruments of his private Comparison between a carnall and a spirituall man profits praise and estimation Goe to then let us compare together a Christian in deed and selfe-lover as also a genuine man and one answering to his name and one desirous of this deniall of which we speak If you offer the one a contumelious affront presently you shall see him wax hot to be grieved with anger to reprove him to brawle and play the mad-man in words deeds to be revenged and to bind his allegation with an oath all which are the old man to whom it is proper and easie to be angry to practise hatred and revenge On the contrary he that hath denied himselfe is courteous well-pleased patient thinking nothing of revenge confessing himselfe to be worthy of all these and much more because all these are contained under the name of self-deniall of which patience humility and lowlinesse Christ denied himself we have an absolute example Christ Jesus who sooner would deny himselfe when he said Matth. 20. The Sonue of man came not to be ministred unto but to minister unto others And Luke 22. I am in the midst of you as one that ministreth And Cap. 9. The Son of man hath not where to rest his head And Psalm 22. I am a worm and no man In like manner blessed David when Shimei reviled him denied himselfe saying The Lord hath commanded him for I am a worm in the sight of the Lord I am worthy farre worse All the Saints have denied themselves things Briefly all the Saints of God and the Prophets have denied themselves holding themselves unworthy of any good thing hereupon they did beare all things patiently they cursed no man giving thanks for their injuries they blessed their persecuters and prayed for them that slew What it is to deny our selves them and so by many tribulations have entred the Kingdome of heaven Thou hast now what it is to deny their selves That is to acknowledge themselves unworthy of any good thing and worthy of all evils that might befall And this is the Crosse of Christ which he commanded us to carry Luke 9. He that will be my Disciple let him deny himselfe and take up my Crosse and follow me For this life of Christ is a crosse to the old man and to the flesh and bloud a punishment The works of Christ yea death it self because he had rather lead an unbridled life after his own wil in this kind of pleasure then in humility lowlines patience and lastly to assume the life of Christ entirely Which nevertheless is to be done necessarily whatsoever is The decay of the old man is the beginning of the new the old man ought to die in a Christian for thou shalt never put on the humility of Christ unlesse thou put off the pride of the old man nor his poverty unlesse thou cut off avarice by the root nor the contempt of glory and reproaches unlesse thou pull up ambition by the root Lastly nor the lowlinesse and patience of Christ unlesse thou correct thy desire of revenge and thy wrath All which things the Scripture calleth the deniall of himselfe the bearing of the Crosse of Christ and the following of Christ and that for no hope of profit merit reward praise or glory but only for the love of Christ because he hath done this first because this is his life and lastly because he hath left this in cōmand Furthermore seeing this is the Image of God in Christ and us a greater honor then this none can happen to man it were a thing very unworthy to expect other reward The Image of God the greatest dignity of man of our work and daīly labour for those that define all things by the honour of this world and attend this onely by which onely part they are made better then others when by their own judgement Fortune hath bestowed all things upon them The beginning and end of all men is one No man better then others neither is one better then another nor one entreth this life or goeth forth with better conditions then others and yet what madnesse is this of ours we vex our selves willingly and to other crosses we adde a wheele of ambition to the vice of selfe-love Selfe-love forbidden from whence that mad giddy hunting after honour doth spring or flow forth Which whosever loveth and applaudeth and flattereth himselfe in and serveth both pomps honours and praises it is certain that he averteth his minde from God and Christ to the world and himselfe And to such as this appertaineth that of our Saviour If thou wilt keep thy self thy soul and thy life thou must hate all these things but if thou intend to love them truly thou art in the way of perishing Which paradoxicall sentence old Adam to whom it is alwayes pleasing to be accounted some body out of his own image or inward man refuseth and is adversary to it Thereupon it is that there be few which know this genius of Adam or being known dare meet and encounter it specially when we must needs extirpate both this and all other things that have their beginning with us and their continuance and die with Christ as is pride covetousness ambition pleasures wrath which we must kill and bury in the humility of Christ poverty contumely suffering and lowlinesse of Christ But whosoever is dead after this fashion to himselfe he easily thenceforth contemneth the world God maketh glad the heart of him that is dead to the world with all the pomps thereof wealth honours and pleasures comprizing all these in one Christ a true stranger to this world new born but a continual guest and table-friend of Christ who by and by will fill his heart with joy exceeding and in this life wil keep a daily jubilee with him and in the other and in the other an eternall jubilee with all the Saintss CHAP. XVI In a true Christian the strife of the Flesh and Spirit never ceaseth Rom. 7. I see another Law in my members resisting the Law of my mind IN a true Christian the man is two-fold Man is twofold in use Exterior and Interior which two although they be conjoyned yet they doe daily differ by turnes ruling and dying according to that of S. Paul 2 Cor. 4. If our outward man be corrupted yet the inward is daily renewed The same Paul calleth Rom. 7. The law of the mind and of the flesh to the Gal. 5. the Flesh and the Spirit The flesh he saith coveteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh Therefore when the spirit overcommeth the man liveth in a new nativity and a new creature and in God and in Christ But the flesh reigning the same man liveth in the Devill and in the old nativity The carnall and spiritual man without the
kingdome of God and is called carnall and to be wise according to the flesh is death Therefore according to the rule of either of them the man obtaineth his name in Scripture according as the carnall man or the spirituall man speaketh But if the concupiscence with his strength be overcome it will be argument of the strength which the spirit hath in the inward man and if it faint it is a signe of the weaknesse of the faith and spirit because these two are one thing according to that of 2 Cor. 4. having the same spirit The spirit and faith are suteable of faith for which we speak Moreover when one hath himselfe and his proper lusts tamed and keepeth them in their duties he is stronger then he that overcometh a most strong Tower according to the holy Proverb Chap. 14. The patient man is better then a strong man and he that ruleth over The greatest victory to overcome himself his mind then he that gaineth a Citie If therefore thou hast a desire and settest thy heart upon the greatest victory and to obtain it then conquer thy selfe thy privat wrath pride covetousnesse and evill concupiscence What it is to overcom the kingdome of the Devlll and thou hast overturned the kingdome of the Devill which ruleth in the world by such things and means of which sort of victors and conquerers there be very few to be found and there be many The victory of the soul keepeth the whole man conquerers of Cities Here consult with me and advise if thou pamper the flesh overmuch thou slayest thy soul but it is better to overcome the soule that the body therewith may be preserved then that this overcomming it with the soule doth perish for our Saviour Christ once said John 12. He that loveth his own life loseth it and he that hateth his own life in this world keepeth it to eternall life But howsoever this strife may have in it sharp things to bee born yet it bringeth forth in the end a famous victory and most beautifull Crown Be thou faithfull unto death saith the Sonne of God Apoc. 2. and I will give thee a crown of life And 1 John 5. This is the victory which overcommeth the world even our What it is to overcom the world faith that is to say the world within us and in the inwards of our hearts which being overcome we become more stronger then our selves What if some should say unto me Shall I then be damned if sinne sometimes subject me unwilling to it therfore to be put out of the number of the sonnes of God according to that of 1 Joh. 3. He that sinneth is of the Devill God defend For if thou finde a conflict of the spirit and a strife with the flesh that thou dost those things that thou wouldst not which are the words of S. Paul it is a manifestation of a faithfull heart and that the faith or the spirit is averse to the flesh for St. Paul by his own example teacheth that this strife is to be found in good and faithfull The strife of faith souls when he professeth plainly that he perceived another law in his members resisting the law of his mind which is the new creature the new and inward man and taking him captive in the law of sinne causing him to do the things he would not and to will is present with him but to finish that which is good he could not for he could not do the good that he would but to do the evil he would not that was present Therefore most lamentably he exclaimeth Vnhappy man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death Like unto which is that which Christ pronounceth Matth. 14. The spirit truly is ready but the flesh is Sinne reigning not dwelling doth damne weak Therfore sinne doth not rule in man so long as this strife is perceived in him neither is it to be said that sinne exerciseth his dominion over him against which he daily fighteth and that which doth not rule the spirit resisting it that consequently cannot damne a man It is the equall condition of all Saints to have sinnes according to that of Paul I know because it dwelleth not in me that is in my flesh good dwelleth not Also that of blessed John Epist 1. Chap. 1. If we say wee have no sinne wee deceive our selves which vulgarly we call Sinne dwelling in us to distinguish it from sinne reigning whose property it is onely to condemne for that sinne we contend with and doe not consent unto that is not imputed unto us Paul speaking to the Rom. 8. Now then there is no condemnation to those which are in Christ Jesus who live not after the flesh that is they doe not suffer it to beare rule But as many as are not exercised in this daily strife these are not born again having sinne reigning and therefore overcome and servants of Sinne and Satan and damned so long as they suffer sinne to rule over them This strife is shadowed unto us in the type of the Canaanites Josh 13. 15. whose remainder in the promised rest was suffered to dwell amongst the children of Israel but Mystical Canaanite not to rule over them even so the holy men of God every one of them feele and suffer their imperfections remaining who in the mean time suffer them not to rule over them as becommeth the new man I say a true Israelite and Champion of God as contrariwise it is fitting the old Adam should be subdued and brought under Therefore the daily strife against the old man sheweth the new man and argueth it plainly strength and victory sheweth a true Israelite and a new born man Lastly the warfare approveth him to be a Christian for the Land of Canaan is conversant The spirit ought to look lest the flesh do rule long and occupied in warfare but if it happen sometimes the flesh or the Canaanites doe invade the territories it is the part of Israel and the new man not to suffer a tyrant long but having gathered his new strength and aid by the grace of God in Christ and by serious repentance and remission of sinnes to arise from his fall and implore and intreat the true Iosua to give him victory even that true Prince of his people to lend him aid to overcome the Canaanites which being done first the sinne is covered blotted out of mind and pardoned and the man is again renewed to life and transplanted into Christ Wherefore they who feele many imperfections in their flesh and cannot doe and perform all things according to their mind let me perswade them again and again as true converts and true repentants to impute them upon the merits of Jesus The imputation of the merits of Christ is onely belonging to the penitent Christ effectually and intreat him to hide their spots under his most perfect obedience This I say is the meanes and this
callings as the Loadstone it ought never to decline from the Pole of eternity our countrey Sixthly because men are good or evill by reason of that which they love therefore he that loveth The fruit of love God participateth of every kind of vertue and good thing on the other side he that loveth the world is defiled with all the sins and evils thereof Seventhly like as King Nebuchadnezzar when he loved the The love of the world maketh man a beast world more then was meet he lost the essentiall form of man he degenerated into a beast for when the Scripture speaketh expresly that he in the end recovered his former shape it followeth that he was in humane shape and kind So all men blotting out of their hearts the image of God become according to the interior man Wolves Dogges Lions and Beares even so are all those that addict themselves wholly to the love of the world Last of all what every one here savoureth in his The manifestation of hearts from the world heart it will be manifested in him and he will follow it God or the World to which of the two he turneth himselfe into it may be hell fire prefigured in this type CHAP. XIX That he who in his own judgement is most miserable to God is most deare and so by Christian knowledge of his own proper misery obtaineth grace with God Isaia 66. To whom should I shew respect but to the little and poore and a contrite heart or spirit trembling at my words THis sentence our most gentle God doth The contempt of our selves set forth to erect and lift up our minds oppressed and dejected with sorrow which propitiatory whosoever desireth to have it behoveth him to declare himself in his own judgement wretched and unworthy of divine or humane favour But whosoever yet seems somthing to himself is not yet wretched nor humbled in his own opinion nor capable of divine favour whereupon Saint Paul saith Gal. 6. If any man esteem himselfe something when he is nothing he deceiveth himself For God alone is all things which he that onely knoweth and doth not inwardly in his heart approve it and shew it in his example argueth the knowledge of God in him to be superficiall and slight Therefore if thou wilt give God the glory and teach it in thy deed that God is all things it must needs be so that thou use a most sharp judgement against thy self and beleeve most assuredly that thou art nothing after the example of David who dancing before the Ark of the Lord when Michol contemned him as an abject person he answered I will yet bee more vile then I have been He that wil be somthing he is the The matter of which God maketh fools matter of which God maketh nothing yea a fool And he that on the contrary loveth to be reputed as nothing and in his owne judgement is so this is the matter of which the great workman maketh somthing yea halfe Gods he who professeth himselfe before God to be more miserable and worse then all men he in his judgement is made the greatest and chiefest of all others and he that in his own judgement is the greatest sinner him doth God account among the Saints This is in truth that humility which God exalteth the misery which he respecteth Lastly this nothing is that of which God no otherwise then the old world is wont to produce the men of God and create them so of which things we have David for example whose basenesse our most gentle God beholding transformed him into a most noble instrument then Jacob whose saying this is I am lesse then all thy mercies And Christ dejected below the common sort of men who also for God maketh all things of nothing us was accursed and made a worm into how great majesty did his heavenly Father exalt him For as a workman shewing his skill upon some speciall peece of work to labour it more exactly taketh a new matter polluted with no mans hands so that man that God will make something he must be nothing And hee that will make himselfe great and beleeveth himselfe to be something this cannot be the matter for divine workes because that which is nothing and void is it of which he after a A man iudgeth himselfe worthy of nothing wonderful maner shapeth all things which the virgin Mary knew full well saying Luk. 1. He beholdeth the lowliness of his Handmaid behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed But he is indeed inwardly and in heart wretched which thinketh himselfe worthy of no divine benefit neither corporall nor spirituall for he that arrogateth any thing to himselfe this man indeed esteemeth himself something when in truth he is nothing and therefore is furthest from divine graces and most impatient of all arrogances who if he judge himselfe What is proper to man worthy any thing he taketh not all things gratis of God for grace is not merit what soever we wish to obtain for our selves from heaven Moreover nothing is proper to man except sin misery and infirmity all other things are Gods Behold the shadow of a tree with me which is no more something then a man and therefore as it followeth the motion of a tree from Man is a shadow whom it hath its being so this man carrieth his life and all hee hath received of God according to that of Paul Acts 17. In him we live move and have our being And although apples appeare in the shadow of the tree they doe not therefore belong to the shadow but to the tree Now think thou the like with me the good fruits that appeareth in thee and are apparent but are not thine own But as the apple groweth not out of the tree as the unskilfull vulgar think although it hang thereon no otherwise Man is a very tree then a child on the mothers paps So all men are fruitlesse trees and withered the Lord onely is their force and vegetable power according to Psalm 17. The Lord is the horn of my salvation And that of Luke 23. If they doe these things to a green tree what will they doe to a dry tree I saith the Lord Hos 14. will hear and direct him that he shal flourish of me shall thy fruit proceed And our Saviour John 15. If you remain in me you shall beare much fruit But when a man is truly in his understanding wretched and moved at all times and trusteth onely in the heavenly grace of Christ then doth God respect him which respect is not done or commeth to passe after a humane manner and without force and efficacie but is full of vertue life and consolation And as some contrite hearts are capable of this divine aspect onely so how much more cleare amiable and frequent it is so much the lesse doe they think themselves worthy thereof How much humility have we shadowed in The
fire of revenge because they broke the commandement of the Lord which zeal of the most just God those likewise provoke against themselves which out of their own invention and singular devotion and presumption of religious sanctity doe invent a new and uncommanded kind of worship not of God commanded Into which indignation of the divine Godhead lest perhaps we The punishmeÌ„t of it should fall into it also it remaineth to see wherein the true worship of God consisteth for the punishment of the temporary fire which in the old Testament is remembred against feigned worship standeth as an argument that God will doe the like in the new Testament for false religions both with eternal fire and warres and devastations of the lawes then which I know not whether any fire can be more terrible if he so avenge it is most sharp And the nature The true worship of God of the true divine worship and the reason wil easily appeare to us by the comparison of both the covenants together that which God required in the old Testament it was externall and typicall full of figures and shadowes of the Messias and full of ceremonies which that nation was bound to observe strictly and according to the letter In which rites and images the faithfull of the Jewes did as it were behold the Messias by faith in him are saved through the compact and promise divine which God in the new Testament did fulfill This consisteth not in externall Figures Ceremonies Rites Statutes and Lawes but is altogether inward and drawn into Spirit and Truth consisting of faith in Christ beâ—ause by him the Temple the Altar Sacrifices the Ark and Priesthood with all the Morall and Ceremoniall Law are fulfilled whereby consequently we are graffed into Christian liberty free from the maledicti-of the Law Gal. 3. and Jewish ceremonies Gal. 5. So that with a free heart and holy spirit dwelling in us we might serve God Jer. 31. Rom. 8. And our faith and consciences are bound to no traditions of men The trueÌ„ worship of God consisteth in 3 things Moreover three chiefe things are requisite to a true spirituall internall and Christian worship that is to say The true knowledge of God Then of Sinne and Repentance Thirdly of Grace and remission of sinnes And these three are one no otherwise then God himselfe is one in Trinity for in the knowledge eternall of God is contained both repentance and remission of sinnes and that consisteth in faith which taketh hold of Christ and in him and through him acknowledgeth God his omnipotence love mercy righteousnesse verity wisdome of God all which is God himselfe and Christ and the holy Ghost And that not absolutely alone and by his What iâ— God own nature but respectively also and beholding of me by his gracious wil in Christ by which means he is God omnipotent to me mercifull to me eternall righteousnesse to me by grace and remission of sinnes and to me eternall truth and wisdome Nor there is no other way with Christ who is become unto me eternall omnipotency omnipotent Head and Prince of life my most mercifull Saviour perpetuall love justice and righteousnesse immoveable according The true knowledge of God to that 1 Cor. 1. Christ is become our wisdome from God and righteousnesse and sanctification and redemption All which and every one of them also are spoken in like manner of the holy Ghost And this is the true knowledge of God which consisteth in faith and it is not a meer knowledge but a joyfull living and powerfull trust by which I sweetly feele in me the beams and infusion of the divine omnipotencie of God so as I am held and carried by it to live in it and perceive my selfe to be moved and to be so In a word that I may feele and apprehend the riches of his goodnesse and mercy in me for can can there be greater charity thought upon then that which God the Father Sonne and holy Ghost have shewed unto us all most abundantly What righteousnesse more perfect and ample then that whereby he draweth us from sinne death hell and the Devill Or what can bee added to that Faith is the vertue and power of God heavenly and infallible truth and wisdome of his This then is the true and solid faith consisting in lively and effectuall trust and not only in words or the noyse of words or externall sounds In which knowledg of God or faith it behoveth us all the sons of God daily more and more to profit be perfected Whereupon blessed Paul hath sufficient for us to wish for Ephes 3. That we may know the love of Christ exceeding all knowledge as who should say all the study of our whole life if it were imployed to know the love of Christ it would not be sufficient to learn the exceeding largenesse thereof Neither doth onely knowing define this knowledge be not deceived but thus much more he wil that we The lively knowledge of God participate tast and have triall of the sweetnesse well-pleasingnesse vertue and lively infusion in our hearts inword and in faith of his divine love so great and immense without expression For shall we say he knew the love of Christ which never tasted it never proved it according to that of the Hebrewes chap. 6. Who have tasted the heavenly gifts and the good word of God and the power of the world to come which in faith is obtained through the word Neither is any other the effusion of the love of God into our hearts by the holy Ghost Rom. 4. wherein consisteth the fruit and efficacie of the divine word And to shut up all this is the true knowledge of God arising from tast and experience and consisting in living and solid faith which therefore the Epistle to the Hebrewes calleth Hypostasin and most certain eviction Furthermore this knowledge of God which consisteth in living faith is a part of the eternall and spirituall divine worship What faith is as in like manner faith it selfe is a spirituall gift living and heavenly as also the light The true knowledge of God doth change the heart brings forth vertue and vertue of God Therefore when this knowledge goeth before by which God doth as it were drinke to our souls to tast and relish it according to Psalm 34. Tast and see how sweet the Lord is it cannot be but serious repentance will follow that is the renewing of the mind and amendment of life For from the perceiving solid knowledge of the omnipotency of God there followeth withall humility seeing that it is not possible under the powerfull hand of God not to be made crooked nor to make himselfe straight From the tast of the divine mercy proceedeth love towards his neighbour for no man is or can be childish or can deny his neighbour any thing who is experienced of the divine love and shall remember that God out of his meer mercy hath given him
what measure we measure to our neighbour with the same measure shall it be meted unto us For those three Cities should effectually represent Christ who is the sole merit as Bezer soundeth that by interpretation is a Tower of Defence according to the Proverb 18. The Name of the Lord is a most strong Tower Jesus Christ to that runneth the just and shall be exalted the same is true Ramoth which Christ our refuge voyce signifieth Exalted to whose Name every knee shall bow in heaven in earth or in hell Phil. 2. Neither is there for us another Golan besides him which according to the etymology of the name is nothing but a heap of thankesgiving or graces and gifts celestiall as a certain overflowing vessell Whereupon Psal 29. we read With the Lord there is mercy and with him is abundance of redemption And Rom. 10. The Lord is rich to all those that call upon him And thus much of the third part of the internall spirituall and true divine worship flowing from the knowledge of God which is likewise the fountain of repentance as this is of remission of sinnes which three indeed are one and set forth and declare the solid knowledge of God And God did shadow unto us this third part by the Priest which was to eat of the oblation of God which what other thing did it imply then the application of the merits of Christ by faith in the holy place wherein is signified repentance For the faith by the vertue and merit of Christ and his bloud doth make the man before the just God as if he had never been defiled with any sinne according to that of Ezekiel 18. If the wicked shall repent him of all his iniquities that he hath committed I will not remember them And after this manner the Law of Moses is changed into the spirit Moses Lawes holy things are chāged into spirit or life internall holy and another life and his sacrifices into repentance by which we offer our bodies and souls a living sacrifice and give thanks unto him because hee hath manifested unto us what is the true conversion acceptable unto him which is the justification and remission of sinnes that God alone be all things his grace as it is meet should be acknowledged and with gratefull minds and tongues be praised for ever and ever This then as we have often said heretofore is the true divine worship of which Mich. chap. 6. speaketh I will shew thee O man what the Lord requireth of thee that thou execute judgement and love mercy and walk carefully before the Lord thy God Because therefore O mortals doe we repent to get remission of sinnes seeing but by this alone we cannot come to remission of sinnes for neither can those sins bee remitted whose sense and griefe the mind never yet found by grace divine and consequently never to grieve for them nor hee which never had it in his mind to change The true worship of God consisteth in the heart is not external his life and mend his manners Which true and safe-making conversion that God for his Christs sake would bestow it upon us I humbly pray whose favour also it is that now it appeareth that his true worship consisteth in the soule and mind in the knowledge of God in true repentance by which the flesh is mortified and the man renewed after the image of God whereby he is made the Temple of God wherein by the holy Ghost the true and divine worship of the holy Trinity is exercised I say Faith Love and Hope Humility Patience Prayer giving of thankes and praises to God And although this worship respecteth God himselfe and is performed to him alone let us not think or beleeve Why called the worship of God that God for his own cause and because it joyneth with his profit that he inviteth us unto him but rather let us be so assured that he is willing through his boundlesse mercy to bestow and communicate all himselfe to us with all his benefits and to live work and dwell in us if so be we be ready through his true Knowledge Faith and Repentance to receive him For no work is gracious and acceptable to God of which hee was not the authour of in us What kind of works are pleasing to God therefore he commandeth us to repent to beleeve to pray to fast not as to him but that the fruit thereof might be ours No man can give or take any thing from God nor hurt nor profit him for we sow and we mow to our selves if we be good but we create evill to our selves if we be evill And what dammage hath God if thou wilt not doe well therefore he commandeth thee to serve him not for his owne cause but for thine who seeing he is Charity it selfe therefore amongst things acceptable and deare and so fit accounteth it that there be many be who participate of his charity yea of himselfe that is to wit as a mother loveth her Infant cannot but rejoyce that it sucketh her milk from her so God is to be thought of out of his most loving communicating of himself after his manner to receive singular delight CHAP. XXII As we know a tree by the fruit so a true Christian by no other token is known then by love and amendment of life daily Psalm 92. The just man flourisheth as a Palm Tree as a Cedar of Lebanon he shall multiply being planted in the House of the Lord They shall flourish in the entrance of the House of God they shall flourish Moreover they shall be multiplied in a fruitfull old age and they shall be very patient that they may shew it forth because just is our Lord God and there is no iniquity in him IT is not the name but the life of a Christian that maketh a true Christian whose daily and onely study ought to be that in him Christ might be manifested and be made conspicuous by love humility and humanity In whom therefore Christ liveth not it followeth that this man cannot be a Christian Furthermore it behoveth this life to be from the bottome of the heart and spirit even as the Apple is derived and commeth from the naturall branch of the Tree faculties and vegetable power yea it is necessary that our life be informed by the Spirit of Christ and fashioned after his life according to that of Paul Rom. 8. Those which are carried by the Spirit of God those are the sonnes of God But if any have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his or belongeth not to him to wit every life cometh of the Spirit which even as the All life is from the Spirit inward man moveth driveth and is carried so in like manner the outward man fareth or is carried whereby it is manifested how much it availeth to a Christian life to have the grace of the Holy Ghost which therefore Christ did command us to seek
not with praiers onely but promised also the spirit of new birth I say by whom we live and are quickened in Christ to a new spirituall and heavenly way of living and out of whose eternall and quickning power all Christian vertues doe flourish and the just man doth increase as a Palm-tree and a Cedar of Lebanon which the Lords right hand hath planted Whereupon it followeth that a man must first be inwardly renewed in the spirit of his mind after the Image of God so as his desires and affections be conformed to Christ and his outward life proceed from the inward A Christian ought to bee within as he is without or seemeth to be feeling of the heart and be most like to them And seeing that God searcheth the heart and reins as it is Psalm 7. it is most right and equall that a man should have more in the inwards and in the bottome then outwardly and in the porch And because it cannot come to passe that our inwards can obtain the purity and cleannesse The cleannesse righteousnesse of Christians of Angels yet it is convenient to aspire to it seeing God accepteth of the votes of our spirits and sighes and approveth of them the holy Spirit helping our infirmitie and intreating for us with mourning unexpressible Rom. 8. yea Christs bloud purging us by faith so that we are without spot or wrinkle Ephes 5. Neither now shall our purity be Angelicall and our holinesse and righteousnesse so but of Ghrist yea Christ himselfe 1 Cor. 1. Jer. 33. Which free holiness and righteousness is to be preferred before the purity innocency of Angels it behoveth us to renew our soules and spirits and to lead a working holy life in us that as the Palm tree flourisheth continually groweth and increaseth so we through Christian Discipline in our selves may become more and more perfect in Christ and so much every one in Christ doth flourish and profit as he groweth in faith holy vertues and Christian life and so much as he amendeth daily in himself and lastly so much as Christ himselfe liveth in him And this is to flourish like the Palmtree and as that continually Christian like a palm tree groweth upward daily to be renewed alwayes repeating his purpose to his holy Name to be pleased no otherwise then as if it were the first day of thy entrance into Christianity or didst receive the Sacraments nor to have any other thing in thy desire then that thy life workes should br answerable to thy profession and discipline And as those that are chosen to some office are wont to prefer nothing before the study be it never so difficult that The calling of Christians belongeth to his vocation so must we doe that are called to Christ we are called to a holy calling to whom we shall never be like unlesse we hold this purpose and this opinion and it be a most firm Antidote or prevention to us for this holy purpose not stablished nor confirmed we be not carefull of amendment neither do we increase and profit in Christ nay rather we be altogether without Christ Because this purpose of living well is the work of the holy Ghost and that preventing grace which The wisdom of God calleth us allureth all men inviteth them and driveth them on Then happy is he who hath eares and a mind at leasure and entertaineth the Wisdome of God crying in the streets understanding all things we behold to be the monuments and remembrances by which he inviteth and in it selfe goeth about to allure us which touch and motion so soon as we perceive forthwith we must put our hands to the worke and assent and take hold of this point of time without impediment which being negligently lost perhaps many dayes shall succeed in which we cannot heare speak doe or think a good thought which the Procrastinâ—tioÌ„ iâ— to be esâ—â—ewed eternall wisdome knowing it calleth us in all places lest we neglect time and occasion and be like to the tree in the open aire and without cover which expecteth the benigne aspect of an immoveable Sunne and propitious heaven And we are daily nourished The grace of God is every where present by the grace of God heavenly influence and there remaineth no more but that all impediments of the world being shaken off we admit of them and draw them unto us with all our heart O mortall men let us call to minde the brevity of time how many opportunities of Christian The brevitie of our life vertues we have neglected that we have spent much of our lives in sleep and cares of the body and that we are to die by and by and that we have scarcely begun to lead a better life As every one wisheth to die the death of the righteous so it is needfull so to live And if thou abhorrest to die an evill death live godly if thou desirest to goe out of the world like a Christian How it behoves a Christian to live here in thy actions and life labour to be a Christian and he liveth like a Christian who liveth so as if he should every day die well knowing it is the part of a good servant to be ready at every call of his master and God calleth us by Death as his Apparitor or Sumner Happy is that servant whom his master shall find watchfull verily he will make him Steward over all his goods But who doth watch Onely he who suffereth not himselfe to be seduced of the world and the lovers thereof Therefore let us flie it and such lovers of the world such water-bearers are unprofitable with which the good tree growing wild it is hindered to flourish and becometh fruitlesse CHAP. XXIII He that will grow in Christ and profit in him must flie worldly friendship Psalm 84. How delightfull are thy Tabernacles O Lord of Hosts my soule fainteth and faileth in the Court of the Lord my heart and my flesh were exalted in the living Lord. FRequent familiarity with worldly men is to be eschewed by thee because as we are no where so well fitted or well pleased as when we are at home so it is never better with the soul then when it is in its own house that is resting in God whose off-spring sith it is it must needs return to him again if it desireth to be quiet For this is the condition of all creatures that the same place is to them both of beginning and rest for Fishes the sea to Birds the aire to plants the earth and to the soul God according to the Psalm 84. The Sparrow hath found a house and the Turtle a nest wherein to put her young For even as he begetteth evill to himselfe that suffereth his sonnes and daughters to wander abroad so he begetteth evill to himselfe that suffereth his tongue and thoughts to be conversant amongst many men he shall decline many scandals if he keep them within the circle and
circumference of his heart In the tents of the Lord our God the plants of the Lord doe flourish as the Cedar in Labanon These tents are the meeting-place or inward and spirituall Sabbath of our heart and the flourishing Lebanon is in the desart and solitarinesse of the spirit which solitarinesse thou oughtest to follow diligently that thou mightest search thy selfe and contemplate the benefits and wonders of God Neither are those to be followed or imitated who are delighted in the reading of Whatsoever doth not make us better is to be avoided subtile and quaint things whereby the heart is more provoked then amended whatsoever doth not further or disturb the quietnesse of the heart or is not a furthering to amendment of life let it be farre from thine eares thy mouth eyes and thought for the trees of the Lord doe attend nothing but to grow and profit in Christ such as was Paul who desired to know nothing but Christ crucified so did all the Saints of God who strived with all diligence to live in silence and by inward devotion after a divine manner to emulate the heavenly and holy Intelligences and to hide themselves in God alone which is the onely rest of our souls of which number I have heard one say so often as he conversed with men he was made lesse in some part or other For seeing humanity consisteth in the similitude of God and therefore The definition of man God defined man to be an Image like to him it follows by how much the liker he is to God he hath put off so much the more of his humanity and the neerer he is joyned to God by so much he shall become liker unto him But no man can be joyned to God who first doth not forsake the world The same reason is of all seeds that The seed of God bringeth divine fruit they bring forth fruit like themselves therefore if the seed of God be in thee as the holy Spirit and Word divine it followeth that thou become a tree of righteousnesse and plant of the Lord to glorifie him Esay 61. Nothing is more frequent Scandalous words offend the soul then that a word may fall from thee or another whereby the heart afterwards is pricked and the soul abhorreth it wherefore no man is more secure safer and more at tranquillity then he that keepeth himself at home so containeth his thoughts words and his senses within the threshold of his heart When Diogenes the Philosopher was met by a certain man who being impertinently acute accosted him after this manner Man or no man What I am thou art not But I am a man therefore thou art none He merrily taxing his foolish acutenesse answered It will be truer if thou begin with me He who will speake laudably let him first learn to hold his peace for to speak many things is no eloquence it is garrulity or pratling He that will rule his heart Vertue ariseth froÌ„ contraries well let him learn first to keep it well seeing it is an impossible thing rightly to excell others unlesse he learn to serve obey God He that loveth peace and tranquillity of the minde let him keep his tongue and study to preserve a good conscience True rest for that which is evill foameth as the sea unlesse it return to its rest which is Christ by contrition and repentance The Dove which Noah sent out of the Ark when it found no rest returned to the Ark. This Ark is Christ and the Church having only one Doore or Window that is repentance by which we must goe to Christ for aid As the Dove having made her flight returned to the Ark of God so doe thou remember so often as thou fliest into the sea of the worldly businesses that thou return by and by to Christ and thy rest yea whilst thou art conversant amongst men and attendest worldly affairs The fear of God let it be done with feare and humility yet let it be without secure and precipitate rashnesse but be thou like the Shrub bound to the pearch of distrust and the feare of God lest perhaps the wind of perturbation doe break thee then which nothing is more frequent amongst men little conversant with the inward man and using the world more freely Wherefore perswade thy selfe there is no more trust to be given to the world then to the sea and that the externall calm of the world doth easily turn it selfe into a whirl-wind and an evill conscience doth obey the delight thereof True peace and rest But if men would seek no pleasure in ftail things if they were not intangled with the world lastly if they would trust lesse to their worldly goods then they would by experience find more peace and tranquillity in their consciences and divine consolations and visitations would be oftner manifest but seeing that they will not beleeve these things it cometh to passe that they lose that conversion amendment and devotion amongst men which they might find in themselves For what things within and in the heart are found by resting they are by seeking here and there unwarily and hastily lost and this followeth upon course As a tree no where profiteth better then in his naturall soile so the inward man in no place groweth in goodnesse sooner then in the profound inwards of the heart where Christ is Joy and heavinesse is in the hand of the conscience which if thou usest and imploy it in inward and The nature of the conscience divine things it will return thee again sweet and delightfull pleasures but if in outward and worldly things thou dost rest it will return thee vexation and torment As often as a faithfull soul grieveth and is sorrowfull for his sinnes so often Wholâ—some sorrow he mourneth secretly and in the fountain of teares many nights washeth himself therein and cleanseth himself in the Spirit and Faith in Christ that he may become holy and worthy to enter into the Temple and most holy place where the Lord may have most secret speech with him And because God is an unknown God it behoveth the soul to be most familiar with him if he will have him to communicate his divine mind unto it Psalm 85. I will bear what Divine communication the Lord will speak in me Psal 34. I sought the Lord and he heard me and took me out of my trouble he being poore he cried and the Lord heard him and he delivered him out of all his troubles Psalm 5. But I will pray unto thee and thou wilt heare my voyce right early I will meet thee early and I shall see thee By how much more our soul departeth from the world so much more familiar it becometh with God so did the Patriarch Jacob when he estranged himself from his countrey and kindred he had conference with Angels and with God Neither can it be sufficiently expressed by any words with how much love God and the
blessed Spirits embrace an holy soule CHAP. XXIV Of the Charity or Love towards God and our Neighbour 1 Timoth. 1. The end of the Commandement is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and faith unfained THis being delivered blessed Paul describing the most noble vertue that is to say Charity doth insist chiefly on foure things concerning it First of all that it is the end of the Law or a brief and short collection of all the commandements because by this or in this the law is fulfilled The reason is because in it all the commandements are fulfilled and lastly because without it all the gifts of vertues are unprofitable idle and fruitlesse And whereas he saith in the second place that Charity ought to proceed out of a pure heart that The sincerity of divine love pertaineth to charity towards God wherto it is requisite that the heart be void of all worldly love according to that of 1 Ioh. 2. Little children do not love the world nor the What a cleane heart is things that be in the world because every thing that is in the world is the concupiscence of the flesh and the concupiscence of the eyes and the pride of life The world passeth away and the concupiscence thereof but he that doth the will of God abideth for ever Therefore whosoever hath his heart free and at liberty from all love of the creatures so as he rest not in any fraile creature neither put his trust in them but onely from the bottome of his heart longeth and seeketh after God alone after the example of David who in the Psalmes saith My flesh faileth me and my heart it fainteth O God of my heart and my portion for ever O God For what is there in heaven that I regard or in earth that I preferre before thee This mans charity proceeded out of a pure heart Also if any take singular delight pleasure and joy in the love of God such a purity of heart as the holy Ghost sheweth in the Psalm 18. I will love thee O God my strength the God of my health and my refuge my rock my protection the horn of my salvation and my Redeemer The Charitie out of a good conscience third thing requisite to charity was a good conscience which respecteth our neighbour who is to be loved of us for no profit sake for this is the property of false love and that which proceedeth from an evill conscience neither in word nor deed proudly to offend him and diligently to beware neither openly nor closely to detract from him or hate him nor with envie wrath or disdain to maligne him lest our heart doe check us in our prayer 1 Joh. 3. The fourth thing requisite in Charity Love from fraile consciscience is faith unfained lest we determine any thing against the rule of Faith and Christian profession and lest we deny God openly or secretly in prosperity or adversity Goe to now let us consider apart the singular heads Paul saith Charity is the end of the Law For Charity or Love which proceedeth out of true faith is the most noble of all fruits and works of God then which a man can doe nothing better or more acceptable to God for God requireth God requireth not of us costly gifts and workes not of man any heavie things nor lofty nor great workes to his service and worship but rather he hath contracted the most rigid religion of the old Testament and a multitude of Commandments and the variety of them in Faith and Charity and hath added thereunto the gift of the holy Ghost according to that of Saint Paul Rom. 5. The love of God is infused into your hearts by the holy Ghost which is given unto us By which words he insinuateth unto us the originall of Charity Moreover Charity is not a heavie work but a pleasant and easie work to a good and faithfull man according to that of St. John 1 Epist chap. 5. His commandments The easines of charity are not heavy that is to say to illuminate Christians to whom the holy Ghost hath given a cheerfull heart and a free will moved and stirred up Furthermore God God requireth not much learning requireth not of us much learning or teaching but only charity which if it be sincere burning vehement is far dearer then arts and wisdom of the whole world so that all other things Arts Sciences works and gifts without it are unprofitable and thought of as dead works 1 Cor. 13. For without Charity every work is of no momēt learning is indifferent and common equally as well to Christians as to Ethnicks and the works of the faithfull and the Infidels in that are alike But charity onely is the sure Badge and Character of a Christian discerning the false from the truth For where charity is wanting there is no goodnesse whatsoever externall shew of greatnesse and excellency it commendeth it selfe by For God is Charity and he that abideth in Charity abideth in God and God in him 1 John 4. Whereupon it followeth where Charity is not God is not there Charity maketh all things easie is heavy to no man Charity is pleasant and acceptable with God and also the man that exerciseth it For where other Arts and Sciences and Wisdomes are gotten with great labour care and griefe and with the losse of their strength charity onely cheereth the body and mind doth adde vegetation and mendeth the soule neither is it losse to any but rather of it selfe bringeth ample fruits For love is the reward of the lover and vertue is a reward unto it selfe like as vice in like manner doth punish and torment it selfe And when other faculties of the body What is done out of charity hath God the Author pleaseth him and mind are weakened and tired and wearied only charity is never weary nor ever ceaseth howsoever Prophesie may passe away Tongues may cease and Sciences may be destroyed yea and faith it self shall fail 1 Cor. 13. What God will accept must necessarily proceed from God He that loveth God praieth wel and freely for he approveth of nothing which he doth not first work in us And seeing that God is love therfore that ought to proceed from faith which is pleasing to God and out of love without hope of any profit that it shall profit our neighbour And so should our prayers arise from love Oh then you mortals imagine what prayers those can poure out to God whose hearts are ful of wrath and rancor which if such should recite the whole Psalterie they can neverthelesse be nothing else but abomination before God when true adoration consisteth in Spirit in Faith and chiefly in Charity not in words Let Christ be in our memory who out of his abundant mercy prayed Father forgive them In a word he that loveth not God that man prayeth not in whom the love of God is that man preferreth nothing before God
sinne selfe-love arrogancy and ambition New-birth is found in Christ so from Christ by faith and the holy Ghost our nature is to be renewed and sanctified all selfe-love arrogancy and ambitition to die in it and it behoveth us to get a new heart and spirit from Christ as we have from Adam flesh subject to sin And of this new birth Christ is called Father eternall or of the future Age Isa chap. 9. The works of Christians ought to proceed from the new birth Whereupon it followeth consequently that all the works of Christians and gifts which shall be acceptable to God ought to proceed from the new creature that is from faith in Christ and the holy Ghost which if it be not so done whatsoever things although they be most excellent gifts and even miracles themselves before God they are void and to no purpose And towards our neighbour all things ought to be done in charity 1 Cor. 14. and without hope of proper gain or honour For example of which and a most excellent pattern God Almighty offered and gave us his Sonne in whom there was no selfe-love no arrogance lastly no desire of private profit or praise or glory and nothing but sincere and meere love and humility neither also as other Saints was hee proposed to us to imitate because their example was from without and so to behold or renew but that hee might by faith live and breath in us which when it cometh to passe even then all our works words and so our knowledge doe proceed from Christ as from a living foundation and originall if otherwise then all our works and gifts if they be Angelicall or of what kind soever they are neverthelesse nothing worth For where selfe-love is there the hatred of God is where arrogancy there the contempt of God where by no reason it can come to passe that works springing from thence should be acceptable to God Let us therefore doe this let us beseech Almighty God from the bottomes of our hearts to give us faith and sincere love contaminated with no desire of honour profit or glory but proceeding from a pure heart which being obtained not onely illustrious gifts and works but the least also even a cup of cold water will be most deare and acceptable to God For a small worke that proceedeth Charity maketh the least work great from sincere charity and humility is most excellent and better then all great ones that have their original from the desire of pride and glory CHAP. XXXII Not great gifts but faith that worketh by charity doth shew a man a Christian and acceptable to God 1 Cor. 4. The Kingdome of God is not in talke but in vertue BLessed Paul going about to describe a Christian man in briefe finishing the thing saith 1 Tim. 1. The end of the law is charity God doth not require great knowledge from a pure heart and a good conscience and faith unfained as if he should say That any man may bee made a Christian and â—cceptable to GOD are not required hard and lofty matters no worldly wisdome no humane learning no gifts no eloquence no knowledge of tongues lastly no miracles but that hee have faith in charity to doe all things resigned to God devout and well addicted and not carelesse of the motions and rule of the holy Ghost Wherefore let us not much regard that What it is to mortifie the flesh any one is expert in the tongues and how eloquent he is but how he shewes forth his faith by love and mortifying of the flesh For they that be Christs doe mortifie the flesh with the concupiscence thereof that is to say arrogancy selfe-love covetousnesse of glory proper gain hunting after praise whereupon blessed Paul denieth the Kingdome of God to consist in words or gifts and Arts but in vertue or living exercise of vertue in faith as charity lowlinesse and humility Therefore Before God nothing availeth but a new creature no man I say no man is in greater grace with God or blessed because he is indued with great gifts but because hee is found in Christ by faith and liveth in him as a new creature And if any man have Great gifts od not make a man happy attained unto so great and such gifts as no man else neglecting daily repentance he is not renewed in Christ and if he deny not the world although hee have never so many gifts if he despise not himselfe nor hate himselfe last of all doe depend upon the pure and sole grace of God no otherwise then an infant dependeth of the pap he with all his Arts and Gifts shall be damned it is a thing most manifest For neither are those given us of God that by them before God wee should bee great or blessed but for the edification of the To what end gifts are given of God Church Therefore when Luke 10. the seventy Disciples returned with joy saying Lord even the Devils are subject unto us in thy name Christ answereth Doe not rejoyce in this for neither miracles nor gifts shall save us but rejoyce that your names are written in the book of life that is because you beleeve and acknowledge me By faith Moses was saved not by hiâ— miracles and Miriam the sister of Moses being indued with â—he gift of prophesie and by whom the Spirit of the Lord did speak was punished with Leprosie Finally the Apostles not because of their miracles or tongues sake but for their faith were made Citizens of Heaven Let us remain I say let the least and the greatest remain in faith humility â—epentance in crucifying and mortifying of the flesh and in the new creature which as in Christ in faith and charity it liveth so in like manner Christ liveth in it So let us be found that Christ may acknowledge us for his Let Christian Charity remain to be that new life of the new man yea the life of Christ in the faithfull and that efficacious and working power of the holy Ghost by which Saint Paul Ephes 3. wisheth us to bee filled in all fulnesse of God Like unto that of Saint John God is Love and he that remaineth in love remaineth in God Whereupon it followeth that hee that feeleth love in his heart feeleth God himselfe Where as a certaine fore-runner or leading-starre it is present therefore Saint Paul as a tree from the root whereof with all the fruits thereof describeth it in 1 Corinth chap. 13. Charity saith hee is patient c. All which are the properties of Christians and consequently the life of the new man And to speak in a word God the Father is Love God the Sonne is Love God the holy Ghost is Love the whole mysticall body who is Christ or the Christian Church is bound together in the bond of Love So there is but one God one Christ one Spirit one Baptisme one Faith and lastly the happy and sempiternall life shall bee nothing but
conform all his life to it and Christ Which being done hee feedeth the humble with grace comforteth the meek and maketh his yoak pleasant and his burden light unto them For the sweetnesse of the heavenly Manna cannot bee tasted but under the yoak of Christ according to that Hee will fill the hungry with good things and send the rich empty away The words that I have spoken are spirit and life saith Christ John 6. Whereupon it followeth a voluptuous heart and carnall that is a man that hath no spirituall understanding cannot possibly understand those things For in spirit in rest in silence with great humility holy and vehement desire is the word of God to bee received which if it be not converted into life then truly it is no better then the external letter and a sound of words Even as he that heareth the noyse of a Harp onely or a Song and understandeth it not receiveth no pleasure by it so no man is partaker of the virtue that is in the Word unlesse he endeavour to expresse it in his life And this is that which was said before out of John I will give thee a white stone and in the stone a new name written which no man knoweth but hee that hath Hee which cleareth to the Lord. it This is that I say even a testimony of the hidden spirit which hee giveth to the word of God Rom. 8. And in like manner the Spirit of the Word giveth testimony to our spirit whereby both doe conspire and consent together and so become one spirit which is that New Name unknown but to A new name the receiver For as no man knoweth the sweetnesse of hony but he that tasteth it so the name of the testimony divine in the hearts of men no man knoweth but hee that proveth it This man onely knoweth the consolations and divine visitations because he perceiveth them whose name is also called New because they are the works and fruits of the new birth Blessed is the man to whom God hath given himself to be so tasted in his heart Blessed are the Prophets whom from the beginning of the world he hath fed with his bread so heavenly and by the conference of his eternall word which because it was so done unto them therefore out of sense feeling and experience they have spoken of it and composed holy Scripture And in truth even all this day he speaketh unto all men and feedeth them inwardly with his word in the soule but almost all men have shut their eares against his voice and had rather The living word is meat of the soul heare the world then God and be driven by their own concupiscences then by the Spirit of God Whereupon it cometh to passe that they cannot tast the hidden Manna swallowing up in the mean time both apples of the tree of death and carnall concupiscences contemning the tree of life Which men are not a little mad whilst they can understand that God can give greater pleasures to his lovers then the world so that he that hath once tasted the goodnesse of God to him the whole world with all the pleasures they will seem The tree of death to him as meer gall and bitternesse Now seeing we know our first progenitors were beguiled with the world and by eating of the forbidden tree have acquired death yet we are so blind and mad as fed with eternall death of carnall pleasures so dearly bought wee may remember If any shall eat of me saith Christ the true tree of life and true bread of life he shall live for ever John 6. And what is it to eat of it but to beleeve in him in him to joy and take delight lastly to rest and take pleasure in him alone Great therefore O mortals is the carnall blindnesse to serve the world for trifles vain and fraile things with such affection and desires and not to doe the same to God who rewardeth his worship and service with eternall things and farre more noble goods For who performeth to God so much and so great faith obedience and diligence as the vulgar we see doe perform to Mammon and the World We see them many times for small matters or a little mony make journies and for heavens cause it grieveth us to move a foot Hereupon the holy Prophets reproach Tyre and Sidon with emphaticall upbraids for taking in hand most vast and sea journies for the advance of their earthly causes when in the mean time they would not deigne for the soveraigne good to change their place And in our time men of all sorts and conditions doe prefer the world before God it is a thing most manifest The sons of the world Thereupon we see many Doctors doe study day and night to attain to honour in the world who hardly or not at all wil take so much leasure as sufficeth to say the Lords prayer if they might attain eternal honours and dignities celestial with so little labour Therefore you see the same men to avoyd no labour in warfare to attaine to fame and honour and yet will not enter combat with their own vices although they may attain heavenly nobility thereby Therefore you shall likewise see that the Lords and Victors of many Nations and vast Kingdomes doe not care for overcoming themselves lastly that infinite many doe not regard the losse of their soule and eternall happinesse to attaine to fraile and momentany goods And all these have not The true victory tasted the Hidden Manna of the divine Word and therefore doe not overcome the world but are overcome of the world Which whosoever dare contemne in respect of God he truly finds the most sweet visits of the holy Ghost and is filled with the heavenly pleasure which no man The divine sweetnes is tasted when the world is despised knoweth but hee that receiveth it This therefore is to be done the tree of life is first to bee planted in us that wee may eat the fruit thereof and our heart that wisheth to be recreated with the celestiall consolations ought first to bee converted from the world to God but wee being made drunk with worldly pleasures and bewitched do not incline our hearts and minds to think that heavenly joyes and those of God are rather to be wished then those which the world offereth or affordeth Although truly that is more true that God offereth and doth and are more noble then that which the creatures doe bring to passe Wherfore the learning which cometh from above by the inspiration of the holy Ghost True consolation and wisdom is of God is much more excellent then that other which humane understanding with great labour doth obtain For even as an Apple or a Lilly produced by nature is far more noble and much better then that which a workman maketh of gold be the gold never so fine so one drop of consolation divine The venity of worldly ioy is more
noble and by many yea infinite parts better then a whole Ocean of wordly pleasures Which truly are to bee slighted by him that desireth divine consolations Which if any that wil heare me wil lend me his eares if any wil understand me let him attend what I say finally if any wil see me it behoveth him to fix How God should bee perceived and tasted his eyes upon me Who doubteth that all our hearts and senses ought to be converted to God if we desire to see heare understand tast and prove him how good he is according to that of Jeremy chap. 29. When you shall seek me with your whole heart I will be found of you Many men at this day they term admirable O! a learned man a rich magnifical wiseman but no man regardeth how courteous humble patient and how devout any man is Of which perverse False praise judgement there is no other cause then that now men doe attend and admire outward things and in the mean time with blind eyes passe by inward things which are onely worthy to be esteemed Therefore he that praiseth one because he hath beautified many Cities and far situated regions let him see if it were not farre better to have seen God He therefore that suspecteth another because he hath not served one Monarch I would have him think whether it were not more excellent to have served God lawfully with all his heart Those that are fatuated with the meer love of the world doe preferre this our Age as the only learned and wise before all antiquitie these I say doe not know the Art of Arts that is the divine love more noble then all knowledge to be extinct wholly together with the faith Ephes 3. Luke 18. and few to remain divinely learned Isai 5. and that have learned of Christ a humble and lowly life Matthew 11. yea to speake the truth the most learned for the most part are void of divine love and therefore doe not know at all that the true life is in Christ Ephes 4. These therefore doe circumscribe knowledge in the circle of words when it is more true that solid learning is a thing and not words and to consist in eternall and true wisdome of which we have spoken more at large in the Treatise of ancient Philosophy But if any shall say that this our Age is wicked he truly shal say that which is agreeable to the truth and to the word of God Likewise those are ridiculous which praise any because hee liveth gorgeously and deliciously being unmindfull that the true dainties is the word of God and the Hidden Manna thereof and that it containeth in it the incorruptible bread of heaven and that lastly hee doth live delicately in whose presence the Lord The solid and only ioy is of God hath prepared his Table Psalm 23. to wit who savoureth the Lord God and his Word his palat nothing can displease but hee that doth loath it and is displeased with it hee cannot soundly and truly rejoyce for he is the joy exceeding all created joyes and the eternall light surpassing all temporal light who I would to God now at the last would fill our hearts with his hidden pleasure and purge our spirits illuminate inlighten clarifie and quicken them Would to God I say that the time would now come wherein Almighty God by his presence would fill us with all those things which hee is essentially Of which desires although we be not competent or fit nor doe joy true joy having in the mean time sufficient if wee may but enjoy the crums that fall from thy table O Lord till we be translated to the joyes of eternal life They are the words of our Saviour Apocalypse chap. 3. Behold I stand at the dore and I knock if any man heare my voyce and Christ is our banquet open to me I will enter unto him and I will sup with him and he with me What preposterousnesse is it O mortals to neglect this and so great a banqueter which hath prepared us a supper who after the manner of a Prince coming to his poor friends house bringeth all his dainty dishes and the whole supper with him I say the heavenly Bread and hidden Manna is not this a great oversight to let him stand waiting at the dore and not to open readily unto him I say what incivility is this not to receive a friend but not to entertain God himself with all diligence alacrity Shal I tell you the reason why we doe not open the dore because as in a house full of noyse and clamour musick although never worldly things ought to be expelled that divine things may enter so excellent cannot bee heard so neither can the voyce of the banquetter enter the eares of a worldly heart and consequently the Celestiall Manna cannot bee tasted by him I think so indeed If therefore the worldly tumults and noyse in man doe not tease and rest who wil not doubt that the Lord beating and crying shal goe away away unheard that they with Samuel may Why quietnesse is required to Gods speech answer Speak Lord thy servant heareth Moreover this internall voyce speaketh in a spirituall and heavenly Supper Heb. chap. 6. Those which have been once lightned and tasted the heavenly gifts and have been made The true spirit of illumination partakers of the holy Ghost and also have tasted the good word of God the virtues of the world to come By which wee are taught in what man the holy Ghost is neither is his mind hindered from daily feeding of that Manna hidden in the sweet and mellifluent divine Word which proceedeth out of the mouth of God and by which we live That which the Kingly Prophet David by the holy Ghost found in his heart and mind saying Psalm 16. Thou wilt fill me with joy of thy countenance and delight of thy right hand even unto the end And Psalm 34. Tast and see because the Lord is sweet blessed is the man that putteth his trust in him Psalm 23. The goodnes of God is Nectar and Ambrosia Thou hast prepared a table for me in my view against those that trouble me thou hast anointed my head with oyle and my cup being brim-full how beautiful is it Psa 63. Thy mercy is excellent farre exceeding above our lives my lips shall praise thee Psa 36. Even as thou hast multiplied thy mercies O God the sons of men shall trust in the shadow of thy wings they shall be made drunk with the plenty of thy house and thou shalt make them intoxicated with the torrent of thy pleasures because with thee is the fountain of life and in thy light wee shall see light Psa 70. They shall rejoyce and be glad all which seek thee and they shall say alwayes Let the Lord be magnified which love thy salvation But I am needy and poore help me O God thou art my helper and redeemer Lord make
way of the Devil when true faith and the works thereof doe not leave us empty or void of knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ 2 Pet. 1. Now seeing that a man having the Light and Life of Christ dwelleth in him for all these things hee is himselfe therefore according to the saying of the Prophet Esay chap. 11. upon such and no otherwise then upon Christ himselfe do rest the gifts of the holy Ghost that is to say the Spirit of wisdome and understanding the Spirit of counsell and fortitude the Spirit of knowledge piety and the feare of the Lord. Wherefore Saint Peter in the second of the Acts speaketh thus to the Jewes Repent and you shall receive the gifts of the holy Ghost as if he should say The Spirit of God of which you have had experience and which is the Illuminator of the heart sendeth not it self into other minds then those that are faithful and repent Goe to then O mortals which desire to bee freed from the blindnesse of heart and everlasting darknesse and lastly from the Devil himselfe imitate Christ in faith and true conversation and amendment being sure that the neerer you are to Christ the neerer you are to Eternall Light and by how much morâ— unfaithful you are so much neerer you aâ—â— to Darknesse and the Devill For as Faith Christ and all vertues are knit together so in like manner incredulity the Devil and all vices doe cleave together Behold with me the Apostles imitating Christ in faith contemning the world denying themselves renouncing their possessions and living in eternity by which things they attained to this that they might be heavenly illuminated and might bee indued with the holy Ghost To whom was most unlike the young man that was so rich whilst hee studied himselfe and thought himselfe something Luke 18. Therefore hee remained in the darknesse of the world neither was he inlightned to eternall life For hee that loveth the world the love of the Father is not in him And blessed John professeth plainly That he which loveth not remaineth in darknesse and knoweth not whither hee goeth because darknesse hath blinded his eyes To whom agreeth Taulerus who in all his Sermons every where sheweth and admonisheth without serious exercise of faith without mortification and selfe-denial without inward turning himselfe to his heart and lastly without the inward Sabbath of the soule no man can receive the divine Light or perceive it in himselfe In brief as much as in the condition after conversion the works of darknes by the spirit of God in man are destroied so much is he illuminated and by how much more more powerfully on the other side our corrupt nature as the flesh the world in man do beare rule so much lesse Grace Light Spirit of God and Christ is in him Therefore it remaineth without daily coÌ„tinual repentance no man can be illuminated when as he hath not resisted one â—ice nor The further froÌ„ the life of Christ the further from the true light rooted out one and exerciseth innumerable others bringeth forth out of himselfe continually with more increase then people are wont to doe And as darknesse is thicker in it selfe and more cloudy by how much the Sunne goeth back from us by so much we are unlike to the life of Christ so much more plentiful are wee in sinne and darknesse groweth the thicker in us till they become eternal night On the contrary hee which by the grace of God entereth the Chariot of virtue with a good courage and firm hope this man cannot but profit in them daily one following another as rings be linked one to another in a golden chain Which connexion blessed Peter expresseth The knowledge of Christ in love faith and the fruits thereof is to grow in Christ profit in him writing in the second Epistle cha 1. And you ought to have care and to use diligence ministring in your faith virtue and in your virtue knowledge in knowledge abstinence in abstinence patience in patience piety in piety brotherly love in brotherly love charity And if yee doe these things and abound therein you shall not be found empty nor without fruit in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ As if he should say he that shall not addict himselfe wholly to the study and exercise of these virtues he knoweth not Christ but he that by faith profiteth in them he groweth in Christ all other as proud ones wrathfull ones covetous ones impatient ones profit not in Christ but in the Devil And it is left us Christians in precept that as a child by little and little and in time is made a man so we may grow in faith and in the study of virtue to perfect The fruit of the death of Christ in us men to the measure of full age in Christ Ephes 4. Coloss 1. But to whom these things are not ready or at hand saith Saint Peter 2. Epist 1. he is blind and hand-bound forgetfull of the purging of his old sinnes As if he should say It is for certain that Christ by his death and bloud took and did beare all our sinnes but in the mean time we must beware that we addict not our selves to sin hereafter but rather the death of Christ fructifying in us we die to the world and live in Christ which whosoever doth not care to doe to this man it is plain that the purging of his old sins profiteth nothing Whereupon it followeth if wee desire to have the sinnes of our former life remitted and pardoned we must forbeare â—â— sin we must repent and beleeve in Christ which if we doe not then we retain all those sinnes of our former life and they are to be lamented by us to all eternity without all hope of expiation or forgivenesse so that it is possible that even for wrath alone a man may be damned which if he had by Christian lowliness corrected then in truth he had obtained pardon for all his other sins which because he neglected to do therfore according to the words of Saint Peter He is blind being forgetfull of the purging of his old sinnes Whereby it is given to understand The necessity of repentance how necessary a thing repentance is and the changing to a betternesse For although Christ died for our sins blotting them out and abolishing them with the incomparable price of his bloud yet we doe not participate of that merit unlesse we repent it profiteth nothing And howsoever every man is promised pardon for his sins for the merit of Christ yet that promise pertaineth nothing to thee to the unbeleever nor the impenitent but to those alone which doe amend their lives when it is most meet that those sinnes be remitted which we goe not about to remember but those onely which we were heartily grieved for And to this pertaineth that which is spoken Matth. 11. The poore receive the Gospel that is obtain the remission of sinnes Now
and keepeth holy day and resteth from his wicked concupiscences will and works Which is to be taken of the state after conversion and of daily illumination and of the increase of gifts and spirituall grace Now neither is it unfitly said which Christ John 14. speaketh I am the Way the Truth and the Life calling himselfe the Way who sheweth the same unto us not How Christ is the way onely in doctrine but in his most holy life Which life is no other thing then a living faith and working by love hope patience meeknesse humility prayer the feare of the Lord and to speak in a word true repentance turning to God whereby we are drawn to the Truth and the Life wherein the whole Christianity doth consist which is the breviary or epitome of all bookes and precepts Which is also the true and Kingly way to life and truth and is Christ himselfe the book of life in the involving and learning whereof wee ought Christ is our book to spend all our life This I say is that strait way and narrow gate Matth. 7. which few doe find this is the book of life which almost none doe reade although in it all things are contained which a Christian ought to know so that wee shall need no other book to our eternall salvation Which is the reason why also the holy Scripture is contained in very few bookes to wit that it might appeare that Christianity did not consist in the multitude of The brevity of Scripture whereupon Commentaries and great Volumes but in living faith and imitation of Christ according to that of Eccles c. 12. There is no end of making many books and much meditation of the flesh is affliction In like maner let us all hear the end of speaking Fear God and keep his commandements Moreover Matth. 7. it is said That the Devill when men are asleep soweth Tares in the Wheat that teacheth us when men neglect repentance and sleep soundly in their sinnes and are overtaken with the love of this world we having more care of frail things then immortall goods then by little and little doth the Devil sprinkle his Pride is the field of heresies seed of false doctrine in the field of pride whereupon doe arise Sects and Heresies for by pride both Men and Angels lost the true light and all errors came into the world which yet we might have wanted if Satan and Adam had lived in the humble life of Christ Whereupon Saint Paul deservedly Ephes 6. saith Arise thou that sleepest and Christ shall inlighten thee being willing to shew that no man can bee divinely enlightned who hath not before shaken off from his eyes the sleep of sinne and driven from him security and impiety according to that of the Acts chap. 2. Repent and receive the gift of the holy Ghost And that of John chap. 17. The world cannot receive the holy Ghost understanding by the world a wicked and worldly life Likewise when Christ saith You know them by their fruits All things are known by the fruits what other thing signifieth it then not O Lord Lord but the fruits of life is the signe and mark of true and false Christians For what belongeth the pure doctrine to those false Christians use who under pretext of sheeps cloathing doe make shew when inwardly they are nothing less thē true Christians And although the life be corrupt yet it should not or may not bee drawn into the argument of false and wicked doctrine as the Papists do at this day esteeming and condemning our doctrine by the wickednes of our lives which way of arguing if it were worth any thing now the doctrine of Christ his Apostles had not been sound because even then many false Christians were found but it is yet and will be a shew and mark of the men themselves whereby The life is the mark of a man wee may know whether they bee true or false Christians he that teacheth otherwise teacheth otherwise then he liveth and when he beleeveth aright he doth blot his faith with an Antichristian life as if Ivory were spotted with Ink. In which sense so many as are so Christ calleth them false Christians unfruitfull trees fit for nothing but to be burned lastly that onely is true and Christian faith which worketh by love by which a man is made or becometh a new creature by which he is regenerated by which he is united with God by which Christ liveth in us dwelleth and worketh in us by which the kingdome of God is built in us and lastly by which the holy Ghost purgeth and enlightneth our hearts To which doe belong many golden Oracles of holy Scripture such as that 1 Cor. 6. He that cleaveth to the Lord is spirit And what is it to have the Spirit of Christ and to breath with it then to have the same understanding and mind and the same heart which joynt breathing and consent is nothing else but a new holy noble heavenly spirituall and heroicall life of Christ in us Also 2 Cor. 6. In Christ is a new creature terming to bee in Christ not onely to beleeve in him but to live in him Also Hosea 2. I will espouse thee to me for The espousing of Christ and its fruit ever in faith I will spouse thee to me Which indeed signifie nothing else then that a man wholly and spiritually is to bee united to Christ so that where faith is there is Christ where Christ is there his life is in man where the life of Christ is there is love where love is there is God himselfe for God is love and the holy Ghost remaineth For all things are connexed and chained together they cleave together no otherwise then the head with the members and the cause with the effect Which connexion of faith and life blessed The chain of vertue Peter Epist 2. chap. 1. representing to us writeth thus But of all have especiall care adde virtue to your faith and in virtue knowledge and in knowledge abstinence and in abstinence patience and in patience piety and in piety brotherly love and in brotherly love charity For if you have these things and abound therein you shall not bee empty nor bee without fruit in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ But for those that have not these things those are blind and hand-bound being forgetfull of the purging of their old sinnes In which place the Apostle eloquently declareth in whom this conjoyning of faith and life is not when to bee ignorant of Christ to fall from faith and to walk in darknesse For it is the property of true True faith faith to change a man wholly to renew him and to quicken him in Christ so that hee may live and remain in Christ and Christ likewise in him CHAP. XL. Certain Rules very profitable to lead our lives Christian-like and devoutly 1 Timothy 4. Exercise thy selfe in piety for piety is profitable for
created that being enlightned with spirituall light by the inward eyes of the soul he might contemplate the presence of God and his most sincere love towards him might live with Man was born to a spirituall life him and depend on his beck and call throughout all his life And of this spirituall light in the Kingdome of heaven the naturall man hath not the least spark and he must needs abide in this hereditary and in-bred blindnesse unlesse hee bee divinely Naturall blindnesse enlightned To which I would to God that naturall blindnesse did not adjoyn it selfe nor that the perversity of man were Man is nothing without Christ so great as to put out that small light of nature whereby morall vertues and externall honesty of life is governed There is great infirmity in the sons of God Which when it cometh to passe then truly all the soul is blind and cannot be set free from such great blindnesse unlesse it be enlightned by Christ regenerated by his spirit renewed after the Image of God and be made a new creature or to speak more truly in this fraile life it onely beginne to be For if every one of us that are in the new creature by the holy Ghost doe consider it will appeare in truth that the Image of God is lightly ingraven in us or rather shadowed onely faith hope charity and the feare of God these are onely in the beginning little humility but on the contrary diffidency pride and impatience much greater prayer weak and faint and cold and love to our neighbour as weak Moreover very small sparkes of spirirituall chastity on the contrary flames of carnall pleasures as also selfe-love the desire of private profit and honour and the heat of concupiscence will bee found in our hearts Whereupon it followeth that to Inward strife the last gasp of our life we are to fight and wrastle with old Adam and the image of the Devil by the spirit of God neither ought we to have a greater care and to lay it to heart then to pray mourn sigh to ask to seek and knock that the holy Ghost may be given us who as our Captain may daily abolish in us the image of the Devil and also renew us after the Image of God Whereby we are to understand that we are not to trust to our selves but to the divine grace and that is it which doth all things in us all things are to bee sought desired and intreated for of Christ by faith Divine knowledge and wisdome against our blindnesse the righteousnesse of Christ against all our sins Christ his sanctification against our impurity Christ his redemption virtue victory and fortitude against The use of this chapter Death Hell and the Devill pardon of all sins against the kingdom of sin Satan eternal blessednesse against all spirituall and corporall miseries and last of all in Christ alone to obtain life eternall Of which I shall say more in the second Book CHAP. XLII Wherein the reason of the order of the first Book is set down and therewith is taught that spiritual pride is to be eschewed and herewithal that no true and celestiall gifts can be obtained without prayer 1 Corinth 4. What hast thou that thou hast not received And if thou hast received it why dost thou boast as if thou hadst not received it BEfore I put an end to this Book I thought good to understand and foresee that the Reader be admonished of two â—hings rather two Chapters The first is that through all this book is by penitence with all his fruits as by renovation in Christ by mortification of the flesh deniall of our selves contempt of the world and exercise of charity so copiously and diveâ—sly described that was not without cause nor rashly done by me For first of all repentance is the beginning and foundation Repentance is the beginning of Christianity of Christianity of a holy life and our blessednesse through faith secondly true and solid consolation in the mind of man cannot be felt to effect by him that doth not not exactly understand the nature of originall sinne never to bee sufficiently deplored fruits and what kind of horrible pestilent deadly and diabolicall poyson and seed it is when we have studied what we can which unlesse it be done and a man before all things doe well know his owne miseries and so the terrible corruption of our originall sin in vain and of no account are all the books of spirituall and Evangelicall consolation whereby it is given to understand how preposterous and choyce our nature is and how it rejoyceth in flatteries because most men about this foundation and the fore-cited things of our sins of our in-bred corruption and inborn wickednesse wee onely please our selves Which way of reasoning the holy Scripture is just contrary whose saying is that a medicine is to bee prepared for the sick and not for the sound and healthy seeing that Christ is the true Physitian altogether unseasonable consolation of our souls yet the crown of his merit with all vulgar consolations is of no worth nor use where the knowledgement of the disease went not before so the whole Christian life is nothing else but a continuall A Christian life and daily crucifying and mortifying of the flesh Neither can any man this to be said again and again belong to Christ who composeth himselfe and his life otherwise but those that are so those are never Orphans and without sincere joy nor lastly without celestial comfort and consolation Seeing this which wee speak of our proper misery the knowledge of our corruption and infirmity by the holy Ghost and meditation of the holy Scripture and Gospel doth bring forth most true consolation of it selfe and the own nature bringeth us to Christ which seeing it is so to bee advised by mee Let no man of corrupt judgement deceive thee and perswade thee that these bookes are of little regard Perswade thy self these are a blind Foolish iudgement of this book kind of men and that with the most ignorant of men they take knowledge of the misery of their nature both what Adam and Christ is how Adam is to die in us and how Christ ought to live in us let not this be held for a dream understand it not so And whosoever disdaineth this notice it is certaine that he hath his mind stuffed with the darknesse of ignorance neither doth he understand what repentance what faith what new birth what regeneration is and in what chapters the whole course of living Christianty is contained And this is the first I desire thee my Reader And the second that thou be mindfull of spirituall pride After that Almighty God Three sorts of spiritual pride shal begin by his grace to work in thee spirituall gifts new virtues and new knowledge in thee ascribe none of these to thine own strength but wholly to divine grace even the beginning of a