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A12703 The high vvay to Heaven by the cleare light of the Gospell cleansed of a number of most dangerous stumbling stones thereinto throwen by Bellarmine and others In a treatise made vpon the 37. 38. and 39. verses of the 7. of Iohn: wherein is so handled the most sweete and comfortable doctrine of the true vnion and communication of Christ and his Church, and the contrarie is so confuted, as that not onely thereby also summarilie and briefly, and yet plainly all men may learne rightly to receiue the sacrament of Christs blessed bodie and blood, but also how to beleeue and to liue to saluation. And therefore entitled The highway to Heauen. By Thomas Sparke Doctor of Diuinitie. Sparke, Thomas, 1548-1616. 1597 (1597) STC 23021; ESTC S102434 161,682 384

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not vp and that because it floweth For as Christ hath taught vs by the parable of the Talents Matth. 25.4 c. in no case we may conceale or hide the Talentes that he bestowes vpon vs but vse them we must to his best aduantage for otherwise they shall bee quite taken from vs whereas if we laye them forth and vse them to the gaine of him that bestowed them they shall not onelie be increased but in the ende we shall haue a moste comfortable rewarde Pseudonicodemits then whatsoeuer the time and place bee where and when we liue wee may at no hande bee that is for feare of the Iewes or Pharisies we may not be such as dare with Nichodemus come stealinge to Christ by night onelie Iohn 3.1 For Christ moste plainelie hath tolde vs Mark 8.38 That whosoeuer he bee that will be ashamed of him and of his wordes amongest an adulterous and sinnefull generation he will be ashamed of him in the glorie of his Father As therfore we beleeue with the heart to righteousnesse so Saint Paule teacheth vs that we must confesse with our mouthes to saluation Rom. 10.10 For where true and liuelie faith is indeede there it wil make her owner to be at the same pointe that the Psalmist was whatsoeuer come of it when he saide I beleeued and therefore haue I spoken Psal 116.10 And likewise where true faith is as it worketh immediatelie with GOD in heauen for the iustification of her owner through Christ Iesus so streight also and so thenceforth it setteth the heart of her owner so on fire with loue both towardes God that in his Christ hath so tenderly loued him and towardes man for his sake that thence he is most carefull that such workes and wordes may flowe as both shall and may giue a liuelie testimonie thereof both to God man For all such haue with Saint Paule learned that by Christ they are redeemed from all iniquitie and purged to be a peculier people vnto himselfe zealous of good workes Tit. 2.14 Thus if these riuers of waters of life flow out of our bellies then and not else we may be sure we are come vnto Christ and haue drunke of him to eternall life Whiles then we teach thus as no otherwise wee doe doe we set open any gappe of libertie or licentiousnes to our hearers or are we in our doctrine any way enimies to good works as our aduersaries slander vs Nay doe we not as earnestly and vehemently as they can for their liues vrge men to doe them Indeede we dare not teach them when they haue done neuer so manie of them in any case to make any peece of a sauiour eyther of any thing they doe or suffer because as you haue heard we learned out of the Scriptures that that office so intirely and wholly is to be referred to Christ that it may not be imparted or communicated without antichristian robbing of him of that speciall honour that belongs vnto him to anie thing or person else But yet notwithstanding as now you heare we most plainely teach that none can haue any certaintie in himselfe without which our faith is but a fruiteles wauering conceite that as yet he is in Christ and shall be saued vndoubtedlie for his sake vntill the power of him dwelling in him truelie appeare by these fruites of the spirite that are heere for their puritie multiplicitie vtilitie and continuance called riuers of water of life flowing out of the bellies of such And therefore though we dare not with our aduersaries teach men nor encourage men to doe good workes either in part or in whole to earne deserue or merit heauen by which vnlesse we would say with them we say nothing to this purpose yet most cleare and euident it is that to that end we vse and vrge all the arguments that the Scriptures haue taught vs. For we beseech them by the mercies of God with Paule Rom. 12.1 to giue vp their bodies a liuing sacrifice holy and acceptable vnto God in seruing him according to his word and not according to the fashions of the world For that by these tender mercies of God towardes vs in Christ Iesus we that beleeue aright in him are deliuered out of the hands of all our enemies that we should serue him without feare all the daies of our life in holinesse and righteousnesse before him Luke 1.74.75 For in that this grace of God that bringeth saluation vnto all men hath appeared it teacheth vs that we should denie vngodlines worldly lusts that we should liue soberly righteously godly in this present world Tit. 2.11.12 Yea hauing rightlie laid hold of this grace we say againe with the same Paule That we are Gods workemanship created in Christ Iesus vnto good workes which he hath ordained that we shoulde walke in Ephes 2.10 Againe with Christ to this ende we say vnto all Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good workes and glorifie your Father which is in heauen Matth. 5.16 and loue one another as he hath loued vs for by this shall all men knowe that yee are his Disciples Iohn 13.34.36 And with Peter we exhorte all men to ioyne vertue to their faith to their vertue knowledge to their knowledge temperance to their temperance patience to their patience godlinesse and to that botherlie kindenesse and loue so to make their election sure 2. Peter 1.5 6. With Iames also we crie and call vpon euerie one that maketh confession of faith to shewe his faith by his workes which if hee doe not we as plainely tell him with the same Iames that his faith is deade in himselfe Iam. 2.17 c. For the faith that auaileth in Christ Iesus as Paul hath taught vs worketh by loue not that loue is in the forme of faith for how can one distinct vertue be the forme of an other but that it is the inseperable companion of a liuely and sound faith Neither are we negligent in often laying before our people Gods law and the true meaning thereof both to teach them what good workes are and to incite them to doe the same Wherein we dare be bould to say we goe beyond our aduersaries in leading men aright to good workes For we vrge and shewe the lawe of GOD to be so perfect and absolute a rule of good workes that it reacheth to the condemning of the first motions arising in our mindes to sinne though they be not at all yeelded vnto and liked of for that it calleth for the whole heart to be occupied onely in the things that please GOD and that all sinne is condemned therein and all vertue commended whereas our aduersaries the papistes holde the lawe to be so imperfect that it condemneth not these first motions to sinne and that there are a number of good workes and as meritorious that haue for their grounde but the traditions and commandements of men as manie that are expresly commaunded by the
the breade of life Vers 35. c. and then he discendeth to this but he that eateth the flesh of the son of man drinketh his blood eateth the breade of life vers 54. for he shal haue eternal life wherupon what can else follow but this therefore to eate the flesh of the son of man to drinke his blood is to beleeue in him But whom these things yet cānotperswade to be of this minde let them further remēber that Iohn hauing said as many as receiue Christ are made the sons of God cap. 1.12 that immediately lest we should not cōceiue aright what it is to receiue him he addeth that is euen they that beleeue in him And let them also cōsider that Paule praying that Christ might dwel in the hearts of the Ephesians addeth streight to shew vs how that might bee by saith cap. 3.17 For but these two places well laid togither pregnātly prooue that Christ is both got kept receiued of vs continued in vs by faith And let not any mā think either that this is new doctrine of late deuised by vs or that true faith is too weake thus to reach Christ to make him ours For first it is certaine that Tertulian who liued within 200. yeares after Christs birth in his booke de resurrectione carnis cap. 29. most plainely hath said Christus est auditu deuorandus intellecturuminandus fide digerendus that is Christ is to be deuoured by hearing to be chewed by vnderstanding to be digested by faith And Augustine who florished about the 400. yeare is both most plaine plentiful in this point For in his 25. tract vpon Iohn he saith Quidparas dentem ventrē crede manducasti Why preparest thou thy teeth belly beleeue thou hast eaten And in the next he writeth much to that purpose for he saith there Ad Christū non ambulandocurrimus sed credendo non motu carnis sed voluntate cordis that is we runne to Christ not by walking but by beleeuing not by the motiō of the flesh but by the wil of the heart Yea in plain tearms there also he saith Credere in eū est manducare panē vinū to beleeue in him is to eat the bread of life But in my opiniō most notably he writeth to this end vpon occasion of the Centurions cōming to Christ in his 33. booke against Faustus the Manichee cap. 8. saying Accedant ad Iesum nō carne sed corde non corporis praesentia sed fidei potentia Let thē come to Iesus not with or in flesh but with or in heart not by bodily presence but by the power of faith Now teaching the other point also that faith is not too weake thus to apprehend Christ it is as plaine that he hath saide in his 50. tract vpon Iohn Quomodo in coelum manū mittam vt ibi sedentem teneam fidem mitte tenuisti parentes tui tenuerunt carne tu tene corde quoniam Christus absens etiam praesens est nisi praesens esset à nobis teneri non posset c. that is How shal I stretch my hand into heauen that I may holde him sitting there Send thy faith and thou hast hold of him the fathers held him in the flesh hold thou him in heart for Christ absent is also present for vnlesse he were present he could not be held of vs. And how this shall be he plainely sheweth saying He is gone and yet he is heere for he caried his body into heauen but his maiestie he hath not taken from the worlde Chrisostome also an other ancient father who liued much what about Augustines time in his second Homilie vpon these wordes of Esay Vidi Dominum I haue seene the Lord sheweth that though we cannot flie vp to heauen in bodie that yet in minde and cogitation we may For God saith he hath giuen that such winges that nothing can let or stop it if it will flie to heauen farre more pearcing eies God hath giuen it saith he then the body And in his 24. Homilie vpon the first to the Corinthians remembring there that saying of Christ Mat. 24.28 Where the carion is thither will the Eagles resort thereupon he inferreth that the Lordes table is not for Iayes or Crowes that feede belowe but for Eagles that take their meate aloft he saith that by hat speach Christhath taught them that would come vnto his body to flie aloft and not to creepe vpon the earth nor yet to haue any dealing therewith It is worthy the remembring also that the same Father noteth touching the power and force of faith vpon Paules telling the Galathians That Christ was euen crucified amongst them Cap. 3.1 For he plainely sheweth that the Apostle in so saying shewed them that the strength of faith was such that it is able to see thinges though farre off and so by the eies of faith in the ministrie of the worde and sacraments which had beene amongst those Galathians Christes death was or might haue beene as clearely seene and more clearly then it was of many that were present at it And vnto Bernards time who liued aboue 1100 yeares after Christ it seemeth that this was the currant and receiued doctrine of the Church touching our communion to be had and attained vnto with Christ by faith For in his 28. Homilie vpon the Canticles he most plainely sheweth that though Christ be ascended that yet he both may and will be touched Sed affectu non manu voto non oculo fide non sensibus but then saith he it must be by affection and not by hand by desire and not by eye by faith and not by the senses And againe in his 76. sermon vpō the Canticles most notable is it that he writeth to this purpose saying Though Christ be set at the right hand of his Father goe to yet follow him seeke him and let neyther his inaccessable brightnesse nor his height discourage thee from seeking or once cause thee to dispaire of finding him if thou canst beleeue all things are possible to the beleeuer the word is neare to my mouth and heart Crede inuenisti nam credere inuenisse est that is Beleeue and thou hast found him for to beleeue is to haue found him This admirable power of faith doubtlesse is excellently aduouched Heb. 11.1 whiles there it is defined to be the ground of things which are hoped for and the euidence of things which are not seene Wherefore let vs not once doubt but where Christ is soundly and rightly beleeued in there by that faith the owner thereof eateth his flesh and drinketh his blood to his or her eternall saluation Euerye kinde of faith will not serue heere yea none but that which is according to the scriptures Yet then great need and care is to be taken that this faith of ours be sound right For neither can euery faith a dead faith or an erroneous and wrong faith stand vs in anie