beleeves remission of sinnes now the law of workes and the law of faith are as contrary as fire and water in matter of justification for faith leaneth onely upon Christ. 3. Romish Doctrine teacheth a man to doubt of his salvation and that no man can be assured of it without speciall revelation it were presumption We holde the cleane contrary A man may be assured by a speciall faith Bring it now to the Canon Our Creed teacheth us to beleeve remission of sinnes to beleeve our selves to be true members of the Church and life everlasting to belong unto us for else we beleeve no more than the Divells doe so as every one must give all diligence to make his election sure 2 Pet. 1.10 and to know that Christ is in him 2 Cor. 13.5 This is the first Rule Secondly all sound Doctrine tyeth the two Tables together for as the two Tables stand in relation one to the other so that Doctrine must needes be unsound which combineth not justice with piety and with faith charity This Rule is taken out of Levit. 6.5 If a man have wronged his neighbour either by open robbery or secret defrauding of him hee must come and offer to the Lord for his trespasse and he shall be forgiven but on this condition that he bring the whole summe which he hath defrauded and adde a fifth part more unto it and restore it to the owner the same day that he offereth for his trespasse According unto which our Saviour wisheth to leave the gift at the Altar and goe and be first reconciled to our brother Matth. 5.23 The Lord rejects all sacrifices abstract from mercy Esay 1.12 What have I to doe with the multitude of your sacrifices while your hands are full of blood and Ierem. 7.9 10. Will ye steale and murder and commit adultery and yet come and stand before me in this house wherein my name is called upon And our Saviour reprooveth the grosse conceit of the Pharisies who taught the people that if they did give oblations to the Church though they releeved not their poore parents yet God was well pleased with them This Doctrine tryed by this touch-stone was found counterfeit Matth. 15.5 Hence we inferre if any Doctrine be prejudiciall to men it is false and unsound As for example First the Church of Rome maintaineth a Monkish life wherein their cloystred persons must leave the societies of men and sequester themselves from all companie to give themselves to fasting and prayer Bring this Doctrine to this tryall and we shall finde it most unsound because God is served not onely in the duties of the first Table but also of the second and this kinde of life is against the light of nature and the good of all societies both in Church and Common-wealth and family all which claime part in every man and is a thrusting of men out of their callings in which they are commanded to abide 1 Cor. 7.20 Luther de votis Monasticis prooveth It is against the whole first Table As placeing confidence in it As setting up a will-worship As taking Gods name in vaine by an unlawfull vowe c. So against the whole second Table 1. Impeaching the honour of parents and exempting themselves from civill authority so against the fifth Commandement 2. They eate not their owne bread against the sixth Commandement 3. They raise Sodome and Gomorrah from their ashes against the seventh Commandement 4. They live in idlenesse and are unprofitable burdens of the earth contrary to the eighth Commandement 4. They beare false witnesse of the merit of single life against chastity and holy wedlocke contrary to the ninth Commandement 6. They teach that burning is no sinne as Pigius But a condition under which divina bonitas et sapientia that is Gods goodnesse and wisdome hath put us as under hunger and thirst cleane contrary to the Apostle Paul 1 Cor. 7. who saith It is better to marry than to burne 2. In cases of trespasse the same Church appoints auricular confession and canonicall satisfaction in which they must give oblations and satisfie the Church But if it were sound Doctrine it would appoint reconciliation and restitution to the parties wronged which is the least part of their thoughts 3. The same Church appoints a great number of fasts and penances for offences But so long as they fast to strife and debate and smite with the fist of wickednesse anathematizing and cursing Prince and people excommunicating all such as walke not in their rules yea patronizing and pardoning cut-throat villaines sent from them to murder Christian Kings and blow up Parliament houses all the world sees these are not the fasts which God hath chosen This Rule condemnes all Iesuitisme which is the rebells Catechisme But we must distinguish Popish Sinonimaes between excommunicating out of Churches and excommunicating out of Kingdomes betweene keyes of the kingdome of heaven and keyes of the kingdomes of the earth betweene absolving sinners from sinnes and absolving of subjects from duties betweene fishing of men and fishing for kingdomes betweene teaching of soules and killing of bodies betweene power directive and power coactive betweene ministration and domination betweene the sword spirituall and civill This Iesuiticall confusion of phrases hath beene the confusion of the world 4. The same Church hath a long time challenged a power of the keyes of binding and loosing over all other persons but wickedly changed the Ecclesiasticall power into a meere Civill power to the great mischiefe of the world for thereby they doe unjustly and tyrannically take upon them to depose Kings and Queenes from their regency to deprive them of their Crownes and Scepters to free subjects from all oathes of allegiance and binde them to become their executioners where ever they can take them at advantage And all this by the power of the keyes 5. The same Church hath ratified by decree that the vowes of children undertaking their religious orders shall be in force and that close and clandestine marriages made betweene children without all consent of wise and carefull parents are allowable and indissoluble Which Doctrine brought to this Rule is proved most prejudiciall to the power of parents given them in the fifth Commandement which injoynes children to honour their Parents especially in matters of moment such as are their marriage and choyce of their callings 6. Some Divines have undertaken the defence of some kinde of usurie especially to the rich and so have animated some in that course But this Doctrine brought to this tryall will not holde seeing it is such a consumer of mens estates and so uncharitable as the Lord would not admit of it in Israel but among his enemies whom he would have quite consumed Besides men deceive themselves in their distinction for God in the case of usurie distinguisheth not betweene the rich and poore of Israel but betweene the Israelites and Canaanites betweene strangers and brethren The poore indeede are mentioned but onely
THE PROGRESSE OF SAINTS TO FVLL HOLINESSE Described In sundry Apostolicall Aphorismes or short precepts tending to sanctification With a sweete and divine prayer to attaine the practise of those holy precepts By THOMAS TAYLOR Doctor in Divinity and Pastor of S t. Mary Aldermanbury LONDON ISAY 35.8 And there shall be a path and a way and the way shall be called holy and the polluted shall not passe by it LONDON Printed by W. I. for Iohn Bartlet at the signe of the Guilded Cuppe in Cheapeside in Goldsmiths Rowe 1630. TO THE RIGHT VVORSHIPFVLL AND WORTHY KNIGHTS SIR RICHARD YOVNG Knight Barronet and Sir ROBERT HARLY Knight of the Bath and to my worthy friends the Merchants and the rest of my loving people of St. Mary Aldermanbury increase of grace and blessing from the rich fountaine SInce it pleased the almighty providence by your free choyse to give me charge over you I have not spared my paines to acquaint you with the counsell of God according to the measure of grace bestowed on mee My aime hath beene to speake to the meanest capacity for the informing of every mans judgement and the awakening of every mans conscience and my prayers have beene frequent unto him who hath commended unto me this peece of service that he would please to make me an able instrument of your good neither hath my successe discouraged mee who have for the greatest and best part of you found you a willing and loving people If any be as yet otherwise minded and have not given up themselves to God and to his Ministers by instructing them still with meeknesse and waiting when God will give repentance wee will not distrust that grace of God by which the worst one day may be wonne to consider 1. That it is a most dangerous thing long to enjoy the good meanes of grace and not to get grace by them 2. That the more powerfull and profitable the Ministery is which an unreformed man liveth under the more unhappy and damnable his estate his 3. That the long and often refusall of Gods call giveth the Lord just occasion to call no more 4. That it is not the having or hearing of a Teacher that will availe an unconverted man but a discerning of the Lords voice and an opening the doore of the heart to the Lord who hath a long time stood knocking and seeking entrance And now because love is a loadstone of love I could not but thinke of some returne and thankfull acknowledgement of your loving respect of my selfe and weake labours among you for whose sake I have recollected the heads of many Lectures preached among you and presented in a shorter view or modell the marrow and substance of sundry discourses more largely handled in the delivery For as unto you under God my time my strength my labours in publlke and private are most due so herein I render to you but your own and that perhaps not uncalled for by you· These lines will call upon you for 3 duties especially First every day to strive in subduing in your selves your personall corruptions till you have brought downe every high thing and thought into holy subiection Secondly most inwardly to affect holinesse in your selves and most entirely to love such as walke most holily as being the likest nearest and dearest unto God Thirdly to see that every part of your lives aime at progresse to full holinesse My desire of the Lord is that there may be added to your perusall a second addition of blessing and successe My request to you all is kinde acceptance of this my labour as a pledge of my care over you and of my heartie desire every way to helpe you forward towards your desired end My encouragement and recompence shall bee your profiting and progresse in an holie reformation of heart and life This is the right praise of a Preacher And though I can promise or presume nothing of my owne strength which is well nigh drawne out by the painfull labours of my Ministerie above thirtie yeares yet the Lord assisting mee my purpose and endeavour shall be to frame this latter age and act of my life sutable in paines to the former so as it may be most fruitfull unto you and usefull unto the Church into whose treasurie I have cast another mite I shall better attaine my purpose by the assistance of your prayers which I desire may dailie meete with mine for you all before the throne of grace for mutuall blessing And so I rest Your loving Pastour THOMAS TAYLOR To the Christian Reader HArd it is to perswade the wisedome of flesh that which the wisedome of God hath so expresly affirmed that One thing is necessary And the reason is because it neither discerneth what this one thing is nor what is the necessitie of it This one thing is not one dish as Theophilact Nor Vnity as Augustine Nor one grace whether faith 〈◊〉 hope or charitie as some others But this one thing is that Christian care which every one ought to have of his owne salvation For 1. Mary and Marthaes care are here opposed 2. Our Saviour calleth it the good part chosen by Mary whilest shee carefully used the meanes of her owne salvation 3 To this is promised the grace of perseverance that it shall never be taken away For as salvation is the happy part of the elect which shall never be taken away so neither shall this care to atteine that end in the meanes whereby the Lord preserveth it And it is said to be the one thing necessary not because many other things are not necessary But 1. It is in order before and aboue all things necessary Math. 6.33 First seeke the kingdome of God that is to get into the state of grace First in time and in the first place as Israel must goe forth to gather Mannah the first thing they doe in the morning 2. This one thing is simply necessary for it selfe and all other things only so farre as they conduce unto it 3. It is most transcendently necessary farre beyond all other things in the world for this alone is sufficient to make a man truely happy and to state him in salvation all they are insufficient 4. It is constantly necessary and perpetually while wee live lest begining in the spirit we end in the flesh and so loose the crowne which is set on the head of perseverance But is it not necessary to follow our callings to provide for our families and intend our civill businesse and occasions Answ. Yes And every one must abide in the calling in which he is called Yea Religion binds a man to be a good husband and to guide his affaires with diligence and discretion that he may both mainteine his owne and be helpfull to others But he must know that he must first be a good husband for his soule 2 That in thy most earnest and vrgent affaires of this life he must never forget that there is one
all his hellish temptations no marvel then if he would by all his strength and seven heads wrest this grace from us How needfull then is it for us to stand fast in the armour of God against these assaults of the Divell Ephes. 6.13 Vse 1. of reproofe 1. Generall 2. Speciall Our Nation hath dealt with the light of the Gospell as the Iewes did with Iohns light who rejoyced in it for a season Time was when in the beginnings of the Gospell our fathers received it with love joy zeale diligence and most earnest affection The violent tooke the kingdome by force But now how generally are we fallen from the love of the Gospell and turned religion into formality and policie Time was when men hasted out of Popery as fast as the Israelites out of Egypt Then was idolatry cast out then was not onely the uncleane flesh but broth hated then were godly men busie at worke to lay the foundation and grounds of Religion then were Gods worthies worthily and thankfully received and esteemed and the restorers of Religion duely honoured then men used their peace to edification and growth in grace and in the comforts of the holy Ghost But what doe we now have not many among us changed our hatred of Popery to the hugging and cherishing of it Doe not wee generally not onely looke backe but runne backe to Popery as Israel into Egypt See not we Idolatry and the Breaden god and the Altars Vestures and Priests encroach upon us which cost so much precious blood of Martyrs to cast out Doe not some question now the grounds of Religion and dispute our Catechisme which Turkes dare not doe and begin to determine that the differences betweene us and the Papists are not so great and substantiall In stead of honouring Gods worthies the restorers of holy Religion have not some of our pulpits presses and discourses disgraced Calvin Beza and such as stood more stiffe against Popery Are there not they that mingle not a little leaven but abundance of poyson of Popery and father it upon our Church Are not the numbers of Papists increased upon us notwithstanding all the lawes against them that these sonnes of Zerviah are growne in number and strength almost too great for us Oh who can without heart-sorrow compare our selves now with our selves then as the olde men wept when they compared the second Temple with the first Will not wee yeeld this generall Apostacie let him that runneth reade it in the effects of it For 1. Why hath the Lord given up numbers to strong delusions 2 Thess. 2. to beleeve lies but that they received not the truth in the love of it 2. For what other sinne did the Lord abhorre Israel Psal. 78.60 and forsooke his owne Tabernacle and why doth the Lord thrust us from his care but that we have thrust our selves from his Covenant 3. Why are we fallen from the honour of our Kingdome and the ancient glory of our Nation but because we have not set up nor held up the honour and kingdome of God amongst us and therefore hee hath cast downe the honour of our Kingdome 4. Why is our peace within our selves disturbed by many discontents among all sorts but because we have not allowed the Lord a peaceable dwelling among us as in times past 5. Why cannot wee now peepe out of our coasts but become a prey to a base despisable company of robbers and theeves and why doth not God goe out with our navies our armies which returne home with losse and dishonour but that the sentence is gone out as against Israel Iudg. 10.13 Yee have served other Gods I will save you no more Goe and cry to the Gods yee have chosen let them save you in the day of danger 6. Whence are those sinnes written with the point of a Diamond in the face and forehead of our Nation As 1. Coldnesse in profession lukewarmnesse in religion denying the power of it 2. A generall scorning of the profession of grace Oh that ever it should be said in time to come that after 60 or 70 yeares of the Gospell it should be attended or rather chased out with such generall scorne of faithfull Preachers and professours of true religion as no age of the Gospell can patterne 3. That generall corruption in manners in the body of our people too too apparant in 1. Cursed oathes in olde and young high and low in open and shamefull manner for which the land doth and must mourne 2. Generall pollution of the Sabboth by working playing journeying by water and land and open profanesse and weake hopes of reformation unlesse we may thinke these sinnes to die of themselves but the land is like to keepe her Sabboths first 3. The deluge of drunkennesse which hath drowned our Land and is risen 15 cubits higher than ever which was sinne wont to be covered formerly with ragges now with silkes Whence are all these and many other hainous profanations of manners but from our Apostacy from God from his covenant from his word from the profession of holy Religion Oh that wee could consider the state of revolters worst at last that wee would returne to our first love and workes before the remooving of our candlesticke and before our spuing out 2. For personall Apostacy This may be a warning to many men who have desisted from good and hopefull beginnings who have rejoyced in the light for a season who seemed to have beene washed to have got out of the filthinesse of the world begun to reade the Scripture set up Gods worship in their families to keepe some watches with God but are fallen backe to the world or wallow in some lusts as if nothing were worth forsaking but Gods wayes Let these consider 1. How lightly they offend the Majesty of God Heb. 10.38 If any withdraw himselfe my soule shall have no pleasure in him The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a military word frō souldiers who recoyle and leave their standing in whom the Captaine delights not no more in our Christian fight can wee by retiring and recoyling please our Captaine But the Martiall law for such is in the text They withdraw themselves to perdition 2. Better it is not to begin in a good course than to desist and breake off 2 Pet. 2.20 It had beene better not to have knowne the latter end is worse than the beginning for they lose all their labour all their hopes all they have wrought all they have suffered all is in vaine to them As a man having made a long voyage and sailed prosperously many hundred miles but bringing his shippe within sight of shore and thrusting into the haven suffered wracke in the havens mouth this man hath lost all his gettings his wealth his journey his labour sufferings his life himselfe and all Oh never content thy selfe with good beginnings in the spirit to end in the flesh Oh foolish Galathian wilt thou suffer so many things in vaine The Lord