implied 2. Repentance cannot be Evangelical and filial without Gods love in Christ Judas did repent the Scripture cals it so but because there was only gall in it and no honey only horrour and terrours and no faith to allay those waves Therefore his very repenting and despairing was a grievous sinne So then to preach such a repentance as driveth from God filleth the heart with cursed horrours and hated of God and thereby to runne to hils and mountains to cover us from God Or to put a man upon such penal and afflicting labours to the flesh that may satisfie and appease God This is to bid men bring wild and sour grapes for sweet This is to preach from Christ not to preach Christ But repentance truly preached is to have our sorrow for sinne accompanied with faith in the promises and a resting upon tht bloud of Christ Thus as it is in repentance so in every grace When we preach it we preach Christ because by him we only have ability to do it and through him only have acceptation and as we said though the Ministers in every exhortation do not thus name Christ yet this is to be supposed Lastly We do not transgresse this Text no not when we preach the Law the threatnings the torments of hell because these are to drive us out of our selves to make us see our own poverty and wickednesse that so Christ may be the more welcome Christ himself though sometimes he cals the heavy loaden to him in a meek way yet when he hath to do with such as trusted in their own righteousnesse and found no need of his Mediatorship he cals them Hypocrites he bids a woe to them he threatens them with hell And Paul tels you in his own experience he had never come to prize Christ to esteem him had not the Law discovered sinne to be out of measure sinfull then he died then he was undone then Oh miserable man that I am who shall deliver me What shall I doe And thus Peter converted three thousand by conviction of a particular sinne they had committed viz. the murder of Christ and the aggravation of it and this pricked them at heart And so Paul being called to preach of faith in Christ to Felix he presently preacheth about righteousnesse and temperance because Felix lived in the two contrary vices and also of the Judgement to come Thus he would have brought Felix to the esteem of Christ So that to preach the Law in the purity of it in the cursing nature of it to preach hell and the eternal torments thereof is necessary because this is to make way for Christ This is to put iron in the fire that so being softened it may be put into any fashion Thus we have removed the Objections and shewed you That though other things are to be preached besides Christ yet reductively all things are brought to him at last They are but as the rivers that come from the Sea and empty themselves therein I shall conclude thiâ— Text with shewing you The great advantages that people have who are built on Christ First They are a sound stedfast people not carried away as the chaff and straw is with every wind of Doctrine Heb. 13. Jesus Christ the same yesterday and for ever and then followeth Be not carried about with divers and strange Doctrines The Connexion is thus made by some The truth of Christ the Doctrine of Christ is still the same And therefore do you retain the same stedfast faith Oh when men are not built on Christs Doctrine but their own opinions their own conceits they have Reubens curse Vnstable like water Col 2. They that fell to the worshipping of Angels and Saints did not hold the head Look then to what thy faith thy soul is bottomed upon whether Christ be thy teacher or thou be thy own teacher Now this stedfastnesse and immoveablenesse of those that are founded on Christ appeareth in their resisting of the violence of persecution and the subtilty of heresies In the one the Devil is a roaring Lion In the other he is a glistring sliding Serpent The one is like the violent wind to the traveller that by force would pull off his garments The other like the hot Sunne-beams that by degrees maketh him throw them away Oh this is excellent comfort in the winnowing to be found wheat and not chaff in the fire to be gold and not drosse God you hear in this Text will have a fire to try all mens doctrines and if it be stubble and hay it will quickly be consumed My sheep hear my voice and a stranger they will not hear or follow John 10.5 Secondly A people built on Christ will not be formal and customary in religious duties resting upon the performance of them but carried out to Christ himself Oh who can bewail this enough How are all duties of Religion but as the picture without a substance as a body without the soul They pray and hear and hear and pray but close not with Christ in these things Thus as Rehoboam for the golden vessels that were in the Temple put in materials of brasse So whereas the people of God in their spirituality fervency and heavenly mindednesse had their hearts up to Christ Now they think all is done with the external labour of the lips or bowing of the body We may say to you thus affected in your duties as they that were looking for Christ in the Sepulchre He is risen he is not here As false teachers that brought in the works of the Law and the duties of the Law did put these in stead of a Christ so do Christians make their Duties their Ordinances their Performances a very Idol-Christ to save them but those that are built on Christ know better Thirdly Those that are setled and founded on Christ they have spiritual strength and holy vigour communicated to them in the wayes of godlinesse For though Christ be here called a foundation and that giveth only support yet in other places he is the root of the Vine the Head which denotes more than a meer foundation viz not only supporting but conveying all grace and lively nourishment to the godly heart whereby they grow up and increase to more degrees of holinesse Now this is a wofull spectacle to see a people the same both for knowledge and life they were many years ago no more understanding in heavenly things no more growth in faith in zeal in communion with God Even as the picture on the wall that is still the same not one cubit is ever made to the stature thereof Lastly Those that are built on Christ receive of the Spirit of Christ in all the works of it A spirit making thee pray with groans unutterable a convincing a sanctifying spirit or sealing and assuring spirit An auditory destitute of Gods Spirit is like a Golgotha a place of dead mens skuls or rather dead hearts They savour no spiriual duty priviledge or motive The
can be expected from a Church consisting of such Men speak of Houses where the Devils walk where spirits haunt men dare not dwell there I tell thee That a Family where ignorance and prophaneness is nourished is an house not only haunted but even possessed by Devils And how canst thou eat sleep and live in such a place Fourthly In the primitive times there were a rank of people that were called Catecumini as we said before Candidati or Competentes such who being converted from Paganism were not yet fully instructed in the matters of Religiâ—n and therefore they had time to get knowledg before ever they were admitted to Church-Communion And answerable to this there was a Catechist one whose work and office it was to instruct such before they were Baptized Thus you see how carefull in Antiquity they were that they might have no ignorant persons among them And certainly as in all Arts there are Principles which must be learned before they can come to Conclusions so it 's here in Religion And oh that we could see this Knowledge brought in amongst people To be a Christian is to be anointed and this Vnction teacheth us all things Joh. 2.20 viz. necessary to salvation Fifthly Principles of Religion largely so called are of two sorts either Corrupt Idolatrical and Heretical or true Sound and Consonant to the Scripture Now there are many in the world are too forward to infuse poysonous and dangerous Principles so great a matter is it to consider what men are seasoned with at first either privately or publiquely Thus many are infected with Popish and superstitious Principles many with erroneous and false Doctrines and these foundations being laid it 's very difficult ever to remove them As the vessel is first seasoned or the tree at first planted so it is likely to continue The Apostle cals those Jewish Ceremonies the beggerly elements Gal. 4.9 or Principles of the world Why so because the superstitious Teachers made them the first Elements the Principles the foundation of all and therefore they thought all Religion was taken away if they were removed And thus you have divers persons they have indeed some Principles of Religion but they are Popish and Superstitious such as put out the Knowledge of Christ and the Scriptures And It 's a two-fold labour as Socrates said to a perverted Disciple of his to teach them for they must first be untaught their erroneous Principles and then must be instructed in the truth Oh then look to this that thy Principles about Religion be not false ignorant and superstitious ones Sixthly The true Principles of Religion are reduced to severall heads and are both short and easie but necessary to be known The Doctrine about God and Christ and our selves which is the Credendum The Doctrine about Faith and Repentance which is the Agendum And about things to come which is the Sperandum About God we are to believe That he is and a rewarder of those that seek him About Christ This is eternal life to know Jesus Christ Joh. 17.2 and the holy Ghost for we are Baptized in his Name About our selves the desperate pollution of our natures the hainousness of sinne the aggravation of the curses of the Law The things to be done are Repentance which driveth out of our sins and Faith which driveth out of our own righteousness But because these are Divine Works therefore a man must be regenerated and born again And this Principle Christ insisted on to Nicodemus Joh 3. The things to come are The Resurrection of the Body The immortality of the Soul The Day of Judgment The Heâ—ven and Hell provided for the godly and the wicked These Principles are plain and easie not to flesh and blood but in respect of the manifestation of them They are laid down clearly in Scripture None without horrible impudency can deny them Indeed there are many sublime Disputes about the Trinity and about Christs Incarnation but these are not necessary to be believed by every one Oh then how great is thy ingratitude God hath made the necessary things easie and plain and yet thou art not acquainted with them If God had commanded some greater matter of thee If he had required all thy time all thy study thou wast obliged to have done it How much rather in things of so easie apprehension But now when we say These divine Principles are easie you must take heed of two mistakes 1. We do not mean that the divine Faith and Belief of them is easie to flesh and blood no but they are easie supposing the grace of God in respect of other particulars in Religion For otherwise To believe with a Divine Faith viz. by the Spirit of God inabling upon divine Authority which is only true Faith is the immediate work of Gods Spirit Therefore Faith though it be but Historicall and not saving is the gift of God When we desire a Knowledge and Faith of these Principles we mean not such a Faith as most men have a Faith of custom and humane education a Faith because they are brought up in such a Religion but upon Judgment and Knowledge grounded upon the Scripture That which is usually called the Colliars Faith To believe as the Church believes Is the Husbandmans and the Tradesmans and the rich mans and the poor mans Faith too much in the world So that as Christ saith His yoke is easie and yet also it is very hard Easie to the heart sanctified but grieveous to the unregenerate So it is here The Principles of Religion are easie and plain to the mind inlightned but they are either foolishness or absurdities to the greatest Scholar that is if hâ—s heart be not opened And thus Paul found himself derided and called a Babler amongst the Athenians 2. We do not mean that the bare saying of the Principles of Religian by heart and rote is the true believing and knowing of them As the Child is not said to be fed with milk unless it swallow it down and be nourished by it So neither can they be said to believe the Principles of Religion unless they do with understanding apply them and receive them into their hearts But this is all that most attain unto they can tell you God made them That Christ is their Saviour That they must repent of sinne But these things are by meer rote They learn them as formerly in Popery they learned their Prayers in Lattin they knew not what they prayed for so neither these what they do believe Now the Grounâ—s for Instruction in these Principles are First Because God accounts of no zeal nor devout affections if they be not the fruit of Knowledge Thus Christ told the woman that was so zealous for her Fathers worship Ye worship ye know not what Joh. 4 22. Though God once accepted bruit beasts as a Sâ—rifice to him Yet now saith the Apostle let 's offer up our selves a reasonable Sacrifice Rom. 12.1 The Jew had a zeal but
whole Ship He perfidiously denieth his Master with terrible cursings and execration We need not tell of David and others The Apostles how often did they discover their carnal frame of heart by contentions about honour and primacy Thus you see 〈◊〉 â—â—â—ven in the godly there are not only sparks and seeds of sinne but through negligence and carelesnesse they may notably backslide and fall into the hands of the Philistims into the handâ— of grosse sinnes It is greatly disputed Whether the sinnes they may fall into may be called reigning sinnes Some learned men say I some say No But they may be reconciled by a true explication of the word reigning for they do not so reign as to have full possession with plenary delight and constant content Indeed David did deliberate and wilfully consent to accomplish his wickednesse so that for the present there was no actual resisting in him yet there was the life of grace radically in him he was kept by Gods power and the promise against his own will And thus in regard of that dominion of sinne for a while it might be said to reign but because this was not perpetual grace quickening of him to recover again it is justly said not to reign Now because such sinnes may arise and carry the whole man away captive therefore the godly are exhorted To watch and pray 1 Pet 4 7. Yea constantly to pray That God â—ould not lead them into temptation Whereas if there were no tinder within upon which the sparks of temptation falling would presently blow up there need to be no fear of any temptation In the next place Let us consider Whence it is that the godly do not fully conquer sinne For if you respect Christ he is greater than the Devil and if you respect grace that is more efficacious than sinne How then should any lusts passions or motions abide in us Now the efficient grounds are these And then the final grounds shall be mentioned afterwards The efficient first Because original corruption which is the fountain of those streams is not wholly dried up We cannot expect the streams should be dried when that is not Marvel not then if the godly are carnal diffident earthly froward for that which nourisheth these is not destroyed Though Samsons hair be cut off yet it is not pulled up by the root There is the law of sin in the members as well as the law of God written in their inward parts So that there cannot but be those sinfull affections and corrupt desires stirring in thee these noisome vapours cannot but exhale as long as that filthy lake or bogge is within thee 2. The Spirit of God by which we come to mortifie these corruptions doth not put forth its full power It 's a free agent Rom 8. If ye through the Spirit mortifie So that by the Spirit of God we come to conquer and subdue sinne Now this is not in our power no more than the Apostles could miracles when and how much they listed though there be some difference between miraculous gifts and sanctification If the Spirit of God did come upon thee in the full measure of sanctification then thou wouldst of a leper become all over clean but Christ only received the Spirit without measure It 's stinted to thee thou seest more and more to be daily done in Christianity 3 Therefore doth corruption remain Because the instrument of Sanctification and Mortification that also is imperfect and weak Act. 10. Faith purifieth the heart Rom. 11. Faith receiveth the fatnesse of the Olive-tree Ephes 3. Christ dwels in the heart by faith Heb. 11. All those glorious works of righteousnesse were done by faith So that if our faith be weak the effects of it also will be weak and that every mans faith is weak appeareth Because we know but in part and so can adhere and apply but in part Lastly Therefore doth corruption abide in us Because the Law of God is spiritual pure and exact This is not an efficient ground so much as occasional to discover and manifest that this sour leaven still is in us The Law of God requiring the whole man an universality of the Subject and Object and of Degrees and of Time which it's impossible for us to do therefore the transgression of the Law makes it to be sinne If the Law have not forbidden weak love weak faith it had been no more sinne than weak health or weak strength It had been a languor or penalty only as the Papists say not truly and formally a sinne In the next place Observe the final grounds Why God who is thus able to bid us be whole at once Or as Christ whom he cured corporally he cured perfectly he wrought no half-cures why should he not do thus in spiritual healings as Castalio urgeth 1. Because God intends in this life to glorifie evangelical grace and the righousnesse of the Gospel by faith as the Epistles of Paul abundantly witnesse Now if we had a righteousnesse of our own works how could it be imputed without works How could we with Paul account our own righteousness dung and drosse for the righteousnesse of Christ by faith if ours were gold Oh then how wise should the godly man be Dost thou discover thy foul noisome heart Dost thou tremble to see so much of the flesh in thee Take the advantage to glorifie the grace of the Gospel say thou needest Christs robes all the day long for thy nakednesse 2. God suffers these reliques in us that there may be daily exercise for faith patience and other graces so that these are left to increase the crown of glory not to diminish it The people of Israel used themselves to warlike exercises they were to be taught the use of the Bow because their enemies were not totally subdued so that therefore God would have these things to try thee that thy spiritual valor and fortitude may the more appear Tempests and winds discover the skill of the Mariner Thou mayest turn these clods of earth into chaines of pearl 3. That we might not be puffed up in our selves nor others lift up by admiration For as the Heathens when they saw the viper fall off from Pauls hand and not hurt him changed their minds thinking they were gods but while the viper at first was on them they thought vengeance pursued him Thus when men see vipers cleave to thee as others thou hast thy infirmities thou hast thy weaknesses then thou art low in thy own and other mens eyes Lastly These thorns are still in thy side that Heaven may be the sweeter Lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh Then it will be no more a vile mortal body or a corrupt diseased soul Then pride unbelief dulnesse will be no more a trouble thou wilt be no longer in the valley but upon the Mount Vse 1. Of Instruction to the people of God that they should not despair under the discovery of daily infirmities I do not encourage
Malunt credere quam judicare Thus they offer an Asse for a sacrifice Sixthly The Ministers of God though never so eminent have been afraid of this they have prohibited such restings upon them But of this in another Doctrine viz. That it 's the property of godly Ministers not to bring men to themselves but to Christ Several Uses may be made As First That a Papist as a Papist following the principles of Popery and going no further hath but an humane blind faith They are so of the Pope and bound to his Determinations that all their Religion is built upon his Decision One of their learnedst Rabbies Valentia brings in a private Man consulting what Religion he should chuse and he argueth That if he be a Protestant then he must reade the Bible and other Authours and saith he I have not time to do that Therefore I will be of the Popish Religion for it 's but believing as the Church and as the Pope believeth Now saith the Jesuite God will at the Day of Judgement crown this man with glory for believing so yea he merits by believing so Now how contrary is this to Scripture which bids us Search the Scriptures Try the Spirits Not think of man above what is meet So that their Faith is an humane Faith their Religion an humane Religion believed for mans sake And that is the reason why the people of the greatest ignorance are most taken with it for it commends ignorance and pleaseth the vulgar fancy with a gorgeous worship Vse 2. To bewaile the great ignorance and blindnesse that is even in most Protestants For how few are there that believe this Religion upon judgment and searching the Scriptures upon knowledge and faith of the Word but they were brought up in it and the Lawes of the Land command it Oh consider if God would not have a Sacrifice without eyes no more will he have a Faith and a Religion without eyes What Jeremiah can make Lamentations equal to this grosse ignorance that covers the face of all Congregations You have no more than an humane Faith and an humane Religion or Worship of God Vse 3. To blesse God for the Instruments of Faith and the Ministers of grace but still to rest in God for all benefit and fruit by their labours It may be the Ministry hath been no more efficacious no more lively and profitable to thee because thou hast not owned God in it as thou shouldest It is God that openeth the eyes it 's God that openeth the ears and the hearts of men Therefore look up to him For while one saith I am of Paul and another I am of Apollo are ye not carnal The divisions here reproved in the Text have afforded us profitable Observations and yet we have not finished all We come to a third Observe the devils subtilty and emnity to the good and glory of Gods Church how many engines he useth sometimes he stirres up false Apostles who by their venemous doctrine may impoison the fountaines where all should drink and if that will not do then he labours to overthrow the Church by the repute and names of eminent teachers if the wickedness and malice of ungodly teachers do not hurt then the affected admiration of those that are true and godly shall bring about his end Nero was a man that envied and hated other mens excellencies and therefore at his Court when any had a mind to undoe another they would praise him which made Tacitus say Pessimum genus inimicorum laudantium And thus the Devil stirring up Disciples fondly and sinfully to praise eminent persons wrought the same destruction as he would have done by open hostility and persecution If he cannot by such Heretiques as Hymeneus and Philetus by open doctrine draw off from Christ then he will by secret applause and admiration make them so rest upon Paul and Peter that Christ shall not be eied as the author of all faith and success by the Ministery And Austin's observation is remarkable Quamvis non per impiorum sed sanctorum nomina tamen impia agebant Schismata Although they did not advance the names and persons of wicked men but of holy and eminent men yet by these names of holy men they made unholy and wicked divisions Observe That when the Devil cannot hurt the Church by a prophane and sinfull Ministery then he labours to destroy it by abusing the names and esteem of those who are truly holy and eminent The Devil hath his methods Eph. 6.11 and he is the old Dragon for cruelty and craft sometimes he is compared to a Lion roaring and that is in times of persecution sometimes to a glittering and curious Serpent and that is in subtle pretences and colours Now Bernard said Timeo Serpentem magis quam leonem rugientem yea he is said to have his depths Rev. 2.24 his secrets and mysteries of his state of darkness and as they say of some witchery that it comes by praising Hence that phrase praefiscisne loquor when we are about to praise any so the Devil when he cannot destroy souls by stirring up wicked instruments he will endeavour that men should think of good instruments more then they ought To open this First take notice What is the common and most notorious way of Satans doing hurt to the Church of God by the Ministers and Officers in the Church And this way he would alwayes take if he could The first is by corrupting the lives and conversations of the Ministery making them prophane and scandalous by which means all Religion comes to be abhorred Thus Hophnes and Phinehas Elyes sonnes because of their tyrannical violence and uncleanness it 's said the people abhorred the sacrifice of the Lord 1 Sam. 2.14 So that a prophane Minister is like a poisoned fountain where all must drink he doth not only damne his own soul but draweth others to hell with him Thus in the Old Testament the corruption of the whole Church did in a great measure arise from the prophaness of the Priests Hence in the New Testament it 's so carefully required in a Minister that he be blameless a lover of good men not given to any grosse sinne so that the Devil cannot have more service done him nor destroy the kingdome of Christ more then by the scandalous and prophane lives of Ministers this hardens the people this makes them contemne exhortations whereas let a Minister walk holily though their love to lusts will make them hate them yet in their consciences they cannot but fear and reverence them as Herod did John Baptist because he was a just man Mark 6.20 Secondly If he cannot hurt the Church this way then by raising up Ministers full of superstition and doting upon unwritten traditions and bringing in a will-worship where there is no rule or warrant One man though learned is not able to maintain his new notion of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will-worship as if it were in a
doubt may be raised How Paul can say He layeth the foundation which is no other but Christ as appeareth at the eleventh verse seeing God appropriateth it to himself Isa 28.16 Behold I lay in Zion a foundation stone c But The answer is God layeth this foundation 1. By his Decree appointing Christ thereunto And 2. By his temporal mission of him into the world but Paul layed the foundation only ministerially and declaratively by publishing Christ to be the Saviour especially to those who never heard of him before It 's a special part of the wisdome and heavenly art of the Ministers of the Gospel to lay a good and sure foundation in the hearts of their hearers This Paul makes the principal part of his wisdome that he began with a good foundation If people are not rightly built upon this any tempest that ariseth will throw down all theâ—r Religion Our Saviour speaketh a Parable Luke 6.48 49 like to this of the wise builder and the foolish builder And although there it be meant of every particular Christian yet we may apply it to every Minister He that doth not build up his people upon sure and Scripture foundations they are like the chaff and straw that the wind doth drive to and fro There is no true faith no truâ— godlinesse no true hope of salvation where the right and sure foundation is not laid The point therefore in hand is of great consequence both to the Preacher and to the Auditor to consider what foundation his Religion and Godlinesse is fixed upon For the opening of this Consider that Divines do ordinarily make a two-fold foundation The one they call Fundamentum cognoscendi The foundation of our knowledge and faith in matters of Religion and this is the Scripture only We can lay no other foundation for matters of Faith but the word of God Non credo quia non lego said Tertullian of old And Secondly There is Fundamentum essendi The Foundation of the being or existence of all our glory and salvation and that is only Jesus Christ He is the foundation-stone and every one is to believe in him only for Salvation and Justification So that as God made two great lights for the world so he hath done for the Church the Scriptures and Christ This Doctrine is true yet Heb. 6.1 we there reade of more foundations than one for there are practical fundamentals as well as speculative I shall therefore not limit my self to this one foundation mentioned by the Apostle but enlarge my self to the necessary foundations in our Christian life and shew you the necessity of that wisdom which will build upon these fundamentals And although I am not ignorant That the Dispute about what are foundations or fundamentals in Religion and what not is very hard and difficult yet I shall instance in four unquestionable foundations which are the four main pillars that support our Christian building The necessary things of Religion are these four Either 1. The Matters to be believed 2. The Worship and necessary service of God 3. The spiritual Benefits and mercies Justification and Salvation 4. The things to be done by us in our way to Salvation All these are fundamental and necessary in their kind to salvation and therefore it behoveth every Minister of the Gospel to principle and settle his people in all these particulars For herein is the danger not of mens bodies or estates but their immortal souls We will begin with the first The foundation of our faith or divine assent in matters of Religion What is that which every man must build his faith upon What is the foundation he must lay there And that is the Word of God declared and written for our instruction in those Canonical Books of the Scripture When we come to believe the matters of our salvation the ultimate motive into which all is to be resolved is Thus saith the Lord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word of God hath spoken it It 's not antiquity universality or the laws of the Land or the tradition of our fathers that is the warrantable foundation but the Scripture only Thus Timothy is commended for attending to the Scriptures which are able to make him wise to salvation through faith 2 Tim. 3.17 18. So that although other things be required by way of helps and means as prayer interpretation of the Scripture Gods assistance the guidance of the Ministry yet by way of a Foundation or a Rule that is the Scripture only As God at first put all the light into the Sunne and the Starres shine by a borrowed light from it So God hath now put all supernatural light into the Scripture and all guides are to shine by that Hence it is so often compared to a light and a lamp unto our feet So that the Ministers of the Word do then lay a good foundation when in matters of Doctrine and truths to be believed they build them on the Scripture make them a Scripture-auditory a people that dare not that will not take any matter of faith but upon Scripture-grounds Thus those Bereans are commended for a noble and ingenuous people that compared what Paul preached with the Scriptures they then had whether it was consonant to them or no Act. 17 11. So that that people who know nothing of the Scripture are not instructed by the Word have not their faith their Religion from it all they offer to God is a Sacrifice without eyes they do believe they know not what Now that the written word of God is the only foundation of our Christian faith appeareth by these Reasons First A Christian faith ought to be a divine supernatural faith not a bare humane faith Now nothing can be the ground of a divine faith but a divine authority a divine Argument suggested by God himself Most men that call themselves Christians have no more than an humane faith in matters of Religion They believe thus because their parents did so because the Laws of the Land compell them to do so Thus they have no other grounds of faith then the Turks or Papists have for themselves but as copper is not gold so neither is this humane faith that holy and Christian perswasion which the Spirit of God through the Word works in man because revealed in the Word 1 Thess 1. They are commended That they did not receive the Word preached as the word of men but as indeed the word of God 1 Thess 1.13 So that whosoever hath an holy faith he must have a divine perswasion for this from the Authority of God that as an humane faith is because humane authority speaks it so a divine faith because God revealeth it in the Scripture But alas generally our people can no more look into these things then an Owl in the dazelling Sun How few are perswaded of the true Doctrine of Christ from this Divine Authority because God hath said thus God hath spoken thus Oh
then believe no longer as men Do not think or speak as men but as those who have God perswading you Secondly The Scriptures are only the foundation because they are the immediate verity or truth coming from God who is the first essential truth They have not only a Divine Authority but evident infallibility As God himself is Truth and is not like man that may lie So his Word is likewise Truth and cannot lie or deceive as the writings of men Therefore Psal 19. they are said to be purer than gold seven times refined And it 's said The Scripture that cannot lie or cannot be broken John 10.35 It 's an heavy judgement to be delivered up in matters of salvation to believe a lie It 's the spiritual curse that is threatned to those of the Antichristian apostasie 2 Thess 2.11 Now they must needs be thus punished that forsake the Scripture and build upon other foundations Seeing then the Scripture doth contain infallible truth onely and not one iota or tittle of that can fall to the ground and in all other foundations that may be laid there may be falsehood errour and grand Impostures Let then those hearers that are carefull to keep a good faith walk by this Rule Chrysostome said Never expect good from that man who is not searching of the Scriptures attending to the Scriptures It 's an heavy grievous sinne that in your family in your closets you do no more acquaint your selves with the Bible Take a Tree from the River side and plant it in a wildernesse what can you expect but a withering And thus it is if you take a man from the Scripture his seeming faith graces godlinesse will all presently vanish Thirdly The Scriptures onely are the foundation of faith because they are onely immutable and unmoveable They abide alwayes the same they are not subject to changes to perturbations of affections as men are Councils consisted of men carried by passions and interests Even in the Council of Nice and the four first Councils there were great sidings great animosities particular interests and parties and therefore unlesse we had an unchangeable foundation we must be mutable Camelions Now the word of God that is said To abide for ever whereas all flesh is grasse and the glory thereof fadeth away 1 Pet. 1.24 25. It 's called the eternal Gospel Revel 14.6 So then that which was three thousand yeares agoe is still true because the Scriptures are still the same There is no new Bible though there may be many new opinions and new Sects Aristotle commendeth the Government of a Nation by Lawes above the wils and arbitrary resolutions of men because Lawes are fixed and known And so it is in the Church of God that hath a known Law and Rule Therefore it is an hainous errour which the learned note in Cusanus though otherwise not a very bad man in affirming That the Scripture is to be interpreted Secundum currentem statum Ecclesiae according to the present course and exigency of the Church and therefore in some age those things are received which in another are rejected Lastly The Scripture is only to be laid for a foundation because this onely is strong enough to support and bear up in sad hours of temptation and dangerous times of persecutions Who would be cheated or distinguished out of the Truth by subtil Hereticks or scared and terrified by violent opposers Therefore we had need be built upon such a rock that can endure all waves How could the Martyrs have resisted to blood had not they had Scripture-assurance Luther had this temptation Tune solus sapis c. and nothing but the Scripture confirmed him Our Saviour quelled Satans temptations by arrows out of the Scripture quiver When a man comes to die may he not be assaulted about the truth of his faith whether he die not in heresie or damnable opinions and nothing but the Scripture can uphold him Now for the matter of Doctrine to be believed some men lay four rotten and weak foundations others may be reduced to this The first is that of the Papist The Authority of the Church and the Pope being wholly ignorant themselves but resting all on their Authority Bellarmine doth not blush to expound that place Behold I lay in Zion a foundation stone secondarily to the Pope Now although we grant That the Ministry of the true Church is very usefull and necessary as the instrument of our faith and the preservation of it In which sense it 's called The pillar and ground of the Truth 1 Tim. 3.15 yet it is onely a Ministry not a Magistry It 's a political Pillar upon which Edicts use to hang for Declaration of the Magistrates will not an Architectonical Pillar that beares up the house So that Austins speech is true I had not believed the Gospel had not the Authority of the Church moved me viz. by way of introduction and preparation As the woman of Samaria did to the Samaritans who at first believed because she told them but afterwards they believed for Christs own sake We do not believe in the Church as we doe in the matter revealed in the Scripture Therefore that ignorant implicit faith to believe what the Church saith is not a Scripture-faith faith of knowledge besides then every member must believe according to that Church he is of and seeing there are Churches against Churches there shall also be faith against faith The second foundation men lay is The Authority of the Civil Magistrate This is a meer political faith Many men have no other apprehension about Religion than the Laws of the Land wherein they live They matter not whether true or false whether acceptable to God or consonant to Scripture but this is commanded and this they do As Seneca said in his time He observed that Worship of their gods Non tanquam Diis grata but legibus jussa not as acceptable to the gods but commanded by the Lawes But the Apostles example is clean contrary for they preached a faith to be believed that was contradictory to that Religion which was established by humane authority and they resolve thus It 's better to obey God than man Act. 5 29. The third is Private Revelation and Enthusiasmes As the Papists on one side have cryed down the sufficiency and perfection of the Scripture so Illuminatists men fancying to themselves Revelations from God have also decried it making themselves above the Scripture A dangerous and damnable delusion Therefore the Apostle John bids us Try the spirits and that cannot be without the Rule of the Word 1 John 4.1 And Fourthly Another false foundation is Meer humane Reason There are many risen up that make Reason the Judge and foundation of all Doctrinal Points the Socinian especially hereupon they reject the Trinity the Divine Nature of Christ as being against Reason Now although rectified Reason be necessary as an instrument to revive the things of faith yet it
Christ the Pâ—llar and foundation of all his boldnesse and acceptance of grace through him Eph. 3.12 In whom we have boldness and free access We cannot inherit or obtain a blessing unless we come in our elder Brothers cloaths as was even now said before He is made unto us wisdom righteousnesse and sactification yea we are made the righteousnesse of God through him 2 Cor. 4. ult Which expression first used by Ambrose but found in Calâ—in by Pighâ—uâ— was a means to bring him off to imputed righteousnesse And Paul throweth away all his own works as dâ—â—g in comparison of the righteousness through faith in Christ Phil. 3. Thiâ— iâ— a special foundation few are acquainted with this Gospel foundation Theâ— build on their works on their duties they rest on them as a foundation nor making Christ all in all He is the Altar from whom the incense of the Prayers of the Saints is accepted As Jacob said Let not me see your face unless you bring Benjamin Thus God saith Pray not but in the name of Christ Give not thanks but through Christ What a Mystery was this to the seduced Belivers even in the Apostles times The Epistle of the Romanes and especially to the Galathians is wholly to settle this foundation That it was not the righteousâ—ess of the Law iâ— their own persons or â—f works they were to seek after but a righteousness of Faith through Christ Yet where is the Christian to spiritual so Gospelized as to go out of all his duties resting on Christ only He is diligent and carefull in the use of them but leaneth on Christ only We are the circumcision who worship God in the spirit and rejoyce in Christ Jesus only Phil. 3.3 Sixthly Christ is to be preached as the foundation of all fulnesse for all our necessities and spiritual wants The people of God they sit dejected through theâ—r nakednesse and poverty Oh they would have better hearts more fruitfull lives and they complain and complain but they do not make use of Christs fulnesse for all their wants He is the fountain their streams are to be replenished by him Of his fulness we all receive grace for grace Joh. 1.16 That is aboundance of grace as some or grace answering the grace in Christ And Col. 1. It pleased God that in him should all fulness dwell So that the soul cannot be cast into such straights as not to know where to be supplied There is the fulness of the fountain and therefore the vessel may well be filled This is the fulness in the Head therefore the members may thrive and flourish It 's a sad thing to consider how unacquainted even the godly are in this point They do not improve Christ They do not go to his fulness As the Mothers breasts are filled for the Child and it 's an ease to the Mother to have the Child to suck them Thus Christ received the fulness of grace as an Head for us and by Faith we sucking of it do exceedingly please and honour Christ Vse of Instruction What it is to preach Christ even to set him up in all this glorious fulnesse To represent him in all these Offices and Perfections for us It 's true indeed there are few people that can prize him that can see the glory of these Properties They admire nothing but the pleasure of siâ—ne and the glory of the world Therefore our work is not so often to set forth the beauty of Christ as the foulness of sinne and the torments of Hell We like John Pâ—pâ—ist are to prepare a people for Christ to cast down high mountains to wound and break the heart of sinners to take them off from all false foundations The ignorance stubbornnesse and stupidity of most hearers do call for the two-edged sword to wound and cut not for balm and oyl to be poured in their wounds But yet certainly this is our main work to preach Christ in this his heavenly glory Although to speak properly as is to be shewed in time to preach Christ is to preach also all the duties all the threatnings all the Commands Christ required To preach Repentance is to preach Christ but we take it most strictly in this place Oh then that our Auditories were such to whom Christ in all his glory might be displayed such as we might have into this Wine-celler every day such as might be invited to this Banquet and heavenly Feast that the Gospel hath provided A people that know the the need of Christ that desire and thirst after Christ That say with the Church I will hold him and will not let him go Bernard did not like to read Tully's Works in all his eloquence because he did not find Christ there How shouldst thou in all prayers duties conference still desire to enjoy Christ Saying with the Church I am sick of love The Ministers of the Gospel are to lay no other foundation but Christ Jesus If ye are branches he is the Vine If ye are the body he is the Head If ye the building he the Foundation He is the Rock He is the Root Heb. 1.3 He upholdeth all things by the Word of his power in Creation much more in Redemption Two or three Particulars more we are to instance in by which it may appear in what Christ is laid a foundation And Seventhly He is to be preached as the Fountain of all the happiness joy and spiritual content the godly hearer can have We are to preach Christ as the center in whom all the lines of your hope love and desire are to meet Thus Paul himself I determined to know nothing but Christ crucified 1 Cor. 2.2 The Greek words are comparative Christ crucified rather then any thing else There is no Doctrine no Opinion there is no outward or earthly advantage that I desire to know but Christ And in many other places you have Paul despising and renouncing all priviledges To be a Jew was nothing Circumcision was nothing To be an Apostle to be a pure Roman all these were nothing with Paul in respect of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Therefore it is that Christ is compared to our King to our Husband to our Head because all our affections desires and inclinations should be towards him And this is so necessary a foundation that no man can be Christs Disciple that doth not attain to this that doth not hate Father and Mother and Children for his sake Oh then consider Where is thy joy thy love Upon whom is thy heart set If it be on any thing but Christ thou errest in the Foundation Oh but how hard a thing is it thus to Disciple our Auditours Some have the world for Christ some their lust for Christ and thus instead of building gold and precious Stones they build dung and silth Eighthly Christ is to be preached as the person with whom we are to close in all Ordinances We are to look for Christ and enjoy him in every Prayer in every
He that would come to God must believe that he is and a rewarder of those that seek him So that this foundation must be laid as well as about Christ And it 's made eternal life to know God the Father the only true God as well as Christ John 17.12 Where the object of our faith that is fundamental is divided into that of God and of Christ the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thus also the Doctrine of the Trinity That there are three and these one God is a foundation because we are baptized into the Name of these three and the knowledge of them must needs be fundamental To answer this When we say Christ is to be laid as the only foundation that is exclusive of all humane foundations it doth not exclude God the Father or God the holy Ghost but incluâ—es them rather So then we are not to preach Jesus Christ as the foundation of all our comfort peace and salvation as that God the Father and the holy Ghost are to be shut out of this No they had all their appropriated working in this great Redemption of mankind And therefore as in those places where God the Father is said to be the only God and one God that is not exclusive of the other persons but of made and feigned gods of Idols made gods by men So it 's here Christ Jesus is preached as the foundation yet God the Father and the holy Ghost have their peculiar workings also though only the second Person is the Mediator And therefore secondly Christ Jesus cannot be preached as the foundation unless the Doctrine of God the Father and the holy Ghost be also made known Hence are those expressions He that knoweth the Sonne knoweth the Father also And He that denieth the Sonne denieth the Father And he that honoureth the Sonne honoureth the Father John 8.19 John 5.23 The Doctrine of Christ as Mediatour cannot be laid down without the Doctrine of God the Father giving his Sonne to be thus a Mediatour for us and the Spirit of God as applying working and sealing all those benefits that Christ hath purchased Hence Christ doth often acknowledge the Father in that work he came to do for mankind So that Christ Jesus is the foundation but there may be a more explicite revealing of what is necessarily implied in this foundation A second Objection is Is Christ only to be preached as the foundation And are people to be built upon him Then what need Ministers preach of any thing else but Christ What need they preach of faith and repentance Especially Why should they preach of the threatnings and the curse of the Law of the torments of Hell Doth it become the Ministers of the Gospel to be sonnes of thunder Have they any work to do but to offer Christ to every one Every Sermon should it not be an Ho to every one that is thirsty naked or miserable that is burdened and laden to come to Christ Thus indeed some have runne into extremity and thought Christ was not preached because he is not alwayes proffered as a Saviour to sinners but the Law and Duties and Hell torments are preached Now to this we say many things First When the Ministers of God preach duties the work of repentance or mortification they preach them not as foundations They do not lay them in Christs room and therefore they do not crosse this Text. Doth not this Paul who is so carefull to lay no other foundation but Christ diligently exhort in other places to avoid sinne to live in the fervent practice of holy duties Who is more zealous in this way than Paul Paul to these very Corinthians hath many severe admonitions to make them humble and sorrowfull for their sinnes yet he did not lay another foundation because these are preached only as the way whereby Christ may be obtained We do not then transgresse this Text when we preach repentance to the sinner humility to the proud man heavenly-mindedness to the earthly man righteousnnesse to the unjust man chastity to the unclean man We do not forget our Office we do not runne from our Text because we preach them not as a foundation Indeed if any preach them so as to rest on them to put confidence in them this man layeth another foundation but so do not the Orthodox we preach Christ the meritorious cause duties are the way not the cause And although Christ be said to be in a different sense the way yet duties are the way Christ is the way effectively and meritorious but so are not duties Secondly Though the Ministers are to lay no other foundation yet they are to build upon this they must enlarge themselves in the explication of this foundation They must not build hay or stubble but gold and precious stone So that we are not only to lay the foundation but to adde all other things that may make us a comely building upon Christ Thirdly To preach Christ is not only to preach Christ as the Object matter but all the things Christ would have us to preach That is to be observed we preach Christ when we preach all those things he hath commanded as well as when he is the subject matter of our Sermons When Paul about the Lords Supper said I delivered unto you that also which I received of the Lord Christ Here he preached Christ as well as when he said This is a faithfull saying Christ came into the world to save sinners So that here may be a great mistake thou thinkest Christ is never preached but when he is named when he is the matter of the Doctrine and Use Yet when we preach the whole counsel of God and deliver what ever he hath commanded us to reveal to our people then we preach Christ Thus the Apostles in their voyages and journeys where they went are said to preach Christ and in those Sermons they did not onely preach Jesus to be the Messias but also commanded all other duties of faith repentance love as the Auditories did require Fourthly We are to preach duties but in reference to Christ Take any particular grace that the Ministers of the Gospel provoke men to this cannot be done without bringing the soul to Christ and therefore though the Ministers of the Gospel do not in every Sermon name it yet it is to be supposed As for example take repentance we say every ungodly sinner unlesse he repent unlesse sinne be a burden an heavy bitternesse to him and he fully forsake it he must necessarily perish Now many wayes Christ is concerned in this For 1. He cannot repent and be humbled for sinne unlesse Christ give him strength Without me ye can do nothing The branch separated from the tree hath no moisture no juyce in it John 15. Thus a man without Christ hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an hard heart a withered heart an heart without any moisture any softnesse so then Christ is here
him Now a mans self is to be denied two wayes 1. There is his sinfull and unlawfull self in the pleasures and profits of sinne This must be totally renounced But how absurd this is appeareth in that it is Pulling out our right eye and cutting off our right hand But then 2. There is a lawfull self which is seen in our affections even to lawfull things Now here also a man must-moderate himself yea hate all when it cometh in competition with Christ If a man hate not father or mother for my sake he cannot be my Disciple Luke 14.26 Those that marry must be as if they married not 2 Corin. 7. If a Christian set himself to such a mortified crucified life and not bid his soul take its ease and be vainly merry with the world he is judged a simple foolish man for his labour 2. The duty of faith in relying upon Christ onely and renouncing our own righteousnesse is the great Gospel-command yet nothing is more foolish and absurd to humane Reason than this All the Philosophers thought of no other righteousnesse but that of workes The Pharisees yea all the Jews they looked onely for justification by the workes of the Law Paul till wholly new moulded by the Gospel could not judge all things dung and drosse for the righteousnesse of Christ This is the Rock at which many have splitted their comforts All Popery findes this a stumbling block and it 's so foolish a thing judged by them that they call it a putative imaginary righteousnesse as absurd a thing say they as if we should say a deformed Thersites was fair and beautifull by another mans beauty Therefore this way of faith is only by revelation 3. The duties of Humility and Meeknesse especially forbearing of one another and loving our enemies is esteemed high folly in worldly mens esteem The Heathens thought it a very justifiable thing to hate their enemies Yea the Pharisees traditional Doctrine was to hate their enemies Therefore when Christ came with his But I say unto you love your enemies doe good to those that hate you pray for them that despitefully use you Mat. 5.44 This seemed to make a man a fool in the world More particulars we might instance in But Let the Use be to remove every thing that exalteth it self against Christ and his wayes Thy carnal wisdome is the first enemy that must be destroyed Do not think thy self wiser than the Scriptures submit to the dictates thereof What that saith is to be believed without further dispute believe What that faith is to be done without further cavils immediately obey though it be thy right eye that it must be pulled out If you aske Why men doe not mortifie their sinnes and live more strictly It is carnal wisdome that judgeth another life more creditable Thus it is also concerning every Gospel-duty If any man among you seeme to be wise let him become a foole that he may be wise The Text perswadeth us to put out our right eyes as Nahash the Ammonite did Davids Embassadours onely that was for their hurt and reproach this for our great profit and honour Humane and earthly wisdome is the great enemy to all heavenly things That Doctrine hath been dispatched We come now to consider the Description of this humane wisdome and the Apostle hath two diminishing limitations First If any man seem to be wise he doth not say if any be indeed wise but if he seem to be either to himself through pride and vain-glory boasting of that which is not in him as the empty vessels make the most sound and the empty carts most ratling in the streets if so it 's like another expression of this Apostle If any man thinketh he knoweth something he knoweth nothing as he ought to know 1 Cor. 8.2 Or else if he seem to be wise in the opinion and repute of others and then this wisdome is like honour more â—n the imagination of those that repute him so then in the person himself Plus in hâ—â—orante quam honorato But either way you see it 's but a seeming 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it 's but a wisdome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the colours of the Rain-bow which are no colours indeed but a meer appearance by the Sunnes reflection as some say whereas the Scripture-wisdome is so indeed and in truth Let him become a foole that he may be wise he doth not say as before that he may also seem to be wise but wise in truth The second diminishing limitation is from the nature of it If any man seem to be wise in this world it doth not denote the place where this wisdome is for so the Apostles wisdome was in this world because they were men in the world but the Object and the Manner of tendency to it is worldly It 's about the world and rather a worldly manner therefore in the next verse he saith The wisdome of the world not in the world So that this is a very debasing restriction it 's the wisdome of the world it doth not at all further to Heaven or to eternal happinesse or to eternity it 's only about these fading things which live and die together almost Observe That all humane and earthly wisdome cometh farre short and is but a meer shadow and appearance in respect of Scripture wisdome Even the seven wise men of Greece were but seven fools if they be brought to the Scripture Aristotle with all his syllogistical arguments speaking of so many fallacies yet all his learning was but a fallacy Here was no true and solid wisdome which might make them happy Therefore the Apostle tels us of the oppositions of science falsly so called 1 Tim. 6. They were not Philosophi though Pythagoras out of humility assumed that name acknowledging God onely to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lovers of wisdome but of vanity All that knowledge was a cloud a shadow and they were as if an hungry man should open his mouth wide thinking to feed himself with air and had no true food at all Now the wisdome of the world may be divided into two heads First Their speculative and contemplative wisdome which consisted in the Liberal Arts as they called them In this they had great renown and for this they were admired having many monuments and statues dedicated to them as Rome did to one great Rhetorician with this Inscription Regina urbs regi eloquentiae The Queen of Cities to the King of eloquence This they called Scientia Secondly Their Political and Civil Prudence or Moral whereby as men and societies they labour to make themselves happy and to lead a pleasant life Socrates is commended for this that he brought in moral Philosophy reducing all speculations to practice Now answerable to both these the Scripture teacheth us 1. A way of believing which farre exceedeth their contemplative science And 2. A right motive of doing whereby we may indeed be partakers of everlasting joy and this