in all the elect So that our point is this God did predestinate all that shall bee saved both to grace and glorie for his good pleasures sake not for any faith that he did foresee should bee in them Faith sore-seene no causes of election nor for any workes which hee knew they would does and wee can confirme it by these reasons following First Reason 1 from Rom. 9.11 That the purpose of God might remaine according to election not of workes but of him that calleth that is of the sole good pleasure of him that calleth from whence the argument may bee collected thus If election were for fore-seene faith then not of the sole good purpose of him that calleth but that is contrarie to the words of the Apostle Secondly Reason 2 Faith is a fruit of election and therfore must come after it therefore did God chuse us not because wee were about to beleeve but that we might beleeve See Ephes 1.4 He hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world not because wee were but that wee might bee holy So in Tit. 1.1 it is called sides electorum Dei the faith of Gods elect In Acts 13.48 As many as were ordained to eternall life beleeved Thirdly Reason 3 Faith is the gift of God by grace are ye saved through faith which is the gift of God Ephes 2.8 And Phil. 1.29 Vnto you it is given for Christs sake that you should beleeve in him Initiorum sidei incrementique lagitor Deus Ambros de vocat Gent. lib. 2. cap. 1. and suffer for his sake God is the giver of the beginnings and encrease of faith Now this being granted it followes that God was not moved by foreseene faith to elect for that which God in electing did give to man could not bee the cause that moved God to elect man I might urge the argument of Augustine De predest Sanct. lib c. 16. Workes foreseene no cause of election That grace goes before faith in the order of nature as the cause precedes the effect I come to shew that God had not respect to mens workes I will not stand to shew how Bellarmine Bellarm. de gratia libero Arbit lib. 2. cap. 10. Sect. 9. affents unto my proposition and consirmes it contrarie to the Rhemists upon the Hebrewes who bring for themselves that in Heb. 5.9 He is made the Author of salvation to all that obey Hence they say a man is not elected without condition of obedience And that in 2 Tim. 2.20 21. in a great house there are not onely vessels of gold and of silver but also of wood c. and if any man purge himselfe hee shall be a vessell of honour where say they by free will and good workes a man is made a vessell of honour whereto I will shape them no other answer than that which is given by Bellarmine Deorâ—â—â—e lib. 2. cap. 13. For answer to the second testimony the Apostle faith not That a man by purging himselfe is made a vessell of honour but is a vessell of honour that is shall by this be knowen to bee a vessell of honour as if hee should say there bee two seales of mans being a vessell of honour one inward which cannot bee seene of us in this life that is the knowledge of divine approbation The other outward the avoyding of sinne and iniquitie that is by these it appeares that wee are surely predestinate and so wee are exhorted by Peter to make our calling and election sure Now the reasons whereby I prove my proposition are these 1. That which is the effect of election cannot be the cause Reason 1 But all good workes are fruits and effects of election as appeareth Ephes 1.4 upon which words Augustine Elegit nos ut essen us sanch non quia crornus secundum voluntatem suam non nostram quae bonaesse non possit nisi isse ut siat bona sabveniat Hee chose us that wee might be holy not because we were about to be holy and according to his will not ours which cannot bee good except hee helpe it that it may bee made good And verie excellent is that of the same Father against I ulianus the Pelagian He chose no man worthy but by chusing made him worthy 2. Lib. 5. cap. 3. Reason 2 Our election is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth Rom. 9.16 but of God shewing mercie but if it were for our fore-seene workes it were not of mercie but of him that willeth and runneth Liberautur per gratiam aicnutur non vasa suorum meritorum sedm sericor diae August dexatura gratia lib. 5. cap. 1. They are freed by grace and are said to be vessels not of their owne merits but of mercie Yea the Rhemists upon Rom. 9.14 have confessed that election is a worke of Gods meere mercie contrarie to themselves and if of meere mercie then without all respect of our workes or fore-seene faith 3. Reason 3 It may be proved from Luc. 12.32 It is the Fathers pleasure to give you the Kingdome And Ioh. 15.16 Yee have not chosen mee but I have chosen you but if God should chuse men for good workes then they had first chosen him nor doth God chuse men because hee sees that men will doe good but chuseth men that hee make them workers of good and to persevere in good as Bellar mine proves it sufficiently Degratia lib. Arbit lib. 2. cap. 10. If any man be scrupulous and doubtfull let him but looke Aug. Epist 105. to Sixtus Epist 46. to Valentinus and Bellar mine in the place before noted I come to see what the adversarie hath against this doctrine that we may soone shape them an answer and shake them off The first may be out of Rom. 8.29 Object 1 Those whom he knew before he did predestinate to be made like to the image of his Sonne therefore Gods prescience of men to be like c. is the cause of Predestination whereto I answer first that their prescience is put for the proegumenicall cause that is his free mercie and the meaning is that whom God lookt upon in mercie hee did also predestinate to be made like to the image of his Sonne by righteousnesse and holinesse So the word is used Iob. 10.14 Psal 1.6 Secondly the Apostle saith not he knew them to be like and therefore did predestinate them but did predestinate them that they might be like Secondly they dispute from Matth. 20.8 Object 2 Call the Labourers and give them their hire therefore Heaven is ordained for mens good workes Whereto I answer first that the place sheweth that good workes are the way wherein men must walke that come to Heaven but they doe not prove that God in his decree had respect unto them There is a difference betweene the decree of predestination and the execution Good workes goe before the possession of Heaven but not before the purpose
Lectures Vpon The Eleventh Chapter To The ROMANS Preached by that learned and Godly Divine of famous memorie Dr. SUTTON in St. Marie Overies in Southwarke Published for the good of all Gods Church generally and especially of those that were then his Hearers APOC. 14 1â— Blessed are the dead which dye in the Lord from henceforth yea saith the Spirit that they rest from their labors and their works doe follow them LONDON Printed by I. H. for Nicolas Bourne and are to be sold at his shop at the South Entrance of the Royall Exchange 1632. TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE ROBERT Lord BROOKE Baron of Beauchamp-Court I. D. Wisheth all increase of saving graces with true honour and prosperitie in this life and eternall happinesse in the life to come I Shall not need Right Honourable to spend much time and many words in commending this Booke to your Lordship and all sincere Lovers of Gods truth seeing the name of the Author surmounting my best praises can much better grace it to them and many were they that knew him and the worke it selfe may worthily commend the Author to them that knew him not Jt presenteth unto your Lordship the labours and Lectures of that faithfull Servant of God and famous Preacher of the Gospell Doctor Sutton in his weekly exercise at S. Marie Overies in Southwarke which when they were delivered were received with the generall applause and approbation of all his Hearers that were godly and judicious A man furnished with many rich endowments and entrusted by our great Lord and Master with not a few of his choycest talents which whilest he lived hee employed faithfully and fruitfully to the glorie of God and the edification of his people in his painfull Ministerie But alas too little a while did this burning and shining light appeare unto the world setting in our Horizon and without any Poeticall fiction dying in the Ocean by an unnaturall motion before he had attained unto the high noone of his perfection that he might shine much more cleerely among those bright Stars who with him have been the meanes upon earth of enlightning and converting many others Some little glympse hath hee left behind him of his greater light like the rayes in the skie after the Sun setting in these his labours penned by his owne hand for his owne use which wanting the gracefulnesse of his elocution and powerfull spirit to enlive them in which he excelled are but like a naked body stripped of its ornaments or a dead picture compared to a living body and this picture as farre short in beautie and likenesse of that it would have beene if himselfe had lived to perfect it with his owne pensill as a picture taken of a dead man in comparison of one which is drawen to the life But yet I supposed that this dimmer candle-light of his fruitfull labours was too usefull and profitable to lye any longer hid under a bushell and that it was in me a kinde of sacrilege to rob the Church of the use of his talents after hee had done trading with them and to hide them in a manuscript as it were in a napkin which being published might become profitable for the inriching of many And therefore that God might be yet more glorified by these fruitfull labours of his faithfull servant and the Church thereby might be also further edified J have caused them by being imprinted to be laid out in common for the benefit of many especially those who having beene his ordinarie hearers were much addicted to his Ministerie and will highly esteem the worke for the Authors sake The which I humbly present and dedicate to your Honors Patronage being emboldened hereunto by your fervent love to Gods truth and your zealous profession of it in these cold and declining times as also for that honourable respect which I have observed in your Lordship to Gods poore Ministers and your cheerefull receiving of them and their message for their Masters sake and finally that I might take occasion hereby of preserving and continuing your Honourable acquaintance with me the least of Gods Servants which J highly esteeme not for any worldly respects but that J may be still honoured by your Noble and Christian love and bee alwayes ready by my best services to honour you in it The Lord more and more multiply all his graces in you that you may long remaine as a Noble Peere of our Common-wealth so a firme Pillar of our Church adorning your religion which as your best ornament chiefly adorneth you and gracing that truth by your holy profession and practice which above all other titles will most enoble you and make you truly honoured in this world in the sight of God and all good men and eternize your glorie in the life to come The which shall bee the heartie prayer of me a poore Minister of Jesus Christ who shall ever remaine much devoted to your Lordship in all Christian dutie and service Iohn Downame To the Christian Reader IT is no small part of mans miserie that being created by God in a state of happinesse and immortalitie hee hath made himselfe mortall by his sinne and fall And it is an evidence of Gods infinite and never sufficiently admired mercie that hee hath not onely by the death of his best beloved Sonne restored all his elect to a state of incorruption and eternall life and blessednesse in the world to come but also in this world hath provided certaine meanes and medicines for the curing in some sort even of death and mortalitie it selfe which in their owne nature are apt to burie us all in perpetuall oblivion Namely that whereas by Gods just unchangeable sentence we must all dye yet by generation we propagate our kinde and so though mortall in our selves wee are immortalized in our posteritie Besides which benefit common to all mankinde God vouchsafeth a more peculiar blessing unto those whom he calleth to be spirituall Fathers in the Church begetting children unto God by the seed of the Word and preserving them in this life of grace by their fruitfull and powerfull preaching of the Gospell Especially if hee also enableth them to leave unto their children the riches of their holy writings for their instruction and increasing of their spirituall growth in all grace and goodnesse as it were holy legacies bequeathed by their last will and testament For those spirituall births of the braine are herein much to bee preferred before the fruit of the wombe in that they continue an honourable memorie of their Father after his death whereas the other often degenerating from the vertues of their Ancestours doe staine their names with their vices and dishonourable actions But much more doth God honour those who thus honour him in giving them power to speake unto his people even when their bodies rot in the grave and making them instruments of his glorie and of much good vnto his children even for a long time after death So that as wicked men doe
for Rahab the harlot nor want for poore Lazarus shall bee accepted of God at the judgement A singular comfort for such as live in prophane and wicked places Vse that are enforced to complaine as David did Psal 120.5 Woe is me that I am constrained to dwell with Mesech that I dwell in the tents of Kedar for though the place where thou livest bee as Sodome and the sinnes of it mount as high as Heaven yet if thou bee a Lor that lovest holinesse and hatest iniquitie thou shalt surely be saved from the fire Though the place where thou livest be like the old world so sinfull that God repented that ever hee made it Gen. 6.6 yet if thou bee a Noah faithfull and holy thou for thy part shalt surely bee saved from the water what if thou live in Mesech amongst the untoward Ishmaelites that bend their bowes against the Lord and shoot their arrowes against Heaven like the Thracians in Herodotus his Melpomene For if thou bee a David David after Gods heart when thousands fall beside thee and ten thousand at thy right hand the plague shall not come nigh thee what if thou dwell amongst thornes prepared for the fire yet if thou be a Lilly or a Rose it shall goe well with thee in the day of vengeance what if thou live in the salt sea yet if thou retaine thy sweet and pleasing rellish there shall no harme happen unto thee What if thou passe thorow the weeds and gravell of a brinish Ocean yet if thou be like the river Arethusa commended for that rare qualitie by Virgil in his 10. â—clogue Quamvis fluctus subterlabere Sicanos Dor is amar a suam non intermiscuit undam Thou shalt bee è mult is millibus unus one of a thousand Titio ereptus ex igne one whom God will choose out of the midst of a perverse and crooked generation what then remaines but this that we continue constant and unmoveable in our most holy faith and though wee live in such evill dayes and dwell in such prophane places where wickednesse over-flowes the banks as the sea at an high tide and a full spring though wee be reserved ad tempora novissima to the last times and dwell neare the outsides and the common sewers where all Heretiques make their nests and like to Toads and Frogs engender in these sens and puddles Aug. de temp Scrm. 232. as Augustine is pleased to stile them though wee dwell amongst Papists Anabaptists Familists and have our residence amongst the Bastards of Barrow Browne c. yet if wee beleeve and repent if wee turne to the Lord though we turne from them if wee cleave to the Lord and renounce them if wee keepe our selves unspotted our consciences untouched we shall undoubtedly bee saved and received unto mercie notwithstanding all their peremptorie sentence of condemnation which they passe upon us Before I come to the two other branches let me note unto you the drift of all it is to prove that the Iewes are not all cast off and how it is proved because Paul knowes that hee himselfe is not cast off Here we have Paul sure and certaine of his owne salvation From whence gather A man while he is in this life may be sure and certaine of his owne salvation Doct. and life eternall And I adde ordinarily because I meane to oppose the Trent Councell denouncing the deepe Anathema upon them that say it a Si quis dixerit bominem ronaium justificatum toueri ex side ad credendum se esse ex numero praede stinatorum anathema sit If any man say that a man regenerate and justified is bound by faith to beleeve that he is in the number of the elect let hm bee accursed as Chemnitius notes to be in the 6. Session Canon 15. b Possunt quidom bon sperare peccata sibi remitti sed sine cerid siducia They may indeed hope well that their sinnes are forgiven but not with any certaine assurance In any particular man yet saith Christ Sonne thy sinnes are forgiven thee to one and to another Thy faith hath saved thee viz. the woman that had the bloudie issue Mar. 5.34 I fetch my reasons first from the nature and propertie of a free promise made by God as unto Ioshua I will never faile thee unto Abraham Gen. 17.7 I will be thy God c. So that if Gods promises be certaine and sure then is the salvation of the faithfull certaine and sure and because some men might doubt the Apostle tels us Heb. 6.17 18. that God was willing to confirme the promise And therefore bound himselfe by an oath that by two immutable things wherein it is impossible that God should lye that they might have strong consolation the one is his word the other his oath whosoever shall not beleeve God in these two maketh God a Liar in this that hee saith he hath given eternall life through his Son 1 Ioh. 5.10 That which the Papist replyes that the promises of God are true in generall but are not certaine to particular men by the certaintie of faith because it is no where faid in speciall I will give thee is most frivolous and idle for if the promise bee made to all that beleeve then when I know that I beleeve I know the promise is made to mee and besides it is false to say that the promises are onely generall See Rom. 10.9 If thou shalt confesse with thy mouth the Lord Iesus c. thou shalt bee saved Here is certaintie of faith which is nothing else but that assured confidence of our heart by which it perceiveth and doubteth not that it hath right to what is promised and this is that new name written in the white stone Apoâ— 2.17 by this faith God dwelleth in our hearts and suffereth none to perish saith Lombard Booke 3. Distinct 23. Secondly from the propertie of justifying faith First 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is an infallible perswasion Heb. 10.22 Reason 2 Secondly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the substance Hebr. 11.1 Thirdly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 through Christ we have boldnesse Ephes 3.12 Vpon these the Holy Ghost in Heb. 6. by an excellent metaphor compares faith to an anchor fastened in firme earth which the ship-man knowes to bee sound and constant against which no stormes can prevaile Which we have as the anchor of the soule both sure and stedfast Heb. 6.19 And Paul Rom. 8.38 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For I am perswaded that neither death nor life c. shall bee able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. And vers 16. The Spirit of God witnesseth to our spirits that we are the sons of God which Pighius and Andradius setting downe the Trent Councell as Chemnitius reciteth it contend to have beene not by faith but by revelation But I will make it appeare that Paul grounds not this assurance upon revelation but on a ground
changeth not his counsell 4. I adde they whom hee loved in Christ for whatsoever good the Lord promiseth as wee receive it it is per propter Christum through and for Christ He hath predestinated us to be adopted through Iesus Christ Ephes 1.5 yea no man is predestinate but for this purpose that hee may be a member of Christ for he predestinated us to be adopted through Christ into himselfe viz. into Christ 5. That they should bee justified and glorified So Paul Rom. 8.30 Whom hee predestinated them he will call whom he called them hee will justifie whom he justifieth them hee will glorisie 6. That he passed by others So Malac. 1.2 I loved Iacob and hated Esau Lastly to manifest his glorie in mercie and justice that hee might declare the riches of his glorie upon the vessells of mercie Rom. 9.23 But of this definition thus made and proved may arise these comfortable observations 1. Observ 1 God predestinated us because hee looked favourable on us in Iesus Christ both to holinesse and happinesse So the Scripture everie where attributes all the good that we have from God to bee through Christ Hee hath blessed us with all spirituall blessings in heavenly places in Christ Ephes 1.2 Hee hath chosen us in Christ Ephes 1.4 Hee hath predestinate us to bee adopted through Christ Ephes 1.5 Hee accepted us in his beloved viz. in Christ Vers 6. He redeemed us by the bloud of his sonne Christ Vers 7. Hee hath gathered together reconciled all things both in heaven in earth by one that is Christ ver 10. And therfore when we beg any thing of God we are taught to beg it in the name of Christ So Christ himselfe Iohn 14.13 Whatsoever yee aske the Father in my name that will I doe for you that the Father may be glorified in the Sonne So Ioh. 16.23 Whatsoever yee aske the Father in my name hee will give it you Whence we learne to disclaime our worthinesse and our owne workes from being meritorious causes of Gods blessings Excellently Moses Deut. 7.7 8. The Lord did not set his love upon you because yee were moe in number for yee were the fewest of all people but because he loved you O then let us feed Christ if we cannot in himselfe Vse yet in his members and cloath him though not in himselfe yet in his servants let us entertaine and lodge Christ in our hearts and soules that procures thus many blessings of his Father for us our free election our powerfull calling our free justification and assurance of glorie wee have by him Let us say with Paul 2 Thess 2.16 17. The same Iesus Christ our Lord and our God which hath loved us and given us everlasting consolation must also comfort and stablish our hearts c. 2. Observ 2 In that he predestinated us that we should be holy Note That whom God hath praedestinated to the end which is glorie them also he predestinated to use the meanes which is holinesse See Eph. 1.4 Hee hath chosen us before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and as the Apostle speakes of spirituall creation that we are his workmanship created in Christ Iesus unto good workes that we should walke in them Ephes 2.10 So of election and We are redeemed to be a peculiar people zealous of good works Tit. 3.7 8. I adde no more but that of Peter 1 Pet. 1.2 Wee are elect according to the fore-knowledge of God the Father to sanctification of the Spirit and to obedience Acts 13.48 As many as were ordained to eternall life beleeved Whence they are most justly to bee blamed who make predestination a libertie to their sinfull lives and use sinfully to reason after this manner If I bee predestinate unto glorie then I shall bee sure of it howsoever I live for Gods decrees bee immutable If I bee in Gods decree and purpose a reprobate then if I should strive never so much I shall be no better I cannot alter it Contra Colsum lib. 2. Vide P. Martyr Com. lec p. 447. like those in Origen Whereas thou shouldest rather reason thus If I belong to Gods election then shall I use the meanes to come unto glorie I will therefore use all holy and godly courses that I may get my election sure and sealed as Peter wils us a Pet. 1.10 when Paul had that promise I haue given unto thee the life of all that saile with thee Acts 27.24 Yet except they use the meanes to come to land the helpe of their ship if they shall now leape into the water they cannot be saved vers 31. So when Iacob feared his brother Esau and yet had that assurance from God that hee should prevaile with men Genes 32.28 Yet see how carefull he is of all meanes to pacifie him he will doe it with gifts Munera crede mihi placant hominesque Deosque and sends one drove before another Genes 33. And so I come from the definition to the order observed in it God hee conceives all things at once with one act of his understanding 2. Of the order of predestination to which all things both past and to come are present and as hee conceived so hee decreed all things at once but the reasonable creature being finite conceives one thing after another Therefore for our understandings wee may distinguish the counsell of God concerning man into two acts or two degrees 1. The purpose of God in himselfe in which he determines what hee will doe and the end of all his doings and that is to create all things specially man for his owne glorie as Isa 43.7 partly by shewing mercie on some and partly by shewing of his justice upon others 2. Is another purpose whereby hee decrees the execution of the former and laves downe meanes to accomplish the end thereof which two acts of the counsell of God are not to be severed nor yet confounded but distinctly considered with some difference for in the first God decrees some men to honour by shewing mercie and some to dishonour by shewing his justice upon them and this man more than that out of his will and pleasure and that is the onely cause that we can give even his will In the second are set downe the causes of the execution of the former decree and these are knowen and manifest for no man though left out of clection is condemned but for sinne no man though elected is yet saved but by the merits of Christ But I passe over this and come to the parts of predestination which are two The parts of Gods predestination are two 3. The parts of predestination The first the decree of election The second the decree of reprobation A diftinction plaine out of Rom. 9. and may be thus confirmed of some it is faid The Lord knoweth who are his 2 Tim. 2.19 And of others Christ shall say in judgement Depart from mee yee wicked I know you not Matth.
it unto us their children and vers 23. God according to his promise hath raised up to Israel the Saviour Iesus It was the advice of Socrates in Lacrtius that young men should have alwayes a looking-glasse to looke themselves in it if they were deformed outwardly they might labour to recompence it with inward comelinesse The glasses wherein the Lord would have us to looke be the gracious orna nents and qualities of his servants We should looke on Abraham and learne to beleeve that it shall be done if God say it though wee see not how and part with that wee love best to please hâ—â— Vpon Iob and learne patience in all such crosses as are most neere unto us Vpon Lot and learne to be chaste in the midst of Sodome even when wee have most occasions that 's praise-worthy as Tully said of Muraena non quod Asiam viderat not that he had seene Asia Vpon Elias and be zealous Abigail and releeve those that sight the Lords battels Vpon the Centurion and be good to the Church Vpon Nehemiah and stand for reformation of the Sabbath Vpon every good man and see what is excellent in him that doe affect and imitate As Tully reports of Xeuxis that when he was to make the picture of Helena in the temple of the Crotonians he sent for five of the most beautifull virgins that out of all their excellencies he might compose a perfect beautie and as a man makes a garland or poesie of all the best of flowers in the garden so shouldst thou picke out all the best qualities of men wheresoever thou seest them Whence learne Vse that it is no small benefit that the wicked might reape by the company of good men They may see a patterne of godlinesse and learne to follow it they may reade holinesse in their lives conscience in their doings wisdome in their carriage and learne to affect the same commendable and gracious qualities in themselves There is no grace which they may not observe nor vertue which they may not see lively delineated in them and studie to come to that degree of holinesse which they have that they may live as they doe and have it in that glory which they hope to have I come to a third I observe the great wisdome and loving kindnesse of God toward his children Observat who by his favour shewed unto others and substituting others in their places maketh them ashamed of their unthankfulnesse and laboureth to stirre up in them a desire of reconcilement For confirmation see Deut. 32. Because they have moved mee to iealousie with that which is not God I will prouoke them with those which are no people And herein God deales with them as a tender father with his unkinde and disobedient child that will not come unto him he takes another sonne in his armes sets another on his knees embraceth him commends him makes much of him hereby correcting the stubbornnesse of his other sonne and provoking him to seeke for the like favour and acceptance From whence learne First to condemne those who by their idolatrie Vse 1 as Papists or by their arrogancie contempt and pride doe alienate and detaine the Iewes from Christianitie when they see how the Papist is given over to idolatrie the Protestant to libertie no marvell though the Iewes follow neither the one nor the other when he sees that the Papist beleeves not well that the Protestant lives not well it s a rocke of offence to him that he can approve neither the one nor the other Secondly Vse 2 let us endevour by our pure and sin cere service of God by our zeale our godly life our just dealing to give light unto the Iewes and at length to provoke them to emulation and by our good conversation to win them to Christ that there may be one fold and one shepherd as our Saviour speakes Ioh. 10.16 Example is very powerfull There is nothing more availeable to the winning of one that beleeveth not than the good conversation and life of him that doth beleeve I know not if S. Peter doe not make a good conversation more powerfull to convert an unbeleever than the word it selfe in 1 Pet. 3.1 Let the wives be subiect to their husbands that they which obey not the word may without the word be won by the good conversation of the wives while they behold your pure conversation coupled with feare To this purpose Bernard speaketh well Effâ—aâ—ior est voâ— bonioperis quam elegantis sermonu illius dectoris libenter audio veceâ—â— qui non fibi plansum sed mâ—â—ip anctum movet c Ber. in Cant. ser 59. Segnius irritaâ—t c. siviâ— me fleâ—e dolâ—nduÌ„ prius ipse libi Confess l. 9. c. 9. The voice of a good worke is more effectuall than of an eloquent sermon I willingly heare the voice of that Teacher who doth not move applause to himselfe but weeping to mee and if thou wilt perswade thou maist doe it more by weeping than by declaming And Horace himselfe in his booke of the Art of Poetrie If thou wilt have mee weepe thou must first thy selfe grieve S. Augustine reports that his mother Monica gained her husband Patricia from being an impure Manichee not by strength of argument but by pietie wisdome chastitie So there is nothing can more hinder the Iewes from professing as wee doe than our prophane life and bad conversation to perswade them by good words and yet let them see our bad lives is but to weave Penelope's web to untwist as fast as we weave and to pull downe as fast as we build and to destroy faster with one hand than wee build with the other Wee must therefore learne to let the light of our good life and conversation so shine Matth. 5.16 that men may see our good lives and good workes and holy conversation and so glorisie our Father which is in Heaven Let us so behave our selves toward the Iewes as S. Peter taught once the Iewes to behave themselves towards us 1 Pet. 2.12 Have your conversation honest among the Gentiles that they by your good workes which they shall see may glorifie God in the day of their visitation for feare wee cause them to blaspheme the name of God which they polluted among the Heathen Ezek. 36.23 See Rom. 2.24 So I come to the illustration of his answer in the 12. and 13. verses VERS 12. Vers 12 Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles how much more their fulnesse WHerein there is first an answer to an objection for it may seeme that the one end doth quite overthrow the other for if the Iewes fel that the Gentiles might have place and the Iewes bee to bee converted againe then it seemes that the Gentiles must be cast off againe and so the conversion of the Iewes shall rather hinder the salvation of the Gentiles which is contarie to the first part
their paine and griefe never so violent they shall not dye under it The Poets faine of Prometheus that for some miscarriage hee was tyed to the mountaine Caucasus with a Vulture gnawing upon his entrals And as Natalis Comes hath it Pascitur immortale jecur quantum luce volucris carpserit tantum huic misero nox una reponit Natal Com. Myshol lib. 4. cap. 6. Quae non carpit heâ—bam sedpascit ut sempèr renascatar ad pastum itainsernus non consumit hominem sed assligit ut homo temper vivat ad mortem Inno â—ent Serm. 2. Frunt passibilia jâ—amâ—rrupribi lia Tb. Aqen quaest 7. art 11. Mortsine morte sinu siac fine Greg. Moral lib. 9. cap. 54. His immortall liver still receives nourishment and how much the Fowle might have torne away by day so much one night restores to this miserable wretch Innocentius compares it to a sheepe which plucketh not up the herb but feedeth that it may alwayes spring againe to pasture so hell afflicts a man but consumes him not that man may alwayes live neere to death They shall be passible but incorruptible saith Aquinas Their worme dieth not their fire never goeth out saith our Saviour Marc. 9.44 Death without death end without end saith Gregorie To proceed in the person there bee three points I meane to insiston 1. Who was this deliverer 2. From what wee are delivered 3. By what price and ransome The person who is the Sonne the second person but not excluding the Father and Holy Ghost for Creation Redemption Sanctification are common to all for the Father redeemes by sending the Sonne Ioh. 3.17 sanctifies 1 Thess 5.23 The verie God of peace sanctifie you thorowout And the Son creates By him all things were made Ioh. 1.3 and sanctifies for he is made unto us wisdome sanctification and redemption 1 Cor. 1.30 and Ephes 5.26 He gave himselfe for it that â—ee might cleanse and sanctifie it by the washing of water through the word So of the Holy Ghost these workes upon the creature are undivided but with this order and method The Father doth all things of himselfe but by the Sonne and by the Holy Ghost The Sonne doth all things but of the Father by the Holy Ghost The Holy Ghost doth all things but of the Father and of the Sonne by himselfe There is no doubt but this was Christ From whence the Conclusion All hope of our deliverance from the tyrannie of sinne and paines of hell Doct. depends meerly upon the Sonne of God Who shall deliver mee from this body of sinne I thanke God through Iesus Christ our Lord. Rom. 7.25 We are dead in sinnes and trespasses by him must be quickened We have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an hand-writing hee must take it out of the way and naile it unto his crosse wee are subject to the powers of darknesse He hath spoiled principalities and powers and triumphed over them in his crosse Gol. 2.14 Derad 1. lib. 7. 15. Livie reports of Marcus Curtius a noble and worthy Romane that there being a strange vault or Chasma in the chiefe Market-place of all the Citie when it could not bee stopt with continuall casting in of earth they consulted with their Prophets and the answer was that it would not bee closed untill the best thing in all Italy were cast into it he leapt into the gulph devoting himselfe for the safetie of the Citie so our Saviour c. When Israel in the wildernesse loathed Manna the Lord sent fierie serpents which stung them in so much that many of them died in the end God prescribed to Moses a remedy and cure That hee should make a sierie Serpent of brasse and set it up for a signe that whosoever was bitten should looke upon it and live Numb 21.8 A type of Christ whose arme hath broken the head of the old Serpent and by his exaltation upon the crosse hath taken away the sting of death which is sinne 1 Cor. 15. This type and the antitype is notably fet downe by S. Iohn Chap. 3.14 As Moses lift up the Serpent in the wildernesse so must the Sonne of man bee lift up that whosoever beleeveth in him should not perish but have eternall life If Lazarus bee in his grave of earth it is he onely that can say Lazarus come forth Ioh. 11.44 If Hierome be in his grave of sinne it is he onely that can say Epist 5. ad Flovent Hierome come forth And this is the exposition of his name as the Angell gives it Matth. 1.21 Thou shalt call his name Iesus for hee shall save his people Hence are given to him the names of Redeemer 1 Cor. 1.30 of Saviour Him hath God lifted up to bee a Prince and Saviour Acts 5.31 And here the Deliverer in the words of my Text. Hence is that prophecie of Christ O death I will be thy death O grave I will be thy destruction Hos 13.4 O mors te morte meâ interimam O death I will be thy death by dying saith Zanchius on Hosea Whence we may learne 1. Vse 1 That no man is able to answer God for any one of his sinnes If God should dispute and take a strict account of mans doings he could not answer one of a thousand Iob 9.3 If thou Lord shouldest marke iniquities who could abide saith David Psal 130. Everie sinne is mortall and killing and therefore there is no more possibilitie to remove one sinne than for a dead man to raise and revive himselfe againe 2. Vse 2 The vanitie of Popish satisfaction The Trent Councell under Iulius the third Sess 4. Of the workes of satisfaction Chap. 10. Can. 12. a Si quis dixerit totam poenam simul cum culpa remitsi semper à Dcoonathema sit Concil Trid. apud Chemnie part 2. If any shall say that the whole punishment together with the fault is forgiven of God let him bee accursed Grounded as I suppose upon some hyperbolicall speeches of the Fathers as of Origen who cals satisfaction b Praetium quo peccata redimuntur Orig. super Levit. Hom. 15. A price whereby sinnes are redeemed Of Cyprian c Sordes post baptismum contractae ablunntur eleemesynie Cypr. de Elcemos Sect. 1. Filth contracted after baptisme is washed away by almes Of Ambrose d Peccata satisfactionibus expiari Ambr. Epist ad laps virg Sinnes are expiated by satisfactions Of Augustine e Propitiandus Per eleemosynas est Deus August Enchir. ad Laurent cap. 70. By almes is God to bee pacified And it is wonderfull to see how the Schoole-men goe mad in the point Aquinas saith that a man may f Supplem par 3. quaest 12. art 3. vindicare divinam vindictam compensare divinam offensam deliver from Gods vengeance and may recompence God offended and makes the satisfaction equivalent to the wrong done per aequivalentiam non quantitatis sed proportionis etiam pro alienis peccatis by the equivalencie not
our Lord Rom. 6.23 From hence I may first approve of the conclusion of Fulgentius a Nos nec bona posse nec velle nisi Deus utrumqâ—elargiatur Ad Monim lib. 1. Wee neither can nor will doe good unlesse God gives us both Secondly I may approve of the doctrine of S. Augustine on Psal 118. b Solus liberi arbitrii vires non suffi ere ad divina mandata implerda The powers of the will alone suffice not to the keeping of Gods commandements and therefore must wee say without all pride Vse 2 Thou hast commanded Lord but I would it might be done for mee which thou hast commanded And therefore Augustine Give Lord what thou commandest and command what thou wilt Thirdly c Praecepisti Domine sed utinam fiat mihi quod praecepisti Da Domine quod jubes jube quod vis Aug. Confess lib. 10. cap. 29. I cannot chuse but challenge the doctrine of the Romish Church to be blasphemous Andradius saith The heavenly blessednesse which the Scripture calls the reward of the iust is not given of God gratis and freely but it is due to their works yea God hath set heaven to sale for our works Another Papist of Lovaine saith thus Vse 3 Farre be it from us to thinke Explic. Artic. Lovan tom 2. art 9. that a man should beg for heaven as a poore man doth for his almes for it is the garland which by his works he deserves Suar. in Thom. tom 1. dist 41. Suarez saith That works proceeding from grace have in themselves and of their owne nature a condignitie and proportion with the reward and a sufficient value to be worth the same and this without the merits of Christ Beggars that aske almes shew their wounds but Papists would have us to shew our merits and not begge heaven as almes due for Christs sake but challenge it as our owne and due for our works sake But what saith Origen I cannot beleeve that there is any worke which can require the reward of debt What saith Augustine Wee must understand that God brings us to life eternall not for our merits but for his owne mercie Neque enim talia sunt hominuÌ„ morita ut propter ea vita aeternâ— debeatur ex jure aut Deus injuriam saceret nisi donaret Bern. de grat lib. Arbit Bern. in Annunt Marrae Serm. 1. pag. 123. Bern. sup Cant Serm. 61. What saith Bernard Mens merits are not such that eternall life is due to them of right or that God should doe them injurie if he did not therefore bestow it See many other places of Bernard against the merits of works The mercy of God is my merit And when Bernard hath long disputed the point of grace and free will the conclusion is this Ea quae dicimus merita nostra spei quaedam sunt seminaria charitatis incentiva occultae praedestinationis indicia futurae foelicitatis praesagia regni via non regnandi causae Nurces of hope provocations of love signes of election fore-runners of future happinesse the way to the kingdome but not the cause why wee come to the kingdome of God And I would have you to observe that howsoever our adversaries boast of their works yet their most learned at their way gate have renounced them Anselmus five hundred yeeres since taught the people to die in this faith Lord I set the death of Christ betweene mee and my bad merits I offer his merits for mine which I should have but have not betweene mee and thine anger I oppose the death of my Lord Iesus So Waldensis Waldens Sacr. tit 1. cap. 74 31. Proptèr in ertitudinem prâ—priae j â—stitiae timorem inâ—uâ— gloriae tutissimum est in solo Christo omnein fiduciam reponere Bellar. de Iustis lib. 5. cap. 7. He is reputed the sounder Divine the better Catholike the more agreeable to Scripture that simply denies all merits and holds that no man can merit the kingdome of heaven but obtaines it by the grace and free will of God that gives it Bellarmine saith For the uncertaintie of ones owne righteousnesse and the feare of vaine glory it is safest to put all our trust in Christ alone Ferus saith The parable of him that hired labourers into his vineyard teacheth that whatsoever God gives Comment in Matth. 20. is of grace not of debt if therefore thou desire to hold the grace an favour of God make no mention of thy merits But I insist no longer upon the point Let us looke for life only by the merits and death of Iesus Christ and renounce our owne righteousnesse account all but dung to win Christ that wee may be found in him not having our owne righteousnesse which is of the law but that which is of God through faith Phil. 3.9 I come to the last viz. the condition and qualitie of heavenly gifts Without repentance They import the certaine fulfilling of Gods promises and words though the time be long deferred and that the Iewes shall be converted though his promise be not yet accomplished The thing aimed at is this That in regard of Gods immutabilitie Doct. wee must expect the certaine fulfilling of every part of Gods promise seeme they never so hard be they never so long delayed as vers 27. VERS 30. Vers 30 For even as yee in time past have not beleeved God yet now have obtained mercy through their unbeleefe VERS 31. Vers 31 Even so now have they not beleeved that by the mercy shewed unto you they also may obtaine mercy THese verses containe a third argument to prove the last branch and clause of the mysterie Exposition to wit that God will call home the nation of the Iewes and a perswasion to the Gentile not to despaire and doubt of it It is a topicall reason taken a comparatis from the greater to the lesse If the infidelitie of the Iewes was the occasion of shewing mercy to the Gentiles much more shall the mercy shewed to the Gentiles occasion the shewing of mercy to the Iewes for will not God take occasion to doe good from good as soone as from evill If infidelitie in the Iewes make God shew favour to the Gentile much more shall his mercy shewed formerly to the Gentile make him also now shew mercy to the Iew. The things compared are three First the infidelitie of the Gentile with the infidelitie of the Iew Secondly the mercy which the Gentile received in time past with the mercy which the Iew shall receive hereafter Thirdly the occasion of both The occasion of mercy to the Gentile infidelitie in the Iew the occasion of mercy to the Iew is mercy formerly extended to the Gentile I begin with the first branch of the comparison Yee in time past have not beleeved as if he had said Learne from your selves that yee ought not to despaire of the Iewes They are now in the verie same case wherein thou wast once They
Ioh. 15.5 My purpose is to dispute against all these in that point wherein they all agree concerning universalitie of grace the condition being kept For order I shall first lay downe my proposition Secondly the confirmation from Scripture Thirdly shew the absurd consequents of the adverse opinion My proposition is this Whereas all men were by nature children of wrath and in themselves lost God according to his good pleasure out of the whole masse elected some to whom he appointed Iesus Christ to be their Mediatour and Redeemer to prove this the Scriptures are frequent The 10. of Ioh. 15. Christ layeth downe his life for his sheepe But all are not Christs sheep for some be goats Matth. 25. some be wolves some follow the voyce of strangers Secondly Christ died onely for his friends Ioh. 15.13 But the elect onely and such as shall bee saved are his friend Thirdly the Apostle tels us Ephes 5.26 That Christ gave himselfe for his Church that hee might sanctifie it and that he is the Saviour of his bodie vers 23. But the elect onely univocally and they onely are members of his body unto these places adde these reasons founded upon the Scriptures First Reason 1 Christ died only for those that should beleeve in him Ioh. 3.16 But it is not given unto all to beleeve for you beleeve not because you are not of my sheepe Ioh. 10.26 To beleeve is a gift proper to the Elect alone As many as were ordained to eternall life beleeved Acts 13.48 Secondly Reason 2 Christ redeemed only them whose Advocate he is but he is the Advocate of the Elect onely not of the reprobates I pray not for the world but for them that thou hast given mee out of the world Ioh. 17.6 Now it cannot bee that the world should be given him out of the world and therefore although wee in charity pray for the conversion of Turks Iewes Infidels out of the world yet it followes not that Christ did pray for the whole world for he knew who they were that should bee saved and so doe not wee and therefore hope the best of them that are without and yet of the world Est mandus damnandorum de qâ—o scriptuâ—◠〈◊〉 cum mundo pereat proâ—sto non orat est mâ—â—â—â—s saâ—vandora de quo Apostolus Deuâ— erat in Christo mundam sibi reconcilâ—uâ—s pro â—sto orat Aug. in Ioh. Tract 110. There is a world of those that shall be damned of which it is written lest yee perish with the world for that he prayeth not there is a world of those that shall be saved of whom the Apostle God was in Christ reconciling the world to himselfe for that he prayeth saith Augustine Thirdly Christ died onely for those that are appointed to salvation for the death of Christ is the subordinate meanes which God useth to save those whom hee would have saved But all men in the world are nor appointed to salvation It will bee answered That it is Gods will that all should bee saved upon this condition if they beleeve So then if it can bee evicted that Gods election unto life is not conditional but absolute in setting apart a certaine number to whom only he will give power and grace to beleeve and to none other then will the Conclusion be good That for the number onely Christ hath died The first place shall be Matth. 20.16 Many are called but few are chosen Therefore though the outward meanes bee offered unto many yet onely some are elected and chosen unto life To this some have answered That there is a twofold election Generall of all who are called to the outward profession of obedience Speciall of those who obey their calling and persevere in faith to the end So they make the meaning this That few are elected not in respect of any election and separation in the decree of God But because among many some onely persevere unto the end To this I answer 1. There can bee no such generall election for what election where all are received 2. To say many are chosen where Christ saith but few are chosen what is this 3. To the point If that speciall election depend upon mans perseverance and not mans perseverance upon election If men bee elect because they persevere and not rather persevere because they are elect then are men causes of their owne election and chuse God first contrarie to that rule of Christ You have not chosen me but I have chosen you Ioh. 15.16 Contrarie to the Apostle We loved not God but God loved us first 1 Ioh. 4.10 Contrarie to that of S. Paul Who hath separated thee but God who separates and distinguishes one from another 1 Cor. 4.7 Secondly Matth. 20.23 The Kingdome of God shall be given unto them for whom it is prepared of my Father Therefore it is not prepared for all and to strengthen this Conclusion the Apostle saith that some bee vessels of wrath prepared to destruction Rom. 9.22 To this they answer That these places prove not any particular exception of some from glorie but that the kingdome is indifferently prepared for all that shall beleeve and they that beleeve not are by their incredulitie prepared to destruction whereunto this is my reply Wee grant that none but beleevers are ordained to glorie but wee make faith and beleeving an effect and consequent of election and preparation unto glorie So that the number of beleevers is as certaine as the number of the elect For I aske whence is it that we have faith It is not of our selves it is the gift of God Ephes 2.9 If faith bee Gods gift how is it that all have not faith There is no reason but because God gives it not to all And why doth not God give it unto all But only because God hath chosen some whom bee purposeth to save in Christ and to these only is faith given If it be said that God gives it to all but all receive it not then is Gods will resisted and mans will frustrates the purpose of God contrarie to that rule of the Apostle Rom 9.19 Who hath resisted his will I come to the absurdities that follow upon this First Absurdities that would follow universall grace to affirme that Christ died universally for all that should beleeve and not for any speciall number takes away Gods predestination makes it a confused and conditionall purpose whereas the Scripture reacheth that Gods election is certaine and definite that hee hath decreed and knoweth the number of the elect 2 Tim. 2.19 The Lord knoweth who are his Ioh. 10.3 Christ calleth his sheepe by name Secondly it would follow that election should be from the fore-sight of faith contrarie to the Apostle Ephes 1.5 who saith That he hath predestinate them through Iesus Christ unto himselfe according to the good pleasure of his will Non quia sancti cramus futuri aut quia fuâ—â—us sed ut essimus Aug. depraedest lib. 1. cap. 18. Not
not onely whilest they live by their sinnes treasure up wrath against the day of wrath and prepare a fire in which they shall everlastingly be burned but also by propagating their sinnes unto posteritie and leaving behinde them the example of their vices whereby others daily are successively corrupted doe adde fuell to that hellish fire and increase their never ending torments So Gods servants even after they are dead have still a stocke going when as they leave behinde them their Christian vertues for examples and their holy writings teaching and perswading others to follow them whereby a daily addition is made to their glorie and happinesse Such legacies after his departure hath this reverend and faithfull servant of Christ left for the use and benefit of the Church and such children to perpetuate his name and memorie unto all posteritie I meane the summe and substance of many his learned Sermons which he preached in his place charge at S. Marie Overies in Southwarke to the great benefit comfort and contenment of those that heard him The which though he had not polished and perfected for the Presse as he might have done if it had pleased God to have prolonged his life yet I thought it not fit that they should alwaies be hidden from the world because they had not on them their best apparrell They were I assure thee his owne legitimate children conceived and bred in his owne braine which were thus farre fitted for their birth and prepared for the Presse though himselfe wanted life and strength to bring them forth Esteeme them not the lesse because they are Orphans but entertaine them rather with the more love and if thou findest in them any defects and wants pitie them the more because they have lost their father who would had he lived have supplyed them and esteeme them both in their own worth and also for their fathers sake And if I finde that thou givest this kinde entertainment to these his fruitfull labours as it were his first borne there are divers other children of the same father which shall ere long bee brought to light I meane his Lectures on the twelfth Chapter to the Romans and on a great part of the â—19 Psalme with some others In the meane while I commend them to God and the word of his grace which is able to build thee up and to give thee an inheritance among all them that are sanctified Thine in the Lord Iesus J. D. The Contents GOds Ministers must not conceale comforts from the wicked pag. 5 Wicked men presume upon outward privileges pag. 9 No outward privileges exempt from Gods anger p. 12 The faithfull cannot finally fall away p. 14 All that carrie the name of Christians are not in the Covenant p. 17 Those of all Nations that beleeve and repent shall be saved p. 19 A man may be assured of his salvation in this life p. 22 Parentage can neither hinder nor further salvation p. 40 Grace is above greatnesse p. 42 Sinne will ruine a people notwithstanding outward privileges p. 46 God predestinated us in Christ p. 52 We are predestinate to the meanes as well as the end p. 53 Faith nor workes forseene no cause of election p. 60 No meanes to glorie but by Christ p. 71 All that doe good workes are elect and shall be saved p. 74 The elect cannot finally be cast off p. 76 The Scriptures able to make wise to salvation p. 79 There is a familiaritie between God and his children p. 85 Prophets and good men stand in the gap p. 87 Prayers the Churches best weapons p. 89 The wicked persecute the best most p. 93 When the Prophets are gone the people fall from God p. 95 Wicked men overthrow the meanes of Gods service p. 98 Wicked men dispute against the truth with the sword p. 99 Christs Church scarsly visible sometimes p. 100 Wicked men requite Gods Prophets evill for good p. 102 When Gods servants crie to him hee answereth them p. 104 A great grace in corrupt times to bee preserved from sinne p. 109 God owneth not Idolaters for his p. 110 God hath alway a Church though invisible to man p. 113 To bow before an Idoll is idolatrie p. 117 God at all times preserves his Church p. 118 Those that belong to God are not many p. 120 God saveth man of his free grace p. 126 God in electing man respects not good workes p. 129 All men shall not be saved p. 134 No man can attaine life by his owne righteousnesse p. 135 Those that stand upon their owne holinesse are hardned p. 137 We must seeke God in a right manner p. 138 A man elect shall certainly be saved p. 139 Hardnesse of heart a signe of reprobation p. 141 The written Word should bee Iudge of controversies p. 144 Causes of hardnesse of heart p. 145 God punisheth one sinne with another p. 162 An heavie judgement to neglect the meanes to know God p. 163 Meanes of salvation abused turne to destruction p. 168 A miserie to heare and not profit p. 169 Meanes contemned are not profitable p. 173 God receiveth all that turne to him p. 164 The best things of wicked men turne to their destruction p. 177 They that seeke life in the Law finde destruction p. 181 God repayes men in the same kinde p. 182 God punisheth unbeleevers with spirituall blindnesse p. 187 God hates and severely punisheth infidelitie p. 193 When wicked men abuse their power God deprives them of it p. 194 Prudence in Ministers in denouncing of judgements p. 200 Men stumble at those things that should support them p. 203 The best may stumble reprobates fall finally p. 206 God workes good out of evill p. 208 God workes good to his by unlikely meanes p. 213 God takes al oportunities to do his children good p. 214 When the Gospell is abused God takes it away p. 216 Where the Gospell is preached salvation is offered p. 218 God requires an holy emulation p. 221 The good that is in others should provoke us to follow them p. 223 Gods kindnesse should make us ashamed of unthankfulnesse p. 225 The grace and knowledge of God and Christ is true riches p. 231 The Iewes at their conversion shall be inriched with graces p. 239 Faithfull Preachers turne all they say to their peoples use p. 241 Good people feare the losse of their faithfull Preachers p. 243 Ministers should intend the good of their people p. 247 Ministers by preaching and liuing should grace their calling p. 250 Good Ministers aime at the salvation of soules p. 252 A good Minister Gods instrument to save soules p. 256 Preachers must neglect no meanes to convert soules p. 258 We ought most to tender the salvation of those that are neere us p. 259 Living in sinne is an estate of death p. 261 Wee should not despaire of the calling of the Iewes p. 264 The Gospell the meanes of raising men from the dead p. 266 What is due to God of his owne blessings
that hee may embrace us let us welcome Christ into our hearts that hee may welcome us into his Fathers kingdome let us serve him that hee may preserve us goe to him that goes to the Father for us rejoyce in Christ that when we doe well rejoyceth over us weepe for grieving him who for our doing ill hath wept for us and bled for us and died for us let us glorifie him with our hearts and tongues that must glorifie us in our soules and I pray God that he may bee with us here and we may be with him for ever I come to the second Of the second effect of our election 2. Vocation justification glorification and a conformitie to the image of the Sonne of God So Paul Rom. 8.29 30. The first conformitie whom he fore-knew them he made like to the image of his Sonne vers 29. The image of his Sonne is holinesse and holines is a fruit of predestination See Ephes 1.4 He hath chosen us from the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him The same are we taught by Peter 1 Pet. 1.2 We are elected according to the fore-knowledge of God the Father to sanctification of the spirit and unto obedience From whence it followes that if a man be once appointed to holinesse he shall be sure of glorie because God doth never predestinate a man to the meanes but hee hath predestinated him also to glorie wherefore comfort your selves you that thirst after holinesse as the Hart after the rivers of water for whatsoever your troubles be your end is glorie So David Psal 37.37 Marke the upright man c. Behold the just man for the end of that man is peace If a man can finde that engraven in his heart which was written upon the Priests miter Exod. 28.36 Holinesse to the Lord. Hee may bee sure of glorie and happinesse with the Lord. Three Conclusions From all of these I inferre that no man can be partaker of life that is not called justisied sanctified for so the place affords it Secondly that all our hope of glorie depends upon Gods eternall election which hee made of us in Christ Thirdly that all the meanes whereby wee can have this glorie made sure to our soules are by obeying when God calls by our justification by faith in Christ by true holinesse whereby we are made like to the image of his Sonne But I come to the last fruit The third effect of election are good works Of the third effect of our election So Paul Ephes 2.10 We are his workmanship created in Christ Iesus unto good workes which God hath ordained that wee should walke in them by these must we studie to make our calling and election sure 2 Pet. 1.10 from whence followes another that is certaintie of our salvation for good workes are fruits of election and by these must we make election sure Doct. From whence it followes That all that doe good workes are certainly elected and shall certainly be saved for none can doe a good worke in respect of the ground and forme and end but he that hath true and justifying faith Rom. 14.23 for Whatsoever is not of faith is sinne The best sacrifice of the wicked is abhomination Prov. 15.8 Though a man could prophesie and worke miracles and cast out Devils and have not true faith the Lord will say unto him Depart from me Matth. 7.23 See Isai 66.3 He that killeth a bullocke is as if hee slue a man hee that sacrificeth as if hee cut off a dogs necke he that offereth an oblation as if hee offered swines bloud he that burneth incense as if hee blessed an I doll Onely hee can doe good workes that is in Christ by faith and he that is in Christ by faith is sure of salvation though hee have no extraordinarie revelation a damnable presumption saith the Rhemists in their Annotat. on Rom. 8. vers 16. The Spirit witnesseth with ours that we are the sonnes of God And in 1 Cor. 9.27 They say it is a faithlesse perswasion it is the faith of Devills not of the Apostles So the Councell of Trent Sess 6. chap. 9. But alas alas these bee but paper-bullets we are defended against them with a wall of brasse First 2 Pet. 1.10 Wee must studie to make it sure therefore it may bee made sure Secondly Paul Rom. 8.38 I am perswaded which was not by revelation but upon Christs death vers 32. Christs justification vers 33. intercession vers 34. Hoâ— non sit nisi revelante spiritu sed ea râ—velaâ—â—o nou est aliud quim insusio sâ—iâ—tualu gratie per quam caruis opera mortisicantur Bernard Epist 108. This is not done but by the spirit revealing it but that revelation is not any other thing than the infusion of spirituall grace by which the deeds of the flesh are mortified saith Bernard It was an excellent saying of M. Tyndall as it is remembred by M. Fox Christ is thine and all his deeds are thine neither if thou bee faithfull canst thou be damned except Christ be damned with thee We know we are translated from death to life because wee love the brethren 1 Ioh. 3.14 Wee know it by our hungring Matth. 5.6 By our desiring to meet Christ with joy and comfort 2 Tim. 4.8 And seeing wee know it so wâ—ll no Popish squibs can beat us off it I come to make some use of it Are good workes fruits of election Vse 1 and seales of our certaine salvation then let us labour to abound in good workes let us set our hearts to doe good and strive amongst our selves who may doe the most good For first wee shall honour God by our obedience Secondly wee shall helpe our brethren who are partakers of the good we doe Thirdly we shall finde assurance in our hearts that then we are Gods Fourthly we shall be in Heaven rewarded for them for there is nothing that God would have done but there is a reward to the doer of it if he bid run it is that men may obtaine 1 Cor. 9.24 If to fight there is a crowne 2 Tim. 4.8 If to labour there is a penny Matth. 20.7 8. If obedience Thou shalt eat the good things of the land Deut. 28.2 If hee command to be righteous then blessings shall be upon thy head Prov. 10.6 Excellently Augustine True honour shall be denied to none deserving Verus â—â—nor nulli digno negabitur praeâ—â—ium pietatis crit iâ—se Deus qui pietatem dedit Aug. Civit. Dei lib. 22. cap. 30. the reward of godlinesse is God himselfe who gave godlinesse I am thy buckler and thy reward Gen. 15.1 From whence we all may have a wonderfull encouragement to bestow our time in doing of good workes It remaines that I now descend from the explication of this terme to the pith of Pauls argument which is comprized in this conclusion Men once elect can never bee finally cast off Doct. A
to offer to the Idoll they afterward in detestation of their former act would bee avenged of their hands which offered by the burning of their whole bodies I proceed to the application of this storie unto Pauls time VERS 5. Vers 5 Even so at this present time there is a remnant through the election of grace THis Application containes foure points 1. The time of this preservation this time 2. The number a remnant 3. The meanes efficient and ground of preservation the election 4. The impulsive cause of election grace and not workes I begin with the time whence the observation is Doct. That God doth at all times preserve a Church that embraceth the true worship of God In Isa 6. ult There shall be desolation in the midst of the land but yet in it shall be a tenth and shall returne c. The Assyrians may make the people of Ierusalem so few that a childe may tell them Isa 10.19 yet the remnant shall returne even the remnant of Iacob vers 21. Iudah shall dwell for ever and Ierusalem from generation to generation in Ioel 3.20 whereby is signified that there shall be some of Gods Church preserved to the end of the world and if ever God had wanted a Church it would surely have beene in the time of those ten bloudy persecutions begun under Nero Onpbius Fast lib. 2. in the yeare of Christ 65. when Peter and Paul were beheaded continued under Domitian when Iohn was banisht into Pathmos under Trajane when Ignatius Bishop of Antioch under Antoninus when Polycarpe under Severus when Leonides father of Origen was martyred Quo tempore universus orbis sacro martyrum cruore insectus erat Neque unquam maâ—ri triumpho vic mus quam ciâ—n decimorum annorum strage non potuimus vinci untill the the time of Dioclesian When the world did swim with the bloud of Martyrs Neither over came wee ever with a greater triumph than when we could not be overcome with ten yeares slaughter Or if ever the Church could have beene quite pulled downe it would have beene in the dayes of Antiochus Epiphanes when he entred the temple at Ierusalem burned the bookes of Moses and the Prophets proclaimed feasting and riot in the house of God and put to death young and old Carion Chron. lib. 2. that would not renounce the Law which Moses had delivered The reason Reason because God is constant and sure in the promise which he hath made touching the continuall keeping of his Church I will marrie thee unto me for ever Hos 2.19 yea in faithfulnesse to shew that hee will never part with his Spouse againe vers 21. From whence we may take just occasion to answer the objection of the Papists Vse 1 who tell us that wee are surely not the Church because the Church was ever but we never till the time of M. Luther My reply that the Apostles and the Primitive Church for almost six hundred yeares after Christ taught as we doe and since those times hath Poperie had her growth and ever since some have maintained our religion till this day In matter of supremacie they taught as we doe till after Gregories times which was six hundred yeares after Christ yea Gregorie writing against Iohn Bishop of Constantinople Lib. 6. Epist 30. If any calleth himselfe universall Bishop he is Antichrist In matter of the Sacrament Th. Aquin. in 1 Cor. 11. Lect. 6. for a thousand yeares together the people received the wine as well as the bread Secondly to stay the malice of the Churches enemies for they labour but in vaine Vse 2 God is on her side Rom. 8.31 And when she hath none to take her part the Lord himselfe will doe it Isa 59.16 Thirdly a comfort for all good and religious hearts Vse 3 to thinke that howsoever they may bee punisht for their sinnes and enemies may bring them to the sword yet some of them shall continue and stand to see the enemies fall religion shall not quite goe downe So I come to the number a remnant There is a remnant Those that belong unto God are not many which must not bee simply understood for in themselves they be many even an hundred fortie and foure thousand Apoc. 7.4 among the Tribes of Israel and among the Gentiles a multitude which no man could number of all nations and languages stood before the Lord and before the Lambe with long white robes and palmes in their hands c. vers 9. But in comparison of those that shall be cast away they are but few as Matth. 20.16 the Apostle is peremptorie Though Israel were as the sand yet a remnant shall be saved there is much chaffe but little wheat many stones but few pearles If a man should divide the world into three parts with Ptolomie or into foure with some later writers or into six with our last Geographers as Quade and others Lib. 1. cap. 2. 〈◊〉 and you shall not finde one of seven that professeth Christ aright they are all confined into a narrow corner in the Northwest And in this corner remove Atheists Heretiques Neutrals Worldlings Hypocrites and the remainder will be verie small and there â—e doth Christ call it a little flocke Luk. 12.32 and the gate a strait gate Luk. 13.24 and the way a narrow way Matth. 7.14 And if you should but looke upon the lives and actions of most men and see how everie man wastes his life in sinne and vanitie you would joyne with mee and say there are not many that can be saved if you doe but see how all care for earth and few for heaven you will say that surely verie few can bee saved how everie man lives and rots in one sinne or other dandles and hugs one Dalilah or other you will say that few can be saved how everie man spends his dayes in libertie and loosenesse both of life and conscience how they gather and build upon earth and strive how they may continue their names here never dreaming of a building in heaven of writing their names in heaven you will say surely few can be saved What use may wee make of this but to see Vse that the ordinarie pace and course which men take can never bring a man to heaven If then we will ever bee saved and bee of that remnant 1. Wee must learne the way to heaven perfectly 2. When we know it we must walke in it 3. We must cast off all luggage and superfluitie that hinder us in it And so I proceed to that which is the foundation and ground of this preservation viz. the election of grace S. Origen in his wandring speculation Origen in Rom. 11. would here make a difference betweene those which are called by grace viz. those that beleeve in Christ and those which are called by election of grace which beside faith in Christ have good workes as if true saith could ever be without them and Chrysostome that they were elected of
seduceth them their eyes are not onely darke and see not but deceitfull and seducing making them thinke that they see what is right when they see it not which I thinke to bee here meant and therefore Christ in Ioh. 12.40 addes these words not understand with their hearts from whence the point may be When good meanes of salvation be not used aright then God turnes them to their hurt and destruction Their eyes that once saw his workes Doct. whereby he shewed himselfe to bee God and whereby they should have beleeved doe now lead them into error and cast them upon their destruction Physicke is the meanes of health yet if not rightly used is able to kill him that useth it The eye mans best guide yet if distempered may bring a man into more danger than any professed enemy The Word and Gospell the best meanes to mollifie our hearts and bring us unto God yet if neglected and abused makes the heart hard the eyes blinde and the understanding darke Goe make the hearts of this people fat shut their eyes that they may not see Isa 6.10 If rightly used it is the savour of life unto life 2. Cor. 2.16 but if not it is a stumbling blocke to make men fall Ier. 6.21 But to keepe to the Apostles instance The eye It is first as a watchman set in the top of a tower to discover the enemy a farre off but if not rightly used it proves like a treacherous Sinon to open the gates of the City and let in the enemy to let lust into the heart And therefore Iob made a covenant with his eyes Iob 31. And David praieth Turne away mine eyes Psal 119.37 and how many the eyes hath undone you cannot bee ignorant The sonnes of God as they are called Gen. 6.2 saw the daughters of men and tooke them wives It brought Sichem to commit folly with Dinah Gen. 34.2 David to lie with Bathsheba 2. Sam. 11. Therefore saith Bernard that the eye is Prima sagitta The first arrow offornication that it is the window of the minde Demodo bene vivendi Ser. 23. Etin Psaâ— 91. Sertn 7. a Occâ—lus deprae datâ—r animam Epist 107. The eye robbeth the soule about his 107 Epistle Let us then heare aright for feare the word which is in it selfe the savour of life unto life be not the savour of death unto death As meat indigested rots upon the stomacke and poysons the body So doth this best meanes of life if onely heard and not digested with zeale It is a fearesull case when God lets our Pilot and our guide deceive vs our eye the best director to misleade us our meat to poyson us the light to bee like an Ignis fatuus to seduce us I pray God it befall not us who have a long time had eyes to see the wonders of God and yet make smal use of them And so I come to the second particular Eares that they should not heare Eares that they should not heare In Pro. 20.12 God hath made both these the eye to see and the care to heare These Iewes have them but neither see nor heare God hath made man two eares for two reasons First Vt 〈◊〉 actliuâ— That words may more easily be gathered as Lâ—â—l intius of Gods workmanship Chap. 8. Secondly Qua spoâ—tet dupla ad disciphnaÌ„ Consequenâ—am auâ—nt cum uraÌ„ linguim dederit ut meminerimus pau toraci enda plura audienda Because we must heare with a double care to the attaining if learning whereas hee gave but one tongue that wee might remember that sewer things are to bee spoken more to bee heard As Basil in his booke of virginitie and though the eyes be the organ of a most excellent sence of seeing the workmanship and wonders of God yet the eare is more needfull Institut Lib. 3. Cap 9. because as Lactautius saith Learning and wisdome is perceived by the eares alone not by the eyes alone It is a great misery to be blinde for then he sees not Gods workmanship but greater misery to want the hearing because then they cannot heare of their Saviour nor of eternall life Thomas Aquinas tells us that outwardly they could heare and perceive well enough but the judgement was they did not heare with fruit as Deut. 29.4.3.6 You have seene the great tentations the miracles and wonders how I led you sortie yeares in the wildernesse your cloathes waxed not old on your backes nor your shooes yet you want a heart to perceive and eyes to see and eares to heare untill this day The first thing that I observe I comprize in these tearmes Doct. It is a misery unspeakeable to heare the mysteries of salvation and bee no better for it for hearing without obedience hath no blessing he onely that so heares the will of God to doe it shall enter into the kingdome Matth. 7.21 shall bee blessed Luke 11.28 shall bee justified before God Rom. 2.13 But the hearers otherwise if they looke for any mercy from God they doe but deceive themselves Iames 1.22 a Ille â—crè aâ—dis qui moâ—bus non contrad cit In quatuor Evan. 〈◊〉 29. Hee beares aright that in his manners doth not contradict it saith Gregory b Fâ—deâ—ni presi â—u â—vita praâ—a est Chrys st in lib. Homd 〈◊〉 Faith profits nothing if the life be wicked c Frusâ— a audit qui non amat Encl 〈◊〉 Cap. 17. He leares in vaint that loves not saith Augustine d Grave estse catum non 〈◊〉 sse quoctsac as â— avnis nonseetsse qu◠〈◊〉 Deâ—ss◠〈◊〉 Lib. 2 20. It is a great sinne not to know that which thou doest a greater not to do what thou knowest saith Ambrose I here be three kindes of bad hearers in Mat. 13. every one of them miscrable The first compared to stores and the stones are cast cut of the vineyard in Isa 5.2 The second to thornes and thornes are to bee burned Heb. 6.8 The third to the way side and that is a double misery First the way is ever left without the hedge and without defence Secondly it is troden under soot of all passengers Woe be to thee Chorazim woe be to thee Bethsaida for if these workes had beene done in Tyre and Sidon c. and Wee to thee Capernaum for if these workes were done in Sodome c. Mat. 11.21 These three Cities Chorazim Bethsaida and Capernaum were Cities of Galilee very fruitfull by reason they were neere to Iordan which made them as rich as Nilus doth the country of Egypt Ioachiâ— us Vadianus not farre from the lake of Gennezareth where Christ often preached and where most of his great workes were done as Mat. 11.21 Out of Bethsaida he called his first disciples Peter Andrew and Philip In Capernaum he did many miracles hee preacht almost every Sabbath day and made them astonished at his doctrine Luke 4.31 and because they had all this meanes heard all this preaching the
Aquinas a double emulation First of imitation when one doth imitate another and then the sense is that the Iewes should imitate the saith and conversion of the Gentiles and strive to come into favour with God as the Gentiles were Secondly of indignation and then the meaning is that the Iewes might emulate that is should be moved with anger and indignation against them according to that in Deut. 32.21 They have provoked mee to anger with that which is not God and I will move them to iealousie with those which are no people meaning the Gentiles The true and proper sense I take to be this The Iewes manifestly saw that the spirit and grace and knowledge of the Scriptures and almost all spirituall blessings were translated from them to the Gentiles and therefore could not chuse but grievously complaine that they who were sons who were the proper and peculiar inheritance of God who were the Lords portion and lot of his inheritance Deut. 32.9 should now be cast off and the Gentiles who were Heathens Idolaters ignorant of heaven and heavenly things defiled with all kinde of pollution as in Rom. 1. should come in their stead possesse their roomes be graced with privileges and that not by the judgement of man which might be erroneous and repealed but by the judgement of the immortall God who erreth not who establisheth his decrees so that God would have the Iewes to take heavily the admission of the Gentiles and our salvation sharply to bite them that seeing what privileges they have lost and wee enjoy they might imitate us and come unto Christ from whom they have fallen But who is it that doth provoke them The vulgar Latine and Origen understand it of the faith of the Gentiles which should provoke the Iewes to emulation Chrysostome Theodoret and Ambrose understand it of the Gentiles that they should provoke the Iewes by their example to beleeve Anselmus quite contrary to the Apostles purpose understands that the Gentiles should imitate the Iewes P. Martyr saith that all this is referred to God it is meant that God would provoke the Iewes Annotat 6. contrary to Tolet and his judgement I rather embrace because of that saying Deut. 32.21 I will provoke them to iealousie But it will bee objected that this is no commendable thing by envy or by emulatioÌ„ to be brought to beleeve whereto I answere That God simply doth not approve such emulation or envie but as hee can use evill to good purposes so by this emulation it pleaseth him to incite and stir up the Iewes to turne unto him like as the husband puts away the adulterous wife that shee thereby may bee provoked by a kinde of emulation to seeke reconciliation lest another should come in her roome Beside this you must conceive this of the better sort of the Iewes they shall bee provoked but not all for the obstinate shall be made worse lastly conceive it not of the Iewes in particular for they which stumbled and fell away were not restored but of them in generall that though some were beleevers yet the whole nation was not cast off Thus much for the sense for the reading there is no great question onely mee thinkes that the vulgar doth ill translate it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That they might emulate them Vt amulentur eos for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 answers to the Hebrew word Hikni which Moses useth and comes of Kanah aemulari now those verbes which in Kal are absolute in Hiphil doe import the efficient and impulsive cause as Grammarians speake and therefore the word cannot signifie only aemulari but provocare ad aemulationem to provoke to emulation I descend to conclusions First God would have men to be at a holy emulation and strife amongst themselves which should be neerest unto God It is the Apostles doctrine 1 Cor. 12.31 Covet the best gifts En quomodo maxima cum lande vobis licet aemulari See how with greatest praise you may emulate saith Beza In this only it is lawfull to be ambitious and lawfull to contend This is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a holy and good contention saith Hesiod Wee may contend who may doe the most good who may lead the best life who may expresse the most holinesse though wee may not strive who should build the highest palace yet wee may strive to enter in at the strait gate though not strive for lands and livings yet to see the goodnesse of the Lord in the land of the living Though wee may not supplant one another as Iacob did his brother yet wee may contend as children doe who may please their father best and best deserve his love and which of us may provide the sweetest venison for our fathers diet There is a glory which if a man seeke for runs away from him if a man runs from it it followes him as Augustine saith of Cato Quò nanus setebat glâ—riam comagis â—llâ—m â—â—quebatur Aug. de â—ivit Dei lib. 5 cap. 12. How much the lesse he sought for glory by so much the more it followed him But there is a glory which cannot be got without toyling and labouring that 's the true and perfect glory Plutarch reports of Themistocles that when he heard that Miltiades had got him honour in the Marathonian battel he was not able to sleepe because Miltiades was so honourable and he came so farre short of him So should wee in â—â—irituall things The use is Vse to teach us what should be the true object of mans ambitious and aspiring thoughts not mortall but immortall honour and wherein it is lawfull for Christians to contend and â—trive for grace and not for greatnesse where in it is lawfull to emulate one another in seeking who should be neerest unto God â— and therefore wee should resolve that if any man doe faithfull service unto God that wee will doe it as wâ—â—â—s he if any mercifull wee will be as mercifull as he if any keepe the Sabbath wee will keepe it as well as he if any heare the word wee will heare it as well as he And so I come to a second conclusion The good that we see in others should be strong provocations for us to follow them Be yee followers of mee saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 4.16 Your selves know how that you ought to be followers of us 2 Thess 3.7 But most powerfull is that place Heb. 6.12 Be followers of them which through faith and patience inherit the promises As if he should say The faith and patience of the Fathers the vertues and godly qualities of the Patriarks who have inherited the promises not the earthly Canaan which was promised for that they all obtained not as Heb. 11.13 All these died in faith and received not the promises but saw them afâ—â—re off But it is meant of the promise of salvation in and by Christ as Act. 13.32 33. And we declare unto you that touching the promise made unto the fathers God hath fulfilled
salvation of soules What is Pauls hope or joy or crowne of rejoycing are not you it in the presence of our Lord Iesus Christ at his comming Yes c. 1 Thess 2.19 20. This was the reason why Paul became all things to all men that he might save some 1 Cor. 9.22 I sâ—eke not yours but you The reason First because the Ministers must aime at that most whereby God is glorified most and that 's the salvation of soules he is glorified in the wickeds destruction but he glorieth more in the salvation of one that beleeves and repents than in the condemnation of a thousand that die impenitent Secondly because the Minister must answer for his peoples soules as the Apostle speakes Heb. 13.17 They watch for your soules as they that must give account unto God He iâ—â—o to watch Vtetiamsi sanctè vrvat perdite viventes arguere erubâ—scat aut â—ctuat cum o unibus qui ertacentâ— periere perit Prosp Aquitan Devita â—ontemplat cap. 20. That although he live holily and blusheth or is afraid to reprove corrupt livers he perisheth with all those that perish he being silent saith Prosper Aquitanicus Thus God speaketh unto the Prophet Ezek. 33.7 8. Sonne of man I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel and the word shalt thou require at my mouth When I say to the wicked O wicked man thou shâ—lt die the death if thou doe not speake c. Hence ariseth to a Minister a great care he must care for soules and great danger he is in danger of damnation if he lose one of his peoples soules and therefore I thinke that Chrysostome might well use that speech of his Non arbit or inter Sacerdotes maltos essi qui salvi siunt sed multo plures qui per. unt Clnys in Act. Asost Homil 3. Apud Stobaeum cap. 49. I doe not thinke that among the Priests many are saved but many more that perish If one of us have ten thousand soules to feed it is many thousand times more easie for you to goe to Heaven than for one of us which if we considered we would say as Antigonus If thou didst know with how many evils this Diadem is attended thou wouldst not take it up lying on a dunghill First then dangerous is the case of those Vse 1 who preach onely to please whose learning consists in the withdrawing of their matter and setting their words in knots and borders placing them cheeker-wise to delight the care onely who come alwayes from Placentia never were at Verona to use the words of Lavâ—ter on Esther These men wrong themselves for they bring other mens bloud upon their heads as Ezek. 33. They wrong their hearers for they see them like to perish and Felpe them not they see them posting forward in the broad path of iniquitie and reclaime them not they see them in the fire and they helpe them not It was the saying of Sigismund the Emperour 〈…〉 um oâ—â—ulâ— qui â—aunico 〈◊〉 in Carâ—â— â—in nâ— 5. 〈…〉 Mared 〈◊〉 54. 〈…〉 us urury 〈…〉 seâ—atur â—â—â—ust Serm 15 in Matth. Saevitin va nus ut 〈…〉 nam si 〈…〉 â—crd ur He slâ—yes his enemie that spares him and these Ministers doe kill you for want of speaking That which Ausken saith of God God sometimes by sparing rigeth is most true of the Minister hee kils you by forbearing to let you bloud and to launce your sores He that is to be burned bewaileth and yet is burned hee that is to bee cut bewaileth and yet is cut saith Augustine The sicke weepes yet the Surgeon cuts him hee laments and yet the Surgeon seares him whether is this crueltie or pitie Hee rageth against the wound that man may bee cured for if the wound be handled gently man is destroyed Secondly Vse 2 dangerous is the case of these who study nothing but honour and wealth who bestow most of their studies how they may rise higher than their brethren to get honour to themselves not to honour God who open both their mouthes and purses to wooe and solicite their rich promotions but can have no leasure to open their mouthes to preach that a man may say as Seneca in another case Small cures speake Cuâ—aeles â—â—loquunlto ngentes slupent great ones are dumbe When with Demoslhenes in Gedius this is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a bull in the tongue then they 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pati suffer a kinde of squman cie they cannot speake Thirdly dangerous is the case of those Vse 3 who be dumbe dogs that cannot barke who take upon them this holy calling and yet can preach no more than Harpoerates the Aegyptian who was alwayes painted with his singer in his mouth as Erasinus notes who are like to those Idols Psal 115. That have mouthes but speake not Ante Vacunales stant que sedent que fucos Oâ— dâ—â— astâ—b 6. They are Vacuna's Priests and shee sittest Mistresse to bestow a liverie upon such Drones They are such to whom God will say Why stand yee idle the whole day Fourthly dangerous is the case of those Vse 4 who in stead of saving destroy the soules of their people sometimes sowing hereticall and wicked doctrine sometimes by a wicked and sinfull life To whom God may say as Psal 50.16 17. Ionoui mâ—â—i to jua otiosa â—anus Lucida lectiveita tenebr â—sa viâ—a monsir esi res est A tongue that speakes great things and an idle hand A â—lâ—ere doctrine and â—darke life is a monstrous thing Loquere ut vide im Speake as I may see you was the Philosophers rule which is the sault of too many of my brethren who doe more hurt in the weeke day by yoking themselves with a packe of good fellowes than they doe good on the Sabbath by many of their leane and soule-starving Sermons I come to a second note from hence The Minister of the Gospell is the instrument which God useth to save the soules of his people And therefore although God be the Author and efficient cause of salvation yet the Minister is said to save because hee is a co-worker So the Apostle 1 Tim. 4.16 Take heed to thy selfe and to doctrine continue therein for in so doing thou shalt save both thy selfe and those that heare thee In Iam. 5.20 This know that hee which converteth a sinner shall save a soule from death In Mat. 18.15 If hee heare thou hast gained or won thy brother The Minister is the savour of life unto life 2 Cor. 2.16 He is a fisher of men Matth. 4.19 to call them from the world to be of the number of Gods Saints So that a good Minister of the Gospell is said to save men either by working in them faith as Rom. 10.17 Faith is by hearing or by laying downe the danger that comes by sinne as Moses did to Israel Deut. 30.18 I protest you shall surely perish or by preaching that word which if a man
receiving and so being an hypotheticall proposition it consists of an antecedent and a sequele From the antecedent I observe That God never gives way to any evill but for a good end and purpose their fall was suffered for this end to reconcile the world unto himselfe as in the eleventh verse I come to the sequele wherein were noted first their danger dead secondly their hope received to life from death From the first note That living in sinne out of favour with God Doct. is to be in the estate of a dead man The dead shall heare the voice of the sonne of God Ioh. 5.25 If you aske who be these dead surely you need not goe downe into the vaults of the earth to seeke them they are buried above ground they are dead soules in living bodies That body is their tombe and this their epitaph Hic siti sunt Here are they buried Therefore awake thou that sleepest stand up from the dead Ephes 5.14 It may be thought a strange position and savour somewhat of melancholy that a man that breathes and moves and speakes and drinkes and sweares and fights and does all other acts which now adayes are counted manly should be induced that for all this he is no better than a dead man a carcase But let such a man as this be brought before the Iudge of life Christ Iesus examined by the rule of life viz. the word and you shall see what his case is The life of a Christian consists in the union of his soule with God which is made by the grace of the holy spirit dwelling in him for as the life of the body is the soule so the life of the soule is grace and where that is wanting well may the body live but the soule is dead as Paul speaketh of the widow 1 Tim. 5.5 Such dead men are all by nature dead in sinnes and trespasses Ephes 2.1 yea dead even from the wombe and if I may so speake still borne for no man brought grace into the world nor suckt it from his mother he is made not borne a Christian The word Soule is capable of life if God be pleased to give it the best by nature but dead There be two things that argue life in the soule of man sense and motion if man in the estate of sinne hath either I will confesse him to be alive and not dead But first he hath no sense for he perceives not the things of the spirit of God nor can he for they are discerned spiritually 1 Cor. 2.14 Secondly he hath no motion he hath set up his rest in this world never dreames of aspiring higher Tell him of a journey to heaven t is not in him to will it t is not in him once to thinke of it 2 Cor. 3.5 Now if this man may be said to live which manifests life neither by sense nor motion then stocks and stones and the dullest of spring of the elements may as truly be said to live So that wee may conclude as Christ doth Matth. 8.22 Let the dead bury their dead or I may say of such as the holy Ghost doth of the Angell of the Church of Sardis Apoc. 3.1 Thou hast a name that thou livest but thou art dead Hence learne first the errour of the Pelagian and his naturall sonne the Papist Vse 1 who will defend man in sinne and without grace not to be dead but halfe dead like the wounded man Luk. 10.30 or the maid Matth. 9.24 But first God finds no such good in man Gen. 6.5 Secondly Paul finds nothing in the unregenerate part but opposition Gal. 5.17 Thirdly leave the best man to himselfe and he is dead to all good actions Fourthly Paul could not finde any good thing in himselfe Rom. 7. Yet in this point I can make it good out of Bellarmine and others that they neither speake nor write what they thinke Secondly Vse 2 the lamentable case wherein naturally wee are borne dead in sinnes and trespasses Thirdly in what fearfull case they are that live in sinne in grace dead in soule dead in Gods account dead and therefore how little honour wee should performe to them how base they are in respect of the sonnes of God you may perceive If a man want grace nothing can make him honourable he is servant of how many vices Servus quot vitiorum tot dominorum of so many masters saith Augustine Stemmata quid prosunt c. Aug. de Civit. Det lib. 4. cap. 3. Iuâ—inal Satyr 1. When the Apostles seemed to be a little proud that the devils were subdued unto them our Saviour would not have them rejoyce in this but in that their names were written in the booke of life Luk. 10.18 19. Wherefore if you affect either glory or honour or life see where you must seeke it seeke them not at Court those be like glasses saith Augustine bright and brittle Moses had rather be the childe of God than to be called the sonne of Pharaohs daughter And so I come from the danger wherein they were to their hope of restoring Life from the dead First the world shall be changed as it were from death to life after the receiving of the Iewes for though light be risen to the Gentiles yet while the Iew remains in blindnesse The world hath not yet revived saith Beza Secondly Life from the dead Their estate shall be more glorious after their calling than it was before Mundus nondum revixit So Ambrose Thirdly Life from the dead The restoring of the Iewes suddenly shall follow the resurrection from death to life So Aquinas out of Origen and Chrysostome I will not shew my dislike to any of these yet that which I observe is different That wee should not despaire of the Iewes though now they be out of favour and seeme to be dead Though a man be dead he may live againe though buried he may rise againe though out of favour he may be received againe though he run away with the prodigall he may returne againe though he be fallen yet he may rise againe If a man be never so farre gone wee should not despaire of his amendment and reformation What people in all likelihood farther gone than the men of Ephraim They willingly obeyed the commandement that is of Ieroboâ—m Hos 5.11 and when the Lord told them that they were sicke and would have cured them then went Ephraim unto Ashur and sent to Iareb King of Assyria This was added to his former sinnes Hoeaccedu ad superiora peceata saith Mercer yet if once they say Come let us returne to the Lord Hoe est tantum piccavit ut eâ— Sedoma comparata justa videatur then after two dayes he will revive them and they shall live in his sight Hos 6.2 What Citie so farre gone as Ierusalem She justified Sodome and Samaria Ezek. 16.51 that is She sinned so much Aug. contra Faustum Manachaum lib. 22. cap. 61. that Sodome compared
to her might seeme righteous saith Augustine Yet will the Lord gather her as a hen gathereth her chickens under his wings Matth. 23. What man so farre gone as Manasses who built altars to strange gods sacrificed his sonnes to Moloch gave himselfe to witchcraft charming and sorcerie used them that had familiar spirits and did evill in the sight of the Lord to anger him Yet being in tribulation when he prayed and humbled himselfe greatly then the Lord heard him and was intreated and he knew that the Lord was God 2 Chron. â—3 6 12 13. So true is that of the Prophet Ezek. 33.12 〈…〉 non attendi cum enim Deus veâ—◠〈◊〉 qu aboâ—us â—â—ssa quia omâ—â—potâ—s ipse contra fratrem â—d vinae 〈…〉 nam claâ—dit qui Deum credit aut noâ— velle aut 〈…〉 The wickednesse of the wicked shall not hart him in the day that he turneth to the Lord. Be the sinne never so great I may say as S. Augustine doth O man who attendest to that multitude of thy sinnes why doest thou not attend to the omnipotencie of the heavenly Physitian 〈◊〉 for seeing God will shew mercie because he is good and can because he is omnipotent he shuts the gate of divine pietie against his brother who beleeveth that God either will not or cannot have mercie And why wilt thou shut him out of heaven whom Christ hath not shut out of it David is farre gone in a â—â—lterie and murder Peter in back-â—â—dâ—ns and apostasie Paul in tyrannie and 〈…〉 and Gods Church Aug. de teâ—pore Serm. 58. Maliâ— ut pes fraupatur aut manus cum labore ad 〈◊〉 offierum revocatâ—â— â—â—â—â—â—ium 〈…〉 non 〈…〉 ego non 〈◊〉 yet the word of a 〈…〉 Divid the crowing of a 〈…〉 a light shining and a voice sounding 〈…〉 brings Paul to Christ againe Yet 〈…〉 this to incourage thee on in sinn◠〈…〉 what Augustine saith in the cited 〈…〉 foot or hand be broken it is with 〈…〉 its first office if againe â—â—t more hard 〈…〉 third time not without much paine if daily I iudge not of it But though I may not despaire of thy salvation yet it may be God will not bestow salvation though I may not judge thee yet it may be the Lord will though I may not censure thee yet it may be that the Lord will condemne thee I will hope God will shew thee mercy but thou without repentance must feele his justice Be thou never so farre gone yet returne to the Lord as thou art commanded and God wil bestow upon thee that mercy which he hath promised But I leave this and proceed to touch the instrument wherewith the Iewes are fet from death to life The Gospell In Iohn 5.25 In Iohan. tract 22. The dead shall heare the voice of the Sonne of God and they that heare it shall live which Augustine expounds of the raising of men dead and buried in infidelitie and sinne at the hearing of the word Transeunt a morte infidelitatis ad vitam side They passe from the death of infidelitie to the life of faith I am not ashamed of the Gospell for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that beleeueth Rom. 1.16 that is an effectuall instrument of power as Paraeus and Beza expound it In this God reveales his true and absolute righteousnesse with which life and salvation is alwayes joyned and by the ministerie of the word is salvation conveyed and communicated to all that obey it and is therefore called the arme of the Lord Isa 53.1 whereby he can open the graves of sinne wherein men are buried and restore them to their lives againe Man without faith is dead and faith is that which makes the soule alive Augustine upon the words of Christ to Lazarus Ioh. 11.43 Lazarus come forth saith that surgere to arise is credere to beleeve to come forth is to confesse and that which Christ said at the 44. verse Loose him and let him goe Sâ—lvi 〈◊〉 〈…〉 is true of the Minister of the Gospell who by the word looseth the bands of sinne and iniquitie wherein they were tied I might tell you of Iames Andrew and Matthew and the rest but I will only remember you of S. Augustine Aug. Cons 〈◊〉 8 〈…〉 as hee writes of himselfe that when he sate weeping and speaking these words Quarenonâ—odâ— qâ—â—renâ—◠〈…〉 relle â—ege Why not to day why not to day he heard a voice saying Take up and read take up and read which he expounds thus that he should open the booke of God and read the first place he light upon he tooke the booke and opened it and he hit upon Rom. 13.13 14. Not in gluttonie and drunkennesse not in chambering and wantonnesse not in strife and envying but pâ—t on the Lord Iesus Christ and take no thought for the flesh Thus saith he was I converted and thus raised from death to life When our parents have begotten us to die the Word begets us to life The parent may say I knew I begat a mortall childe but he that begets by the Word may say I knew I begat an immortail one Hereupon it is a manifest marke that we are aliue if we beare a loue to the Word whereby wee are begotten no better signe to know that thou art a sonne than thy loue to that which begot thee and it is the Word that begets us 1 Iam. 18. 1 Pet. 1.23 Hence Vse first learne to apply this Gospell unto our owne hearts and this medicine that quick neth the dead to our owne soules The Gospell is like to a medicine excellent onely in the application Thinke that everie promise thou hearest belongeth unto thee everie precept thou hearest pertaineth to thee every word of reproofe takes hold of thee If I be convinced of any sinne I will endevour to reforme it if I heare of any judgement I will endevour to prevent it if I heare of mercie I will surely embrace it if I heare of a garland I will run for it of a crowne of glorie I will sight for it if I have formerly presumed to sinne because God is mercifull I will now tremble at his judgements if formerly despaired because of mine owne sinne and Gods justice I will now cheere up my drooping heart for mercie rejoyceth against judgement if thou bee never so sicke apply this Gospell to thy soule this will heale thee as it did the Leper Matth. 8.3 If never so blinde apply this Gospell this will cure thee as it did Bartimaeus Mark 10.52 If never so long dead apply this Gospell it will make thee alive againe as it did Lazarus Ioh. 11.43 But apply it to thy selfe not to others Bee not like gracelesse Spend-thrifts that say O there were good lessons against this greedinesse not like the Vsurer there were good lessons against prodigalitie and unthriftinesse not like the strict Pharisie O there were good lessons against libertie and licentiousnesse not like
and preserved when all meanes were past much more will he where the meanes faile not Thus the Holy Ghost reasons Rom. 8.32 He who spared not his owne Sonne but gave him for us all to death how shall hee not with him give us all things Quid negabit filus quidedet ut sit pater What will he deny his sonnes who gave himselfe to be their Father saith Cyprian which is an excellent comfort and incouragement for us for whom God hath wrought such extraordinarie and wonderfull things hee delivered us from Aegyptian darknesse a wonderfull worke from a Spanish Armado a wonderfull mercie from a Popish Powder-plot a wonderfull favour great and manifest tokens of love and such as ought to worke in us both faith to trust in him for smaller matters and grace to serve him with more obedience I wish it could not be said of us as it was of Chorazim and Bethsaida Matth. 11. Woe be to thee Chorazim c. for if the great wonders wrought for us had beene wrought for Heathens and Pagans they would long ere this time have both beleeved and repented There is yet a point or two God hath a love to the naturall branches Doct. 3 even when his hand is upon them Aug. Confess lib. 2. cap. 2. Percut is ut sanes occidis nè moriamur as Augustine speakes But the maine point is this Doct. 4 Though Gods children be sometimes farre gone in sinne yet shall they never be quite cast off Lot farre gone in incest Noah in chunkennesse David in adulterie and murther Manasses in idolatrie Peter to a deniall of Christ yet at last received againe The Prodigall far gone but at last comes home and his Father receives him againe the reason is Gods infinite mercie who rejoyceth more in shewing mercie than in doing justice as above And so I come from that part of the Chapter which was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or hortatorie to the Gentiles that they exalt not themselves to that which is propheticall to the Iewes that they may not despaire VERS 25. For I would not brethren Vers 25 that yee should be ignorant of this mysterie lest yee should be wise in your owne conceit that blindnesse in part is happened to Israel untill the fulnesse of the Gentiles be come in THe whole Prophecie reacheth to vers 33. The parts The maine proposition of it God will assuredly call the people of the Iewes in his appointed time vers 25. The reasons to prove it from vers 26. to vers 33. I know not better how to part this verse than into these two branches The one a deepe and profound doctrine viz. Blindnesse in part is come to Israel The other the attention craved and the way that is made to come unto it With this I begin The circumstances moving attention are 1. His kinde compellation Brethren 2. His affection and godly desire for them that they should not be ignorant 3. The depth and excellencie of his doctrine a mysterie 4. The use of that mysterie to keepe them from being arrogant wise and proud in their owne conceits I begin with the compellation Brethren A kinde and gentle speech intimating his love to them begging their love unto him and ministers this conclusion That men are most willing to learne of him whom they affect and love Doct. Therefore the Apostle writing to the Churches alwayes in the first place goes about to winne their hearts unto him by showing how dearely and tenderly hee loves them as Rom. 1.9 God is my witnesse whom I serve with my spirit in the Gospell of his Sonne that without ceasing I make mention of you alwayes in my prayers So to the Corinthians hee would win their love both by praying for them I wish you grace and peace from God the Father and from our Lord Iesus Christ and by thankfulnesse and joy of his heart that God had respected them I thanke my God alwayes on your behalfe 1 Cor. 1.3 4. To the Philippians Brethren I have you in mine heart Phil. 1.7 And God is my record how greatly I long after you all vers 8. To the Thessalonians What is our hope or joy or crowne of rejoycing are not even yee c. 1 Thess 2.19 20. Thus doe Gods Messenges endevour by love by prayer by taking paines towed the hearts of the people unto them that being in love with their persons they may give the better eare to their instructions and lessons The use is Vse 1 to teach us Ministers so to behave our selves that wee may win the love of that people whom wee teach But how Not by forbearing them in their sinnes not by applanding their ill wayes not alwayes by comming in a soft and still voice not by such faint reproofes as old Eli used to Hophni and Phinehas This is not well that I heare of you doe it no more but by praying heartily for you this should make you love us by preaching painfully unto you this should make you love us by living honestly among you this should make you love us by shewing you your sinnes this should make you love us by pulling you out of the fire this should make you love us not thinke us enemies because wee tell you the truth Gal. 4.16 but lovers and friends because wee shew you the way wherein you must walke we teach you those graces that you must cherish we name you those weeds which you must plucke up and those sinkes which you must cleanse and purge if you will be saved Secondly to teach you Vse 2 that your want of love to them makes you profit little by their paines Ahab will not be ruled by Micaiah nor heare the truth hee speakes because hee hates the man 1 King 22.8 Did you profit by them you would love them as the Galathians did Paul Gal. 4.15 you would have pluckt out your owne eyes to doe them good and be as sorrowfull for the losse of them as the Elders of Miletum were to part with the Apostle They wept sore and fell upon Pauls necke and kissed him gushing out with teares to heare the passionate words that came from him that they should see his face no more Act. 20.38 2. From the compellation note That the teacher and they that are taught should both live and love as brethren Doct. 2 Sometimes they are compared to a father and children 1 Cor. 4.15 Sometimes to a mother and her children Gal. 4.19 This love they should manifest first in praying one for another he for them as Paul Rom. 1.9 and they for him Ephes 6.19 Secondly by supplying the wants of one another He to minister things spirituall unto them and they things temporall unto him as the Apostle speakes 1 Cor. 9.11 Thirdly by a reciprocall and mutuall rejoycing at the well-fare of each other Hee must rejoyce when they doe well for what is our crowne and rejoycing c. 1 Thess 2.19 It is life to a Minister to see his people stand fast in
confesse with David mourne with Ezekiah weepe with Peter fall at Christs feet with Mary wipe them with our haires and kisse them with our lips and cry Lord be mercifull to mee a sinner And so I come from the person I to the action take away I will take away their sinne In the former verse he will turne away iniquitie in this verse he will take it away the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of an â—â—nusuall word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying to take away that which troubles and hurts to note that When God forgives sinne he takes it quite away Doct. that it can hurt no more for God will not remember it any more as Ier. 31.34 I will forgive your iniquitie and remember your sinnes no more He will not remember to object it to punish it to condemne us for it He doth not so take it away ut non sit that it may not be sed ut non regnet but that it may not reigne as Augustine Aug. de coniâ—g concupisâ—en lib. 1. cap. 21. When he brought Israel into Canaan he did not cast out all the Canaanites still some of them dwelt in the land but were made tributaries and brought under subjection Iosh 17.12 13. which is by Hierome in many of his Epistles morally applied unto sinne in a man regenerate Velis nolis habitabit intra fines tuos lebusaeus Whether thou wilt or no the Iebusite shall dwell within thy borders but it is made tributary brought in subjection and made serviceable for the true Israelite First for the continuall exercise of his faith to make him warre and fight the good fight of faith against it Secondly to make him still keepe his armour about him lest he should be surprised unawares when men have no enemies they put off their armour Thirdly to worke humiliation in regard we must still carry sinne about us and cannot be rid of it still a Dalilah to solicit us and we cannot avoid her Fourthly to move us to have recourse unto God that he would weaken it and pray unto God that he would pardon it Thus God alwayes works good out of evill turnes poyson into an antidote Lib. 1. dist 46. as Lombard God in forgiving sinne takes it quite away Conclusion that it shall never be remembred As farre as the East is from the West so farre hath he set our sins from us Psal 103.12 He subdues our iniquities and casts all our sins into the bottome of the sea Micah 7.19 If he suffer any remembrance of it to remaine it is for our greater good and his greater glory And so I come from the phrase of taking away to the spots and staines which are washt away and cleansed I will take away their sinne Here is the happinesse of Iew and Gentile and here is the glory of our redemption by Christ here is the peculiar prerogative of the Church that our sinnes are pardoned and the punishment removed and taken away This was Iohns message he should goe before Christ and prophesie of salvation by the remission of sinnes and the great benefit at the day of refreshing is the putting away of sinne Act. 3.19 And this is the great cause of the Churches rejoycing because he forgives all thine iniquities heales all thine infirmities redeemed thy life from death and crowned thee with mercy and loving kindnesse Psal 103.3 4. 1. Reason 1 This belongeth only to the beleevers and repentant as appeares by comparing Ioh. 3.16 with Act. 3.19 all unbeleevers all impenitent persons are excepted for albeit God beare long with them he is but fetching his stroke the farther and the end of them will be that in Ioh. 8.24 Except yee beleeve and amend yee shall die in your sinnes Marke the incomparable happinesse of the godly Christian beyond others the wicked is all the time of his life like to a greene bay tree Psal 37.35 but suddenly I went by and sought him but his place could not be found But vers 37. Marke the iust man for his end is peace he may be all the time of life like a tree in the dead time of winter without sap lease and beautie but as it is 1 Cor. 15.19 If in this life only wee have hope in Christ wee are of all men most miserable Hence First Vse Ministers must learne not to propose remission of sinnes to all in generall but to such as beleeve and repent Secondly it reproves Philosophers who sought blessednesse in honours pleasures morall actions and not in Christ by faith Thirdly Iewes and Iusticiaries who seeke it in their owne works And so I come to a second confirmation of the mysterie in the vocation of the Iewes VERS 28. As concerning the Gospell Vers 28 they are enemies for your sakes but as touching the election they are beloved for the fathers sake IT is taken from the dignitie of the Iewes Exposition though enemies of the Gospell for your sake yet are beloved for the fathers sake therefore hee will restore and call them As if he should say They are indeed enemies yet doth not Israel cease to be a nation deare unto God because God once elected them the infidelitie of some cannot frustrate Gods election because his gifts be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without repentance and if the vigour of election be yet in the nation then must we hope for their conversion at some time or other That 's the argument I come to expiscate the meaning of the words They are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 enemies which some referre to God they be hated of God as Origen followed by Paraeus and Beza some referie it to Paul and the Church as Chrysosâ—ome Theod. and Luther as if he should say They are mine and your enemies because of the Gospell which we preach Or thus Propter Evangelium quod aâ—nunciaâ—us They are enemies while they continue in unbeleefe but shall be loved when they are converted Or thus It is meant of divers sorts of Iewes they are enemies among them who spurne against the Gospell they beloved who are the remnant according to election Or thus It is not meant of particular men but of the whole nation which at that time seemed to be rejected because of unbeleefe but was not utterly cast off in regard of Gods election and the promise made to their fathers So then these are not contrary The Israelites are enemies and hated The Israelites are not enemies but beloved for first contraries must be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to the same but these are not the enemies being such of them as beleeve not the beloved such as are elected Secondly contraries must be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in one and the same respect and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 at one and the same time but the Iewes are enemies and yet beloved both in divers respects enemies for the Gospell beloved in respect of election and this at divers times enemies in the time of their unbeleefe