and yet life continues As touching Power that is Gracious habits imprinted vpon the soule and enabling to operate I distinguish againe For some of them either in themselues or vs argue defect and imperfection and pertaine only to the condition of this present life such as are Faith Hope and Repentance and the like Others import perfection pertaine also to the next life among which excells Charity The former in the end of this life cease For we beleeue because we see not and hope because we possesse not and repent because we sinne But when wee see possesse and are free from sinne then Faith Hope and Repentance vanish away As for the latter they never cease but continue with vs evermore Yet here againe are we once more to distinguish For these habits may be considered either in regard of Substance or Degree In regard of degree we confesse they may suffer abatement For Faith may fall from its Plerophorie oâ— fulnesse to an Oligopistie or lower degree thereof and Charity also may remit much of its fervor So that in this respect a man may be said to bee moribundus declining as it were vnto death But in regard of Substance or Being we confidently affirme in such sort as is aboue said that they never perish and the spirituall man neuer dieth To winde vp all in a word actus intermitti potest gradus remitti sed habitus ipse nunquam potest amitti the act may suffer intermission for a time the degree abatement or remission but the habit or life it selfe never loosing or amission The question being thus clearely stated let vs now proceed to proofe That the life of Grace in all them that are giuen vnto Christ by the Father is eternall might be proued by many arguments All what I haue to say shall be reduced to one If the life of grace at any time fayle and the elect of God spiritually dye either it is through the deficiencie of the Procreant and Conservant causes of life or the efficiencie power of the contrary corrupting causes But it is neither through the one or the other Ergo neither doth the life of Grace at any time fayle nor the elect of God die The Major proposition needs no proofe For a third cause cannot be named and therefore of necessitie it must bee one of the two if there be any The Minor therefore I am by all meanes to fortifie and to maintaine that neither the Procreant and Conservant causes fayle nor the contrary corrupting causes prevaile The efficient and preseruing causes of spirituall life is as wee haue shewed the holy and blessed Trinitie the Father through his Sonne by the powerfull operation and working of the holy Ghost These if they fayle either it is because they cannot or because they will not continue this life To say they cannot is no lesse then blasphemie and contrary both to Scripture and reason For Omnipotence is an essentiall attribute of the Deitie so that he can no more cease to bee almightie then cease to be himselfe and loose his being In the Creed is this title ascribed vnto the Father how-be it not exclusiuely For the Sonne and the holy Ghost being coessentiall with him they are coequall also in might and power The sonne by the word of his power created all things together with his Father and by the same word vpholdeth all things And to the holy Ghost power also is attributed even the same power whereby things were created and wonders aboue the reach of nature are wrought If it bee said that the Sonne by taking our nature vpon him made himselfe inferiour to his Father I confesse it and withall that his mediatorie power is lesse then his Fathers Neverthelesse all power is giuen him both in heauen and earth such a power as no creature besides is capable of and which was giuen to this very ende that he might both giue life continue it vnto eternity Vnto which had it not beene sufficient without question greater had beene giuen for the Father may not fayle of his end Of the power of God therefore there can bee no doubt but that he is mighty to saue able to make vs stand able to keepe vs so that none vnlesse he will can take vs out of his hands What say we then to his will For as in him that is by vertue of the first life wee liue so if either hee withdraw himselfe from vs or suffer others to withdraw vs from him we cannot subsist Surely as he is able so if we may beleeue Scripture hee doth stablish vs in Christ we are kept by the power of God to saluation and our life is hid with God in Christ. But enquire we a little deeper into this mystery And first the will of the Father appeareth many waies By Election vnto life which being absolute not conditionall is immutable For the foundation of God standeth sure hauing this seale the Lord knoweth who are his And the names of all the elect are written in the booke of life out of which they can neuer be blotted For they are ordained vnto life and appointed by God to obtaine salvation through Christ. By his loue also which is the cause of Election I haue loued thee saith he with an eternall loue a loue which as it is without beginning so shall it likewise be without ending Nay if the loue of a mother is more to her child when she beareth it in her armes then while it was in her womb we may not think but the loue of the Father continueth at least as great towards vs when we are new borne of him as it was when we were yet but conceaued as it were by election Thirdly by donation of Christ to the elect For what greater testimonie either of his loue or of his will to saue then this So God loued the world saith Christ that hee gaue his onely begotten sonne that whosoeuer beleeueth in him should not perish but haue euerlasting life Fourthly by donation of vs vnto Christ. For it is the will of the Father that of those he hath giuen him he should loose none And here it is said that he hath giuen vnto the Sonne power over all flesh that to as many as he hath giuen him hee should giue vnto them everlasting life And lastly by the couenant made with vs. It is a couenant oâ— salt an euerlasting couenant And I will betroth thee vnto me foreuer saith God And againe This is my couenant with them saith the Lord my spirit that is vpon thee my words which I haue put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy seed nor out of the mouth of thy seeds seed saith the Lord from hence forth and foreuer And thus you see the Father is willing what the Sonne His willingnesse also appeares many
vs and why should not we willingly take vp our Crosse for him As touching the last which is our Following of Christ know wee it is our safest course absolutely to resigne our selues into his hands He is farre wiser then we are as being the very wisdome of his Father and therefore knoweth both what is best for vs and how to provide for vs better then we our selues Againe his loue is far greater then ours either is or can be towards vs. The heathen Poet even by the light of nature could say Charior est illis homo quam sibi Man is more deare to God then to himselfe but the light of revelation demonstrateth it more fully in that out of his infinite loue he gaue his only sonne for vs. His loue then being such it cannot be but that hee is most willing to doe vs the best good hee can Now what his wisdome and loue resolue concerning vs his power is able to effect for he is omnipotent and nothing is impossible vnto him What then should let but that it is our safest course to make a perfect surrender of our selues vnto him If we be left vnto our owne selues wee are ever in danger and in the end shall surely perish but being Christs and following him wee can neuer miscarry nor doe amisse All these things being duly weighed considered are sufficient to make vs willing willing I say to deny our selues to take vp our crosse daily and to follow Christ. Vnto which Willingnesse if wee further adde our owne Endeauour doing what lieth in our power confecta res est we shall surely come after Christ that is bee his schollers here and raigne with him for ever hereafter Without trauell and labour nothing can bee had in this world much lesse will the kingdome of heauen be obtained with sitting still and doing nothing No it must suffer violence violent men must take it by force which whosoeuer shall doe he shall never fayle of it Christ will instruct him by his word guid him by his spirit protect him with his providence gard him with his Angels and ever pursue him with his grace vntill he haue brought him vnto the end of his hopes even the eternall saluation of his soule Vnto the which the Lord bring vs all for his Christs sake AMEN FINIS AN APOLOGIE OF THE IVSTICE OF GOD. OXFORD Printed by I. L for E. F. 1633. GEN. 18.25 Be it farre from thee from doing this thing to slay the righteous with the wicked that the righteous should be even as the wicked bee it farre from thee should not the iudge of the whole world doe right ALthough the good in regard of Gods knowledge and their owne affection are chosen out of the world separated from the wicked yet are they not remoued out of the world but still remaine therein mixed with them in place and conversation So that the Church of God while it is militant here on earth is no other then a floore wherein is both chaffe and wheat a field both of corne cockle a net containing both good and bad fishes a flocke consisting both of sheep goats and shall so continue vntill the fanning time come vntill the harvest be cut vntill the net be drawne to the shore vntill the high shepheard survey his flocke but they shall eternally then be divided one from another be ranged into severall places the one into a place of refreshment everlasting ioy the other into a place of torment everlasting woe In the meane season both good and bad being embarked as it were together in the same vessell how can the good escape the common shipwracke of humane calamitie Or being enwrapt in the same punishment with the wicked how is God iust Abraham the father of the faithfull a man of deepe vnderstanding in the mysteries of Gods providence yet stood astonished hereat in Sodoms case where righteous Lot and for ought hee knew divers other holy men dwelling he marvelled how it might stand with the iustice of God in the destruction thereof to involue both righteous and wicked together and therefore saith according to my Text Bee it far from thee from doing this thing A point as you see of great importance and as will evidently appeare by the sequele every way worthy our present consideration which was the cause why I made choice thereof at this time God grant vnto vs the assistance of his blessed spirit that wee may handle it as it deserueth and that it may bee vnto vs as profitable as it is pertinent All that I haue now to say touching these words may be reduced vnto these three heads Gods action Abrahams affection Abrahams argument Gods action how hee dealeth with these mixt societies consisting both of good bad Abrahams affection how hee standeth affected towards them Abrahams argument which so much swayed his owne affection and whereby hee would perswade God also to be of his minde Gods action is intimated implied generally through the whole Text in the words going before it in the twentieth and one and twentieth verses wherein God acquainted Abraham how he meant to proceede with Sodom and Gomorrha Abrahams affection is plainely declared in the Deprecation he maketh vnto God for them His argument is expresly set downe in these words Shall not the iudge of the whole world doe right Which being a question propounded negatiuely is to be vnderstood as an affirmatiue proposition thus The judge of the whole world must needs doe right Of these things briefly and in order The actions of God in this case are not alwaies one the same but as his Wisdome is to vse the Apostles word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 full of variety so are his actions also manifold yet alwaies iust For iustice is vnto God not accidentall as it is vnto man but essentiall and inseparable so that hee can no more doe that which is vniust then cease to bee that which eternally and necessarily hee is namely God First then so great loue beareth God vnto his deare Saints and children that the wicked among whom they liue oftentimes fare the better for them and their temporall prosperitie and deliuerance from dangers is to be imputed vnto them Was not wicked Cham preserued in the Arke from that deluge which overwhelmed the whole earth for his good father Noahs sake Were not the sinfull Sodomites reskued out of the hands of their enimies by the sword of Abraham for righteous Lots sake If fiftie if fortie if thirtie if twentie nay if but ten iust men might haue beene found in Sodom had they not escaped that fearefull storme of fire brimstone which after fell from heauen vpon them even for tennes sake What speak I of ten One Moses standing in the breach before God turned away his wrath so that he did not destroy his people Israel And God himselfe by the Prophet Ieremie saith thus Run to and fro by the streets of
blemish and staine vnto their blood So that that which God accounteth the greatest honour is accounted by man a great impeachment of honour and seldome findeth in the minde due estimation As little loue findeth it also in the affection Saint Paul earnestly chargeth all men to loue those men that are set over them in the Lord that is their Ministers yea to bestow vpon them not some small measure but abundance of loue And why for their workes sake saith he as if he had said more fully because by the paines they take for you they deserue much loue so that if you will not amorem impendere freely vouchsafe them your loue yet are you bound amorem rependere to requite their labours with loue Alexander the Great was wont to say hee was more beholding to his Master Aristotle then his Father Philip for that he had his being only from the one and his well-being from the other And surely if wee owe loue vnto our naturall parents as authors of our temporall life how much more is due vnto our spirituall parents who haue begotten vs by the immortall seed of the word vnto a blessed and eternall life Moses blessing Levi calleth him the man of Gods mercies and anciently the Ministers of the Gospell were stiled the beloued of God Doth God set his mercies and his loue vpon them and dares man deny his vnto them What dares not sinfull man doe He denied it There is one Micaiah saith Ahab the sonne of Imlah by whom wee may enquire of the Lord but I hate him for he doth not prophecie good concerning me but evill Our Sauiour Christ in the charge hee giueth his twelue Apostles foretelleth them that they shall be hated of all men for his names sake What he foretold them they by experience found true being euery where persecuted euen to the death The reason because they were the light of the world and the whole world lieth in evill every one that doth evill hateth the light because it discovereth and reproueth his deeds Verit as odium truth begets hatred according to that of St Paul Am I therefore become your enimie because I tell you the truth Vnlesse we soe pillowes vnder mens elbowes wee cannot please them if we please them not neither can wee haue their loue Et hinc illae lachrymae hence the bitter cold that nips vs every where But how little wee are either esteemed or loued will yet more appeare by the outward fruits For as is the internall honour of the minde and affection so is the externall also in Word in Gesture in Deed. Honour in Word is honourable mention whereby wee speake nothing but honour of a man And this also wee iustly chalenge to our selues for it is written Thou shalt not speake evill of the Ruler of thy people True it is Ministers are not Angels but being made of the same mouldes with other men are subiect to the same infirmities Neverthelesse he playes but Chams part that laughs at his fathers nakednesse Shem and Iaphet will not see it but goe backward and couer it The exorbitancies of a Minister saith Constantine the great ought not to be knowne vnto the people hee for his part would rather couer them with his purple robe For as the Councell of Chalcedon saith Delicta Sacerdotum communis est turpitudo the sinnes of the Priests are the common shame of the Church True Charity would couer a multitude of them but to blaze and divulge them is to spread abroad the infamie of our Mother And yet this is the ordinary practise of these daies the Ministrie is the common butt against which they shoot the venomous arrowes of their tongues In all meetings at all tables the Minister vsually is the subiect of their talke and it is couâ—ted among many a speciall mark of true religion zeale with open mouth to publish the faults shall I say of inferiour Ministers Nay of the cheefest fathers of the Church Wherein also like butchers flies they lightly passe ouer the whole and sound places and seize only vpon gals and sores that is if they meete with an infirmitie that they are alwaies buzzing about as for their graces and vertues they are wrapped vp in deep silence Physitians if they doe but one good cure grow famous thereby though they kill twentie besides we how many good things soeuer be in vs yet one leane Cow swallowes vp the seauen fat and the least weaknesse is sufficient to disgrace all Weaknesse say I Nay that which is counted weaknesse in others is traduced as wickednesse in vs our frailties are furies and every mole-hill is made a mountaine So ready are they to speake the worst of vs and so loath to say any thing that may credit our Calling If they will scarce vouchsafe vs a good word is it likely they will afford vs any Reverence in Gesture Yet Obadiah the gouernour of king Ahabs house meeting with the Prophet Eliah fell on his face before him Cornelius the Centurion vpon S. Peters comming to him fell downe at his feet Euen king Saul before him whom he conceaved to be Samuel stooped with his face to the ground bowed himselfe And Alexander the great when hee saw Iaddua the high Priest alighted from his horse and humbled himselfe with much reuerence vnto him But Constantine a greater then he when he entred into the Synode of Nice bowed himselfe very low vnto the Bishops there assembled and sate not downe vntill they desired him Yea the very Gentiles themselues stood in such awe of their Priests that they durst not vtter an obscene word much lesse misbehaue theÌ„selues in their presence What thinke you Shall not these one day rise vp in iudgement against vs Christians to condemne vs For now adaies every petty Gentleman lookes for much duty from vs and takes it indignely if we stand not bare before him worship him with cap and knee If wee expect the like againe forsooth wee are growne too proud it is honour enough for vs if they doe but looke vpon vs. Precedencie is any mans rather then the Ministers euery Mammonist euery younger brother euery vpstart of the first head must haue the place from vs. To the gay cloathing euery one saith Sit here in the best roome but vnto vs Stand thou there or sit here vnder my footstoole Thus children behaue themselues proudly against the ancient and the base against the honourable The last honour we claime is bountifull and liberall maintenance For the labourer is worthy of his hire and the mouth of the Oxe that treadeth out the corne must not bee muzled No man warreth at his owne charges and hee that feedeth a flocke liueth by it Even the Egyptians and other Gentiles prouided for their Priests God himselfe appointed Triths vnto Levi the morality of which I dispute not at this time besides Citties