that if hee would be saued hee must seeke to be freed from the curse of the Law and so bee forced to seeke for saluation out of himselfe in Christ to which ende the Lawe is said to bee a schoolemaster vnto Christ. The very same is to be vnderstood of the Euangelicall faith or faith in Christ. For many there be and they as it is to be feared are the greatest number who are content to make profession of the Gospel either because it is inioyned being as ready to embrace the religion of Antichrist if authoritie should impose it vpon them or because it standeth well with their outward respects or to say the best of them because it promiseth saluation to them that beleeue but rest in this outward profession of faith without any speciall application of the promises of the Gospell or apprehension of the merits of Christ without which it is not a true and effectuall faith vniting vs vnto Christ or iustifying vs in him For it cannot bee that a man seeing by a legall faith his owne damnable estate in himselfe he should be said truly and effectually to beleeue the promise of the Gospell which assureth saluation to all though most wretched in themselues that beleeue in Christ who is not willing to receiue and embrace him as his Sauiour desiring in his heart to be made partaker of the merits of Christ and resoluing in his mind to rest and rely vpon him for saluation For whatsoeuer either Papists or they that are Popishly minded doe speake of this applying of the promises of the Gospell and particular apprehending of Christ it is most certaine that without it faith doth not iustifie vs before God or vnite vs vnto Christ. For though 〈◊〉 sufferings of Christ bee as a soueraigne salue to heale our sores though his body be meat indeed and his blood drinke indeed to feed our soules vnto eternal life though his righteousnes be as a wedding garment to couer our nakednes and to make vs accepted of God yet his merits doe not cure our diseased soules vnlesse they be applied his body blood do not nourish vs vnlesse we spiritually eate his body and drinke his blood neither doth the robe of his righteousnes couer vs vnlesse we put it on And surely if faith doth iustifie vs as it is an instrument to apprehend Christ who is our righteousnes and no◠in any other respect then is it most certain that it doth not iustifie vnlesse it be such a faith as doth apprehend the righteousnes of Christ and apply the promise of the Gospell to our selues Wee must therefore learne to applie the promise of the Gospel to our selues which we may do after this manner Is this true as I acknowledge it to be the word of truth that although I am by the sentence of the law and testimony of mine owne conscience an accursed wretch in my selfe notwithstanding I shall be happy and blessed in Christ if I receiue him to be my Sauiour and truly beleeue in him for in him I shall not only be acquited from the curse but also intitled to the kingdome of heauen And doth the Lord in the ministery of the Gospell which he hath vouchsafed vnto me not only reueale the riches of his abundant mercy in Christ and offer the same vnto vs but also stirre vs vp to embrace his mercy offered vnto vs in Christ and by his Embassadors earnestly desire vs to be reconciled vnto him I do therfore vnfainedly receiue the Lord Iesus to be my sweete Sauiour first earnestly desiring in my heart to be made partaker of his merits to which end I wil daily pray vnto God that as he hath desired mee to accept of his mercy and to be reconciled vnto him so he would bee pleased to accept of the merits and obedience of Christ as a full discharge for my sinnes and that in him he would bee reconciled vnto mee pardoning my sinnes and imputing vnto mee the righteousnes of his Sonne and secondly resoluing in my mind to acknowledge him to be my only Sauiour and to rest vpon him alone for my saluation being perswaded that hee died for my sinnes and rose againe for my iustification Thus by application the Euangelical faith becommeth effectual to vnite vs vnto Christ and to iustifie vs before God But as our faith must be effectuall in apprehending Christ the obiect thereof vnto iustification so must it bee in some measure effectuall in the subiect that is the beleeuer vnto sanctification For true faith inwardly purgeth the hart and outwardly worketh by loue Fo◠when a man is truly perswaded of the euerlasting loue of God towards him in Christ this perswasion which is faith if it bee true and effectuall cannot but stirre vp his heart to loue the Lord and his neighbour for the Lords sake Faith therefore as S. Iames saith must be demonstrated by good workes which are the necessary fruits thereof For although faith alone doth iustifie as Paul sheweth because faith is the only thing in vs which concurreth vnto the act of iustification and is the only grace which serueth as an instrument to apprehend and receiue Christ who only is our righteousnes yet that faith which is alone not ioyned with repentance amendment of life doth not iustifie as Iames proueth because it is not a true faith For euen as the body saith he without spirit that is breath is iudged dead so faith without workes which are as it were the breathing of a liuely faith is iudged to be dead We are to remember that they which be in Christ haue their workes to follow them as it is heere said For in whom Christ dwelleth by faith to iustifie them hee dwelleth also by his spirit to sanctifie thē neither did he come wit◠water alone or blood alone but as Io◠saith hee came both with water and blood both which gushed out of h◠side the blood I say of redemption to purge vs from the guilt of sinne and the water of ablution to cleanse vs from th◠corruption And euen as from the fis◠Adam there is communicated vnto vs not only the guilt of his first sin by in◠putation because as we were in him a the root so in him we sinned originally but also the corruption of his natur◠which by his sinne hee had contracte◠deriued vnto vs by generation So fro◠Christ the second Adam there is co◠municated vnto vs not only the me◠of his obedience by imputation to a quite vs from the guilt of sinne beca◠in him as in our head we haue fulfill◠the law satisfied the iustice of God but also the graces of his spirit where we are made partakers of the diuine 〈◊〉 ture deriued vnto vs by regeneration therefore we be in Christ wee beco◠new creatures 2. Cor. 5. 17. walking 〈◊〉 after the flesh but after the spirit Rom. 81. For if we shal say that we haue communion with
vs and the Papists do affirme that whiles we consider the mercies of God and merits of Christ wee haue cause of assurance as the Protestants teach but when wee looke into our selues wee haue iust cause to doubt according to the doctrine of the Papists But I answere if we looke into our selues as we are in our selues considered a part from Christ the best of vs all shal haue iust cause not onely to doubt as the Papists teach but also to despaire Yea it were presumption for a man in that case to make but a doubtfull matter of it But although we are to be humbled in the conceit of our owne vilenes and are not onely to doubt but also to despaire of saluation in our selues wee being not considered as in Christ yet this hindreth not but that wee may and ought to be assured of saluatioÌ„in Christ. For though wee be sinfull in our selues yet are wee the righteousnes of God in Christ though in our selues wee haue broken the law and are therefore subiect to the curse thereof yet in Christ we haue fulfilled the law and are freed from the curse though in our selues we are the children of wrath and seruants of sinne yet in Christ we are the children of God and heires of eternall life As therefore the faithfull most certainly be in Christ so let them learne to conceiue of themselues as they be in Christ that what cause soeuer they haue in themselues to doubt they may in Christ assure themselues of their iustification and saluation Many a one that indeede beleeueth in Christ doth himselfe wrong by not thinking of himselfe as hee is in Christ. For the more assured wee are of Gods loue in Christ the more shall our heart bee enflamed with loue towards God and our brethren for his sake the more zealous we shall be of Gods glorie the more cheerefull in his seruice And that which is the happinesse of a Christian here wee shall leade our liues in the expectation of a better life For the life as it were of this life mortall is the assurance of life immortall Thus you haue heard that the faithfull be in Christ and the vse which wee are to make thereof now wee are to shew that this being in Christ is the ground of our happinesse For it is not our liuing nor our dying in it selfe that maketh vs happie but our being in Christ whilest we liue maketh vs happy beatitudine viae that is with such a happinesse as in this time of our pilgrimage is incident vnto vs whilest we are in the way and our being in Christ when we die maketh vs happie beatitudine patriae that is with complete and eternal felicitie when we comming to the end of our way doe arriue into the hauen of rest and heauen of blisse which is the countrey and kingdom which the Lord hath prepared for all those that be in Christ. Now that our being in Christ is the ground of all our happinesse I shew it thus For first if we be not in Christ we are in the state of damnation And contrariwise the cause why any man is exempted from damnation is because he is in Christ. There is no condemnation saith the Apostle to them that are in Christ Iesus Rom. 8. 1. Secondly If wee be not in Christ wee are dead in our sinnes neither can we do any thing being out of him which belongeth to a spirituall life But being in him we liue in him and he in vs a spirituall life which neuer shall haue end For as in the vnion of the bodie with the soule the bodily life consisteth so in the vnion of the whole man with Christ consisteth our spirituall life And as the bodie seuered from the soule is dead so the whole man seuered from Christ is spiritually dead how liuely or cranke so euer he may seeme to be in respect of the bodily life Thirdly if we be out of Christ we are altogether foolish in respect of spiritual things yea our wisedome is â—mitie against God we are in our serues vniust and guiltie of sinne vnholy and defiled with manifold corruptions and laffly in our selues are bondflaues of fin and Satan but being in Christ he is made vnto vs of God wisedome righteousnes sanctification and redemption For being in Christ wee haue communion with him and he with vs. So that as our sinne was his by imputation so is his obedience ours he being made sinne for vs that we might be the righteousnes of God in him And as his sufferings be ours so ours be his But wee are not onely made partakers of his merits to our iustification but also being in him we are made partakers of his graces vnto sanctification For as the sacred oyle being powred on the head of the high Priest who was a figure of Christ rested not there but descended to his lower parts so the oyle of grace wherewith Christ our head was annointed without measure is from him deriued to his members For of his fulnes wee doc all receiue euen grace for grace Ioh. 1. 16. Fourthly being in Christ we haue not onely communion with him in respect of his merits and efficacie but also haue vnion with him in respect of his person wee being made one with him and hee with vs from which vnion the asortsaid communion doth proceede And therefore in him as our head wee may truly be said to haue fulfilled the law in him wee haue satisfied the iustice of God And that which is more in him are wee not onely risen againe but also are ascended into heauen and set in the heauenly places in Christ Ephes. 2. 6. And our life is hid with Christ in God Col. 3. 3. Al which doe argue the assurance which the faithfull ought to haue of their iustification of resurrection vnto glorie and of eternall life For so long as the head is aboue the waters the other members cannot be drowned so while our head is happie in heauen the saluation of all his members is most sure and certaine Lastly being in Christ we are not only vnited vnto him but in him wee are also vnited to the whole Trinitie and being vnited vnto it we shall haue with it euerlasting fellowship in which fellowship and fruition of God perfect felicitie doth consist Thus haue you heard that the faithfull are in Christ and that all which bee in Christ are happie and blessed Now if we beleeue as our dutie is this vndoubted truth namely that al which by faith are in Christ be blested then will we in our iudgements esteeme and in our affections desire to be in Christ aboue all the things of this world For what is our happinesse that is esteemed and affected of vs as our chiefest good If therefore this be our happinesse to bee in Christ then will wee with the Apostle esteeme all other things as drosse and dung that hauing gained Christ
is withered away in time of heate yet that which falleth into an vpright heart as it were good ground is neither choked nor withered but bringeth foorth fruite with patience The way then to die in Christ is to liue in him by a true and vnfained faith which purifieth the heart and worketh by loue walking vprightly as it becommeth the members of Christ in the sincere profession of his faith so shall we in the end of our life attaine to the end of our faith which is the saluation of our soules Many there are which could be content to die in Christ who care not to liue in him Many with Balaam desire to die the death of the righteous but leade the life of the wicked But be not deceiued it is an old saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of an euill life coÌ„monly there is an euill end Presume not that thou shalt die in Christ vnlesse first thou liue in him In all the Scripture there is but one example of a man who after a wicked life was conuerted at the houre of his death One there is that men should not then despaire and but one that they should not before hand presume And forasmuch as nothing is either more certaine than death or more vncertaine than the time thereof it behoueth vs carefully to prouide whiles wee haue time to be in Christ that death whensoeuer it commeth may finde vs in him Let our life be a preparation for death and let this be the chiefest care of our life that wee may be found in Christ at the time of our death This life as our Sauiour saith is the day wherein we are to worke afterward is the night when no man can worke or turne vnto God but as the tree falleth so it lieth and as the day of death doth leaue vs the day of iudgement shall finde vs. This therefore must teach vs not to deferre from day to day our repentance towards God and faith in Iesus Christ but presently whiles it is called to day to turne vnto the Lord that wee may bee in Christ to day before to morow because wee haue none assurance that wee shall liue vntill the morow And so much may suffice to haue spoken of the first and chiefe point namely who they are which heere bee pronounced blessed to wit they which die in the Lord. Now are we in the second place briefely to consider what this blessednes is and wherein it doth consist This is shewed in the words following that they rest from their labours and their workes follow with them So that their happines is two-fold first priuatiue in that they rest from their labors and molestations for there is a sabbaâ—sme or rest reserued to the people of God Hebr. 4. 9. whereof the Sabbath was a type For then the Lord shall wipe away all teares from their eyes and they shall be no more subiect to sinne or the punishment therof as sicknes weaknes mortalitie labour wearines troubles wrongs death Death is the hauen and the end of al misery vnto them But their happines is not meerely priuatiue like that of beasts which after death haue no more sense of paine where by the way we are to note that the state of the beast when it dieth is better then of the wickâ—d who die in their sinnes but it is also positiue For their workes that is the reward of their faith and obedience 〈◊〉 God shall croâ—ne with euerlasting happines shall 〈◊〉 â—th â—hem This doth teach vs that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 good 〈◊〉 cannot merit â—ny thing 〈◊〉 tâ—e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God as Christ himselfe hath tâ—ld 〈◊〉 Luke 17. and â—ch 〈◊〉 eternall 〈◊〉 and therefore 〈◊〉 are not said to go before our acceptation to eternall 〈◊〉 as 〈◊〉 cause but follow as fruits yet the Loâ— of his free grace according to his promise doth plentifully reward them The consideration wherof as it must encourage vs all to be fruitfull in good works knowing that our labour shall not been vaine in the Lord so especially those whoÌ„ the Lord hath enriched with his blessings whether temporall or spirituall that they be rich in good workes laying vp for themselues a good foundation against the time to come that they may obtaine eternall life Againe whereas it is said that the workes of the faithfull do accompanie them after death this sheweth that although death strippe vs of all temporall things yet it doth not bereaue vs of our workes but bringeth vs the reward of them And that when all our friends and followers and all other worldly either delights or commodities doe faâ—e and forsake vs yâ— our workes doe follow with vs to our â—all comfort Which should make vs to esteeme the keeping of faith and a good conscience aboue all the things of this world Now what this reward is which God hath prepared for these that die in Christ though neither the eye hath seene nor the eare heard nor the heart of man conceiued yet thus much we may gather out of the Scriptures that it shall consist in eternall and most perfect glory and gladnes The glory standing partly in the excellency of those heauenly gifts wherewith they shall be adorned being in respect thereof like vnto the Angels and renewed perfectly according to the glorious image of God yea made conformable to Christ our head in such a proportion of glory as his seueral members bee capable of and partly in the fruition of heauenly blessings as the possession of heauen and all heauenly good things the fellowship of the blessed Saints and Angels and that which is all in all the enioying of God himselfe who is the chiefest good In whose presence there is fulnesse of ioy and at whose right hand there be pleasures for euermore And that is the second thing their eternall ioy and gladnes arising from that glory For as they shall be most happie so shall they reioyce in it with vn speakable and endlesse comfort and in the sense thereof shall euermore bee stirred vp with wonderfull alacrity to glorifie God In expectation of this happie hope we are to liue soberly iustly and holily in this present world For if wee set this ioy before as the marke towards which we contend we will not suffer our selues to be withdrawne from our obedience to God neither by any worldly desires which in comparison hereof are to bee esteemed as meere vanities nor by any terrors of the world which in respect of the ioy that is set before vs wee are to contemne The third thing remaineth that is the time when this blessednes doth belong to them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith he thenceforth that is from the time of their death and so forward for presently they rest from their labours and their workes follow he doth not say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 after them but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with them This therefore is a
is Popish pollutions as the context or coherence in both places sheweth Neither was hee a backeward professor as many are who haue no care of religion but manifested his forwardnes by diuers good signes As first by frequenting the holy exercises of religion abroad and hauing them duely performed at home Secondly by louing reuerencing and countenancing faithfull Ministers Preachers of Gods Word For this I doubt not to auouch that the religion and deuotion of meâ— towards God may be discerned by nâ— one signe better then by the respect which they haue to Gods Ministers Foâ— as our Sauiour saith he that receiueth yâ— receiueth me and he that despâ—seth you despiseth me For as he that despiseth a Minister in respect of his calling doth euidently bewray himselfe neither to haâ— any grace nor yet to desire any because the grace which either hee hath or desireth ordinarily is procured by the Ministery as I could shew at large so he that loueth and reuerenceth a Minister for his calling sake as this worthy Knight did he doth shew that he hath found the Ministery of the Word to bee the power of God to his saluation Of his loue to other my brethren in the Ministery the great concourse of Ministers at this present to honor his funerall is a sufficient euidence As touching my selfe I do with thankfulnesse acknowledge the greatnes of his loue manifested towards me diuers waies wherein he may seeme to haue followed the graue aduise of the Greek Orator in that he hath made me to inherit that loue friendship which from a child he did euer beare to my father Thirdly his forwardnes appeared by louing and fauouring those that were honest and religious and hampering those who were otherwise disposed who now perhaps will vtter their spleene and by their slanderous speeches proue that 〈◊〉 he honored and loued those that feared God so such vile and naughty persons as themselues were odious in his sight Which is one good note of the child of God as the holy Ghost witnesseth Psal. 15. 4. Beloued in the Lord it is no small token of a member of Christ when a man loueth the members of Christ for their godlines and vertues sake For they their are of the world hate those that bee in Christ. And as a wicked man is an abomination to the godly euen so a godly man is an abomination to the wicked Iohn therefore setteth this downe as a special signe hereby saith he we know that we are translated from death to life because wee loue the brethren I hasten to his cariage among men and first in his dealings as a priuate maÌ„ wherein he was I speake of his generall course a strict obseruer of truth in hiâ— words of iustice in his deeds of fidelity in his promises But chiefely consideâ— him in the discharge of his calling For a mans calling is that staÌ„ding wherin God hath placed him to exercise his faith and obedience that therein hee may glorifie God and doe good to men Consider his priuate calling as he was an housholder or head of his familie And therein acknowledge with me his great loue and fidelity to his wife his fatherly prouidence towards his children and nephewes his great wisedome and care in gouerning his seruants and preseruing them from those horrible vices which as they be vsuall now adaies in great families so no doubt will pull downe the fearefull iudgements of God vpon them I meane swearing and swaggering and finally his goodnesse and bountie towards those whom he found diligent honest and frugall But his publique calling as he was a Magistrate and gouernour in the Common-wealth doth now call me vnto it Wherein all I doubt not who did not mislike him for his iust seueritie either against themselues or such as were neere vnto them wil freely acknowledge that he was a very good Iusticer and a very notable good Common-wealthes man both for his sufficiencie and wisedome which was great and also for his great zeale and good affection towards his countrie and couragious resolution to shew himselfe forward in good causes The truth whereof if we did not sufficiently see whilest wee enioyed him I dout we shall too well feele by wanting him And thus you haue heard of his sobrietie and gouernment of himselfe of his faith and religion towards God and of his iustice charity towards men In all which you are not to vnderstand me as though I went about to maintaine that he had no infirmities or that he neuer failed in any particulars for alas is many things we offend all and highly iâ— that man to be commended whose generall course is such as I haue described Yea happy and thrice happy is that man who hath a setled and vnfaineâ— purpose of obseruing those duties of sobrietie iustice and pietie though besidâ— his purpose he faile in many particulaâ— through infirmitie for 〈◊〉 a one no doubt is the true child of God And as these signes did shew that he liued in the Lord so the same added to his demeanor in the time of his sicknes will proue that he died in the Lord. I wil begin with his Christian charitie in forgiuing those that had offended him in giuing satisfaction to such as thought themselues wronged in seeking to bee reconciled with such as he might thinke did beare any grudge towards him which being considered together with the greatnes both of his mind and state will seeme no small argument of great Christianity And herein he did acknowledge as he had cause the good prouidence of God towards him in giuing him occasion whilest he was aliue and able to answere for himselfe to cleare himselfe as to my vnderstanding hee did of diuers imputations which otherwise might perhaps haue proued scandalous after his death No lesse commendable was his Christian pietie towards God shewing it selfe in the time of his sicknes not onely in the exercises of religion as often hearing of the word preached receiuing the Sacrament more than once to assure him of his vnion and communion with Christ daily inuocation of the name of God but also in approouing his faith and patience being by a long and sharp sicknesse so throughly tried In respect whereof I may not forget his behauiour at two especiall times the one a weeke before his death when as his speech being taken from him hee supposed the time of his dissolution to bee at hand And therefore minding to prepars himselfe for death he calleth by signes for inke and paper and as hee could writeth the names of diuers Ministers and some other his faithfull friends whom he would haue sent for that they might bee both assistants vnto him by theâ— prayer and godly counsaile in the agonie of death as also witnesses of hiâ— faithfull departure But before theâ— came it pleased GOD to restore hâ— speech whereby to his owne and theâ— comfort he made a notable confession of his faith which also he then sealed