to see it at all AEnig 296. How may it be that darknesse shall increase by light Resolution When such as are enlightned to knowledge do not walke in that light but sin against the will of God which they know that light in the end increaseth darknesse and leads to eternall darknes as in the Pharisies who persecuted Christ against their knowledge see Heb. 6.4.5.6 AEnig 297. How may he that knowes little haue more knowledge then hee that knowes much Resolution He that hath litle knowledge with good affection and care to doe what he knowes hath more true knowledg then he which knoweth much and doth not practise a litle actiue knowledge is worth much contemplatiue knowledge which is idle and vnfruitfull 2. Pet. 1.5.6.7 AEnig 298. How may there be a learned Ignorance and an ignorant knowledge Resolution When we are willingly ignorant of that which God would not haue vs know this is a learned ignorance as it is a blockish knowledge when wee are curious to vnderstand things hid from vs or when we do not apply our knowledge to practise AEnig 299. What is that which a man may deale and giue out to others yet himselfe not only still keep it but haue the more of it And how Resolution It is knowledg of heauenly things which the more we communicate and giue out to others the more we haue of it seeing it increaseth by vse as it is written to him that hath it shall be giuen AEnig 300. How may that which is grace be an occasion of great sinne Resolution If the grace of God be turned into wantonnesses as in those who abuse the knowledge of Gods mercies vnto libertie in sinning grace generall by abuse of it is the occasion of sinne AEnig 301. How may men prooue wise while they become fooles and prooue fooles when they become wise Resolution Such as become fooles in themselues laying aside all opinion of their owne wit in matter of saluation giuing ouer themselues wholy to bee gouerned by Gods word these prooue wise vnto God as they which are wise in their conceit thinking their owne discretion sufficient to guide them proue fooles before God AEnig 302. How can a meere man that is heere on earth be at the same time in heauen Resolution By christian hope whereby â—e so certainly looks for possession of heauenly blisse as if already he had it for we are saued by hope Rom. 8. AEnig 303. Seeing by faith we see our inheritance how then can we hope for it for hope is of a thing not seen Resolution By faith we haue a spirituall sight of our heauenly inheritance in that we beleeue the promise of it yet wee doe hope for it because we haue not a present bodily sight and enioying of it hope lookes for the effect of the promise faith to the truth of it AEnig 304. How may one at once beleeue both vnder hope and aboue hope Resolution One may at once beleeue vnder the hope of God and aboue the hope of man despayring in respect of mans reason or humane helps yet hoping well because of Gods promise and power as Abraham did Rom. 4. who from barren Sarah could not hope for a Sonne whom yet he hoped to haue because God had promised AEnig 305. How are we saued by faith only And yet it is written that we are saued by hope Rom. 8. Resolution We are saued by faith as the onely instrumentall cause And by hope we are saued because yet we enioy not the saluation which wee beleeue but by hope look only to possesse it one day Rom. 8. AEnig 306. How is it written that hope maketh not ashamed and it is an anchor And yet many there be which say they hope to be saued who are still wauering and doe neuer attaine the end of their hope Resolution It is Christian hope springing from God and grounded on Gods mercy and truth which confoundeth not other hope is no more hope than a dead man is a man AEnig 307. How may one doe well who doth not loue till he be loued and another if hee do so shall do ill Resolution The elect being first loued of God in Christ and hauing that loue shed abroade in their hearts through the holy Ghost are thereby moued to loue God againe wherein they doe well according to that that is written 1. Iohn 4. We loue God because hee first loued vs. But a wicked man who doth therefore loue his neighbour onely because hee was prouoked by some former loue and doth not loue God but in respect of some precedent temporall blessings herein doth ill not louing purely AEnig 308. What gift is that that is both greater and lesser then faith and how this may be Resolution It is loue which is greater then faith First because it extends further embracing God angels and men both good and bad men whereas faith lookes on God only vpon whose promise it leaneth Secondly loue is not only of larger extent but of larger lasting and continuance then faith which ceaseth when the thing beleeued is enioyed whereas loue remaines in heauen after this life howbeit loue is lesser then faith because it is the daughter and fruit of faith hauing no commendation or force but from faith which alone doth carry vs to Christ and gets vs iustified and sanctified by him A thing which loue cannot doe AEnig 309. How doth loue driue out feare yet the feare of the Lord abides for euer Resolution Loue driues out of the heart seruile feare wherby God is feared as a Iudge for punishment sake but the filiall and chast feare of the Lord whereby hee is feared as a father and sauiour this feare abides for euer as a companion of godly loue AEnig 310. How may one at one time both forsake that which he hath and haue that which he forsakes Resolution He may forsake it in affection being readie to leaue life substance and all for Christ if neede bee And yet haue all these still in possession AEnig 311. How may a Christian so esteeme the least of Gods earthly blessings as to thinke himselfe lesser then it yet ought so to contemne the greatest of them as to iudge them losse and dunge Resolution In regard as they are loue tokens and fruites of our redemption by Christ lent vnto Christians for comfort of this pilgrimage they ought highly to esteeme the least yet when they come in comparison with the excellent knowledge of Christ and with heauenly glory they may contemne them and account them vile as dunge AEnig 312. Seeing we are commanded to honour our parents how may we hate them without sinne Resolution When our Parents come in comparison with Christ and his Gospell in this case it is no offense to hate them that is to loue them lesse then Christ for naturall affection must giue place to godlinesse but simplie to hate them is a grieuous
In Hell 4 4 In sinnes 5 5 In Sacrament 6 6 In Afflictions 7 7 In Temptations 8 8 In Harts 9 9 In Diuels 10 10 In the Blessings of this life 11 11 In Redemption which exceedeth creation In it mercy and Iustice met together The redeemer is but one Christ. Conceiued by the holy ghost He is without sinne doth subsist in the Godhead both God and man Communication of properties Humiliation in his Birth Two wills in Christ answering his two natures Christ his manhood promised Christ like Melchisedech Christ made sinne by impuâ—â—tion Rom. 8.8 Christ abased in the world His obedience of infinite value Christ heire of the world Our Mediatour our Priest That which is proper to one nature is attributed to the other Christs sacrifice voluntary else it had not been satisfactory Hypostaticall personall vnion is vnseperable The victory of Christ ouer death 2 2 Ouer Satan Christ the corner stone How the manhood of Christ hath eternall life in it Doubble the fruits of Christs death Christ made a curse Hath freed vs from â—uerlasting torment Eph. 1. Phil. 2. Christ his sacrifice but once The vertue of Christs death looke backeward His agonie or soule suffering His loue His buriall Resurrection His life after his resurrection His ascention His locall abode in heauen His sitting on Gods right hand Ieuites of his assention Ioh. 16.7 Sending of the holy Ghost Mediator Intercession His kingdome spirituall Eternall Word of God inspired Mighty in opâ—ration Full of wisdom A mistery Our duty to search the word Indicia Dei 2 2 Indicia oris Dei Effects of the word It is effectuall by the Spirit The antiquitie of the word before the Church The word is Eternall It is a word of peace The word of the Lord is holy Nitimur in vetituÌ„ It iustifieth not How the Law differeth from the Gospel The Ceremoniall Law fulfilled in Christ. The condition of the Law and the Gospel What things are required of him that shall doe the Law Generall Law yeelds to a Speciall Law of Ceremonie yeelded to the Law of Mercy To whom the Law is easie and how Ioh. 5.3 To whom impossible How Faith is commanded in the Law What spirit goes with the law How law is the ministry of death The gospell vnprofitable to the reprobate Profitable to the elect only Diuers effects of the Gospell according to the subiect According to the degrees Famine of the word Gods counsell gouerns the effect of preaching Math. 11. Women may be no publique Teachers Gospell fructuall like raine When the word fructifieth Testament or Couenant of pâ—ace is but one Fathers beleeuing in Christ to come The gospell preached to them Office of the Ministers How ministers be sauiours and what is their worke Maintenance of Ministers Prophets preached Christ. They be Christs friends Iohn Baptist Middle betweene two testaments Apostles Seruants Friends to Christ. They conquered the world to Christ. How Pastors succeede Apostles A good Pastor a good builder Bad Ministers which teach well and liue ill Wolues Hirelings False Prophets Antichrist True Church It is but one Sundryl waies considered It is Christs body She is a Virgine Spouse to Christ. Hos. 2 Fruitfull in begotting children Likenesse betweene Christ and his Church The church a kingdom a body c Faithfull Ministers the Fathers and children of the Church The likenes between Christ and his Church The censure of the Church In excommunication both vnlawfull And lawfull The dignitie of a Christian. Christians equall The church hath a spirituall regiment True Church is vniuersall False Church Vrbs septicollis Reu. 18.2 The benefit of publike assemblies The elect children of Gods house The called children of God Their coniunction with Christ Christs affection vnto them Spirituall mariage betweene them and Christ. How they are in heauen They be new Creatures 1 1 Kings 2 2 Prophets 3 3 Priests They be still vnperfect More excellent then the Angels Most free Separate from the world by effectuall calling Effectuall calling is a new creation A twofold calling What persons for the most part called Faith in Christ is the entrance to eternall life Faith the eye of the soule or spirituall sight Office of Faith with the force thereof Faith once had neuer lost Nature of faith It resteth on Christ onely Least measure of faith No Faith without doubting What fear is ioyned with faith Degrees of Faith How loued before faith Faithfull man a Virgin Vnperfect in knowledge In some more perfect Regeneration Regenerate are children many waies The vse of Sacraments They be misticall signes Against transubstantiation Baptisme how it saueth How it washeth the soule How it forgiueth sinne Lords supper How eaten How Christ becommeth our foode Spiritually 1. Cor. 13. 12. Math. 26. 26. 27. 1. Cor. 11. 24. Against corporall eating Iustification by faith It is but once Christs iustice ours by imputation Rom. 4. throughout Ro. 10. 4. No man righteous in Gods sight How works do iustifie Adoption by Grace Certainty of our adoption Sonnes of God bee heires Inheritance of heauen hath perfection with differences in degrees Adoption an effect of the spirit The dutie of adopted sonnes Certainty of adoptist Adopted ones why afflicted Free from slauish feare Reconciliation Sanctification It is vnperfect It is a totall change But not absolute The end of sanctification Free from the law Mortification Deniall of a mans selfe Buriall of sinne Mortified in part Resurrection to newnesse of life Spirituall Combat is Continuall It is irkesome Least degree of repentance Repentance a great blessing of God How true repentance distinguished from false Repentance giuen to great sins All men need repentance but not all alike Repentance is the ioy of Angels Generall Repentance sufficient for secret sinnes Good works necessary to saluation They serue to many good purposes How they please God Heauen a free reward of good works God is to be known by Christ. Our knowledge not perfect heere Sauing knowledg is effectual and special Practike knowledg is best knowledge Knowledge without practise is fearefull Knowledge ioyned with godlinesse Knowledge with sobrietie Knowledge groweth by right vse Knowledge abused an occasion of sinne Who bee truly wise Hope How it differs from faith Hope aboue hope How saued by hope Hope ashameth not Our loue of God springs from his loue to vs. Loue lesser then faith being an effect of faith Loue mixt with child-like reuerence For loue of Christs all so be forsaken How earthly things to be loued vnder Christ. Parents lesse to bee loued then Christ. Idolatry to loue ought more then Christ. True feare of God Gods children reioyce with feare Humble prayer It is alwaies heard A speedie Messenger It must come from a feeling of our spirituall beggery There is inward mentall prayer Vocall praier By praier the poore profit the Rich. Patience Relieues our miseries Humility Springes from feeling of our vilenesse The humble are exalted Praiers of the humble accepted Sabboth holy True zeale A broken heart better then Sacrifice Our neighbour to bee loued for Gods sake Brotherly loue the bonde of perfection The loue of a mans selfe is the paterne of a mans loue to others Loue makes all things common for vse It cannot make things common to be proper It loues priuate enemies Maketh rich Good things increase by vse Some lusts be good Godly sorrow a path way to ioy Grace the mother of good works Euill works merit hell Vnregenerate men Haue no fellowship with Christ. Wholy poluted Of a brutish disposition Seem to be in Christ. In their ignorance of the Law sin is dead In the right knowledge of the Law themselues doe dye How far they may go and yet perish The hypocrite is a great lyer Sinne turneth men into beasts Securitie Contrary Apparance of some righteousnesse in some wicked men Scorning the height of sinne Sinne in many is still and quiet Sinne of oppression dangerous Vnbeleife the greatest sinne Outward Idolatry how many waies Sinners be slaues Enuy a Diabolicall vice A wicked tongue How farre ignorâ—nce is a sinne An euill heart mars cheife workes Wicked men sinne freely yet cannot chuse but sinne Idle knowledge Deniall of God Men must hinder sin in others else they sinne What is strife is wicked An euill man can doe no good work Actions to be iudged of by the end and minde Sinning against conscience Rom. 14. Wicked praiers be sinnes Losse of soule the greatest losse Vsury committed without sinne Lending being a worke of mercy must be free as Christ commandeth Luk. 6. Euill worship is no impeachment to religious worship Vocation of the Gentils Bodies immortall Death the gate of heauen hell All men must die Death the last enemy must be destroyed Some onely changed Certainety of resurrection By the power of Christ. Of men women Spirituall bodies after their resurrection Last iudgment Christ the Iudge How Saints shall iudge All iudged yet with differences The world but altered in qualitie not aboleshed Heauen Hell Hell of conscience Angels assumed bodies for a time True Christians most blessed God is the Soule of the world Liâ—ely faith â—â—aseth at our death No vse of it in heauen Christ entertained by a faithfull soule Hell fire vnquenchable Torment of the damned We must not follow the wicked Our minde renued in part The full fruit of Adoption enioyed in Heauen Dumbe deafe how saued Elect found of God before they seeke him Vncleannes Originall sinne in Infants Man wise but by participation of Christs wisdom How men-giue glory to God How Paul built on no other mans foundation How one man must please another Gospell how preached to all the world All saued how to be vnderstood Numbring our daies Mortification A Child and a Seruant both at once The ladder to heauen is Christ. Vpon who the Angels ascend and descend The Heauens wherfore made The Spirit it is that teacheth vs how to pray The wicked how said to know God The spirit how it praieth for vs. Christ how called a Seruant Rom. 9.1 Swearing how forbidden How a thing may be said to be prolonged yet done in due time How Christ is said to be the sonne of Dauid The raising of Christs body an argument of his godhead How all men are liers The works of the law iustifie not and why Of Faith and works Of patience Of iustification and condemnation Wee were bought with a price Baptisme of infants Dying to sinne
as an interpreter therefore addeth or changeth words for the better keeping of the sense This rule puts to silence cauilling aduersaries of Gods blessed word especially the wicked vnbeleeuing Iewes which take occasions from such mutations to harden themselues in infidelitie Some places in the old testament which seem meere historicall conteyning bare narrations of some thing done yet are mysticall withall hauing an hidden spirituall sense Aug. in Gen. 8. Thus in the historie of Ionas our Sauiour found the mysterie of his death buriall and resurrection For it pleased God to make some histories already done to be types and prophesies of things afterward to be done as that of Hagar and Sarah See Galat. 4. The holy scripture hath sundry words which according to the place where they be vsed do signifie diuers yea euen contrary things Aug. de doct christ c. 25. As Leauen to signifie the nature of the Gospell Math. 13. And also heresie and superstition take heed of the leauen of the Pharisies yea and in sinnefull corruption as 1. Corinth 5. Likewise a Lyon to signifie both Christ the Lyon of the tribe of Iuda and the deuill that roaring Lyon 1. Peter 5. Likewise serpent is put in good part Math 10. 16. wise as serpents and in ill part Gen. 3. 1. Because the things haue seueral properties and vses hence the words by which these things are noted are applied to sundry significations whereof some be contrary The literall sense of scriptures arising from the words duely vnderstood is the onely true and genuine sense analogies and tropologies are not diuers senses but collections or sundry applications of that one onely true litterall sense or a certaine maner of vttering the same sense as Allegories Too much libertie of playing with allegories in expounding scriptures is very dangerous and hurtfull as also to make figures where none are Origen is taxed of Epiphanius and of Hierome too for his licentiousnesse in turning scripture into allegories wherein also popish Fryers are much faultie This rule is against deuised allegories not against sober allusions It is the best and surest way of interpreting scriptures to expound one place of scripture by another as Esra did Nehem 8. 8. He gaue the vnderstanding by or according to the scriptures so Tremelius reads the place For what better interpreter of the holy ghost then the holy ghost also the scripture being as a light sheweth both other things and it selfe too like the sunne that great light Also there be cleare places enough to open the hard Aug. lib. de doct chr cap. 26. How much to blame are they which send vs to the Fathers to fetch thence all interpretation of scriptures wheras Fathers are to beleeued because they write that which is found in scripture but it is madnesse to make the Pope chiefe Interpreter Howsoeuer some one scripture somtime through difficultie or ambiguity of words and diuersitie of translations seemes to beget diuers senses yet euery scripture hath one certaine and fitt meaning which by all meanes is to be searched after and rested in Howsoeuer many profitable truths may be gathered out of a text yet we may not make euery scripture speake euery thing but what is a greeable to the matter handled scope and phrase aswell as to other scriptures and the anologie of faith to wit the Articles of our Christian Creede the 10. commandements the Lordes prayer and doctrine of the Catechisme Examples hereof innumerable the word Image Rom. 8. 29. is expounded diuersly of likenesse to Christ in holinesse by some in glory by others in afflictions by others Now the matter there handled and scope which is to comfort Christians vnder the crosse shewes the third sense to be only fitt to this place though the other be true and godly Likewise Rom. 10. 17. The word of God is interpreted by writers both of the Gospell the matter of our hearing mother of faith and of Gods commandement sending preachers and commanding them to teach this latter to be more meet sense appeareth by the phrase in that Paul saith not of the word of God but by the c. also by comparing this verse with the first words of the 15. verse Where a text of scripture is so ambiguous as it cannot be found out by vs after diligent search to which sense of two or three to leane vnto that text may be interpreted in both senses August cap. 2. de doct Christ. if the Analogie of faith will suffer nor be against the circumstances of the text hereof such as be preachers of the word shall in course of reading and preaching finde many examples Because it is our duty in interpreting scriptures not to swarue from the generall marke of the whole word faith in Christ and loue towards God our neighbour though wee misse of the particular scope and sense of that place which we handle but euer esteeme that sense to be corrupt that buildes vs not vp in faith and loue Wee must not bring a sense of our owne vnto the scripture but meekely receiue that which the scripture giueth of it selfe Papists in steede of fetching from Scripture the true sense of the word iustified in the epistle to the Romans and of workes where imputed iustice and works after grace and done by grace are plainly ment do bring a construction of their owne vnderstanding them of infused iustice and of workes done before grace in fauour of their owne error touching iustification and merit by workes done after grace by faith It is the ready and high way to all error to interpret scripture by preiudice in fauour of some opinion of our owne Many things be first generally spoken and then presently declared by particulars as 2 Tim. 3. hauing in the first verse said the latter times should be dangerous in the 2 verse openeth it by the particular vices which should raigne in the latter daies There be innumerable such examples which any intelligent reader shall obserue easily in the course of his reading The scriptures diuers times expresse the antecedent or that which goeth before by the consequent or that which commeth after contra Two examples hereof amongst many other are found in one verse Rom. 9.3.3 where a stone of triall as Isay hath it chap. 28. vers 16. is expressed by the consequent A stone of offence for so it proues to the disobedient which stumble at it by vnbeliefe and for not making hast in Esay Paul hath shall not be ashamed and confusion being an effect which followeth hast and precipitancy Though some things in scripture be not only aboue our reason but seeme contrary to reason either vnprobable or impossible yet beware that we neuer do beleeue any false thing to bee taught and deliuered there August Because God being of infinite wisedome may and doth in his word set downe things of vs