the increase of true faith in them yet the wicked eate drink it vnworthely to their owne damnation and regard not as they ought the Lords bodie What should I saye Is not Christ himselfe our déere and blessed Sauiour good and full of life and saluation to all that beléeue Yet euen this Lambe of God sonne of the most high to these cursed castawaies is a stone to stumble at a rock of offence they being disobedient and euen ordeigned to this thing Finally in a word vnto them that are defiled and vnbeleeuing nothing is pure but euen their mindes and consciences are destled Contrarywise to the godly which are pure all things are pure and euen all things all things I say worke to y â— best to them that loue God Yea saith Austen Ipsa etiam peceata The very sinnes falls of the godly turne vnto their good some way or other though thereby they may not be imboldned to offend Therefore we sée how firme this decrée of God is the wicked cannot be saued turning all things to their wo and the elect cannot finally be cast away reaping through the assisting grace of Gods spirit good from all things that befall them For number and knowledge of God of these his elect and chosen the scripture againe is not silent but telleth vs thus much that the haires of our heads are nuÌ„bered Then certainly our persons God knoweth who be his Then certainly he knoweth the number and the number is certaine Our names are written in the booke of life Therefore we are knowne and the number is certaine He calleth his by their names therefore he knoweth them both who they are and how many With which proofes and many mo that might be named Saint Austen ioyneth when he saith Praedestinatorum ita certus est numerus vt eis nec addatur nec minuatur The number of the elect is so certaine that neither addition can be made vnto them nor diminution from them Lastly the word instructeth euen vs also to knowe and to beléeue this matter in perciculer of our selues For the Spirit shall rebuke the world of sinne saith Saint Ihon because it beléeueth not and what is it to beléeue but in my soule and conscience to be assured that Christ died not onely for others but euen for me and that by his death and passion as well I my selfe my poore body and soule shalbe saued as any others And what is this I pray you but to beléeue that amongst others with others as well as others God hath chosen you to be an heire of his Kingdome Want this faith in your selfe the place I aledged saith the spirit shall rebuke you and as many as want it for sinne because ye do not beléeue this Therefore we are all bound you sée euen by the will of God to beléeue our particuler election predestination he that doubteth or waueretd must be rebuked and is rebuked euen of Gods spirit for so doing Why againe should so much and so many things be spoken of the mercie goodnesse of God as is in y â— scripture but that you I and all flesh should catch hold of it and conclude out of y â— same that to vs particulerly such so euer God wilbe Looke we then at the light of y â— word of God both for election for y â— causes of the same for the firmenesse stabilitie of it for nuÌ„ber knowledge in God in our selues and sée whether these mad men that cannot away with this doctrine of Gods election do not oppose themselues directly plainely against the euidence of Gods holy sacred Scriptures striuing against the streame and kicking against the prick to their fearfull confusion if they leane not The third last thing which I said they oppose themselues against is the swéet vse of this holy doctrine which it yeldeth suÌ„dry waies to as many as rightly with vnderstanding meditate vpon it As first by confirming most strongly this féeble faith of ours against despayre when troubles crosses do euery way beset vs as it were ouerwhelme vs. For truely may it be saide of the afflictions often of the godly as one saide of an other matter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one labour begâ—◠〈◊〉 â—â—her one sorow foloweth an other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—iue godly in Christ 〈…〉 the troubles 〈…〉 But â—eare not litle flock saith our Sauiour Christ for it is your Fathers will to giue you a kingdom as if he should say whatsoeuer befalleth you bitter in this world dispaire not but comfort your selues and soules with this that you are of the flock that is elect chosen for a kingdome which your fathers will is w tout all faile to giue you Reioyce that your names are written in the booke of life that is stay your selues vpon your election euer feare not Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods chosen it is God that iustifieth who shall condemne Who shall seperate vs from the loue of Christ shall tribulation or anguish or persecution or famine or nakednesse or perill or sword No I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor Angells nor Principalities nor powers nor things preseÌ„t nor things to come nor height nor depth nor ani other creature shalbe able to seperate vs from y â— loue of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. Sed superatis omnibus pro cellis tandem in portu c. But all storms waues of wo being passed ouer well broken of at last in y â— quiet hauen of euerlasting comfort I shall haue my rest for euer euer In a word how can a man dispaire of Gods mercie in due time that findeth his election in the meane time Swéete therefore euer against finall feare is this doctrine Secondly it cooleth and quencheth the proud puffe of sinfull flesh telling vs that be we neuer so mightie neuer so Honorable and high by place and calling in the world yet we were made of the same masse and mould that the poorest man and most wretched caitife to see to in the world was we haue stode before the potter no better matter then he to receiue a choise to such vse and ende as might please him What difference is in vs if any be touching election it hath come by mercy and not from merit therefore no pride but thankes no disdaine of any but humilitie toward all and euer in our selues bewtifieth adorneth vs most He that gloryeth let him glorie in the Lord saith this doctrine of election For fauour in God is the fountaine of our grace whatsoeuer it is that we reioyse in Shall I hoyse sayle and looke bigge vpon others when onely by grace I am that I am It may not be Thirdly it â—â—réth our harts with a féeling of loue in God towards vs that is swéeter then hony or the
hony combe and â—â—â—â—eth our soules to loue againe except we be dead yea to loue most earnest according to the mercie that we haue tasted of Some shadowing of it we may sée in men that stand all condemned iustlie for matter of trespasse committed and expect a sentence of bitter death accordingly Let the Prince in this case release one pardoning in mercie and giuing life when paritie of trespasse called for equall punishment O how leapeth the hart of that released one when be knoweth it crying mercy mercy O swéetest mercy how bound am I for this release Can I loue can I thinke can I honor euer condignly the fountaine of this fauour towards me I cannot I cannot and therefore I will dye with this O mercy aboue merit and hope of requit all in me So it is in our election where onely grace hath made the difference saued vs. The loue is great we cannot but sée it what is due we may not deney it If all loue destre loue againe God forbid but such loue should be euer thought of as the Lord inableth Fourthly it prouoketh vs to all good works we neuer think obediene to much y t redounneth to the good liking of him y t thus hath loued vs. If men in this world shall stede vs any way how wish we how will we how care we how seeke we to do the thing that may content auoyd the thing that may offend them what comparison is there betwixt the loue of men and this loue of God towards vs before the world was made Can then the knowledge and true regard of it be without fruite in our conuersation It cannot be Fiftly it stayeth vs against offence that wold grow by such as fall away if this wer not For it telleth vs some stand in show and some stand in truth some stand for tyme and some stand for euer If any had bene of vs saith y e Apostle Ihon. They would haue continued with vs. Feare we not therfore when men start aside but stand we fast whosoeuer shake remembring wel that all being not apointed to the end they neither are apointed to the meanes Lastly most swéetly this doctrine of our election profiteth vnto patience telling vs y t no tiranny in this cursed worlde no malice nor moods of mortall men can or shall euer preuaile beyond the limits and lists of his counsell y t hath decréed their pitch And therefore indure it and indure it patiently for he moderateth This comforted the Apostles for their Lord master in that notable place of the Acts worthy reading a thousand times O Lord say they against thy holy Sonne Iesus whome thou hadst anointed both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentills and the people of Israel gathered themselues together But what could they doe Surely they haue done nothing but what thy hand and thy counsell had determined before to be done This comfort our Sauiour himselfe pleased to apply to himself against the cruel enemy lifting him selfe vp vaÌ„ting as though he had all power of life death against our Sauiour Thou couldst haue no power against me saith he except it were giuen thee from aboue True in the head and true in the members euer to our great stay and comfort These and such like are y â— fruits of this doctrine of our election Which they neuer tasted nor euer knew that so wickedly condemne it Let it suffice that we féele it to the prayse of God our comfort and let them perish with their error that so cast away a doctrine of such heauenly vse if they will not repent and be perswaded Away then with those cursed Cauils that flye vp downe against this doctrine For it is holy it is swéete it is the Lordes It maketh no man set all at six and seuen as carelesse what he doth saying if I be predestinate to be saued I cannot be damned and if I be apointed to death I cannot be saued But contrarywise it maketh men rather carefull to vse meanes as knowing that the decrée of God taketh his effect by meanes And therefore such as rightly vnderstand this doctrine cary in themselues a care not to speake prophanely of any truth of God howbeit they knowe that the decrée of God standeth euer in it selfe vnchangeable and cannot be altered yet looke they not at that but at the meanes that God hath apointed all men to vse either for the obtaining or auoyding of any thing wished or feared And those meanes they vse with all care and diligence séeking the ende by the way ordeyned not any way made retchlesse in the meanes by the end As for example that I may be plaine Rebecca knew that GOD had apointed her sonne Iacob to liue to be a greater man then Esau because God himselfe had tould her that he would make two mightie nations of her two sonnes the elder should serue the yonger yet did she not conclude hérevpon as these men do that therfore it skilled not what she did when Esau threatned to kill Iacob for being apointed to liue he could not be killed But contrarywise she most carefully deuised and most spéedely vsed meanes to kéepe him from danger by sending him away to her brother Laban till Esau his anger should be as waged Knowing as I say that the decrée of God did not preiudice meanes but rather binde vnto the same as being to take his effect in time by the same And so she ran not rashly to the counsell of GOD as these men doe but looked what her owne dutie was and vsed that By which meanes her Sonnes both liued and all came to passe well as God had decréed Take an other example as plaine as this In the Acts of the Apostles we read that Paule and his company were in great danger vpon y t sea In so much that they were faine to throw all their lading out and in the end the ship burst in two Before the extremitie of the perill God that is euer carefull to comfort his by his Angel in y t night foretould Paule of all y t should happen had him not feare for he should escape and for his sake all likewise that were with him which were in number 276. soules Héere was Gods couÌ„sell knowen his decree and purpose reuealed which Paule beléeued and exhorted all theÌ„ most firmely to be persuaded of What now Did Paule vpon this coÌ„clude as these men speak why then it skills not what we do For God hauing determined to saue vs we cannot be drowned No such matter but leauing y â— decrée of God looketh streight at the meanes that must be vsed the industrie of y â— Mariners who wold haue stolne away had not Paule preuented them the streÌ„gthning of their bodies by taking some meat Which being don such as could swim threw themselues first into the Sea y t getting to land they might helpe
of God vpon their vnderstanding may I saye y â— hastning of this day by conspiracies and treasons treacheries and practises abhorred of all true Christians proue vnto any mans soule this comming that we speake of Let the iudgements of God answer for me who hath euer yet wounded in wrath the hayry scalp of such cursed caitifes and being immutable in his iustice shall still finde out such wickednesse and giue them their portion of shame and confusion in this world with endlesse wo in y t world to come Which Lord we beséech thée in mercy towards vs and this land still doe and with hands harts lifted vp to heauen we thaÌ„ke thy maiestie for thy great goodnesse in this behalfe crauing in y â— precious bloud of Jesus Christ that the Soule of our Souereigne may still be bound in the bundell of life with thee her gracious God and her our enemies for thy gospells sake be euermore cast out as out of the middle of a sling Amen Amen May that most fearefull diuision bitternesse and gaule both in word writing y â— hath now too long so spotted this famous Church of England and many worthy men in it prooue vnto any guiltie causer of the same his comming to Christ Surely it doth not Surely it cannot And y â— God of might and power persuade it to vs. What am I beloued that after so many worthy instrumeÌ„ts in Gods Church which both in this place and else where haue touched this griefe I should assay to coole and delay the heat of it Surely I am no bodie and therefore better for me to doe as I haue hitherto done sit still in silence and wish that my head were full of water and myne eyes a fountaine of teares y t I might wéepe day and night for this fault amongst vs theÌ„ to say any thing of it Yet since God is strong in weaknesse and hath a blessing for euerie mans speach seasoned with his truth according to his pleasure I ioyne my hart tongue and soule to theirs that haue herein persuaded and with all the power of my spirit I beséech you brethren with them high and low whatsoeuer you are as the Apostle dyd y t Philippians If there be any consolation in Christ any comfort of loue any felowship of the Spirit any compassion and mercy fulfill we the Apostles ioye being like minded hauing the same loue being of one accord and of one iudgement nothing being done through contention or vaine glory but that in meekenes of minde we may euery man esteme others better theÌ„ our selues c. Thinke we of the words of our Sauiour Christ neuer to be forgotten of a Christian man that Hereby we are to be discerned to be his disciples if we loue one an other Hereby I say hereby If we loue one an other Loose this badge and loose our comfort weare it and show it and as the Lord is God we are his chosen God is loue and he that dwelleth in loue dwelleth in God and God in him An vnspeakeable comfort to the man that hath loue God is not contention malie 〈◊〉 therefore he that dwelleth in these dwelleth not in God nor God in him As vnspeakeable a terror where loue is lacking if it were thought of Blessed are the peace makers for they shalbe called the children of God Cursed then are the peace breakers bate makers for they are not the children of God What saith y â— Apostle to the Ephesians So say I. Ther is one bodie one spirit one hope of our calling one Lord one faith one baptisme one God and father of all which is aboue all and through all and in vs all For his Blud that dyed for vs let all these ones make vs one indeuoring to our dying day to keepe that vnitie of the spirit in the bond of peace which there the Apostle inferreth And I beséech you marke what vertues in y t place are noted as necessary to this vertue if euer we wish it Humblenesse of minde to bridle pride contempt Meekenesse moderating anger desire of reuenge Long suffring to indure infirmities in brethren And a supportation one of another thorough loue to meete with summum eius when we are wronged These are y â— vertues that preserue concord and are as cheynes and braceletts of gold to y â— possessors of them Againe what strength and power to persuade euery good minde is in y â— similitude of members which the holy Ghost vseth you haue often heard therefore I spare to stand vpon it Onely let me remember you what Xenophon speaketh with good consideration to witte that we haue Oculos manus pedes binos vt coniuncti se adiuuent non impediant Eyes hands feete two of eche that ioyning ioyned together one may be an help to the other Sic decet fratres 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So becommeth it brethren to haue hands eyes and féete one for an other As the man that was blind caried the lame man on his back and so lent him his legges the lame man guided y â— blind man and so lent him his eyes But against a brother we should neither haue handes eyes feete pen paper yncke tongue hart word thought nor any thing if all were as it should be O fearefull 〈◊〉 beloued if it were felt with trembling hart to fall into the offence of God Why 〈◊〉 thou my words in thy mouth c. 〈◊〉 what hast thou to doe with me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thée as long as 〈…〉 to â—uell and with thy tongue forgest deceipt as long as thou sittest and speakest against thy BROTHER and slandrest thy mothers sonne When brethren therefore speake one against an other they are not reformed as they should be the Lord wil neither alow them to speake in his name nor take them as beleuers in the same if they continew But wil reproue them as the text saith setting before them these misdemenors will teare them in peeces and no man shall deliuer them How feareful againe is that of Salomon that sixe things the Lord hateth and the seuenth his soule abhorreth What is that seuenth euen he that rayseth vp contention amongst brethren This man or woman this person rich or poore the Lord hateth the Lord loatheth and the very soule of the Lord abhorreth A fearefull speach If any man tell me I loose my labour in persuading peace as long as men kéepe the mindes they haue that they must haue this that in the state altered or they will haue no 〈◊〉 To this man I saye as Austen sayd 〈◊〉 dicitur glacialem niueÌ„ calulam esse 〈…〉 pacto quam diuÌ„ nixest 〈…〉 c. It is truely said y t the congealed snow cannot be hat For as long as it is snow it cannot be hotte But that Snow may be dissolued then that water that before was cold snow may be heat
suffice for the first point The 2. part Venit ad me Commeth vnto me Venire ad christum est christum fide amplecti locum dare veritati To come vnto Christ is to embrace him by faith to giue place to the truth saith one Quod dedit mihi pater scilicet perpraedestinationem venit ad me s per fidem What the father hath giuen me to wit by predestination that commeth vnto me by faith saith an other as we hard before in the beginning Quid est qui ad me venerit nisiqui se mihi certa fide dederit What is this he that commeth vnto me but he that giueth himselfe vnto me by assured faith saith a third By all which and many mo that I could aledge we sée the sense is thus much as if our Sauiour should haue saide all that the father giueth me by his election to life those come vnto me by faith that is those lay hould of me and embrace me by true beléeuing in me testifie that fayth by fruits of the same dayly as God inableth Which euidently confirmeth that which I sayd before that the cause of election is in God not in man For here we sée beléeuing floweth from gods giuing and not gods giuing from our beléeuing Therefore is true faith called Electorum fides the faith of the elect because it is in none but in them springeth euer from this fountaine As many as were ordained to eternall life beleeued saith the Apostle Making ordayning first and beléeuing second The like doth that golden cheyne testifie in the eight to the Romans and many places mo Sée then beloued in these words giuen to vs by the Lord Jesus our Sauiour himselfe a sure token a true way to know whether we be the children of God or no and stand in a comfortable estate if God should call vs herehence Surely if we be come vnto Christ by a true faith working to holy life then are we sure by Christes owne words who is truth it selfe that we are giuen by the Father that is chosen and elected to eternall life and cannot perish And that the Lorde would haue vs marke this and make a tryall of our selues by it his very spech declareth For he could haue sayde as easily euery one that is elected is giuen vnto me as all y â— is giuen me commeth vnto me but that by the former no light had broken out to vs wheras by the later we haue a most plain signe Looke we then earnestly at this marke sée if we be commers commers a right vnto Christ For Iudas came and that with both lowly louely behauiour out ward but his drift was naught no lesse then treason In the 7. of Ihon some came to Christ but they came to intrap him In this present chap. they came to Christ that by slocks but it was for loâ—ues and not for loue as our sauiour telleth them The Capernaites also both came and saw as others dyd but they beléeued not Many amongst vs come to Church Sermons Lectures as others to the good comfort of men that sée no more then what is without but God knoweth secrets the ende of all mens comming Certaine it is that euerie comming proueth not a giuing of God therefore looke we about 〈◊〉 It is no smal dutie of a Christian man woman to be carefully harted and sharply sighted to sée into themselues how they walke liue and are like to dye when the trée falleth so shall lye till the iudging daye For the spirit often beateth vpon this as a néedefull thing Let vs search trye our wayes saith y â— Prophet Ieremy Proue your selues whether you be in the faith or no saith y â— Apostle with many such like Many haue thought too well of them selues and found it too late Here is a direction before our eyes If we be Gods we are elected so giuen to Christ as men that shall not perish but be saued in him by him eternally This election shall apeare to vs by comming to Christ For all that y â— Father giueth commeth to him sayth this text This comming to Christ is by faith What faith By a true liuely faith And how is that knowne Euer by fruits as fire by heat Here then is y â— point Our fruits show our faith our faith showes our comming to Christ and our comming to Christ in this sort showeth our election by God to eternall lyfe Fruits then are all which what they are this daye in many of vs that proâ—esse the gospell religiously as men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 before the maiestie of God the burning brightnesse of his pearcing eyes let vs all consider in the secret soules and consciences of vs. May that fearefull strange and monstrous pryde in aparell that this daye apeareth and eateth vp this lande testifie vnto the soule of any man or woman delighted with it and in it that they are come to Christ did euer any in the world proue his election by this fruit we know â—o We thinke no euen as we sit now and yet we feare not Herod was royally robed and dreadfully perished The rich glutton with his costly purple fine linnen was a castaway And had not vanitie of aparell saith Gregory béene a gréeuous sinne Nunquam sermo dei tam vigilanter exprimiret quod diues qui torquebatur apud inferos bysso purpura indutus fuisset Neuer would the word of God so carefully note that this rich man tormented in hell was in his life time clothed with purple fine linen So saith he else where if pryde in aparell were not most sinnefull neuer would Christ so haue praised Ihons meannesse and plainnesse in aparell or the Apostle haue exhorted women to beware of brodered haire c. By the prophet Sophony the Lord saith He will visit all those that go in strange apparell meaning the courtiers as the marginall note saith which imitated other nations in their apparell If the Lord threaten punishment iudge in a féeling hart how he liketh it Saint Ierom noteth an example of his punishment in a noble woman in those daies who decking and painting vp a yong mayde that was her Neece with Jewells in her haire and such like trimings by and by had both her handes withered and shortly after dyed concluding vpon it Sic gemmas pretiosissima ornamenta Christus defendit So doth Christ defend pretious stones end gaye clothes God forbid all hands in these daies that are busied in such dressing of haire and hanging on of ornameÌ„ts aboue that which is fit should tast of such iudgemeÌ„t yet feare beloued and thinke of this example in the middest of your deckings For God may show his wrath if it please him in a moment Cypryan sayth profitably Tormenta paucorum exempla sunt omnium The punishment of one is an example for all And with the wise