correct and punish them for the same must needs trouble the consciences of Gods children except they be hypocrites exceedingly because the corrections of a loving Father have some respect to the hainousnesse of the fault committed and correcteth accordingly therefore seeing the least sin is so infinite an horrible thing in the sight of God so infinitly detested of him that if for one small motion of sinne but meerely to chastise and correct us for it he should lay us in hell fire and there let us lye a thousand yeares and afterwards deliver us any man may see if he be not an hypocrite in the sight of sin that it were but a moderate and small correction for one sin if it be but the coldnesse or spice of vaine-glory in one good worke much more then if a man be not a grosse hypocrite to count his many sins to be corrected very small how can hee chuse but feare and looke every houre for most horrible temporall plagues meerly to correct and yet in mercy to chastise him for all his innumerable horrible sins that God sees in in him but these miscillane Christians never knew what an horrible thing the least motion of sin is in the sight of God and therefore feare not horrible corrections for them untill they come for dallying with Gods Justice and for their unbeliefe and robbing of Christ of the glory of the chastisement of our peace Esay 53. 5. to beare it themselves they come to bee Esay 53. 5. chastised and corrected in hell where I dare warrant them they shall have correction enough and nothing but just and due correction for their sins Eightly whilst the light of nature and reason thinks to provide the better greatly to further the care and diligence of holy walking with fear of corrections and whippings and lashes of crosses and afflictions which fleshly and Papistical wisedome is the very kore of this soare she doth indeed greatly hinder true sanctification and the Evangelicall true Repentance and holy walking both in the whole and in the parts of the same First in the whole most evidently for seeing the least sin is the plague-soare of the soule making us sick and unable to doe any spirituall duty pining away even unto the death of hell and nothing can heale us of the same but free justification by making us by the blood of Christ perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sin in the sight of God freely and thus by his stripes wee are healed and truely made whole Esay 53. 5. and seeing Esay 53. 5. sanctification is but the lively stirring about that comes of this healing by justification can we then stirre lively in the duties of sanctification before wee feele our selves healed of the deadly sicknesse of our sins by Justification was Naaman the Syrian so religious towards the true God so loving to the Prophet so meeke gentle and liberall to his servant before he felt himselfe freely healed of his Leprosie and shall not the perfect healing of us from all sin a thousand times worse Leprosie doe the same much more in us when we are once come to see by faith how perfectly holy and righteous we are made from all spot of sin the spirituall Leprosie in the sight of God freely and that also not in the water of Iordan but in the laver of the blood of Christ Againe did the sinfull woman in the Gospel wash in true Repentance the feet of Jesus Christ with her teares and kisse them so often in such love untill by perceiving that much both for matter manner and measure was forgiven her she loved much Luke 7. 47. Then for the parts of sanctification and Repentance Luke 7 47. Two parts of sanctification 1 Mo tificanon and first mortification seeing the least motions of sin even in thought only are such horrible poison of hell so poisoning us and all our holy walking of sanctification that as Christ saith they defile all unto damnation when we see that nothing can make us spiritually clean from them except the Son of God be killed to temper for us with his blood so precious an Antidote or confection as is justification only able to make us mystically perfectly holy and righteous from them all in the sight of God and so first makes our inside of our cup even of our mindes and consciences passively pure and clean in the sight of God freely Titus 1. 15. or else these wormes of our soules Titus 2. 15. even the very stirring motions only will as truely and certainely kill us as they killed Christ doe we not then begin to see in the streame of Christs blood washing us from them the vilenesse of these evill thoughts and leasts motions and begin to hate them as the venemous vipers of our soule either eating out our heart or the heart of Christ Jesus and thus hating the evill thoughts and first motions of sin doth not this make us much more to hate and crucifie the grosse acts and outward practises of the same So for the second part of sanctification called vivification being Secondly vivification a quickening with joy love and zeale of Gods glory by cheerefull walking in all his commandements Did the tenth Leper returne with such joy did hee praise God with such a loud voice and did hee fall downe and worship Christ so fervently before he felt himselfe healed of his Leprosie which was as the learned shewes a true tipe and figure of our free justification Vid. Maâ—lo in Luke 17. or did the children of Israel stung in the Wildernesse with fiery Serpents goe powerfully and cheerefully and couragiously against their enimies untill by looking upon the Brazen Serpent they felt themselves perfectly healed of all their poisonous stingings which is the liveliest figure of the efficacy of our free justification of all Thus we see how the lessening of the glory of our justification extinguisheth the vigour of our sanctification both hindering our joy lessening our love and quenching our zeale that otherwise by the exceeding greatnesse of Christs benefits would exceedingly abound Esay 61. 3. Titus 2. 14. Esay 61. 3. Titus 2. 14. 9 Ninthly this Doctrine that God sees sin in his justified children to correct and punish them for the same expells the filiall feare and brings in the slavish and servile feare and makes his children to serve him with eye-service for whereas the filiall feare is to avoide the evill that the childe knowes to dislike and displease his father and to doe the good that pleaseth and liketh him not for feare of blowes punishment and beating if his father should see him but with a single eye like nature loving inclination and dutifull affection of love and reverence though his Father neither saw him nor would punish him for the same But on the other side the servile feare looks only to the masters eye and avoydeth evill doing and doth the commanded good duties either for his wages or for
saying thus Who so dwelleth in the secret of the most High that is as Luther well expounds it Vnder Free Iustification which none can work upon us but the most high God and indeed is the secret of secrets to the blind world He shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty that is hee shall bee protected and defended under the most comfortable shade of Gods most loving providence who is of Almighty power to preserve and keep him So that the faithfull soule saying unto the Lord in confidence of this reconciliation by Free Justification Oh my refuge and my Fortresse my God in him will I trust Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the hunter which is the Divell and all his instruments and from the noysome pestilence of their contagious practises He will cover thee under his wings of Frâ—e Justification and thou shalt bee safe under his feathers of his gracious providence and protection his truth of perfect reconciliation shall be thy shield and buckler c. as it followes in the whole Psalme For hee shall give his Angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy wayes thou mayst have some crosses and troubles But thou shalt tread upon the Lyon and Adder the young Lyon and the Dragon shalâ— thou trample under thy feet Why Because by faith of free Justification hee hath set his love upon mee therefore saith God will I deliver him I will exalt him because he hath known my name He shall call upon mee and I will heare him I will bee with him in trouble I will deliver him and glorifie him With long life will I satisfie him and shew him my salvation is not this a joyfull perfect excellent and blessed reconciliation Hence likewise is the whole 121. Psalme verified upon us Psal 121. testifying that the creatures that have mighty operation in mans body and are high above our reach shall yet notwithstanding doe us no harme saying The Sun shall not smite thee by day nor the Moon by night the Lord shall preserve thee from all evill yea hee shall keep thy soule the Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy comming in from henceforth and forever What would wee have more Yea hence are all the other comfortable excellent protectors spoken of every-where in the Word of God verified upon us whereupon the Prophet saith Psal 5. 11 12. Let all them that trust in Psal 5. 11. 12. thee rejoyce and tryumph for ever and cover thou them and let them that love thy name rejoyce in thee why Because thou Lord wilt blesse the righteous which none are before God but by free Justification and with favour wilt compasse him as with a shield defending and keeping him from all hurt to the least haire of his head Matth. 10. 29. 30. can we possibly wish a greater Matth. 10. 29. 30. and perfecter and more protecting reconciliation But as this first part of Justification doth thus protect and defend us from all evill and hurt So the second part brings upon us by this perfect reconciliation all manner of good things that are truly needfull and necessary for us as God himselfe testifieth Ierem. 32. 40 41. saying I will make an everlasting Ier. 32. 40. 41. covenant with them that I will never turn away from them to doe them good Yea saith he I will delight and rejoyce over them to doe them good Hence is the whole Psal 23. verified upon us namely That the Psal 23. Lord is our Shepherd because he is made such unto us only and truly by free Justification And therefore can we lack nothing Hee will feed us in green pastures and lead us forth by the waters of comfort Hee restoreth our souls and leads us by Justification freely in the pathes of righteousnesse for his name sake Therefore he concludes Surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all the daies of our life Hence it is that Christ said Take no distrustfull cark and care for your belly what you shall eat nor for your body what you shall put on For after all these things doe the Gentiles with such doubtfulness and distrusting care seek after But your heavenly Father knowes that you have need of all these things But seek yee first the Kingdome of God If you ask how I answer By making your selves sure of his righteousnesse which by making you perfectly righteous in the sight of God freely is only able to reconcile and set you in perfect peace with God and then all these things shall be cast upon you Matth. 6. Whereupon we see the truth of that Matth. 6. 33. saying of David Feare the Lord yee his Saints but how are we Saints Two manner of wayes as is shewed before First by Justification that makes us perfect Saints to God-ward freely and Secondly by sanctification that makes us Saints to men-ward in sincerity Well what then For saith hee They that feare him lack nothing The Lyons do lack and suffer hunger but they that feare the Lord shall want nothing that is good Psal 34. Which perfect reconciliation with God Psal 34. 10. Iacob found so effectuall that hee said boldly unto his Brother The Lord hath had mercy on me and therefore I have all things Gen. 33. 11. And Luther upon the Gen. 33. 11. voyce from heaven saying This is my beloved Sonne in whom I am well pleased shewes that this rich mercy and perfect reconciliation with God by which we have all things was testified by God himselfe at the Baptisme of his Sonne to be without measure exhibited saying thus Nothing else was heard seen here but love Incredible sweetnesse good will and the infinite and incredible favour of God towards us nothing but unmeasurable and bottomless goodness and placability all the whole vast heaven seemed not to distill drops but to poure and raine down whole showers and floods of most sweet honey and sugar and to power down meer and infinite favour of God abundantly upon us that we may think of and expect nothing else from him but the best good things and most rich mercy and wel-pleasing reconciliation yea saith he againe For this one cause would God sound these words from heaven with his own voyce that he might perswade us certainly and that we might infix it deeply in our minds That in Christ and for Christ his beloved Son omni nos beneficiorum genere cumulare velit c. That it is his will to lade us with all manner of benefits and embrace us as was signified in receiving the prodigal child with a true fatherlike and well-pleased affection of love to cover us with the best garment nourish us make merry with us and defend and save us and to drive away all things that goe about to deprive us hereof Which words of Luther although they seeme for sweetnesse and fulnesse of honey and sugar to be incredible yet wee need not doubt thereof because S. Paul himselfe
Quam ut peccatrix an plius inbenda c. Sed saâ—cta justa been overwhelmed with many sins yet the mercy of God was more abundant upon her than that she was as Simon thought to bee accounted a sinner any more but holy and righteous But the manifest signes Manifesta auâ—â— signa c. that she was righteous were these That she omitted no kinde of duty whereby she might testifie her thankfulnesse Insignibus offlciis but did witnesse by what meanes soever she could how greatly she was indebted unto God for she Solicita omnibus pietatis officiis defungi sludebat shewed by notable duties that she was wholly enflamed with the love of Christ yea she endeavoured to performe all duties of godlinesse carefully thus it appeareth by the whole similitude brought in by Ex totasimi tudine apâ—aâ—eat c. Marlor ib. Christ that Iustification is the cause of love and love is the effect of Justification Hence through love and admiration or through admirable love doth the Prophet cry out saying Who is a God like unto thee that takest away iniquity and dost cast all our sinnes into the bottome of the sea Micah 7. 18. Micah 7. 18 19 Nam quisque quaÌ„tò magis sentit c. Matl in Luke 7. 19. For every one by how much the more he feeleth this rich forgivenesse of his sins and apprehendeth the glory of Free Iustification so much the more vehemently he loveth God and the more feeling of love we have by so much we shall know that we have profited in the knowledge of Justification By faith therefore wee attaine the making of us Fide justificationem assequimur charitaâ—e gratias agimus c. righteous and by love we are thankfull and testifie the bountifulnesse of God towards us Thirdly that it is the joyfull knowledge of Justification Thirdly true feare of God Psal 130. 4. that worketh in us the true feare of God and in thankfull zeale of Gods glory cheerfully to obey him Is testified plainly by David saying For with Deus non timetur ubi non creditur grataita justitia Luther in loc thee there is propitiation mercy or forgivenesse yea and plentifull redemption therefore shalt thou be feared Psal 130. 4. Whereupon Luther saith God is not feared where free righteousnesse is not beleeved for this grace Quâ—dnam est timâ—re Deâ—m aliud quam agnoscere quam sit nobus â—enefiâ—â—â— ideo e. obeliâ—e being taken away the Prophet pronounceth that there also the seare of God is taken away for what is it else to feare God than to acknowledge how bountifull hee is towards us and therefore to obey him this David in another place testifieth where he saith Knit my heart unto thee the only bond whereof is Free Iustification that I may feare thy name Psalm 86. 11. Psal 86. 11. The mighty force whereof to guide and make a man to walk in the wayes of godlinesse hee testifieth in another place by his own experience saying Thy loving kindnesse is ever before mine eyes therefore have I walked in thy truth Thus the true feare of God the true worship of God Sic verus timor Dei verus cultus vera râ—verentia imò agnitio Deivera c. true reverence yea the true knowledge of God doth rest wholy upon this Grace That we are confident that God by Christs justifying us is reconciled and made favourable unto us Whereupon elsewhere saith he Luth. in Psal 130. I think and teach that it is a pernicious kind of teaching by which men are taught to repent by beholding Id assert articu per bull Leo condem Tom. 2. the punishments of sin and the rewards By these Doctrines indeed men are bridsed from the work and they fashion to themselves a seared and constrained conscience or good purpose and with a greater mischiefe they never understand nor mark that hidden and secret affection of the Law despised and of sin loved Nay rather by these endeavours of good works they hide it and are content that they have given some satisfaction and content to that wicked opinion of works to whom notwithstanding if you will leave to speak their minds freely they would presently confesse that they doe not repent from the heart And but that Hell is a Law they had rather with full violence fulfill their evils especially being tempted and provoked thereunto How much better were it that they were soundly taught to acknowledge that capitall hainous and secret affection and that untill they begin to repent for love of the Law they should know themselves to be hypocrites and should have no hope of such hypocrisie but rather should grieve more for it than for their sinnes at the sight whereof they have wrung out that counterfeit griefe and sorrow Indeed I grant that those grosse and hardned wicked ones which as yet have no touch of conscience ought with those terrors as unruly servants to be constrained to repentance even as the Magistrate restraineth the wicked with the sword But where there is a touch and feeling of conscience there they are to be instructed that first they begin at Christ that truly believing and apprehending his rich mercy of Free Iustifying them then may change their lives For then doth true repentance first begin it when floweth from love and not for love of commodity nor for fear of punishment But they begin to weigh there sinnes in love and affection only of righteousnesse which wee never doe except we first lay the ground-work of Iustification by faith in the hearts of them which begin to feele their sinnes It is a hard and dangerous matter to teach that wee are freely made righteous by faith without works and yet to require works withall here except Wisdome in the Ministâ—y the Ministers of Christ be faithfull and wise Disposers of the mysteries of â—od rightly dividing the word of truth faith and works are by and by confounded both these Doctrines as well of faith as of works must bee diligently taught and urged Yet so that both may remaine within their bounds As thus First unto secure ones and to the proud seeming-humble 1 Luth in Gal 3. 19. 20. ones that have the least opinion of their own holinesse and sanctity must the Law be brought forth not vailed as Moses spake it that is mitigated which makes hypocrites but as God spake it that is in the spirituall Majesty of it that people may feel it to be the hammer of death the thundring of Hell the lightning of Gods justice wrath beating to powder the obstinate sensless hypocrites to terrifie and rend in pieces the beast which is called the opinion of ones own righteousness that they may see that that way they are altogether wretched miserable poor and blind and naked Then secondly being touched and terrified in conscience must follow onely and meetly Free Iustiâ—ication without any consideration respect