Idolatry from such a man as Solomon after so much wisdome from God Or fretfulnesse or frowardnesse of spirit in such a man as Jonah after such deliverance from God Or fearfulnesse in such a man as Abraham after so much protection from God Or cursing from such a man as Job after so much patience and experience of God The Lord grant that in such examples we may learne our selves and feare our selves The Disciples could say Master is it I that shall betray thee Peter did not ask Master is it John nor John Master is it Thomas but every one said is is I As much as if they should have said I have a deceitfull flesh a revolting heart in my bosome such a traytor that it may be as soon I as another man See 6. to the Gal. and 1. verse If a man be overtaken in a fault c. Considering thy self that is doe not rejoyce against thy brother nor insult over him doe not despise him in thy heart nor exilt thy self thou art of the same mould thou hast the same principles with him That God which for a season hath forsaken him may forsake thee That temptation which hath overcome him may happen unto thee That enemy which hath â—â—â—â—â—d him may winnow thee And therefore in his fall learne compassion towards him and jealousie to thy self Restore him and consider thy self Strive we what we can our it fiâ—mities will incompâ—ss us and our corruptions will be about us so long as we carry flesh about us as we may see in the forenamed instances What shall I say but briefly this thorne will still be in out flesh our Canaanite in our side our twinnes in our womb our counterlustings and counterwillings though we be like unto Christ per primitias spiritus by the first fruits of the spirit Yet we are unlike him per reliquias vetustatis by the remainders of our flesh Not to sin is here only our law Mark but in heaven it shall be our reward All our perfection here is imperfect sin hath its deaths blow given it but yet like a fierce and implacable beast it never le ts goe its hold till the last breath Animamque invulnere ponit never ceaseth to infest us till it cease to be in us Who can say my heart is cleane I am pure from my sin Prov. 20 9. which interrogation is an emphaticall negation As affirmative questions commonly categorically turned meane negatively Cleanse thou me from my secret sinnes saith holy David Psal 19.12 So Paul 1 Cor. 4.4 Though I know nothing by my self yet am I not thereby justified and the reason is added he that judgeth me is the Lord. Which Saint John further unfolds 1 John 3.20 God is greater than our hearts and knoweth all things Which places although most dangerously perverted by these innovators with whom we have to deale doe yet in the experience of the holiest men that are or have been evince this truth That the lusts of the flesh will be in us and work in us so long as we carry our mortall bodies about us Againe Secondly this truth will appeare more fully if we consider the four-fold condition of mans freedome of will according to his four-fold state and condition First in statu confectionis In the state of innocency as he was Created The will was free to good and evill or freely to chuse good but so that it had ability of chusing evill So that it might persist in good God preserving it and might also fall into evill God forsaking it The former is proved from the perfection of the image of God in which man was created Gen. 1.27 The latter is too evident by the event of the thing it selfe and by the testimony of Scripture Eccles 7.29 God made man upright but man found out many inventions And the Apostle saith Rom. 11 32. God hath shut up all men in unbeliefe that he might have mercy upon all Where the Apostle testifieth that God of speciall Wisdome did not confirme the first man against the fall Neither did he allot him such a portion of ability that he might not be seduced by the devill and moved to sio But that he therefore permitted him to be seduced and fall into sin and death That as many as were saved out of the common ruine might be saved by his mercy alone This fall was not praeter voluntatem Domini That were to make a lame providence nec contra for that were to make a weak omnipotence but juxta voluntatem Domini As nothing is done without the Everlasting and most good counsell of God so neither can this fall be exempted from it though not as it was a sin to the ruine of the Creature but as a way to exercise the Justice and Mercy of the Creator His justice in punishing and his mercy in saving If in the world there had been no misery there had been no mercy no need of Christ If no sin no matter for his justice to shew its self And yet herein the crime and fault of sin neither can nor ought to be laid on God but on mans will only falling from the rule of his Creator albeit notwithstanding he fell from it by the eternall counsell of God God and man both willing the same matter but not after the same manner or to the same end God neither willing it with mans intent nor man with Gods intent Adams purpose being to be like God Gods purpose being to manifest his own glory It being necessary in respect of Gods decree but voluntary in respect of Adams will The purpose of the Creator did not take away the Creatures freedome for sin being no positive being hath not an efficient cause but a deficient cause that is the will of the Creature sailing in obedience So that notwithstanding God did hate the sin and therefore did neither absolutely will it nor cause it yet he justly suffered it to be done I say justly for whatsoever God doth is good and just and not disagreeing from his nature and law whether the reason thereof be known or unknown unto us I say suffered it to be done for the Creator was not bound unto his Creature to preserve him in his goodnesse neither doth the deniall of such grace disagree with the mercy and bounty of God God having willed this to be an occasion of bestowing a greater grace and benefit as it is apparent in the fall and the restoring of man againe For although it be mercy not to rejoyce in the ruine or destruction of the Creature yet mercy ought not to fight with justice It is most just that more regard should be had of the chief good which is God both by himself and by others then of all Creatures Wherefore very well doe agree together in God his mercy and his justice His mercy which will not the death of a sinner and his justice which suffereth man-kind to fall that thereby the goodnesse and severity of God may appeare
because we are never able to perform the condition For although Bellarm. saith We can keep Gods Word that is fulfill his Commandement yet he proves it not And for to say his Commandements are not grievous and to say that we can keep them is not the same For a thing may be very light and yet heavier than I can bear For the Commandements are just and holy and good Rom. 7.12 And the yoke of obedience is easie and light Mat. 11.30 yet it is more than we can doe and a great deale heavier than we can beare Acts 15.14 And that not in regard of the heavinesse of the things required but in respect of the weaknesse of us that should perform them It must therefore follow where there is imperfection of Grace there must needs be sin but in this life Grace is not consummate and perfect Ergo c. Lastly that which is the priviledge of the Saints in Heaven is not to be attained here on Earth but to be exactly perfect to be filled with God to have no defect or imperfection remaining is the priviledge of the Saints in Heaven Therefore not the priviledge of the Church Militant Here we pray Enter not into Judgement with thy Servants O that my waies were so directed that I might learn thy Statutes Make me a cleane heart O God Here we still finde our need of Christ our Mediator who is our Advocate with the Father 1 John 2.1 2. What need of an Advocate if no sinne When shall he exercise his Office if not for us in this life c. Here we have cause to admire Gods Mercy to bewaile our sinnes to goe forward to rise after falls to be kept by the mighty power of God 1 Pet. 1.5 But in Heaven sinne and feare shall be gone and all tears wiped away from our Eyes I hope what I have written may suffice for satisfaction to them whose eyes the God of this World hath not blinded that sinne will have a being in the best of men so long as our souls have a being in these houses of clay As to our adversaries I shall pray all that are faithfull to pray with me for them that God would open their eyes that they may see their sinne and then I doubt not but that they will be ashamed of their Doctrine Considering out of what puddles they draw them either from Pelagius or Bellarmine Bayly Becanus the Jesuits or from the Adamits who are conceited that they are renewed to that purity which Adam had before the fall Daneus on Aug. de heresibus 6. cap. 31. or else from some of Romes fraternity that are now crept in amongst us who are very well versed in the old trade of Arch heritiques falsifying truths to maintain lies But I doubt not but God will discover them in due time and in the intervall will keep them that are his from being deluded by them What Men without sinne It was good hap for the woman that was taken in adultery John 8. that her accusers were none such as these Preachers for if they had been such they would have obeyed our Saviour And the woman had not scaped without a volley of stones about her eares And if it be true that they say that a man may live and not sinne then that Article is in vain to believe the forgivenesse of sinne What need I believe the forgivenesse of sinne if I be without sinne But to draw towards conclusion of this point I shall say as the Eunuch answered Philip Acts 8.30 31. When he asked Vnderstandest thou what thou readest How can I saith he understand without a guide So we may answer the Lord when he commands us to walk in his wayes How can we walk in thy wayes O Lord without a guide I shall therefore commend this counsell to all people that desire to serve the Lord and to walk in his wayes as a point of good Religion To turn the Lords precepts into prayers and to say with holy David Psal 43.3 Send out Lord thy light and thy truth and let them lead us into thy holy Mountain and thy Tabernacle and as in the 143.10 Let thy good Spirit lead me into the land of righteousnesse And from blinde Jesuiticall Guides with their false pretended new lights in a dark Lanthorn their feigned lies pretended Revelations but delusions Good Lord deliver us Much good may their perfection on earth doe them The Lord in mercy discover unto me my imperfections more and more and humble me in the sense of them so long as I live on earth that I may alwayes with the poor Publican say Lord be mercifull unto me a sinner And that with St. Paul I may still forget what is behinde and still press forwards towards the Marke putting forth all the strength that the Lord shall be pleased to lend me and improve all opportunities that the Lord affords me to the best advantage for the mortifying of sinne and sinfull corruptions in me and for the growing in grace untill I attain unto the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ which shall be after grace consummate in heaven hereafter And for him that can finde perfection here on earth let him never look for it in Heaven Now in the last place I shall lay you down some of their arguments against this truth and some of the Scriptures that they wrest to maintain their error First They deny originall sinne and say it is taken away from the Saints of God on earth and therefore they cannot derive it to their posterity Unto the antecedent we answer that we must distinguish of sinne There are three things therein the Offence the Obligation the Pollution For the first Although God hates sinne in his dearest Saints yet this to the regenerate man is abolished and blotted out by the mercy of Jesus Christ Secondly For the Obligation of the Sinner to punishment this likewise is pardoned to such a man through Christ But as concerning the pure essence of sin the pollution thereof that is the vitious inclination or pronenesse which that sin leaves in us to fall into it or the like this remaineth in them Although the power and strength of this be taken away that it cannot reign in a regenerate man yet the life and being of sinne is not quite taken away And thus we say God forgiveth all our iniquities and healeth all our infirmities Psalme 103.3 quatenus as to the fault guilt and strength yet this is not done all at once but gradually by degrees he begins this cure here and goes on from day to day But this renewing is not perfected in this life otherwise then as I have shewed you Wherefore the godly doe derive such a corrupt nature to their posterity as they themselves have But they reply That which Parents themselves have not they cannot derive to their posterity But the guilt of originall sinne is taken away from regenerate Parents therefore at least the guilt is not derived Unto
not doe it being a doctrine that shews us the way of life but doth not minister grace unto us to walk therein But all these which the Law could not doe Jesus Christ by whom commeth grace and life hath done unto us Therefore there is no life to be found in the observance of the Law It being impossible for the Law to give They therefore that seeke life only in the observance thereof shall never find it Again the Apostle in another place calls the Law the Ministery of death and condemnation and that because it instantly bindes men under death for every transgression of her Commandements So that he that hath eyes to see what an universall rebellion of nature there is in man to Gods holy Law Yea what imperfections and discordance with the Law are remanent in them who are renewed by grace may easily espy the blinde presumption of those who seek life in the ministry of death Yet so universall is this error that it hath overgone the whole posterity of Adam Nature teaching all men who are not illuminated by Christ to seek salvation in their own deeds that is to stand to the covenant of works But the Supernaturall doctrine of the Evangelist teacheth us to transcend nature to goe out of our selves and to seek salvation in the Lord Jesus And so to use the Law not that we seek life by fulfilling it which here is impossible but as a School-master to lead us unto Christ in whom we have remission of our sin sanctification of our nature acceptance of our imperfect obedience benefits which the Law could never afford us Thus you see it is impossible for us in our own persons to fulfill the Law of God no such grace being given from above as I shewed you before or if we could yet it is not possible for the Law to save us not in respect of any desert or imperfection in the Law For the Law is just good and holy Rom. 7.12 But in regard of the corruption of our nature which is not able to yeeld such perfect obedience unto the Law as the Law requireth Nay I say further that although the Law be good yet it is not good to this end neither was it ordained of God for this purpose For the Law was given to a double end First common to all men Secondly proper to two sorts of men First to the Elect and Reprobates First in respect of all men the Law was given First to shew unto all men what was sin for by the Law commeth the knowledge of sin Rom. 3. and I had not known that lust had been sin had not the Law said thou shalt not lust Secondly to shew the wrath of God for sinne and by the transgression thereof to make all men see how justly they be worthy of eternal death And therefore the Apostle saith in 1 Cor. 3. that the Law causeth wrath and is the ministry of condemnation because it sheweth unto us how justly we deserve wrath and condemnation Thirdly to be a rule of righteousnesse to restrain all men from sin and to retein them in a civill course of living for the common good of humane society Secondly the Law was given to these two proper ends First in respect of the Reprobate to make them without excuse because the Law teacheth them what should be done and what should be left undone And therefore it leaves them without excuse if they leave the one and commit the other Secondly In respect of the elect the Law was given to be a means by the sight of their sinnes to seek out a Saviour that should deliver them from their sinnes And in this respect As he that informeth us of some dangerous disease doth tacitly advise us to seek for some expert Physitian So is the Law said to be our Schoolmaster to teach us by the manifestation of our sinnes to seek unto Christ for our deliverance But the Law was never intended to that end that it should justifie us and of it self bring us to eternall life For first if eternall life had been promised only to them that keep the Law then the promise had been made vain because it was impossible for our corrupt nature to perform it Secondly if righteousnesse could have come by Law then Christ had died in vain because it was superfluous for him to dye for us when as we might procure life by the works of the Law And therefore it is apparent that by the works of the Law no flesh living can be justified Thirdly For hypocriticall Gospellers such as seem Saints in ostentation that they may play the Divels without supicion which say they have Faith but shew no works that are not vayled with hypocrisie and intended to wrong ends let Esayas tell you how acceptable these works are to God Esay 1. and whether they be like to justifie them before God or not For the Lord complayneth that he is weary of them that his Soul hateth them and biddeth them to bring no more such sacrifice unto him Fourthly For the true Christians that are born not of Blood nor of the Will of the Flesh but of God If any works could justifie it must needs be that their works wrought in them and thorow them by the Spirit of God should justifie them And yet we say that the best works of the best regenerate men cannot justifie them before God And thus we prove it First Because all the Graces that we receive in this life are but in part given unto us as I shewed in the proof of the other position and so imperfect Graces Not that the Spirit of God works imperfectly but that he means not here to inrich us with any Grace while we are conversant with sinfull men in this vale of misery but only so farre forth as he seeth fit to bring us to the Kingdome of perfection where that which is in part shall be done away 1 Cor. 13.10 and therefore our inherent justice being but as our knowledge in part and therefore imperfect it is impossible that it should perfectly justifie us before God Secondly Because that although our good works are perfect in respect of Gods Spirit which effecteth them Yet seeing as fair water is defiled by running through a dirty Channell so our best works are tainted when they passe through us that are so subject to sinne and so many times polluted with so many iniquities It is unpossible we should be justified before him in whosepresence nothing in the least manner polluted can stand uncondemned and therefore as the Prophet saith all our righteousnesse is as astained clothe Esay 64.6 And as Gregory saith Moral lib. 21. cap. 15. lib. 5. cap. 7. All mens righteousnesse should be found unrighteousnesse if God should strictly Judge it And Aug. Wo to the most laudable and best life of man If God laying aside his mercy should discusse the same in the strictnesse of his Justice for alas who knoweth not that God is a God of
pure eyes which found folly in his Angels And the best of men whilest he lives on earth is both a Saint and a sinner A Saint by reason of Gods Grace wrought in him And a Sinner by reason of his own naturall corruption which in some measure tainteth every Grace of God And therefore not only the worst of men but also the best of Gods Saints that being compared with their fellowes might seem just indeed Yet looking to the strictnesse of Gods justice they disclaimed all their own righteousnesse and relyed wholly upon the righteousnesse of God so Job 4.17 18 19. and Job 15.14 and 9.2.3 and Psal 130. and Psal 143.2 and Saint Paul saith 1 Cor. 4.4 That he knew nothing by himself Yet he confesseth that thereby he was not justified because that although he served God most faithfully in the inner man yet he saw another Law in his members which did alwaies rebell against the Law of his mind and made him therefore cry out O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death Rom. 7. Thirdly Because that although it were granted that some works of the Saints might be perfectly good yet because any one sin blotteth out the memory of our precedent righteousness as Ezekiel 18. and makes us guilty of all the Law as the Apostle witnesseth James 2. and that we are so prone to commit sin and so frail to resist sin that in many things we sin all And therefore taught to beg every day of God that he would forgive us our trespasses It is impossible that any righteousnesse of man should justifie him before God Fourthly Because St. Paul saith plainly Rom. 3.28 We conclude that a man is justified by faith without the works of the Law and Gal. 5.3.4 That is if you seek to be saved or justified by the works of the Law then are you bound to fulfill the whole Law and so you have no need of Christ But no man is able to fulfill the whole Law therefore it is impossible that you should be justified by the works of the Law And that St. Paul excludeth not only ceremoniall works or morall or any other kiâ—de of works before we receive faith but also all works whatsoever it is hereby apparent For he writes these things not to unbelieving Jewes but to the Galatians they were believing Christians Fiftly Because no work of man can be good before the person of that man be justified before God for without faith it is impossible to please God Abel was first accepted and then his offering And therefore it is impossble that any works shall justifie us when we must be justified before we can doe any works that can be accounted good But then it may be objected That it is to no purpose to doe good works if we can neither be justified by them nor merit by them I answer That as gold is good yet not to asswage hunger for then Mydas had not died with gold in his mouth And as the Sun hath divers admirable effects yet is not able to make a blinde man see so then Bartimeus had had no need of our Saviours help that he might receive his sight So good works have many profitable and available necessary uses yet not to justifie us before God nor to merit any thing at the hands of God For when we have done all we can we are unprofitable c. Luke 17.10 Ob. 2 But our adversaries object That if God gives us Commandements which we could not perform them First It were in vain to exhoâ—t us to obey them seeing we are unable to perform them Secondly His promises of happinesse for performing them were but mockeries as if I should promise a Child a thousand pounds for carrying away a Milstone which I know he is not able to wagg such were rather meer mockeries than true promises Thirdly 〈…〉 nishments should he unjust upon the transgressors because 〈…〉 ommandements are beyond their power of performance For Lawes must be made according to the power that we have to perform them Else may he as well be termed a Tyrant and unjust that enacteth the Law which we cannot keep as he which punishes an Innocent which never offended But these cannot stand with the wisedome and justice of God and therefore it cannot be that God should give us a Law beyond our ability or the performance of obedience To this I answer That the consequence is false for though God commandeth us things that we cannot perform Yet these consequences cannot follow because as August saith de lib. arbit cap. 16. God commandeth us to doe those things which he knoweth we are unable to doe that we might learn to know what we ought to seek of him and so likewise for three speciall ends First to teach us what we could have done and what we owe to God because Adam received strength to fulfill it and we had had that strength if Adam had not lost it Secondly To shew unto us that it is our own fault that we cannot doe it because man abusing his power and free liberty to doe what he would did loose himself and his power that now he must doe what he would not Because as Adam received that strength both for himself and us so he lost it both for himself and us Thirdly To teach us what we should ask and of whom we should crave what we want for God doth therefore command us to doe what we cannot perform that seeing our own infirmities and being wearied under the Law of equity We might sue unto the Throne of Grace for mercy and for the gracious assistance of his holy Spirit whereby we may be enabled in some measure to perform that which he so justy requireth As August saith In the Commandement we must know what we ought to have In the punishment we must learn that we our selves are the cause of all our wants And in prayer we must understand from whâ—â—â—â— we must supply the defects that is from God Or to answer more methodically I say That God being on Mount Sinai to deliver a Law not de novo that was never given before but such as was formerly engraven in mans heart and now defaced and obliterated through sinne It was not for him to bend the Rule of Righteousnesse to the crookednesse of our affections to make it answerable to our abilities But rather to set down a straight Rule Not in favour of our sinfull nature but to expresse our whole duty though it be impossible for us to perform it now after we have lost our ability For as he that lent thee a thousand pounds may without injustice demand the same of thee when he knoweth that thou through thy lavishnesse hast spent all and as a Bankrupt art not able to pay one penny So God having given us power to obey all his precepts may at any time most justly call for the performance of the same though he knoweth that we by our sinnes have