or our works to do in this high and worthy office of our saluation It is already mercifully vndertaken by him that could performe it for vs It is already happily performed by him that did vndertake it for vs and being so vndertaken and performed to our hands what remaineth now for vs but faithfully to beleeue in him that hath done these wonders for the children of men and next of all holily to liue in him because he commaundeth vs to be holy as he is holy and were it but to expresse our thankefulnes for such his vnspeakeable mercies towards vs. Yet so to beleeue liue in him as that we neuer beleue we can do any thing while vve liue that shall vvorthy vs to pertake with him in the memorable act of our saluatiō or can haue power though issuing from the greatest perfection of humain ability to merit the reward of eternall glory For if we cold then this our blessed redeemer did put on the heauy garment of our humanity in vain did keep the commaundements in vaine did sweate water and blood in vaine did want the priuiledge euen of little sparrowes for his repose in vaine and submitted himselfe to all his sufferinges from the Manger which was his cradle to the crosse which was the conclusion of his misery and all this he vnderwent for our loue in vain if we be able to merit of our selus if we haue holines to make our own peace for so he hath done nothing for vs but vvhat vve can do of our selues which were a horrible blasphemous conclusion and yet you see reasonably drawne from this your sacriligious and so derogatory doctrine of merits And yet derogatory further for it leaueth not our Sauiour heere but secondeth this iniury of his redeemership with changing the natur of his mediatorship For what is a mediator amongst men or christ as he is mediatour betwixt God and man but a traueller or one that interposeth himselfe betweene seuerall parties to make peace betweene the offended and the offendor The partie heer offended is God by reason of sinne committed the partie offender is man that hath committed this sinne against him God is perfectly iust and will not be put off with shifts but standeth vpon satisfaction Man is a stark bankerout clean blown out and hath nothing wherewith to satisfie O blessed God that art so righteous in all thy workes and thrice blessed be thy holy name euen for being so iust that thou wilt be satisfied but O cursed man that was so wicked in his waies as to forsake his gratious God that had made him so rich and when he might haue chosen to plunge himselfe in such extreame pouerty Methinkes I see him soeing figge-leaues to couer his shame and shuddering himselfe behind trees from the presence of the Almightie methinks I heare him answearing the Lord friuilously and prating out excuses to no purpose for God that it is truth it self and seeth all things cannot be deluded And yet methinks lifting vp my self I see another arm of mercy extended forth to saue as wel as that arm of Iustice to destroy I see the Lord is merciful and gratious long suffering and of great goodnes that he wil not alway be chiding nor continue his anger for euer that he dealeth not with his seruants after their sinnes nor rewardeth them according to their wickednes In a word which is my souls rauishing comfort methinks I see his mercy without impeachment to his Iustice to shine aboue al his works for with this arme of compassion he taketh this sinner vp and euen him himself thorough his wisedome and power deuiseth a means to satisfie himselfe and restore againe the poore offender to his fauour And now my sweet Sauiour I must returne againe vnto thee for the needle of my soule truely touched I hope with thy grace wil neuer stand still till it come directly against thy merit the fixed point of my saluation When man by sinne had thus seperated himself from his maker and the iawes of eternall damnation but a deserued guerdon gaped wide to haue swallowed him vp at this dead lift Christ Iesus by whom all thinges formerly were made commeth to help out and draw together againe his father and this offender that stood in such opposition he vndertaketh to pay the debt setteth a certaine day and keepeth it requireth nothing of this mā for whom thus frendly he becam paimaister but before till the day came to beleeue in him that he would pay it and after when the day was past to beleeue in him that he had payed it and before and after to loue him for his labour and obserue that course for his life as neere as he could which he prescribed him But what is all this saith the cauiller to Christes mediatorship I might answeare that it is but a profitable digression at most but I will answeare it is no digression at all For I assure you it is so pertinent so necessarily belonging thereunto that if you knowe not this you knowe nothing if you perfectly conceiue not this you shall neuer thoroughly vnderstande the other and now I beseech you learne to knit them together When christ the second person in the Trinity the very sonne of God and yet perfect God himselfe had for the sufficient and more proper discharge of this debt for man which man by no means could haue discharged for himselfe assumed our humanity and thoroughly satisfied the wrath of God as aforesaide In due time he forsooke the earth and returned vnto the blessed bosome of his father from whence hee came and because he knew that man for all this kindnesse shewed him would not be fully reclaimed nor thoroughly purged during his abode vpon earth of that pernitious humor of disobedience that possessed him but stil be prone to offend and from time to time prouoking his Lorde and maker to indignation against him Hee there in heauen seated vppon that glorious throne of Maiesty and power the right hande of his Father continually intreateth presenteth satisfaction and vndertaketh for him I meane his Seruaunts that faithfully beleeue in him and truely depend vppon his righteousnesse for their saluation and therein I praye you conceiue that his mediatorshippe as with God the party offended doth principally now consist I say in intreating presenting satisfaction and vndertaking for vs For he intreateth his father to take pitty of vs albeit we deserue it not to loue vs although wee haue not loued him and to embrace vs for his children notwithstanding our disobedience towardes him and because being God as well as man in this his office of mediatorshippe it concerneth him to see the Iustice of God fully satisfied before his mercy be thus thoroughly extended In his petition he compriseth effectuall considerations to stirre vppe compassion towardes vs namely in regarde of his obedience and sufferinges in our steede for his righteousnes sake which he continually presenteth vnto his father as a satisfaction
see what this holy Apostle of christ Iesus thought touching this poynt of mans meriting And I pray you marke how firmely the learned Fathers of the church cleaue vnto the same doctrine My first place out of Paule was that wee are saued not by c. And Saint Ierom one whom your church highly reuerenceth writeth in this manner Hier lib 1 ad Pelag Then are wee iust when wee confesse our selues to be sinners And our iustice consisteth not of our owne merit but of Gods mercy Heere this holy father in the matter of iustification reiecteth with S. Paule all our owne merit and referreth the same wholly to Gods mercy My second place out of the Apostle was that the Wages of sinne is death but the guift of GOD is eternall life through c. Origene one of the most auncient Fathers of the church in exposition of these very words of Paule saith thus Origen in ep ad Ro ca 4 lib 4 The apostle saith that the wages of sin is death but he added not said likewise the wages of iustice is eternall life but he sayeth eternall life is the gratious guift of God to teach vs that wages which is like to debt and reward is a recompence of pun shment and death and to assigne eternall life to grace onely Thus you heare this reuerent father expoundeth Paule that our wickednes iustly meriteth condemnation but that the ballaunce wanteth waight the other way and that our best deedes merite not saluation which is assigned to grace only and if only to grace then are all our workes absolutely excluded in that busines My last place out of paule was The sufferings c. Answerable to this sayeth Saint Barnard on this manner Now concerning eternal life we know the sufferings of this life are not worthy of the glory to come Barn in Anunt Mariae Serm. 1 no not if one man should suffer all heere this deuout and religious father remoueth all doubt touching the former doctrine by a forcible supposition on this manner Admit that the afflictions and persecutions of Paule of Peter of Iames and all the Apostles that the paine and torments of the Primitiue Church and of those fiue and twenty Byshops which successiuely were martyred for the name of Iesus And that all the tortures and sufferings of all the Saints of God in allages from the death of Abell to the last drop of blood that euer shal be shed vpon the earth for the testimony of the Lords truth were laide vppon one man to beare and that it were possible for him onely to vnder go the paines torments and tortures that they all indured yet were the glorye of eternall life to rich a guerdon for those his sufferinges hee coulde not merite heauen thereby for the infinite iustice of God must haue a greater satisfaction This was the holy fathers censure hereupon No not saith he if one man should suffer all Now let me reason with you by an inuincible and familiar argument if the suffrings of Paule or of anye of these holy martyres whose continuall persecutions and torments were insteed of many deaths vnto them Nay if all their paines tortures and deaths ioyned together would not make vp a desert answearable to the meed of euerlasting glory It must needes followe that your deeds and sufferings which cary no neerer a proportion with the other then your span doth with the spatiousnes of the whole earth can merit no such matter and shall neuer for any desert they are of come home so rewarded No no you must not look for such an inrichment after such a reckoning but rather saye with the same Saint Barnard Serm 1 anunt Mar whom your selues confes to be one of the sweetest queresters in the Lords quier What are all our merits to so great glory The gardens of all the Fathers of the Church are thicke set with these flowers they all of them teach if true vnderstood the selfe same doctrine Thus you heare then what the Scriptures and Fathers haue deliuere touching our iustification how they referre the same wholy to the mercy and grace of God in the righteousnesse of Christ Iesus and shake off our owne merits as hauing no hand in that worke nor worthinesse in that degree to be trusted vnto But fearing least you are made beleeue that the Scriptures as we read them are false and the Fathers as we vse to alledge them but wrested as what will not falshood affirme to discountenance the trueth or error be ashamed to say for her owne shelter I will yet attempt another meane which I assure my selfe will cool and am in good hope vtterly extinguishe that your conceit of merritting and it shal be by making knowne vnto you the wonderfull inconuenience you incurre and the dangerous premunire that your soule runs into by holding your workes in such estimation There are two principall vertues whereby our grations God vouchsafeth to manifest himself to the know ledge of his seruants vpon the earth and wherin it pleaseth his diuine omnipotency to be delighted and they are his mercy and his Iustice There are likewise 2. principall offices which our mercifull Sauiour daigned to vndertake for our sakes whereby the fauour of God which our old notorious pranke had estranged is regaind vnto vs and thorough the blessed means whereof we are not onely become gratious with him in this world but haue assurance of his sight and the happye fruition of eternall felicity in the worlde to come and those are his redeemershippe and mediatorshippe and I pray you what will you thinke of your Religion if the same nay if one branch thereof among twenty as rotten as it selfe if this onely point of attributing merit to your workes in the act of your iustification doeth impaire and manifestly obscure the dignitie of these excellent proprieties of God his mercie and his Iustice and withall disparage and apparantly detract from the Worthynesse of Christ his merite in that his redeemershippe and mediatourshippe if your religion I say be guilty of such heinous treason against the diuine Maiesty will you not then iudge it your securest course to abandon her daungerous fellowship and embrace insteed therof for your comfort true christianity of whome you shall be sure to learne nothing but true faith and true obedience to your heauenly Soueraigne In discouery hereof it is behoouefull for you to conceiue that as the essence of God is infinite and perfect so these proprieties of God his mercy and Iustice because they are essentiall in him must likewise of necessity be perfect and infinite which being graunted doeth not euery opinion that shall intimate defect or insufficiency therein impaire as I saide and manifestly obscure the dignity thereof you cannot denie but it doth neither shall you euer be able substantially to cleere your doctrine of merites from this high and perillous imputation For looke how much you attribute to your owne merits in the purchase of saluation So
for our sinnes and prayeth that the same may be accepted for vs and we for the merit thereof become acceptable and gratious in his sight for euer And lastly he vndertaketh that at length we shal leaue our sins and cease to offend his deuine Maiesty any more that wee shall truely honour him and become fit instruments to sound forth his praise and glory Now I beseech you mark how this doctrin of Christs mediatorship and your doctrin of merits can stand togither Christ as a mediator intreteth his father in our behalfe but if we do merit what need this intreaty for God is iust and of himself wil reward the wel deseruing of euery man to the ful Christ as he is a mediator presenteth satisfaction vnto his father for our sinnes but if we do merit that satisfaction might be spared for God is iust wil not be paid duble christ as he is our mediator vndertaketh for our innocency herafter but if we do merit then belike we are innocent already for none can merit at gods hands that is absolute righteousnes but he that is absolutely righteous and so that part of christs mediatorship would cease for God is iust and will haue no security for that heerafter which he hath receiued already but what doctrin cal you this and yet such is your doctrine of merits and so derogating as you see from the holy mediatorship of christ Iesus If therefore you looke for benifit by that mediatorship as most miserable is their condition that do not you must lay by your own merit which is so thin a clothing that the least drop of Gods indignation will drench cleane through it and cloath your selfe with christes merit which will keepe you warme indeed and be sure to hold out in all weather for as christ came from heauen into the world not to call the righteous they that thinke themselues so but the sinners they that acknowledge themselues so to repentance In like sort he returned not into heauen out of the world to medyate for such pharasaicall iusticiaries as rest vpon their owne integrity but for the humble deiected publicans that with repentance acknowledge their owne vnworthinesse Furthermore I do not see how it can be well maintained but that it is in some sort repugnant euen to the office of the holy ghost likewise for if the same be to sanctifie vs to nevvnesse of life and to giue groweth to our faith from time to time which taken at the best as I am taught standeth in neede of increase how can any workes we do which are the fruites of that faith be truely sayd to merit considering it is a ground that the effect must be answerable to the cause and the cause heer which is our faith being desectiue the effect which is our workes cannot bee perfect as necessarily they must be if they be meritorious now tel me I pray you whether any heresie can be compact of grosser absurdities then this be more preiudiciall then this or the author of greater indignity euen to the blessed Trinity then proceedeth from this your heresie of merits and yet which may be wondered at it findeth professors and patrons more then a good many and those sconfesse not vnlearned but profoundly reade in all knowledge that humane helpes can puffe vp their vnderstanding with but there is a knowledge that only one scholmaister reueileth a diuine knowledge a diuine scholmaister happy and truely learned is that scholler which is trained vp in such knowledge and that is instructed how vnlearned soeuer he seeme otherwise by such a scholemaister I am not altogether ignorant of the cūning distinctions which your greatest clarkes deuise for maintenance of this your merit and how they will haue their merit of worke and merit of the person the merit of congruity and the merit of condignity and I knowe they will tell you that there are diuers places of scripture to vphold the same But first let me tell you what a bold offer a good-fellow of our church once made to the contrary he that can shew me saith he in any scripture that workes do merit or be any meanes to our iustification for the first scripture without any further iudgement I will loose both mine eares for the second my tongue for the third my neck but the yssue was they accepted of his eares his tongue and his neck without performing the condition for no such place in all the whole scripture could be found and yet was he pittifully martyred amongst them poore soule nay rich soule rather for who can be richer then he by whom euen the house of God is inriched and it is the saying of a learned father that the blood of the martyr is the seede of the Church I confesse there are many sayinges in the booke of god that at the first sight and being not throughly waighed do seeme to import such a matter as where it is said that euery man shall receiue according to his labour your reward is great in heanen he will render to euery man according to his works From these and such places your doctors would draw inuincible arguments that good workes because God hath promised to reward them doe therefore merit that reward so promised but there is no necessity of that consequent our good workes indeed shall receiue reward but not because they merit the same for the finest hath his staine the best worke that man can doe is blemished but in regard that God of his owne free grace and mercy without respect to any worthynesse in the worke at all hath promised to reward them who being euer faithful will euer be as good as his promise and shew himselfe in all thinges to deale with his seruantes that truely depend vpon his mercy far better then after their best deseruings And that our workes deserue not this reward christ that is the paymaister himselfe by his prophets his Apostles Doni 9.38 by himselfe telleth vs plainely We do not saith the prophet present or supplications before thee Rom. 3 27 for our owne righteousnesse but for thy great tender mercies your reioycing saith the apostle is excluded by the law of faith Luk. 37 10. When ye haue don all saith christ say we are vnprofitable seruants The reuerent fathers and and learned Doctors of the church are copyous and doe flow in their obsernations vpon these and such like places of holy write to drowne the barren plot of mans merits bring in greater estimation the Aeden soile of christs righteousnes where all true merits grow and whence the riches euen of heauen it selfe are to be gathered but because I haue already partly cited them vpon the same subiect and my letter begins with prolixity to try the pacience euen of a friendly reader I will only present you with a litle nosegaie of foure or fiue flowers out of their seuerall Gardens which although for hast they be not curiously tyed together will neuerthelesse I doubt not
their birth immediately vpon the Apostles death but some of them sprang vp two hundred some three hundred some fiue hundred years after some sooner some later and were not al til within this very age euen the memory of men now liuing by your selus consented vnto nor absolutely by your owne vsurped authority concluded vpon Hence may you easily gather your religion being neither sufficiently waranted by authority of Gods word nor generally approued by the ancient fathers of the church how woorthily or vnworthily you stile the same with such confidence the old and catholicke religion I cannot go on with particular examination of euery part of your profession your patience and my leisure being I fear proportionable wil not permit me but do beg your attētion to the consideration of one principal point of doctrine generally taught by your greatest clarks as generally beleeued euen to the simplest amongst you whose stomackes indeed are the best digesters of such misdiet because at the hands of ignorance errour euer findeth her securest entertainment I formerlye in discourse of our Religion affirmed that our whole dependance for our saluation was vpon the free mercy of God through christ Iesus And the righteousnesse of christ without any worke or merit of our owne applyed truely by faith was before God our only iustification contrary to this doctrin you are taught and do beleeue that you shall be saued by your workes or at least that your workes must concur and stand vp with faith in the act of your iustification before God Now to make you see and acknowledge the absurdity and preiudice of this opinion first you shall heare what the Apostle himselfe inspired with the holy spirit and the fathers of the church hauing the same diuine scholmaister though instructed in farre different measure haue thought and deliuered touching the same and then som principal inconueniences that necessarily follow that doctrine pregnant and aparant enough I hope vtterly to deterre you from euer lending a listening eare againe thereunto Titus 3 5 Paule that writ more touching the manner of our iustification then all the rest of the Apostles to make his Scholler Titus and others by him to abandon all hope of being saued by their works telleth him plainely We are saued not by workes of righteousnesse which we haue done but acording to his mercy he saued vs Heere he excludeth workes though they be works of righteousnes though they be our best works and ascribeth all the matter of our saluation meerely to the mercy of God through Iesus christ I am sure there is no worke that you or the holiest of your church whatsoeuer can do that is a better worke more meritorious a worke of purer righteousnesse then the workes of Paule were No they hold in no comparison with his for his workes as yours doe not sprang from a liuely faith which made them so good as they were notwithstanding you see he vtterly renounceth them all how good soeuer and dare you in any sort rest vpon yours in this important matter of iustification The said Apostle laboring to win the Romaines to the same faith readeth them this lecture to the same effect Ro. 6 23 The wages of sinne is death but the guift of God is eternall life through Iesus Christ our sauiour Heere you are plainly told what are the causes of going to hell and comming to heauen The desert of man the cause of damnation but the mercy of God the cause of saluation our sinne doth incur the one for the reward of sinne is death but our best deserts merit not the other for eternal life is meerly the guift of God through Iesus Christ had Paule that learned Apostle in this point approued the doctrine of your church thus questionlesse or to this effect he would haue concluded the reward of sinne is death and the reward of good workes is eternall life but you see hee quite ouerthroweth that opinion leauing vs of our selues to deserue the one but ascribing the other to Gods free guifte in Christ beyond our desert But if neither of these places haue power to remoue you from your former opinion giue me leaue to produce one saying more out of the same authour which I assure my selfe so you ponder it rightly will pierce euen the quickest vayne of your heart if the same as I hope in my sauiour it is not be not vtterly benummed the sufferings saith he of this life are not worthy of the glory to come I conceiue that the workes whereby you hope to merit at Gods hands are the workes of doing and workes of suffering the former more easie and lesse deseruing the latter lesse easie and therefore as you are taught the more meritorious but Paule that knew what it was both to do suffer better then those by whom you are perswaded to place such hie affiance in your workes preacheth vnto you heere another kind of doctrine namely that euen the sufferings of this life your afflictions your deeds of best desert are not worthy of the glory to come And you may be assured that no man that euer fought vnder the banner of Christ Iesus suffered more for his sake or deserued heauen better for his sufferings then he that teacheth you this lesson For he testifieth of himselfe that the sufferings of Christ did abound in him That in labours he was more aboundant then other in ripes aboue measure Co. 11 23 in pryson more plenteously on death oft that of the Iewes fiue tymes he receiued forty stripes saue one that he was thrice beaten with rods once stoned thrice suffered shripwracke that he was night and day in the deepe Sea In iournying often in perils of waters in perils of robbers in perils of his owne nation in perils among the gentiles in perils in the citty in perils in the wildernesse in perils in the Sea in perils amongst false breathren In wearinesse and painefulnesse in watching often In hunger and thirst in fasting often In cold and in nakednesse and beside the thinges that were outward he was combred daiely and had the eare of all the Churches Phi 1 13 And that his bandes in Christ were famous throughout all the iudgement hall and in all other places These are Paules owne wordes of himselfe and his sufferings Now if euer there were such merit in our works sure heere it was if euer the desert of sinfull man could iustly haue challenged such a reward as euerlasting life doubtlesse Paule for these his sufferinges would haue put in with the formost Howbeit you see when he speakes of the glory to come and the proper cause of our attayning vnto eternall saluation he then disclaimeth from al his works from these his sufferings and all and cherefully runs to another refuge euen the righteousnesse of his sauiour christ Iesus wherein there is true merit indeede and wherewith hee knovveth the iustice of God is worthily satisfied and our eternall peace onely procured thus you
much you detract away from Gods mercy in Christ which is the proper and onely price whereby the same is purchased God which is rich in mercy saith Paule through his great loue wherewith he loued vs Esphe 2 4. euen when we were dead in sinne hath quickened vs together in Christ for by grace are ye saued and hath raised vs vp together and made vs sit together in heauenly things through Christ Iesus And in another place formerly alledged God hath not saued vs for the deeds of righteousnesse which we haue wrought but of his mercy hath he saued vs. Heere the mercye of God appeareth like it selfe Paule giueth it his due and maketh it the only doer of the matter of saluation you on the contrary beleeue that you shal be saued by your works only or at least by your works this grace coupled togither heer the mercy of god is shewed forth vnlike it selfe you rob it of his due making it either nothing at all as when you wil be iustified meerly by your own deeds without it or at least but a partner with you when your deeds must draw in the same yoke with it as coaiutors or fellow workers in that busines Assure you selfe therefore that the perfect and infinite mercy of our good and gratious God doth not agree with the imaginary merit of flesh and blood but is and that not a little indignified by this grosse and presumptuous doctrine for doe but seriously ponder with your selfe whether that mercy can be infinit that hath neede of a supplement and how it can be perfect when it must be eeked out with deedes of imperfection yet is it perfect and infinite and shall euer remaine so let neuer so many millions of your merit founders deserue thereof as ill as they can by such their confidency in their owne deseruinges The same indignity you profer to the iustice of God which being likewise as his mercy is perfect and infinite you hope neuerthelesse will be satisfied with corrupted intigrety and appeased with your poluted righteousnesse but you are as wide from the truth as the East is from the West for there is no iustice that can stand against the iustice of God but that which carrieth proportion answearable therunto It requireth an entire and ful paiment And it is not the low-prized drosse of Egypt our stained impure actions but the refined gold of Saba the vnspotted and pure righteousnesse of christ Iesus that in the great day of our accompt will passe for currant No no you should be so far from arrogating vnto your selfe any ability to the answering of that so infinite and awful iustice of God almighty as rather firmely and constantly to rest assured that the vprightnes of al the men on earth though the same indeede respectiuely be pleasing and acceptable vnto God nor the integrity of all the Angels of heauen yet I know they excell in strength and are now confirmed from euer falling nor the holinesse of all the Saintes both in heauen and in earth albeit I confesse they make vp that church which christ himselfe calleth faire and without spot and honoreth beside with the title of his sister his loue his spouse his doue and his vndefiled That the vprightnes I say integrity and holinesse of all these Angels and saints nay the power of all their desert ioyned together cannot calme the tempest of Gods iustice from showring downe indignation vpon all the sons of Adam for their originall and actuall transgression nor so much as qualifie the said iustice towards your selfe in particular nor make a condigne satisfaction for your sins only no not for the least sinne though you extenuate and mince it to the least of your veniall sins that euer you committed for any sinne is a breach of the whole law and who knoweth not the transgression of the law is that proper act of rebellion whereby this infinite iustice is so worthily incensed as without an infinite satisfaction neuer to be apeased yet are you bold of your selfe to rush in vpon that displeased maiesty and hauing no lawfull warrant to present the same with an hollow bird of your owne worthinesse but you haue often heard that it is ill dallieng with saints and let me by the way aduise you to beware how you iest any more with such edg-tooles as Gods iustice Howbeit your doctrine of merites for all these wronges both to the mercye and Iustice of God doth not yet finde lymits to bound his outrage in but breaketh out further to ouerflow euen the obedience and sufferinges of our mercifull sauior christ Iesus and as much as lieth in the handes of heresie to annihilate his blessed righteousnesse the very truth only and al-sufficient act of our redemption This righteousnesse of christ which none but the rabble of Antichrist will deny you must vnderstand is perfect And it is necessary it should be so for it encountereth the perfect iustice of god and is layed in the ballance to waygh against the same for a wonderfull valew a valew of no lesse worth then the welfar and whole estate of euery christian soule that euer was or euer shall be imprisoned in the corrupt tabernacle of flesh and blood Now you not contented to set down your whole rest vpon the sufficiency of this righteousnesse either pull the same quite out of the ballance and put in steede thereof your own or at least lay yours vpon his to make vp the waight as though the other were sufficient wherein what derogation you proffer to the merit of christs obedience it is most manifest the same being of it selfe so absolute and what madnes you shew therin may be wondered at when al your merits vnto christs are for substance not a drop to the maine Ocean and for waight not so much as a feather to the whole earth The spirit of truth that holy charmer himselfe wil quickly resolue you herein if Adderlike you stop not your eares against him as methinks you should not howsoeuer you be inioyned by man because he alwaies charmeth most wisely Esay 63 3 In one place Christ alone hath troden down the winepresse neither was there any at al that helped him God forbid that I should reioyce in any thing but in the crosse Gala. 6 14 death and passion of our Lord Iesus christ The blood of Iesus christ the son of God clenseth vs from all sinne 1 Ioh 1 7 Now if christ aloue hath troden down that presse that would haue pressed vs to death If we must reioyce in nothing but only in the death of christ Iesus If the precious blood of that sweete sauiour of ours doth only clense vs from all our sins what should we thinke of our selues and of our works What haue we to do that of our selues are but worms of the earth in comparison What haue our works to do that of themselues are but meere vnworthines in the sight of the almighty What I say haue we
an incorruptible crowne of glory for her greater aduancemenr and finally that it was the same God which had couered him likewise from time to time vnder his gratious wings and made him taste ere that day the sweetenesse of his mercye as sencibly as Dauid or Elizabeth or any other of those deare annointed ones had done before him yea that preuented him with his liberall blessinges and protected him not onely from the houre of his byrth since the worlde inioyed him but which is more woonderfull whiles the happie wombe of his Mother inclosed him Many a time haue they vexed me from my youth vp may our king say with Israell but they haue not preuailed against me And I will say with those of Israell that pray for the peace of Ierusalem and wish well to Syon I hope they neuer shall for I doubt not but God hath euer sworne by his holinesse as he did to king Dauid and queene Elizabeth that he will neuer faile king Iames. With the like eie of thankfulnes doth the queen the Prince the peeres and all the rest looke vppon their deliuery acknowledging God only to be their deliuerer yea the graue Nesiors themselues whose wise dome may be termed a brazen wail to our kingdome doe see that a deeper reach and far greater prouidence then theirs euen the wisedome of the almighty was the principall worker heerein and therefore for all their paynes and prudence in the discouery lay the matter wholy from themselues and still make this their conclusion Not vnto vs Lord not vnto vs but vnto thy name giue the praise And all from the greatest to the meanest that should instantly or by degrees haue tasted of the stratagem doe see likewise not who hurt them but who preserued them and accord in this ioyfull acclamation It was thy hand O Lord that did it I wonder what construction the fauourers of your profession make of the accident I know how they carry it outwardly but what their inward man thinketh of it in approbation or detestatation of the plot and touching the discouery there 's the point One of the principals seemed onely sorry that the matter tooke not effect and slood to it like himselfe that it was not God it was the Dyuell that preuented it But the desperate and 〈◊〉 miscreant that inchristian vncircumcised Philistine with all of that opinion were vtterly deceiued for the dyuell without question would haue sung Gaudeamus with the meriest that day would in all likelihood haue beene the Dyuels holiday and therefore in desâ—ight of him but chiefely to render vnto our gratious God from whom our saluation commeth the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiuing the very same daic shall for euer be our holiday But to leaue them that draw such euill vse from this as generally they doe from all other occurrents in the preiudice of their misconstruction It is the desire of my heart and would be a ioy vnto my soule that you for your part would make a profitable vse therof that with the true seruantes of God you would draw good out of this euill meditate thereupon and seriously ponder each circumstance belonging therunto which would I make no question proue a happy meanes to remoue you out of the base and erronious schoole that readeth whole lectures of ignorance vnto you and wherein ouerlong you haue beene trayned vp and learned nothing but absurdities vnto that best learned and most Godly vniuersity which will in rich your hart with diuiue wisedome and wherein to your great comfort and vnspeakable benifit you shall be tutord and consorted with true christians And to this end I mean for your learning this one lesson of making the right vse of the coÌ„spiracy which may so much auaile you disdaine me not how vnworthy soeuer I seeme the place of your scholemaister Thus then I pray you learne to read after me Surely it was the mighty hand of God that defeated the purpose of those blood-thirsty papists those more then barbarous conspirators It was his tender mercy that set his hand to that happy and euer memorable piece of worke they were his beloued seruants vnto whom such mercy was extended that is his true church wherof those his seruantes are members and therefore by necessary consequence the church of Rome that is plainely opposite to this church of God that is in deadly enmity with these seruantes of God that inwardly repineth at this mercy of God and that is so manifestly oppugned by this hande of God is the false church no church of christ but the very idolatious and abhominable Sinagogue of Antichrist This is but a short esson howbeit if you con the same perfectly l y hart and truely conceiue it you shall feele your soule I doubt not so sixed vpon the deepe consideration of this sauing hand so wrapt vp with the sweet admiration of this exceeding mercy so inflamed with the burning desire to be raÌ„cked amongst these happy seruants so rauished with the zealus loue of this church that you wil rest assured most resolutely conclude that we whom the Lord in such gratious sort preserueth vnder the shadow of his wings who are so deere and tender vnto him and whom hee thus hedgeth about and hemmeth in on euery side are his peculiar people his chosen generation members of his true church and that your church of Rome which indeed as the prophet speaketh of Hierusalem was in the primitiue time A righteous citty and full of equity is become vnfaithfull as a whore though righteousnesse did dewell in it yet that now it is inhabited with murtherers and that her siluer is turned to drosse and her wine is mixt with water Thus I say if you make true vse of this conspiracy questionlesse you wil conclude and concluding so for sake Bahilon and enter into Zion and for the good estate of your soule most willingly embrace this counsel of your Lord and sauiour Come away from her my people that you be not partakers of her sinnes and that you receiue not of her plagues Now giue me leaue in a worde to knit vp this point of treason for which the Ihesuites the secular priests and their followers mistiled catholickes are become so egregious with the christian and vntainted resolution of the professors of our religion touching such deseignes I that prize my selfe as the least of Gods graces and challenge no prerogatiue of saithfulnesse to my King and countrey aboue the loyalty of an ordinary protestant do without any of those mentall irreligious referuations solemnely protest that were I secured by an Angell from he men to possesse as much wealth and attaine vnto asmuch wisedome as Salomon did to sway as many kingdomes as Asuerus did to liue as faire an age as Methuselah did and in fine to take my leaue of the world with an easie and quiet dissolution yet would I not in liea of all this earthly blessednesse once lift vp my hand or so much as incline my heart towards the