sins the vvorld crucifies Christ againe For look as Pilates souldiours with the wicked Iewes tooke Christ and stripped him of his garments buffetted him and slue him so doe vngodly men by their wicked behauiour strip him of all honour and slay him againe If an infidell should come among vs and yeelde himselfe to be of our religion after hee had seene the behauiour of men hee would peraduenture leaue all religioÌ„ for he might say surely it seemes this god whome these men worship is not the true God but a god of licentious libertie and that which is moâ—e whereas at all times we ought to shew our selues new creatures and to walke worthie of our Sauiour and redeemer and therefore also ought to rise out of our sinnes and to liue in righteousnes and true holines yet we for the most part goe on still forward in sinne and euery day goe deeper then other to hel-ward This hath beene heretofore the coÌ„mon practise but let vs now learne after the example of Christ being quickned and reuiued by his grace to endeauor our selues especially to come out of the graue of sinne and learne to make conscience of euery badde action True it is a Christian man may vse the creatures of God for his delight in a moderate and godly manner but Christ neuer gaue libertie to any to liue licentiously for he that is free is yet seruant vnto Christ as Paul saith and therefore we must doe nothing but thâ—t which may be a worke of some good dutie vnto God to which ende the Apostle saith Awake thou that sleepest and stand vp from the deade and Christ shall giue thee life If this will not mooue vs yet let the iudgements of God draw vs hereunto Blessed is he saith the holy Ghost that hath part in the first resurrection for on such the second death hath no power where mention is made of a double death the first is the separation of soule bodie the second is the eternall condemnation of soule and bodie in hell fire Would we now escape the second death after this life we must then labour in this life to be partakers of the first resurrection that on this manner Looke what sinnes we haue liued in hertofore we must endeauour to come out of them all and leade a better life according to all the commandements of God but if ye will haue no care of your owne soules goe on hardly and so ye shall be sure to enter into the second death which is eternal damnation Secondly we are taught by the example of Saint Paul to labour aboue all things to know Christ and the vertue of his resurrection And this we shall doe when we can say by experience that our hearts are not content with a formall and drowsie profession of religion but that wee feele the same power of Christ whereby he raised vp himselfe from death to life to be effectuall and powerfull in vs to worke in our hearts a conversion from all our sinnes wherein we haue lien deade to newnes of life with care to liue godly in Christ Iesus And that we may further attaine to all this we must come to heare the word of God preached and taught with feare and trembling hauing heard the word we must meditate therein and pray vnto God not onely publikely but priuately also intreating him that he would reach forth his hand and pull vs out of the graue of sinne wherein we haue lien dead so long And in so doing the Lord of his mercie according as he hath promised will send his spirit of grace into our hearts to worke in vs an inward sense and feeling of the vertue of Christs resurrection So dealt he with the two disciples that were going to Emmaus they were occupied in the meditation of Christ his death and passion and whiles they were in hearing of Christ who conferred with them he gaue them such a measure of his spirite as made their hearts to burne within them And Paul praieth for the Ephesians that God would inlighten their eyes that they might see and feele in themselues the exceeding greatnes of the power of God which he wrought in Christ Iesus when he raised him from the dead Thirdly as Saint Paul saith If we be risen with Christ then we must seeke the things that are aboue But how and by what meanes can we rise with Christ seeing we did not die with him Ans. We rise with Christ thus The burgesse of a town in the parliament house beareth the person of the whole towne whatsoeuer he saith that the whole town saith whatsoeuer is done to him is also done to all the towne so Christ vpon the crosse stood in our place bare our person what he suffred we suffred when he died all the faithfull died in him and so likewise as he is risen againe so are all the faithfull risen in him The consideration whereof doth teach vs that we must not haue our hearts wedded to this world VVe may vse the things of this life but yet so as though we vsed them not For all our loue and care must be for things aboue and specially we must seeke the kingdom of God his righteousnes peace of conscience and ioy in the holy Ghost VVe must therefore sue for the pardon of sinne for reconciliation to God in Christ for sanctification These are the pretious pearles which we must seeke and when we haue found them we must sell all that we haue to buie them hauing bought them we must lay them vp in the secret corners of our hearts valuing and esteeming of them as better then all things in the world beside Thus much of Christs resurrection containing the first degree of Christs exaltation Now followeth the second in these words He ascended into heauen in the handling wherof we are to consider these speciall points I. the time of his ascention II. the place III. the manner IV. the witnesses V. the vses thereof For the first the time of Christs ascension was fourtie daies after his resurrection when he had taught his disciples the things which appertain to the kingdome of God And this shews that he is a most faithfull carefull king ouer his Church procuring the good thereof And therfore Esay saith The gouernment is on his shoulder the Apostle saith he was more faithfull in all the house of God then Moses was Hence we gather that whereas the Apostles changed the sabbath from the seuenth day to the eight it was no doubt by the counsell direction of Chist before his ascension likewise in that they planted Churches and appointed teachers and meete ouerseers for the guiding and instruction hereof we may resolue our selues that Christ prescribed the same vnto them before his asceÌ„sion for these such like causes did he ascend no sooner Now look what care Christ at his ascensioÌ„ had ouer his church the same must al
the same spirit opens the eye to vnderstand and consider seriously of righteousnes life eternal promised in Christ. This done then comes the second worke of the holy Ghost which is the inflaming of the will that a man hauing considered his fearefull estate by reason of sinne and the benefits of Christes death might hunger after Christ and haue a desire not so much to haue the punishmēts of sinne taken away as Gods displeasure also might enioy the benefits of Christ. And whē he hath stirred vp a man to desire reconciliation with God in Christ then withall he giues him grace to pray not onely for life eternall but especially for the free remission and pardon of all his sinnes and then the Lordes promise is Knocke and it shall be opened seeke and ye shall finde After which he further sends his spirit into the same heart that desireth reconciliation with God and remission of sinnes in Christ and doth seale vp in his heart the liuely and plentifull assurance thereof The differences and degrees of faith are two I. a weake faith II. a strong faith Concerning the first this weake faith shewes it selfe by this grace of God namely an vnfained desire not onely of saluation for that the wicked and gracelesse man may haue but of reconciliation with God in Christ. This is a sure signe of faith in euery touched and humbled heart and it is peculiar to the elect and they which haue this haue in them also the substance of true sauing faith which afterwards will grow vp to a strong faith Reasons I. Promise of life euerlasting is made to the desire of reconciliation Psal. 10.17 Lord thou hast heard the desire of the poore Psal. 143.6 My soule desireth after thee as the thirstie land Psal. 145.19 He will fulfill the desire of them that feare him Matth. 5.6 Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousnes for they shalbe satisfied Revel 22.6 J will giue vnto him which is a thirst of the well of the water of life freely II. The hungring desire after grace is a sanctified affection vvhere one affection is sanctified all are sanctified where all are sanctified the whole man is sanctified and he that is sanctified is iustified and beleeues III. God accepts the will and desire to repent and beleeue for repenting and beleeuing indeede wherefore this desire of reconciliation if it be soundly wrought in the heart is accepted euen as faith before God But carnall men will say If faith yea true faith shew it selfe by a desire of reconciliation with God in Christ for all our sinnes then we are well ynough though we liue in our sinnes for we haue very good desires J answer That there be in many men sundrie fleeting motions and desires to do good things which grow to no issue or head but in time vanish as they come Now such passions haue no soundnes in them must be distinguished from the desire of reconciliatiō with God which comes from a bruised heart which brings alwaies with it reformation of life therefore such as liue after the couse of this world and thinke notwithstanding that they haue desires that are good deceiue themselues Nowe faith is saide to be weake when a man either failes in the knowledge of the Gospell or else hauing knowledge is weake in grace to applie vnto himselfe the sweete promises thereof As for example we know that the Apostles had all true sauing faith except Iudas and when our Sauiour Christ asked them whome they thought that he was Peter in the person of the rest answered for them all and said Thou art Christ the Sonne of the liuing God for which our Sauiour commended him and in him them all saying Thou art Peter vpon this rocke that is vpon Christ which Peter did professe in the name of them all will I builde my Church And yet after we shall finde in the Gospell that they are called men of litle faith Now they failed in knowledge of the death of Christ and of his passion and resurrection and were caried away with a vaine hope of an earthly kingdome And therefore when our Sauiour shewed them of his going downe to Ierusalem and of his sufferings there Peter a little after his notable confession began to rebuke Christ said Master haue pitie on thy selfe this shall not be vnto thee And vntil he had appeared to them after his death they did not beleeue his resurrection Again weake faith though it be ioyned with knowledge yet it may faile in the applying or in the apprehension and appropriating of Christs benefits to a mans owne selfe This is to be seene in ordinary experience For many a man there is of humble and contrite heart that serueth God in spirite and truth yet is not able to say without great doubtings and wauerings I know and am fully assured that my sinnes are pardoned Now shall we say that all such are without faith God forbid Nay we may resolue our selues that the true child of God may haue a hungring desire in his heart after reconciliation with God in Christ for all his sinnes with care to keepe a good conscience and yet be weake some time in the apprehension of Gods mercie and the assurance of the remission of his owne sinnes But if faith faile either in the true knowledge or in the apprehension of Gods mercies how can a man be saued by it Answ. We must knowe that this weake faith will as truly apprehend Gods mercifull promises for the pardon of sinne as strong faith though not so soundly Euen as a man with a palsie hand can stretch it out as well to receiue a gift at the hand of a king as he that is more sound though it be not so firmely and steadfastly The Church of Rome beares men in hand that they are good Catholicks if they beleeue as the Church beleeues though in the meane season they can not tell what the Church beleeues And some Papists commend this faith by the example of an old devout father who beeing tempted of the deuill was asked how he beleeued he answered that he beleeued as the Church beleeued beeing againe asked how the Church beleeued he answered as I beleeue whereupon the deuill as they say was faint to depart VVell this fond and ridiculous kind of faith we renounce as being a means to nozle men in blindnes superstition perpetuall ignorance yet withall we doe not denie but that there is an implicite or foulded faith which is when a man as yet hauing but some little portion of knowledge in the doctrine of the Gospell doth truely performe obedience according to the measure thereof and withall hath care to get more knowledge and shewes good affection to all good meanes whereby it may be increased In this respect a certain ruler who by a miracle wrought vpon his childe was mooued to acknowledge Christ for the Messias and further to submit him selfe to his doctrine is
heauenly places farre aboue all principalities and powers c. euen by the power of his father well as this power was made manifest in the head so must it be in the members thereof Euery child of God shall hereafter see and feele in himselfe the same power to translate him from this vale of miserie in this life to the kingdome of heauen Wherefore to conclude we haue great cause to be thankefull and to praise God for this priuiledge that he sheweth his power in his children in regenerating them in making them die vnto sinne and to stand against the gates of hell to suffer afflictions patiently as also that he translates thē from death to life And euery one should shew his thankfulnes in labouring to haue experience of this power in himselfe as Paul exhorteth vs in his epistles to the Colossians Ephesians yea read all his epistles we shal finde he mentioneth no point so often as this namely the mightie power of God manifested first in Christ secondly in his mēbers and he accounteth all things losse that he might know Christ the vertue of his resurrection This point is the rather to be marked because his power in the matter of grace is not to be seene with eye fewe there be in respect that haue felt the vertue thereof in themselues for the deuill doth mightitily shew his cōtrary power in the greatest part of the world in carrying them to sinne and wickednes Secondly hence we learne that which Paul teacheth namely to know that all things worke together for the best vnto them that loue God God is almightie therfore able to do whatsoeuer he wil he is also a father therfore is willing to doe that which is for our good But some will say we are subiect to many crosses yea to sinne what can our sinnes turne to our good Ans. If God almightie be thy father he wil turne thine afflictions yea thy sinnes which by nature are euill beyond all exspectation vnto thy saluation And this God will doe to all such as be obedient vnto him yet no man must hereupon presume to sinne Thirdly whereas we beleeue that God is a mightie father it serues to confirme Gods children in the promises of mercie reuealed in his word The chiefest whereof is that if men will turne from their sinnes and beleeue in Christ they shall not perish but haue life euerlasting I know some men wil make it an easie thing to beleeue especially those which neuer knewe what faith meant But such persons neede no meanes of confirmation of faith therfore let all those which haue tasted of the hardnes of attaining vnto it learne how to stablish their wauering hearts in the promises of God by the consideration of these two points God is a father and therefore he is willing he is also almightie and therefore he is able to performe his promises He that will be truly resolued of Gods promises must haue both these setled in his heart and build on them as on two foundations It followeth Creatour of heauen and earth We haue spoken of the title of the first person of his attributs now we come to speake of his effect namely the creation but before we come to it we are to answer a certaine obiection which may be made At the first it may seeme strāge to some that the worke of creation is ascribed to the first person in Trinitie the father whereas in the Scripture it is common to them all three equally And first that the father is Creatour it was neuer doubted as for the second person the Sonne that he is Creatour it is euident all things are made by it that is by the Sonne who is the substantiall word of the father without it was made nothing that was made And againe it is said that God by his Sonne made the worlde As for the holy Ghost the worke of creation is also ascribed vnto him and therefore Moses saith the spirit mooued vpon the waters and Iob saith his spirit hath garnished the heauens How thē is this peculiar to the father being cōmon to al the three persons in trinitie I answer the actions of God are two-fold either inward or outward The inward actions are those which one person doth exercise towards another as the father doth beget the sonne this is an inward action peculiar to the father for all inward actions are proper to the persons from whome they are So the Sonne doth receiue the godhead frō the father the holy Ghost frō thē both these are inward actions peculiar to these persons So likewise for the father to send his sonne it is an inward action proper to the father cannot be cōmunicated to the holy Ghost the sonne to be sent by the father onely is a thing proper to the sonne not cōmon to the father or to the holy Ghost Now outward actions are the actions of the persons in the Trinitie to the creatures as the worke of creation the work of preseruatiō of redemption These all such actions are cōmon to all the three persons the father createth the sonne createth the H. Ghost createth so we may say of the works of gouernment of redemption of all outward actions of the persons to the creatures But some again may say how then can the work of creation being an outward action of God to the creature be peculiar to the first person the father I answer the work of creation is not so proper to the first person the father as that it cannot also be common to the rest for al the three persons ioyntly created all things of nothing onely they are distinguished in the manner of creating For the father is the cause that beginneth the worke the sonne puts it in execution the holy Ghost is the finisher of it And againe the father createth by the sonne by the H. Ghost the sonne createth by the holy Ghost frō the father the H. Ghost createth not by the father nor by the sonne but frō the father the sonne And this is the reason why the work of creation is ascribed here vnto the father because he alone createth after a peculiar manner namely by the sonne and by the holy Ghost but the sonne and the holy Ghost create not by the father but from him Thus hauing answered the obiection we come to speake of the creation it selfe In handling whereof we must withal treat of the Counsell of God as being the cause thereof of the Gouernment of the creatures as beeing a worke of God whereby he continues the creation And the order which I wil obserue is first to speake of the Counsell of God and secondly of the exequution of his Counsell which hath two speciall branches the first the creation the second the preseruation or gouernment of things created The Counsell of God is his eternal vnchangeable decree
essence of God vnlesse we will make euery mans soule to be God neither doth it spring of the soule of the parents for the soule can no more beget a soule then an angel can beget an angel And Adam is called a liuing soule and not a quickning soule And earthly fathers are called the fathers of our bodies and not of our soules It remaines therefore as beeing most agreeable to the Scriptures that the soules of men are then created by God of nothing when they are infused into the bodie And though the soules of men haue a beginning yet they haue no end but are eternal And when they are said to die it is not because they cease at any time to subsist or haue beeing in nature but because they cease to be righteous or to haue fellowship with God Whereas our bodies are Gods workemanship we must glorifie him in our bodies and all the actions of bodie and soule our eating and drinking our liuing and dying must be referred to his glorie yeâ— we must not hurt or abuse our bodies but present them as holy liuing sacrifices vnto God And whereas God made vs of the dust of the earth we are not to glorie and boast our selues but rather to take occasion to praise the great goodnes of God that hath vouchsafed to honour vs beeing but dust ashes And after that man is created what is his life alas it is nothing but a little breath stop his mouth and his nostrils and he is but a dead man By this we are put in minde to consider of our fraile and vncerten estate and to lay aside all confidence in our selues and for this cause the Prophet Esay teacheth vs to haue no confidence in man because his breath is in his nostrils Againe let vs marke the frame and shape of mans bodie Al other creatures go with their bodies eyes to the ground-ward but man was made to goe vpright whereas all other creatures haue but foure muscles to turne their eyes round about man hath a fifth to pul his eyes vp to heaven-warde Nowe what doth this teach vs surely that how so euer wee seeke for other thinges yet first of all and aboue all wee should seeke for the kingdome of heauen and the righteousnesse thereof and that our whole desire should be set to enioy the blessed estate of Gods children in heauen Secondly it teacheth vs in receiuing Gods creatures to returne thankfulnesse vnto God by lifting vp the heart to heauen for the same These are very needefull and profitable lessons in these daies for most men in deede goe vpright but looke into their liues and they might as vvell goe on all foure for in their conuersation they set their whole hearts vpon the earth as the beast doth and their eyes vpon the thinges of this worlde hereby they doe abase them selues and deface their bodies and beeing men make themselues as beasts we shall see great numbers of men that runne and ride from place to place to prouide for the bodie but to seeke the kingdome of heauen where their soules should dwell after this life in ioy for euer they will not stirre one foote Thirdly mans bodie by creation was made a temple framed by Gods own hands for himselfe to dwell in therefore our dutie is to keepe our bodies pure and cleane and not to suffer them to be instruments whereby to practise the sinne of the heart If a man had a faire house wherein he must entertaine a prince and should make hereof a swinestie or a stable would not all meÌ„ say that he did greatly abuse both the house and the prince euen so mans bodie beeing at the first made a pallace for the euerliuing God if a man shall abuse it by drunkennesse swearing lying fornication or any vncleannesse hee doth make it in stead of a temple for the holy Ghost to be a sâ—ie or stable for the deuill For the more filthie a mans bodie is the more fit it is to be a dwelling place for sinne and Sathan Fourthly man by creation was made a goodly creature in the blessed image of God but by Adams fall men lost the same and are nowe become the deformed children of wrath our dutie therefore is to labour to get againe our first image and endeauour our selues to become new creatures If a noble man should staine his blood by treason after his death the posteritie will neuer be at rest till they haue got away that spot Man by Adams fall is become a limme of the deuill a rebell and traytor against Gods maiestie and this is the state of euery one of vs by nature we are at enmitie with God therefore we ought to labour aboue all things in the world to be restored in Christ to our first estate and perfection that so we may become bone of his bone flesh of his flesh beeing iustified and sanctified by his obedience death and passion Fiftly man was created that there might be a way prepared whereby God might shew his grace and mercie in the saluation of some and his iustice in the deserued damnation of others for their sinnes and in the creation of man Gods eternall counsell begins to come into exequution Hereupon it stands vs in hand to make conscience of euery euill way beeing repentant for all our sinnes past and hauing a constant purpose neuer to sinne more as we haue done that by our good conuersation here in this life wee may haue assurance that we be eternally chosen to saluation by the Lord himselfe Lastly whereas wee haue learned that the soule of man is immortall wee are hereby taught to take more care for the soule then for the bodie For it can not be extinguished When it is condemned euen then it is alwaies in dying and can neuer die But alas in this point the case is â—lat contrarie in the worlde for men will labour all their life long to get for the bodie but for the soule they care little or nothing at all chuse it whether it sinke or swimme goe to heauen or to hell they looke not to it This doth appeare to be true by the practise and behauiour of men on the Lordes day for if the nomber of those which come to heare Gods worde were compared with those which runne about their worldly wealth and pleasure I feare me the better sort would be found to be but a little handfull to a huge heape or as a droppe to the Ocean sea in respect of the other But wilt thou goe an hundred myle for the encrease of thy wealth and delight of thy bodie then think it not much to go ten thousand miles if neede were to take any paines for the good of thy soule and to get foode for the same And thus much for the duties Nowe follow the consolations Although by reason of the fall of man wee can haue but little comfort nowe yet the creation doth conâ—â—rme the vnspeakeable prouidence of
the cause therof being unknown not simply but in respect of man therefore in regarde of meÌ„ which know not the reason of things we may say there is chance so the spirit of God speaketh Time and chance coÌ„meth to them all And againe By chance there came down a priest the same way Now this kind of chaÌ„ce is not against the prouideÌ„ce of god but is ordered by it For things which in regard of men are casuall are certenly known determined by god Mere chance is wheÌ„ things are said or thought to come to passe without any cause at all But that must be abhorred of us as ouerturning the providence of God Thus seeing it is plain that there is a provideÌ„ce let us in the next place see what it is ProuideÌ„ce is a most free powerful actioÌ„ of god wherby he hath care ouer al things that are Prouidence hath 2. partes knowledge gouernment Gods knowledge is whereby all things from the greatest to the least are manifest before him at all times As David saith His eyes vvill consider his eye lâ—ddes vvill trie the children of men And againe Hee abaseth himselfe to beholde the things that are in the heaven and the earth And the Prophet Hanani said to Asa The eyes of the Lorde behold all the earth And S. Iames saith From the beginning of the vvorlde God knoweth all his workes This pointe hath a double use First as S. Peter saieth it must mooue us to eschew evill and doe good why Because saith he the eyes of the Lorde are upon the iust and his covntenance against evill doers Secondly it must comfort all those that labour to keepe a good conscience For the eyes of God beholde all the earth to shew himselfe strong with them that are of perfect heart tovvardes him Gouernment is the seconde parte of Gods providence whereby he ordereth all things and directeth them to good ends And it must be extended to the verie least thing that is in heauen or earth as to the sparrowes and to oxen and the haires of our heads And here we must consider 2. things the maner of gouernment and the meanes The maner of gouernment is diuers according as things are good or euill A good thing is that which is approoued of God As first of all the substances of all creatures euen of the deuils themselues in whome whatsoeuer is remaining since their creation is in it selfe good Secondly the quantities qualities motions actions and inclinations of the creatures in themselues considered with all their euents are good Againe good is either naturall or morall Naturall which is created by God for the lawfull use of man Morall which is agreeable to the eternall and unchangeable wisdome of God revealed in the morall law Now God gouerneth all good things two waies First by sustaining and preseruing them that they decay not secondly by moouing them that they may attaine to the particular ends for which they were seuerally ordeined for the qualities and vertues which were placed in the Sunne Moone Starres trees plantes seedes c. would be dead in them and be unprofitable unlesse they vvere not only preserued but also stirred up and quickened by the power of God so oft as he imployes them to any use Euill is the destruction of nature and it is taken for sinne or for the punishment of sinne Now sinne is gouerned of God by two actions the first is an operative permission I so call it because god partly permitteth sinne and partly worketh in it For sinne as it is commonly taken hath two parts the subiect or matter and the fourme of sinne the subiect of sinne is a certaine qualitie or action the forme is the anomie or transgression of Gods law The first is good in it selfe and euery qualitie or action so farre forth as it is a qualitie or action is existing in nature and hath God to be the authour of it Therefore sinne though it be sufficiently euill to eternall damnatioÌ„ yet can it not be said to be absolutely euill as God is absolutely good because the subiect of it is good and therefore it hath in it respectes and regardes of goodnesse In respect of the second that is the breach of the lawe it selfe God neither willeth nor appointeth nor commaundeth nor causeth nor helpeth sinne but forbiddeth condemneth and punisheth it yet so as by withall he willingly permitteth it to be done by others as men and wicked angels they being the sole authors causes of it And this permission by God is vpon a good ende because thereby he manifesteth his iustice and mercie Thus it appeares that in originall sinne the naturall inclination of the mind will and affections in it selfe considered is froÌ„ God and the ataxie or corruption of the inclination in no wise from him but onely permitted and that in actuall sinne the motion of the bodie or mind is from God but the euilnes disorder of the motion is not froÌ„ him but freely permitted to be done by others As for exaÌ„ple in the act of murder the actions of moouing the whole bodie of stirring the seuerall ioyntes and the fetching of the blowe whereby the man is slaine is from God for in him we liue mooue haue our being but the disposing applying of all these actions to this end that our neighbors life may be taken away we thereby take reuenge upon him is not froÌ„ God but from vvicked men and the deuill Gods second action in the gouernment of sinne is after the iust permission of it partly to restraine it more or lesse according to his good will and pleasure and partly to dispose and turne it against the nature thereof to the glorie of his owne name to the punishment of his enemies to the correcting and chastisement of his elect As for the second kind of evill called the punishment of sinne it is the execution of iustice and hath God to be the authour of it And in this respect Esai saith that God createth evill and Amos that there is no evill in the citie which the Lord hath not done And God as a most iust iudge may punish sinne by sinne himselfe in the meane season free from all sinne And thus the places must be understood in which it is said that God giueth kings in his wrath hardeneth the heart blindeth the eyes mingleth the spirit of errours giueth up men to a reprobate sense sends strange illusions to beleeue lies sends euill spirits giuing them coÌ„mandement to hurt and leaue to deceiue c. Thus hauing seene in what manner God gouerneth all things let vs nowe come to the meanes of gouernment Sometimes God worketh without meanes thus he created all things in the beginning and he made trees plants to grow and florish without the heate of the sunne or raine sometimes he gouernes according to the usuall course order of nature as when he preserues our liues
downe froÌ„ the pinacle of the teÌ„ple to the ground wheras there was an ordinarie vvay at hand to descend by staires Hence it appeares that such persons as vvill use no means vvherby they may come to repent beleeue do indeed no more repent beleeue then they caÌ„ be able to liue vvhich neither eat nor drink And thus much of the duties Novv follovv the coÌ„solatioÌ„s first this very point of gods special prouideÌ„ce is a great coÌ„fort to gods church for the lord moderateth the rage of the deuill and wicked men that they shall not hurt the people of God Dauid saieth The Lorde is at my right hand therefore I shall not 〈◊〉 And when Iosephs breethren were afraide for selling him into Egypt hee comforteth them saying that it was God that sent him before them for their preseruation So king Dauid when his owne souldiers were purposed to stone him to death hee was in great sorrow but it is said hee comforted himselfe in the Lord his God where we may see that a maÌ„ which hath grace to beleue in God and rely on his prouidence in all his afflictions extremitie shall haue wonderfull peace and consolation Before we can proceede to the articles vvhich followe it is requisite that we should intreate of one of the greatest workes of Gods prouidence that can be because the opening of it giueth light to all that insueth And this worke is a Preparation of such meanes vvhereby God will manifest his iustice and mercie It hath tvvo partes the iust permission of the fall of man and the giuing of the couenant of grace For so Paul teacheth when hee saith That God shut up all under unbeliefe that he might have vpon al. And againe The scripture hath concluded all under sinne that the promise by the faith of Christ Iesus should be given to them that beleeue Touching the first that wee may rightly conceiue of mans fall we are to search out the nature and parts of sinne Sinne is any thing whatsoeuer is against the will and vvord of God as S. Iohn saith Sinne is the transgression of the law And this definition Paul confirmeth when he saith that by the lavv comes the knowledge of sinne and where no lavve is there is no transgression and sinne is not imputed where there is no law In sinne wee must consider three things the fault the guilt the punishment The fault is the anomie or the inobedience it selfe and it comprehends not onely huge and notorious offences as idolatrie blasphemie theft treason adulterie and all other crimes that the world cries shaâ—e on but euery disordered thought affection inclination yea every defect of that which the Law requireth The guilte of sinne is whereby a man is guiltie before God that is bound and made subiect to punishment And here two questions must be skanned where man is bound and by what For the first Man is bounde in conscience And hereupon the conscience of every sinner sits within his heart as a little iudge to tell him that hee is bound before God to punishment For the second it is the order of diuine iustice â—et downe by God which bindes the conscience of the sinner before God for hee is Creatour and Lorde and man is a creature and therefore must either obey his will and commandement or suffer punishment Now then by vertue of Gods law conscience bindes over the creature to beare a punishment for his offence done against God yea it tels him that hee is in daunger to be iudged and condemned for it And therefore the conscience is the Lordes Sergeant to infourme the sinner of the bonde and obligation whereby he is alwaies bounde before God The third thing which followeth sinne is punishment and that is death So Paul saieth The stipend of sinne is death where by death we must understand a double death both of body and soule The death of the bodie is a separation of the bodie from the soule The second death is a separation of the whole man but especially of the soule from the glorious presence of God I say not simply from the presence of God for god is euerie where but onely from the ioyfull presence of Gods glorie Now these two deaths are the stipends or allowance of sinne and the least sinne which a man committeth doth deserue these two punishments For in euerie sinne the infinite iustice of god is violated for which cause there must needs be inflicted an infinite punishment that there may be a proportion betweene the punishment and the offence And therefore that distinction of sinne which papistes make namely that some are in themselues veniall and some mortall is false hereby confuted otherwise in respect of men sinnes are either veniall or mortall Veniall to the elect whose sinnes are pardonable in Christ but to the reprobate all sinnes are mortall Neuerthelesse we holde not all sinnes equall but that they are greater or lesse according to the diuersitie of obiectes and other circumstances Thus much of sinne in generall now we come to the partes of it The first sinne of all that euer was in man is the sinne of Adam which was his disobedience in eating the forbidden fruite In handling whereof sundrie pointes are to be opened but let us beginne with the causes therof The outward efficient cause was the deuill And though he be not named by Moses in the historie of the fall yet that is not to trouble us for we must not conceiue otherwise of the serpent then of the instrument and mouth of the deuill For it is not likely that it being a bruite creature should be able to reason and determine of good and euill of trueth and falshood Now in this temptation the deuill shewes his mallice and his fraude His malice in that whereas hee can not ouerturne god himselfe yet he labours to disturbe the order which he hath set downe in the creation especially the image of god in the most excellent creatures on earth that they may be in the same miserable condition with himselfe His fraud first in that hee beginnes his temptation with the woman being the weaker person and not with the man which course hee still continues as may appeare by this that more women are intangled vvith witchcraft and sorcerie then men Secondly he shevves his fraude in that he proceedes very slily and intangles Eue by certaine steppes and degrees For first by moouing a question he drawes her to listen to him and to reason with him of gods commaundement Secondly he brings her to looke upon the tree and wishly to vievve the beautie of the fruite Thirdly hee makes her to doubt of the absolute trueth of gods worde and promise and to beleeue his contrarie lies Fourthly hauing blinded her minde vvith his false persvvasions shee desires and lustes after the forbidden fruite and thereupon takes it eates it giues it to her husband The invvarde cause was the vvill of our
first parentes euen in the testimonie of their owne consciences as Salomon saieth This haue I found that God made man righteous but they haue found many inventions But it may be obiected that if Adam were created good he could not be the cause of his owne fall because a good tree can not bring forth euill fruite Answer Freedome of will is foure fold 1. freedome to euill alone this is onely in wicked men and angels and is indeed a bondage the seconde is freedome to good alone and that is in God and the good angels the third is freedome to good in part ioyned with some want of libertie by reason of sinne and this is in the regenerate in this life the fourth is freedome either to good or to euill indifferently And this vvas in Adam before his fall vvho though he had no inclination to sinne but onely to that vvhich was acceptable to God yet was hee not bound by any necessitie but had his libertie freely to chuse or refuse either good or euill And this is euident by the verie fourme of Gods commaundement in which hee forbids Adam to eate the forbidden fruite and thereby shewes that he being created righteous and not prone to sinne had power to keep or not to keep the commandement though since the fall both hee and vvee after him can not but sinne Wherefore Adam being allured by Satan of his owne free accord changed himselfe and fell from God Now then as the good tree changed from good to euill brings foorth euill fruite so Adam by his owne inward and free motion changing from good to evill brings forth euill As for God hee is not to be reputed as an authour or cause any way of this sinne For hee created Adam and Eue righteous indewed them vvith righteous vvilles and hee tolde them vvhat hee woulde exact at their handes and vvhat they coulde perfourme yea hee added threatnings that with the feare of daunger hee might terrifie them from sinne Some may say vvhereas God foresavv that Adam woulde abuse the libertie of his vvill vvhy vvoulde hee not preuent it Ansvvere There is a double grace the one to be able to vvill and do that which is good the other to be able to persevere in vvvilling and doing the same Now God gaue the first to Adam and not the second And he is not to be blamed of vs though hee confirmed him not with new grace for he is debter to no man to giue him so much as the least grace whereas he had alreadie giuen a plentifull measure thereof to him And God did hold backe to conferre any further grace vpon iust cause I. It was his pleasure that this fact should be an occasion or way to exercise his mercie in the sauing of the elect and his iustice in the deserued condemnation of impenitent sinners And vnlesse Adam had fallen for himselfe others there should haue bin found no miserie in men on whome God might take pitie in his sonne nor wickednes which he might condemne and therefore neither manifestation of iustice nor mercie II. Againe it was the will of God in part to forsake Adam to make manifest the weaknesse of the most excellent creatures without the speciall and continuall assistance of God III. There is a double libertie of will one is to will good or euill this belongs to the creature in this world and therefore Adam receiued it The other is to will good alone This he wanted because it is reserued to the life to come And though hee knewe no cause of this dealing of God yet is it one steppe to the feare of God for vs to hold that good and righteous which hee appointeth or willeth and not to square the workes and iudgements of God by our crooked reason And yet to come to reason it selfe Who can here complaine of God Can the deuill but God did not cause him to tempt or deceiue our first parents Can Adam and Eue but they fell freely without any motion or instigation from God and their owne consciences accused them for it Can the posteritie of Adam but the elect receiue more in Christ then they lost in Adam and the reprobate ouerwhelmed with the burden of their owne sinnes and thereupon receiuing nothing but due and deserued damnation can not finde fault But some may further reply and say he that foreseeth an euill and doth not preuent it is a cause of it but God did foresee the fall of man and did not preuent it Answer The rule is generally true in man that the foreseer of an euill not preuenting it is in some sort a doer of it for it is the sentence of the law of God to which man was bound from the first creation But God is aboue all his lawes and not bound to them he is an absolute lord and law-giuer and therefore his actions are not within the compasse of lawes as mens are Whereupon it follows that though he did foresee mans defection yet is hee free from all blame in not preuenting of it For with him there be good causes of permitting euill And though God be no cause of mans fall yet must wee not imagine that it came to passe by chance or fortune whereas the least things that are come to passe with Gods prouidence neither was it by any bare permission without his decree and will for that is to make an idle prouidence neither did it happen against the will of God he vtterly nilling it for then it could not haue bin vnlesse we denie God to be omnipotent It remaines therefore that this fall did so proceede of the voluntarie creation of Adam as that God did in part ordaine and will it not as it was a sinne against his commandement but as it was further in the counsell of God a way to exequute his iustice and mercie Against this which I say diuers things are obiected First that if Adam did that which God in any respect willed then he did not sinne at all Answ. He that willeth and doth that which God willeth for all that sinnes vnlesse he will it in the same manner with God and for the same end Nowe in the permitting of this fact God intended the manifesting of his glorie but our first parents intending no such thing sought not only to be like but also to be equal with god Secōdly it is alledged that Adam could not but fall necessarily if God did decree it Answ. Adams fall that came not to passe without Gods decree and therefore in that respect was necessarie was neuerthelesse in respect of Adams freewil contingent and not necessarie Gods decree not taking away the will but onely ordering it Lastly it is alledged that Gods will is the cause of Adams will and Adams will the cause of his fall and that therefore Gods will shall be the cause of the fall Answer It must be graunted that Gods will is a moouing cause of the wills of euill men yet marke how not as
they are euill wills simply but as they are wills and therefore when God inclines the euill will of his creature to his good purpose he is nothing at all intangled with the defect or euill of his will Touching the time of the fall the receiued opinion in former ages hath bin that our first parents fell the same day in which they were created and therefore Augustine writes that they stoode but sixe houres And though we can not determine of the certen time yet in all likelihood was it very short For Moses presently after that he had set down the creation of man without the interposition of any thing else comes immediately to the fall And considering the nature of the deuill is without ceasing to shew his mallice no doubt he tooke the first occasion that possibly might be had to bring man to the same damnation with himselfe And our Sauiour Christ saith that the deuill was a manslayer from the beginning namely from the beginning nor of the creation of the world or of time but of man And Eue saith we shall eate of the fruite of the trees of the garden it may be insinuating that as yet shee had not eaten when the deuill tempted her Touching the greatnes of mans fall some haue made a small matter of it because it was the eating of an apple or some such fruit But wee must not measure the greatnes or the smalnes of a sinne by the obiect or matter whereabout it is occupied but by the commaundement of God and by the disobedience or offence of his infinite maiestie And that this fact of Adam and Eve was no small fault but a notorious cryme and Apostasie in which they withdrawe them selues from vnder the power of God nay reiect and denie him will appeare if wee take a viewe of all the particular sinnes that be contained in it The first is vnbeleefe in that they doubted and distrusted of the trueth of Gods worde which hee spake to them The seconde is contempt of God in that they beleeued the lyes of the deuill rather then him For when God saith In the day that ye shall eate thereof ye shall die the death it is as nothing with Eve but when the deuill comes and saith Ye shall not die at all that shee takes fast hold on The third is pride and ambition For they did eate the forbidden fruit that they might be as gods namely as the father the sonne the holy Ghost The fourth is vnthankfulnes God had made them excellent creatures in his owne image that is nothing with them to be like vnto him vnlesse they may be equall vnto him The fifth is curiositie whereby they affected greater wisdome then God had giuen them in the creation and a greater measure of knowledge then God had reuealed to them The sixth is reprochful blasphemie in that they subscribe to the sayings of the deuill in which he charged God with lying and enuie The seuenth is murder For by this meanes they bereâ—ue themselues and their posteritie of the fellowship and graces of Gods spirit and bring vpon their owne heads the eternall wrath of God The eight is discontentation in that they sought for an higher condition then that was in which God had placed them In a word in this one single fact is comprised the breach of the whole law of God And wee should often thinke vpon this that we may learne to wonder at the iust iudgements of God in punishing this fall and his vnspeakeable goodnes in receiuing men to mercie after the same And here we must not omit to remember the largenesse of Adams fall Sinnes are either personall or generall Personall are such as are peculiar to one or some fewe persons and make them alone guiltie Generall that is common to all men and such is Adams fall It is a sinne not onely of the person of one man but of the whole nature of man And Adam must be considered not as a priuate man but as a roote or head bearing in it all mankinde or as a publike person representing all his posteritie and therefore when hee sinned all his posteritie sinned with him as in a Parliament whatsoeuer is done by the burgesse for the shire is done by euery person in the shire As Paul saith By one man sinne entred into the world and so death went ouerall for as much as all haue sinned And here lies the difference betweene Adams fall and the sinnes of men as Cains murder which makes not the posteritie of Cain guiltie because he was neuer appointed by God to be the roote of his posteritie as Adam was and therefore his sinne is personall whereas Adams is not Yet this which I say must not be vnderstood of all the sinnes of Adam but onely of the first From the fall of Adam springeth originall sinne not onely as a fruit thereof but also as a iust punishment of it And after the foresaid fall it is in Adam and his posteritie as the mother and roote of all other sinne yet with this distinction that actuall sinne was first in Adam and then came originall but in vs first is originall sinne and then after followes actuall Originall sinne is tearmed diuersly in Scriptures as the flesh the old man because it is in vs before grace concupiscence sinne that is readie to compasse vs about the sinning sinne and it is commonly tearmed originall because it hath bin in mans nature euer since the fall and because it is in euery man at the very instant of his conception and birth as Dauid plainly saith Behold I was borne in iniquitie and in sinne hath my mother conceiued me not meaning properly his parents sinne for he was borne in lawfull marriage but his owne hereditarie sinne whereof he was guiltie euen in his mothers wombe But let vs search the nature of it Considering it hath place in man it must be either the substaÌ„ce of body or soule or the faculties of the substance or the corruption of the faculties Now it cannot be the substance of man corrupted for then our Sauiour Christ in taking our nature vpon him should also take vpon him our sinnes and by that meanes should as well haue neede of a redeemer as other men and againe the soules of men should not be immortall Neither is it any one or all the faculties of man For euery one of them as namely the vnderstanding will affections and all other powers of bodie or soule were in man from the first creation whereas sinne was not before the fall Wherefore it remains that originall sinne is nothing els but a disorder or euill disposition in al the faculties inclinations of man wherby they are all caried inordinatly against the law The subiect or place of this sinne is not any part of man but the whole bodie and soule For first of all the naturall appetite to meat and drinke and the power of nourishing is greatly corrupted as appeares by
this is the reward of all those that walke on in their euill waies Hauing consulted in the next place they come to the garden vvhere Christ was to be apprehended And here wee are to consider who they were that came namely the Scribes and Pharises the high priests and their servants a band of soldiers and the servants of Pontius Pilate and the Elders of the Iewes all which came with one consent to the place where Christ was that they might attach him VVhere we may learne a good lesson that all sorts of wicked men disagreeing among themselues caÌ„ agree against Christ. The Scribes and Pharises were two contrary sectes and at discord one with another in matters of religion and Iudas was one of Christs disciples the Elders differed from them all the souldiers were Gentiles all these were at variance among themselues and could not one brooke another So also we read that Herode and Pontius Pilate vvere not friends but at the same time when Christ was apprehended Pilate sent him to Herode and they were made friends Now as these wicked men did all conspire against Christ so doe the wicked ones of this vvorld in all cuntries and kingdomes bande themselues against the Church of Christ at this day And howsoeuer such be at discorde among themselues yet they doe all ioyne hand in hande to persecute Christ in his members And the reason is plaine because Christ and his religion is as flat opposite to the corrupt disposition of all men as light is to darkenesse Againe vvhereas we see so many sortes of men so amiably consenting to take Christ we may note how all men naturally doe hate and abhorre him and his religion And looke as then it was with Christ so hath it bene with all his members and will be to the end of the world They are accounted as the offscouring of the world men not worthie to live on the face of the earth as Christ tolde his disciples saying Ye shall be hated of all nations for my names sake Let us also marke how all these came furnished to apprehend Christ the text saith they came with clubs staves as vnto a thiefe All the whole nation of the Iewes knevve right well that Christ was no man of violence but meeke and humble and yet they came armed to apprehend him as though he had ben some mightie potentate that would not haue beene apprehended but haue resisted them Where wee doe see the propertie of an euill conscience which is to feare where there is no cause at all This causeth some to be afraid of their owne shadovves if they see but a vvorme peepe out of the ground they are at their wits end and as Salomon saith The wicked flee when none pursueth them After that they are now come to Christ we are to consider two things in their meeting I. Christs communication with them II. The treason of Iudas Concerning their conference it is said Iesus knowing all things that should come vnto him went forth and said unto them Whome seeke yee they answered him Iesus of Nazareth Iesus answered I am he Now so soone as he had said I am he the stoutest of them fell to the ground as being astonished at the maiestie of his word Where note that the word of God is a vvord of power The same povver vvas in his vvord vvhen he raised up Lazarus for when he had â—yen in the graue had entred into some degrees of corruption he did no more but said Lazarus come forth he that vvas dead came forth And hence we may also marke vvhat a wonderfull might and povver is in the vvord preached for it is the very worde of Christ and therfore being preached by his ministers lawfully called by him therunto hath the same power force in it which Christ himselfe shewed vvhen he spake on earth It is the savour of life unto life to saue those that heare it or the savour of death unto death It is like to a vapour or perfume in the aire which in some mens nosthrilles is savourie and pleasant and doeth reviue them and others it striketh starke dead And therefore everie one that either now or heretofore hath heard this vvord preached shall find it to be vnto them either a word of povver to saue their soules or through their corruption the ministerie of death and condemnation Againe if a vvorde spoken by him being in a base and lovve estate be able to overthow his enemies then at the last day when he shall come in his glorie and power and maiestie to iudge both the quicke and the dead vvhat povver shall his vvordes haue Goe you cursed of my father into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devill his angels The consideration of this that the word of Christ shall euen be as povverfull at that day must be a motiue to euerie one of vs to cause us to come vnto Christ and vvhile vvee haue time in these dayes of grace and mercie to seeke to be reconciled vnto him for all our sinnes least at the last day wee heare that dreadfull voice of Christ sounding against vs Goe ye cursed into everlasting fire c. And thus much for the communication Now followeth Iudas his treason wherein vvee are to obserue these things I. the qualities and conditions of the man that did the treason He vvas by calling a disciple chosen to be an Apostle vvhich is the chiefest in Ecclesiasticall callings among the Disciples he was in some account because hee vvas as it were a stewarde in Christes family and bare the bagge but yet hee was a traitour and did more against Christ then all the Iewes did For he brought them to the place where they might apprehend him and when they were come did point him out unto them and delivered him into their hands nay he gaue them a signe and token saying VVhome I kisse he it is take him and lead him avvay warily Here we see the cause why Christ called Iudas a Divell for he said Have I not chosen you twelve and one of you is a divell Hee became to be a devill and a traitour by nourishing a wicked and a covetous heart And here we are taught that the ministers of Christ if they make no conscience of sinne by the iust iudgement of God do prooue deuils incarnate this exaÌ„ple of Iudas doth manifest the same and the reason is plaine for the more knowledge a man hath the more wicked he is if he vvant grace They are like in this case unto a man that hath meate drinke enough but no stomacke to digest it and so the more he eateth the more it turneth to his hurt This I speake not to deface the callings of ministers but that those vvhich preach Gods vvorde should not doe it with impenitent hearts living in their owne sinnes For it is a fearefull thing for a man to speake unto the people
must not looke to be taught by visions and dreames yet shall it not be amisse to obserue this caveat concerning dreames that by them we may gesse at the constitution of our bodies and often times at the sinnes whereunto we are inclined The last motiue which caused Pilate to absolue Christ was a speech of the Iewes for they said that Christ ought to die by their law because he saide he was the sonne of God And the text saith when Pilate hearde that hee was afraide Marke how a poore Painym that knew not Gods word at the hearing of the name of the sonne of God is striken with feare No doubt he shall rise in iudgement against many among us that without all feare rend the name of God in peeces by swearing blaspheming cursed speaking But let all those that feare the Lorde learne to tremble and be afraide at his blessed name Thus much for the causes that moued Pilate to absolue Christ as also for the second part of Christs arraignement namely his accusation Now followes the third part which is his condemnation and that is twofolde The first by the Ecclesiasticall assembly and councell of the Iewes at Ierusalem in the high priests hall before Caiphas The tenour of his condemnation was this He hath blasphemed vvhat have we any more neede of witnesses he is worthy to die The cause why they say not he shall die but he is worthy to die is this The Iewes had two iurisdictions the one Ecclesiasticall the other civill both prescribed and distinctly executed by the commaundement of God till the time of the Machabees in which both ioyntly togither came into the haÌ„ds of the priests but afterward about the daies of Herod the great the Romane Emperour tooke away both iurisdictions from the Iewes and made their kingdome a province so as they could doe no more but apprehend accuse and imprison as doth appeare by the example of Saul who gate letters from the high priest to Damascus that if hee found any either man or woman that beleeued in Christ hee might bring them bound to Ierusalem and imprison them but kill or condemne they could not By the fact of this counsell we learne sundry points first that generall counsels and the Pope himselfe sitting iudicially in his consistorie may erre If there were any visible Church of God at that day upon the face of the whol world it was no doubt the Church of the Iewes For Caiphas the high priest was a figure of Christ the Scribes and Pharises sate in Moses chaire and Ierusalem is called by Christ the holy citie Mat. 4.5 27.53 Yet for all this that which was foretold is now verified namely that the chiefe corner stone should be reiected of master builders For by the generall consent of the councell at Ierusalem Christ the head of the Catholike Church and the redeemer of mankind is accused of blasphemy and condemned as worthy of death Wherefore it is a meere dotage of mans braine to avouch that the Pope cannot possibly erre in giuing a definitive sentence in matters either of faith or manners Neither can the Church of Rome pleade priviledge for Ierusalem had as many prerogatiues as any people in the worlde coulde haue Againe by this wee see there is no reason why wee should ascribe to any man or to oecumenicall counsels themselves absolute and soveraigne power to determine giue iudgement in matters of religion considering they are in danger to be ouertaken with notable slippes and errours And therefore the soueraigntie of iudgement is peculiar to the sonne of God who is the only doctour and law-giuer of the Church and he puts the same in execution in and by the written word As for the speech of the Papistes calling the scriptures a dumb Iudge it is little to be regarded For they are as it were the letter of the living sent from heauen to his Church upon earth and therefore the scriptures speake as plainly and as sufficiently unto vs of all matters of faith as a man can speake unto his friend by letter so be it we haue the gift of discerning Yet doe weâ— not barre the Church of God from all iudgement For the ministeriall power of giuing iudgement both publiquely and priuately is graunted 〈◊〉 of God and that is to determine and giue sentence of matters in question according to the worde as the lawyer giues iudgement not according as he wil but according to the tenour of the law Thirdly we learne that personall succession is no unfallible marke of the true faith and of true pastours vnlesse withall be ioyned succession in the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles For Caiphas held his office by succession from Aaron and yet in publike assembly condemned the Messias spoken of by Moses and the Prophets Therefore the succession of the bishops of Rome from Peter is of no moment vnlesse they can prooue that their religion is the religion of Peter which they can neuer doe And thus much for Christs first condemnation The second was by Pontius Pilate who sate in an other court as a civill iudge and the tâ—noâ—â— of his sentence was that the Iewes should take him and crucifie him Here we must consider the reasons that mooved Pilate to determine thus the first was the impatience of the Iewes he for his parte was loth to defile his hands with innocent blood but the Iewes cryed his blood be upon us and on our children which according to their wish came upon them within fewe yeres after and so remaineth still unto this day By which we are taught to take heede of imprecations against our selues our children or seruants or any other creatures for God heareth mens prayers two waies either in his mercy or in his wrath and anger If thou curse thy selfe or any other except thou turne unto the Lorde by speedie repentance hee may heare thy prayer in his wrath and verifie thy curse upon thee to thy utter confusion The second reason that mooued Pilate to condemne Christ was because he feared men more then God for being deputie vnder Tyberius Caesar ouer the province of Iudea for feare of loosing his office and of displeasing the Iewes hee condemned Christ after he had absolued him whereby wee see that it is a grieuous sinne to feare dust and ashes more then the living God And therefore S. Iohn saith that the fearefull shall have their portion in the burning lake that is such as are more afraid of man then of God And this sinne in Pilate wanted not his iust towarde for not long after hee lost his deputy-ship and Cesars favour and fledde to Vienna where liuing in banishment hee killed himselfe And thus God meetes with them that feare the creature more then the Creatour That we may therefore avoid the heauie hand of God let us learne to feare God aboue all els we shall dishonour God and shame the religion which we professe The
indeede no faith And this counterfait mocke-faith is farre more common in the world then true faith is Take a view hereof in our ignorant and carelesse people aske any of them whether he be certen of his saluation or no he will without any bones making protest that he is fully perswaded and assured of his saluation in Christ that if there be but one man in a countrie to be saued it is he that he hath serued God alwaies done no man hurt that he hath euermore beleeued and that he would not for all the world so much as doubt of his saluation These and such like presumptious conceits in blinde and ignorant persons runne for currant faith in the worlde Nowe the true testimonie of the spirit is discerned from naturall presumption and all illusions of the deuill by two effects and fruits thereof noted by Paul in that he saith that the spirit makes vs crie Abba that is father The first is to pray so earnestly with groanes and sighes as though a man would euen fill heauen and earth with the crie not of his lippes but of his heart touched with sense and feeling of his manifolde sinnes and offences And this indeede is a speciall and principall note of the spirit of adoption Nowe looke vpon the loose and carelesse man that thinks himselfe so filled with the perswasion of the loue and fauour of God ye shall finde that he very seldome or neuer praies and when he doth it is nothing else but a mumbling ouer the Lords praier the Creede and the tenne Commaundements for fashions sake Which argues plainely that the perswasion which he hath of Gods mercie is of the flesh and not of the spirit The second fruit is the affection of a duetifull childe to God a most louing father and this affection makes a man stande in feare of the maiestie of God wheresoeuer he is and to make conscience of euery euill way Nowe those that are carried away with presumption so soone as any occasion is giuen they fall straight into sinne without mislike or stay as fire burnes with speede vvhen drie vvoode is laide vnto it In a worde where the testimonie of the spirit is truly wrought there be many other graces of the spirit ioyned therewith as when one branch in a tree buddeth the rest budde also The testimonie of our spirit is the testimonie of the heart and conscience purified and sanctified in the bloode of Christ. And it testifieth two waies by inward tokens in it selfe by outward fruits Inward tokens are certen speciall graces of God imprinted in the spirit whereby a man may certenly be assured of his adoption These tokens are of two sorts they either respect our sinnes or Gods mercie in Christ. The first are in respect of sinnes past present or to come The signe in the spirit which concerneth sinnes past is godly sorrow which I may tearme a beginning and mother grace of many other gifts and graces of God It is a kinde of griefe conceiued in heart in respect of God And the nature of it may the better be conceiued if we compare it with the contrarie Worldly sorrowe springs of sinne and it is nothing else but the horrour of conscience and the apprehension of the wrath of God for the same now godly sorrow it may indeede be occasioned by our sinnes but it springs properly of the apprehension of the grace and goodnes of God Worldly sorrow is a griefe for sinne onely in respect of the punishment godly sorrowe is a liuely touch and griefe of heart for sinne because it is sinne though there were no punishment for it Now that no man may deceiue himselfe in iudgeing of this sorrow the holy Ghost hath set downe seuen fruits or signes thereof whereby it may be discerned The first is Care to leaue all our sinnes past the second is Apologie whereby a man is mooued and carried to accuse and condemne himselfe for his sinnes past both before God and men The third is indignation whereby a man is exceedingly angrie with himselfe for his offences The fourth is feare least he fal into his former sins againe The 5. is desire wherby he craueth strength and assistance that his sinnes take not hold on him as before The sixth is zeale in the performance of all good duties contrarie to his special sinnes The seuenth is reuenge whereby he subdues his bodie least it should hereafter be an instrument of sinne as it hath beene in former time Now when any man shall feele these fruits in himselfe he hath no doubt the godly sorrow which here we speake of The token which is in regard of sinnes present is the combate betweene the flesh and the spirit proper to them that are regenerate who are partly flesh and partly spirit It is not the checke of conscience which all men finde in themselues both good and badde so oft as they offende God but it is a fighting and striuing of the minde will and affections with themselues whereby so farreforth as they are renewed they carrie the man one way and as they still remaine corrupt they carrie him flat contrarie Men hauing the disease called Ephialies when they are halfe asleepe feele as it were some weightie thing lying vpon their breasts and holding them downe nowe lying in this case they striue with their hands and feete and with all the might they haue to raise vp themselues and to remooue the weight and cannot Behold here a liuely resemblance of this combate The flesh which is the inborne corruption of mans nature lies vpon the hearts of the children of God and presseth them downe as if it were the very weight of a mountaine now they according to the measure of grace receiued striue to raise vp themselues from vnder this burden to doe such things as are acceptable to God but can not as they would The token that respects sinne to come is Care to preuent it That this is the mark of Gods children appeareth by the saying of Iohn Hee that is borne of God sinneth not but keepeth himselfe that the wicked one touch him not And this care shewes it selfe not onely in ordering the outward actions but euen in the verie thoughtes of the heart For where the Gospell is of force it brings every thought into captivitie to the obedience of Christ and the Apostles rule is followed whatsoever things are true whatsoeuer things are honest c. thinke on these things The tokens which concerne Gods mercy are especially two The first is when a man feeles him selfe distressed with the burden of his sinnes or when he apprehends the heauie displeasure of God in his conscience for them then further to feele how he stands in need of Christ withall heartily to desire yea to hunger and thirst after reconciliation with God in the merite of Christ and that aboue all other things in the world To all such Christ hath made most sweete and comfortable promises
is the gift of God through Iesus Christ Now they of the Church of Rome teach the flatte contrarie they make two iustifications the first whereby a man of an euill man is made a good man the second whereby of a good man hee is made better The first they ascribe to grace but so as the seconde is by workes Secondly hence wee learne that the arte of Iudiciall astrologie is vaine and frivolous They that practise it doe professe themselues to tell of thinges to come almost whatsoeuer and this they doe by casting of figures and the speciall point of their art is to iudge of mens nativities For if they may know but the time of a mans byrth they take vpon them to tell the whole course of his life from yeare to yeare from weeke to weeke and from day to day from the day of his birth to the houre of his death yea that which is more they professe themselues to tell all things that shall befall men either in bodie goods or good name and what kinde of death they shall die But that this their practise is not of God but indeede vnlawfull it may appeare by this because it stands not with the doctrine of Gods predestination Two twinnes begotten of the same parents and borne both at one and the same time by the iudgement of Astrologians must haue both the same life and the same death and be euery way alike both in goods and in good name yet we see the contrarie to be true in Iacob and Esau who were borne both at one time of the same parents For Iacob tooke Esau by the heele so as there could not be much difference betweene them in time yet for all this Esau was a fierce man and wilde giuen to hunting but Iaacob was milde of nature and liued at home the one had fauour at Gods hand and was in the couenant but God kept backe that mercie froÌ„ the other Againe in a pitcht field are slaine a thousand men at one and the same time now if we consider the time of their births it may be they were borne at a thousand sundrie times and therefore vnder so many diuerse positions of the heauens and so by the iudgement of all Astrologers should haue all diuers and sundrie liues and ends but we see according to the determination of the counsell of God they haue all one and the same ende and therefore this must admonish all those that are brought vp in schooles of learning to haue care to spend there times in better studies and it teacheth those that are fallen into any manner of distresse not to haue recourse to these fond figure-casters For their astrologicall iudgements are false and foolish as we may see by the two former examples Thirdly the knowledge of God is one of the most speciall points in Christian religion and therefore the Lord saith Let him that reioyce reioyce in this that he vnderstandeth and knoweth me For I am the Lord which shew mercie and iudgement in the earth And our Sauiour Christ saith This is life eternall to know thee the onely very God and whome thou hast sent Jesus Christ. Nowe Gods predestination is a glasse wherein we may behold his maiestie For first by it we see the wonderfull wisdome of God who in his eternall counsell did foresee and most wisely set downe the state of euery man secondly his omnipotencie in that he hath power to saue and power to refuse whome he will thirdly his iustice and mercie hoth ioyned together in the exequution of election his mercie in that he saueth those which were vtterly lost his iustice in that he ordained Christ to be a mediatour to suffer the curse of the law and to satisfie his iustice for the Elect. Fourthly his iustice in the exequution of the decree of Reprobation for though he decreed to hold back his mercie from some men because it so pleased him yet he condemneth no man but for his sinnes Now the coÌ„sideration of these the like points bring vs to the knowledge of the true God The vses which concerne our affections are these First the doctrine of predestination ministers to all the people of God matter of endlesse consolation For because Gods election in vnchangeable therefore they which are predestinate to saluation can not perish though the gates of hell preuaile against them so as they be hardly saued yet shall they certenly be saued therefore our Sauiour Christ saith that in the latter daies shall arise false Christs and false prophets which shall shew great signes and wonders so that if it were possible they should deceiue the very elect In which words he takes it for graunted that the elect of God can neuer finally fall away And hereupon he saith to his disciples when they reioyced that the deuils were subiect to them rather reioyce that your names are written in heauen And S. Paul speaking of Hymeneus Alexander which had falne away from the faith least the Church would be discouraged by their fall because they were thought to be worthie men pillars of the Church he doth comfort theÌ„ from the very ground of election saying The foundation of God remaineth sure and hath this seale The Lord knoweth who are his Where Gods election is compared to the foundatioÌ„ of an house the building whereof may be shaken but the ground-work standeth fast therefore Paul saith further Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect Nowe then that we may haue comfort in distresse some thing to stay vpon in al our troubles we in this world are as strangers in a farre countrie our passage homeward is ouer the sea of this world the ship wherin we saile is the Church satan stirres vp many blasts of troubles teÌ„ptations his purpose is to sink the ship or to driue it on the rock but we must take the anchor of hope fasten it in heauen vpon the foundation of Gods Election which being done we shal passe in safetie reioyce in the midst of all stormes tempests Secondly whereas God refuseth some men and leaues them to themselues it serues to strike a feare into â—uery one of vs whatsoeuer as Saint Paul in the like case saith the Iewes being the naturall braunches are broken off through vnbeliefe and thou standest by faith be not high minded but feare This indeed was spoken to the Romanes but we must also lay it vnto our hearts For what is the best of vs but a lump of clay how soeuer in Gods counsell we are chosen to saluation yet in our selues we are all shut vp vnder vnbeliefe and are fit to make vessels of wrath Our Sauiour Christ calleth Iudas a deuil we know his leud life fearful end now what are we better then Iudas by nature If we had bin in his steade without the special blessing of God we should haue don as he did he betraied Christ
euery one effectually whether he be of the Church or not at one time or other wheresoeuer or howsoeuer he liue as in the like case if men should be told that whether they liue in the market towne or no there shall be sufficient prouision brought them if they will but receiue it and accept of it who would then come to the market Vniuersall grace hath three parts Vniuersall Election vniuersall Redemption vniuersall Vocation Vniuersall Election of all and euery man is a witlesse conceit for if men vniuersally be appointed to grace without exception then there is no Electing or choosing of some out of mankinde to grace and if some alone be appointed to grace as it must needes be in Election then is not grace vniuersall And it is flat against the word of God For Christ auoucheth plainly that fewer be chosen then called and as afterward we shall see all are not called And he further saith that all which are giuen vnto him shall be one with him and haue life euerlasting but all men shall not be one with him and haue life euerlasting and therefore all men are not giuen to Christ of the father that is ordained to saluation And the Scripture saith that all mens names are not written in the booke of life and that the kingdome of heauen was not prepared for all And whereas men build this their vniuersall Election vpon the largenes of the promise of the Gospel vpon the like ground they might as wel make an vniuersall decree of Reprobation whereby God decrees all men to be damned indefinitely vpon this condition if they doe not beleeue Now if vniuersall Reprobation be absurd as it is indeede then vniuersall Election must take part therewith As for the Vniuersal redemption of all euery man it is no better then a forgerie of mans braine There shall be many in the day of iudgement of whome Christ shall say that he neuer knew them Againe he saith He which beleeveth not is alreadie iudged and the wrath of God abides vpon him But if all were effectually redeemed and onely condemned for not beleeuing in Christ it should haue beene said that they are alreadie iudged and that the wrath of God not abides but returnes vpon them Christ makes no intercession for the worlde and therefore his redemption is not effectuall to all men For the intercession is the meanes of applying the satisfaction If it be said that by the world is meant onely contemners of grace it appeares to be otherwise in that Christ opposeth the world to them which are the fathers and are giâ—en to Christ by him thereby signifying that by the world he meanes all suâ—h as are not the fathers and were neuer giuen to Christ. And he laies downe his life for his sheepe nowe the sheepe haue all these brands or markes they heare his voice they know him they follow him they shall not perish none shall plucke them out of Christs hands and these are onely such of whome Paul saith Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect it is God that iustifieth who shall condemne And if this should be true that Christ was crucified and died no lesse to make satisfaction for the sinnes of the damned then for the sinnes of Peter and Paul and the rest of the Saints it followes necessarily that all their sinnes are forgiuen considering that remission of sinne depends inseparably vpon satisfaction made to Gods iustice for sinne and satisfaction doth necessarily abolish all fault Wee graunt that Christs death is sufficient to saue many thousand worlds we graunt againe it is euery way most effectuall in it selfe but that it is effectuall in or vnto the person of euery man that we denie For if it were thus effectuall then it should be applied to the person of euery man as to Caine Iudas Nero Heliogabalus c. euen as the plaister is laide to the sore beeing applied Christs righteousnes should be imputed for the iustification and sanctification of all and euery man and thus some iustified before God and sanctified should after goe to hell and be damned whereas Dauid neuer so much as dreaming of this diuinitie saith that they are blessed which haue the pardon of their sinnes and Paul that they which are iustified haue peace with God But let vs heare what reasons may be alleadged to iustifie the Vniuersalitie of redemption I. Ezechiel 33. vers 11. As I liue saith the Lord J will not the death of the vvicked but that the vvicked returne from his vvicked vvay Ansvveare The place is to be vnderstoode not simplie but in respect of the twaine God rather wills the repentance of the sinner then his death Againe he wils not death as it is the destruction of his creature and so this place may be vnderstoode yet neuerthelesse he willâ— the same as it is a meanes of manifestation of his iustice and therefore the Prophet Isai saith that God createth euill II. 1. Tim. 2. God vvould haue all men to be saued and come to the acknovvledgement of the truth Ansvveare The place is meant not of the persons of all particular men but of the orders and kindes of men For in the first verse Paul exhorted Timothie that praier should be made for all men and in the second verse opening his owne meaning he addeth these wordes for Kings and all that be in authoritie as though he should say we must pray not onely for priuate men and for the common people but also for publicke persons though they persecute the Gospell But why because in that very order God hath his Elect which shall be saued And on this manner Paul expoundes himselfe else where There is neither Ievve nor Grecian there is neither bond nor free there is neither male nor female for ye are all one in Christ. III. Rom. 11. vers 32. God hath shut vp all in vnbeliefe that he might haue mercie on all Ansvveare The worde all must be vnderstoode of all that are to be saued both of Iewes and Gentiles as the article added to all importeth and the meaning is that God will saue all whome he purposeth to saue of his mercie and not of their merite because all are sinners as well Iewes as Gentiles thus Paul expoundes himselfe Galat. 3.22 The Scripture hath concluded all vnder sinne that the promise by the faith of Iesus Christ should be giuen to them that beleeue And if we should expound the word all for euery particular man as some would haue 〈◊〉 Paul must contradict himselfe who said before that God would haue mercie on whom he wil haue mercie whom he will hee hardeneth and in this very chapter his drift is to prooue the reiection of the Iewes and the calling of the Gentiles IV. Ioh. 3.16 God so loued the world that he hath giuen his onely begotten sonne that whosoeuer beleeueth in him shall not perish but haue euerlasting life and Ioh.