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mercy_n	heart_n	let_v	lord_n	11,278	5	4.0773	3	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A11015	A treatise of Gods effectual calling: written first in the Latine tongue, by the reuerend and faithfull seruant of Christ, Maister Robert Rollock, preacher of Gods word in Edenburgh. And now faithfully translated for the benefite of the vnlearned, into the English tongue, by Henry Holland, preacher in London; Tractatus de vocatione efficaci, quae inter locos theologiæ communissimos recensetur, deque locis specialioribus, qui sub vocatione comprehenduntur. English	Rollock, Robert, 1555?-1599.; Holland, Henry, 1555 or 6-1603.; Bèze, Théodore de, 1519-1605.	1603 (1603)	STC 21286; ESTC S116145	189,138	276

containe my selfe but must needes giue thankes as I ought vnto God for this so necessarie and so profitable a worke and reioyce that both you and the whole Church enioy so great a benefit desiring the Lord to increase with new gifts and preserue in saftie this excellent instrument especially in these times wherein thorow the scarcitie of skilfull workemen which labour in the Lords vineyard and by the decease of those well exercised and experienced souldiers and worthie Christians Sathan and his companions begin againe to triumph ouer the truth Concerning the estate of our Church and schoole we yet continue and proceede in our course by the mightie hand of our God and Sauiour protecting vs which is admirable to our very enemies being deliuered from the iawe of death But in truth for ought we see it is like to last but one yeare our estate depending on those acts which shall bee concluded in the * Or meeting at Roane Or the Prince our neighbour diet of Roane betweene the French King and our neighbour Duke either concerning peace or warre wherein we hope to be comprehended vpon equall condition In this fraile and vncertaine estate that is our principall consolation that we are sure this slender and twined threed whereupon we rest is sustained by the hand of our good God who will not suffer that to be falsified which we haue learned of the Apostle that all things worke together for the Rom. 8. good of those that loue him In the meane while I beseech you brethren continue your remembrance of vs in your daily prayers I for my part for some moneths though I be not much pained with any Feuer Gout Stone or any of those sharpe diseases which be the vsuall companions of old age yet I feele my selfe so infeebled and weakned that I am constrained in a manner to giue ouer both my publike duties to keepe house and home looking euery day for that ioyfull and happie dissolution whereunto age it selfe calleth me being now seuentie eight yeares old And herein I desire your prayer with the rest of my brethren by name of my reuerend brother Maister Meluin and Maister Peter Iunius whom vnlesse memorie faile me Maister Scringer of blessed memorie was wont to call his cosen vnto whom remembring withall my hartie commendations I desire you to communicate this my letter desiring the Lord my deare and louing brother to preserue your whole Church there with his mightie and blessed hand against all both forren and domesticall dangers Fare ye well from Geneua the Calends of Nouemb. after our olde computation CIC. IC XCVI Yours wholy THEODOR BEZA TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL AND HIS VERIE CHRISTIAN LOVING FRIEND MAISTER WILLIAM SCOT of Ely grace and peace by Iesus Christ WHen I had finished my last sommers worke of reuising and correcting Master Rollockes readings on the Colossians I was inwardlie much affected with the holy spirit of the man which I found as in that so in the rest of his workes Then my heart desired that as forraine Churches greatly reioyce in him and blesse God for him so the Churches of England and Scotland might to their greater ioy heare him speake yet more vnto them in their owne natiue language This is the cause right worshipfull that mooued me the winter past to gaine some houres from mine ordinarie labours to giue this little booke a new coate that it might be knowne also in all this Iland where it was first conceiued and borne It hath the protection of our most mightie King for saftie and free passage into other parts of the world where it hath been intertained with kinde acceptation and so now no doubt it shall be no lesse in both these kingdomes when as all true hearted subiects shall see with what christian affection our most noble King affected this faithfull seruant of Iesus Christ and his holy workes Now blessed bee God for being thus mindfull of vs and for annoynting his sacred breast with such a measure of the spirit of iudgement as an 2. Sam. 19. 27. Phil. 19. 10. Esa 11. 3. 4. Angel of God to discerne the things that differ and so to respect the meeke ones of the earth to the vnspeakable ioy of the good and terror of the wicked Behold now praise the Lord with vs and let vs magnifie his name together for the Lord hath done great things for vs the Lord hath so set the wheeles of his admirable prouidence and so carried his blessed hand this yeare past in all his proceedings round about vs and so touched the hearts 1. Sam. 10. 26. of all this kingdome as hauing a purpose to accomplish a great worke in the building of his Church and in his good time to lift vp such strokes as shall destroy for euer euery enemie that doth euill to the sanctuarie Psal 74. 3. The Lords compassions faile not O Lord withdraw Psal 85. 3. 4. thine anger and turne backe the fiercenes of thy wrath Turne vs O God of our saluation turne thou vs Lam. 5. 21. vnto thee that wee may bee turned and cause thy face to shine vpon vs that we may be saued Cease not to pray for vs that we may not returne to our olde securitie and vnthankfulnes any more but that wee may attend what the Lord saith for now he begins to speake peace vnto his people and vnto his Saints crying in their doores euen as it Prou. 1. Psal 85. 8. were in the open streetes that they returne not againe to folly Now we see that the counsell of the Lord shall stand for euer and that the thoughts of his heart shall continue throughout all ages for he hath broken the counsels of the wicked who haue euer sought to be possest of Gods habitations but the Lord shall make them as stubble before the wind the Lord will persecute them with his tempest and make them afraid with his storme O Lord fill their Psal 83. 16. faces with shame that they may seeke thy name Finally the Lord hath made our corners full and abounding with diuers forts of blessings hee hath made Psal 144. 13. the barres of our gates strong and hath setled peace in our borders he hath stablished his Gospell and holy couenant with vs he hath taught vs to obserue his iudgements and his wonderfull administrations both of his iustice and mercie he Psal 147. 13. hath not dealt so with any Nation round about vs. Wherefore O praise the Lord with vs let England and Scotland now with one heart as with one mouth praise God in all the assemblies Psal 6. 8. 26. O praise the Lord ye that are of the fountaine of Israel praiseye the Lord. To returne to our purpose as touching this sweete treatise in hand I say no more but this I trust the reader shall finde my words true that so many common places of diuinity as be here briefely couched as branches appertaining to this one head the

end vse of the couenant of works is that men by it may be iustified and saued or otherwise condemned The couenant of works had this vse in Adam before his fall that Adam by it might be iustified and liue After the fall it hath the same vse in the vnregenerate elect and reprobate to wit to iustifie and saue them or to condemne them And for as much as it can not iustifie them because of their corruption Rom. 8. 3. it followeth that it must necessarilie condemne them And the verie vnbeleeuing and vnregenerat doe otherwhiles feele this condemnation in themselues Of this vse read Rom. 3. 19. where he sayth that by the law Euery mouth is stopped and made obnoxious to the condemnation of God And of the experience of this condemnation reade Rom. 7. 10. I saith he when the commandement came was dead that is condemned in my conscience so that I felt in my selfe present condemnation and death And albeit this first vse of the couenant of works be cōmon to al vnregenerat elect and reprobate yet this wants not some difference for in the elect the acknowledgmēt of sin and condemnation which they haue by the couenant of works is vnto them a preparatiue to imbrace the couenant of grace but in the reprobate it is the way to extream desperation Thus far of the first vse The second end of the couenant of works is this It 2. End of the couenant of works serues to driue on and to stir vp al beleeuers to march on forwardes in all faith and godlinesse This vse it hath I say in the regenerat who in the legall couenant or morall law doe desire principallie to behold as in a glasse euermore first the holinesse maiestie and iustice of God 1. The vse of the morall law to the beleeuers Ro. 7. 12. Therefore the law is holy and the commandement is holy iust good Next they see here that which they call the originall holines and iustice of man to wit 2. the same which was in the creation which is defined to consist of iustice holines and wisdome Thirdly they behold here that life eternall which was to follow that 3. first originall iustice Fourthly they see that corruption and vnrighteousnes which is now in nature after mans 4. fal but this they see by consequent as we say one contrary is discerned and knowen by another for while we consider first that infinit iustice of God next our original iustice which are properlie discerned by that glasse of Gods law and couenant of works by the light and brightnes of these I say we may take a view of the grosse darknes filthinesse and deformitie of our corrupt nature For this cause it is said Ro. 3. 20. By the law commeth the knowledg of fin Fiftly they see herein Gods wrath kindled against y t deformitie of nature so contrarie both to Gods iustice to mans original iustice For this cause it is said Rom. 1. The wrath of God is reuealed from heauen against all the vngodlines and vnrighteousnesse of men and Rom. 4. The law causeth wrath Sixtly and lastly they behold how present death followeth that wrath of God Ro. 1. 32. Which men though they knew the law of God how that they which commit such things are worthie of death yet not onelie doe the same but also fauour them that doe them Chap. 7. 9 10. When the commandement came I dyed The regenerate when they consider these things in the law and couenant of workes they are forthwith terrified with that heauie spectacle 1. of their sinne 2. of the wrath of God against sinne 3. of eternall death which followeth Gods wrath And then doe they more more relinquish and renounce 1. that legall righteousnes required in the couenant of workes 2. that originall iustice and all opinion of free-will 3. that life and safety which followeth that legal righteousnes of works And hauing renounced all confidence in these thinges with like in deuour they follow hard after Christ by conuersion and faith to this end that they may finde in him first that mercie of God in Christ contrarie to that iustice of God secondlie they seeke for that imputatiue iustice as they call it so contrarie to their owne righteousnes to that originall iustice of the law or of works Thirdly they labour for that sanctification and regeneration that so they may bring forth the fruites of the spirit Fourthly they waite for to attaine that life eternall which is giuen vs of Gods free grace in and by that imputed righteousnes of Christ If we were possest in this life of a perfect faith in Christ A perfect faith we haue not and so of perfect holines then I graunt the beleeuers should not need this terrible glasse of the law and of the couenant of works But because vnbeleefe still resteth in this our nature and the reliques of that inherent contagion still abide in vs and for that so long as wee liue here neither our faith nor holinesse can be perfected Therfore to weaken more more our vnbelcefe and inherent sinne in vs and more and more to increase faith and holinesse we haue euer need of this terrible glasse as a continuall seuere Schoolemaister which euer casting many feares before vs may driue vs to the faith of Christ and to sanctimonie of life Now then seeing it is euident that there is a double vse of the couenant of workes the answer to the question aforegoing is easie For this we auouch that as touching the former vse the couenant of works is abolished to them which are vnder grace To this the Apostle pointeth when he saith Ro. 6. 15. Yee are not vnder the law but vnder grace Gal. 4. that he might redeeme them which were vnder the law Rom. 7. Being dead to the law we are now free from the law 2. Cor. 3. 11. For if that which should be abolished was glorious But as for this second vse it is not abolished This distinction is commonlie receiued that the law legall couenant is abolished as it is a condemning tyrant and not to be abolished as it is a Schoolemaister to chasten vs and with terrours to driue vs vnto Christ For this second vse we haue an example in Paul after his regeneration Ro. 7. 14. c. For when he considers in the glasse of Gods law the spiritualitie that so I may speak the holines and goodnes of the law first next his owne carnalitie to vse that worde and rebellion and lastly death it selfe first he breaks forth into these wordes Miserable man that I am who shall deliuer me from the bodie of this death Next he flieth to the mercie of God in Christ Iesu saying I giue God thanks in Christ Iesus And 2. Cor. 5. 11. Paul sayth of himselfe he was inforced and mooued forwardes to doe duties in his calling because of the terrors of the Lord set downe and offered vnto him in and by

nor only a generall promise touching Christ but much rather a speciall mercy and a speciall promise that is mercy offered in the Gospel not in common to all but peculiarly to me or to thee For albeit the promises and sentences of the Gospell be conceiued generally yet it is certaine that they are to be receiued particularly by euery one as if they were spoken to euery one in seuerall as for example Ioh. 3. the promise of the couenant of grace is conceiued generally in these words Whosoeuer beleeueth in the Sonne shall not perish but haue life euerlasting This promise is indeed generally conceiued but it is to bee vnderstood particularly and singularly by euery one as if it had beene spoken to me or to thee If thou beleeuest in the Sonne thou shalt not perish but haue euerlasting life The Apostle 1. Tim. 1. doth vnderstand this generall sentence namely that Christ Iesus came into the world to saue sinners no otherwise then if it had beene pronounced onely concerning himselfe whereupon he doth apply it particularly vnto himselfe assuming by name that he is the sinner and concluding How the beleeuer is to make a syllogisme in forme at the least secretly that Christ came into y e world to saue him by name We may make trial of this thing by those promises that are made specially in the Gospell to saue certaine men as to the man sicke of the palsie Matt. 9. to the woman that was a sinner Luk. 7. to the Adultresse Ioh. 8. to Zacheus Luk. 19. to the thiefe Luk. 23. For the Spirit of Christ when any generall promise or sentence touching Christ and his mercie is alleaged doth no lesse particularly now apply the same to euerie man by speaking inwardly to the heart of euery one then at that time Christ did by his liuely voice apply those particular promises to some certaine persons Roman 3. Whē the righteousnes of God is said to belong to al beleeuers and that without distinction it is plainly signified that that righteousnesse is offered to men of euerie sort and condition and also propounded to euery seuerall person 1. Tim 2. after he hath admonished that wee are to pray for all men he addeth that God will haue all men to be saued and come to the knowledge of the truth Out of which it followeth that in the publishing of the Gospell God hath respect not onely of all men in common but also distinctly of euery seuerall person which regard also he will haue vs to haue in our prayers What neede many words For if there were nothing els that did The mercie of God in Christ offered generally to all the world particularly applied to euery one by the Spirit is the obiect of iustifying faith teach this the administration of the Sacraments alone hath force enough in it to proue that the mercy of God in Christ is offered specially to euerie one For in both the sacraments the seales of that mercy are giuen and offered to euery one seuerally And let this suffice to shew that speciall mercy as it is called is the obiect properly of iustifying Faith against which our aduersaries hold The obiect of iustifying Faith being made to bee a generall mercy it followeth that faith in the opinion of our aduersaries is generall and not a speciall assent For seeing there is only a generall mercy propounded generally to the Church and not offered particularly to the seuerall members therof how can any particular man challenge that particularly to himselfe which is not spoken and offered particularly But we affirme that iustifying faith is that whereby euery beleeuer doth particularly not onely assent to the promise that it is true in it selfe but also apprehends with the heart the promised thing and applies it properly to himselfe For this being made plaine that the mercie of God was particularly offered to euery one it followeth that faith must be particular But for the proofe hereof there are almost infinite testimonies of the Scriptures we will be content but with a few Gal. 2. 20. And the life that I now liue in the flesh I liue by faith in the Sonne of God who loued me and gaue himselfe for me Marke here he doth by faith peculiarly apply to himselfe the Sonne of God and his life his loue and his death Neither is there any cause why any one should say that this might be lawfull for the Apostle who had some extraordinary reuelation of that thing but that it is not lawfull to the common sort of Christians in as much as the Apostle doth in this place beare the person of euery Christian and beleeuing man Rom. 8. For I am perswaded that neither death nor life c. Marke here that speciall trust and particular application is pointed at by the verbe of the singular number Beside that which is cited out of Habakuck by the Apostle The iust shall liue by faith doth sufficiently insinuate a speciall faith for thereby is signified that euery iust person doth liue by his faith that is by a speciall assent to and application of the righteousnesse of God in Christ Matth. chap. 9. a particular faith is commended to the man sicke of the palsie to whom it was saide Sonne be of good comfort thy sinnes be forgiuen thee Ioh. 3. when it is said He that beleeueth in the Sonne hath eternall life that verie same speciall faith is signified which is when euerie one doth assent particularly to and apply to himselfe euerlasting life offered to himselfe What neede manie words The same thing doth that verbe I beleeue which is found in the Apostles Creede teach For to beleeue is there specially and particularly to beleeue Out of the generall mercy and generall faith of the aduersaries followeth the vncertaintie of particular faith and of Gods peculiar grace which they defend For it is easily discerned that vncertaintie doth follow necessarily out of that generality first a doubtfulnesse of mercy then of faith For when as mercy is propounded and offered not specially but generally and when there is onely a generall assent of faith how can I be certaine of that mercy which pertaines not certainly by name to me But that there is a certainty of faith against which they hold first it easily appeareth by those things which haue The certainty of faith beene spoken of Gods speciall mercy and speciall faith For seeing mercy is offered particularly to thee and to me c. and I againe assent particularly to it now am I certaine of that mercy that it is mine specially seeing I doe already by faith and speciall application possesse it For Christ dwelleth in our harts by faith that is we now possesse Christ and doe enioy him as present Of this speciall certainty see Rom. 4. 16. The inheritance is of faith that it may be by grace to the end the promise may be firme to the seed And in the same Chapter ver 18. Which Abraham against hope beleeued

without Christ and therefore doth beget feare and horror within vs. The instrument wherby the spirit doth worke this sorrow in our hearts is the preaching of the law The sum whereof is in that syllogisme concerning the which we haue spoken in the doctrine of faith the proposition of which syllogisme is this Cursed is euery one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of this law to do thē The assumption is by euery mans conscience thus annexed But I haue not continued in them the conclusion therefore is this I am accursed From hence dooth that sorrow or rather that horror of the heart arise or spring not somuch for sin which is in the assumption as for the punishment and feare of the curse which is in the conclusion And this is that which is called the pricke of conscience which by meanes of the conclusion before shewed doth not only prick a wounded mind but also pierce euen through the heart And this legall sorrow if the grace of the Gospell did not put an helping hand betweene it and vs would driue a man into vtter desperation And thus much concerning that first sorrow The very same spirit of God is likewise a principal efficient cause of the latter sorrow but not proceeding as before for now he becommeth the spirit of adoption Wherby we crie Abba Father Rom. 8. that is testifying of our adoption in Christ and therefore doth inlarge both our heart and mouth to call vpon God familiarly as vpon our Father The instrument whereby the holy spirit doth worke this faith in our hearts it is the preaching of the Gospell the summe whereof is contained in that syllogisme concerning which we haue spoken in the doctrine of faith The proposition of this syllogisme is He that beleeueth shal be iustified and shall liue whereupon faith doth assume saying But I do beleeue and concludeth saying Therefore righteousnesse and life pertaineth vnto me In this conclusion there is I confesse matter of ioy of vnspeakable gladnesse but it is as true that there is in it matter of sorrow also which is conceiued after we haue known the mercy of God in Christ to be so great and doth arise in this respect because we haue offended so merciful and so louing a Father It is then a ioy mixt with sorrow with the vnspeakable and glorious ioy of faith hauing ioined with it sighes that cannot be expressed And thus much also of the later sorrow Now let vs see how both these kinds of sorrow belong vnto sound repentance That first sorrow which is of the law and is conceiued by reason of the punishment which followeth sinne I confesse it is no part of this holy change and conuersion vnto God for of it own nature it doth rather estrange vs from God then conuert vs to The terror of the law a preparatiue for the Gospell God and in very deede it dooth altogether alienate the wicked from God as from a terrible iudge Notwithstanding in repentance it hath his vse for it prepareth the elect by giuing them sense of their misery to that grace and mercy which is propounded in the Gospell The latter sorrow which is according to God and is effected by the Gospel is properly a part of repentance and dooth effect that change of the mind and reason before specified And therefore the Apostle saith 2. Cor. 7. that the sorrow which is according to God causeth repentance And thus far of the first part of this benefit which is found to be in sorrow The other followeth which is called properly by the Apostle 2. Cor. vers 7. a Chaunge of the minde For there followeth after that godly sorrow a certaine wonderfull change of the minde of the will and of the heart As touching knowledge and that illumination Second part of repentance of the mind this goes before the sorrow we haue spoken of is an acknowledgment wrought in vs first of sinne and of our misery by the law next of mercy by the Gospell Therefore the chaunge of the mind which followeth this sorrow it pertaines to the faculty or iudgment of reason which also is called the counsell and purpose of the mind Act. 11. 23. He exhorteth them that with one purpose of heart they would cleaue vnto the Lord. And the iudgment or counsell of the mind is chaunged in this sort The mind disalloweth the euill which is committed and alloweth the good hereafter to be practised There are therefore two parts of the change of y e iudgement or counsell the first is the disallowing of the euill committed the second is the The change of the mind hath two branches approuing of the good to be done After the change of the iudgement or counsell of the mind there followeth a change of the wil in this manner The will reiecteth that euill which is committed or it declineth from it and alloweth the good to be done hereafter or inclineth thereunto There are there two parts of this change first a declination from the euil committed secondly an inclination to the good which is or ought to be done After the 2. Change of the will change of the wil followeth the change of the hart which is on this manner The heart hateth and detesteth that euill which it hath heretofore done and it loues and affects the good which hereafter it ought to doe There are therefore two parts of this change the first is the detestation 3. Change of the heart of euill done and committed the second is the loue of that good which ought to be done In general therfore there are two parts of that chang of the mind which is an effect of sorow the first is a change from euill and from sinne committed the second is a change to good hereafter to be practised and followed Commonly these parts are called mortification and viuification but I know not how rightly iustly for mortification and viuification are properly parts of regeneration which doth differ from repentance as shal be seene Regeneration and repentance differ hereafter By that which hath bin already said we vnderstand what be the especial points of repentance from whence it proceeds and wherunto it serueth The point from whence it proceedes is the euill or sinne committed the point to which it tendeth is the good heereafter to bee done Repentance therefore standeth betweene two actions past and future and it doth differ from regeneration for the points thereof are not deeds and actions but qualities to wit the corruption of nature or the old man and sanctitie or the new man but of this we shall entreate afterward when wee come to speake of the difference of repentance and of regeneration Ye see thē after that great sorow how there is a change in the whole mind of man Next ye see by that hath been saide of this benefit of repentance that repentance doth begin from the heart and doth proceede by the reasonable