vs from the seruice of all other Masters that he might binde vs the more straightly to serue himselfe And indeede if Christ commaund vs as hee ought no other thing shall commaund vs beside him otherwise if we be not seruants to him we shall be slaues to euery thing beside him O quam multos dominos habet qui vnum non habet O how many Lords hath that man who hath not Christ to be his Lord assuredly there is no thing which will not vsurpe superioritie ouer thee who liues not as a bound seruant to Iesus Christ either thy belly shall become thy God and for a mease of pottage with Esau thou shalt sell thy birth-right and blessing or a wedge of gold shall become thy confidence and thou shalt not care for gaine to loose a good conscience or then some other vncouth Lord who hath no title to thee shall tyrannize ouer thee Thus wee see that the Christian libertie we haue by Christ makes vs free from the seruitude of sinne as the Apostle teacheth vs and not free to commit sinne as the carnall Atheist conceiues it But seeing we are debters let vs see with what bondes wee are bound surely the obligations are many by which we are bound debters to the Lord but specially now wee will shortly consider these two Creation and Redemption It is a principle receiued among all men that the fruit and vantage of a mans owne workmanship should redound to himselfe Who planteth a vineyard and eates not of the fruit thereof or who feedeth a flocke and eates not of the milke of the flocke No man begets sonnes and daughters but he will be honoured of them hee that hyreth seruants requires seruice of them yea Balaam will be offended if his beast serue him not according to his pleasure this is the measure wherwith men mete vnto themselues what reason then is ther we should refuse to doe that dutie vnto the Lord our Superiour which wee craue to our selues from our Inferiours The Lord hath made vs wee made not our selues his hand hath formed and shaped vs the life we haue wee hold it of him we can not abide a moment longer in this house of our earthly tabernacle than the Lords thinkes expedient his will makes the last day yea as we said before all our necessarie maintenance for this mortall life is furnished out of his hand seeing wee our selues craue seruice of those to whem we giue the smallest things shall wee not much more giue seruice vnto GOD from whom wee receiue the greatest The other is the bond of Redemption Wherein we are to consider these three things first that vve are bought secondly that we are sworne thirdly that we haue receiued wages before hand all for this end that vve should serue him Ye are bought saith the Apostle with a price therefore glorifie God in your bodies and in your spirits for they are Gods And againe wee are redeemed not with corruptible things as gold and siluer from our vaine conuersation but with the pretious bloud of Christ as of a Lambe vnspotted and vndefiled we should not therefore liue as seruants of men farre lesse as seruants of Sathan and sinne but as seruants of that Lord who hath redeemed vs. Of all fooles those are the greatest who sels their life for the silly shadowes of sinfull pleasures which Iesus Christ hath bought with the greatest price that euer was payed Not onely are we bought to be Christs seruants but also we are sworne for baptisme as on the part of God it is a seale of the couenant of grace to confirme that promise of remission of sinnes which God hath made to vs in the blood of Iesus Christ so on our part it is a solemne resignation of our selues and our seruice to the Lord wherein we giue vp our names to be enrolled among his souldiers seruants swearing binding and oblieging our selues to renounce the seruice of the Diuell the World and the Flesh and this oath of resignation we haue renued so oft as wee communicated at his holy Table Whereof it is euident that they who hath giuen their names to Christ and yet liues licentiously walking after the flesh are for-sworne Apostates guiltie of perfidie and of foule apostasie and desertion from Iesus Christ. And thirdly not onely are we bought and sworne but we haue receiued wages and payment in hand which should make vs ashamed if we haue so much as common honestie to refuse seruice to the Lord vvhose wages we haue receiued already It may be said to euery one of vs which Malachie in the name of the Lord spake to the Leuiets of his time who among you shuts the dore of my temple or kindles a fire vpon my alter in vaine who among vs can stand vp and say that hee hath done seruice to the Lord for nought Consider it when ye will for euery peece of seruice ye haue done to the Lord ye haue receiued wages more then ten times who hath called aright on his name hath not been heard who hath giuen thanks for benefits receiued hath not found Gods benefits doubled vpon him who hath giuen almes in the name of the Lord and not found increase I speake not now of rewards which God â—ath promised vs I speake only of that we haue receiued already the least of Gods mercies shewed vpon vs already doth farre exceede all that seruice that we poore wretches haue done vnto him as therefore we are content to receiue the Lords pay let vs neuer refuse to giue the seruice of our bodyes and spirits vnto him But alas is not this the common sinne of this generation to receiue good things out of the hand of God and with them to sacrifice vnto other Gods to whom they owe no seruice at all A horrible sacriledge a vile idolatry for this the Lord complaines of the Iewes they haue receiued my gold and my siluer and made vp Baal to themselues and the same complaint stands against the prophane men of this age The couetous man as riches encrease doth hee not set his heart vpon them though with his tongue hee denie it doth he not say within himselfe that which Iob protested hee would neuer say to the wedge of Gold thou art my confidence The glutton when hee hath receiued from God abundance of Wheat Oyle and Wine though hee know the commandement be not filled with wine wherein is excesse but be filled with the Spirit yet how oft takes hee in superfluous drinke and spares not for loue of it to grieue the Spirit sacrificing to his belly as vnto God those things which bindes him to doe seruice vnto the Lord thus neither are the benefits of God returned to doe honour vnto him from whom they come but sacrilegiously also abused to the making vp of Bâ—al or some other Idoll abhominable to God for which it it most certaine that the moe wages
the 31. verse to the end wherein hee drawes all that hee hath spoken in this Chapter to a short summe contayning the glorious triumph of a Christian ouer all his enimies The triumph is first set downe generally verse 31. What shall wee then say to these things if God bee with vs who can bee against vs c. This generall incontinent hee parts in two there is sayeth hee but two things may hurt vs either Sinne or Affliction As to Sinne hee triumphs against it verse 33. and 34. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God his chosen it is God that iustifieth who shall condemne It is Christ who is dead or rather who is risen againe who is also at the right hand of God and maketh request for vs. As to Affliction hee triumphs against it from the 35. to the end Who shall seperate vs from the loue of Christ shall tribulation anguish or persecution shall famine nakednesse or perill yea shall death doe it or that which is much more shall Angels principalities or powers doe it No In all these things wee are more than Conquerours through him that loued vs. Thus doth the Apostle like a faithfull steward in the house of God take by the hand the weary sonnes and daughters of the liuing God that hee may leade vs into the Lords winesellers there to refresh and stay vs with the â—lagons of his Wine to comfort vs with his Apples to strengthen vs with his hid Manna and to make vs merry with that Milke and Hony which our immortall husband Iesus Christ hath prouided for vs to sustaine vs that we faint not through our manifold tentations that compasse vs in this barren wildernes We come then to the first part of the Chapter wherein the Apostle keepes this order First hee sets downe a generall proposition of comfort belonging to the iustified man Secondly he subioynes a confirmation therof Thirdly he explanes his reason of confirmation and fourthly applyes iâ—first by commination of them who walke after the flesh secondly by consolation of the godly against the remanents of the flesh thirdly by exhortation of both not to walke after the flesh In the proposition againe set downe Verse 1. first he points at the comfort Now then there is no condemnation secondly he sets downe a limitation restrayning this comfort To them who are in Christ thirdly hee subioynes a clearer declaration of those persons who are in Christ to wit they walk not after the flesh but after the spirit Verse 1. Now then This is a relatiue to his former discourse and is as I haue said a Conclusion inferred vpon that which goeth before Seeing wee are iustified by Faith in Iesus Christ and are now no more vnder the Law but vnder Grace seeing we are buryed with Christ by Baptisme into his death that like as he was raised from the dead by the glory of his Father so we also should walke in newnesse of life hauing receiued that spirit of Christ whereby wee fight against the Law of sinne in our members which rebelleth against the Law of our minde seeing it is so we may be sure that the remanent power of sinne in vs shall neuer be able to condemne vs. We see then that these words containe the Apostles glorying against the remanents of sinne the sense whereof in the end of the last Chapter made him burst out in a pittifull lamentation and cry O miserable man who will deliuer me from the body of this death but now considering the certaintie of his deliuerance by Iesus Christ he reioyceth and triumpheth Wherein for our first lesson we marke the diuersitie of dispositions to which the Children of God are subiect in this life sometime so full of comfort that they can not containe themselues but must needs breake forth into glorious reioycings at other times so far deiected in mind that their ioy is turned into mourning and this ariseth in them from the variable change of their sight and feeling The Disciples on mount Tabor seeing the bright shining glorie of Christ were rauished with ioy but incontinent when the cloud ouershadowes them they become afraid If the Lord let vs feele his mercies wee are aliue but if hee hide his face and set our sinnes in order before vs wee are sore troubled As the troubles wee haue in this life are not without comforts blessed bee God the Father of our Lord Iesus the Father of mercies and God of all comfort who comforts vs in all our tribulation so our ioy saith Saint Peter is not without heauinesse the one arising of the knowledge of that vndeserued inheritance reserued for vs in heauen the other of our manifold tentations to which wee are subiect here vpon earth it is these vicissitudes and changes which wrought in Dauid such different dispositions as appeareth in him in the Booke of the Psalmes and which all the godly may be experience finde in themselues Pascimur hic patimur for here we are so nourished with the comforts of God that we are nurtred with his crosses It is the Lords dispensation and we are to reuerence it resting assured that the peace and ioy which once the Lord hath giuen vs may be interrupted but can neuer vtterly be taken from vs the Lord who will not suffer the rod of the wicked for euer to lie vpon the back of the righteous least they put out their hand to wickednesse will fâ—rre lesse suffer his owne terrours continually oppresse our consciences least we faint and dispaire though he wound vs he will binde vs vp againe after two daies he will reuine vs and we shall liue in his sight Weeping may abide in the Euening but ioy shall come in the Morning The chosen vessell of God shall not alway lament and cry woe is me sometime the Lord will put a song of thanksgiuing in his mouth and make him to reioyce thus de aduersis prosperis admir abilivirtute vitam Sanctorum contexuit Deus The life of a Christian may bee compared to a webbe so meruailously mixed and wouen of comfort and trouble by the hand of God that the long thread thereof reaching from the day of our birth to the day of our death are all of trouble but the weft interiected manifold comforts and this haue we marked vpon the coherenee of the beginning of this Chapter with the end of the former Now in these words it is to be obserued the Apostle saies not there is no sinne in them who are in Christ but he saith there is no condemnation to them he hath confessed before that he did the euill which he would not and that he saw a law in his members rebelling against the law of his minde but now hee reioyceth in Christ that sinne in him is not able to condemne him It is then a false exposition of these words which is made by Caietane and
and beleeues And indeede euery example of GODS mercy shewed vnto others should serue to strengthen vs. Audientes Christum non horruisse confitentem latronem c. when wee heare sayth Bernard that the Lord Iesus abhorred not the penitent Theefe on the Crosse that hee despised not the sinfull Cananitish woman when she made supplication nor the woman taken in Adultrie nor him that sat at the receipt of Custome nor the Publicane when hee sought mercie nor the Disciple that denyed him neither yet the persecuter of his Disciples in odore horum vnguentorum curramus post eum in the sweet smell of these oyntments let vs runne after him Alwaies we see that the Apostle doth so speak vnto others of a deliuerance obtayned by Christ as being also pertaker thereof himselfe As he was a Preacher of Christ so he was a follower of Christ he beate downe his body by discipline least that preaching vnto others hee should haue beene a reprobate himselfe and therfore he now speaks as one who is sure that hee also hath his portion in Christ. Otherwise what comfort can it be either to Preacher or professor to speake of that life and grace which commeth by Christ Iesus they themselues in the meane time being like to that miserable Atheist Simon Magus to whom Peter gaue out that fearefull sentence thou hast neither part nor fellowship in this businesse or like those Priests in Ierusalem in the dayes of Herode who directed others to Bethleem by the light of the word to worship Christ but went not themselues or those builders of Noahs Arke who helped to build a vessell for preseruation of others but perished in the deluge themselues or like Bilhah and Zilpah who brought forth and nourished freemen vnto Iacob but remayned themselues in the state of bond women from this vnhappie condition the Lord deliuer vs and make vs pertakers of that mercie and grace whereof he hath made vs Preachers and professors From the Law of sinne and death Here the Apostle shewes from what it is that we are deliuered Dauid sayth many deliuerances giueth the Lord to his annoynted he spake it of himselfe and it is true of all the Children of God By a great deliuerance he saued Noah in the deluge Lot in the burning of Sodome Israell out of Egipt Ioseph in the prison Daniell in the denne the three Children in the fierie furnace but all these are small if they be compared with this deliuerance from sin and death Where first we learne how the Apostle conioynes these two sinne and death if wee be deliuered from the first wee shall also be deliuered from the second but if wee abide in the first wee shall be sure not to escape the second if therefore Sathan say vnto vs as hee did to our first parents though you cate of this forbidden tree yee shall not dye let vs answere him he hath proued already a shamelesse lyar and we are not any more to credit him that same penaltie lyes vpon euery sinne which was layd vpon the first if ye do it ye shall die God hath conioyned them who shall seperate them though the Lord speake not instantly to euery sinner as he did to Abimelech behold thou art but dead because of this sinne yet is it true of euery sinne when it is finished it brings out death So soone as Ionas entred into the Sea saith Chrisostome the storme rose to teach vs that Vbi peccatum ibi procella where there is sinne specially committed with rebellion there will not faile to arise a storme of the wrath of God It is true indeed the sinner in committing of sinne doth not perceiue this being blinder than Balaam he walks on in an euill course and sees not the sword of Gods vengeance which is before him but imagines alway to reape some good either of profit or pleasure by committing of sin for these are Sathans two baites vnder which hee couers his deadly hookes It is therefore a poynt of singular wisedome to decerne betweene the deceit of sinne present and the fruit of sinne to come betweene that which Sathan promises and that which wee finde in experience performed He promised to our parents that they should be made like vnto God but in very deede hee made them miserable like himselfe And if thou wilt also obserue that which thou findest in thy owne experience what fruit hast thou of a sinne when thou hast committed it doth not darknesse arise in thy minde heauinesse in thy heart terrour feare and accusing cogitations in thy conscience Euery man may finde it who list to marke it by moe then a thousand experiences in himselfe that Sathan is a shameles deceiuer yea more deceitfull then Laban who promised to giue to Iacob beautifull Rahel but in the darke hee gaue him blearâ—-eyed â—eah be assured he will change thy wages promise thee one thing and pay thee with another As Hamor spake to his Sichemiâ—es so doth Sathan to his blindfolded citizens hee perswaded his people that if they would bee circumcised all Iacobs substance and cattell should bee theirs but indeed the contrary ensued for the goods of the Sichemits befell to the house of Iacob and they themselues perished by the sword Let vs therefore beware of the inuenomed tongue of the Diuell mentitur vt fallat vitam pollicetur vt perimat he lyes that hee may deceiue hee promiseth life that hee may inflict death say hee what hee will let vs beleeue the word of the Lord confirmed by doolefull daily experience the wages of sinne is death God hath knit them together and who shall seperate them So oft then as Sathan by the deceit of sinne would beguile thee remember that though sinne seeme to be sweet the fruit thereof is exceeding bitter if thou feare not sinne feare that end whereunto sinne leads thee dulce peccatum sed amara mors sinne is sweet but death is bitter remember that the wages which Sathan promiseth and man would haue hee shall not get but the wages which God threatneth and man would not haue shall assuredly bee payed him for this is the miserie of those who walke in their sins illud propter quod peccant hic dimittunt ipsa peccata se cum portant that for which they sinne they leaue it behinde them and carries their sinnes away out of the world with them So that in the end when they shall gather the profite of all their former sinnes into a summe they shall find no other but that foretold by the Apostle What profit haue ye now of all these things whereof ye are ashamed surely there is no fruit but shame and death to bee pluckt from the forbidden tree of sinne But here it may bee obiected by the weake conscience of the godly how can this comfort bee ours that wee are freed from sin who finde our selues so continually assaulted yea oftentimes oppressed of
giuen vs such deliuerances shall we returne any more to breake thy Commaundements but much more should it binde vs to doe seruice to our Lord Iesus seeing hee hath made vs free by his bloud shall wee againe make our selues the seruants of sinne The Lord neuer shewed a greater mercie on man then this that hee gaue his sonne Iesus Christ vnto the death for vs and there can be no higher contempt done to God by man then if after so great a loue shewed vs wee shall still refuse to bee his seruants much will be required of him to whom much is giuen those Gentiles to whom the Lord reuealed himselfe in goodnes onely as their Creator because they did not glorifie him the Apostle saith that the wrath of God was reuealed from heauen vpon them and what wrath then maist thou looke for to whom the Lord hath manifested himselfe in mercy also as thy Redeemer in Christ and yet thou wilt not glorifie him thou receiuest not him whom thy Father hath sent vnto thee neyther wilt thou liue vnto him that gaue himselfe to dye for thee but by thy wicked life thou crucifiest againe the Sonne of God and treadest vnder thy feet the bloud of the new couenant certainely Sodome and Gomorrha shall be in an easier estate in the day of iudgement then the wicked of this generation For in this last age the Lord hath spoken to vs by his Son he hath none greater to send after him those labourers of the vineyard that slew the Seruants of the great King were not for that instantly punished but when the Sonne came and they had murthered him also then was their iudgement no longer delayed It was not written for the Iewes onely in whom it was first accomplished but for vs also to whom the Father in this last age hath sent his owne Sonne and by whom hee hath spoken vnto vs from himselfe if we despise him there remaines no more but a violent looking for of iudgement The third dutie is that for Christs sake wee loue vnfainedly those vvhom hee hath recommended vnto vs our goodnesse cannot extend vnto the Lord neither haue vve him vvalking vvith vs vpon earth that vve may minister vnto him may wash his feete and annoynt his blessed bodie vvith precious oyntments therefore should our delight bee vpon these his excellent ones that are vpon earth When Ionathan was dead Dauid for Ionathans sake shewed kindnesse to Mephibosheth our Ionathan is not dead hee liues and raignes in heauen yet can we not declare our kindnesse to himselfe let vs seeke some Mephibosheth some of Christs little weake and impotent children of vvhom he hath said what yee doe to one of these little ones for my sake is done to mee and let vs shew kindnesse vnto them for the great loue which the Lord Iesus hath shewed vnto vs. And that for sinne These wordes containe the end of Christs manifestation in the flesh which is that in our nature hee might beare the punishment of our sinnes satisfie the iustice of God and so abolish sinne Saint Iohn makes this cleare when he saith that hee appeared to destroy the workes of the diuell that is sinne for sinne being remoued there is nothing in man but the workmanship of God By this it is euident how highly they offend God who abuseth the death of Christ to nourish themselues in their sinne being the bolder to commit sinne because Christ dyed for them surely this is to turne the grace of God into wantonnesse The Lord came to abolish sinne not to nourish it Christ once suffered the iust for the vniust not that we should still abide vniust but that hee might bring vs to God Thou therefore who continuest vniust maist say as thou hast heard that there is a Sauiour come into the world but can not say in truth that there is a Sauiour come to thee For where Christ comes hee worketh that worke for which hee came namely hee destroyes the worke of the diuell that is hee enfeebles and abolishes at the last the power of sinne Condemned sinne Sinne by a metaphor is said to be condemned for as they vvho are condemned are depriued of all the liberty power and priuiledges they had before and hath no more any place to appeare in iudgement so hath the Lord Iesus disanulled sinne that it hath now no power to command and condemne vs hee hath spoyled principalities and powers and triumphed ouer them in the Crosse and hath nayled vnto it the obligation of ordinances which was against vs and so sustulit illam quasi authoritatem peccati qua homines detinebat in inferno hath taken away that povver and authoritie of sinne whereby it detayned men vnder damnation This hath hee done most lawfully and in iudgement as vve shall heare bearing our sinnes in his blessed body on the Crosse hee hath suffered that punishment vvhich the law required to bee inflicted on man for sinne and that in the flesh that is in the same nature of man vvhich had offended For this word of Condemnation imports a iust and lawful proceeding of a Iudge in iudgement which that vve may the better vnderstand let vs consider that there are two generall and head iustice Courts vvhich the Lord hath set vnto men the one is holden already the other is to bee holden in the first the sinnes of all the elect are lawfully condemned that themselues may be absolued in the second the persons of all the reprobate shall bee iusty condemned In the first by the ordinance of God the Father our sinnes were laid vpon the back of Iesus Christ and a law imposed to him which was neuer giuen to any other neyther Angell or man to wit the law of a Mediator that hee should make vp peace betweene God and man loue God in such sort that hee should by suffering preserue the glory of his Fathers iustice and yet make manifest the glory of his mercy that hee should loue his brethren in such sort that hee should take the burden of their transgressions vpon him which as by the Father it vvas inioyned vnto him so did hee vvillingly vndertake it And therefore hauing our sinnes imputed vnto him hee presented himselfe for vs vpon the Crosse as vpon a pannell before the Iudge to vnderly the law which craued that our sinnes should be punished to the death The decree according to the law is executed death yea an accursed death as the punishment of sinne is laide vpon Christ wherevpon there followes of equitie an absolution of all those for whom the Lord Iesus suffered as Cautioner their sinne is condemned and made of no force to condemne them hereafter The other generall iustice court will bee holden in the last day wherein all flesh must appeare before the Lord as their superiour and in that supreame and last Court of iustice shall bee condemned the persons of all those whose sinnes were not condemned before in Christ
are the Heyres of God heires annexed with Iesus Christ and the heritage whereunto they are borne is eternall life therefore of necessitie they must liue Here first wee haue to consider what action and operation of the spirit this is which distinguisheth the Sonnes of God from other men The operations of the Spirit are diuers hee hath an vniuersall operation by which he works in all his creatures conseruing leading and directing them to his owne determined ends for in him euery thing that is hath the being liuing and mouing as euery creature is made by God so is it ruled and led by the Spirit according to his appointment Hee hath againe a more speciall operation in man and them backe againe seauen mightie nations of the Canaanits are gathered before them to resist them and hold them out of Canaan but the shepheard and leader of Israell steps ouer all these impediments as if they had not beene in the way and places his people in the mountaine of his inheritance and afterward when he concluded to bring his people from Babell homeward to Canaan he prepared a way for them in the Wildernesse he commaunded the mountaines to bee made low and the vallies to be exalted he commanded the crooked to be straight and the rough places to become plaine and it was done This is for our comfort the Lord who hath taken vs by the hand to lead vs into his holy habitation shall remoue all impediments that are before vs though Sathan like a Lyon spoyled of his pray snatch after vs though he double his tentations vpon vs and with manifold afflictions compasse vs though terrible death and the horrible graue stand before vs threatning to swallow vs by the way yet shall we see the goodnesse of the Lord in the land of the liuing and ouer all our enimies shall be more than conquerors through him that loued vs and hath taken vs into his owne hand to lead vs to that inheritance which he hath prepared for vs. For it is manifest that both the beginning progresse and perfection of our saluation is ascribed to the spirit of God in holy scriptures when we were dead in sinne he quickned vs when he hath quickned vs he gouernes and leads vs and worketh continually in vs till he perfect vs. Thus is he the author and the finisher of our faith and all the glory of our saluation is his as wee cannot begin to doe well without him so we cannot continue in well doing without him if he lead vs not we wander from him and wearie our selues in the vvay of iniquitie It should serue to humble vs that wee are pointed out here to be but babes and children such as cannot goe by our selues vnlesse we be led by another As that Eunuch answered Phillip when he asked vnderstandest thou what thou readest how can I saith he vnderstand without a guide so may we answere the Lord when he commaunds vs to vvalk in his way how can wee O Lord that are but children and new borne babes walke in thy way without a guide It is a point of good religion to turne the Lords precepts into prayers Send out Lord thy light and thy truth let them lead mee let them bring mee into thine holy mountaine and to thy tabernacles Let thy good spirit lead mee vnto the land of righteousnesse When the Lord threatned that hee would no more goe before the Children of Israel to lead them as hee had done Moses tooke it so deepely to heart that he protested he would not goe one foote further except the Lord went with him and certainely if wee knew the manifold inconueniences whereunto wee shall fall if the Lord forsake vs wee would neuer enter our feete into that way wherein wee saw not the Lord going before vs in mercy to lead vs. Our life on earth should be ordered as was the life of Israell in the wildernesse the Lord went before them by day in a cloud by night in a pillar of fire when the cloud remoued they remoued what way so euer it went they followed where the cloud stood they camped thus the Lord led them by two and fortie stations fortie yeeres in the Wildernesse though Canaan was not farre from them yet they entred not into it till the Lord directed them The Lord hath in like manner praysed be his name for it brought vs out of the land of our bondage he might if he had pleased long ere now haue entred vs into our Canaan but it pleaseth him for a time to exercise vs and to haue vs walking vp and downe this Wildernesse Let vs possesse our harts with patience and reuerence the Lords dispensation in the meane time take heed that the Lord goe before vs that his word shine vnto vs as a lanthorne to our feete and that his holy spirit be our guide to lead vs in his righteousnesse then shall we be sure of a happy end of our iourney when wee liue not as wee list but vnder the gouerment of the holy spirit when our rising and lying downe our Verse 15. For yee haue not receiued the Spirit of bondage to feare againe but the Spirit of Adoption whereby wee cry Abba Father THe Apostle to strengthen his former argument sets downe a short discription in this and the subsequent verse of a threefold operation which the spirit maketh in them whom he leadeth for first he is vnto them a spirit of bondage working feare Secondly he is a Spirit of Adoption working loue through the sense of Gods mercy for hee not onely makes them whom hee leades the Sonnes of God but intimates vnto their spirits Gods loue towards them which otherwise was vnknowne vnto them and thirdly hee is a Spirit of intercession making vs to goe with boldnesse to the throne of grace and call vpon God as vpon our Father Of the which the first part of his argument is made cleare that they who are led by the spirit of God are the Sonnes of God yea by the testimonie of the Spirit they themselues know that it is so and therefore in most homely and humble manner acknowledge him for their Father This the Apostle propones in such a manner that hee applyes it particularly to the Godly Romaines vnto whom hee writeth Yee haue not saith he receiued againe the Spirit of bondage vnto feare as yee did in the time of your first conuersion yee haue proceeded further and haue experience of his other operations then yee felt him casting you downe with the sight of your sinnes but now ye feele him comforting you and raising you vp with the sense of Gods loue and mercy toward you in Iesus Christ. The spirit of God is called a Spirit of bondage vnto feare not as if hee made them in whom hee worketh slaues or bond-men but because in his first operation hee rebukes them of sinne in whom hee worketh and lets them see that bondage
and seruitude vnder which they lye which works in them an horrible feare but in his second operation he is a spirit of Adoption making them free who were bound before comforting them with the sight of Gods mercy whom before he terrified with the sight of their owne sins to the one hee vseth the preaching of the Law which discouers our disease to the other the preaching of the Gospell which points out the Physition As the proclayming of the Law wrought a terrour in their hearts who heard it so doth the preaching thereof for who can heare himselfe accursed and condemned by the mouth of God and not tremble Iohn the Baptist began at the preaching of the Law Now is the axe laid to the root of the tree euery tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be hewen downe and cast into the fire then hee proceeded and poynted out the Lambe of God that takes away the sinnes of the world by the first hee prepared a way to the second for his auditours being cast downe in themselues with the threatning enquired earnestly what shall wee doe then that we may bee saued and were glad to heare of a remedy It is out of doubt that they who are not touched with a remorse for their sinnes nor a feare of the wrath to come and into whose hearts neuer entred that care what shall I doe that I may be saued haue not knowne as yet so much as the very beginnings of saluation Wee are not then to thinke here that the Apostle is comparing the Godly vnder the Gospell with the Godly vnder the Law but hee is comparing the Godly vnder the Gospell with themselues their second experience of the operation of the Spirit with the first it is true that once sayth hee yee receiued the Spirit of bondage working feare this was his first operation in you but now yee haue experience of another and are made pertakers of a more excellent operation hee is become vnto you a Spirit of Adoption by whom yee call vpon God as vpon your Father For the Godly vnder the Law were pertakers of this deny that Sarah was his Wife made Peter deny that Christ was his Lord this feare made Ionas refuse to goe to Niniue and made that worthy Prophet Samuel vnwilling to annoint Dauid for hee feared least Saul should slay him yet are they so subiect vnto it that the feare of God at length ouercomes in them The third sort is seruile feare the obiect whereof is the iudgements of God onely and this is proper to the wicked they feare the plagues of God but so that they loue their sinnes and hates and abhorres euery one that doth snibbe or restraine them in the course of their sinnes The fourth is filiall so called because it is proper to the sonnes of God they doe not onely feare him for his iudgements but loue him and feare him for his mercy mercy is with thee O Lord that thou mayst be feared As for the Diabolicall feare Saint Iames saith the Diuels know there is a God therefore they feare and tremble they haue receiued within themselues the sentence of damnation they know it shall neuer be recalled they seeke no mercy nor shall they obtaine it and the seruile feare of the wicked shall at the last end in this desperate feare of the damned finding themselues condemned without all further hope of mercy they shall tremble and feare continually Of this it is euident that the feare wherof here he speaks is the first part of filiall feare namely a feare of that punishment which is due to sinne and to the godly is an introduction to worke in them feare of God for his mercies conioyned with loue so then his meaning is cleere albeit in the time of your first conuersion you were striken with a feare of that wrath which is the recompense of sinne yet now the spirit of adoption hath not onely released you of that feare of damnation which you conceiued at the first through the knowledge of your sinnes but hath also made you certaine of saluation and assured that God is become your father in Christ Iesus In the wicked the feare of Gods wrath once begunne encreases daily till it proceede as I spake to that desperate feare of the damned but in the godly the feare of Gods iudgements is but a preparation to the loue of God feare shall not alwayes abide in their harts for when God shall crowne them with his mercies and his loue in them shall be perfect then perfect loue casts out feare therefore Augustine compares the feare of Gods iudgements in the godly to a Needle that goes through the seame and prepares in it a place for the thread which is to remaine so doth the feare of Gods iudgements goe through the secret seames of the hart and prepares a place for the loue of God which shall abide and continue for euer in the godly when feare shall bee away The Lord at the first deales hardly with his children as our Sauiour delt with the woman of Canaan whom hee comforted at the last and as Ioseph entreated his brethren roughly whom at the last for tender compassion hee imbraced with many teares but all these terrours and feares wherewith God humbles his owne are but preparatiues to his consolations at the length hee shall make it knowne to them that hee is their louing father as for the wicked though they haue not suffered from their youth the terrours of God it is because they are reserued for them Neither are they euen now exempted from their owne feares for albeit there were none to reproue them their owne consciences sends out accusing thoughts to terrifie them and if at any time they shall heare the word of God faithfully and with power deliuered vnto them then doe they much more tremble feare for the word strengthens the conscience to accuse and terrifie them but feare is both the first and last effect it workes in them and therefore is it that being so oft disquieted with hearing of the word as Felix was with the preaching of Paul they are no more desirous to heare it but rather hates it and abhors it because it testifies no good vnto them more than Micaiah did to Achab and so they neuer attaine to his other operation of the spirit they are not transchanged by hearing into the similitude of the sonnes of GOD neither receiues that but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is not like the strong bloud of God but the blood of man But as for the Children of God they can not be deceiued of their generation they know that God is their Father and with greater homelinesse and more freedome of spirit yea and surer knowledge they call God their Father then any son in the world is able to call on his earthly Father Whereby we cry The Apostle here doth teach vs that it is by the spirit of
fed them are smitten and there is nothing belonging to them were it neuer so small but the wrath of God seased vpon it This was but a temporall and perticular iudgement yet doth it make vnto vs some representation of that vniuersall iudgement wherein all the creatures of God shall concurre and lend their helps to torment the wicked when the full cuppe of Gods wrath shall be powred out vpon them Not of the owne will This is as we said before figuratiuely spoken of the creature that it is said to haue a will For the will of the creature is no other thing but the naturall inclination of the creature and the meaning is that the creature of the owne nature is not subiect to this vanitie but that it is subdued vnder it by the superiour power of God for the sinne of man Where if it be asked how stands this with iustice that the creature which sinned not should be subiected to vanitie for the sinne of man The question is easily answered if we consider that the creatures were not made for themselues but for the vse and seruice of man and that whatsoeuer change to the worse is come vpon them is not their punishment but a part of ours If earthly Kings without violation of iustice may punish their rebels not onely in their persons but by demolition of their houses or otherwise in their goods and substance how shall we be bold to reproue the Lords doing who hauing conuinced man of a notorious treason hath not onely punished himselfe but defaced the house wherein he set him to dwell seeing hee hath violated the band of his seruice vnto God what reason is it that Gods creatures should continue in the first course of their seruice to him surely it stands with the righteous iudgement of God that his creatures should become comfortlesse seruants to man seeing man of his owne free will is become an vnprofitable servent to his God yea a wicked rebell against him And againe that the Apostle sayth the change which is made in the creature is against the will of the creature it serues greatly for our humiliation The fall of Apostate Angels was a fall by sinne but with their will and without a Tempter to allure them or without any hope that euer they shall bee restored The fall of man was also a fall by sinne of his owne free-will but not without the tempter neither without hope of recouery and restitution But the fall of the creature was neither a fall of sinne nor of their owne will but a casting of them downe against their will from their originall state yet not without hope to be deliuered Miserable in the highest degree are Apostate Angels who of their owne free-will without an exteriour tempter haue deserted their first habitation and cast themselues into remedilesse condemnation Miserable in the second degree are reprobate men who haue fallen of their owne free-will suppose prouoked by an exteriour tempter and shall neuer be pertaker of the restitution of the sonnes of God But herein hath the Lord magnified his mercy towards vs that where wee fell with Angels and reprobate men yet we are restored without them The consideration of our fall should humble vs for in it wee are worse than the creatures they haue fallen from their glory but not with their owne will we are fallen from ours and we cannot excuse our selues but it was with our will Againe the hope of our restitution should greatly comfort vs considering that the Lord hath vouchsafed that mercy vnto vs which he hath denyed vnto others Further we are taught here so oft as we are crossed by the creature not to murmure against God nor to blame the creature but to complaine vpon our selues If the heauens aboue be as brasse and the earth as iron if the sea rage and the aire waxe turbulent if the stones of the field be â—ffences whereat wee stumble and fall if the beasts wee haue bought or hyred for our vse serue vs not at our pleasure let vs not foolishly murmure against them as Balaam did vpon his Asse what meruaile they keepe no couenant with vs seeing we haue not kept couenant with our God Vnder hope Herein hath the Lord wonderfully magnified his mercy toward vs that hee hath not onely giuen to our selues a liuely hope of full deliuerance but also for our greater comfort hath extended the same toward the creature for our cause The Apostate Angels are not pertakers of this hope as we said before that restitution promised in the Gospell vvas neuer preached vnto them wee read that sometime they haue giuen this confession that Iesus is the sonne of God but they neuer sent out a petition to him for mercy for they haue receiued within themselues an irreuocable sentence of condemnation and they know certainly that mercilesse iudgement abides their wilfull and malitious Apostasie and reprobate men in like manner haue no hope of any good thing abiding them after this life and therefore vve are so much the more to magnifie Gods mercy toward vs vvho by Grace hath put a difference betweene vs and them vvhere there was none by Nature and hath not onely giuen to vs our selues a liuely hope of restitution but also for our sakes hath made the creatures that vvere cursed for our sinne pertakers of the same deliuerance with vs. Verse 21. Because the creature also shall be deliuered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious libertie of the sonnes of God HEre followes the second reason wherefore the creature feruently desires the day of the reuelation of the sonnes of God and it is taken from that glorious estate into the vvhich the creature shall be translated in that day Where first we haue to see vvhat creature this is vvhich shall be deliuered and secondly vvhat the deliuerance is The vvord creature is a generall name of all the vvorkes of God but here it is put for those creatures vvhich being made by God for man vvere hurt by the fall of man and shall be restored vvith him And so vnder this name vve comprise not reprobate Angels and men neither those excrements of Nature which are bred of doung and corruption neither thornes thistles or such like which are the fruits of Gods curse vpon the creature for our sinne and are in that day to be destroyed not restored but by the creature we vnderstand the heauens and earth with the rest of the elements and workes of God therein contayned made for the glory of God and the vse of man And this is to declare that excellent deliuerance vve haue by Iesus Christ there is no wound which Sathan hath giuen man by sinne but the Lord Iesus by his grace shall cure it he shall not onely purge our soules from all sinne and deliuer our bodies from the power of the graue and corruption but shall deliuer the creatures our seruants from that curse which our sinnes
Ierusalem except the hand of God first beat from vs our proud lumps by the hammer of affliction As standing waters putrifie and rot so the wicked feares not God because they haue no changes and Moab keepes his sent because he was not powred from vessell to vessell but hath beene at rest euer since his youth And therefore O Lord rather than that we should keepe the sent of our old naturall corruption and liue in a careles securitie without the feare of thine holy name and so become sit fasts in our sinnes no rather O Lord change thou vs from estate to estate waken vs with the touch of thine hand purge vs with thy fire and chastise vs with thy roddes alway Lord with this protestation that thou keepe towards vs that promise made to the sonnes of Dauid I will visit them with my roddes if they sinne against me but my mercy will I neuer take from them So be it O Lord euen So be it The same comfort haue we also against death that now in Iesus Christ it is not a punishment of our sinnes but a full accomplishment of the mortification of our sinne both in soule and body for by it both the fountaine and the fluxe of sinne are dryed vp all the conduits of sinne are stopped and the weapons of vnrighteousnesse broken And though our bodyes seeme to be consumed and turned into nothing yet are they but sowen like graynes of Wheat in the field and husbandry of the Lord which must dye before they be quickned but in the day of Christ shall spring vp againe most glorious And as for our soules they are by death releeued out of this honse of seruitude that they may returne vnto him who gaue them therefore haue I compared death to the red sea wherein Pharaoh and his Aegiptians were drowned and sancke like a stone to the bottome but the Israelits of God went through to their promised Canaan so shall death be vnto you O miserable infidels whose eyes the God of this world hath blinded that no more then blinded Aegiptians can yee see the light of God shining in Goshen which is his Church though yee be in it to you I say your death shall be the very centre of all your miseries a sea of the vengeance of God wherein yee shall be drowned and shall sincke with your sinnes heauier than a milstone about the necke of our soules to presse you downe to the lowest hell But as for you who are the Israelits of God ye shall walk through the valley of death and not neede to be afraid because the Lord is with you his staffe and his rod shall comfort you albeit the guiltinesse of forepassed sinnes yet remayning in the memory the terrour of hell and horrour of the graue stand vp on euery side like mountaines threatning to ouerwhelme you yet shall yee goe safely through to the land of your inheritance where with Moses and Miriam and all the children of God euen the congregation of the first borne yee shall sing prayses ioyfully to the God of your saluation Now in the last roome concerning the imaginations of men against vs wee shall haue cause to say of them in the end as Ioseph said to his brethren yee did it vnto me for euill but the Lord turned it to good The whole history of Gods booke is a cloude of manifold witnesses concurring together to confirme his truth therefore among many wee will be content with one When Dauid was going forward in battell against Israell with Acish King of Gath vnder whom he soiourned a while in the time of his banishment the remanent Princes of the Philistims commanded him to goe backe and this they did for the worst to disgrace him because they distrusted him but the Lord turned it vnto him for the best for if hee had come forward he had been guiltie of the blood of Israell specially of Saul the Lords annointed who was slaine in that battell from this the prouident mercy of God doth in such sort deliuer him that no offence is done by Dauid to Saul or his people because Dauid came not against them neither yet could the Philistims blame him because he went backe by their own commaund So a notable benefit Dauid did receiue by that same deed wherein his enimies thought they had done him a notable shame And where otherwise it pleaseth the Lord to suffer wicked men to lay hand on the bodyes of his children yet all they are able to doe is but like the renting of Iosephs garment from him As he doth sustaine small losse whose garment is cut if his body be preserued so the Christian when his body is wounded vnto the death yet hath he lost nothing which hee striues to keepe for hee knowes it is but a corruptible garment which would decay in it selfe albeit there were no man to rent it Non sunt itaque timenda spiritui quae fiunt in carne quae extra nos est quasi vestamentum let not therefore our soule be afraid for those things which are done to our bodyes for it is without vs as a garment that doth but couer vs. Thus haue wee seene how that their is nothing so euill in â— selfe vvhich by the prouident vvorking of God is not turned to the good of his children Whereof arises yet vnto vs this further comfort that seeing it is the priuiledge of euery one who loues the Lord it must much more be the priuiledge of the whole Church that promise made to the Father of the faithfull I will blesse them that blesse thee and curse them that curse thee we may easily thinke belongs also to all his seed euen to that congregation of the first borne The Lord will bee a wall of fire round about Ierusalem and the glory in the middest of her he will keepe her as the apple of his eye and make Ierusalem a cuppe of poyson to all her enimies and a heauie stone which whosoeuer striueth to lift shall be torne therewith though all the people of the earth were gathered together against it the weapons made against her shall not prosper and euery tongue that shall rise against her in iudgement shall be condemned This is the heritage of the Lords seruants and the portion of them that loue him for the Church is that Arke which mounts vp higher as the water increases but cannot be ouerwhelmed the bush which may burne but cannot be consumed the house built on a rocke which may be beaten with winde and raine but cannot be ouerthrowne The Lord who changeth times and seasons who takes away Kings and sets vp Kings hath reproued Kings for his Churches sake yea hee gouernes all he kingdomes of the earth in such sort that their fallings risings their changes and mutations are all directed to the good of his Church In one of these two sentences all the Iudges of the world may see themselues
perishing things in great vvisedome and loue toward vs as hee seeth may be best for vs. Certainely vve ought so to reioyce in that great gift the Lord Iesus whom the Father hath giuen vs and in vvhom he hath blessed vs vvith all spirituall blessings that vve take no thought for any other thing vvhatsoeuer vvhich hee hath thought expedient to hold from vs. Oh that vve could giue vnto the Lord this glory as to say vvithout grudging O Lord Iesus I can vvant nothing seeing I haue thee to be my portion And further seeing all these things are dispensed and giuen by God let vs as I said in our callings aboue all things seeke his blessing Adam may make himselfe a garment but it shall not couer his nakednesse Ionas may build himselfe a booth but it shall not defend him from the heat of the Sunne Peter fiâ—hed all night and hee profited nothing till Iesus spake the word Though we rise earely and lye down late and eate the bread of sorrow yet shall we labour in vain vnlesse the Lord giue the blessing Let vs therefore so vse the meanes that with them we ioyne prayer moderating our care let vs commit the successe to the Lord. It is true that Religion allowes not carelesnesse yea by the contrary it commaunds vs to be carefull for those vvhom God hath committed vnto vs If any man care not for his household hee is worse than an infidell This is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a moderate foreseeing of things which are needefull but there is an vnlawfull care the daughter of distrust whereby men are carryed either beyond lawfull meanes or else if the meanes be lawfull beyond the measure of a temperate affection as though a man had not a Father in heauen to care for him or were able to compasse things by his owne wit This care is not vnprofitable onely but full of many perturbations for which our Sauiour compares it to thornes which are most easily gouerned when they are most lightly touched where as he who gripes them hardly inuolues them and makes them more perplex and hurts himselfe also Our Sauiour correcting Martha for too much care of the worldly part ioynes these two thou art carefull about many things and art troubled telling vs that which we finde in experience that many worldly cares breedes many troubles Let vs walke therefore in the right way vsing the meanes in sobernesse let vs cast our care on the Lord. Last of all it is to be marked here that the Apostle â—aith that God with Christ giues all things vnto vs so then Iesus Christ is the maine and great gift and all other things are but pendicles annexed vnto it Other gifts without Christ haue a shew of comfort but renders no solide comfort in the end they shall be deceiued at length who glories in other things vvere they neuer so excellent vvhile as they are strangers from Christ. When God said to Abraham feare not I am thy buckler and thy exceeding great reward not considering vvhat the Lord offered to him he answered in his weaknes O Lord what canst thou giue me seeing I go childlesse Euen he vvho vvas the Father of the faithfull could not conceiue hovv great good God promised to him vvhen he promised himselfe to be his reward And therefore let vs suspecting our vveakenesse that it carry vs not into the like errour vvatch ouer our owne hearts that they be not set vpon Gods secondary gifts more than vpon himselfe Albeit the Lord should giue vs pleasant Canaan for an inheritance and multiply our posteritie as the starres of heauen yet will we say O Lord all these shall not content vs vnlesse thou dost giue vs thy selfe It doth more reioyce vs that thou hast giuen vs thy Sonne Iesus to bee our Sauiour than that thou hast subdued all the workes of thine hands vnder vs. Verse 33. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods chosen it is God that iustifies THe Apostle in his generall triumph contained in the last two Verses hauing proclaimed a defiance to all the enimies of a Christian doth now begin to challenge them perticularly triumphing first against sinne Verse 33. 34. thereafter against all sort of afflictions that come vpon vs by whatsoeuer instruments visible or inuisible Wee begun first at his triumph against sinne who saith he shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods chosen hee excepts no person neyther is any eyther in heauen in earth or in hell able to doe it hee reserues no sort of sinne seeke what they will there is nothing to be found in the Christian to accuse him and condemne him his interrogation is plaine his answere is supprest his reason is subioyned It is God that iustifies where the supreame Iudge absolues can any inferior iudge whatsoeuer condemne Where first wee haue to consider who is hee that this manner of way triumphs Is it not Paul who before his conuersion was a persecuter a blasphemer and an oppresser who confesseth himselfe to be the chiefe of all sinners and the least of all Saints yea indeed the same is hee but marke such a one hee was indeed but hath gotten mercy and therefore now like a man relieued of a heauy burthen which before oppressed him hee reioyces and triumphes Certainely no greater comfort can come to man than to feele his sins forgiuen him this onely causeth true reioycing See this in Dauid as long as the burden of his sinne lay vpon his conscience it prest out the very naturall moysture of his body hee had no rest night nor day but from the time that once Nathan proclaimed to him remission and that in his owne conscience he felt his sin forgiuen him then hee cryed out O blessed is the man whose wickednesse is forgiuen whose sinne is couered and vnto whom the Lord imputes not his iniquitie As hee that lay sicke sixe and thirty yeeres of the palsie arose with great ioy when Iesus relieved him and hee that was a creple when hee found that his feete which had failed him so long did not serue him leaped for ioy and followed the Apostles into the Temple to praise God so that soule which findes it selfe freed from the guiltinesse and seruitude of sinne of all burthens that euer lay vpon man the heauiest to beare will with much more abundant ioy exult and triumph in that mercy of God which hath made it free Secondly let the Apostle here stand vnto vs as an example of the like mercy of God to be shewed vpon our selues how great sinners soeuer wee haue beene if wee follow him in the like faith and repentance The Lord our God is not content by his word to promise mercy vnto penitent â—inners but also confirmes vs by the examples of his manifold mercies shewed to others before vs when wee looke vpon them let our weakenesse be strengthened let vs not think that the Lord
Iesus as man is exalted being crowned with glory both aboue Angels and men This right hand of God wherat Christ sits is expounded by other places of Scripture to bee the high and heauenly places which serueth to improue that paralogisme of the Vbiquitaries who will haue Christs naturall body to be in euery place because the right hand of God is in euery place It is true indeed Christ sits at the right hand of God but so that hee sits in the high and heauenly places The right hand of God that is the power and glory of God stretches throughout the whole world but wee are plainly taught that the place of the residence of Christ Iesus the man is in the heauenly places and not in earthly places in the high places to which hee is ascended and not in the low places in which we soiourne for the heauens must contayne him vntill the day of refreshment come And makes request also for vs. Christ our Lord hath entred into heauen not to enioy for himselfe a blessed life onely but to appeare in the presence of God for vs. As the high Priest when he entred into the most holy place had grauen in stones vpon his breast the names of the twelue tribes of Israell so the Lord Iesus presents to his father the names of all his elect that by the merit of his death hee may procure mercy vnto them Here againe wee are taught that Iesus Christ is descrybed to vs in holy Scripture as our mediatour of intercession and that there is no other beside him recommended vnto vs. In all the old testament no prayer is made to Henoch Moses nor Eliah who ended their dayes not after the common course of men no prayer to Abraham albeit he was the Father of the faithfull yea no prayer to Cherubin nor Seraphin though now the Apostate Church of Rome haue made as many aduocates for vs in heauen as there are Saints departed and hath framed perticular prayers vnto them and which is more ridiculous hath parted among them the patrocinie of sundry sorts of sicknesse and diseases It is true indeed that the Saints which are departed haue not as yet all their desires fulfilled and shall not be perfected without vs wherefore also it is that they long for the full gathering together of the Saints and for the restitution of their bodyes and for the last day of iudgement but that they know the perticular troubles of Gods children our greatest troubles being inward tentations and wrestlings of conscience neither knowne to man nor Angell but onely to God who is the searcher of the heart or that we can in faith vse them as mediators vnto God for vs wee iustly deny it Where if they take them vnto their common refuge that ther is but one mediator of redemption but many mediators of intercession to this wee answere that in the same place wherin the Apostle saith there is one mediator betweene God and man the subiect whereof hee entreats is Prayer so that euen in prayer he will haue vs to acknowledge no mediator of intercession but Iesus Christ. And beside this Augustine doth so define a mediator of intercession that it can be competent to none but to Iesus Christ. It is commanded sayth he that euery Christian pray to God for another Pro quo autem nullus interpellat sed ipse pro omnibus hic vnus verusque mediator est but he who requests for all and for whom none requests is the onely one true Mediator And where againe they alledge that the Saints of God in heauen are not ignorant of things done vpon earth we are to know that things are knowne three manner of wayes first by hearing and seeing Secondly by reflex as by looking in a glasse those things are made knowne to vs which are behind our backes and thirdly by report This second and third way say they there is no doubt but Saints that are in heauen know those things which are done vpon earth but both of these are false for if they say they know our estate by report of Angels or such as are departed this life how can that be seeing wee know that when Hanna prayed in the presence of Eli yet hee knew not her trouble yea those who liue in one familie are not priuie to the tentations of others that which they knew not in their life how shalt thou make them to know it when they are dead If againe they say that they haue it by reuelation from God then I pray you consider how that one errour of Papistrie dashes against an other for sometime in the same controuersie they say that as in earthly courts we must first communicate our petitions to those who must be our mediators to the King now if it be so that they haue no intelligence of our estate but such as they receiue from God wherefore shall wee pray to them to commend our cause vnto God who knowes it better than they pities it more than they as Augustine prettily obserues out of that Parable proponed by our Sauiour wherein he who knocked at midnight to seeke bread from his neighbour found the whole familie a sleepe onely the Master of the house answered opened and gaue him that which he craued Nullus de ianitoribus respondit quia omnes tenuerat sommus non Angeli non Archangeli non Prophetae non Ministri None of the Porters answered because they were all asleepe neither Angels nor Archangels nor Prophets not Seruants made any answere but O Lord albeit so it be answere thou me for at thee I knocke thou art the doore licet puâ—ri tui dormiant tu non dormis qui custodis Israel albeit thy children sleepe yet thou that keepes Israell sleepes not But leauing them let vs pray to the Lord in whom wee beleeue let vs vse the mediation of Christ whom S. Iohn recommends to vs an aduocate with the Father whom Saint Paul calles in this place our intercessor and in that to Timothie our onely one Mediator For knowledge his eyes are like flaming fire and his seauen eyes goe through the earth for compassion hee came into the earth to seeke vs when wee knew him not and hee gaue his life for vs that wee might liue he speaks perpetually to his Father for vs by the merit of his death and cryes to vs by himselfe in his word Come to me all you that are weary and laden and I will refresh you Let the Papist say what he will to any other than Christ or any other before Christ will I neuer goe so long he as cryes Come vnto me Verse 35. Who shall seperate vs from the loue of Christ shall tribulation or anguish or persecution or famine or nakednesse or perill or sword WEe haue heard the Apostles perticular triumph against sinne now followes his perticular triumph against the Crosse he glories not
THREE HEAVENLY TREATISES VPON THE EIGHT Chapter to the Romanes Viz. 1 Heauen opened 2 The right way to eternall Glory 3 The Glorification of a Christian. VVherein the Counsaile of God concerning Mans saluation is so manifested that all men may see the Ancient of dayes the Iudge of the world in his generall Iustice Court absoluing the Christian from sinne and death Which is the first benefit wee haue by our Lord Iesus Christ. Come and see Written by Mr. William Cowper Minister of Gods word LONDON Printed by Thomas Snodham for William Firebrand and Iohn Budge and are to be sould at his shop at the great Southdoore of Paules 1609. TO THE MOST SAcred Christian truely Catholique and mightie Prince Iames King of great Britaine France and Ireland defender of the faith c. SIR The Apostle S. Paule that chosen vessell of God and his ambassadour sent forth into the world to bring in the house of Iapheth into the tents of Sem hauing in his peregrination vndertaken for preaching from Ierusalem vnto Illyricum seene the most pleasant parts of the world and in an extasie transported from earth into the third heauen seene also the pleasures of Paradise as one who knew both not by naked speculation but experience giues out his iudgement of both that the most excellent things of this world were but dung in respect of the Lord Iesus and that whatsoeuer pleasure on earth may delight the eye or eare they haue vnto others it shal be no small comfort vnto me and my greatest thankefulnesse shal be declared in my dayly prayers vnto the Lord God for your Maiestie that the name of Iacobs God may defend you from all euill and the Lord may send you helpe out of his Sanctuarie in all your need according as hee hath done O King beloued of God hated of none but for Gods sake keepe still your heart in the loue of God and his truth Reioyce in the strength of your God and feare not what flesh can doe vnto you Is it not the Lord who set your Highnesse on the throne to bee a feeder of his people Israel Is it not the Lord who hath deliuered your Maiestie from the contentions of the people and secret snares of your cursed enimies though the Archers grieued you hated you and shot at you were not the hands of your armes strengthened by the hands of the mightie God of Iacob Is it not the almightie who hath blessed your Maiesty with heauenly blessings from aboue with blessings of the depth that lyes beneath with blessings of the breast and wombe Sir let his liberall blessings wherewith the Lord your God hath preuented you be so many obligations binding your Highnesse to honour the Lord who hath honoured you Let his forepast manifold deliuerances be as so many confirmations that if your Maiestie rest in him and not in man he will still be a buckler vnto you Let Abaddon the King of the Locusts that Romish vsurper rage Vnto the Lord belongs the issues of death Can Balaam curse where God hath blessed yea can Sathan hurt the man who is hedged by the Lord Let the Ambassadours of new Babel more shamelesse than Sennacherib his Rabsache raile at good king Ezekiah ruling in Ierusalem the Lord hath yet a hooke for his nosethrils and a bridle for his lips Doe not the eyes of the Lord behold the whole earth to shew himself strong with them that are strong and of a perfect heart toward him Therefore feare not their feare but sanctifie the Lord God of hostes let him be your feare and hee shal be a Sanctuarie vnto your Maiestie Count it a part of your high glorie and no small matter of your Maiesties ioy that with Christ you beare this peece of his crosse that the rebukes of them who rebuke the Lord are fallen vpon you and trust still O King in the Lord and in the mercie of the most High and so your Maiestie shall neuer fall Long may your Highnesse liue and raigne ouer vs as a faithfull seruant to your God and a happie King of many blessings to your people Your Maiesties most humble Subiect and dayly Oratour William Cowper Minister at Perth works of God there is a difference and some of them more cleerely then others declares the glorie of God so it is also among his holy writs they breath all out one truth by a most sweet harmonie diuine enim lectiones ita sibi connectuntur tanqnam vna sit lectio quia omnes ex vno ore procedunt yet ye shall finde that in some of them the Lord commeth neere vnto vs as it were with the face of a man talking familiarly vnto vs in others againe hee mounts high aboue vs as it were with the wings of an Eagle And the Lord hath left it free to delight our selues most in those places of holy Scripture wherein for our estate we haue most edification and to seeke in this Apothecarie shop of that sweet Samaritan the Lord Iesus pharmaca morbo nostro conuenientia such medicines as are meet for our maladie Among all the bookes of the old Testament most frequent testimonies are brought by our blessed Sauiour and his holy Apostles out of the booke of the Psalmes Ierome called it a treasurie of all learning And among all the Epistles of the Apostles no meruaile this to the Romanes haue the first place not that it was first written but because aboue the rest it contayneth a most perfect compend of our Christian faith And this middle Chapter thereof hath in it an Abridgement of all these comforts and instructions one excepted which otherwise are dispersed throughout the whole Epistle and is so to call it a pleasant kâ—ot of the garden and Paradise of God and therefore shall it not be vnprofitable for vs by Gods grace to delight our selues for a while in it As to the connexion of this Chapter with the former wee are to know that it is a conclusion of the foregoing treatise of Iustification Wherein the Apostle summarilie collects the excellent state of a Christian iustified by faith in Christ Iesus declaring it to bee such that there is no condemnation to him that nothing were it neuer so euill is able to hurt him yea by the contrary that all things workes for the best vnto him And because there are onely two euils which grieue vs in this life to wit sinne that remaines in vs and affliction that followes vs in the following of Christ. Against both these the Apostle furnishes the iustified man with strong consolations Comforts against the remanents of sinne wee haue from the 1. verse to the 18. Comforts against our afflictions wee haue from the midst of the 18. verse to the 31. That this is the very purpose and order of the Apostle is euident out of his owne conclusion set downe from
Aquinas Nihil est damnabile in illis qui sunt in Christo nullus actus quo mereamur damnari that in them who are is Christ there is nothing worthy to be damned no act that merits damnation for the Apostle condemnes these motions of sinne which he found in himselfe as euill and repugnant to the Law of God and if the holy Apostle was not ashamed to confesse this of himselfe what blinde presumption is this in them to exempt themselues or others from such motions as are worthy to be damned wee shall still confesse our guiltines there remaines in vs of our owne which the Lord might condemne if he would enter into iudgement with vs and shall so much the more praise his mercie who hath deliuered vs from condemnation and further comfort then this the Apostles words do not afford vnto vs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 There is no iudgement no sentence to be giuen against them who are in Chrst. Surely our righteousnesse in this life consists rather in the remission of sinnes then in the perfection of vertue Ne quis sibi quasi innocens placeat cum innocens nemo sit se extollendo plus pereat instruitur docetur peccare se quotidie dum quotidie pro peccatis iubetur orare that no man saith Cyprian should flatter himselfe as though he wer innocent when as indeed no man is innocent and so by extolling himselfe should perish so much the more he is instructed and taught that he sinnes while as euery day hee is commaunded to pray for remission of sins but this errour we shall God willing further improue hereafter In the meane time for our comfort let vs consider that albeit the Lord when hee iustified vs might haue vtterly destroyed the life of this sinning sinne in vs yet for waighty causes hath he suffered some life thereof to abide in vs for a time the first is for the exercise of our faith Peccata quorum reatum Soluit Deus ne post hanc vitam obsint manere tamen voluit ad certamen fidei these sinnes saith Augustine the guiltinesse whereof God hath loosed that they should not hurt vs in the life to come hee will haue to remaine for the exercise of our faith No man is crowned except he striue as he ought and therefore the Lord who hath prepared for vs a crowne and hath put vpon vs his compleat armour hath also suffered some enimies to remaine against whom we may fight for the tryall of our faith patience and perseuerance euen as the Cananites were left in the Land that the Lord by them might proue the Israelits whether if or not they would keepe the way of the Lord to walke into it Secondly some life of sinne is left in vs for our instruction that wee may know the better how farre we are oblieged to Gods mercy and how excellent is that deliuerance which we haue by Iesus Christ. Nulla quidem est condemnatio his qui sunt in Christo tamen ad humiliandos nos peccatum adhuc patituâ— viâ—tere in nobis grauiter nos affligere vt sentiamus quid gratia nobis praestet semper ad illius auxilium recurramus It is true indeed saith Bernard that there is no condemnation to them who are in Christ yet for our humiliation the Lord suffers sinne to liue in vs and oftentimes afflict vs that we may know the benefit wee haue by Grace and make our recourse for helpe vnto it continually and indeed except by experience wee felt how powerfull sin is of it selfe to ouer rule vs we could neuer haue knowne that vile bondage and seruitude of sinne vnder which wee lay by nature nor that excellent Grace of Christ by which we haue gotten deliuerance And therefore so oft as wee are troubled with our inhabitant corruption we are to consider that if the remanents of the old man breed vs such strong and restlesse tentations how would it tyrannize ouer vs if it were liuing in the full vigour strength thereof that so we may praise and magnifie that sauing Grace of the Lord Iesus which hath freed vs from so intollerable a tyrannie Thirdly the Lord hath done this for his own greater glory like vnto those Victors in battaile who albeit they may yet will not put all their enimies to the edge of the sword some of them they take Captiues and reserues for a while aliue against the day of triumph to be put then to death to their greater shame and the greater honour of their Conquerours When Ioshua had discomfited those fiue Kings who made warre against Gibeon hee would not slay them in the battaile but inclosed them in a caue that the battell being ended he might put them to death in sight of all his people and then for their further confirmation hee caused his Captaines and chiefe men of warre to tread vpon the necks of these Kings to assure them that after the same manner the Lord should subdue all the rest of their enimies vnder them And so our Captaine mightie conquerour the Lord Iesus hath by himselfe obtained vnto vs victorie ouer all our enimies these Kings which besieged Gibeon are turned to flight these inordinate affections which held vs Captiues before are now by his power captiued of vs they are closed vp vvithin vs as in a Caue vvhere they remaine vvith some life but restrained of their former libertie and power And vve rest assured that when the battaile shall be finished our Lord Iesus shall altogether spoyle them of their life The God of peace shall shortly tread Sathan vnder our feete then Goliah being ouercome his army of the Philistines shall flie and no inordinate desire shall bee left within vs. Thus wee see how the Lord permits his enimie to liue and will not fully torment him before the time it is not because he wants power to subdue him Set vt â—o magis confundatur but that so much the more he may confound him When as all the warriours of God aswell those who are to come in the last age of the world as those who were in the forefront of the battaile haue foughten against him and ouercome him then shall the Lord Iesus put all his enimies vnder his feete Yea euen now in the very time of the conflict is Sathan wonderfully confounded in this that notwithstanding the Serpent keepe his sting yet there is no deadly power in it This vncircumcised Goliah hath that same sword in his hand by which he hath slaine many one the Lord permits him also to strike the Christian man therewith but hee sees himselfe it is in vaine O how doth he returne ashamed and confounded when hauing gotten leaue to shoot out his sting and to strike with his accustomed sword of sinne those whom he hateth vnto death he perceiues that for all hee can doe there remaines in them a seed of life which cannot be
wicked may be put to death for their most vnreasonable disobedience her commandements for number being but ten and so not burdenable to the memorie for vnderstanding plaine written in the hart of euery man for equitie not contradictable for the Law craueth nothing of man but that which by the holinesse of his nature receiued by Creation hee was able to performe neither doth the law command any thing profitable to God vvho gaue it but vnto man who receiued it And for holinesse euery precept of the law when God proclaymed it on mount Sinai was assisted with a thousand of his Saints as witnesses of the holinesse therof all these circumstances doe aggrauate the waight of that iudgement which the law shall giue out against the transgressors thereof Then from the Law iudgement shall proceede to Conscience and Conscience shall witnesse against them of their transgressions against euery precept of the law wherein they shall be so cleerely conuinced that their perticular sinnes with the circumstances thereof time and place though now they haue cast them behind their backs shall then be set in order before them and so iustly euery manner of way shall iudgement goe out against them Eliphaz spoke it falslie to Iob thy owne mouth and not I condemnes thee but most iustly shall the ruler of the world lay it vpon the wicked out of thy owne mouth I iudge thee O thou euill and vnfaithfull seruant the voyce of thine own conscience and no other shall condemne thee And as this condemnation will bee most righteous so shall it bee also most fearefull not onely in regard of the manner of the Lords proceeding in that last iudgement but chieflie in regard of that irrevocable sentence of damnation which shall be executed without delay The Law was giuen with Thunders and Lightnings and a thicke cloud vpon the mount with an exceeding loude sound of the Trumpet so that all the people were afraide yea so terrible was the sight that Moses said I feare and quake The lawes of mighty Monarches are executed with greater terror then they are proclaymed what then shall we looke for when the God of glory shall appeare to iudge the world according to his law the Heauens shall passe away with a noyse the Elements shall melt with heate the Earth with the workes which are therein shall be burnt vp the Archangell shall blow a Trumpet at the voyce whereof the dead shall rise If Moses the seruant of the Lord quaked to heare the first Trumpet how shall the wicked condemned in their owne conscience tremble and quake to heare the second Then shall the Kings of the Earth and the great men and the rich men and the chiefe Captaines and the mightie men hide themselues in the Dennes and among the rockes of the Mountaines for what strength is there in man who is but stubble to stand before a consuming fire and or euer their doome bee giuen out they shall crye Mountaines and Rockes fall vpon vs and hide vs from the presence of him that sitteth on the Throne but when they shall heare that fearefull sentence depart from me yee cursed into euerlasting fire prepared for the Diuell and his Angels O how shall the terrour thereof confound their spirits and presse them downe to the bottome of hell O fearefull sentence depart from me what shall the creature doe when the Creator in his wrath commaunds it to depart and by his power banishes it from his presence O man wilt thou consider in time vvho shall receiue thee when God casts thee out from his face or who shall pittie and bee able to comfort thee when God shal persecute thee with his wrath assure thy selfe euery creature shall refuse her comfort to thee if a drop of colde water might bee a reliefe vnto thee thou shalt not get it Happie therefore are they vvho in time resolues themselues vvith Peter Lord whether away shall wee goe from thee thou hast the wordes of eternall life For they who doe now goe a whoring from the LORD wandring after lying vanities shall in that day receiue this for a recompence of their errour goe to the Gods whom yee haue serued Your whole life was but a turning backe from mee now therefore depart from mee and whether into fire and what fire euerlasting fire and with whom with the Diuell and his Angels thou hast forsaken mee thou hast followed them goe thy way with them a companion of their torment O fearefull sentence quae cum it a sint bene nobiscum ageretur si iam nunc sic nos paeniteret super malis nostris quomodo tunc sine vllo remedio paenitebit It were good therefore sayes Augustine if novv all men could so repent of their sinnes as it is certaine in that day they shall repent without any remedie for then the wicked vvill shed teares aboundantly but they shall bee fruitlesse And if yet all this cannot waken thee to goe to the Lord Iesus vpon the feete of faith and repentance that in him thou mayest bee deliuered from this fearefull damnation yet remember that seeing this iudgement is supreame and the last from which will bee no recalling most foolish art thou if in time thou doe not foresee and prouide how thou mayest stand in it Now if thy conscience condemne thee thou may get if thou seeke absolution in Christ but in that day if the Lord condemne thee thou shalt neuer be absolued the day before the Trumpet sound mercy shall bee preached to the penitent and beleeuers by the Gospell but from the time that once the sentence is giuen out there shall neuer bee more offering of mercy the doore shall be closed though the wicked cry for mercy and vvith Esau seeke the blessing vvith many teares yet shall they neuer finde it Of all this novv it is euident vvhat an excellent benefit wee haue by Iesus Christ in that vve are deliuered from this threefold condemnation For first being iustified by faith vve haue peace vvith God in our consciences that holy spirit of adoption testifying vnto vs that our sinnes are forgiuen vs whereof arises in our heart an vnspeakable and glorious ioy which ioy notwithstanding cannot be full nor perfect vntill the former sentence of our absolution be also pronounced in the other two iudgements that in the houre of death wee heare that ioyfull sentence Come to mee thou with the Apostle the terrour of that day but surely when the Lord shall set vs on mount Sion among those thousands which follow the Lambe and we shall see the smoake of the damned ascending continually when we shall stand at the right hand of the Lord Iesus and shall heare that fearefull sentence pronounced on the wicked and see the speedie and terrible execution thereof the earth opening incontinent to swallow them then shall we perfectly know how greatly the Lord hath magnified his mercies towards vs in
life that they who are planted in him flourish incontinent Proofe hereof we haue in Lidia and in the Theefe crucified with Christ and conuerted by him Aarons rodde was no sooner changed from a withered sticke into a flourishing tree then is hee from a barren malefactor into a fruitfull professor for see what a fruit hee beares in an instant he confesseth his owne sins he rebuketh the sinnes of his companion hee giueth a good testimonie vnto Christ and earnestly prayes that Christ would remember him concupiscence proceeds from sin â—endeth vnto sin but is not sin which he labors to expresse by this similitude he that hears saith he another man speking filthy language consents not vnto it but rather is angry at it and reproues it sinneth not but merits a greater reward euen so when our concupiscence sendâ— out any sinfull motion if we consent not vnto it we sinne not And the Fathers of that counsell of Trent which haue as many curses as Canons haue decreed in this manner this concupiscence which sometime the Apostle calleth sinne the holy Synode declares that the Catholike Church did neuer vnderstand it to be called sinne because it is truely and properly sinne in the regeuerate but because it commeth of sinne and inclineth to sinne Now because this is a mother errour which brings forth and strengthens many other errours wee will shortly disproue it by Scripture reason and antiquitie In the end of the last Chapter the Apostle condemneth the motions of concupiscence for sinne euen when consent is not giuen vnto them for he protests of himselfe that he resisted these motions of sin but was oftentimes sore against his will captiued by them he condemnes them as euill albeit he gaue no consent vnto them for the Law as I haue said doth not onely condemne sinne in the branch but also in the root there shall not bee in thee an euill thought against the Lord thy God And this is also confirmed by reason Consent in it owne nature is a thing indifferent if that whereunto I consent be good my consent is good but if it be euill my consent is euill if the first motion of sinne be not an euill thing in it selfe as they say then it is not an euill thing to consent vnto it for that which is not euill in it selfe by my consenting cannot become euill It is not then the consent following that makes the preceeding motion to bee euill but it is the preceeding euill motion that makes the subsequent consent euill Now as for Coster his similitude it makes plainely against himselfe for it is true indeed that hee who heareth euill spoken and reproues it is worthy of praise but it is also true that he who spake the euill hath sinned euen so albeit wee doe well when wee consent not to the motions of concupiscence in vs yet concupiscence is not the lesse to be condemned because it hath sent out in the eare of our soule that voyce of a filthy desire which is not agreeable to Gods most holy Law And of this same iudgement with vs are also the ancient Fathers Cum concupisco quamuis concupiscentis assensum non praebeam fit tamen in me quod nolo quod etiam non vult Lex When I lust saith Augustine albeit I consent not to my lust yet that is done in me which I will not and which also the law will not And againe desiderium tuum tali debet esse ad Deum vt omnino non sit ipsa concupiscentia cui resistere oporteat resistis enim non consentiendo vincis sed melius est hostem non habere quam vincere thy desire should in such sort be vpon God that there should not be in thee at all so much as a concupiscence which hath need of resistance for thou resists and by not consenting thou ouercommest but it were better not to haue an enemie then to ouercome him with him agrees also Bernard Genus illud peccati quod toties nos conturbat reprimi quidem potest debet per gratiam Dei concupiscentias loquor praua desideria vt non regnet in nobis nec demus membra nostra arma iniquitatis peccato sic nulla est damnatio his qui sunt in Christo sed non eijcitur niâ—i in morte That kinde of sinne saith he which so oft troubles vs Concupiscence and euill desires I meane may and should be repressed by the grace of God so that it raigne not in vs and that we giue not our members weapons of vnrighteousnesse to sinne and this way there is no damnation to them who are in Christ yet is it not cast out but in death Thus doth Bernard cleerely agree with vs in the exposition of this place Of all which is euident that the motions of concupiscence are euill and sinfull euen when they are repressed and no consent giuen vnto them But now leauing further improbation of this errour wee toler abilius enim lingua quaÌ„ vita mentâ—tur the lye saith Augustine which is made by the tongue is more tollerable then that vvhich is made by the life where the tongue professes Christ and the hart is giuen to impietie this is not professio sed abnegatio Christi a profession but a denying of Christ. It is a great sinne to beare false witnesse against our neighbour but a greater sinne to beare false witnesse against the Lord. Euery creature in their kinde giues a true testimonie vnto God the heauens declare his glory the earth and all that therein is sets foorth his goodnesse yea the little Emmet proclaimes his prouidence hee must bee a prouiuident father that hath put so great prouidence in so small a creature onely apostate Angels and men are false witnesses against the Lord. Sathan hath wyles continually against his mercy as when hee sayes to the penitent and beleeuing man God will not forgiue him vvyles against his iustice when hee beares the wicked in hand that God will not punish him wyles against his prouidence when hee would perswade the afflicted that God cannot deliuer them And as for the Apostate man hee is also a false vvitnesse against God hee calleth himselfe the childe of God and behold hee carryeth the image of Sathan as if the Lord begat children to another image and not to his owne Certainely the sinfull life of one professing Christ is a publick testimonie falsly proclayming to the vvorld as I haue said that there is no vertue in Christ and that hee is such a Sauiour as can neither sanctifie nor saue from sinne such as are his a fearefull blasphemie All Christians are not honoured with the second martiâ—dome that is to bee Christs vvitnesses by suffering of death for his truths sake yet all are bound by a godly life to bee vvitnesses of his sauing and renuing power shewing forth his meruailous vertue who hath translated vs from darknesse into
sinnes hath condemned sinne in his blessed bodie and so disanulled it that it hath no power to condemne vs. And this benefit he amplyfies shewing that by no other meanes we could obtaine it for where without Christ there is but one way for men to come to life namely the obseruance of the law hee lets vs see it was impossible for the law to saue vs and least it should seeme that hee blamed the law hee subioynes that this impotencie of the Law to saue vs proceeds from our selues because that we through â—leshly corruption which is in vs cannot fulfill that righteousnesse which the law requires This impotencie of the law appeareth by these two things first it craued that of vs which we had not to giue namely perfect obedience vnto all the Lords commandements and that vnder paine of death which albeit most iustly it be required of vs considering that by creation we receiued from God a nature so holy that it was able to doe the law yet now by reason of the deprauation of our nature drawne on by our selues it is impossible that wee can performe it Secondly the law could not giue that vnto vs whereof wee stood in neede namely that the infinit debt of transgressions which we had contracted should bee forgiuen vnto vs this I say the law could not doe for the law commaunds obedience but promises not pardon of disobedience yea rather it bindes the curse of God vpon vs for it And againe we stood in neede of a supernaturall grace to reforme deformed nature and this also the law could not doe it being a doctrine that sheweâ— vs the way to life but ministers not grace vnto vs to walke therein but all these which the law could not doe Iesus Christ by whom commeth grace and life hath done vnto vs. Where first we haue to marke the pittâ—full estate of those who seeke life in the obseruance of the law which here the Apostle saith is impossible for the law to giue they seeke life where they shall neuer finde it The Apostle in another place calles the law the ministerie of death and condemnation and that because it instantly bindes men vnder death for euery transgression of her commandements so that hee who hath eyes to see what an vniuersall rebellion of nature there is in man vnregenerate to Gods holy law yea what imperfections and discordance with the law are remanent in them who are renued by grace may easily espye the blinde presumption of those that seeke their liues in the ministry of death Yet so vniuersall is this errour that it hath ouergone the whole posteritie of Adam nature teaching all men who are not illuminated by Christ to seeke saluation in their owne deeds that is to stand to the couenant of workes But the supernaturall doctrine of the Euangelist teaches vs to transcend nature to goe out of our selues and to seeke saluation in the Lord Iesus and so to vse the law not that we seek life by fulfilling it which here is impossible but as a schole-maister to leade vs vnto Christ in whom wee haue remission of our sinnes sanctification of our nature acceptation of our imperfect obedience benefits which the law could neuer aford vnto vs. Inasmuch as it was weake because of the flesh The Apostle doth in such sort ascribe to the law an impotencie to saue vs that hee blames not the Law but the corruption of our fleshly nature being not able to fulfill that righteousnesse which the law requireth yea as the Apostle hath taught vs before so farre is our nature peruerted by our Apostasie from God that we are not onely vnable to doe that which the good and holy law of God requires but also vve become worse by the law for by the commandements of the law sin reuiues in our nature and takes occasion by the law to become more sinfull and so like a desperate disease it conuerts that medicine vvhich is ministred to cure it into a nourishment and confirmation of the sicknesse it selfe It is the nature of contraries that euery one of them intends the selfe to expell another whereof it comes that there is greatest cold in the bosome of the earth euen then when the Sunne with greatest vehemencie shines on it to callifie and heat it euen so our corrupted nature doth neuer shevv it selfe more rebellious and stubborne than vvhen the lavv of God beginnes to rectifie it As an vnruly and vntamed horse the more hee is spurred forward the faster he runnes backward so the peruerse nature of man nititur semper in vetitum is so farre from being reformed by the law that by the contrary sinne that was dead without the lavv is reuiued by the law and takes occasion to worke in vs all manner of concupiscence The Apostle is not ashamed to confesse that hee found this in his own person Augustine also examining his former sinfull life doth hereby aggrauate his corruption that in his young yeeres hee vvas accustomed to steale his neighbours fruit not so much for loue of the fruit for hee had better at home as for a sinfull delight he had to goe with his companions to commit euill so that where the lavv should haue restrayned his sinfull nature it was so much the more prouoked to sinne by the lavv Let therefore the Semipelagians of our time say to the contrary what they will let them magnifie the arme of flesh to diminish the praise of the grace of God and dreame that mans nature vnregenerate can bring forth merits of congruitie or workes of preparation yet doth the Lord heerein greatly abase man when hee telleth him that not onely he cannot doe that which the law requireth but that also the more he is commaunded the more hee repines vntill Grace reforme him God sending his owne Sonne The Apostle proceedes and let vs see how the Lord by Christ hath wrought that saluation which the Law could not Wherein first it is to bee marked that the Apostle saith not wee sought from the Lord a Sauiour but that the Lord sent him vnto vs vnrequired Surely neither man nor Angell could haue euer thought of such a way of Saluation the Lord hath found it out himselfe in his incomprehensible wisedomeâ— a way so to saue man that the glory both of his mercie and iustice shall bee saued also Most properly therefore is hee called Pater non indiciorum sed misericordiarum Father not of iudgements but of mercies for both the purpose and the meanes of our saluation are from himselfe hee hath found causes without him mouing to execute his iustice hee hath beene prouoked thereunto by the disobedience of apostate Angels and man but a cause mouing him to shew mercie is within himselfe this praise is due to God it is the greatest glory that can bee giuen vnto him Abhominable therefore is that errour of fore-seene merites by which the aduersaryes doe what they can to obscure
the praise of the bright shining glory of Gods mercie His owne Sonne Iesus Christ is called Gods owne Sonne to distinguish him from all others who are his sonnes by adoption onely Christ is the Sonne of God by nature by that diuine inutterable generation whereof Esay saith Who can expresse it Thus is hee Gods owne sonne that is coeternall and coessentiall begotten of the Father before all time by the full communication of his whole essence vnto him in a manner that cannot bee expressed And in the fulnesse of time hee became man God being manifested in the flesh and in regard of his humane nature which was conceiued of the holy Ghost and vnited in a personall vnion with his diuine hee stands in the title of Gods owne sonne after so singular a manner that hee admits no companion The last of these two the Apostle makes the first point of the misterie of Godlinesse God manifested in the flesh wherein he bridles our curiositie for if his manifestation in the flesh that is his incarnation be a mysterie that goes beyond our vnderstanding what shall we say of his diuine generation a mystery indeed to bee adored not to be enquired an article proposed to be belieued not to bee disputed The Arrians seeking to search out this vnsearchable mysterie with naturall reason by infinite degrees more foolish then if they had presumed to number the starres of heauen or measure with their fist all the vvaters in the Sea they stumbled and fell being neuer able to comprehend how the son that was begotten should bee coeternall and coessentiall to the Father who begot him therefore the worthy Fathers of the primitiue Church to expresse the presumption of these arrogant spirits drew them down from the dangerous speculation of these high mysteries far aboue their capacitie to consideration of things which are in nature Si in Creatura genitum inueniri potest coaeuum genitori an non aequum est conced as posse ista in creatore coaeterna inueniri if in things created that which is begotten may be found equall in time to that which begat it why should it be denyed that in the Creator the begetter and begotten are equall in eternitie When a candle saith Augustine is first lighted at once there are two things the fire and the splendor or light if it be enquired whether the fire come from the light or the light from the fire all men will agree that the splendor or light comes from the fire but if againe it be demanded which of them is first or last in time it cannot be determined But vvherefore shall vve vse these similitudes as the Creator is aboue the creature so is that mysterie aboue all the secrets of nature no similitude can bee found in nature so much as shadow that most high and supernaturall mysterie yet is the endeuor of these godly fathers commendable vvho haue laboured to bring downe men to the exercising of their wits in things vvhich are below like vnto themselues leauing curious inquisition of higher secrets vvhich as I haue said are to be receiued with faith reuerenced vvith silence not searched out by curiositie O man bee not high minded but feare In the similitude of sinnefull flesh Wee must not so vnderstand these words as if Iesus had onely the similitude of a naturall bodie no hee was very man made of the seed of Dauid he hath taken on our flesh indeed yet was he not a sinfull man but separated from sinners A holy One from the first moment of his conception conceiued of the holy Ghost A Stone cut out of the mountaine without hands The Flower of the field that groweth without mans labour or industry The second Adam very man as was the first but not begotten of man So then the word similitude is not to be ioyned vvith the word Flesh but with the word sinfull He tooke on mans nature without sin yet subiect to those infirmities mortalitie and death which sin brought vpon vs he appeared like a sinfull man being indeed without sinne in the shape of a Seruant content to be made inferiour not onely to Angels but to men of the vilest sort sold for thirtie pieces of siluer not so worthy to liue as Barrabas ranked vvith Theeues on the Crosse and reputed as a Worme of the earth thus being voyde of all sinne yet was hee handled as a sinner and most wicked malefactor Wherein wee are to consider so farre as vve may though vve cannot comprehend it that vvonderfull loue vvhich the Lord hath shevved vs in this vvorke of our saluation how deere and precious our life hath beene in his eyes perceiue by the greatnesse of that prise which hee hath giuen for vs for vvho vvill giue much for that vvhereof he esteemes but little it was not vvith gold nor siluer nor any corruptible thing that the Lord hath redeemed vs but vvith the precious bloud of his owne Son Iesus as of a Lambe vnblemished and vnspotted If Dauid considering the goodnesse of God towards man in the vvork of creation fell out into this admiration O Lord what is man that thou art mindfull of him or the Son of man that thou doest visite him how much more haue vve cause so to crye out considering the riches of God his vvonderfull mercies shewed vs in the vvork of redemption It vvas a great kindnesse vvhich Abraham shewed to Lot vvhen he hazarded his owne life and the liues of his familie to recouer Lot out of the hands of Chedarlaomer but not comparable to that kindenesse which our kinsman the Lord Iesus hath shewed vnto vs who hath giuen his life to deliuer vs out of the hand of our enimies The Lord shed abroad in our hearts more and more abundantly the sence of that loue that wee may endeauour to be thankfull for it by this threefold dutie first of thanksgiuing secondly of seruice thirdly of loue toward those who are beloued of him As for the first our life should bee a continuall thanksgiuing and worshipping before him who hath loued vs and washed vs from our sinnes in his bloud When the children of Israell had passed the red sea suppose they had a wast wildernesse between them and Canaan yet they praised God with a song of thanksgiuing and the Lord appointed an yearely remembrance of that benefit If smaller mercies are to be remembred with thanksgiuing what shall wee think of the greater As for the second which is seruice Zacharie teacheth vs that for this end God hath deliuered vs from all our enimies that all our dayes wee should serue him in righteousnesse and holinesse the reason why the Israelites bound themselues to giue subiection and obedience to Dauid was that he had deliuered them from the hand of the Philistins the same reason Ezra vsed to the Iewes returned from captiuitie to make them obedient to the Lord Seeing thou O Lord hath
as excellent Israelites of the Lord who can best discerne an Israelite From the time the Lord departed from Ierusalems Temple the daily sacrifice and oblation ceased and where there is not in man neither prayer nor praysing of God nor mortification of his beastly lusts but the spirituall Chaldeans hath come in and taken away this daily sacrifice it is an euident argument that the Lord dwelleth not there Last of all let vs marke here that the Apostle sayth this dwelling of the spirit is in vs it is not without vs the kingdome of God is within vs if hee dwell hee will dwell in our hearts by faith for he himselfe requires the heart As for them who lodge him in their mouths by professing him in their eyes by aduancing them to heauen in their hands by doing some workes of mercy and not in their hearts these are carnall men not spirituall pretend what they will hipocrits who drawes neere the Lord with their lips but their harts are farre from him accursed deceiuers vvho hauing a male in their flock vowes and sacrifices a corrupt thing vnto the Lord vvhich I doe not speake as if I did condemne the outward seruice done in the body to the Lord prouided it flowe from the hart Ye are bought with a price therefore glorifie God in your body and in your spirit for they are Gods And this also is to be marked for the amendment of two sorts of men among vs who are in two extremities vve haue some who are become scorners of the grace of God in others neither can they be humbled themselues in the publike assemblies of the Saints nor be content to see others expresse their inward motion by outward humiliation they sit downe in the throne of God and condemnes others for hipocrisie not remembring that sinne is to be reserued to the iudgement of God vvho onely knowes the hart and that those same things vvhich they mislike in their brethren the Lord hath allowed in others The Apostles precept commaunds vs to lift vp to the Lord pure hands in prayer Dauids practise teaches vs to aduance our eyes to the Lord shall not thy brother lift vp his hands and his eyes to the Lord shall he not sigh to God nor mourne in his prayers like a Doue as Ezekiah did but thou incontinent wilt taxe him of hipocrisie Wee read that Iacob sought a blessing from the Lord with tearrs and obtained it Esau sought a blessing from his father with teares and crying and obtained it not were the teares of Iacob the worse because Esau also shed teares Iudge not least thou bee iudged the iudgement of Hypocrisie as I haue sayd belongs to the Lord. On the other extremitie are they who thinke they haue done enough when they haue discharged some outward exercises of religion though they take no paine to sanctifie the heart to works of diuine seruice On the Saboth they come to the house of God they bow their heads like a bulrush with the rest they pray and praise the Lord in the externall formes with the rest of the congregation but considers not whether or no they come into the temple by the motion of the Spirit as Simeon did if they pray and praise the Lord with prepared hearts as Dauid did neyther tâ—ye they when they goe out whether or no they haue met with the Lord found mercy and returneth home to their houses iustified as the Publican did It is true wee are to glorifie God with ouâ— bodyes because they are his but most of all with our spirits because God is a spirit he loueth truth in the inward affections and delights to bee worshipped in spirit and truth Wee are called by the Apostle the Temples of God Salomons Temple the further it was the finer in the outward Court stood an Alter of brasse whereupon beastes were sacrificed in the inward Court was an Altar of gold whereupon incense was sacrificed but the Sanctuarie or most holy place did farre exceed them both in it was nothing but fine gold in it the Lord gaue out his oracles from betweene the Cherubins in it stood the Arke of the couenant wherein was the Tables of the Law And so indeed the Christian ought to bee holy without his lookes his words his wayes should all declare that God dwelleth in his heart hee should haue ingrauen as it were on his forehead Holinesse to the Lord as Aaron had but much more should hee bee holy within betweene the secrets of his Soule should the Lord haue his residence and in his heart the testimonie of God which is the word of God should dwell plentifully But as for the wicked they are eyther compared to open sepulchers their mouth being like that gate of the Temple called Shallecheth out of which was carryed all the filth of the temple the abhomination of their heart being made manifest by their mouth or then in their best estate they are compared to painted Sepulchers beautifull without but within full of rottennesse hauing a shew of godlinesse wanting the power thereof But the man is blessed in whose heart there is no guile hee is a Nathamell indeede a true Israeliâ—e who is one within whose praise is not of men but of God But if any man haue not the Spirit of Christ the same is not his The Comfort being ended now followes the Caution Euery man saith Salomon boasts of his owne goodnesse but the Lord saith the Apostle knoweth who are his As the first great question in Religion is concerning the Sauiour of the world Art thou hee who is to come or shall wee looke for another so the second is concerning them who are to bee saued if the iudgement be referred to man now euery man among vs accounts himselfe a Christian If iudgement be sought from the Lord here hee giues one answere for all If any man haue not the Spirit of Christ the same is not his Albeit among men there be an allowable difference of estates yet concerning Christianitie both King and Subiect rich and poore learned and vnlearned comes all to be tryed by one rule It is a common thing among men to esteeme somewhat more of themselues for the priuiledge of their estate wherein they excell others but the Apostle destroyes the pride of all their glory with one word If any man so hee speakes without exception bee what thou wilt beside were thou neuer so noble neuer so rich neuer so learned if thou hast not the Spirit of Christ thou art none of his all the priuiledges of men without Iesus are nothing that which is high among men is abhomination to God Man in his best estate is altogether vanitie the glory of flesh is but as the floure of the field the Spirit of the Lord iudgeth of all the glory of man as of the pompe of Agrippa he came downe saith S. Luke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is all
but phantasie and vanishing shewes nothing commends vs to God but this one to haue the spirit of Christ dwelling in vs. Againe wee see here that Christ and his Spirit cannot bee sundred except men will crucifie againe the Sonne of God Let no man therefore say that he hath Christ vnlesse hee haue the Spirit of Christ. As hee is not a man who hath not a Soule so hee is not a Christian who hath not the spirit of Christ no man counteth that a member of his body which is not quickned by his Spirit no more is hee a member of Christ who hath not the spirit of Christ hereby wee know that wee dwell in him and hee in vs because he hath giuen vs of his Spirit And as Christ and his spirit are not sundred so cannot the spirit be sundred from the fruits of the Spirit now the fruites of the Spirit are Loue Ioy Peace Long Suffering Gentlenesse Goodnesse Faith Meeknesse Temperance If the Spirit of Christ dwell in vs and if wee liue in the Spirit let vs walke in the Spirit this is the conuiction of carnall professors that while they say the spirit of Christ is in them they declare none of his fruites in their conuersation but to insist somwhat more in this same purpose Wee are to know that the effects and operations of the Spirit are twofold the one is a generall and common operation which he hath in the wicked for hee illuminates euery one who commeth into the world Neyther can any man say that Iesus is the Lord but by the Spirit euery spark of light and portion of truth bee it in whom it will flowes out of doubt from this holy Spirit That Caiaphas and Saul can Prophecie that Iudas can Preach all is from him but of â—his manner of operation is not here meant for this way he vvorketh in the wicked not for any good to them but for the aduancement of his owne worke The other kinde of the holy Ghosts operation is speciall and proper to the godly by the vvhich hee doth not onely illuminate their mindes but proceeds also to their harts and workes this threefold effect in it Sanctification Intercession and Consolation First he is vnto them a spirit of Sanctification renuing their harts by his effectuall grace hee first rebukes them of sinne he wakens their conscience with some sight of their iniquities and sense of that wrath which sinne hath deserued whereof arises heauinesse in their harts sadnesse in their countenance lamentation in their speech and such an alteration in their whole behauiour that their former pleasures become painefull vnto them and others who knevv them before wonders to see such a change in them From this he proceeds and leads them to a sight of Gods mercie in Christ hee inflames their harts with a hunger thirst for that mercie and workes in their hearts such a loue of righteousnesse and hatred of sinne that now they become more afraid of the occasions of sinne then they were before of sinne it selfe this resistance made to the â—entations this care to eschew the occasions of sinne is an vndoubted token of the spirit of Christ dwelling in thee This is the first operation of the spirit but it is not all he proceeds yet further by degrees for the kingdom of God is as if a man should cast seede into the earth which growes vp and vve cannot tell how first it sends out the blade secondly the eares and then the cornes so proceeds the kingdome of God in maâ— by degrees In the second place the holy spirit becomes to the godly a spirit of Intercession so long as vve are bound with the cords of our transgressions we cannot pray but from the time hee once loose vs from our sinnes hee openeth our mouth vnto God hee teacheth vs to pray not onely with sighes and sobbes that cannot be expressed but also puts such words in our mouths as we our selues who spake them are not able to repeat againe And thirdly hee becomes vnto them the spirit of Consolation if he be vnto thee a sanctifier and an intercessor hee shall not faile at the last to be thy comforter If at the first after that thou hast sent vp supplications thou find not his consolation descending vpon thee be not discouraged but be the more humbled for alas our sinnes shortens his arme and the hardnesse of our harts holds out his comforts we must fall downe vvith Mariâ— and lye still washing the feet of Christ with our teares before he takes vs in his armes to kisse vs with the kisses of his mouthâ— and if wee finde these effects of his presence going before humiliation of our hart and the grace of prayer wee may be out of all doubt that his consolations shall follow after Of this it is yet further euident against all those who deny that the Christian may bee sure of his saluation that hee vvho hath the spirit of Iesus knowes that hee hath him as he who hath life feeles sensiblie that he hath it and is able truely to say I liue â—o he who hath the spirit of Iesus knowes by feeling that hee hath him and is able to say in truth Christ liueth in mee Know yee not saith the Apostle that Christ Iesus is in you except yee be reprobates This shall bee further confirmed by considering those three names which are giuen to the holy spirit from his operation in vs hee is the Seale the Earnestâ— the witnesse of God the vse of a Seale is to confirme and make sure One of these two therefore must the Papists say that â—yther none are sealed by the holy Spirit or else they must confesse that they who are sealed are sure If they say that none are sealed by this Spirit they speake against the manifest truth of God grieue not the holy spirit by whom yee are sealed against the day of redemption And if they deny that they who are seâ—led by him are sure of that saluation which God hath promised he hath sealed they blaspheme calling him such a seale as makes not them sure who are sealed by him hee who hath the seale of a Prince rests assured of that which by the seale is confirmed to him aâ—d shall not the seale of the 〈◊〉 God the Spirit of promise confirme that man in the assurance of saluation who hath receiued him Neither is he onely the seale of God but hee is also the earnest of our inheritance and the witnesse of God he that beleeueth in the sonne hath a witnesse in himselfe what vvill the aduersarie of Christian comfort say to this if yee say that there are none to whom Gods spirit witnesses mercie from God ye speake against the Apostle the spirit beares witnesse to our spirit that we are the sonnes of God or if yee say that those vvho haue this testimonie of the
Sunne and his clothes were white as the light Moses after fortie dayes talking with God on the Mount came downe with so bright a shining countenance that the Israelites might not behold him what then may we thinke shall be the glory of the children of God when they shall be transchanged with the light of Gods countenance shining vpon them not fortie dayes onely but for euer and euer And if euery one of their faces shal shine as the Sun in the firmament O how great light and glory shal be among them all if their bodies shal be so glorious what shal be the glory of their soule surely no hart can conceiue it no tongue is able to expresse it Fourthly our body shall bee raysed spirituall which is not so to bee vnderstood as if our bodies should loose a corporall substance and receiue a spirituall substance but then shall our bodies bee spirituall as now our Spirits by nature are carnall which are so called because they are subiect to carnall corruption pressed downe and carryed away after earthly and carnall things so shall our bodies then be spirituall because without contradiction they shall obey the motions of the spirit the body shall be no burthen no prison no impediment to the soule as now it is the soule shall carry the body where it will without resistance where now it is earthly heauie and tends downward it shall then be restored so lightsome and quick that without difficultie it shall mount from the earth to meet our Lord in the aire As our head ascended on the mount of Oliues and went through the cloudes into heauen so shall his members ascend that they may be with the Lord they shall follow the Lambe where euer he goes Let vs beleeue it and giue glory vnto God for hee who is the worker of our resurrection is also the worker of our ascension If the wit of man be able to frame a vessell of sundry mettels that our Resurrection is put betweene the Article of the remission of sinnes and that other Article of eternall life to â—each vs that then onely the Resurrection of the body is a benefite when remission of sinnes goes before it and eternall life followes after it whereof the Lord of his great mercy make vs pertakers through Iesus Christ. Verse 12. Therefore Brethren wee are debters not to the flesh to liue after the flesh AS it is true concerning vs that a necessitie lyeth vpon vs to preach and woe will be to vs if we preach not so it is true concerning you that a necessitie lyeth vpon you to heare and woe will bee to you if you heare not It is commaunded to vs that when wee speake wee should speake as the oracles of God and it is also required of you that ye receiue this word not as the word of man but as it is indeede the word of God therefore take heede how yee heare for as Moses said to the Israelites so say wee vnto you It is no vaine word concerning you it is your life Ye haue heard that maine proposition of Comfort there is no condemnation to them which are in Christ yee haue heard it confirmed explaned and applyed the miserable estate of them who walke after the flesh hath beene shewed vnto you as likewise the happy estate of them who walke after the Spirit and what comforts the godly haue both against the remanents as also against the fruits of sinnes hath beene declared vnto you Examine your selues and see how far forth these comforts belong vnto you If yee bee such as thinke with those scornefull men in Ierusalem that yee haue made a couenant with death and it shall not come neere you then goe on in your securitie and doe that which is good in your owne eyes but if yee finde by experience that death is already entred into your mortall body bee wise in time see that thou haue this onely soueraigne comfort against death the spirit of Christ dwelling in you otherwise flatter your selues in your securitie as you will miserable shall your end be Now the Consolation being ended the Apostle subioynes the Exhortation both these two consolation and exhortation are needefull for vs in the course of this life the one to keepe vs that wee faint not through the remanents of sinne left in vs and beginnings of death which already haue seased vpon vs exhortation againe to stir vs vp when wee linger in the way of godlinesse For it fareth with vs as it did with Lot in Sodome the Angels warned him of the imminent iudgement and exhorted him to escape for his life yet hee delayed and lingred hee could not bee gotten out of Sodome till they as it were violently thrust him out And allbeit the Lord admonish vs earely and late by his messengers of that wrath which is to come vpon the children of disobedience and warne vs in time to flye to the mountaine of his saluation yet alas so loath are wee to forsake our old finnes that the Lord is forced to double his exhortations vnto vs all which yet shall not auaile vs if the Lord lay not the hands of his grace vpon vs and by his holy Spirit make vs obedient to the heauenly vocation Let vs therefore take heede to the exhortations made vs by the Lord and that so much the more because it is most certaine that the sweetnesse of Gods consolation shall not bee felt of them who are not moued with his exhortation Contemplationis enim gustus non debetur nisi obedientiae mandatoruâ— the tast of Gods mercy by contemplation is onely due to them who make conscience of the obedience of his commaundements Therefore This particle is relatiue to the words preceding seeing it is so that by the Spirit of Christ dwelling in vs wee haue such excellent benefits wee are debt bond not to liue after the flesh but after the Spirit Of this wee haue first to learne that euery benefit wee receiued from God is an Obligation binding vs debters of seruice to God Debters Of this it is euident that the doctrine of grace proclaimes not liberty to men to liue as they will but rather bindes them to liue godly there can be no higher contempt done to the Lord than to turne his grace into wantonnesse Certainly the iniquities of Pagans doth not halâ—e so much offend him as the licentiousnesse of bastard Christians who will sinne the more freely because Christ hath suffered for sinne they heare that a man is not iustified by good workes and therefore being deceiued by Sathans sophistrie they cease to doe well not considering that good workes must proue wee are sanctified and sanctification must proue that wee are iustified In the second verse the Apostle said that Christ hath freed vs from the Law of sinne and here he sayth that hee hath made vs debters to righteousnesse these are not contrary they agree very well together hee hath loosed
these Aâ—heists haue receiued for doing seruice to God which they neuer did the more feareful plagues stripes from God shall be doubled vpon them Againe wee marke here that there is a double debt lying vpon vs the debt of sinne and the debt of obedience wee are freede of the one by a humble seeking and crauing of the remission thereof through Iesus Christ for the debt of sinne the Lord Iesus hath taught vs daily to seek Gods discharge Lord forgiue vs our debts and indeed as euery day wee contract some debt so it is great wisedome by daily repentance to sue the discharge of it for they who neglect to do it their debt multiples vpon them it stands vncancelled in the register of God written as it were with a pen of iron and the poynt of a Diamond and they shall at length be cast into that prison for non-payment wherin will be weeping and gnashing of teeth for euer But as for the debt of obedience whereof the Apostle here speakes wee cannot with a good conscience desire the Lord to discharge it nor exempt vs from it but wee must in all humilitie craue Grace of God that wee being enriched by him who of our selues are poore may be able in some measure to pay and performe it Where if the weake Children of God obiect and say how then can wee but drowne in this debt seeing no day of our life wee can pay to the Lord that debt of obedience which we owe vnto him To this there is giuen a three-fold comfort first the Lord dealeth with vs as a louing liberall man dealeth with his debter who knowing that he hath nothing of his owne wherewith to pay him and not willing to put him to shame stops priuately into his hand that which publikely againe he may giue vnto him so the Lord conuaies secret grace into the hearts of his children whereby they are in some measure able to serue him but as Dauid protested so may wee all whatsoeuer wee giue vnto the Lord wee haue it of his owne hand Secondly the Lord our God is so gracious that hee is content to accept part of payment at our hand till wee bee able to doe better if our faith bee but like the graine of Mustard seede yet if it bee true the Lord will not despise it though our repentance be not perfect and absolute though our prayers bee weake though wee cannot doe the good that wee would yet the good that wee doe is accepted at his hands through Iesus Christ. And thirdly wee haue this comfort that the more wee pay of this debt of obedience the more wee are able to pay In other debts it is not so for if the more be payed out by him that is indebted the lesse remaines behinde vnto himselfe but here the more wee pay the richer wee are the doing of one good worke of seruice vnto the Lord makes vs both more willing and able to doe an other the talents of spirituall Graces being of that nature that the more they are vsed the more they are encreased and these should worke in vs a delight to pay that debt which wee owe vnto the Lord. Last of all wee marke vpon this word that the good wee doe is debt and not merit When one of your seruants saith Iesus hath done that which hee is commaunded will one of you giue him thanks because hee hath done that which was commaunded him I beleeue not hee applyeth the Parable to his Disciples and in them to vs all so likewise when you haue done all those things which are commaunded you say that yee are vnprofitable Seruants Our Sauiour commaunds vs plainely to doe well but as plainely forbids all presumptuous conceit of our merit when vvee haue done well To speake against good works is impietie and to presume of the merits of our best works it Antichristian pride No man led by the Spirit of Iesus did euer vse this word of merit it is the proud speech of the spirit of Antichrist search the Scripture and ye shal see that none of all those who spake by diuine inspiration did euer vse it yea the Godly Fathers who haue liued in darke and corrupt times haue alway abhorred it If a man could liue saith Macarius from the dayes of Adam to the end of the world and fight neuer so strongly against Sathan yet were hee not able to deserue so great a glory as is prepared for vs how much lesse then are we able to promerit it that is his owne word who so short a space are militant here vpon earth Praetendat alter meritum sustinere se dicat aestus dieâ— ieiunare his in Sabbatho mihi adhaerere Deo bonum est let another man saith Bernard pretend merit let him boast that hee suffers the heat of the day and that he fasts â—wise in the Sabboth it is good for me to draw neere the Lord and put my hope in him Meritum enâ—m meum miseratio Domini non sum plane meriti inops quamdiu ille miserationum non fuerit for my merit is Gods mercy I shall not altogether want merits as long as he wants not compassion And againe sufficit ad meritum scire quod non sufficiant merita this is sufficient merit to know that merits are not sufficient this he makes more cleare in that Sermon of his de quadruplici debito wherein hee declares how man is so many wayes debter to the Lord that hee cannot doe that which hee ought why then shall any man say that hee hath done enough cum nec millissimâ—â— imo nec minimae parti debitorum suorum valeat respondere seeing he is not able to answer the thousand part no not the least part of that debt which hee oweth vnto God To liue Wee haue heard that wee are debters now haue wee to see wherein wee are debt-bound Wee owe to the Lord not onely these things which are ours but as sayeth Paul to Philemon we owe him our selues also Euery mans life must declare who it is whom hee acknowledgeth for a Superiour and vnto whom hee submitteth himselfe a debter Shew me saith Saint Iames thy Faith by thy workes shew mee saith Malachie thy Father by thy Sonly reuerence toward him let me know thy master by thy obedience and the attendance thou giuest him As Caesars money is discerned by his image and superscription so the Christian is knowne by his conuersation hee vvalkes after the Spirit and by his deedes more then by his words hee disclaimeth the gouernement of the flesh But surely as Chrisostome complained of bastard professors in his time so may wee in our time of many to whom wee are ambassadours in Christs name we haue more then cause to feare we haue bestowed labour vpon you in vaine for I pray you vvhat part of your liues giues sentence for you and proues that ye are
meanes vvee hate the oppressours that spoile vs of worldly goods onely vvee cannot hate Sathan to the death who seekes by sinne to spoyle vs of eternall life That same Commaundement which vvas giuen to Adam and Euah if yee eate of the forbidden tree yee shall dye is in effect here giuen to vs all if ye liue after the flesh ye shall die let vs not make an exception where God hath made none euery sinne to vs is as that forbidden tree to Adam if vvee meddle with it vvee shall finde no better fruite then that which Adam found on it before vs there is a fruit which man seekes vpon the tree of sinne and hee shall not finde it to wit profit or pleasure and there is another fruit which God hath threatned and Sathan saith it growes not on the tree of sinne but man assuredly shall finde it Bitter death growes vpon the pleasant tree of sinne for the vvages of sinne is death albeit there came no vvord from the Lord to teach this former experience may confirme it for what fruit haue vve this day of all our former sinnes but a guiltie conscience which breeds vs much terror accusing thoughts and anguish of Spirit It is therefore a point of great wisedome to discerne betweene the deceit of sinne and fruit of sin before the action Sinne is Inimicus blandiens a flattering and laughing enimie in the action it is dulce venenum sweet poyson but after the action it is Scorpio pungens a pricking and biting Serpent Hee that vvould rightly discerne the face of sinne when it stands before him to tempt him let him looke backe to the taile of a sinne which hee hath committed alreadie and of the sting which that sinne hath left behind it let him learne to beware of the smiling countenance of the other which wil no lesse vvound him the second time vnto death if so be he embrace it Most properly may the pleasures of sin bee compared to the streames of the riuer Iordan vvhich carryeth away the fish swimming and playing in it delighted vvith such pleasures as are agreeable to their kind euen til it deuolue them into the salt sea where incontinent they die euen so in the wicked inordinate concupiscence is as a forcible streame which carryeth away with it impenitent men playing and delighting themselues in their lusts till at length they fall into that lake which burneth with fire and brimstone out of the which there is no redemption for them The perishing pleasures of sinne are payd home with euerlasting perdition it is done in a moment but when it is finished it bringeth out death and breedes the worme that will neuer dye paruum ad horam peccatum longaeua autem est ex eo aeterna verecundia it is the deuoring Locust of the bottomlesse pit which hath haire like a woman teeth like a Lyon and a tayle like a Scorpion miserable are they who are blinded with it they may sleepe in their sinne but their damnation sleepes not though their heads bee laid downe like the Kine of Bashan to drinke in iniquitie like water yet their iudgement is not farre off and they are but like vnto Oxen fed for the slaughter Wee perceiue here further that euery mans state and condition in this life is a prediction of that state and condition which abides him when this life is gone He that soweth to the flesh of the flesh shall reape corruption but hee that soweth to the Spirit shall reape immortalitie and life As no man commeth eyther to a Pallace or a Prison but by the entry thereof so no man goeth eyther to heauen or hell but by the way thereof A wicked life is as a thorow-way to that prison and place of darkesse hee who goes on in it without returning shall out of all doubt when hee hath passed the path-way enter into the prison and a godly life is the very way to heauen hee that walkes in it perseuering to the ende shall enter at last into that Pallace of Glory which is the paradise of God Salomon saith that where the tree fals there it lyes and experience teacheth vs that it fals to that side on which the branches thereof grow thickest if the greatest growth of our affections and actions spring out after the Spirit out of doubt vvee shall fall to the right hand and shall be blessed but if otherwise thy affections grow downeward and thou vvalke after the flesh then assuredly thou shalt fall to the left hand and die in sin vnder the cuâ—se of God But seeing they vvho vvalke after the flesh are dead already how sayth the Apostle they shall dye To this I answere both are true presently they are dead and yet a more fearefull death abides them That they vvho liue in their sinnes are dead already vvee shewde before for sinne is that vnto the soule of man vvhich fire and water are to the body that is to say an vnkindely Element in the which it cannot liue but certainely a more fearefull death abides them which the spirit of God calleth the second death wherin they shal not onely liue depriuâ—d of life wanting all sense yea all hope of the mercy of God but shal also feele the full measure of his wrath due to their sinnes powred out vpon them Now albeit they bee dead in sinne and depriued of the fauour of the Creator yet the vaine comforts of the creatures doth so bewitch and blinde them that they know not how vvretched and miserable they are but vvhen the last sentence of damnation shall bee pronounced vpon them they shall not onely bee banished from the presence of God into euerlasting perdition where the fiâ—e of the Lords indignation shall perpetually torment them but also the comfort of all Gods creatures vvhich now they haue shall forsake them The least degree of their punishment shall bee a fearefull famine of vvorldly comforts The Pomegranat Tree the Palme Tree the Apple Tree shall wither The Apples after which now their soule lusteth shall depart from them they shall finde none of them yea if a cup full of colde vvater might comfort them it shall not be giuen vnto them thus you see how they are dead and yet a more fearefull death abideth them Therefore the spirit of God to expresse the fearefulnes of that second death he calleth it a vvrath and giues it these two â—ules first hee calleth it a vvrath prepared by God Salomon saith the vvrath of a king is the messenger of death vvhat then shall we say of the wrath of God Secondly hee calles it a wrath to come to teach vs that it farre exceedes all that wrath that we haue heard of seene The drowning of the originall world the burning of Sodome a great wrath but nothing comparable to the wrath which is to come Beside this both the place the vniuersalitie the eternitie of their
Adoption we pray vnto God without that Spirit men may speake of God but without him they cannot speake vnto God Prayer is a proper action of the sons of God The Apostle describing them who are Saints by calling saith they are sanctified by Christ and call vpon the name of the Lord Iesus hee ioynes these two together to tell vs that they who are not called by God and sanctified in Christ cannot call vpon him as for prophane men it is certain they cannot pray though they repeat that prayer Our Father which art in heauen what else doe they but multiply lyes as they multiply words Onely the spirit of Adoption teacheth the Children of God to pray Prayer is vnto them like that fire Chariot in the which Eliah was carried from earth to heauen by it they are transported to haue their conuersation with God and speake to him in so familiar a manner that they know not those things which are beside them neyther see they those things which are before them being in the body they are carried out of the body they present to the Lord sighs which cannot be expressed and vtters to the Lord such words as they themselues are not able to repeat againe and that all this proceeds from the operation of the Spirit who bends vp their affections and teacheth them to pray is euident by this that when this holy Spirit intermits or relents his working in them they become senselesse and heauy hearted more ready to sleepe with Peter Iames and Iohn than to watch and pray with Iesus yea suppose it were in the very houre of tentation Wee cry c. The Apostle you see reckons himselfe among others who cryes by this spirit of Adoption though the children of God be many yet seeing they all are led by one spirit they should all cry for one thing vnto God the assemblies of the Church militant on earth should resemble as neere as they can the glorious assemblies of the Church triumphant in heauen many are they who followes the Lambe their voyce is like vnto the voyce of many waters yet they all sing but one song so should there be among vs that are Christians but one voyce specially when we meet in the publike assemblies of the Church though wee were neuer so many yet our affections and desires should concur in one and all of vs send vp one voyce to the Lord. Wee see that in nature coniunction of things which are of one kinde makes them much stronger many flames of fire vnited in one are not easily quenched many springs of water if they meet together in one make the stronger riuer but being deuided are the more easily ouercome Saint Iames saith the prayer of one righteous man auailes much if it be powred out in faith what then shall we thinke of the prayers of many Oh what a blessing might we looke for if wee could ioyne in one to call vpon God but now alas where one with a contrite hart cryes to God for mercy how many by continuance in sinne cryes to him for iudgement what meruaile then the arme of the Lord be shortned toward vs and hee doe not help vs As they who resolue to lift any heauie burthen ioyne their hands together vnder it and so by mutuall strength makes that easie to many which were impossible to one so when we are assembled together to lift from off our heads by vnfayned repentance that burthen of the wrath of God which our sinnes hath brought vpon vs if there be among vs no deceiuers but that euery man in the sinceritie of his hart ioyne his earnest supplication with the prayers of his brethren what a blessing may wee looke for Take heede therefore how you behaue your selues in the holy assemblies though they should neuer bee brought forth by speach of the mouth and this for their comfort who through extremitie of sicknesse or otherwise are not able to vse their tongues in prayer to God Father wee learne here that the Parent which begets Prayer is the Spirit of adoption the mother that conceiues it is the humble and contrite heart for no proud vncleane and hard heart can pray vnto God the vvinges whereby it ascends are feruencie and an heauenly disposition feruency is noted in the word of Crying for as in crying there is an earnestnesse of the powers of the body to send out the voice so in prayer should there bee an earnestnesse of the powers of our soule to send vp our desires As incense without fire makes no smell and therefore the Lord commaunded it to bee sacrificed with fire in the Law so prayer without feruencie sends vp no sweet smell vnto the Lord. Our heauenly disposition required in prayer is collected out of this that hee to whom wee speake is our Father in Heauen if our mindes bee earthly wee can haue no communing with him that is in heauen vvee must therefore ascend in our affection enter within the vaile if vvee would speake familiarly vvith our Father Prayer this manner of way sent vp and presented to our aduocate and intercessor the Lord Iesus out of the hand of Faith cannot but returne a fauourable answere if not at the first as in the very time of Prayer Daniell receiued his answer yea at the beginning of his supplication as the Angell Gabriell informed him the commandement came forth to answere him yet shall not the Lord faile in his owne good time to fulfill the desires of them vvho feare him Manifold examples of holy Scripture lets vs see that Prayer this vvay powred out vnto God is most effectuall At fiue sundry petitions did not Abraham bring the Lord from fitie to ten euery petition returnes to Abraham some vantage faine vvould Abraham had Sodome preserued for Lots cause at his first request hee got this answere that the Lord would spare it for fiftie righteous mens sake if they might be found in it but at the last from fiftie hee brings him to ten as long as Abraham prayed the Lord answered and for euery petition hee yeelded something to Abraham and most comfortable is it that the Lord ceases not from answering till Abraham ceased from asking any more When Peter prayed vpon the house top he fel into a trance and saw a heauenly vision when Iesus prayed vpon Mount Tabor he was transfigured and if at any time the children of God bee transformed from an earthly disposition to a heauenly they finde in their owne experience that it is in the time of prayer Sathan for this cause is a most troublesome enimie to the exercises of the word and of prayer because the one is the mother the other is the nurse of all the graces of God in vs either hee makes men lightly to esteeme the exercise of prayer or then doth what he can to interrupt them in it as that Pithonisse interrupted Paul while hee was going to pray
I am who shall deliuer mee from the body of this death matter of ioy wee haue also in our God for vvhich vvee may reioyce with him and say I thanke God through Iesus Christ surely it cannot bee vvithout vnthankfulnesse vnto God so to mourne for our vvants that wee giue not praise to God for the beginnings of grace vve haue And for this same effect let vs yet further consider that this testimonie of the Spirit is not at all times enioyed in a like measure for that were to enioy heauen vpon earth The Lord therefore doth in such sort dispense it that sometimes he lets his children feele it for their consolation and againe with-drawes it from them for their humiliation when they feele it they so abound in ioy that all the terrors and threatnings of Sathan all his promises and allurements are despised of them and trodden vnder their feete they sing within themselues that glorious triumph of the Apostle who shall seperate vs from the loue of God but this ioy proceeding from the fulnesse of faith continues not the voyce of the Spirit of adoption waxing somwhat more silent feares and doubts succeedes in that same heart which before abounded with ioy and this for our humiliation But now in this estate least the Children of God be discouraged by the silence of the testimonie let them first of all haue recourse to the forepast working of God in them let them call to minde with Dauid the dayes of old remember their ioyfull songs by which they haue praised GOD their humble prayers by which many a time they haue gotten accesse to the throne of grace and these heauenly motions which haue replenished their soules with ioy and so of the former footesteps of his grace let them discerne his presence euen then when they cannot perceiue him And next let them consider that the godly in the time of their desertion which is their spirituall disease are euill iudges of themselues for they perceiue not that which they possesse there may bee an invincible hope of mercy in that soule wherein for the present there is no hope of mercy and this all the Children of God may make in their owne experience for whereof I pray thee hath it come that thou a weak man hast foughten so long against principalities powers the Lord had reserued mercy for vs wee should bee made like vnto Sodome or Gomorrha but now the lots are fallen to vs in pleasant places and we haue a fayre heritage Blessed bee the God of our saluation from henceforth and for euer If wee bee Children As for the Apostles order in these words wee are to remember that the Apostle here insists in the confirmation of that part of his reason that they who are the Sonnes of God shall liue Now hee lets vs see the necessitie thereof the Sonnes of God are the Heyres of God and the heritage whereunto they are borne is eternall life therefore of necessitie they must liue Wee haue here first to consider that high preferment whereunto wee are called in Christ not onely to bee the Sonnes of God but declared also to be the Heyres of God The heyre in a familie hath this prerogatiue that albeit the hand of his Father bee not closed from giuing good things vnto others yet the inheritance is reserued for him As Abraham gaue gifts to the Sonnes of Keturah but kept his best things for Isaac so the Lord our God shewes his great bountifulnesse in that hee makes his Sunne to shine and his raine to fall downe vpon the vniust no lesse than the iust yet herein stands the comfort of his children that hee reserues his best and most excellent things for them Neyther is it his creatures that hee giues to them in a portion hee giues himselfe vnto them as he promised to Abraham so he perfermes it to all the seed of Abraham I am thy exceeding great reward and therefore doe the godly so craue him that without him nothing can content them O Lord thou art my portion said Dauid My Soule saith to the Lord thou art my portion said Ieremie But as for them who can content themselues with the gifts of God suppose they neuer inioy himselfe they declare they are but Seruants who are not to bide in the house for euer and not the Sonnes of God Againe wee haue to marke here that albeit the Lord haue innumerable sonnes yet are they all his Heyres No Monarch in the world can beautifie his children with this priuiledge as to make them all his heyres and not diminish his Empyre but the Lord herein declares the riches of his glorious inheritance that all his sonnes are his Heyres and yet the inheritance inioyed of many is not the lesse Neyther are wee to thinke this impossible for seeing the Lord hath endued the Sunne in the firmament with this propertie that albeit the light thereof be communicated vnto many yet is it not the lesse in it selfe plurium oculos pascit tamen tanta est quanta erat illi pascuntur illa non minuitur it feedes the eyes of many they are nourished and it is not diminished may wee not much more thinke that the heauenly light communicated to many shall for all that not be impared In earthly inheritances it is so the moe be pertakers of them the lesse they are but it is not so in the heauenly there needes no strife among the brethren for diuision of the inheritance for the rich portion of one shall be no preiudice to another Neyther shall wee that are called to bee the sonnes of God in this last age of the world suffer any preiudice that many hundred years before vs some haue been entred heires of that kingdome God prouiding a better thing for vs that they without vs should not bee perfected Adam the first that euer was made the sonne of God by creation and afterward the first sonne of God also by regeneration together with the rest of those faithfull Patriarches that followed him hath in regard of years long before vs inherited the promises yet shall it not preiudice them who in the last age of the world are called to the fellowship of the faith of Christ yea hee that shall bee the last borne sonne of God in the earth by regeneration shall also bee pertaker of this priuiledge of the inheritance And this should greatly encourage vs to serue our God considering that how euer many of our brethren be entred before vs whose example should confirme vs yet the portion prepared for vs shalt not be the lesser There is also another difference for in the earthly inheritances the father must first die before the son come to the full possession thereof but in the heauenly wee our selues must die that wee may possesse the inheritance For our father is the auncient of dayes the heauens are the workes of his hands they
who saile in her that how euer they change their action yet goe they on in their course toward their wished hauen so is it with vs doe what wee will whether wee eate or wee sleepe wee are hasting alway toward our ends The Psalmist againe compares our life to a spanne or hand breadth to the grasse which groweth vp in the morning and is cut downe in the euening to a sleepe which slippes away before wee can know what were doing in it to a dreame which of all things is most fickle and vaine to a thought which is not well begunne when it is ended and last of all to a declyning shadow as is the shadow of the Sunne in the setting which a man shall see on the toppe of a mountaine lesse and lesse vanishing till it be no more The Apostle S. Paul compares our life to a race and S. Iames compares it to a smoke or vapour Thus we see how little the spirit of God esteemes of that whereof all the sonnes of Adam accounts so much Our sinne hath shortened our dayes and made them miserable the pleasures of this life are worme-eaten and the glory of flesh is but like the gourd of Ionas which the one day growes vp and the next day is consumed by the wormes If Salomon who proued all the pleasures this life could yeeld after tryall of them cryed out all is vanitie if Iob when his wealth had worne from him looking to his forepassed dayes was compelled to conclude I haue had for inheritance the months of vanitie what shall wee looke to finde more comfort in this wretched life than those men of God before vs haue found let vs not thinke it if wee seeke our comfort in her perishing gaine or glory we shall lament at the last we haue fished all night and haue taken nothing wee haue former seauen yeeres of plenty so shall the endlesse sorrowes of the vvicked make all their former pleasures to be forgotten the dayes shall come vpon them in the vvhich they shall say I haue no pleasure in them Oh that men could consider this double losse they incurre by continuing in their sinnes Esau sold his birth-right for a mease of pottage and Adam lost paradise for an apple and thou more to be lamented that becomes not wise by their example looses like a foole that glory to be reuealed for a floure for what better are the best things of the world than the floure of the Rose vvhich vvanteth not the owne thornes and vermine being plucked in the garden it vvithers in thy hand before thou canst bring it home to thy house and yet for the like of these thou doest forgoe those things which are aboue and more then that redeemes those shadowes by bringing vpon thy selfe that infinit weight of wrath vvhich is to be reuealed vpon all the children of disobedience Of the glory The end of our present sufferings here vve see it is glory Yee shall weepe and lament saith our Sauiour and the world shall reioyce yee shall sorrow but your sorrow shall be turned into ioy Sometime God giues his children notable comfort before trouble as Elias receiued a double portion before his forty dayes fasting Peter Iames and Iohn saw the glory of Christ transfigured on Mount Tabor before they saw his fearefull and bloody sweat in the garden it pleased the Lord by the sight of the one to confirme them that the sight of the other should not confound them Sometime againe the Lord in the middest of trouble giues his children such comfort as deuoures all their present sorrowes to Peter in the prison there appeared an Angell and a light shining round about him and Iacob banished from his fathers house sees a more comfortable vision at Bethel than any that euer he had seene at home but albeit the Lord deales not alway with al his children as he did with these yet are they all sure of this comfort glory shall be the end of their sufferings To be reuealed The Apostle calleth it a glory to be reuealed hee telleth vs in another place that it is prepared already yea it was prepared before the foundation of the world but it is not yet reuealed beatitudo illa comparari hic potest possideri non potest that felicitie may bee obtayned here but cannot be possessed here Ne itaque quaeras in via quod tibi seruatur in patria seeke not therefore that in the way which is keept for thee till thou come to thy country let vs possesse our Soules in patience waiting for that which in this life is neyther reuealed nor can be possessed Moses besought the Lord to shew him his glory and he receiued this answere No man can see it and liue and when that glory filled the Tabernacle it is said that Moses could not enter into it Seeing it is so that our wretched nature can not abide that glory and we cannot liue and see the Lord let vs prepare our selues with ioy and contentment to dye that wee may see him And in the meane time by that glory which God hath reuealed in his works let vs iudge of that which is not reuealed if these workes of God which wee see bee so beautifull what shall we thinke of those wee see not out of all doubt among all the workes of God those which are inuisible are most excellent as the body of man is a beautifull workmanship but not comparable to the soule This glory I account it the highest degree of eternall life the first is Righteousnesse the second Peace the third Ioy the fourth is Glory Righteousnesse breeds Peace and Peace breeds Ioy and our Ioy shall be crowned with glory if the doing of the workes of righteousnesse bring such comfort to the minde as the Godly find in experience how shall our comfort abound when we receiue the reward of righteousnesse which is Glory Si sic bonus es quaerentibus te qualis es assequentibus if thou Lord be so good to them who seeke thee what shalt thou bee to them who finde thee wee may be assured that these first fruites of the Spirit and the earnest of our heauenly inheritance wherin now stands our greatest the Lord face to face and shall in such sort behold his glory that wee shall be transformed into it This change as witnesseth the Apostle is begun by that sight of God which we haue in the Gospell for euen now we beheld as in a mirrour the glory of the Lord with open face and are changed from glory to glory by the same image by the spirit of the Lord but in heauen this change shall be perfected and wee shall be fully transformed into his holy similitude so that nothing shall be left in vs but that which is his owne workmanship O how hath the Lord magnified his mercy towards vs hee hath raised our honour from the dust and deliuered our soules for the lower
stretch out his affections toward the heauens Abraham sat in the doore of his Tabeâ—nacle when the Angell appeared vnto him Elias came out to the mouth of his Caue when the Lord appeared to him and we must also reioyce to come out of the caue and tabernacle of this wretched body if we would meet with the Lord yea euen while as we dwell in the body if in our affection we come not out and stand as it were in the doore of our tabernacle but like Ionas sleeping in the sides of the ship we lye downe in the hollow of our heart sleeping in carelesse securitie it is not possible that the Lord can be familiar with vs. The other day for which the godly are said to wait is the day of Christs second comming The Apostle giues this as a token of the rich grace of God bestowed on the Corinthians that they waited for the appearance of Christ and to the Philippians hee saith our conuersation is in heauen from whence we looke for our sauiour the Lord Iesus yea hee giues it out as a marke of all those who are to be glorified when he sayth there is laid vp for me a crowne of righteousnesse and not for me onely but for all them who loue Christs second appearing And againe Christ was once offered to take away the sinnes of many and vnto them that looke for him shall he appeare the second time without sinne vnto saluation These and many moe places proues that there is great scarcitie of Faith and spirituall grace in this generation there being so few that vnfainedly longs for the day of his appearance suppose euery man in word mumble vp that petition let thy kingdome come yet are they few who when Iesus testifieth surely I come quicklie can in truth answer with the godly Amen euen so come Lord Iesus and all because we are neither weary of our present miserie nor certaine of that glorious deliuerance to come otherwise vve would long for it and reioyce at the smallest appearance thereof The woman with childe reckons her time as neere as shee can and albeit others haue no minde of it yet is it alway in her remembraunce because that then she hopes for deliuerance Among the Iewes as the day of their Iubilied awes neere so the ioy of them that were in prison encreased being assured that then they were to be releeued and should not wee much more reioyce the neere that the day of our eternall Iubilie draweth vnto vs wherein all teares shall be wiped away from our eyes and sorrow and mourning shall flye away for euer Where for the comfort of the weake Christian wee are to consider whether the Godly be alway in this estate that they dare lift vp their heads with ioy and pray for Christs second appearance or not To this I answere that their disposition herein is according to the estate of their conscience as the eye being hurt is content to be couered with a vaile and desireth not to behold the light wherein otherwise it reioyceth so the conscience of the Godly being any way wounded is afraid to stand before the light of the countenance of God till the time that it be cured againe And this made Dauid to craue that the Lord would spare him a little and giue him space to recouer his strength but after mourning and earnest calling for mercie the conscience being pacified then doe the Godly say with Simeon Now Lord let thy Seruant depart for mine eyes haue seene thy saluation For the Adoption He said before that we haue receiued the spirit of Adoption and now he saith that wee waite for Adoption but wee must vnderstand that there is a begun Adoption whereby wee are made the sonnes of God and that wee haue receiued alreadie there is in like manner a consummate Adoption whereby wee are manifested to be the sonnes of God and entred into the full possession of our fathers inheritance and that we waite for The redemption of our bodies As there is a two-fold adoption so also a two-fold redemption the first is defined by the Apostle to be the remission of our sinnes and that we haue receiued already the second is called in that same Chapter the redemption of the possession and here the redemption of our bodyes and this we looke for to come As the soule was first wounded by sinne and then the body with mortalitie and corruption so the Lord Iesus the restorer who came to repair the wound which sathan inflicted on man doth first of all restore life to the soule by the remission of sins which he hath obtayned by his suffering in the flesh and therefore the Herald of his first comming cryed before him behold the Lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the world This is the first Resurrection blessed are they who are pertakers of it for vpon such the second death shall haue no power but in his second comming we shall also bee pertakers of the second redemption hee shall redeeme our bodyes from the power of the graue wherein now they lye captiued and deliuer them from the shame of mortalitie and corruption Let this comfort vs against the present base and contemptible state of our bodyes now they are but filthy sinckes of corruption and vessels so full of vncleannesse that the Lord hath appointed in the body fiue conduits to purge the naturall filth thereof and after this they are to be laid downe in the bed of corruption the wormes spread vnder them and aboue them as it is said of the King of Ashur shall deuoure and consume their flesh the earth shall eate vp their bones and turne them into dust the braine which was the seat of many proud and vaine imaginations becomes after death oftentimes the seat of the vgly â—oads the reynes that were the seat of concupiscence engendreth serpents and the bowels which could neuer be gotten satisfied with meate and drinke shall be replenished with armies of crawling wormes but against all these we haue this comfort that as presently we haue obtained remission of our sinnes so are we assured of a glorious redemption of our bodies qui enim resurgit in anima resurget in corpore ad vitam for hee that riseth now in his soule shall hereafter rise in his body to eternall life And of this euery man is admonished that if he loue his body he should in time take heed to the estate of his soule see that it be pertaker of the first redemption which is the remission of sinnes and be sure thy body shall be pertaker of the second redemption It is a pittifull thing to see what preposterous care is taken by men for conseruation of their bodily life there is nothing they leaue vndone vt differant mortem quam auferre non possunt that they may at the least prolong and delay death
choise in things spirituall of that which is good for seeing vve cannot know vvhat is good for vs till the Spirit teach vs vvhat power haue vve of our selues to make choise of it It is true that men by the quicknesse of their naturall vvit haue found out many artes and trades profitable for this naturall life so Iubal was the first Father of them who play on Harpes and Organes and Tubal-cain the first inuenter of cunning working in brasse and iron but as for spirituall things which concerne the life to come man is not able by any power of Nature to help himselfe therein for vvhat can he doe seeing he doth not vnderstand those things that are of God But the spirit it selfe makes request The Apostle to the Galathians hath a commentary for these words when hee saith that God hath sent downe his Spirit into our harts by and againe tardius dando quod petimus instantiam nobis orationis indicit the Lord when hee is slow to giue that which vve aske doth it onely that he may commend his gifts vnto vs and make vs more instant and earnest in prayer For the better vnderstanding of this let vs distinguish our petitions sometime vve seeke those things which are not so expedient for our selues to be granted as refused vnto vs and in these non audit nos ad voluntatem vt exaudiat ad salutem the Lord regardeth not thy wil but thy vveale The Apostle buffeted by an Angell of Sathan besought the Lord to remoue that tentation from him but obtained not his vvil the Lord saw it was not for his weale and not onely doe we read that men beloued of God haue beene refused in mercy but others haue had their petitions granted in anger which wee may see not onely in the Israelites vvho obtayned flesh when they sought but in his anger but also in those damned Spirits vvho sought licence of the Lord Iesus to enter into Swine and obtained it but to the greater augmentation of their vvrath If therfore thy petition vnto God be for a thing absolutely necessary to thy saluation be assured that howeuer the Lord delay it hee shall not simply refuse it and if otherwise thou craue a thing not absolutely necessary for thee if the Lord refuse to satisfie thy will therein it is that hee may doe according to thy weale When the Disciple asked Iesus of the resurrection Lord wilt thou at this time restore the kingdome to Israell he satisfied them not in that which they craued It is not for you saith hee to know the times or seasons which the Father hath put into his owne hand but another thing meeter for them and lesse craued of them hee promised vnto them But yee shall receiue power of the holy Ghost when hee shall come vpon you and yee shall be witnesse vnto me A comfortable answere indeed an exchange most profitable for vs and wee rest content with it So be it euen so be it O Lord giue vs thine holy Spirit and deny vs any other thing thou wilt And of this againe we learne that we liue onely by mercy for not onely those things which we obtaine by prayer are begged by vs and giuen by God For what hast thou O man that thou hast not receiued but we see here that prayer it selfe whereby wee get all things is also a gift of God if we wanted not of our owne we would not seeke of another by prayer and if vve could also pray of our selues vve needed not another to teach vs Etiam ipsa Oratio inter gratiae munera reperitur it is the Lord who commands and worketh in vs both the will and the deed vnto him therefore belongs the prayse of all Wee haue here also to consider a great comfort for the Godly who are oft times redacted to that estate that there is none among men to speake for them Ieremie cannot finde one Ebed-melech neyther haue the Prophets of the Lord one Obadiah to hide them Daniel hath none to speak for him al stands vp that had credit to procure that he may be cast into the denne those that should be friends oftentimes become foes to the seruants of God but euen at this time their comfort is that not onely they haue Iesus the Iust an Aduocate for them at the right hand of his Father but haue also the Spirit the Comforter within them an Intercessor for them Miserable therfore must they be who bend their tongues to speake against those for whom the holy Ghost maketh request vnto God that rebuke which the Prophet gaue to Iehosaphat vvhen he went out to help wicked king Achab wilt thou helpe them that hate the Lord we may turne to those in our time that are enimies to the Children of God Will yee hurt them whom the Lord helpeth The Children of God in all their infirmities haue the holy Spirit for their helper vvhat euer man speakes against them hee maketh request vnto God for them It cannot then otherwise be but in the end comfort must be to them and confusion vnto their enimies That oracle which Zeresh gaue to Hamans husband shall assuredly prooue true vpon all the enimies of in all our waies principally to looke vnto it It is in the most part of men an argument of their Atheisme that they look curiously to the decking of the body which falleth vnder the eye of man but regard not the hid man of the heart which falleth vnder the eye of God And againe we learne here that it cannot be without great contempt to God to sinne against him vnder hope of secrecie it is with thy sin to ioyne a mocking of God for in effect thou sayest with the Atheist The Lord seeth not A most high sinne against his Maiestie whereby thou dost all thou canst to pull out the eyes of the Lord that hee should not see or at least thinks so of him in the false conclusion of thy darkned mind No meruaile therefore that against such as thou art the Prophet threaten that fearefull curse Woe be to them that seeke in deepe to hide their counsell from the Lord their works are in darkenesse and they say who seeth vs or who knoweth vs your turning of deuices shall it not be esteemed as the potters clay for shall the worke say to him that made it hee made me not or the thing formed say of him that fashioned it hee had none vnderstanding Vnderstand yee vnwise among the people and yee fooles when will yee be wise Hee that planted the eare shall hee not heare or he that formed the eye shall he not see he that teacheth man knowledge shall hee not know Certainely the Lord knoweth the thoughts of the heart of man that they be but vanitie Let vs therefore sanctifie the Lord God of hostes in our heart let vs neuer seeke to hide our wayes from heauen for that is impossible let
his body and leauing them whole and sound hath stricken the heart with such terrours that most valiant men hauing eyes could not see hauing a tongue could not speak hauing hands could not strike to defend themselues and hauing feete could not doe so much as runne away their heart being taken from them by God they are left in a strait and comfortlesse estate But farre more miserable are they when the Lord turnes their owne hearts against themselues and makes them a terrour to themselues A fearefull example whereof wee haue in Belshazzar who seeing nothing without him but the figure of a hand which stirred him not was so stricken and pursued with his owne heart within him that his flesh trembled his countenance waxed pale his knees smote one against another If man considered this he would be loath to prouoke the Lord vnto anger seeing hee can neyther sustaine the wrath of God nor eschew it Moreouer wee are taught here seeing our Prayer is a conference with him who searcheth the heart that we should alway pray with our heart for otherwise if wee draw neere him with our lips our heart being farre from him hee will curse vs as deceiuers that hauing a male in our flock doe sacrifice a lame thing vnto the Lord that is in stead of the seruice of our hearts doe offer vnto him the seruice of our lips The Lord hath no delight in the sacrifice of fooles who are rash with their mouth to vtter a thing before him not considering that hee is in heauen and they are vpon earth the mouth may reach to men who are beside vs the heart onely may reach to God who is aboue It was a very godly protestation that Dauid made Try me O Lord and prooue my thoughts in the night and see if at any time I haue spoken that to thee with my mouth which I haue not thought with my heart and albeit wee haue not as yet atteyned vnto it yet is it that holy sinceritie whereat wee should ayme in all our prayers so to speake vnto God that our conscience may beare vs record that we lye not and that we haue spoken nothing with our mouth which we haue not thought vvith our heart We are therefore for the right ordering of our prayers to take heede to these three things First preparation before prayer Secondly attention in prayer Thirdly reuerent thanksgiuing after prayer As for the first as Moses and Iosua put off their shooes before they came neere the Lord so are we to remoue out of our hearts vncleane cogitations and affections whereby we haue trode in the filth of sinne before we pray for those are neuer lawfull but most vnlawfull in the time of prayer As for worldly cogitations they are sometimes lawfull but neuer in the time of prayer As Abraham vsed his Asses to serue him for the iourney but when he came to mount Moriah the place of the worship he left them at the foot of the hill so the thoughts of the world are sometime tollerable if wee vse them as seruants to carry vs through in our iourney from the earth to heauen but we must not take them with vs into the holy place wherein the Lord is to be worshipped To help vs to the preparation before prayer let vs consider first that he to whom we speake is the Father of light and we are by nature but the children of darknes call therefore vpon him in the sinceritie and vprightnesse of thine heart for he loues truth in the inward affections Secondly he is the Father of glory come therefore before him with feare and reuerence for thou art but dust and ashes Thirdly he is the Father of mercy repent thee therefore of thy sinnes and then draw neere with a true heart in assurance of Faith The second thing requisit is attention in Prayer the Lord to whom we speake is the searcher of the heart and therefore we should beware that we speake nothing to him with our mouth which our heart hath not conceiued For it is a great mockerie to the Lord to desire him to consider those petitions which we haue not considred our selues we scarcely heare what we say our selues and how then shall we craue the Lord may heare vs We finde by experience that it is not an easie thing to gather together in one and keepe vnited the powers of our soule in prayer vnto God Sathan knowes that the gathering of our forces is the weakening of his kingdome and that then we are strongest when we are most feruent in prayer and therefore doth hee labour all that hee can to slacke the earnestnesse of our affection and so to make vs more remisse in prayer by stealing into our hearts if not a prophane at least an impertinent cogitation so that vnlesse we fight without ceasing against the incursion of our enimie like Abraham dâ—iuing away the rauening birds from his Sacrifice vnlesse we expell them speedely as oft as they come vpon vs it is not possible that wee can intertaine conference with God by prayer And thirdly after thy prayer thou shouldst come away with reuerent thanksgiuing It is the fault of many carelesse worshippers they goe vnto God as men goe to a Well to refresh them when they are thirstie they goe to it and their face toward it but being refreshed they returne with their backe vpon it euen so doe they sit downe to their prayers without preparation powre them out without attention and deuotion and when they haue done goes away without reuerent thanksgiuing whereas indeede euery accesse to God by prayer should kindle in our harts a new affâ—ction toward him if we consider that when we pray and gets any accesse so oft we are confiâ—mâ—d in this that he who hath the keyes of the house of Dauid and opens and no man shuts hath opened to vs an entrance to the throne of grace which shall neuer be closed againe vpon vs whereof their should arise in our hearts a daily encrease of ioy which should make vs to abound in thanksgiuing Makes request for the Saints We haue further to learne that none are pertakers of the grace of Prayer but men sanctified in Christ Iesus the Spirit requests for Saints not for prophane and impenitent men howsoeuer sometime they babble for themselues yet are their prayers turned into sinne The curse of Moab is vpon them they pray and preuailes not As without sanctification we cannot see God so without sanctification wee cannot pray to God euery one that calles on the name of the Lord should depart from iniquitie Doe we not feele it by experience that the further we goe from our sinnes the neerer accesse we get vnto the Lord and on the contrary doth not the Lord protest against his people the Iewes albeit yee make many prayers yet I will not heare yoâ— for your hands are full of blood Will you steale murther and commit adultrie and come
Worldlings yee are cursed with the curse of the Serpent yee creepe as it were vpon your bellyes and yee lick the dust of the earth all the dayes of your life yee haue not an eye to looke vp vnto heauen nor an heart to seeke those things which are aboue Most fearefull is our estate vve warne you of it but it is the Lord who must deliuer you from it This resolute knowledge is the mother of spirituall courage constancy and patience for why shall hee feare in the euill day yea though the earth should be remoued and the mountaines fall into the middest of the sea who sees the Lord sitting on his throne and the glassie sea of the world before him gouerning all the waltrings changes and euents of things therein to the good of them who loue him Oh that wee had profâ—â—ed so much in the schoole of Christ all our dayes that without doubting or making any exception we could beleeue this which here the Apostle layes for a most sure ground of comfort that so we might change all our thoughts and cares into one namely how to grow in the loue of God that in a good conscience we might say to the Lord with Peter Lord thou knowest I loue thee casting the burthen of all the rest of our feares griefes and tentations vpon the Lord who cares for vs and hath giuen vs this promise for praemunire all comes for the best The Souldier with courage enters into the battell vnder hope to obtaine the victory the Marriner with boldnâ—sse commits himselfe to the stormie seas vnder hope of vantage and euery man hazards in his calling yet are they all vncertaine venturers and knowes not the end but the Christian runnes not as vncertaine but as one sure to obtaine the Crowne for hee knowes that the God of peace shall shortly tâ—ead Sathan vnder his feet What then shall not hee with courage enter into the battell wherein hee is made sure of the victory before he fight knowing that all the warriours of Christ shall be more than conquerours through him if we will onely stand still wee shall see the saluation of the Lord. Gideon with his three hundred fought against the great host of Midian without feare because hee was sure of victorie Dauid made hast and ranne to encounter with Goliah because hee was perswaded that God would deliuer him into his hands The Israelits were not afraide to enter into the Riuer of Iordane because they saw the Arke of God before them deuiding the waters And shall onely the Christian stand astonished in his tentations notwithstanding that the word of God goes before him to resolue him that whatsoeuer falles out shall come for the best to him The Lord increase vs and make vs to abound more and more in the loue of our GOD for perfect loue casts out feare the Lord strengthen our faith that through these mistie cloudes of affliction which now compasse vs we may see that comfortable end which God in his word hath discouered vnto vs. And to this effect we must beware of the subtile slights of Sathan who to the end that he may spoile vs of this comfort in trouble endeauours by all meanes either to quench the light of God vtterly in our mindes or at least to darken and obscure it by precipitation of our vnbeleeuing hearts carrying vs headlong to iudge of the workes of God by their beginnings and to measure our selues in trouble by our present estate and condition not suffering vs to tarrie while we see the end whereof it comes to passe that our hearts being tossed too and fro with restlesse perâ—urbations like trees of the forrest shaken with the winde we hasten in our necessities to be our owne prouisors in our dangers we will be our owne deliuerers and euery way vve become the caruers of our owne condition Wee haue so much the more neede to beware of this precipitation because the deerest seruants of God haue fallen through it into fearefull sinnes against the Lord As wee may see in Dauid who being in extreame danger in the Wildernesse of Maon said in his feare that all men were lyers Is not this a great blasphemie to say that the promises which the Lord made to him by Samuel were but lyes and in his other extremities hee is not ashamed to confesse that he thought that God had forgot to be mercifull and had shut vp his tender mercy in displeasure but when he saw the end then he was compelled to accuse himselfe and giue glory vnto God I should haue beene dumbe not opened my mouth because thou didst it and againe I said in my feare all men are lyers for notwithstanding all Samuels promises I looked for nothing but death but now considering the deliuerance I must say pretious in the sight of the Lord is the death of all his Saints Seeing this precipitation made Dauid to stumble and fall may vvee not feare least it carry vs to the like inconuenience vnlesse we learne to beware of it in time let vs not therfore iudge of the vvorks of God before they be ended If wee should looke to Lazarus on the doung-hill full of byles and sores hauing no comfort but from the dogs and compare him with the rich Glutton clothed in purple and fairing daintely euery day what can wee iudge but that Lazarus is the most miserable of the two yet if wee tarrie till the Lord haue ended his worke and Lazarus be conuayed to Abrahams bosome and the rich Glutton be gone to his place then shall the truth appeare manifestly All things worke together for the best to them that loue God Let vs therefore learne to measure the euent of things not by their present condition but by the prediction of Gods word let vs cleaue to his promise and waite on the vision which hath his owne time appointed it shall speake at the last and shall not lye though it tarry let vs wait for it it shall surely come and not stay let vs goe into the Sanctuary of God and consider the end there shall we learne that There is no peace to the wicked howsoeuer they flourish for a time that it cannot be but well with them who loue the Lord Marke the vpright man and behold the iust the end of that man is peace but the transgressours shall be destroyed together and the end of the wicked shall be cut off Thus both in the troubles of the Godly and prosperitie of the wicked wee should suspend our iudgement till wee see the end All things worke together Mark the singular priuiledge of the Christian not onely afflictions but all other things whatsoeuer worke for the best vnto him and not onely so but they worke together Many working instruments are there in the world whose couse is not one they communicate not counsels yea their intentions oftentimes are contrary yet the Lord bringeth all
their workes vnto this one end the good of those who loue him where euer they be in regard of place what euer in regard of persons yea howsoeuer disagreeing among themselues yet are they so ruled by the prouident power of the supreame gouernour our heauenly Father that all of them workes together vnto the good of them that loue him For albeit the Lord rested the seauenth day from the workes of creation so that hee made no new kinde of creature after that day yet did hee not rest from the workes of prouidence or gubernation whereof our Sauiour saith my Father workes hitherto and I worke When man hath finished a vvorke hee resignes it to another to be gouerned as the Wright vvhen he hath builded a ship giues it ouer to the Marriner to rule it neither is man able to preserue the vvorke of his hands neither yet knowes hee what shall be the end thereof It is not so with the Lord as by the worke of creation hee brought them out so by his prouident administration hee preserues them and rules euen the smallest creatures directing them vnto such ends as he hath ordained them for in the counsell of his vvill How euer some Ethnicks haue beene so blinde as to thinke that God did neglect the smaller things vpon earth scilicet is superis labor est and Epicures also whose false conceptions of the diuine prouidence are rehearsed by Eliphaz How should God know how should hee iudge through the darke cloud the cloudes hide him that he cannot see and hee walkes in the circle of heauen yet it is certaine hee rules not a part onely but all hee is not as they thought of him a God onely aboue the Moone No though he dwell on high yet he abases himselfe to behold the things that are on earth hee is not onely a God in the mountaines as the Syrians deemed but a God in the vallies also There is nothing so great nothing so small but it falles vnder his prouidence yea hee numbers our hayres and keepes them not one of them can fall to the ground without his prouidence Si sic custodiuntur superflua tua in quanta securitate est anima tua if hee so keepe thy superfluities how much more will hee keepe thy soule Let it therefore content vs in the most confused estate of things we can see fall out in the world that the Lord hath said All things shall worke for the best vnto vs. Let vs not question with Marie how can this be nor doubt with Sarah how can I conceiue nor with Moses where shall flesh be gotten for all this multitude but let vs sayth Augustine consider the author and such doubts shall cease As he hath manifested his power and wisedome in the tempering of this world making Elements of so contrary qualities agree together in one most pleasant harmonie so doth it appeare much more in gouerning all the contrary courses of men to the good of his own children One notable example whereof wee will set downe for all Iacob sends Ioseph to Dothan to visit his brethren his brethren casts him into the pit Reuben releeues him the Midianites buyes him and sels him to Potiphar his Mistresse accuses him his Maister condemnes him the Butler after long forgetfulnesse recommends him Pharaoh exaltes him O vvhat instruments are here how many hands about this one poore man of God neuer a one of them looking to that end which God had proposed vnto him yet the Lord contrary to their intention makes them all vvorke together for Iosephs aduancement in Aegipt But now to the particulars There is nothing in the world which workes not for our weale all the vvorkes of God all the stratagems of Sathan all the imaginations of men are for the good of Gods children yea out of the most poysonable things such as sinne and death doth the Lord draw wholesome and medicinable preseruatiues vnto them vvho loue him All the wayes of the Lord saith Dauid are mery and truth marke vvhat hee sayth and make not thou an exception vvhere God hath made none All none excepted therefore be thou strengthened in the Faith and giue glory vnto God resoluing with patient Iob albeit the Lord would slay me yet will I trust in him Sometime the Lord seemes to walke in the way of anger against his children which hath moued many of them to poure out the like of these pittifull complaints the arrowes of the almightie are vpon me said Iob the venime whereof doth drincke vp my spirit and the terrours of God fight against me thou settest me vp as a marke against thee and makes me a burthen to my selfe Thy indignation lyes vpon me said Dauid yea from my youth I haue suffered thy terrours doubting of my life For felicitie I haue had bitter griefe said Ezekiah for the Lord like a Lyon brake all my bones so that I did chatter like a Swallow and mourne like a Doue I am troubled on euery side said the Apostle hauing fightings without and terrours within Yet in all this dealing the Lord hath a secret way of mercy in the which he walkes for the comfort of his children it is but to draw vs vnto him that he shewes himselfe to be angry with vs aduersatur tibi deus ad tempus vt te secum habeat in perpetuum the Lord is an aduersarie to thee for a while that hee may for euer reconcile thee to himselfe And this albeâ—t for the present we cannot perceiue and can see no other but that the Lord hath taken vs for his enimies yet in the end we shall be compelled to acknowledge and confesse with Dauid it was good for mee O Lord that euer thou correctedst me for the Lord is mernailous in his saints O the deepenesse of the riches both of the wisedome and knowledge of God how vnsearchable are his iudgements and his wayes past finding out His glory is great when he vvorks by meanes his glory appeares greater when hee vvorkes without meanes but then his glory shines most brightly when he workes by contraries It was a great worke that hee opened the eyes of the blinde man but greater that hee did it by application of spittle and clay meanes meeter to put out the eyes of a seeing man than to restore sight to a blinde man So hee wrought in the first creation causing light to shine out of darknesse so also in the worke of redemption for by cursed death he brought happy life by the crosse he conquered the crowne and through shame hee went to glory And this same order the Lord still keepeth in the worke of our second creation which is our regeneration hee casts downe that hee may raise vp hee kils and hee makes aliue hee accuseth his children for sinne that so hee may chase them to seeke remission of sinness hee troubleth their consciences that so hee may pacifie
them And in a word the meanes which hee vseth are contrary to the worke it self which hee intends to performe in his Children Hee sent a fearefull darkenesse on Abraham euen then when hee was to communicate vnto him most ioyfull light he wrestled with Iacob and shook him too and â—ro euen then when hee came to blesse him hee strooke the Apostle Paul with blindnesse at that same time when hee came to open his eyes hee frownes for a while vpon his beloued as Ioseph did vpon his brethren but in the ende with louing affection shall hee embrace them hee may seeme angry at thy prayers as hee put backe the petitions of that woman of Canaan but at length hee will graunt a fauourable answere vnto them Let vs not therfore murmure against the Lord by whatsoeuer meanes it please him to worke It is enough wee know that all the wayes of God euen when hee deales most hardly with his children are mercie and tends to the good of those who loue him And as for Sathans stratagems it is also out of doubt that they worke for the best to them who loue the Lord not according to his purpose indeede but by the Lords operation who directeth all Sathans assaults to another end then hee intended and trappeth him continually in his owne snare If vnder the Serpents shape hee deceiued Adam vnder the Serpents name shall the Lord curse him and all those weapons whereby hee seeketh to destroy the worke of Gods grace in vs doth the Lord turne to destroy the workemanship of Sathan in vs I meane that whole bastard generation of peruerse affections which Sathan hath begotten vpon our mutable nature by a most vnhappy and vnlawfull copulation De veneno eius fit spirituale antidotum of this poyson the Lord maketh a spirituall preseruatiue The experience of all the Saints of God proues this that Sathan by his restlesse tentations doth destroy himselfe which is most euident both in his tentations for sinne committed tending to desperation as also in his tentations vnto sinne tending to presumption Euery accusation of the conscience for sinne past is vnto the Godly man a preseruatiue to keepe him from sinne in time to come hee reasoning with himselfe after this manner If mine enimie doe so disquiet my minde with inward terrour for those sinnes which foolishly I did by his entisement why shall I hearken to him any more and so increase the matter of my trouble for what fruit haue I of all those sinnes which I did by his instigation but terrour and shame and shall I looke that this forbidden tree can render vnto me any better fruit hereafter O what a faithlesse traitor is Sathan he entiseth man vnto sinne and when hee hath done it hee is the first accuser and troubler of man for sinne When hee comes first vnto vs hee is a tempter when wee haue finished his worke which is sinne hee is an accuser of vs vnto the Iudge and when hee returneth hee returneth a troubler and tormenter of vs for those same sinnes which he counselled vs to doe Stoppe thine eare therefore O my soule from the voyce of this deceitfull enchanter His tentations againe vnto sinne are vnto the Godly man prouocations that spurre him forward vnto the throne of grace for while as wee finde his restlesse malice pursuing in vs that little sparke of spirituall life whereby the Lord hath quickned vs and our owne weaknes and inabilitie to resist him then are wee forced with Israell in Egypt to sigh for the thraldome and to cry with Iehoshaphat O Lord our God wee know not what to doc but our eyes are toward thee And who feeleth not this that the grace of feruent prayer wherein otherwise wee faint our heart being more ready to fall downe than the hands of Moses vnlesse they be supported is greatly intended in the Children of God by the buffets of Sathan as is manifest in the holy Apostle Magna certe potestas quae imperat Diabolo vt se ipse destruat a great power of God this is certainly which commandeth Sathan to destroy himselfe Se enim destruit cum hominem quem tentando supplantare studet ex infirmo fortiorem efficit for then doth hee destroy himselfe when the man whom hee seeketh to ouerthrow by his tentation of a weake man is made stronger by those same meanes Thus the Lord our God ouer shootes Sathan in his owne bow and cuts off the head of Goliah with his owne sword his holy name be praised therefore Now as concerning outward afflictions it is true that as the Philistims could not vnderstand Sampsons riddle how sweet came out of the sowre and meat out of the eater so cannot Worldlings vnderstand that tribulation bringeth out patience and that our light and momentanie afflictions cause vnto vs a farre more excellent and eternall waight of glory but the Children of God haue learned by experience that albeit no visitation be sweet for the present yet afterward it brings the quiet fruite of righteousnesse vnto them who are thereby exercised and that there is more solide ioy in suffering rebuke with Christ than in all the pleasures of sinne which endure but a season As Moses the typycall Mediator of the olde Testament made by his prayer the bitter waters of Marah become sweet so Iesus the true Mediator by his passion hath mittigated to his children the bitternesse of the crosse yea hath made it profitable vnto them The prodigall sonne concluded not to returne home to his Father till he was brought low by affliction Hagar was proud in the house of Abraham but humble in the wildernesse Ionas sleepeth in the ship but watcheth and prayeth in the Whales belly Manasses liued in Ierusalem as a libertine but bound in chaines in Babell hee turneth his heart vnto the Lord his God Corporall diseases forced many in the Gospell to come to Christ where others enioying bodily health would not acknowledge him The earth which is not tilled and broken vp beares nothing but thornes and bryers the Vines waxe wilde in time vnlesse they be pruned and cut so would our wilde hearts ouergrow with the noysome weedes of vnruly affections if the Lord by sanctified trouble did not continually manure them It is good therefore sayd Ieremy for a man to beare the yoke in his youth and Dauid confesses it was good for him that he was afflicted yea our Sauiour saith euery branch that beares fruit my heauenly Father purges it that it may bring forth more fruit No worke can be made of gold and siluer without fire stones are not meet for pallace worke vnlesse they be pollished and squared by hammering no more is it possible that we can be vessels of honor in the house of our God except first we be fined and melted in the fire of affliction neyther can we be as liuing stones to be placed in the wall of heauenly
and foresee their end for eyther that shall be fulfilled in them which Mâ—rdecay said to Ester who knowes if for this thou art come to the kingdome that by thee deliuerance may come to Gods people or else that which Moses in Gods name said to Pharaoh the oppressour of the Church in her adolescencie I haue set thee vp to declare my power because thou exaltest thy selfe against my people May wee not behold here how vnsure their standing is and how certaine their fall who when they are highest abuse their power most to hold the people of God lowest what else are they but obiects whom the Lord hath raised vp to declare his power and iustice vpon them If wee shall mark the course of the Lords proceeding euer since the beginning of the world wee shall finde a blessing following them whom he hath made instruments of good vnto his Church and that such againe haue not wanted their owne recompense of wrath who haue continued instruments of her trouble When the Lord concluded to bring his Church from Canaan to soiourne in Egypt hee sent such a famine in Canaan as compelled them to forsake it but made plentie in Egypt by the hand of Ioseph whom the Lord had sent before as a prouisor for his Church and by whom Pharaoh was made fauourable to Iacob but when the time came that the Lord was to translate his Church from Egypt to Canaan then hee altered Pharaohs countenance and raised vp a new King who knew not Ioseph hee turned the Egyptians hearts away from Israell so that they vexed Israell and made them to serue by crueltie Thus when the Lord will bring them to Egypt hee maketh Pharaoh fauourable which also brings a blessing vpon Pharaoh and his people but when the Lord vvill haue them to goe out of Egipt hee maketh another Pharaoh an enimie vnto them whereby both they are made willing to forsake Egypt and Pharaoh prepares the way for a fearefull iudgement on himselfe and his people Againe when the sinnes of Israell came to that ripenes that their time was come and their day drew neere the Lord stirred vp the King of Babell as the rod of his wrath and staffe of his indignation He sent him to the dissembling nation and gaue him a charge against the people of his wrath to take the spayle and the pray and to tread them vnder feete like mire in the streets and to this effect that the Lord might be auenged of the sinnes of Israell he subdued all the kingdomes round about them vnder the King of Babell that no stoppe nor impediment should be in the way to hold back the rodde of Ashur from Israell But yet againe when the Lord had accomplished all his worke vpon Israell and the time of mercy was come and the seauentie yeares of captiuitie expired then the Lord visited the proud heart of the King of Ashur and for his Churches sake he altered againe the gouernement of the whole earth translating the Empyre to the Medes and Persians that so Cyrus the Lords annoynted might performe to his people the promised deliuerance All which should learne vs in the greatest changes and alterations that fall out in the world to rest assured that the Lord will worke for the good of his Church though the earth should be moued and the mountaines fall into the middest of the sea yea though the waters thereof rage and be troubled yet there is a riuer whose streames shall make glad the cittie of our God in the middest of it yea if they who should be the nourishng Fathers of the Church forsake her and become her enimies they shall assuredly perish but comfort and deliuerance shall appeare vnto Gods people out of another place The Lord for a while may put the brydle of bondage in the Philistims hand to humble Israell for their sinnes but it shall be taken from them at length his Church shall with ioy draw water out of the Well of saluation and prayse the Lord saying though thou wert angry with mee thy wrath is turned away and thou comfortest mee yea Sion shall cry out and shout for ioy for great is the holy One of Israell in the middest of her And therefore in our lowest humiliations let vs answere our enimies Reioyce not against me O mine enimie though I fall I shall rise when I shall sit in darkenesse the Lord is a light vnto mee I will beare the wrath of the Lord because I haue sinned against him vntill hee plead my cause and execute iudgement for me he will bring me forth to the light and I shall see his righteousnesse then hee that is mine enimie shall looke vpon it and shame shall couer him who said to mee where is the Lord thy God now shall hee be trodden vnder as the mire in the streets yea so let all thine enimies perish O Lord. For the best This good or best is no other thing but that precious saluation prepared to be shewed in the last time reserued in the heauens for vs and whereunto wee are reserued by the power of God through Faith Of this it is euident that our best is not yet wrought it is onely in the vvorking and therefore vvee are not to looke for it in this life There is a great difference in this betweene the Godly and the wicked the one enioyes their best in this life the other not so but looketh for it If if should be demaunded when a wicked man is at his best I would answere his best is euill enough but then is bee at his best when hee comes first into the world for then his sinnes are fewest his iudgement easiest it had beene good for him that the knees had not preuented him but that hee had dyed in the birth For as a riuer which is smallest at the beginning increases as it proceedes by the accession of other waters vnto it so the wicked the longer he liueth waxeth worse and worse deceiuing and being deceiued proceeding from euill to worse till at length hee be swallowed vp in that lake that burnes with fire and brimstone And this the Apostle expresseth most significantly when hee compaâ—es the wicked man vnto one gathering a treasure wherein hee heapeth vp wrath vnto himselfe against the day of wrath for euen as the worldling who euery day casteth a piece of money into his treasure in few yeares multiplyes such a summe that hee himselfe is not able to keepe in minde the particulars thereof but when hee breaketh vp his boxe hee finds in it sundry sorts of coyne which were quite out of his remembrance Euen so it is and worse with thee O impenitent man who not onely euery day but euery houre and moment of the day doest multiply thy transgressions and defile thy conscience by hoording vp into it some dead worke or other to what a reckoning thinkest thou shall thy sinnes amount in the end though thou doest
forget them as thou committest them yet the Apostle tels thee that thou hast laid them vp in a treasurie Yea not onely hast thou laid vp in store thy sinnes but with euery sinne hast gathered a portion of wrath proportionable to thy sinne which thou shalt know in that day wherein the Lord shall breake vp thy treasure and open the booke of thy conscience and set thy sinnes in order before thee then shall thine owne wickednesse correct thee and thy turning backe shall reproue thee then shalt thou know and behâ—ld that it is an euill thing and a bitter that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God Thou shalt be astonished to see such a multitude of witnesses standing vp against thee those sins which thou hast cast behind thy backe thou shalt see them set in the light of the countenance of God woe then shall be vnto thee for the Lord then shall turne thine owne wayes vpon thiâ—e head the Lord shall giue thee to drincke of that cuppe which thou hast filled with thine owne hand when thou shalt haue accomplished the measure of thine iniquitie and hee shall double his stripes vpon thee according to the number of thy transgressions But as for the children of God if yee doe aske when they are at the best I answere praysed be God our worst is gone our good is begunne our best is at hand As our Sauiour said to his kinsmen so may wee say to the worldlings your time is alway but my time is not yet come We were at the worst immediately before our conuersion for our whole life till then was a walking with the children of disobedience in the broad way that leads to perdition then we were at the worst when we had proceeded furthest in the way of vnrighteousnesse for then we were furthest from God Our best began in the day of our recalling wherein the Lord by his word and holy spirit called vpon vs and made vs change our course turning our backes vpon Sathan and our faces toward the Lord and so caused vs to part company with the children of disobedience that where they went on in their sinnes to iudgement we came home with the penitent forlorne vnto our fathers familie That was a a happy day of diuision betweene vs and our sinnes in that day with Israell we entred into the borders of Canaan to Gilgall there were we circumsised and the shame of Egipt taken from vs euen our sinne which is our shame indeede and which wee brought vvith vs euen from our mothers wombe The Lord graunt that we may keepe it in thankfull remembrance and that we may count it a double shame to returne againe to the bondage of Egipt to serue any more that Prince of darknesse in bricke and clay that is to haue fellowship with the vnfruitfull workes of darknâ—sse but that like the redeemed of the Lord wee may walke from strength to strength till we appeare before the face of our God in Sion Alway this difference of estates betweene the godly and wicked should learne vs patience let vs not seeke that in the earth which our gratious father in his most wise dispensation hath reserued for vs in heauen Let vs not be like the foolish Iewes who loued the place of their banishment in Babell better than their home Now our life is hid with God in Christ and we know not yet what we shall be but we know when hee shall appeare we shall be like him the Lord shall carrie vs by his mercy and bring vs by his strength into his holy habitation hee shall plant vs in the mountaine of his inheritance euen the place which he hath prepared and sanctuary which he hath established then euerlasting ioy shall be vpon our head and sorrow and mourning shall flye from vs for euer And now till the Lord haue accomplished his worke in vs let vs not faint because the wicked floorish how euer they prosper they are to bee pittied more than enuied let them eate and drinke and be merry sure it is they will neuer see a better life then that which presently they enioy they haue receiued their consolation in this life and haue gotten their portion in this present world Surely no tongue can expresse their miserie and yet as Samuel mourned for Saul when God reiected him and Ieremie wept in secret for the pride of his people that would not repent of their sinnes how can wee but take vp a bitter lamentation for many of you whom in this time of grace wee see to be strangers from grace wee wish from our harts ye were not like the kinsemen of Lot they thought hee had but mocked when hee told them of an iminent iudgement and therefore for no request would goe out of Sodome but tarryed till the fire of the Lords indignation did consume them but that rather as Sarah followed Abraham from Caldee to Canaan so yee would take vs by the hand and goe with vs from hell to heauen but alas the lusts of the flesh hold you captiue or then the loue of the world doth bewitch you but all of them in the end shall deceiue you for all the labour vnder the Sunne is but vanitie and vexation of Spirit when you haue finished your taske you shall be lesse content than you were at the beginning you shall be as one wakened out of a dreame who in his sleepe thought hee was possessor of great riches but vvhen hee awaketh behold hee hath nothing or not vnlike that rich man who said in his securitie Now my Soule thou hast much goods for many yeares and euen vpon the next day redacted to such extreame necessitie with that other who dispised Lazarus that he had not so much as a drop of cold vvater to coole his tongue withall then shall you lament and say We haue wearied our selues in the way of iniquitie and it did not profit vs. Alas how shall I learne you to be wise Is not this a pittifull blindnesse the Lord vvhen hee created man made him Lord aboue all his creatures and now vnthankfull man sets euery creature in his heart aboue the Lord. O fearefull ingratitude Doe you so reward the Lord O foolish people and vnwise There is nothing which yee conceit to be good but when yee vvant it you are carefull to seeke it vvhen you haue it you are carefull to keepe it onely you are carelesse of the Lord Iesus though hee be that incomparable iewell vvhich bringeth light in darkenesse life in death comfort in trouble and mercy against all iudgement ye should set him as a signet on your heart as an ornament on your head and put him on as that glorious attire vvhich gets you place to stand before God But vvhat paines doe ye take to seeke him vvhat assurance haue yee that yee are in him or vvhat mourning doe yee make for that yee doe not possesse him can you say in truth that the
Peter when hee heard that Iesus behoued to suffer because hee loued him said to him Maister pittie thy selfe but receiued this answere Goe behinde me Sathan for thou vnderstandest not the things that are of God culpans in vtroque non affectum sed consilium blaming in them both not their affection but their vnderstanding yet afterward when Peter was better informed that Iesus behoued to dye and rise the third day hee disswaded him no more but rather promised that hee would dye with him hee had now learned to loue Iesus not onely with his heart but also with his minde not earnestly onely but also wisely yet when it came to the poynt hee denyed his Maister at the voyce of a Damsell because hee had not learned to loue him with strength as hee did afterward when he had receiued the holy Spirit in greater measure hee loued Iesus euen to the very death with so strong an affection that before the Counsell hee choosed rather to dye for Christ than to denye him Licet vitam tunc minime posuit deposuit tamen in so much that albeit hee lost not his life yet hee freely laid it downe for Iesus These are thee three whereunto wee are to aspyre in all our life to loue the Lord heartely to loue him wisely for inconsiderate zeale and temerarious precipitation doth not please him and to loue him with so strong an affection that wee chose rather to suffer death than to forsake him But alas how farre are wee from this holy disposition who can say hee hath attained to that measure of holy Loue which the Law of God requireth in him and therefore should vve endeuour to grow daily in loue earnestly praying the Lord that hee vvould breath by his Spirit vpon that little sparke of heauenly life vvhich hee hath created in our hearts that it be not extinguished with the ashes of our corruption but may increase and become a great flame to burne vp our affections with such a loue of God as may carry vp all the powers of our soule toward him To this effect let vs meditate frequently vpon these foure causes for vvhich wee should loue the Lord first for that which hee is in himselfe to wit the fountaine of all goodnesse the greatest and supreame good if it be good that man would haue let him loue the Lord to vvhom there is none like in goodnes inuenito si potes aliquid pretiosius Deo dabitur tibi finde out if thou canst any thing more pretious than God and it shall bee giuen thee The Platonists by the light of nature saw that all the pulchritude and beautie which shineth in the creature vvas but spendor quidam summi illius boni which should transport vs in our affection toward him from whom it came Pulchrum coelum pulchra terra sed pulchrior qui fecit illa the heauen and earth are beautifull but more beautifull is hee who made them and therefore as oft as any good in the creature beginneth to steale our heart after it let vs in our affection goe vp to the Creator considering that the Lord hath not made these beautifull or profitable creatures that we should go a whooring after them but that by them as steps we should climbe vp to him that made them and rest in him The second cause that may breed the loue of God in vs if we meditate vpon it is that the Lord hath first loued vs Inuenimus eum sed non praeuenimus we haue found him but we did not preuent him we knovv him novv but were first knowne of him hee found vs first and that euen vvhen vve vvere enimies vnto him dilexit non existentes imo resistentes he loued vs vvhen vve vvere not yea vvhen vve vvere rebels against him and shall vve not novv being reconciled by the death of his sonne endeauour to loue him againe Thirdly the Lord by his continuall gifts hath testified his loue to vs he hath not beene vnto vs as a wildernesse or as a land of darknes if we vvill remember and tell what the Lord hath done to our soule vvee shall finde vvee are ouercome with the multitude of his mercies and there is none that hath deserued the loue of our hearts comparable to the Lord. If our loue be free let vs set it vpon him who is most worthy to be loued and if it be venall let vs also giue it vnto him who hath giuen vs most for it And fourthly it shall waken in vs the loue of God if vve consider in our hearts what great things the Lord hath promised to giue vnto vs euen such as the eye hath not seene and the eare hath neuer heard life without death youth without age light without darkenesse ioy without sadnes a kingdome without a change and in a word he shall then giue vs a blessed life non de his quae condidit sed de seipso not of those things which hee hath made but of himselfe But to returne to our former purpose that we may know vvhether this holy loue be created in our hearts by the spirit of grace or no we must try it by the fruits and effects of loue whereof novv it shall content vs to touch a few First it is the nature of Loue that it earnestly desires and seekes to obtaine that which is beloued Hereby shalt thou knovv whether thy affection of loue be ordered by Christ or remaine as yet disordered by Sathan The affection which Christ hath sanctified will follow vpward seeking to be there where he is Euery thing naturally returnes to the owne originall as the waters go downe to the deep from whence they came so carnall loue powred out like water returnes to Sathan who begat it and carries miserable man captiued with it downward to the bottomles pit but holy loue being as a sparke of heauenly fire kindled in our hearts by the holy Ghost ascends continually and rauishes vs vpward toward the Lord from whom it came not suffâ—ing vs to rest till we inioy him Let this then be the first tryall of our loue if wee vse carefully those holy meanes by which vve keepe and entertaine familiaritie with our God it is an argument that vve loue him and what other meanes is there by which man vpon earth is familiar with God but the exercises of the word and prayer Godly Dauid who protests in some places that he loued the Lord prooues it in other by the like of these reasons O how loue I thy law it is my meditation continually and againe I haue loued the habitation of thine house and the place where thine honour dwels One thing haue I desired of the Lord that I may dwell in the house of my God all the dayes of my life to behold the beautie of the Lord and to visit his holy temple As this doth serue for the comfort of those who delight in the exercise of
the word and prayer so doth it serue for the conuiction of those to whom any other place is more amiable than the labernacles of God an euident proofe they haue not the loue of God because they neglect the meanes euen when they are offered by which familiar accesse is gotten vnto the Lord. And againe because the fight we haue of God in this life is but through a vaile and the tast we get of his goodnesse is but in part and that in the life to come the Lord will fully embrace vs in the armes of his mercy and kisse vs for euer with the kisses of his mouth therefore is it that the soule which vnfainedly loues the Lord cannot rest content with that familiaritie which by the Word and Prayer it hath with God in this life but doth long most earnestly to be with the Lord where shee knoweth that in a more excellent manner shee shall embrace him whereof proceedeth these and such like complaints As the Hart brayeth for the riuers of water so panteth my soule after thee O God O when shall I come and appeare before the presence of my God My Soule desireth after thee as the thirsty land For I would be dissolued and be with the Lord Therefore come euen so come Lord Iesus But alas here are wee taken in our sinnes thou sayest thou louest the Lord but how is it then that thou longest not to see him neyther desirest thou to be with him yea a small appearance of the day of deaâ—h or mention of the day of iudgement doth terrifie and afray thee where as otherwise if thou didst loue him they would be ioyfull dayes vnto thee seeing in the one wee goe to him and in the other he commeth to vs to gather vs and take vs thether where he is Surely those men who contenting themselues with the gifts of God in this life thinke not long to enioy himselfe are but like an adulterous woman who if so be shee possesse the goods of her husband regards not albeit shee neuer see himselfe I confesse indeed wee may reioyce in all the gifts which God hath giuen vs as in the tokens and testimonies of his loue but wee are alwayes to vse them with this protestation that nothing giuen vs in this life be allowed vnto vs for our portion and inheritance and that no contentment euer come vnto our hearts till wee get himselfe who gaue them If the loue of the Corinthians made the Apostle to say I seeke not yours but you how much more should the loue of God compell vs to say vnto him It is not thy gifts O Lord but thy selfe I long for thou art the portion of my soule if thou wouldest giue me all the workes of thine hands yet shall I neuer haue comfort nor contentment except thou dost giue me thy selfe Therefore O thou whom my Soule loueth shew me where thou feedest where thou lyest at noone and dost rest for why should I be as shee that turneth aside to the flockes of thy companions Blessed is he that hungers and thrists for thy righteousnesse for hee shall behold thy face and be filled with thine image for in thy presence is the fulnesse of ioy and at thy right hand are pleasures for euermore The second tryall of our loue is Obedience and an holy care in all our callings to serue and honour the Lord. Preachers must be tryed by this rule Peter louest thou mee feede my flocke Gouernours and Counsellers must be tryed by this Can yee say in truth with the Godly Gouernour Dauid I loue the Lord then will yee also say with him what shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits how shall I shew my loue toward him and what shall I doe in my time for aduancement of his glory If thou dost loue the Lord then wilt thou be a nourishing Father to his Church a carefull aduancer of his kingdome a wise prouisor to remoue those stumbling blocks which hinder the course of the Gospell If yee loue the Lord then will yee stand vp with Dauid and say Doe not I hate them O Lord that hate thee doe not I earnestly contend with them that rise vp against thee surely I hate them with vnfained hatred as if they were mine vtter enimies If ye honour the Lord as Dauid did the Lord shall blesse you as hee blessed Dauid Dauid sware vnto the Lord that hee would not rest till hee found out a place for the Lord euen an habitation for the mightie God of Iacob And the Lord sweares againe vnto Dauid that of the fruit of his body hee would set vp one to raigne after him But if otherwise there be nothing in you but a care to stablish your selues and your houses vvith the neglect of the glory of God then remember that the curse of Shebna and not the blessing of Eliakim shall be vpon you Yee shall not be fastned as a nayle in sure place but shall be rolled and turned away like a ball the Lord shall driue thee from thy station and out of thy dwelling place shall hee destroy thee For the wicked shall not haue his desire his thoughts shall not be performed neyther shall hee be established on the earth but euill shall hunt him to destruction The Lord shall take thee and plucke thee out of thy Tabernacle and roote thee out of the Land of the liuing And generally all of you in your callings remember that the value of your Christian loue must be tryed by the same touchstone not by your words but by your workes If any loue mee saith Iesus let him keepe my commandements but here also the hypocrisie of this age is discouered as the Iewes called Iesus their King and bowed their knees before him but spat in his face and buffetted him so the bastard Christians of this age call Christ their Lord and bowe their knees before him yet by their sinfull life they crucifie him and tread his bloud of the couenant vnder their feete they kisse and betray him with Iudas it is but a Scepter of reed they allow him for they giue him no commaundement ouer their affections wherefore great is the controuersie which the Lord hath this day with the men of this generation The third tryall of loue is Bountifulnesse the Apostle sayth Loue is bountifull experience proues that euery louer bostoweth bountifully on that which hee loueth yee loue your bodyes and therefore largely bestow vpon them to feede them and cloth them yea with excessiue apparrell yee loue your Children and lets them want no needfull thing for them yea yee loue your beasts and spares not to bestow largely vpon them onely you say you loue the Lord but wherein are yee bountifull toward him It is true that in nothing can a man be profitable to the Almightie but are there not workes commaunded vs which should so shine before men that by them
our heauenly Father may be glorified though workes can be no merits yet are they your witnesses and what haue yee done to remaine when yee are dead as witnesses of your loue toward the Lord Though your goodnesse extend not to the Lord yet where is your delight that should be on his Saints and excellent ones vpon earth where is your compassion and loue toward the brethren are not the men of this age like vnto that fig-tree which had faire leaues but not so much as one figge to giue vnto Iesus in his hunger hauing the shew of godlinesse but haue denyed the power therof yeelding words inough but no fruits to adorne the glorious Gospell of our Lord Iesus Of these and many moe if wee might insist in them it is manifest that all haue not the loue of God in their hearts who this day pretend it The last tryall of Loue which novv we bring is readinesse to suffer affliction for the cause of God The Apostles being beaten for preaching in the name of Iesus instead of mourning departed reioycing that they were counted worthy to suffer for Christs sake and all because they loued him For the loue of Rahel seauen yeeres of hard seruitude seemed vnto Iacob but a short space For the loue of Dinah Sichem willingly sustayned the circumcision and cutting of his flesh much more to him in whose heart abounds the loue of the Lord vvill bitter things become sweet and hard things easie This Loue hath made the holy Martyres step out of their owne element into the fire with greater ioy and willingnesse then worldlings haue when they fit downe to their banquetting tables to refresh them or lyes downe in their beds to rest them The Apostle who suffered all sorts of affliction for the Gospell giues this for a reason that the loue of Iesus constrayned him Thus much concerning the effects of holy loue by which we are to make sure our calling and consequently our election for our euerlasting comfort Euenâ—toâ—them that are called according to his purpose Hitherto the Apostle hath summarily set downe his third principall argument of comfort and now in the end of this verse he shortly breakes vp the confirmation thereof which is this they who loue God are called according to his purpose therefore all things must work for the best vnto them The necessitie of this reason shall appeare if we consider that the Lord cannot be frustrated of his end Those whom the Lord in his immutable purpose hath ordayned to glory and whom according to that purpose he hath called in time how can it be but all things must worke vnto their good for the working prouidence of God which is the executer of his purpose doth so ouer-rule all incidents which fall out in the world and doth so gouerne all secondary and inferiour causes that of necessitie they are directed to that end whereunto the supreame cause of all to wit the purpose and will of God hath ordayned them This is shortly set downe in these words and more largely explaned in the two verses following It is the last reason of comfort and the highest for now the Apostle leades vs out of our selues and sets vs vpon that rocke which is higher than wee hee carries vs by the hand as it were out of the earth vp into heauen and lets vs see how our saluation is so grounded in Gods eternall purpose that no accident in the world can change it We haue here then three things euery one of them depening vpon another the loue of God flowing from the calling of God and the calling of God comming from the purpose of God vnto which the Apostle here drawes vs that vve casting our anchor within the vaile and resting in the Lords immutable purpose may haue comfort in all our present tentations It is most expedient for the godly to marke this that our manifold changes doe not interrupt our peace let vs consider that the Lord hath in such sort dispensed our saluation that the ground thereof is laid in his owne immutable purpose but the markes and tokens thereof are placed in vs after our calling the markes and tokens are changeable like a wee our selues in whom they are are changeable but the ground holds fast being laid in that vnchangeable God in whom falles no shadow of alteration I am God and am not changed My sheepe none can take out of my hand The counsell of the Lord shall stand and his foundation remaines sure It is true that the tokens of election cannot be fully taken away from any that is effectually called nay not in the greatest desertion yet haue they in vs their owne intention and remission And this should comfort vs against our daily vicissitudes and changes when wee feele that our Faith doth faint our life languishes our hope houers and we are like to sincke in the tentation with Peter and our feeble hands fall downe with Moses yet let vs not dispaire no change in vs can alter Gods vnchangeable purpose he who hath begunne the worke in vs will also perfect it Because I am not changed saith the Lord therefore is it that yee O sonnes of Iacob are not consumed This purpose of God is called otherwise the will of God and the good pleasure of his Will In that the Apostle saith our calling is according to his purpose it teacheth vs to ascribe the whole praise of our saluation to the good pleasure of his will and not to our owne foreseene merits That poyson of pride which Sathan poured into our first parents and by which they aspyred to be equall with God doth yet breake forth in their posteritie the corrupt heart of man euer ayming at this to seeke vnto himselfe either in part or in whole the power and praise of his own saluation This is to start vp into the roome of God and to vsurpe that glory which belongs to the Lord and he will not giue to any other than the which no greater sacriledge can be committed against the Lord. O man content thee with that which the Lord offers thee and let that alone which hee reserues vnto himselfe My peace saith the Lord I giue to you my glory I will not giue to any other The first Preachers of the Gospell were Angels they proclaymed glory and peace but glory they gaue to God which is on high and peace they cryed to the children of his good will which are vpon earth It is inough that peace and saluation is giuen to be thine but as for the glory of saluation let it remain to the Lord. Hee is for this called the father of mercy because mercy bred in his owne bosome Hee hath found many causes without himselfe mouing him to execute iustice but a cause mouing him to shew mercie hee neuer found but the good pleasure of his will therefore the Apostle saith the Lord hath called vs with an holy calling not according to
our workes but according to his purpose grace Surely except the Lord had reserued mercy for vs we had beene like to Sodome and Gomorrha but it pleased him of his owne good will of the same lumpe of clay to make vs vessels of honour whereof hee made others vessels of dishonour And who is able sufficiently to ponder so great a benefit and therefore howsoeuer the blinded Pharisee sacrifice to his owne net and make his mouth to kisse his hand as if his own hand had done it yet let the redeemed of the Lord praise the Lord let them cry out with a louder voyce than Dauid did O Lord what are wee that thou art so mindefull of vs Not vnto vs O Lord not vnto vs but to thy name giue the glory for thy louing kindnesse and thy truth for our saluation comes from God that sits vpon the throne and from the Lambe To thee O Lord be praise and honour and glory for euer Now as for the calling we are to know that the calling of God is twofold outward and inward Hee speakes not here of the outward calling of which our Sauiour saith many are called but few are chosen but he speakes of the inward calling which is the first intimation and declaration of our election For the decree of our election is alwaies hid and secret vnto vs till the Lord by calling reueile it and make it knowne vnto vs that we are of the number of those whom he hath appointed to life As in his secret counsell hee made a distinction of the elect and reprobate so by his calling heâ— beginnes the execution of this decree seperating the one from the other in this life in manners and conditions who are to be seperated in the life to come for euer in estate and place He that will take a right view of all mankinde shall find them standing as it were in three circles they onely being happy who are within the third In the outmost circle are all those on whom the Lard hath not vouchsafed so much as an outward calling by his Gospell and here standeth the greatest part of the world In the middle circle which is much narrower stand they who are pertakers of an outward calling by the Word and Sacraments In the third circle which yet is of smaller compasse than the other two stand they who are inwardly and effectually called these are Christs little flocke the communion of Saints the few chosen the Lords third part so to speake with Zachary the other two parts shall be cut off and dye but the third will the Lord fine as siluer and gold the Lord will say of them this is my people and they shall say the Lord is my God It is a great steppe indeed that wee are brought from the first circle into the second but it is not sufficient to saluation yea rather they who stand in the second circle hearing the voyce of God calling them to repentance and yet harden their hearts and will not follow him may looke for a more fearefull condemnation then they who are in the outmost rancke of all Double stripes are for him who knoweth his Maisters will and doth it not Sodome and Gomorrha shall be in an easier estate than they Content not therefore your selues that yee are brought within the compasse of the visible Church that yee haue beene baptised in the name of Iesus and haue communicated at his holy Table Not euery one that saith Lord Lord shall enter into his kingdome except yee finde also his inward and effectuall calling that the arme of his grace hath drawne you within the compasse of the third circle and hath set you downe among those whom he hath chosen to be his owne peculiar people And againe that the calling of God is according to his purpose yeelds vnto vs this comfort that seeing his calling is extended toward vs we may be sure that from euerlasting hee hath had toward vs a purpose of loue Certainely hee had not sent his Gospell among vs were it not that he hath here a number belonging to the election of his Grace hee hath lighted a candle among vs and set it in an eminent candlesticke to assure vs that hee is seeking here some peeces of money which were lost and hee will not rest till hee finde them When the Apostle Paul should haue gone to Bythinia the Lord commaunded him to goe to Macedonia what the purpose of God was the euent declared namely that it was to conuert Lidia and the Iaylour Who may not see here Gods meruailous mercy towards his owne that for the conuersion of a few will haue his Gospell to be preached to a whole kingdome which doth yet more clearely appeare in that when hee commaunded his Apostle Paul to tarry at Corinthus hee gaue this reason because saith hee I haue much people here shewing vnto vs that the greater haruest hee hath the longer doth hee continue his Labourers among a people This is the very work of God which hee is working in the middest of you and for which hee continueth among you the preaching of his glorious Gospell it is because toward many of you hee hath a purpose of loue some hath he called already whom hee will haue confirmed others not yet inwardly called hee will conuert by the Gospell before hee remoue it Let euery man looke to himselfe whether hee haue part in that grace which comes by the Gospell or no for woe will be to him that shall be found in darknesse after that the light hath shined vnto him Good were it yet for vs all if wee could more deepely consider this that the Gospell of the Lord Iesus is come among vs not by accident nor by the meanes of men but by the purpose of God that in these dayes wee heare that voyce which many of our Fathers heard not that in some places of the world this Gospell is preached and not in others that it is continued with vs notwithstanding of the manifold machinations of the Children of darknesse to subuert it yea that by such and such persons the Gospell hath beene preached vnto vs if vvee did consider that all these fall out according to Gods determinate purpose it would waken in vs a more reuerent hearing of the word of Grace and a greater care to take heede to the smallest occasion of grace when it is offered but all the contempt thereof which now is among men floweth from this that they doe not looke vnto the hand of God sending out such a message to them by such persons at such a time in such a place as hee in his eternall purpose hath concluded with himselfe But as Samuell before hee knew the Lord thought the voyce of God to be but the voyce of Eli and therefore went againe to his rest so the great multitude of them who heare it not as the word of God but as the word of men esteeming that it commeth by
coueniently whom he fore-knew them hee also predestinated to be made like vnto the image of his Sonne vt ista conformitas non sit ratio praedestinationis sed effectus that so this conformitie be not a cause of predestination but an effect But beside these this errour is conuinced by manifold proofes of holy Scripture the Apostle saith hee hath chosen vs in Christ therefore not in our selues he saith againe that wee should be holy and without blame hee saith not hee chose vs because hee foresaw that wee would be holy so hee sets downe sanctification as an effect of Predestination Now it is certaine that one effect of Predestination may well be the cause of an other posterior effect as the preaching of the word is a cause of faith and faith is a certaine cause of instification but no effect of Predestination can be cause of it Againe he saith The Lord hath saued vs and called vs with an holy calling not according to our workes here yee see that in our calling our workes and Gods purpose are manifestly opponed so that the putting of the one is the remouing of the other thus neyther in our Election before time not in our calling in time hath the Lord regarded our works or foreseene rectitude of our will but the good pleasure of his owne will And I pray you what other thing could the Lord foresee in vs than that which hee foresaw in the Israelites I knew that thou art obstinate and thy neck an iron sinew and thy browe brasse I knew that thou wouldest grieuously transgresse therefore I called thee a transgressor from the wombe yet for my Names sake will I deferre my wrath and for my praise will I refraine it from thee that I cut thee not off yea in so many places of holy Scripture doth the Lord plead the cause of his owne glory that it cannot be but a most fearefull sacriledge against so cleare a light for a man eyther in part or in whole to make his own merits a cause of saluation When the Lord called Abraham hee found him an Idolater when hee called Paul hee found him a persecuter when hee called Matthew he found him a Publican when hee called Mary hee found her possessed with Diuels all that euer receiued grace stand vp as so many witnesses of his glory Not vnto vs O Lord not vnto vs but to thy name be the praise And to these obiections which the braine of man hath brought out against this truth of God to cleare themselues and charge the Lord with vnrighteousnesse they are all sufficiently answered by the Apostle that the Lord by reason of his absolute authoritie ouer all his creatures hath power of the same lumpe to make one vessell of honour for to shew the glory of his mercy and an other vessell of dishonour to shew the glory of his iustice seeing this power is not denyed to the potter ouer his clay how dare man speake against it in the Lord ouer his creature O man who art thou that pleadest with God Woe be to him that striueth with his Maker If I dispute with thee O Lord thou art righteous how euer I iudge of thy counsell and of the manner of thy working thou art alway righteous Si non vis errare if thou wilt not erre saith Augustine iudge not the Lord why one is saued the Apostle tels you I haue mercy on whom I will haue mercy Misericordia eius misericordiâ— causa why another is reiected Causa potest esse occulta iniusta esse non potest the cause may be secret but cannot be vniust qui in factis Dei rationem non videt infirmitatem suam considerans cur non videat rationem videt hee that seeth not a reason of the Lords doing let him looke to his owne infirmitie he shall see a reason why hee seeth it not The Lord hath hid euen from most wicked men the purpose of their owne reprobation till it come to the execution and then shall they receiue an answere from their owne consciences to stop their mouthes which now they will not receiue from man Euery one of the damned shall be compelled to acknowledge that the iudgement executed vpon them is righteous But now to returne to the doctrine we haue first to obserue out of the signification of the word which I marked before that the Lords determinate counsell and predestination takes not away the nature properties nor necessities of secondarie causes and meanes of saluation but rather establishes them for those whom God hath appointed to saluation hee hath also appointed to those meanes which may bring them vnto it It is therefore a blasphemie which is frequent in the mouthes of carnall professers if I be elected howsoeuer I liue I shall be saued and if otherwise I be a reprobate liue as I will I cannot mend it this is no other thing but Sathans diuinitie if thou be the sonne of God cast thy selfe downe from the Temple thou shalt not dash thy foote against a stone as if the sonnes of God were licensed to despise the second and ordinary meanes and not rather bound to vse them but in very deed as it is against the nature of fire to be cold so is it impossible that the elect man effectually called can reason after this manner yea the more hee heares of election the more hee endeauours to make it sure by well doing knowing that no man can attaine to the end of our Faith which is the saluation of our soule but by the lawfull and ordinary meanes Both temporall and spirituall blessings the Lord will haue vs to seeke them by the lawfull and ordinary meanes the Cornes cannot serue Israell except the earth beare them the earth cannot beare them except the heauens giue raine the heauens can giue no raine except the Lord command them Therefore when the Lord promises a blessing In that day saith the Lord I will heare the heauens and they shall heare the earth and the earth shall heare the corne and the wine and the oyle and they shall heare Israell And that hee keepes the the same order in bestowing spiritual blessings we are taught by the Apostle when he saith that before wee be saued we must call on the name of the Lord before wee call on his name we must beleeue before we beleeue we must heare before we heare there must be preaching whereof it is euident that they who neglect and contemne the ordinary meanes of saluation doe giue out a very hard sentence against themselues which is that if they so continue they doe not appertaine vnto election And againe for our further comfort wee haue here to marke the certaintie and soliditie of our saluation it is neither to day nor yesterday that the Lord concluded to be mercifull vnto vs our election beganne not with our selues before the mountaines were made before the earth
stand at the right hand of Iesus and heare that fearfull condemnation of the wicked Depart from mee c. when vvee shall see the earth open and swallow them then shall wee reioyce and prayse the mercy of our God O happie time wherein the Lord sent his messengers among vs to call vs from the fellowship of the damned There is no difference by nature betweene the Elect and reprobate neyther in inward nor outward disposition till God make it by grace Paul as bloudy a persecuter as euer was Domitian or Iulian. Zacheus as vnconscionable and couetous a Worldling as was that rich Glutton damned to hell The elect and reprobate men before Grace make a difference are like two men walking in one iourney with one minde and one heart like Eliah and Elisha walking and talking together when a chariot of fire did incontinent seperate them and Eliah is taken vp into heauen Elisha left vpon the earth not vnlike is it when the vnlooked for calling of God commeth and seperateth those two who before were walking together yea running in the same excesse of ryot the one changing the course of his life returneth back againe to the Lord from whom hee had stollen whereas the other not touched with the same Calling meruailes that his former companion hath forsaken him and walketh still on stubbornely in the former course of his sinnes to his condemnation Apply this vnto your selues and see whether this effectuall Calling hath seperated you in your conuersation from the wicked or not an euident argument that ye shall be seperated from them in their condemnation Blessed is hee that walketh not in the counsell of the wicked nor stands in the way of sinners nor sits in the seat of the scornfull And if wee finde after tryall that the Lord hath called vs then should wee alway shew forth his prayses who hath translated vs from darknesse into his meruailous light The Lord shewed a great mercy to Israell when he deliuered them out of the house of bondage he set the remembrance of that benefit in the forefront of his law as a bond euer oblieging them vnto thankfulnesse but their bondage was not so horrible as ours Pharaoh oppressed their bodies and compelled them to worke in bricke and clay yet their spirits were free to sigh and cry to God for the bondage but here so long as we were the slaues of Sathan he compelled vs to worke the abhominable workes of darknesse and vncleannesse and therewithall did so captiue our spirits that we could not so much as cry and sigh vnto God for the bondage and therefore our deliuerance should neuer goe out of our remembrance and our hearts and mouthes should euer be filled with the prayses of our redeemer when we think of this yeere of Iubilie wherin he hath opened the doore of the prison and set vs at libertie as the freemen of God who were the captiued and bond slaues of Sathan The author of this calling is the Lord euen hee who calles things which are not and makes them to be Caâ—ling is a new creation and the first resurâ—ection The Lord that commanded light to shine out of darkenes is he who hath giuen to our mindes the light of the knowledge of his glory in the face of Iesus Christ. It is he who creates in vs a new hart and puts in our bowels a new spirit that we may walk in his statutes As man when hee was not could not helpe to create himselfe and Lazarus when he was dead helped not to raise himselfe so a stranger from Grace helpes not to call himselfe to the fellowship of Grace the Lord who makes the barraine wombe a mother of many children makes also the barraine hart to be fruitfull The praise of our calling belongs to the Lord onely Nemo dicat idâ—o me vocauit quia colâ—i Deum quomodo coluisses si vocatus non fuisses let no man say therefore hath God called me because I worshipped him for thou couldst not haue worshipped him vnlesse he had called thee The calling of God findes euery man either vainely or wickedly exercised When God called Paul to be a Preacher he found him a persecuter when he called Matthew he found him sitting at the receipt of custome when he called Peter and Andrew they were mending their nets no such minde had they as to be fishers of men As Saul was seeking his Fathers Asses when Samuel came to call him to the kingdome and as Rebecca had no errand to the well but to water her fathers goods when Eliezer came to seeke her in marriage vnto Isaac so if wee doe enquire at our owne consciences how we were exercised when God called vs we shall finde our harts were set vpon the trifling things of this world and that we had no minde of his kingdome let the praise therefore of our calling berâ—sâ—rued to the Lord onely As this worke of calling is the Lords onely so hee extends it to none but vnto those who are chosen it makes a perticular seperation of a few from the remanant and doth so distinguish betweene man and man in all ranckes and estates that of two brethren as Iacob and Esau of two Prophets as Moses and Balaam of two Kings as Dauid and Saul of two Apostles as Peter and Iudas of two theeues the one is taken the other is reiected The first distinction betweene man and man was in Gods eternall counsell and this is secret the last distinction will be in that last day wherein the one shall stand at the right hand of Iesus the other at the left and that shall be manifest the middle distinction is presently made by this calling of God his Gospell is the arme of his Grace being extended sometime to one corner of the world sometime to another according to his owne dispensation to seuer out his owne from among the remanent of the world Whereof it comes to passe that this sauing grace of the Gospell enters into a land but not into euery Cittie it enters into a Cittie and not into euery familie it enters into a familie but comes not on euery person of the familie Of Husband and Wife of Maisters and Seruants of Parents and Children of Brethren and Sisters the one is taken the other reiected It came to Iericho and chose out Zacheus it came to Philippi and chose out Lydia and the Iaylour it entred at Rome into the Court of Nero but lighted not vpon Nero it entred into the Familie of Narcissus but not into the heart of Narcissus As the Lord so gouernes the cloudes that he makes them raine vpon one Cittie and not vpon another so doth hee dispense the dew of his grace that he makes it drop vpon one hart not vpon another The Gospell is preached to many but the blessing that comes by the Gospell abides onely vpon the children of peace Let euery one among you see to himselfe this preaching of the Gospell
among you assures vs that the Lord hath a haruest here that is a number that belongs to the election of Grace but who they are that are his the Lord knoweth but as for vs we may lament as Augustine did of the hearers of his time In aperto est vnde doleam c the matter of our griefe is manifest for wee see many of you who hitherto haue receiued the word of grace in vaine but the matter of our comfort is not so apparant yet doe wee not doubt but that among this chaffe the Lord hath some good Wheat whom he will perfect by our Ministrie and gather into his garner to his glory and our comfort when wee shall see that fruit of our labour which now weâ— cannot see Alwayes of this which we haue spoken we exhort you who as yet stands strangers from grace to consider how miserable your estate is It should peirce thy very hart for griefe to consider that the grace of God hath conuerted so many in the cittie yea perhaps in the familie wherein thou dwellest and hath not lighted vpon thee but left thee in thy old sinnes If the Lord should so doe to you as hee did to Israell in the dayes of Achab cause it to raine for three yeeres and a halfe vpon all the land about you and not vpon your land would you not take it as a token of Gods anger aganist you O hipocrite that can discerne the face of the skie and can marke the tokens of his anger in the creature canst thou not discerne the state of thy own soule nor consider this sensible curse of God that these thirty or forty yeeres the showres of his sauing grace hath discended vpon otheâ—â— round about thee but neuer vpon thy selfe thou possessest still a hard a barraine and fruitlesse heart What shall I say vnto thee to cut thee off from hope of mercy and to send thee to dispaire I haue not that in commission there is euer some hope of a better as long as God calles vpon thee but of this one thing I can certifie thee that for the present thy estate is lamentable and if this grace goe by thee in time to come as it hath done for the time forepassed it had beene better for thee that thou hadst neuer beene borne The time of our calling is but short and limited let it not goe by vs without grace but let vs striue to redeeme it It is called sometimes an acceptable yeere and sometimes a day of saluation some dayes are longer and some are shorter but they haue all an end The lewes had a faire long sommer day of Saluation sixteene hundred yeeres did the Lord offer grace to the house of Sem but now the bright shining Sunne of righteousnesse hath gone downe vpon them and darknesse is vnto them instead of diuination and other sixteene hundred yeeres hath the Lord been offering grace to the house of Iapheth perswading them by the Gospell to come and dwell in the tents of Sem and that by their seuerall families hee beganne at the Churches of the East they had their owne day although but a short winters day compared with that of the Iewes From them in the East the light is now come praised be God to vs in the West now is our day how long it is to continue with vs who can tell While therefore the light is with you walke in the light least darkenesse come vpon you Let vs consider the season for if once the day of grace goe by vs wee shall neuer finde it againe For suppose this day of saluation were to shine vpon this land still on to the worlds end yet what is it to thee seeing the day of grace endeth to thee in the day of thy death after that the Lord shall neuer any more offer mercy vnto thee in that the Apostle wils vs to doe good while we haue time he tels vs that after this there is no time let vs not thinke quod apud inferos ad faciendos fideles atque liberandos euangelium praedicatum sit vel adhue etiam praedicetur quasi ibi sit Ecclesia constituta that the Gospell euer hath ben or yet is preached in hell to worke Faith in men there for their deliuerance as if there also were a constitute church in it Here by preaching grace is offered to thee that if thou wilt beleeue thou mayst be saued but if now thou dispise it there remaines nothing but a fearefull looking for of iudgement And no lesse deceitfull is that opinion that by suffering hereafter thou mayst redeeme that life which here thou hast not obtayned Vita hic aut amittitur aut tenetur cum istinc excessum fuerit nullus paenitentiae locus nullus satisfactionis effectus Now life is eyther kept or lost for when wee goe out of the body there is no place of repentance no effect of satisfaction It is a principall pollicie of Sathan to steale away from man the time of Grace he will not simply say to any man yee neede not to repent at all hee knoweth the most prophane man will abhorre that hee seekes onely a delay thou needest not saith hee to repent as yet and so stealeth away one day after another till the day of Grace be gone When Pharaoh was stricken with Frogges and Moses offered to him that when hee would bid him hee would pray to God that hee might be deliuered from them it was but an vnwise answere hee gaue him Pray for mee to morrow it had beene better for him to haue said Pray for me presently but more miserably blinded are they to whom the Lord presently offers saluation they delay not till to morrow onely but till the next yeere yea for many yeeres they are called vpon in their youth but they refuse to repent till they be old seeking first leaue to kisse their father that is to follow their owne pleasures before they will resolue to follow the Lord Iesus and so lets their dayes one after another be stollen away from them till at length they be taken away in their sinnes and the day of Grace be closed vpon them And whom hee Called them also hee Iustified Hauing spoken of our Calling wee come now to speake of our Iustification This is a new benefit different from the former benefit of our Calling posterior to it in order of working but not in time for in the same moment wherein the Lord by effectuall Calling giues vs faith to beleeue he doth also iustifie vs. That wee may vnderstand what a benefit this is we are to know that the word of Iustifying hath three principall significations First to iustifie is all one with this to sanctifie or to infound by grace new qualities into the soule of man and so Iustification is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seu motus ad Iustitiam as Dan. 12. They who iustifie many shall shine as Starreâ— for euer and in
will close that doore of mercy vpon vs if we knock aright which hee hath opened to so many before vs hee who hath beene found of them who sought him not will hee hide himselfe form vs if forsaking our sinnes wee seeke him in spirit and truth Let his mercies shewed to others be vnto vs as cordes of Loue to draw vs among the rest and like oyntments powred out the sweet smell wherof may delight vs to run after him for that meeknesse which is in thee O Lord Iesus we wil follow thee we haue heard that thou despisedst not the poore sinner thou abhorredst not the penitent theefe nor the sinfull woman that powred out teares before thee nor the Cananitish woman that made supplication to thee nor the woman deprehended in adultrie nor him that saâ—e at the receipt of custome thou abhorredst not the Disciple that denyed thee yea the persecuter of thy Disciples thou receiuedst to mercy In odore horum vnguentorum curremus post te In the smell of these thy sweet ointments wee will run after thee O Lord. But wee are to marke that before the Apostle came to this triumphing hee was long exercised with fighting he confesseth to the Corinthians that his preaching was among them in great feare and trembling that in his personall conuersation hee was beaten and buffeted with an Angell of Sathan that hee had terrours within and fightings without and what terrours are wee to thinke did trouble him out of doubt the sight of his sinnes the greatnesse of the iudgement to come did terrifie him whereof we are warned how wee must fight before wee triumph and mourne before the Lord comfort vs if we cannot triumph with the Apostle it is because we haue not foughten with the Apostle for let be that we haue not yet resisted vnto the bloud how many among vs can say that they haue resisted vnto the teares that is who striues with God as Iacob did with prayers and teares to obtaine a blessing Carelesse securitie hath farre ouer-gone vs and wee are become like those Amalekits who returning from the spoyle of Ziklag and supposing they were past all danger cast their armour from them and spread themselues abroad into the fields to eate and drinke and to sport themselues when in the meane time the deuouring sword vnlooked for came vpon them It fareth euen so with the multitude of this generation they are become so carelesse in the spirituall warfare that as if there were no more battels to be foughten they walke without the aâ—mour of God and spread themselues abroad in the fields of fleshly pleasures and so not onely makes themselues a pray to their deuouring enimie but defrauds their soules of that inward ioy arising of spirituall victory which they who continue in fighting findes at the end of euery battell Now to enter into the words The Apostle conioynes these two interrogations together very conueniently Who will accuse who will condemne because howeuer there be many forward enough to accuse vs there is none who haue power to condemne vs. It is not the Apostles meaning that wee shall want accusations for the world Sathan and our owne conscience shall not cease to accuse vs. Laban searched narrowly Iacobs stuffe to see if hee could get any thing wherewith to charge him but more narrowly doe worldlings search the words and deedes of the Christian seeking whereupon to accuse them and where they can â—inde none yet vpon shadowes of euill they are bold to publish false reports or at least by priuate surmisings seekes to disgrace them Moses a man approued of God yet accused as an vsurper Ieremie the Prophet albeit he so loued his country people that in secret his soule mourned for their desolation yet did they accuse him of treason alledging that hee had made defection to the king of Babell Daniel a man beloued of God accused and condemned of Darius his counsellers as a rebell to the King the Israelites who returned from captiuitie accused by Tobie and Sanballat of sedition the Christians of the primitiue Church oppressed with horrible slanders The first weapon wherewith Sathan fights against the Godly is the tongues of the wicked for hee looseth their tongues â—o speake euill before hee loose their hands to doe euill to them therfore said Augustine Lingua impiorum est quotidiana fornax the tongue of the wicked is a daily fornace wherein the Godly are tryed let no man thinke to serue God in a good conscience but hee must be purged in this ouen ye are not of the world said our Sauiour therefore it is that the world doth hate you and speake euill of you As for their priuate surmisings they are of two sorts sometime they charge Gods children vvith euill vvhich they haue done indeede but vvhereof they haue repented them and herein they are malitious that the sinnes vvhich God hath forgiuen they will not forget but this should not prouoke vs to impatience seeing they blame vs for nothing for which vve blame not our selues vvhy shall vve be commoued let vs not thinke shame to say with the Apostle it is true I was such a one but now I am receiued to mercy I will not so loue my selfe that I will hate him who reproues mee for that which I haue reproued in my selfe of vvhatsoeuer mind he doe it sed quantum ille accusat vitium meum tantum ego landabo medicum meum but looke how farre hee accuses my fault so farre will I praise my phisition who healed me Sometime againe their surmisings are most false they charge vs vvith things vvhich vve neuer did but these backbitings should be disdayned of vs like the barking of beasts hee who knowes with Iob that his witnesse is in heauen and can say with the Apostle that hee hath a good conscience vvithin him what needes hee to care for the iudgement of men vvithout him Notitia nostri certior intus est the surest knowledge of our selues is vvithin vs. Neither are we to be so base minded as to thinke that there is plus ponderis in alieno conuitio quam in nostro testimonio that there is more waight in another mans calumnie than in the testimonie of our own conscience Augustine being misreported of by Petilian gaue an notable answere for my selfe sayth he I am not that which hee hath called mee if yee thinke that hee knowes me better than I knovv my selfe choose you which of vs you will beleeue Let not therefore the detracting speaches of men interrupt our peace remembring their tongues can make vs no other thing than we are it is not Ventilabrum areae dominicae the fanne of the floore of the Lord that can seperate the chaffe from the Corne. Secondly their euill speaking commends vs to God blessed are yee when men reuile you and speake all manner euill of you for my sake be glad and reioyce for great
is your reward in heauen Qui volens detrahit famae meae nolens addit mercedi meae he that with his will impaires my name against his will augments my reward I haue spoken the more of this purpose partly because it is a common craft of Sathans to oppresse good men with misreports vt qui conscientiae suae luce clarescunt alienis rurâ—oribus sordidâ—ntur and partly because our weakenesse is easily ouercome with this tentation Seeing the Lord will haue vs to sustaine the strife of tongues let vs strengthen our selues let vs so walke through good report that wee be not puft vp and through euill report that we be not cast downe but that by weapons of righteousnesse on the right hand and on the left we may ouercome Now as for Sathan he is stiled the accuser of the Saints of God night and day sometime hee accuses God to man sometime man to God and sometime man to himselfe In Paradise hee began and accused God charging him with enuie and in the same trade of lying doth he still continue For sometime he lyes against the iustice of God when hee saith to the licentious liuer albeit yee sinne yee shall not dye that so he may puffe him vp to presumption sometime he lyes against the mercy of God as vvhen hee saith to the vveake in faith your sinne is greater than that God can forgiue it that so he may driue him to desperation sometime he lyes against Gods prouidence as when hee saith to them that are in necessitie the Lord hath cast you off and will no more prouide for you that so hee may prouoke them to put out their hand to wickednesse Secondly he is a restlesse accuser of man vnto God as yee may see in the example of Iob he heard the Lord commending him yet he spared not to traduce him when hee could not gainesay his actions hee gainsayd his intention and affection hee charged him to be a hireling and not a sonne a mercenarie worshipper who serued God for his gifts and not for himselfe albeit after tryall he was found a lyer And herein we are to consider how faithlesse a traytour Sathan is for those same sinnes which man doth by Sathans instigation he is the first accuser of man for them vnto God Oh that man could remember that Sathan is euer doing one of these three against him first hee is a Tempter of man to sinne secondly when sinne is committed hee is an accuser of man vnto God for those same sinnes which he tempted him to doe and thirdly hee is a tormenter of man for them vnlesse they be remoued by repentance But Iesus Christ our Lord is of a plaine contrary disposition first hee disswades vs from sinne warning vs of the danger and then if of weakenesse wee sinne hee offers himselfe an aduocate for vs if wee repent These things my babes I write to you that yee sinne not but if any man sinne we haue an aduocate with the Father euen Iesus the iust These two compared lets vs see what a great difference there is betweene them that knowing the deceitfull malice of the diuell we may learne to abhorre him and the heartie vnfayned affection of Iesus Christ toward vs wee may loue and follow him Thirdly Sathan accuses man vnto himselfe he deceiues the vvicked beares them in hand that they are the sonnes of God and labours to perswade the godly that they are reprobates denying that they haue Faith or Repentance or any spiritual grace There is nothing so true but Sathan dare deny it hee that durst call it in doubt to Christ himselfe whether he were the sonne of God or no will that shameles lyar spare to doe it vnto others But let vs worke out our saluation in feare and trembling and make sure our calling by well doing that we may haue within vs the infallible tokens of our election and as for the rest let vs keepe this ground seeing the worke of our saluation is done by God in despite of Sathan Sathans testimonie in it is not to be regarded though hee would call vs as he did Paul and Sylas the seruants of the liuing of God yet are we not the better neither the worse albeit hee pronounce vs to be such as are abiect and cast away from the fauour of God And last the children of God are accused of their owne consciences these are eyther such as proceede from sufficient light or from wrong information If conscience accuse vpon light which shee hath receiued out of the word of God her sentence is diuine and wee are to regard it if otherwise shee accuse vpon wrong information it is the errour of conscience and wee are to remedie it by sending conscience to seeke the warrant of her sentence out of the word of God It is very expedient that wee put a difference betweene conscience and the errour of conscience where conscience discernes not according to the Law of the supreame Iudge it cannot but erre eyther in being ouer large and then shee pronounceth those things lawfull which are vnlawfull or ouer strait and so she declares those things vnlawfull which are lawfull for if this be not obserued wee shall be disquieted while we hearken to the errours of conscience as if they were the iust and lawfull accusations of conscience Sometime againe conscience presents to men sins which they haue done many yeeres agoe and whereof they haue repented for wee are to know that albeit the Lord after repentance forgiue the guiltinesse of sinne yet he will haue the memorie thereof to remaine in that conseruing facultie of conscience called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that it may both serue to humble vs for the euill wee haue done as also to preserue vs from sinne for the time to come And sinne this manner of way retained in the memory I compare it to thornes bryers which in the middest of a garden are hurtfull and hinder the grouth of good fruit but being put in the hedge are profitable to preserue them so sinne as long as it is in the affection is very pernitious for then it chokes the seede of the word of God in them but being taken out of the affection and set in the memory is as a hedge to the soule to preserue it from wilde and raging beasts that would come in and deuoure it thus for our humiliation the Lord keepes in vs a remembrance euen of those sinnes which hee hath pardoned but so that with the remembrance of the euill which we haue done our conscience doth also excuse and comfort vs with the remembrance of our vnfained repentance toward God And if otherwise the conscience accuse vs for those euill deeds which wee haue done and whereof wee haue not repented it is of Gods great mercy toward vs who by inward trouble wakens vs to iudge our selues now that we should not be iudged of the
the bookes of Law and Conscience Psal. 19. 9. How the wicked shall bee conuicted by the booke of the Law How they shal be conuicted by the booke of conscience Iob. 15. 6. Luk. 19. 22. This iudgment shall also bee most terrible Exod. 19. 16. Moses trembled for feare at the giuing of the Law what will the wicdoe at the execution thereof Reuel 6. 14. Reu. 6. 15. Mat. 25. 41. Remembrance of this last iudgment is a preserâ—atiue against sinne Math. 10. Iud. 10. 14. Mat. 25. 41. Augustine The day before the last iudgement Mercy shall be offered but none after it By Christ wee haue deliuerâ—ce from this three fold condemnation Mat. 25. 21. How miserable are they who are not in Christ Deliuerance by Christ pertains not vnto al men onely to them who are of the houshold of Faith Mat. 9. 2. As none were saued without the arke the familie of Lot house of Rahab Gen. 7. 33. Gen. 19. 16. Iosh. 2. Mat. 11. 12. Heb. 12. 2. A threefold distinction of mankinde Made in God his eternall counsaile Made in this life by effectual calling of those who are chosen Reuel 3. 12. The Apostle excludes not himselfe from that naturall miserie whervnto others are subiect Neither excludes hee others from that mercy which hee himselfe hath receiued 1 Tim. 2. 15. 2. Tim. 4. 8. Naturalists blinded with presumptioÌ„ do far otherwise Aug. confes lib. 10. Basil. hexam hom 9. Our vnion with Christ expressed by fiue similitudes in holy scripture As Eue was to Adam his wife his sister and his Daughter so are we vnto Christ. Yet this expresseth not our allyance with Christ therfore other similitudes are vsed Ioh. 10. 28. In the similitude of ingrafting foure things considered The stock or roote Iohn 15. 1. Rom. 11. 17 Isaiah 11. 1. The branches whereof some are onely externally ingrafted these may be cut off Rom. 11. 22 2 Tim. 3. 5. Aug. de bap cont Donatist lib. 10. ca. 10 Others internally ingrafted and to these belongs this comfort Gal. 2. 20. The manner of the ingrafting it is made by the word and spirit Distance of place staies not our vnion with him Comforts arising of this our vnion with Christ. Communion of Natures 2 Pet. 1. 4. A notable comfort the Lord who sanctified our nature that he might assume it will also sanctifie vs seeing hee hath vnited vs to himselfe Phil. 1. 6. Ber. serm de mutatione aquae in vinuÌ„ By our vnion with Christ we are made sure of perseuerance Psal. 146. Esa. 40. 24. Psal. 49. 14. The who are planted in Christ should be humble the root beares theÌ„ not they the roote Consil. â— ArausicanuÌ„ ex Carranza Ibidem Rom. 11. 16 They who are planted in Christ beares fruit so soone as they are planted Conc. trident Their errour disprooued By Scripture By Reason Costers similitude makes against himselfe By ancient Fathers Aug. ser. 5. Aug. ser. de Temp. 45. Bernard Aug. contra Pelag. lib. 3. cap. 21. Onely apostate Angels men beare false witnesse against God An euill life of aprofessor saies in effect there is no vertue in Christ. A godly life is the first martirdome without suffering for Christ which is the second martirdome is not acceptable to him Cyp. de duplici martirio Col 3. 5. Rom. 12. 1. Ioh. 5. 36. Sinnes of men professing Christ are not committed without sacriledge Dan. 5. 1. More fearefull thaÌ„ Belshazars Seeing there are in vs two parties let vs helpe that which we would haue to preuaile Baâ—il serm 2. de ieiunio Our best estate in this life is fighting August de temp ser. 45. 2 Cor. 2. 14. Bernard Christs members militant triumphant are not to bee tryed by one rule There is fleshly corruption in the Christian militant but he follows it not Any seruice the Christian giues to sinne is throwne out by oppression like that which Israel gaue to Pharaoh Ber. in paruis Sermonibus Serm. 23. For he that walketh after the flesh shall at length encounter with death Three profitable helpes of a godly Life Psal. 119. DeterminatioÌ„ Supplication Consideration Our life should be a daily progresse in godlinesse Our aduersaries Sathan sinne death are strong but our Sauiour is stronger Rom. 16. 20 In what a vile bondage wee liued by nature Ber. hom 4. Three things to be coÌ„sidered in this bondage How a Law is ascribed vnto sinne Basil hexam hom 10. What we hope to be after this life Ber. de persecutione sustinenda cap. 11 1 Iohn 3. 2. What presently we may bee Our deliuerance from this bondage is to be ascribed vnto Christ only Heb. 13. 9. Reâ— 7. 10. Isai. 42. 8. Mercies of god shewed vpon others should confirme vs if we repent to looke for the like to ourselus 2 Tim. 1. 16. Bernard Preachers not pertakers of that mercy which they pronounce to others are most miserable Acts. 8. 21. Psal. 18. 51. Sinne death God hath conioyned who shall seperate them Gen. 20. 3. Chris. hom 5 ad popu Ant. What a deceiuer Sathan is in tempting to sinne Gen. 34. Cypr. lib. 1. epist. 8. Sin seems sweet but the fruite therof is bitter Aug. hom 42 Rom. 6. 21. Comfort for the godly who are troubled with the tentations of sinne Ioshua 9. Our begun deliuerance from sinne the Lord shall perfect 1 Cor. 1. 8. Phil. 1. 6. How we are deliuered from death both first and second Aug. de ciuit dei li. 21. ca. 3 Second death hath three degrees Aug. de verb. Apost ser. 33 How Christians are exercised with terrors of conscience which in the owne nature are forerunners of the second death The nature of the first death changed to the Christian. Amb. de bono mort cap. 4. Explication of the confirmation Here followes an explication of the confirmation of his generall proposition He snews how we are freed from the condemning power of sinne The law could not saue vs. Impotencie of the law to saue vs appeares in two things It craues that which now our nature can not giue It giues not that which our estâ—te now craueth Miserablle blinde are they who seeke life in perfect obseruance of the Law Yet such are all the children of Adam by nature The impotencie of the law comes not of the law which is good but of our owne corrupted nature Our nature becomes worse by the law August lib. 2 confess cap. 4. How Christ hath done that which the law could not Why God is called father of mercie not of iudgements How Christ is Gods owne son Christs diuine generation a great mysterie 1 Tim. 3. 16. Mans curiosity restrained from searching it August Rom. 11. 20 Christ came like a sinfull man but without sinne Dan. 2. 45. 1 Cor. 15. How deerely the Lord loued vs perceiue by the price he hath giuen for our ransome Psal. 8. Our thankfulnes again shold be testified by this threefold duetie Continuall thanksgiuing Seruice Luke 1. 74. 2 Sam. 19. 9 Ezra 9.
God by their beginnings What inconueniences arise from this precipitation Psal. 39. 9. Psa. 116. 10 Psa. 116. 13. He that will iudge of Lazarus on the dunghill shall think him more miserable than the rich Glutton But wee shall best iudge of the works of God if we tarry till they be ended Esay 48. 22. Psal. 37. 37. Gods wonderfull wisdome in causing things of so contrary qualities to agree to do one worke God hath rested from the worke of creation not of gubernation Ioh. 5. 17. His prouidence extends to the smallest things Iob. 22. 13. 14. Psal. 113. 1 King 20. Augustine In greatest confusion of things let vs keepe our comfort the end of them shal be our good Gen. 37. c. The end of all the wayes of God is our good Psal. 25. 10. Iob. 13. 15. Yea euen when he seemes to be most angry with his children he is working their good Iob. 6. 4. Isa. 38. 17. 13. 14 2 Cor. 7. 5. Chrisost. in Mat. hom 14 Rom. 11. 13 For the working of God with his children is by contraries Sathans stratagems are directed to the good of the godly Ambr. lib. 1. de paeni ca. 13 Sathans accusations for sinnes past are vnto the godly preseruatiues against sin to come And his tentations to sinne chases them to the throne of grace 2 Chron. 20. 13 Ambr. ibid. As the Philistims vnderstood not Samsons riddle how sweete came out of the sowre so cannot worldlings that comfort is in the crosse Iudg. 14. 14. Rom. 5. 3. 2 Cor. 4. 13. Heb. 12. 11. Afflictions profitable to the children of God Lam. 3. 27. Psal. 119. 71 Ioh. 15. 2. The wicked putrifie and rots in their prosperitie Iere. 48. 11. 2 Sam. 7. 14. 15. Death workes also the good of Gods children Death compared to the red Sea Egiptians drowne in it But the Israelits of God shall goe through it How the enimies of Gods childreÌ„ against their will procures their good Gen. 50. 20. 1 Sam. 29. Death of the body to a Christian is but as the renting of Iosephs garment from him Chrisostome Since to euery Christian all things work for the best much more are we to think that this is the priuiledge of the whole Church Gen. 12. 3. A warning for Kings such as are in authoritie Hester 4. 14. Exod. 7. They who rise to authoritie not to the good of the Church shall assuredly fall Examples â—â—ewing how God hath altered the state of worldly Empires for the good of his Church In Pharaoh king of Egypt In the Monarch of Babell and Persia. Therefore in our greatest mutations our hart should not be moued from confidence in God Iob. 19. What is a christians best A wicked man is at his best when he is first borne for the longer he liues the moe sins he multiplyes Ierem. 9. 3 A man continuing in sinne compared to one gathering a treasure With euery new sinne he gathers a new portion of wrath A Christians best beginnes in the day of his conuersion Ioh. 6. 3. The day of our conuersion was a day of diuâ—siâ— betweene vs our old sinnes which wee should not forget Seeing our best is not in this life let vs possesse our â—oules in patience How they are to be pittied who reioyce in things present as in their best things Luke 12. 19. Wisd. 5. 7. Miserable worldlings who take more paines to get keep any thing than Iesus Christ. Psal. 50. 22. How all things worke for the worst to the wicked The persons to whom the former comfort belongs are described to be such as loue God and are called by him Three things inseperably knit 1. Gods purpose concerning vs 2. his calling of vs 3. our loue toward him None can loue God but such as he hath chosen and called It is thought a common thing to loue God but none can loue him who are not beloued of him 1 Ioh. 4. 10. He that would know Gods purpose toward him let him go downe to his own heart and not vp to Gods counsell Ioh. 21. 15. Loue the first affection that Sathan peruerted And the first which in our regeneration is rectified by the spirit of grace The first obiect of reformed loue is God August de temp ser 223 The second obiect of reformed loue is our selus He cannot loue his brother who loues noâ— himselfe Augustine Man hath need to learne how to loue himself rightly Aug. ad frat in Eremo ser. 30. Amb. lib. 2. offi cap. 12. Loue to our selues and our neighbor â—â—uld be measured but our loue to God should be without measure Bern. in Cant ser. 20. Three conditions requisite in the loue of God Mat. 19. 27. Iohn 14. 21. Mat. 16. 22. 23 In this life wee are farre from that measure of the loue of God which should be in vs. Foure meditations helpful to encrease in vs the loue of God We should loue him because he himselfe is the supreame good Because he hath first loued vs. Bernard He hath declared his loue by innumerable gifts already giuen vs. Hee hath yet greater things which he hath prepared for vs to giue vs. Aug. de ciuit dei l. 10. c. 18 Our loue to God must be tryed by the effects thereof Property of Loue it longs to obtaine thaâ— which is beloued We loue not God if we vse not the exercises of the word and prayer seeing by them onely we haue familiaritie with God vpon earth Psal. 119. 97 Psal. 26. 8. Psal. 27. 2. We loue not God if we long not to be with him in heauen wher he shews his most familiar presence Psal. 42. 1. Psal. 143. Phillip 1. Reuel 22. How by this tryal it is found that many are void of the loue of God Cant. 1. 6. The effect of true loue is obedience and a care to please the Lord. Iohn 21. 15. Psal. 139. 21 What great blessing belongeth to them who in their calling seeke to honour God Esay 22. 23. Psa. 140. 11 Psal. 52. 5. But this age in word calleth Christ their King but casts off his yoke Iohn 15. 10. The propertie of loue is bountifulnesse 1 Cor. 13. 4. The last is readines to suffer for his cause A confirmatioÌ„ of his third and last argument of comfort Comfort that the ground of our saluation is in God the tokens thereof in our selues Esay 46. Ioh. 10. 2 Tim. 2. Mal. 3. 6. Our calling conuersion flowes from Gods purpose therefore all the praise of it belongs to the Lord. For this cause he is called the Father of Mercy and not of Iudgement 2 Tim. 1. 9. Our calling is twofold and the inward calling is a declaration of our election All mankinde are considered standing in three circles they onely are blessed who are within the third Zach. 13. 9. Mat. 7. 21. Where euer the Gospell is preached to cal men there God hath toward some a purpose of loue Acts. 16. Acts. 18. 10. If this were coÌ„sidered it wold work a