twelue Patriarkes Andrew and Peter Iames and Iohn II. for those that are of affinitie Thus the kinsemen of Christ are called his brethren which the Helvidians not obseruing thought they had beene his naturall brethren by the virgin Marie thus Abraham and Lot are called brethren Gen. 13. v. 8 14. though Lot was but his brothers sonne Gen. 14. 12. Thus Iacob the nephew of Laban calleth himselfe his brother Gen. 29. 12. and so Laban calleth him v. 15. III. for men of the same countrey Thus all the Iewes are called brethren one to another Deut. 17. 15. From among thy brethrē shalt thou make a king ouer thee and Deut. 23. 19. Thou shalt not giue to vsurie to thy brother and Rom 9. 1. Paul saith he could wish himselfe anathema or accursed for his brethren that is the Iewes IIII. for those of the same religion 1. Ioh. 3. 16. We must lay downe our liues for our brethren Matth. 23. 8. One is your Doctor to wit Christ and all ye are brothren 1. Cor. 5. 11. If any that is called a brother be a fornicatour with such a one eate not To these we may adde a fifte acception for all those that are confederate or otherwise ioyned together by the bond of nature humanitie societie or friendship Thus Ahab calleth Benhadad his brother that is his friend 1. King 20. 32 33. thus Simeon and Leui are called brethren in wickednes that is confederate in euill Thus all men are called brethren one to another by reason of the bond of nature Gen. 9. 5. at the hand of a mans brother will I require the life of man In all countries those that associate themselues together in warre after a speciall manner are called sworne brethren Now we must not restraine the word brethren to those that are brethren by nature or by affinitie or by countrey neither inlarge it to all those that are brethren by the bond of nature but onely to those that are brethren in the fourth acception that is to say brethren in religion or brethren in the Lord though they be flase brethren if they be brethren at least in outward profession for reproofe beeing a part of Ecclesiasticall Discipline belongeth not to those that are out of the visible Church as to Iewes Turkes Pagans because our Sauiour Christ saith If he heare them not tell the Church and if he will not heare the Church let him be vnto thee as a heathen man and a Publican Which cannot be vnderstood of him that is a heathen or Pagan alreadie And Paul saith 1. Cor. 5. 11. If any that is called a brother that is a Christian be a fornicatour c. and then he addes in the next verse what haue I doe to iudge them that are without that is such as are no members of the Church to whom Ecclesiasticall Discipline reacheth not doe not ye iudge them that are within that is such as are of the visible Church such as doe subiect themselues to the censure and discipline of the church It belongs therefore to those that are of the Church at least in shew but specially to those that are of the same particular Church liuing vnder the same particular gouernment Albeit the case may so fall out that those of another Church professing the same religion with vs may be reprooued and censured yea one Church may admonish another for they beeing members one of another are to procure the good one of another as Paul teacheth by the similitude of the head and the members of the same bodie 1. Cor. 12. Therefore all that are in the bosome of the Church euen the mightie Princes and Potentates of the earth are subiect to reproofe if they doe offend thus Nathan the Prophet reprooued Dauid 2. Sam. 12. and Azarias the Priest rebuked Vzziah 2. Chr. 26. 18. Paul reprooued Peter to his face Gal. 2. 11. Therefore those men yea those Magistrates or Monarchs that cannot endure the least reproofe and will not yeeld their necks to Christ his yoke and their backs to therod of Ecclesiasticall censure are greatly to be censured for herein they contemne the ordinance of God Let thē consider that they are not better then King Dauid who hauing sinned patiently indured reproofe by Nathan Let thē remember how King Vzziah was stricken with leprosie for resisting god in the ministry And here the popish sort come to be taxed who exēpt their cleargie men as they call them frō all reproofs ecclesiasticall proceedings in thrusting them into some one monasteryor other lest their exemplarie punishment should be a blemish or disparagement to their order and profession whereas Paul would haue the ministers and Elders yea all superiours to be reprooued as well as others so it be done in order with due respect as after I will shewe Thus Paul biddeth the Colossians that they should say to Archippus Take heed to thy ministerie that thou hast receiued in the Lord that thou fulfill it Coloss 4. 17. II. We are bound to reprooue all that are in the Church to whome we owe dutie of loue but we are to loue our superiours as much if not more then others therfore we are bound to reprooue them as well as others III. There is greater reason we should reprooue them then others 1. Because they beeing in higher place are in greater danger of falling then others and therefore haue more neede of admotions and reproofes 2. Because they haue many that will flatter them but fewe or none that will or dare reprooue them It will be said all are not to be reprooued which liue in the Church for some be scorners who as Salomon saith must not be reprooued And our Sauiour Christ forbiddeth vs to cast pearles before swine Matth. 7. 6. I answer that onely open scorners contemners persecuters of the word are to be excepted otherwise all wicked men are to be censured and rebuked For 1. Christ speaketh of manifest contemners of religion when he saith that they are like swine which trample pretious pearles vnder their feete and of persecutors when he saith that like dogs they returne againe and all to rend them 2. Christ beeing here vpon earth did not hinder the Pharisies Sadduces Publicans and harlots from comming to his sermons much lesse would he debarre them of this censure of the Church 3. The woman of Syrophenissa though called a dogge yet eateth of the crummes that fall from the childrens table Matth. 15. 27. 4. Paul did often admonish and rebuke the Corinthians though they were carnall and fleshly minded therefore all men though neuer so publike notorious offenders if they be not opē scorners or persecutors of the knowne trueth are to be reprooued Obiect Profane men which notoriously offend and scandalize the Church by their wicked liues haue no fellowship with Christ but are to be accounted as dogs out of the Church I answere 1. They are not to be counted dogs which doe acknowledge their faults the greatnesse of their
of the Apostles 2. Tim. 3. 14. Hence it appeares to be a fault in sundrie priuate persons when they read the Scriptures to gather priuate opinions to broch them to the world This practise hath beene the foundation of heresies and schismes in the Church Secondly Paul writes with consent that he might the better mooue and perswade the Galatians to receiue his doctrine which he is nowe to deliuer Hence it appeares that the Consent of Pastors and people is of great excellencie For the better conceiuing of it and the meaning of the text I will handle three points The first is what is the force of consent wherein stands it and where it is nowe to be found For the first Consent is of force to prepare the heart and to mooue it to beleeue as Augustine saith I had not beleeued the Gospell except the authoritie of the Church had mooued me And this is all it can doe For it is the word that is the obiect and the cause of our faith the word it selfe workes in vs that faith whereby it is beleeued And Paul in this place vseth consent not to worke a faith in the Galatians but onely to stirre vp a liking of his doctrine Two errors of the Church of Rome must here be auoided One that Consent is a certaine marke of the Church It is false for Consent may be among the wicked in the kingdome of Antichrist Reuel 13. 16. In the kingdome of darkenesse all is in peace Againe dissention may be among the godly as betweene Paul and Barnabas Paul and Peter in the church of Corinth there were schismes 1. Cor. 11. Consent therefore simply vnles it be ioyned with true faith and true doctrine is not of force to declare vnto vs the true Church The second errour is that the catholike consent of beleeuers in pointes of religion is the true and liuely scripture and that â—he written word is but a dead letter to it and to be iudged by it for his sense and meaning But all is contrary For the written word is the first perfect pattern of the mind and will of God and the inward consent in the hartes of men is but a rude and imperfect extract and draught of it The second point is wherein standes this consent it must haue his foundation in Christ thence flow to the members as the oile from Aarons head to his garments Psal. 133. and it standes in three things consent in one faith and doctrine consent in affection whereby men be of one hart Act. 2. 47. consent in speach 1. Cor. 1. 10. The third point is where it is now to be found The Papists say that they haue true and perfect consent among themselues and that fathers and Councells be on their side and that we haue no consent among our selues I answer first that they haue not the coÌ„sent which they pretend for the proper points of Popery were not known to the apostles nor to the Apostolicall churches but were taken vp in the ages following by little and litle Secondly such doctrines as the papists make articles of faith are but opinions and coniectures in the fathers and Councles Thirdly the things which the Papists hold are the same peraduenture in name but they are not the same indeede with that which the fathers hold neither are they holden in the same manner as for example the purgatory which the fathers hold is a thing far different from the purgatory of the papists and so all the rest Of consent they may bragge but they cannot shew it As for our selues we all consent in the foundation of religion There is difference about the descent of Christ into hell The thing we all hold namely a descent the difference is in the manner whether it be vertually or locally There is difference about the paines of Christ in his agony and passion yet all acknowledge the infinite merit and efficacy of the death of Christ. There is difference about the gouernement of the visible church on earth For the substance of gouernemant all agree but for the manner of execution and administration they doe not That Christ is present in the Eucharist that his body and blood is there to be eaten and drunken all our churches agree and the difference is only touching the manner of his presence namely whether it be spirituall or locall And this is the mercy of God that in all our differences the foundation of religon is not rased Let vs pray for the continuance and increase of this consent Thus much of the persons that write now follow the churches to which the Epistle is sent to the churches of Galatia At this time the Galatians had made a reuolte and were fallen from iustification by the obedience of Christ so as Paul was affraid of them Chap. 4. and yet he called them churches still vsing great meekenes moderatioÌ„ His example must we follow in giuing iudgement of churches of our time And that we may the better doe this and the better releeue our consciences marke three rules The first is that we must rightly consider of the faultes of churches Some are faultes in manners some in doctrine If the faults of the Church be in manners and these faults appeare both in the liues of ministers and people so long as true religion is taught it is a church so to be esteemed and the ministers must be heard Math. 23. 1. Yet may we seperate from the priuat company of bad men in the church 1. Cor. 5. 11. and if it be in our liberty and choise ioyne to churches better ordered If the errour be in doctrine we must first consider whether the whole church erre or some few therein If the errour be in some and not in all it remaines a church still as Corinth did where some denied the resurrection because a church is named of the better part Secondly we must consider whether the church erre in the foundation or no. If the errour or errours be beside the foundation of religion Paul hath giuen the sentence that they which build vpon the foundation haie and stubble of erronious opinion may be saued 1. Cor. 3. 15. Thirdly inquiry must be made whether the church erre of humane frailty or of obstinacie If it erre of frailty though the error be in the foundation yet it is stil a church as appears by the example of the GalatiaÌ„s Yet if a church shall erre in the foundation openly and obstinately it seperates from Christ and ceaseth to be a church and we may seperate froÌ„ it may giue iudgement that it is no church When the Iewes resisted the preaching of Paul and had nothing to say but to raile Paul then seperated the Church of Ephesus and Rome from them Act. 19. 8. 28. 28. It may here be demaunded why Paul writes to the Galatians as brethren and calls them Churches seeing they haue erred in the foundation and are as he saith vers 6. remooued to another
Gospel I answer he could doe no otherwise If a priuate man shall erre he must first be admonished and then the Church must be told of it If he heare not the Church then iudgement may be giuen that he is a Publican and not before much more then if the Church shall erre there must first be an examination of the errour and them sufficient conviction and after conuiction followes the censure vpon the Church and iudgement then may be giuen and not before And Paul had nowe onely begun in this Epistle to admonish the Church of Galatia Great therefore is the rashnes and want of moderation in many that haue beene of vs that condemne our Church for no Church without sufficient conuiction going before If they say that we haue beene admonished by bookes published I say againe there be grosser faults in some of those books then any of the faults that they reprooue in the Church of England and therefore the bookes are not fit to conuince specially a Church And though Paul call the Galatians Churches of God yet may we not hence gather that the Church of Rome is a church of God The name it may haue but it doeth in trueth openly obstinately oppugne the manifest principles of Christian religion If any demaunde what these Churches of Galatia are I answer that they were a people of Asia the lesse and though they were famous Churches in the daies of the Apostle yet now the countrie is vnder the dominion of the Turke This shewes what God might haue done to vs in England long agoe for the contempt of the Gospell This againe shewes what desolation will befall vs vnlesse we repent and bring forth better fruits of the Gospell 3. Grace be with you and peace from God the father from our Lord Iesus Christ. 4. Who gaue Here is laid downe the second part of the Preface which is the Salutation propounded in the forme of a praier Grace and peace c. Grace here mentioned is not any gift in man but grace is Gods and in God And it signifies his gratious fauour and good will whereby he is well pleased with his elect in and for Christ. Thus Paul distinguisheth the grace of God from the gift that is by grace Rom. 5. v. 15. and sets grace before the gift as the cause of it Here comes the errour of the Papists to be confuted which teacheth that the grace which makes vs gratefull to God is the infused gift of holinesse and charitie whereas indeed we are not first sanctified and then please god but first we please God by grace in Christ and then vpon this we are sanctified and indued with charitie Peace is a gift not in God but in vs and it hath three parts The first is peace of conscience which is a quietnesse and tranquilitie of minde arising of a sense and apprehension of reconciliation with God Rom. 5. v. 1. The second is peace with the creatures and it hath fiue branches The first is peace with angels for man is redeemed by Christ and by meanes of this redemption sinfull man is reconciled to good Angels Coloss. 1. 20. The second is peace with the godly who are all made of one heart and mind Isai. 11. 9. The third is peace with our selues and that is a conformitie of the will affections and inclinations of mans nature to the renewed minde The fourth is peace in respect of our enemies For the decree of God is Touch not mine annointed and doe my Prophets no harme Againe all things turne to the good of them that loue God The fift is peace with the beasts of the field God makes a couenant with them for his people Ose. 2. 18. The creatures desire waite for the deliuerance of Gods children Rom. 8. They that trust in God shall walke vpon the Lyon and the Bafiliske Psal. 91. The third part of peace is prosperitie and good successe whatsoeuer the righteous man doth it prospers And all things prospered in the house of Potipher when Ioseph was his steward because he feared God Gen. 39. 1 2. To proceed Paul sets downe the causes of grace and peace and they are two God the father and Iesus Christ. And here it must be remembred that the father and Christ as they are one God they are but one cause and yet in regard of the manner of working they are two distinct causes For the father giues grace from none but himselfe by the sonne and Christ procures grace and peace and he giues it vnto men from thefather Furthermore Christ is described by his propertie Our Lord and by his effects in the next verse The vse Whereas Paul beginnes his praier with grace we learne that Grace in God is the first cause and beginning of all good things in vs. Election is of grace Rom. 11. v. 5. Vocation to saluation is of Grace 2. Tim. 1. 9. Faith is of grace Phil. 1. 29. Iustification is freely by Grace Rom. 3. 24. Loue is by grace 1. Ioh. 4. 9. Euery good inclination is of grace Phil. 2. 13. Euery good worke is of grace Ezech. 36. 27. Eph. 2. 10. Life euerlasting is of grace Rom. 6. 23. To auoide any euill is the least good and euery good is of God It may be said that will in man is the cause and beginning of some good things Answer In the creating or imprinting of the first grace in the heart will is no cause at all but a subiect to receiue the grace giuen After the first grace is giuen will is an Agent in the receiuing of the second grace and in the doing of any good worke Yet this must be remembred that when will is an agent it is no more but an instrument of grace and grace in God is properly the first middle and last cause of grace in vs and of euery good acte Hence it followes that there be not any meritorious workes that serue to prepare men to their iustification and that the Cooperation of mans will with grace in the acte of conuersion whereby we are conuerted of God is but a fiction of the braine of man Lastly this doctrine is the foundation of humilitie for it teacheth vs to ascribe all to grace and nothing to our selues Secondly we learne that the cheife good things to be sought for are the fauour of God in Christ and the peace of a good conscience Consider the example of Dauid Psal. 4. v. 7. Psal. 73. v. 24 25. and of Paul who accounted all things dung for grace and peace in Christ. And the peace of good conscience is as a guard to keepe our hearts and minds in Christ. Phil. 4. 7. The fault of most men is They spend their daies and their strength in seeking riches honours pleasures and they thinke not on grace and peace After the manner of beasts they vse the blessings of god but they looke not at the cause namely the grace of God Our dutie Aboue all things to seeke
that of Paul because there is but one but it is an inuention of the brame of man But there be some that is but I plainely perceiue the cause of your reuolt that some trouble you and seeke to ouerthrowe the Gospell of Christ. In these words two points are to be considered The first is the manner which Paul vseth in reproouing the Galatians He tenders their good and saluation and seeks by all meanes their recouerie And therefore in his reproofe he doth two things First he reprooues them with meekenesse and tendernesse of heart following his owne rule Gal. 6. 1. for he might iustly haue said ye may be ashamed that ye are remooued to another Gospell but he saith onely I maruell that is I was well perswaded of you and I hoped for better things but I am deceiued I wonder at it Secondly he frames his reproofe with great warinesse circumspection for he saith not ye of your selues doe remooue to another Gospell but ye are remooued and thus he blames them but in part and laies the principall blame on others Againe he saith not ye were remooued but in the time present ye are remooued that is ye are in the acte of Reuolting and haue not as yet altogither reuolted And hereby he puts them in minde that although they be in a fault yet there is nothing done which may not easily be vndone According to his example we are in all Reproofes to shewe loue and to keepe loue to shewe loue to the partie reprooued and to frame our reproofe so as we may keepe his loue The second point is the fault reprooued and that is the Reuolt of the Galatians which was a departure from the calling whereby they were called to the grace of Christ. If it be demaÌ„ded what kind of Reuolt this was I answer there be two kinds of reuolt particular and generall Particular when men professe the name of Christ and yet depart from the faith in some principall points thereof Of this kinde was the Apostacie of the tenne tribes and such is the Apostacie of the Romane Church A generall reuolt is when men wholly forsake the faith name of Christ. Thus doe the Iewes and Turkes at this day Againe a reuolte is sometime of weakenesse and humane frailtie and sometime of obstinacie Nowe the reuolt of the Galatians was onely particular in the point of iustification and of weakenesse and not of obstinacie and this Paul signifies when he saith they were carried by others Of this Reuoâ—t 4. things are to be considered The time so soone from whome or what from the doctrine of Paul consequently the grace of Christ. To what to another Gospell By meanes of whome but some trouble you c. Touching the time it was short They were soone carried away This shewes the lightnesse and inconstancie of mans nature specially in matter of religion While Moses tarried in the mount Aaron and the people set vp a golden calfe and departed from God Osea saith The righteousnesse of the Israelites was like the morning dewe which the rising of the sunne consumeth chap. 6. 4. Iohn was a burning light the Iewes reioyced in this light that is well but marke what is added for an houre or moment Iohn 5. 35. They which cried Osanna to the sonne of Dauid shortly after cried Crucifie him crucifie him The crosse and persecution will make men call the Gospell in question if not forsake it Luk. 8. 13. The multitude of people among vs are like waxe and are fit to take the stampe and impression of any religion and it is the law of the land that makes the most imbrace the Gospell not conscience That we may constantly perseuere in the profession of the true faith both in life and death first we must receiue the Gospell simply for it selfe because it is the Gospell of Christ and not for any other by-respect Secondly we must be mortified and renewed in the spirit of our mindes and suffer no by-corners in our hearts where secret vnbeleefe secret hypocrisie and spirituall pride may lurke and lie hid from the eies of men Heb. 3. 12. Thirdly we must not onely be hearers of the word but also doers of it in the principall duties to be practised of faith conuersion and newe obedience To come to the second point when Paul saith the Galatians were remooued from him that called them that is himselfe he shewes Christian modestie because speaking things praise-worthie of himselfe he speaks in the third person from him that hath called c. The like he doeth 2. Cor. 12. I knowe a man taken vp into the third heauen that is himselfe And Iohn saith the disciple that leaned on the breast of Christ whome Christ loued asked whome he meant Ioh. 13. 23. After this practise we are to giue praise to God and to his instruments but neither to praise nor dispraise our selues This is Christian ciuilitie to be ioyned with our faith Secondly when he saith who hath called you in the grace of Christ we learne that the scope of the Gospel is to bring men to the grace of Christ. To this very ende God hath vouchsafed vs in England the Gospel more then fourtie yeares And therefore our words and deedes and liues should be seasoned with grace and sauour of it and shew forth the grace of God Secondly we owe vnto God great thankfulnes and we can neuer be sufficiently thankefull for this benefit that God calls vs to his grace But it is otherwise the sunne is a goodly creature yet because we see it daily it is not regarded and so it is with the grace of God Thirdly the Galatians are remooued not onely from the doctrine of Paul but also from the grace of God And the reason is because they ioyned the workes of the law with Christ and his grace in the cause of their iustification and saluation Here it must be obserued that they which make an vnion of grace and workes in the cause of iustification are separated from the grace of God Grace admits no partner or fellow Grace must be freely giuen euery way or it is no way grace Hence it followes that the present Church of Rome is departed from the grace of God because it makes a concurrence of grace and workes in the iustification of a sinner before God and we may not make any reconciliation with that Church in religion because it is become an enemie of the grace of God The third point is To what thing the Galatians reuolt to another Gospel that is to a better gospel then that which Paul taught compounded of Christ and the workes of the law And this forged gospel the false apostles taught and the Galatians quickly receiued Here we see the curious nicenes and daintines of mans nature that cannot be content with the good things of God vnlesse they be framed to our minds and if they please vs for a while they doe not please vs long but we must haue new
the rest were eie-witnesses and eare-witnesses of the sayings and doings of Christ and in that they were guided by the infallible assistance of the spirit both in preaching and writing their Testimonie touching the things which they wrote must needes be authenticall If it be said that counterfeit writings may be published to the world vnder the name of the Apostles I answer if they were in the daies of the Apostles they by their authoritie cut them off and therefore Paul saith If any teach otherwise let him be accursed And they prouided that no counterfeits should be foisted vnder their names after their departure And hereupon Iohn the last of the Apostles concludes the new Testament with this clause If any man shall adde vnto these things God shall adde vnto him the plagues that are written in this booke Reu. 22. 18. If any demand of what value is the testimonie of the Church I answer consider the Church distinct from the Apostles and then the testimonie thereof is farre inferiour to the Apostolicall testification concerning the word of God For the Church is to be ruled by the testimonie of the Apostles in the written word and the sentence of the Church is not alwaies and altogether certen nor ioyned with that euidence of the spirit wherewith euery testimonie Apostolicall is accompanied Furthermore that we may be capable of these two testimonies and take the benefit thereof we our selues for our parts must yeilde subiection and obedience to the word of God In this our obedience shall we be assured that it is indeed of God as our Sauiour Christ saith Ioh. 7. v. 17. This doctrine touching the certentie of the word is of great vse For when the minde and conscience by meanes of the double testimonie before mentioned plainely apprehends it there is foundation laid of the feare of God and of iustifying faith before we be assured that the scripture is the word of God it is not possible that we should conceiue and hold a faith in the promises of God And the want of this certentie in many is an open gappe to heresie apostacie Atheisme and all iniquitie Secondly by this it appeares that the Church of Rome erreth grossely in teaching that we cannot knowe the scripture to be the word of God without the testimonie of the Church in these latter times and that without it we could haue no certentie of religion whereas the testimonie of the spirit or the euidence thereof in scripture with the testimonie of the Apostles will doe the deede sufficiently though the Church should be silent The second maine point is That it is necessarie that men should be assured in their consciences that the calling and authoritie of their teachers is of God It may be demanded howe we in these daies should be assured hereof I answer thus a diuers consideration must be had of the first Ministers of the Gospel and of their successors Touching the first Ministers and planters of the Gospel within these 80. yeares We must consider that a calling is of two sorts Ordinarie and Extraordinarie Ordinarie is when God calls by the voices and consent of men following the laws of his word Extraordinarie is when God calls otherwise And this he doth 3. waies first by immediate voice Thus God called Abraham and Moses and thus were the Apostles called The second is by the message of a creature Thus Aaron and the tribe of Leui was called by Moses Elizeus by Elias Philip was called by an angel to baptize the Eunuch Act. 8. 26. The third is by instinct Thus Philip a deacon preached in Samaria Act. 8. 14. Thus the men of Cyprus and Cyrene preached among the Gentiles and the hand of God was with them though otherwise they were but priuate persons Act. 11. 19 20. Of this kind was the calling of the first preachers of the Gospel It may be obiected that they did not confirme their callings and doctrine by miracles which they should haue done if their callings had beene extraordinarie I answer they preached no new doctrine but the old auntient doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles which they had heretofore confirmed by miracles Now old doctrine needes no newe miracles but new doctrine such as are the Popes decrees decretals Againe it may be alleadged that men may falsly pretend extraordinarie calling I answer if three rules be obserued they cannot The first is that extraordinarie neuer takes place but when there is no roome for ordinarie The second that they which plead a calling extraordinarily must be tried by the word both for doctrine and life for this is an infallible way to discouer false teachers Math. 7. 22. Deut. 13. 1. 5. Iohns authoritie is said to be from heauen because his baptisme that is his doctrine was so Luk. 20. 2. The third is that extraordinarie teachers in these last daies after they haue brought men to receiue the Gospel are to be ordained as other ordinarie ministers after the laws of gods word For they are not extraordinarie in respect of their doctrine which is the doctrine of the word nor in respect of their office or function in which regard they are Pastors teachers and not Apostles or Euangelists but their callings are extraordinarie in respect of the common abuse of the office of teaching and in respect of the common corruption of doctrine These 3. rules as caueats obserued we may easily perceiue who are called extraordinarily who not and they are all fully verified in the first preachers of the Gospell Thirdly it is obiected that they which are lawfully called are ordained by them whose auncetours haue bene successiuely ordained by the Apostles I answer Succession is threefold The first is of persons and doctrine joyntly together and this was in the Primitiue Church The second is of persons alone and this may be among infidels and heretikes The third is of doctrine alone And thus our Ministers succeede the Apostles And this is sufficient For this Rule must be remembred that the Power of the keyes that is of order and iurisdiction is tied by God and annexed in the new Testament to doctrine If in Turkie or America or els where the Gospel should be receiued of men by the counsell and perswasion of priuate persons they shall not neede to send into Europe for consecrated Ministers but they haue power to choose their owne Ministers from within themselues because where God giues the word he giues the power also Touching the Successours of the first preachers their calling was altogether ordinarie and they were ordained of their predecessours It is obiected that their callings are corrupt I answer thus All actions Ecclesiasticall that tende to binding or loosing appertaine properly to the person of Christ and men are but ministers and instruments thereof And therefore to call men to the ministerie and dispensation of the Gospel belongs to Christ who alone giueth the power the will the deede And the Church can doe no more but testifie
are first to be taught and that by men where reuelation is wanting This kind of teaching is the foundation of the schoole of the Prophets and it hath bin from the beginning The Patriarkes till Moses were Prophets in their families they taught not onely their families in generall but also their first borne that they might succeede as Prophets after them There were 48. cities of the Leuites dispersed through all the tribes where not onely the people were taught but also schooles erected that they might be taught which were to be Priests and Leuites Num. 37. One citie among the rest is called Cireath sephar Iosu. 15. 15. that is the citie of bookes or as we say the Vniversitie Samuel a yong man was sent to the Tabernacle in Shilo to be taught and trained vp of Eli the Priest Samuel when he was iudge of Israel erected Colledges of Prophets and ruled them himselfe 1. Sam. 10. In the decaied estate of the ten tribes Elias and Elizeus set vp schooles of the Prophets in Bethel Carmel c. and the yong students were called the sonnes of the Prophets 2. king 2. 3. Christ himselfe beside the sermons made to the people trained vp and taught himselfe his 12. Apostles and his 70. disciples Paul commaunds Timothie to teach that which he had learned to such as shal be fit to teach others 2. Tim. 2. 2. Furthermore this teaching is of great vse For it serues to maintaine the true interpretation of scripture the puritie of doctrine and it is a meanes to continue the ministerie to the ende of the world The meanest arte or trade that is is not learned without great teaching then much more teaching is required in diuinitie which is the arte of all arts The true interpretation of scripture and the right cutting of the word is a matter of great difficultie and a matter whatsoeuer men think of the greatest learning in the world Therefore it is necessarie that teachers should first be taught and learne aright the Gospel of Christ. Eleauen hundred yeares after Christ men began to lay aside Moses and the Prophets and the writings of the new Testament and to expound the writings of men as the Sentences of Peter Lumbard Hence ignorance superstition idolatrie come headlong into the world Seeing then the teaching of them that are to be teachers is of such antiquitie and vse all men are to be exhorted to put to their helping hands that this thing may goe forward Princes are to maintaine it by their bountifulnesse and authoritie as they haue done and doe still and that which they doe they must doe it more Parents must dedicate the fittest of their children to the seruice of God in the ministerie and not to vse it in the last place for a shift as they doe For commonly the eldest must be the heire the next the lawyer the youngest the diuine Students must loue and affect this calling aboue all other 1. Cor. 14. 1. Lastly all men must make praier that God would prosper and blesse all Schooles of learning where this kind of teaching is in vse Here againe it appeares that Christ is God and more then a meere man because he is opposed to man and that Paul receiued authoritie and the keies of the kingdome of heauen immediately of Christ as well as Peter 13. For ye haue heard of my conuersation in time past howe that I persecuted the Church of God extreamely and wasted it 14. And profitted in the Iewish religion aboue many of my companions of mine owne nation and was much more zealous of the Traditions of my fathers In the former verse the Apostle set downe that he learned the Gospel not of man but of Iesus Christ immediately This in the next place he goes about to prooue at large His reason is framed thus If I learned the Gospell of any man I learned it either before or after my conuersion but I learned it neither before nor after my conuersion of any man The first part of his reason is here confirmed thus before my calling and conuersion I professed Iudaisme and I liued accordingly persecuting the Church and suppressing the Gospel of Christ and profiting in my religion aboue many others therefore I was not then fit to heare and learne the Gospell of Christ of any man This argument he further confirmes by the testimonie of the Galatians thus That this was my conuersation in Iudaisme ye are witnesses for ye haue heretofore heard as much In the example of Paul two points are generally to be considered The first that the distinction of man and man ariseth not of the will or naturall disposition of man but of the grace and mercie of God For Paul an Elect vessell for nature and disposition before his conuersion is as wicked as any other And he saith Rom. 9. 11. that the difference betweene man and man before God is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth but in God that sheweth mercie Therefore it is a Pelagian errour to thinke that men doing that which they can doe by nature occasion God to giue them supernatural grace The second point is that Paul here makes an open and ingenious confession of his wicked life past And hence I gather that this Apostle and consequently the rest writ the scriptures of the new Testament by the instinct of Gods spirit and not by humane pollicie which no doubt would haue mooued them to haue couered and concealed their owne faults and not to haue blazed their owne shame to the world And therefore the bookes of scripture are not bookes of pollicie as Atheists suppose to keepe men in awe but they are the very word of God Againe the end of this plaine confessiō is that Paul might thereby cōfirme and iustifie his owne calling to the office of an Apostle This serues to giue a checke to such persons as vse to sit and rehearse their wicked liues past in boasting and reioycing manner In Pauls example there be two things to be considered his profession before his calling and his conuersation His profession was Iudaisme and this hindred him from imbracing the gospell It may here be demanded what Iudaisme or the Iewish religion is Answer In the daies of Christ and the Apostles there were three speciall sects among the Apostles Esseis Sadduceis and Pharises And the Pharises were the principall and their doctrine was commonly imbraced of the Iewes And therefore by Iudaisme as I take it Phariseisme is here meant Nowe the principall doctrines of the Pharises were these I. They held that there was one God and that this God was the father without any distinction of persons for when Christ mentioned the distinction of the father and the sonne they would not acknowledge it Iohn 8. 19. II. They acknowledged in the Messias but one nature for when it was asked thē howe Christ beeing the sonne of Dauid should neuerthelesse be his Lord they could not answer Math. 22. III. They held that the
kingdome of the Messias was an earthly kingdome and with this opinion the Disciples of Christ were tain â—ed IV. They held that the keeping of the morall lawe stood in externall obedience as appeares by the speeches of Christ reforming their errours Math. 5. 6. 7. chap. V. They maintained a naturall freedome of the will in the obseruing of the law Luk. 18. Lord I thanke thee saith the Pharisie I doe thus thus VI. They held a iustification by the workes of the lawe without the obedience of the Messias Rom. 9. 3. VII Beside the written word and law of Moses they had many vnwritten traditions which they obserued precisely and the obseruation of them was accounted the worship of God Math. 15. 3. 9. Other points they held but these are the principall It may further be demaunded how the Iewes could hold such hereticall damnable opinions and yet be the people of God Answer They had for their parts forsaken God but God had not forsaken them because the Temple was yet standing and the sacrifices with the outward worship yet remained among them In this regard they were still a reputed people of God Againe they are called a people of God not of the bigger but of the better part and the better part was a small remnant of them that truely feared God and beleeued in the Messias Of which sort were Ioseph Marie Zacharie Elizabeth Simeon Anna Ioseph of Arimathia Nicodemus Againe it may be demanded howe the Iewes beeing such a people of God should fall away to so daÌ„nable a religion Answer They neither loued nor obeyed the doctrine of Moses and the Prophets and therefore God in iudgment left them to the blindenesse of their owne mindes and the hardnesse of their own hearts Isai. 6. The like may be our case If we loue and obey not the Gospel more then we haue done our religion may ende in ignorance superstition and prophanenesse as theirs hath done The second thing in Pauls example is his conuersation whereby he liued and conuersed according to his religion The like should be in vs. For the profession of the faith and godly conuersation are to goe together Phil. 1. 27. Faith in the hart is a light and workes are the shining of this light Math. 5. 16. Christ hath redeemed them that beleeue from their vaine conuersation 1. Pet. 1. 18. Heere many of vs doe amisse disioyning faith and good life And this fault is the greater because it is an occasion to our aduersaries to mislike and reiect our religion Pauls conuersation hath two partes his persequution of the church and his profiting in his religion Persequution properly is the afflicting of the people of god for their faith and religion In this we are not to follow Paul but to doe the contrary that is by all meanes to seeke the good of the church After Gods glory immediatly we are to seeke the comming and aduancement of the kingdome of God Now this kingdome is a certen estate and condition of men whereby they stand subiect to the word and spirit of God And this subiection to God and Christ is the propertie of them that be members of the church of God All both rich and poore conferred something according to their abilitie to the building of the Temple which figured the church of God The fault of our times is that we build our selues and our worldly estates and little respect the common good of the church In the persequution of the church by Paul two pointes are to be considered the manner and measure or accomplishment The manner is that he persequuted the church extreamely or aboue measure That which Paul did in his religioÌ„ we must doe in ours The good things that we are to doe we must doe them with all our might Eccles. 9. 10. our dutie is to keepe our hartes in the feare of God and we must doe it with all diligence Prou. 4. 24. It is our duty to seeke gods kingdome and we must take it with violence To enter into life is our duty and we must striue to enter To pray is our duty and we must wrastle in praier Rom. 15. 30. Iosias turnes to God with all his harte The law requires that we should loue God with all the powers of body and soule and with all the strengh of all the powers In earthly things we must moderate our thoughtes cares but spirituall duties must be performed with all our might The accomplishment of persequution is that Paul wasted the church and made hauocke of it Here I consider 2. points what is wasted who is the waster For the first it is the church Here 2. questioÌ„s may be demaÌ„ded the firist is how the church can be wasted Answer In respect of the inward estate thereof which standes in election faith iustification glorification it cannot be wasted In respect of his outward estate it may be wasted that is in respect of mens bodies and in regard of the publike assemblies and the exercises of religion The second question is why God suffers his enemies to wast his owne church Answer Iudgement beginnes in Gods house and his iudgements sometime are very sharpe whether they be inflicted for triall or correction of sinnes past or for the preuenting of sinnes to come As in the bodie sometime there is no hope of life except armes and legges be cut off euen so is it in the church Hence it appeares that there shall be a last iudgement and that there is a life euerlasting in heauen because the wicked man florisheth in this world and the godly are often oppressed The waster of the church is Paul By whome we learne that sinne where it takes place giues a man no rest till it hath brought him to a height of wickednes Hatred hauing entred into Caines heart leaues him not till it haue caused him to imbrue his hands in his brothers bloud Coueteousnes makes Iudas at length to betray his master and hange himselfe Blind zeale makes Paul not only to persequute but also to wast the church Therefore it is good to auoide the first beginnings yea the very occasion of sinne The second part and point in Pauls conuersion is that he profittes in his religion Thus should we profit in the gospell of Christ. It is gods commandement be ye perfect as your heauenly father is perfect that is indeuour to come to perfection All the faith we haue or can obtaine is little enough in the time of temptation Iob that said in his affliction though the Lord kill mee I will still trust in him saith also that God wrot bitter things against him and made him to possesse the sinnes of his youth It is a token that a man is dead in his sinnes when he doth not growe or increase in good things 1. Pet. 2. 2. In this regard great is the fault of our daies for many are wearie of the gospell many stand at a staie without profiting many goe backward The cause
obedience is that Paul did not communicate with men that is conferre and consult with them touching his doctrine and calling And this he amplifies by a comparison thus He did not consult with any man no not the Apostles of Hierusalem And he addes a reason of his doing because they were but flesh and blood in respect of God and indeede it is vnmeete to consult with men touching the matters of God Hence I gather that Gods word whether preached or written doth not depend on the authoritie of any man no not on the authoritie of the Apostles themselues it is sufficient to authorize it selfe Christ receiues not the testimonie of man Iohn 5. 34. And it is an errour to thinke that the Church doth authorize the word and religion in the consciences of men For the Church it selfe is founded on the word The Church cannot consist without faith nor faith without the word Secondly hence I gather that there is no consultation or deliberation to be vsed at any time touching the holding or not holding of our religion He that will followe Christ may not put his hand to the plough and then looke backe againe to his friends to see what they will say Luke 9 61. He that would be wise must denie his owne wisdome and become a foole 1. Cor. 3. 18. The three children would not consult touching the worshipping of the image but said be it knowne to thee O king that we will not worship thy gods Dan. 3. When the iudge gaue Cyprian the martyr leaue to deliberate a while whether he would denie his religion he answered that in diuine matters deliberation is not to be vsed By this I gather that the Schoolemen haue done euill which haue turned all diuinitie into Questions and haue made of the articles of our faith a questionarie diuinitie Secondly by this we are taught that in the day of triall we may not consult of the change of religion but we must be resolute and tread vnder foote the perswasions of flesh and blood Thirdly our obedience to God must be without consultation We must first trie what is the will of God and then absolutely put it in exequution leauing the issue to God Abram is called of god to forsake his countrie kindred Gen. 12. he derectly then giues attendance to the commandement and goes as it were blind fold he knowes not whither God promised him a childe in his old age he beleeues God without any reasoning or disputing the case with himselfe too or fro Rom 4. 20. But the common manner is though we knowe the will of God to dispute the case and to consult with our friends and to practise according to carnall counsell Eue listens to the counsell of Satan and neglects Gods commandement Saul beeing forbidden to offer Sacrifice in Gilgal till Samuel came to doe it consults with himselfe whether he may doe it or no and followes his owne reason against Gods commandement and lost his kingdome for it And this kind of deliberation whereby mē consult what is to be done is the cause of the manifold rebellions of men in the world In that man is tearmed here flesh and blood we are taught not to put confidence in man we are taught to humble our selues before God we are taught euery day to prepare our selues against the day of death and the day of iudgement yea to account euery new day as the day of death because we are but flesh and blood The third point is where Paul first preached namely in Arabia and Damascus Arabia is a region of the world where Mount Sina standes and where the children of Israel wandered 40. yeares The inhabitants thereof were of two forts some more ciuill and some barbarous Ciuill as the Israelites Amalechites Madianites c. Yet were they professed enemies of the people of God Barbarous as the Easterne part of Arabia to ward Babylon For the inhabitants dwelt in Tents and liued like wilde and sauage men by robbing and stealing and consequently by killing Isai. 13. 20. Ierem. 3. 2. Here we see Pauls estate and condition when he first begins the exequution of his Apostolicall function God then laies vpon him a sharpe and waightie triall For he goes alone into Arabia and he must become a teacher to his owne professed enemies yea to a sauage generation of whose conuersion he had no hope in mans reason And this hath bin an vsuall dealing of God with his owne seruants When Moses was called to deliuer the Israelites and was in the way the Lord for a defect in his family comes against him to destroy him Exod. 4. 24. Da uid is annointed king of Israel and withall Saul is raised vp to persecute him and to hunt him as men hunt Partridges in the mountaines Ionas is called to preach to Niniue and withall God forsakes him and leaues him to himselfe so as he is cast into the sea and deuoured of a fish and after this beeing deliuered he must goe preach at Niniue When Christ was in his baptisme as it were inaugurated the Doctor of the Church presently after before he begun to preach he is carried into the wildernesse to be with wild beasts and to be tempted of the deuill Mar. 1. v. 12. And the reasons of this dealing of God are manifest by this meanes sinnefull men are made fit for the office of teaching For the saying is true Reading praier and temptation make a Diuine Againe by this meanes they are caused to depend on the prouidence and protection of God and they are made fit for the assistance and presence of Gods spirit who dwels onely with them that are of humble and contrite hearts Nowe then let not them that in any notable change of their liues finde notable temptations be discouraged for this is a condition that befalls them by a wise and speciall prouidence of God For it was the spirit of God that led Christ into the wildernesse to be tempted after his baptisme Againe here we are taught to acknowledge three things in God His power in that he sets vp his kingdome where it is most oppugned and raignes in the middest of his owne enemies namely the wicked and sauage Arabians according to that in the Psalme 110. v. 2. His goodnes in that he sends Paul to preach repentance to the people that are in the snare of the deuill at his will 2. Tim. 2. 26. His trueth in that he nowe fulfils things foretold by Dauid Psal. 72. 10. The kings of Sheba Saba shall bring gifts that is Ethiopians and Arabians 18. Then after three yeares I came againe to Ierusalem to visit Peter and abode with him fifteene daies Paul hauing prooued before that he learned not the Gospel of any man no not of the Apostles at Hierusalem goes about nowe to answer exceptions that might be made against his reason And first of all it might haue beene obiected that he was seene at Hierusalem sundrie times and therefore in all likelyhood
is the time when in these words then after fourteene yeares Here two questions are to be demaunded The first is of which of his iourneies must this be vnderstood for he made fiue iournies to Ierusalem The first from Arabia the second when he and Barnabas were sent by the Church of the Gentiles to carrie almes to Ierusalem the third when he went to the Councell at Ierusalem the fourth when he went vp for the keeping of his vowe the last is mentioned Act. 19. 21. Answ. These words are not spoken of the first for that was but three yeares after his conuersion neither can they well be vnderstood of the second because Paul then was sent by the Church and therefore he went not by reuelation And they cannot well be vnderstood of the third for then Paul would here haue mentioned the Councell of Ierusalem whereof he was a principall member specially seeing he hath occasion so to doe and it serued much for his purpose The fourth fifth iourneys were after a longer time then fourteene yeares It is likely therefore that this iourney here mentioned and described by Paul is none of the fiue mentioned by Luke but some other The second question is When these fourteene yeares must beginne Ans. It is vncerten Some thinke they must beginne at his conuersion some three yeares after when Paul went first to Ierusalem and either may be a truth None must here take offeÌ„ce For though circumstances of time and place beeing things of lesse moment cannot alwaies be certenly gathered yet histories for their substance and doctrines pertaining to saluation are plainly set downe And here we are put in minde to be content to be ignorant in some things because the spirit of God hath more darkly expressed them or againe because we cannot by reason of our blindnes gather them The third point is concerning the companions of Paul in this iourney namely Barnabas and Titus And Paul takes them with him that they might be witnesses to the Iewes of the doctrine he taught among the Gentiles and againe to the Gentiles of the consent that was betweene him and the rest of the Apostles For the law of God is that euery matter shall be established by the testimonie of two or three witnesses Hence we learne that if a question arise of the doctrine which is deliuered in the publike Ministerie then the hearers that are able to iudge must be witnesses and the triall is to be made by them Thus saith Christ in the like case Why aske ye me aske them that heard me Ioh. 18. 21. Therefore great care and circumspection is to be had of things publikely deliuered Againe whereas Paul makes Barnabas a Iew and Titus a Gentile his companions we are taught to imbrace with a brotherly loue not onely the men of our owne countrey but also such as be of other nations specially if they beleeue For then they are all children of one father and pertaine all to one familie and there is no difference of nations now It is a fault therefore that men of one nation carrie in their hearts a generall dislike and hatred oftentimes of them with whome they deale and conuerse and that because they are of such or such countries The fourth point is the cause of his iourney in these words and I went by reuelation Here we are taught that for the iournies we make we are to haue some good and sufficient warrant though not a reuelation yet a commandement or that which counteruailes a commandement as when we trauaile by vertue of our callings When Noe had made the Arke he enters into it at Gods commandement he abides in it and when the earth was in part dried he presumes not to goe out till the Lord bad him Here three sorts of men are to be blamed Pilgrimes that trauell to Ierusalem or other countries in way of merit or religion For they haue no warrant Secondly trauellers that goe from countrey to countrey and out of the precincts of the Church vpon vaine curiositie to see fashions Such when they trauell from their own countries yet they trauell not from their vices but rather goe deeper into them and come home againe with many bad and corrupt fashions The last are beggers Rogues that passe from place to place that they may'l ue in idlenes vpoÌ„ the sweat of other mens brows Thus much of the iourney now followes the Conference in these words and I communicated c. Here generally I gather that Conferences both priuate and publike are laudible and to be maintained specially when they tend to the maintenance of vniâ—ie and consent in doctrine The Papists blame vs Protestants for condemning Conferences as they say and Councells But they doe vs wrong Indeede the Councell of Trent we reiect and condemne For in it against all equitie the Pope was both partie and iudge In it there was no libertie to make triall of truth For nothing was propounded but by the liking and consent of the Pope Againe the whole Councell consisted of such as were of the Italian faction whose faith was pinned on the Popes sleeue Neuerthelesse we allow all Christian Councells lawfully gathered and we desire there might be a Generall Councell for the triall of truth and for the staying of vnsetled minds these three caueats beeing remembred One that the Councell be gathered by Christian Princes to whom the right of calling a Councell belongs The other that the Pope be no iudge but a partie The third that Christ in his word be the iudge and that the Delegates in the Councell be but as witnesses determining all things by the written word In this conference we are first to consider the manner of conferring which was vsed Paul saith he communicated with them that is he laid downe vnto them and expounded the Gospel which he preached and this he did priuatly that is with the Apostles one by one in plaine and familiar manner as one friend doth with an other Therefore for the maintaining of this conference there was no assembly made neither was there any disputation held Onely Paul declares his doctrine and they giue assent Hence it appeares that Paul doth not submit the truth of his doctrine to triall For he was resolued of it and he accursed him that taught otherwise but his intent was to seeke the approbation of the Apostles that he might stop the mouth of his aduersaries The second point is the matter of the conference and that is the Gospel which Paul preached Here the Papist gathereth that the Church is the iudge in all questions pertaining to religion and the word because it is here the thing that is iudged I answer first that they gather amisse For Paul doeth not here submit the Gospel which he preached to the iudgement of the Church of Ierusalem And it is false which they teach for the soueraigne Iudge of all questions and controuersies in religion is Christ alone The power to determine and resolue in cases
the world be worse then the life of a beast Againe in these words who hath loued me and giuen himselfe for me the nature and propertie of iustifying faith is set down which is to Applie the loue of God and the merit of the passion of Christ vnto our selues And therefore the Papists are deceiued who say that hope applieth and not faith It may be alleadged that Paul speakes these words priuately of himselfe Ans. He speakes them in the name of all beleeuers Iewes and Gentiles For as we may see in the former verses that which concerned Peter and the rest of Christian Iewes he applies to himselfe least his speech should seeme odious Againe it may be obiected that all beleeuers cannot say thus Christ hath loued me and giuen himselfe for me Ans. If the minde be fixed on Christ and there be also a will and indeauour to beleeue and apprehend Christ there is faith indeede For God accepts the true and earnest will to beleeue for faith We are not saued for the perfection of our faith but for the perfection of the obedience of Christ which faith apprehendeth The Israelites which looked vpon the brasen serpent with one eye or with a squint-eye with halfe an eye or dimme sight were healed not for the goodnes of their sight but for the promise of God The poore in spirit are blessed Now they are poore in spirit who finde themselues emptie of all goodnes emptie of true faith full of vnbeleefe and vnfainedly desire to beleeue So then if we greeue because we cannot beleeue as we should and earnestly desire to beleeue God accepts vs for beleeuers Againe in these words who hath loued me and giuen himselfe for me S. Paul sets downe the reason or argument which faith vseth in the minde regenerate to mooue men to liue to God And the reason is framed thus Christ loueth thee and hath giuen himselfe for thee therefore see thou liue to God Read the like Rom. 12. 1. and 2. 4. and Psal. 116. 12. By this we are to take occasion to consider and to bewaile the hardnes of our hearts who doe not relent from our euill waies and turne vnto God vpon the consideration of his loue in Christ. The waters of the Sanctuarie haue long flowed vnto vs but they haue not sweetned vs and made vs sauerie therefore it is to be feared least our habitations be at length turned to places of nettles and saltpits Eze. 7. 11. 21 I doe not abrogate the grace of God for if righteousnes be by the law then Christ died without cause The meaning Grace in Scriptures signifieth two things the free fauour of God and the gifts of God in vs. And where the holy Ghost intreates of iustification grace in the first sense signifies the good will and fauour of God pardoning sinnes and accepting vs to life euerlasting for the merit of Christ. 2. Tim. 1. 9. Eph. 2. 8. And in this sense is the word vsed in this place And when Paul saith I doe not abrogate the grace of God his meaning is I doe not make void or frustrate the grace of God in respect of my selfe or in respect of other beleeuers by teaching the iustification of a sinner by saith alone He addes If righteousnes be by the law that is if a sinner be iustified by his owne obedience in performing the law then Christ died without cause The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 freely translated without cause hath a double signification One is when it signifies as much as without price or merit Math. 10. 8. Ye haue receiued freely giue freely The second is when it signifies rashly without iust or sufficient cause as Psal. 69. 4. Mine enemies hate me freely as the Seuentie translate that is wrongfully or without iust cause Thus here is Christ said to die freely that is in vaine or without cause because if we be iustified by obedience to the law then Christ died in vaine to make any satisfaction to the law for vs. These words are an answer to an obiection The obiection is this If thou teach that a sinner is iustified onely by his faith in Christ then thou abolishest the grace of God The answer is negatiue I doe not by this doctrine abrogate the grace of God And there is a reason also of this answer If we be iustified by our owne fulfilling of the law then Christ died in vaine to fulfill the law for vs. The vse First let vs marke that Paul saith he doth not abrogate the grace of God and why because he will suffer nothing in the cause of our iustification to be ioyned with the obedience of the death of Christ. And hence we learne what is the nature of grace It must stand wholly and intirely in it selfe Gods grace cannot stand with mans merit Grace is no grace vnlesse it be freely giuen euery way Rom. 4. 4. To him that worketh the wages is giuen not of grace but of desert Rom. 11. 6. If election be of grace then not of workes els is grace no grace Grace and works of grace in the causing of iustification can no more stand together then fire and water By this we are admonished to be nothing in our selues and to ascribe all that we are or can doe to the grace of God Againe here we see our dutie and that is to be carefull not to abrogate the grace of God vnto our selues But how is that done Ans. We must strippe and emptie our selues of all righteousnesse and goodnesse of our owne euen to the death and withall hunger and thirst after Christ and his righteousnes Math. 5. 6. Luk. 1. 35. Thirdly Paul here sets downe a notable ground of true religion That the death of Christ is made voide if any thing be ioyned with it in the worke of our iustification as a meanes to satisfie Gods iustice and to merit the fauour of God Therefore the doctrine of iustification by workes is a manifest errour For if we be iustified by the workes of the law then the iudgement of the holy Ghost is that Christ died without cause Againe the doctrine of humane satisfactions is a deuice of mans braine For if we satisfie for our selues then did Christ by death satisfie in vaine Thirdly it is a false and wicked though a colourable inuention to say that Christ by his death merited that we should merit by our workes For if we merit by workes Christ died in vaine to merit by his owne death This is the sentence of God who cannot erre Lastly here we see the Church of Rome erreth in the foundation of true religion because it ioyneth the merit of mans workes and the merit of the death of Christ in the iustification of a sinner And therefore we may not so much as dreame of any reconciliation to be made with that religion for light and darknes cannot be reconciled nor fire and water Here the Papists answer that Paul in this text speakes against them that looked to be iustified by
the multitude among vs place their religion in comming to the Church in outward hearing in receiuing the sacrament in some kind of formall praying These things may not be condemned but the power and life of religion lies not in these things Wherefore we must not stand vpon outward painted shewes but looke what thou art betweene God and thy selfe that onely art thou in religion Thou praiest in the church but thou maist deceiue the world in this Tell me dost thou pray at home dost thou pray in thine owne heart vnto God by the spirit of praier then thou praiest indeede If thou canst approoue thy heart vnto God for any act of religion then is it done indeede els not Remember this Furthermore Paul here teacheth that our after proceedings in religion must be answerable to our first beginnings in the spirit And hence we may be aduertised of many things First here we must take notice of the follie of Popish religion For it beginnes in Gods mercie and the merit of Christ and it ends in our merits and satisfactions Secondly we must take notice of the common sinne of our times For in the practise of our religion we are deceiued We are not now that which we haue bin twentie or thirtie yeares agoe For now we see the world abounds with Atheists Epicures libertines worldlings newters that are of no religion and sundrie that haue heretofore shewed some forwardnes beginne to faulter and stagger and to looke an other way This is not to begin and ende in the spirit but to end in the flesh We are betime to amend this fault least if our former zeale be turned to present lukewarmes God in in his anger spue vs out Yong men must here be aduertised as they grow in yeares and stature so to grow vp in good things that both the first beginning and the after proceedings may be in the spirit Thus did Christ increase in grace as he increased in stature Lastly aged persons that haue begunne in the spirit must looke that they grow vp in the graces of the spirit more then others that they may end in the spirit It is said of the angel of Thiatira that his loue seruice and workes were moe at the last then at the first Reu. 2. 19. the same should be saide of all aged persons They which are planted in the house of God bring forth fruit in their old age Psal. 91. 16. It is the commendation of the old man that by reason of his manifold experience he knowes the father more then others 1. Ioh. 2. 14. It is the praise of Anna that shee continually serued God in fasting and praier beeing 80. yeares old When the outward man decaies the inward man should be renewed I speake all this the rather because aged persons are much wanting in this dutie For none commonly are so ignorant in the things of God as they they begin in the spirit but the affections of their hearts vsually end in the loue of this present world But they must be warned that as they goe before others in age so must they also exceede in the graces of the spirit We vse to say of children God make them good old men and it is well said An old man is to be regarded but specially a Good old man who is more to be respected then twentie of younger yeares Now aged persons when they grow in age and not in the spirit they loose their honour for age is a crowne of glorie when it is found in the way of righteousnes Prov. 16. 31. Let them therefore pray with Dauid Forsake me not O Lord in mine old age Psal. 71. 9. 4. Haue ye suffered so many things in vaine if so be it be euen in vaine The interrogation haue ye is as much as ye haue Because the question in this place counteruailes a speech affirmatiue And the wordes carrie this sense Ye haue professed the Gospel and ye haue suffered many afflictions for the same but now haue ye reuolted from the Gospel and therefore all your former sufferings are void or in vaine The words if they be in vaine are a limitation or qualification of that which was saide before and they carrie this sense Whereas I haue said that your sufferings are in vaine I speake it not simply but with some hope of your repentance which if it be then that which would be in vaine shall not be in vaine In this verse Paul sets downe a second reason to prooue the proposition of his first argument on this manner If ye receiued the spirit by my doctrine then is my doctrine true and ye fooles in reuolting from it For by this meanes the things which you suffered well ye now suffer in vaine The vse When Paul saith Haue ye suffered c. he signifies vnto vs the estate and condition of all beleeuers in this life that they must be bearers and sufferers The reason To this are we called 1. Pet. 2. 21. for we are called to resigne all reuenge to God and therefore of our selues to be bearers and sufferers Math. 5. 39. Resist not euill And we are called to imitate the passion of Christ who suffered beeing innocent and beeing reuiled reuiled not againe Moreouer it is for our good that we should beare and suffer 1. Pet. 1. 6. and Psal. 119. 71. It may be demanded What if my cause be good must I then suffer Ans. Yea. The better thy cause is the better are thy sufferings they are blessed that suffer for righteousnes Paul commends himselfe by the multitude of his sufferings 2. Cor. 11. 13. Againe it may be demanded how long we must suffer Ans. Euen to the shedding of our blood if it be for the resisting of sinne Heb. 12. 4. Lastly it may be saide how shall we be able to doe this Ans. God is faithfull and will not lay on vs more then we shall be able to beare 1. Cor. 10. 3. By this we are admonished not to make a reckoning in this world of pleasure and delight as though the Gospel were a Gospel of ease and as we vse to say a gospel made of veluet but euery one of vs must take vp his owne crosse Luk. 9. 23. If thou wilt be my disciple denie thy selfe take vp thy crosse that is the particular affliction and miserie which God laies on thee Againe if in this world we must be sufferers by condition then in dissentions and differences we may neither giue nor take the chalenge but must be content to beare and put vp wrongs and abuses Lastly in these daies of our peace we must looke for daies of triall and affliction For as yet we haue suffered little for the name of Christ. The haruest of the Lord hath bin among vs more then fourtie yeares therefore no doubt the time of threshing fanning and grinding comes on that as the Martyr said we may be good bread to the Lord. And that we may be able to suffer for the name of God we must
seemes there was more time betweene the promise and the law Ans. The meaning of Moses in this place is thus much that the dwelling of the children of Israel while they dwelt as pilgrims was for the space of 430 yeares and that in â—art of this time they dwelt in Egypt as strangers The words may thus be translated The dwelling or Peregrination of the children of Israel in which they dwelt in Egrpt was 430 yeares And this peregrination beginnes in the calling of Abraham and endes at the giuing of the law In Pauls example we see what it is to search the Scriptures not onely to consider the scope of whole bookes and the parts thereof but to ponder and waigh euery sentence and euery part of euery sentence and euery circumstance of time place person This is the right forme of the studie of diuinitie to be vsed of the sonnes of the Prophets The second reason vsed by Paul is in the 18. v. it may be framed thus If the law abolish the promise then the inheritance must come by the law but that cannot be He prooues it thus If the inheritance of life eternall be by the law it is no more by the promise but it is by the promise because God gaue it vnto Abraham freely by promise therefore it comes not by the law The opposition betweene the law and the promise shewes that Paul in this Epistle speakes not onely of the ceremoniall but also of the morall For the greatest opposition is betweene the morall law and the free promise of God Let vs againe marke here the difference betweene the law and the Gospel The law promiseth life but to the worker for his works or vpon condition of obedience The Gospel called by Paul the promise offers and giues life freely without the condition of any worke and requires nothing but the receiuing of that which is offered It may be obiected that the Gospel promiseth life vpon the condition of our faith Ans. The Gospel hath in it no morall condition of any thing to be done of vs. Indeede faith is mentioned after the forme and manner of a condition but in truth it is the free gift of God as well as life eternall and it is to be considered not as a worke done of vs but as an instrument to receiue things promised This difference of the law and the Gospel must be kept as a treasure for it is the ground of many worthie conclusions in true religion And the ignorance of this point in the Church of Rome hath bin the decay of religion specially in the article of Iustification Thirdly we must here obserue the opposition betweene the Law and the free promise of God in iustification of a sinner For if life come by the law it comes not by the promise saith Paul And Rom. 4. 14. If they which are of the law are heires the promise is of none effect By this we see the Church of Rome ouerturnes and abrogates the free promise of God For they of that Church teach that the first iustification is by meere mercie and that the second is by the workes of the law But the law and the promise cannot be mixed together more then fire and water the law ioyned with the free promise disanulls the said promise Lastly in that Paul saith God gaue and freely bestowed the inheritance by the promise it must be considered that this Giuing is no priuate but a publike donation For Abraham must be considered as a publike person and that which was giuen to him was in him giuen to all that should beleeue as he did Art thou then a true beleeuer doest thou truly turne vnto God here is thy comfort the inheritance of eternall life is as surely thine as it was Abrahams when he beleeued For thou art partaker of the same promise with him and when God gaue him life he gaue thee also life in him Againe persons backward and carelesse must be stirred vp with all diligence to vse all good meanes that they may beleeue truly in Christ and truly turne to God For so soone as they beginne to beleeue and to turne vnto God they are entred into the condition of Abraham and if they continue they shall sit downe with Abraham Isaac and Iacob in the kingdome of heauen and after this life they shall rest in the bosome of Abraham For that which was done to Abraham shall be done to all that walke in his steppes 19 Wherefore then serues the law it was added because of transgressions vntill the seede was come to which the promise was made and it was ordained by Angels in the hand of a Mediatour 20 Now a Mediatour is not of one but God is one Paul hath prooued before that the law doth not abolish the promise his last reason was because then the inheritance should be by the law which cannot be Against this reason in the 19 and 20 verses there is an obiection made and answered The obiection is this If life and iustice come not by the law the law then is in vaine And this obiection is expressed by way of interrogation Wherefore then serues the law The answer is in the next words It is added for transgressions that is for the reuealing of sinne and the punishment thereof and for the conuincing of men touching their sinnes Rom. 3. 19 20. Moreouer Paul sets downe the time or continuance of this vse of the law when he saith till the seede came to which the promise was made that is till Christ come and accomplish the worke of mans redemption Here two questions may be demanded The first is whether the law serue to reueale sinne after the coÌ„ming of Christ For Paul saith it is added for transgressions till Christ. Ans. The law serues to reueale sinne euen to the end of the world yet in respect of the legall or Mosaicall manner of reuealing sinne it is added but till Christ. For the law before Christ did conuince men of sinne not onely by precepts and threatnings but also by Rites and Ceremonies For Iewish washings and sacrifices were reall confessions of sinne And they were an handwriting against vs as Paul saith And this manner of reuealing sinne ended in the death of Christ. Col. 2. 14. Againe the Ministerie of condemnation which was in force till Christ at his comming is turned into the Ministerie of the spirit and of grace 2. Cor. 3. 11. For vnder the law there was pleÌ„tifull reuelation of sinne with darke and small reuelation of grace but at the comming of Christ men saw heauen opened and there was a plentifull reuelation of sinne with a more pleÌ„tifull reuelation of grace and mercie And in this respect also the law is said to be till Christ. The second question is whether the seede of Abraham were before Christ or no Ans. All that followed the steppes of Abrahams faith before Christ were his seede Yet were they not that seede that is the principall seede who is Christ who is the seede
the sacrament is administred And that it may conferre grace some say that the saide action hath vertue in it for this purpose which passeth away when the action is ended others say it hath no vertue in it but that Gods vsing of the action eleuates it and makes it able to conferre grace But this doctrine is a fiction of the braine of man Iohn the Baptist Math. 3. 11. makes two baptizers himselfe and Christ and he distinguisheth their actions his owne action is to wash with water and the action of Christ is to wash with the holy Ghost This distinction he would not haue made if he by the washing of water had conferred the holy Ghost Paul saith Christ sanctifieth his Church by the washing of water through the word Eph. 5. 26. Baptisme therefore doth not conferre grace because the bodie is washed with water but because when it is washed the word of promise is beleeued and receiued The Apostles are called fellow-workers with God 1. Cor. 3. 9. and yet in the worke of regeneration and in giuing of life they are not any thing v. 7. Peter saith directly that the washing away of the filth of the flesh doth not saue but the stipulation that a good conscience makes to God 1. Pet. 3. 21. The worke of creation is from God immediatly and onely now regeneration is a worke of creation and therefore it is of God immediatly and not immediatly from the sacrament and mediatly from God The flesh of Christ is eleuated and exalted aboue the condition of all creatures neuertheles vertue to giue life is not in the flesh of Christ but in the godhead much lesse then shall the sacraments haue vertue in them to conferre grace Faith is said to iustifie yet not by his owne vertue for it doth not cause our iustification but serue as a meanes to apprehend it when it is caused by God how then shall the sacraments cause iustification Lastly if the outward washing of the bodie be eleuated aboue his naturall condition in the administration of baptisme then so oft as the outward element is vsed in any sacrament there is a miracle wrought and Ministers of sacraments are workers of miracles which may not be said Againe their doctrine is erronious in that they teach that the outward act in the Sacrament performed by the Minister cōfers grace where there is no gift of faith to receiue that which is conferred contrarie to that saying Ioh. 1. 12. As many as receiued him he gaue this power to be the sonnes of God Indeed they say there must be faith and repentance to dispose the partie but this disposition serues onely to take away impediments and not to inable vs to receiue that which God giueth The vse We must not thinke it sufficient that we come to the Church heare Gods word and pray contenting our selues in the worke done For thus shall we deceiue our selues but in doing these acts of religion we must in our hearts turne vnto God and by faith imbrace his promises otherwise the best actions we doe shall be vnprofitable vnto vs. Heb. 4. 2. Againe if the vsing of the element in the sacrament doe not conferregrace then be assured that charmes and spells be the words neuer so good haue no vertue in them to doe vs good but by diabolicall operation The last question is whether baptisme imprint a Character or marke in the soule which is neuer blotted out Ans. In scripture there is a twofold marke of distinction one visible the other inuisible Of the first kind was the blood of the paschall lambe in the first passeouer for by it the first borne of the Israelites were marked when the first borne of the Egyptians were slaine Of this kind is baptisme for by it Christian people are distinguished from Iewes Turkes and infidels The inuisible marke is twofold The first is the eternall Election of God 2. Tim. 2. 19. The foundation of God stands sure and hath this seale The Lord knowes who are his By vertue of this Christ saith I know my sheepe Ioh. 10. And by this the Elect of all nations are marked Apoc. 7. and 9. The second is the gift of regeneration which is nothing els but the imprinting of the image of God in the soules of men and by this beleeuers are said to be sealed Eph. 1. 13. 2. Cor. 1. 22. And baptisme is a meanes to see this marke in vs because it is the lauer of regeneration The Papists haue deuised another worke which they call the Indeleble character and they make it to be a distinct thing from regeneration and they say it is imprinted in the soules of all men good and bad and remaines in them when they are condemned What this marke should be they cannot tell some make it a quality some a relation but indeed there is no scripture for it the truth is it is a meere fiction of the braine of man The sixt point to be handled concernes the Necessitie of baptisme Here we must put difference betweene the Couenant of grace and baptisme which is the confimation or seale of the couenant To make couenant with God and to be in the said couenant is absolutely necessarie to saluation for vnles God be our God and we the seruants of God we cannot be saued Baptisme it selfe is necessarie in part first in respect of the commendement of God who hath inioyned vs to vse it secondly in respect of our weakenes who haue neede of all helps that may confirme our faith Yet baptisme is not simply necessarie to saluation for the want of baptisme when it canbe had doth not condemne but the contempt of it when it may be had and the contempt is pardonable if men repent afterward for the children of beleeuing parents are borne holy 1. Cor. 7. 14. and theirs is the kingdome of God and therefore if they die before baptisme they are saued The theese vpon the crosse and many holy martyrs haue died without baptisme and are in the kingdome of heauen It is obiected that the male child which is not circumcised must by God commandement be cut off from the people of God Gen. 17. 14. and therefore he that is not baptised must also be cut off Ans. The text is spoken and meant not of infants but of men of yeares who beeing till then vncircumcised despise the ordinance of God and refuse to be circumcised And this appeares by the reason following for he hath made my couenant void now infants doe not this but their parents or men of yeares Secondly the speach of Christ is obiected Ioh. 3. 5. Except a man be borne of water and the holy Ghost he cannot enter into the kingdome of God Ans. Christ alludes to the washings of the old testament Ezech. 36. 25. and withall giues an exposition of them on this manner Thou art a Pharisie and louest much washing but if thou wouldest enter into the kingdome of heauen thou must be washed with cleane water that is
made by their children without or against their consent Ans. The scripture giueth them authoritie either to ratifie such contracts or to make them void Num. 30. 6. the father may make void the vow of the child pertaining to Gods worship much more a matrimoniall promise If a yong man deflowre a maide and this be found in equitie he is to be compelled to marrie her Deut. 22. 28. yet by Gods law this may not be except the father consent Exod. 22. 17. The third question is whether a marriage made without and against the consent of parents be a marriage or no Ans. It may be called a politicke or ciuill marriage because it is ratified in the courts of men according to humane lawes and by this meanes the ishue is freed from bastardie Neuerthelesse it is not a diuine or spirituall coniunction or marriage as it ought to be because it is flat against the commandement of God Touching the callings of children they are to be ordered and appointed at the discretion of parents For if the parent may order the vowe and the marriage of the child then much more the calling Here take notice of the impietie of the Romane religion There are three especiall estates whereby man liues in societie with man the Church the Commonwealth the familie In the Church that religion sets vp another head beside Christ in the Commonwealth it sets vp an authoritie that serues to curb and restraine the Supremacie of Princes in causes Ecclesiasticall In the familie it puts downe the authoritie of the father for it ratifieth clandestine contracts and it giues libertie to children past twelue or fourteene yeares of age to enter into any order of religion against the consent of their parents Againe parents must be put in minde to know their authoritie to maintaine it and to vse it aright for the good of their children specially for their saluation And children must be warned in all things honest and lawfull to yeeld subiection to their parents and in this subiection shall they find the blessing of God Againe here is set downe the office of parents and that is to prouide meete ouerseers and Tutors for their children after their departure When Christ vpon the crosse had the pangs of death vpon him he commends his mother to the tuition of Iohn Ioh. 19. 26. When widdowes and Orphanes are wronged God himself takes vpon him the office of a Tutor in their behalfe Exod. 22. 22. And this shewes that it is a necessary dutie to be thought vpon Thirdly here the dutie of children is set downe and that is that they must be subiect to their Tutors and gouernours as to their owne fathers and mothers Ruth loued Naomi and claue vnto her as to her owne mother Ruth 1. 16. Christ was subiect to Ioseph who was but a reputed father Luk. 2. last The sonnes of the Prophets obay their masters as their owne fathers 2. king 2. 12. and so doe the seruants to their master 2. king 5. 13. Nowe I come to the second part of the similitude v. 3. Euen so we that is the Iewes and all the people of God in the olde testament Were children were as children in respect of the Christian Church in the new Testament Were in bondage The Iewes are said to be in bondage in respect of vs because they were subiect to more lawes then we are and they wanted the fruition of the liberty which we inioy They had the right of sonnes but they inioyed not their right as we doe and this is their bondage For otherwise libertie in conscience frō hell death sin they had euen as we now haue Rudiments of the world that is the lawe or Ministerie of Moses and it is so called in respect of a more full and plentifull doctrine in the ministerie of the newe Testament And it is called the Rudiments of the world because Iewrie was as it were a little schoole set vp in a corner of the world the lawe of Moses was as it were an a b c or Primar in which Christ was reuealed to the world in darke and obscure manner specially to the Iewes The vse Here we see that the people of the old Testament were for right heires as well as we and therefore they had right to all the blessings of God The difference betweene vs and them is onely in the manner which God vsed in dispensing the foresaid blessings to vs. Againe the fathers of the olde Testament before Christ were but as children in respect of vs now Thus much saith Paul in expresse words And they were so two waies First in respect of the Mosaicall regiment because they were kept in subiection to more lawes then we Secondly they were so in respect of reuelation because God hath reuealed more to vs then to them Read Luk. 10. 24. It may be said we now are the best of vs but children to Abraham and the Prophets whether we respect knowledge or faith Answ. It is so If we compare person and person but it is otherwise if we compare bodie with bodie and compare the Christian church with the Church of the Iewes before Christ then we exceede them and they are but children to vs. This must teach vs all to be carefull to increase in knowledge and in the grace of God that we may be answerable to our condition And to liue in ignorance as the most doe is the shame of vs all For in respect of the time we should all be teachers Heb. 5. 12. and yet God knows the most are very babes For aske a man how he lookes to be saued he will answer by seruing God and by dealing truely Now his seruing of God is his saying of his praiers and his praiers are the Beleefe and the ten Commandements This is a poore seruing of God fitter for babes then for men of yeares It is further to be obserued that Paul saith the fathers of the old Testament were in bondage vnder the lawe after the manner of seruants specially by reason of rites ceremonies And hence it followes that the obseruation of a religion in which are manifold bodily rites and figures is a kind of bondage and pertaines to the Church for the time of her infancie or minority Let this be remembred against the Romish religion for it is like to that of the Iewes in the olde Testament standing for the greatest part in bodily rites in differences of meates and drinkes in differences of times places garments in exercises and afflictions of the bodie in locall succession in the collation of grace by the worke done and such like This is manifest to them which know◠the masse which indeede is nothing but a masse of ceremonies Therefore the Romane religion is a childish and babish religion and if it were of God yet is it not fit for the church of the newe Testament that is come forth of her minoritie Religion that stands in the afflicting of the body is but a shadow and an
till the comming of the Messias and now the Catholike Church is in the roome of the sanctuarie in it must we seeke the presence of God and the word of life therefore it is called the pillar and ground of truth 1. Tim. 3. 15. Fourthly in Ierusalem was the throne of Dauid Psal. 122. 5. and in the Catholike Church is the throne or scepter of Christ figured by the kingdome of Dauid Reu. 3. 7. Fiftly the commendation of a cittie as Ierusalem is the subiection obedience of the citizens now in the Catholike Church all beleeuers are citizens Eph. 2. 19. and they yeild voluntarie obedience and subiection to Christ their king Psal. 110. 2. Isai 2. 5. Lastly as in Ierusalem the names of the citizens were inrolled in a register so the names of all the members of the Catholike Church are inrolled in the booke of life Reu. 20. 15. Hebr. 12. 23. Againe the Catholike Church dwelling here belowe is said to be aboue in heauen for two causes First in respect of her beginning which is from the Election and grace of God and from Christ the Mediatour of whose flesh and bone we are that beleeue Eph. 5. 30. The iustice whereby we are iustified is in Christ our holinesse and life flowes from the holinesse and life of Christ as from a roote Secondly the Church is said to be aboue because it dwels by faith in heauen with Christ for the propertie of faith is to make vs present after a sort when we are absent Heb. 11. 2. The vse This beeing so we are admonished to liue in this world as Pilgrimes and strangers 1. Pet. 2. 11. and therefore we must not set our loue vpon any earthly thing but our mindes must be vpon the countrie to which we are trauelling And whatsoeuer is an hinderance to vs in our iourney we must cast it from vs that we may goe lightly and if we haue any wrongs done vs either in goods or good name we must the rather be content because we are out of our countrie in a strange place and hereupon we must take occasion to make haste to our iourneys end that is to our own citie and last abode Thus did the Patriarches Heb. 11. 13 15. Secondly we must carrie our selues as Burgesses of heauen Phil. 3. 20. And this we shall do by minding seeking affecting of heauenly things by speaking the language of Canaan which is to inuocate and praise the name of God Lastly by leading a spirituall life that may beseeme the citizens of heauen Many faile in this point when they come to the Lords table they professe themselues to be citizens of the citie of God but in their common dealings in the world they play the starke rebels against God and his word and liue according to the lusts of their blinde and vnrepentant hearts Thirdly when Paul saith that Ierusalem which is aboue is free c. he shewes that the Catholike Church is one in number no more Cant. 6. 8. My doue is aboue and the onely daughter of her mother Ioh. 10. 16. One sheepefold There be many members but one bodie 1. Cor. 12. 12. Fourthly hence we gather that the Catholike Church is invisible For the companie of them that dwell in heauen by their faith cannot be discerned by the eie Iohn saw the heauenly Ierusalem descending from heauen yet not with the bodily eye but in spirit Reuel 21. 10. The things which make the Catholike Church to be the Church namely election vocation iustification glorification are inuisible The papist therfore erreth when he teacheth that the Catholike Church is a visible companie vnder one Pastour namely the Pope And the places which they bring to prooue the visibilitie of the vniuersall Church concerne either particular churches or the churches which were in the daies of the Apostles or againe they speake of the inward glorie and beautie of the Church Free that is redeemed from the bondage of death and sin and so from the curse of the lawe Of this freedome I will speak more afterward The mother of vs all shee is called a mother because the word of God is committed to the keeping of the Church which word is seed 1. Pet. 1. 23. and milke 1. Cor. 3. 2. and strong meat Heb. 5. 14. And the church as a mother which by the ministery of the said word brings forth children to God after they are borne brought forth shee feeds them with milke out of her owne breasts which are the Scriptures of the olde and newe Testament Here a great question is to be propounded namely where we shall find this our Mother For it is the dutie of all children to haue recourse vnto their mother and to liue vnder her wing The aduocates of the Popish Church Priests and Iesuits say we must be reconciled to the Church and See of Rome if we would be of the Catholike church To this purpose they vse many motiues I will here propound seauen of them because heretofore they haue bin scattered abroad among vs. The first motiue The Church of Rome hath meanes of sure and certen interpretation tradition councels fathers we haue nothing but the priuate interpretation of Luther Melancthon Caluin c. Answ. Scripture is both the glosse and the text And the principall meanes of the interpretation of scripture is scripture it selfe And it is a means when places of scripture are expounded by the Analogie of faith by the words scope and circumstances of the place And the interpretation which is sutable to all these is sure certen and publike for it is the interpretation of God Contrariwise the interpretation which is not agreeable to these though it be from Church Fathers and Councells is vncerten and it is priuate interpretation Now this kind of interpretation we allow and therefore it is false that we haue onely priuate interpretations and that all the interpretations of the Church of Rome are publike Secondly I answer that we are able to iustifie our Interpretations of Scripture for the maine points of religion by the consent of Fathers and Councells as well as they of the church of Rome The second motiue We haue no diuine and infallible authoritie to rest on in matter of religion but they of the church of Rome haue Ans. In the Canonicall scriptures of the Prophets and Apostles there is diuine and infallible authoritie for they are now in the new Testament in stead of the liuely voice of God And this authoritie we in our Church acknowledge Secondly I answer that the church hath no diuine and infallible authoritie distinct from the authoritie of scriptures as the Papists teach but onely a Ministerie which is to speake in the name of God according to the written word The third motiue We haue no limitations of opinion and affection but they of the church of Rome haue I answer first we suffer our selues to be limited for opinion by the Analogie of faith and by the written word and so doth
not the Papist which addes tradition to the scripture And for affection we suffer our selues to be limited by the doctrine of repentance and new obedience Secondly I answer that the church of Rome vseth false meanes of Limitation For it teacheth that for opinion we must captiuate our senses to the determination of the church by beleeuing as the church beleeueth though it be not knowne what the church beleeueth And it limits affection by auricular confession and by canonicall satisfactions meere inuentions of men The fourth motiue The Romane religion drawes the multitude Ans. It drawes them indeede because it is a naturall religion but it doth not turne them from darknes to light from death to life Secōdly I answer that Antichrist in his comming shall draw the multitude 2. Thess. 2. 9. The fift motiue There were neuer but two alterations of religion One in the daies of Elias the other in the daies of Iohn the Baptist. Ans. I will shew a third Paul saith that before the ende there shall be a departure 2. Thess. 2. and this departure is generall in all nations Reuel 13. 16. and after a thousand yeares there shall be the first resurrection Reuel 20. 5. and this resurrection is the reuiuing and the restoring of the Gospel after long ignorance and superstition The sixt motiue The church of Rome hath a Iudge to ende controuersies we haue none Ans. Christ is our Iudge and the scripture is the voice of this iudge determining all things pertaining to saluation fully and plainly to the contentation of any conscience The seauenth motiue The Romane religion is sutable to ancient Tradition Ans. It is contrarie For it abolisheth the second commandement touching Images and the tenth touching lust And it ouerturneth sundrie Articles of faith For it abolisheth one of the natures of Christ by the reall presence and his three offices by ioyning partners and associates with him To these seauen I adde three other The eight motiue then is this Our Ministers they say tooke vnto themselues new callings and consequently that we are but schismatikes Ans. The offices of the first restorers of the Gospel were ordinarie and their vocation to the said offices was ordinary for they were all either Priests or Schoole doctors It may be saide that they departed from their callings I answer they departed onely from the common abuse of their callings which they restored to their right vse The ninth motiue The church of Rome hath true baptisme and therefore it is a true church Ans. Baptisme in the Papacie pertaines not to it but to another hidden church in the middest of the Papacie as the light in the lanthorne pertaines not to it but to the passenger Secondly though the church of Rome hold the outward baptisme yet doth it ouerturne the inward which stands in the iustification of a sinner by imputation of the obedience of Christ. Thirdly baptisme seuered from the preaching of the Gospel is no marke of a church Circumcision was vsed in Samaria and yet they were no people of God Hos. 1. 9. The tenth motiue The church of Rome hath antiquitie and succession from the Apostles Ans. They are no markes of the church vnlesse they be ioyned with propheticall and Apostolicall doctrine The kingdome of darknes hath also antiquitie succession vniuersalitie and vnitie Now then we are to hold the church of Rome as a stepmother nay as a professed harlot shee is no mother of ours For the Lord saith Come out of her my people Reuel 18. Let vs therefore come to the true answer The catholike Church our Mother is to be sought for and to be found in the true visible churches the certen markes whereof are three The preaching of the word of God out of the writings of the Prophets and Apostles with obedience Ioh. 10. 28. Eph. 2. 20. True inuocation of God the father in the onely name of Christ by the assistance of the spirit Act. 9. 14. 1. Cor. 1. 2. the right vse of the sacraments baptisme and the Lords supper Math 28. 18. And by these shall we finde the true Church of God in England Ireland Scotland Germanie France c. Againe in that the Church is called our Mother the Papist gathereth that her commandements must be obaied Prov. 1. 8. and therefore in their Catechismes beside the commandements of God they propound the commandements of the Church But I answer that the precepts of the father and the mother must be one and then the mother must be obaied The Church is called the mother of vs all that is of all true beleeuers Hence it follows that wicked men are not members of the catholike Church as Popish doctors erroniously teach for then the church shall be a mother not onely to the children of God but also to the children of the deuill Lastly in that the church is our Mother we are taught that we must despise our first birth and seeke to be borne againe vnto God and sucke the brest of our mother feeding on the milke of the word Psal. 45. 11. 1. Pet. 2. 2. Thus to be borne a member of the new Ierusalem is a great priuiledge Psal. 87. 5. Reuel 3. 12. 27 For it is written Reioyce thou barren that bearest no childrē breake forth and crie thou that trauelest not for the desolate hath many more children then shee which hath an husband These words are the testimonie of the Prophet Isa c. 54. 1. and they are brought to prooue that which Paul said in the former verse that the Catholike Church is the Mother of vs all that is not onely of the Iewes but also of all beleeuing Gentiles In the words I consider the preface to the Testimonie and the testimonie it selfe The preface It is written where two points are to be considered The first is who saith Jt is written Ans. The Apostle Paul whose authoritie was diuine and infallible because he was led into all truth by the spirit of God so as he could not erre in deliuering doctrine to the church And yet for all this he followes the rule of the written word And his manner was so to doe Act. 26. 22. This shewes the shamelesse impudencie of the church of Rome which takes to it selfe an absolute power of iudgement in all matters without and beside the scripture yea a power to iudge of the scripture it selfe and of the sense thereof without the helpe of scripture vpon a supposed infallible assistance of the spirit The second point is In what question saith Paul It is written Ans. In a controuersie betweene him and the false Apostles touching the iustification of a sinner This shewes that the scripture it selfe is the meanes to determine and decide controuersies There was for this purpose in the old Testament the liuely voice of God vttered in the Oracle at the Mercie seat but in the new Testament there is no such voice of God but the written word is in stead thereof to the ende of the world And therefore
will be iustified by one act of the law is bound to performe the rest for his iustification Abolished from Christ that is Christ is become an idle and emptie Christ vnto you Whosoeuer are iustified by the law that is are of opinion that they are to be iustified by the workes of the law For indeede a sinner cannot be iustified by the law but onely in his owne false opinion Grace that is the loue and fauour of God The resolution The third verse is a confirmation of the reason in the second verse and it may be framed thus He which is bound to keepe the whole law hath no part in Christ he which is circumcised is bound to keepe the whole law therefore he which is circumcised hath no part in Christ. The 4. verse is a repetition of the second verse with a declaration therof for he shewes what he meanes by circumcision namely iustification by circumcision and consequently by the whole law And therefore when he had said If ye be circumcised he changeth his speach saying Whosoeuer is iustified by the law Againe least men might thinke it a small matter to be abolished from Christ he shewes that it is indeede to fall from grace The vse These verses are as it were a thunderbolt against all Poperie And first of all I vrge the argument of Paul against the Popish Church and against the Popish religion If ye be iustified by the law ye are abolished from Christ and fallen from Christ. Answer is made that the words are to be vnderstood of such workes of the law as are from nature and goe before faith and not of such workes as are from grace and follow faith for such workes they say are from Christ and stand with him I answer the words of Paul are to be vnderstood of all workes of the law whether they be from nature or from grace For this Epistle of Paul was written about sixe yeares after the conuersion of the Galatians therefore they were and had bin long regenerate persons now men regenerate looke not to be iustified by works of nature but by good workes which are workes of grace And Paul saith Eph. 2. 10. We are not saued by workes which God hath ordained that we should walke in and these are the best workes that are or can be Againe Tit. 3. 5. Of his mercie he saued vs and not of workes of righteousnes By this text we further see that we and the Papists differ not about circumstances vnlesse Grace and Christ be circumstances Againe we see that the Church of Rome is indeede no Church because by maintaining iustification by works it is abolished from Christ and fallen from grace Againe I vrge Pauls argument against them on this manner He which is debter to the whole law hath no part in Christ he which is iustified by workes is debter to the whole law therefore he which is iustified by workes hath no part in Christ Let them answer if they can I turne the same argument another way thus He which is iustified by workes is bound to keepe the whole law but no man can keepe the whole law therefore no man can be iustified by workes They answer to the minor by making a double fulfilling of the law one for this life the other for the life to come and both in their kind perfect The fulfilling of the law for the time of this life they say it is to loue God aboue all creatues in truth and that he which doth thus much fulfills the law and is no offender Hereupon they inferre that works may be answerable to the law and be opposed to the iudgement of God And for this doctrine they alleadge S. Augustine I answer againe that Paul in this place takes it for a confessed truth that no man can fulfill the law and he vrgeth it as a great inconuenience that any man should be bound to keepe the whole law And before he hath said He which is of the workes of the law is cursed Gal. 3. 10. which could not be if there were a fulfilling of the law for the time of this life As for Augustine it is true he makes two fulfillings of the law and one of them for the time of this life but this he saith is imperfect and this imperfection he makes to be a sinne whereas the Papists of our time teach that men may fulfill the law for the time of this life without sinne Where Paul saith If ye be circumcised marke how the false Apostles abuse circumcision It is by diuine institution a seale of the righteousnes of faith and they make it a meritorious cause of saluation It is indeede rather Gods worke then our worke and they make it their owne worke and that meritorious before God Like doe the Papists at this day Baptisme is a signe and seale of Gods mercie by diuine institution and they turne it into a physicall cause which containes and conferres grace In like sort they turne the workes of the spirit almes praier fasting contrition yea their owne traditions confession satisfaction and such like into meritorious causes of iustification and life And this is the fashion of deceiuers to retaine the names of holy things but not to retaine the right vse of them As here we see Circumcision was an obligation to the keeping of the whole law in the old Testament so is baptisme in the new an obligation or bond whereby we haue bound our selues to liue according to all the lawes of God Matth. 28. 19 20. This discouers the Atheisme and vnbeleefe of persons baptised in these our daies for few there be that thinke vpon and performe this obligation We are further to obserue the condition of the law It is wholly copulatiue All the parts of it are linked one to another He that is bound to one commandement is bound to all he that keepes one indeede keepes all he that breakes one in respect of the disposition of his heart is a breaker of all Iam. 2. 10. he that makes no conscience to keepe some one commandement if occasion be offered will breake any Hence it followes that true regeneration is that which is a reformation and change according to the whole law of God and containes in it the seedes of all good duties Christ saith He that is washed is all cleane Ioh. 13. 10. Iosias turned to God according to the whole law Zacharie and Elizabeth walke in all the commandements of God without reproofe Luk. 1. Dauid saith He shall not be confounded when he hath respect to all the commandements of God Psal. 119. 6. On the contrarie he which hath many excellent things in him if he liue in the manifest breach of some one commandement is sound in none nay indeede he is guiltie of all Herod did many good things and yet all was nothing because he liued in incest Mark 6. 20. The deuill is able to bring a man to perdition as well by one sinne as by many Whereas Paul saith
If ye be iustified by the law ye are abolished from Christ First I gather that the Law and the Gospel are not one in substance of doctrine as the Papists teach for they say the Gospel is nothing but the law made more perfect and plaine which if it were true a man might be iustified both by Christ and the law which Paul saith cannot be Secondly I gather hence that it is a meere deuice of mans wit to say that Christ by his death and passion merited that we should merit by our owne workes our iustification and saluation For if this were true that the merit of our workes were the fruit of Christs passion Paul would not haue said that iustification by the law should abolish Christ vnto vs. For the cause and the effect both stand together whereas Christs merit and the merit of our works agree euen as fire and water And no maruell For the reason why Christ meriteth is the Personall vnion of the Godhead with the manhood which vnion because it is not to be found in any meere man neither is there any true and proper merit to be found Whereas Paul saith Ye are fallen from grace some gather that the children of God may fall quite from the fauour of God Ans. Men are said to be vnder grace two waies First in the iudgement of infallibilitie and thus onely the Elect are vnder the grace of God Secondly in the iudgement of Christian charitie and thus all that professe Christ though indeede hypocrites are vnder the grace of God And in this sense Paul saith that the whole Church of Galatia is vnder the grace of God And they are said to fall from grace not because all were indeede vnder the fauour of God and at length cast out of it but because God makes it manifest to men that they were neuer in the fauour of God Thus Christs enemies are said â—o be blotted out of the booke of lifâ— Psal. 69. 28. when God makes it manifest that their names were neuer written there Secondly I answer that Paul speakes this not absolutely but vpon condition If ye will be iustified by the law And therefore v. 10. he saith that he is perswaded better things of them Lastly here we see it is false that euery man shall be saued by his religion for he that is abolished from Christ is quite out of the â—auour of God And therefore no religion but that which is truly Christian saueth 5 For we in the spirit by faith waite for the hope of righteousnes 6 For in Iesus Christ neither circumcision nor vncircumcision auaileth any thing but faith which worketh by loue The meaning We I Paul the rest of the Apostles and all other Christian churches In spirit that is in the powers of the soule sanctified and renewed In this sense Paul saith that the true circumcision is that which is in the heart in spirit Rom. 2. 29. and Christ saith that true worship of God is in spirit Ioh. 4. 24. And that spirit is here taken in this sense it is manifest because it is opposed to circumcision which is in the flesh By faith we wait Faith apprehends the promise and thereby brings forth hope and faith by meanes of hope makes them that beleeue to waite Hope of righteousnes that is saluation or life eternall which is the fruit of righteousnes Tit. 2. 13. or againe righteousnes hoped for Righteousnes indeede is imputed to them that beleeue and that in this life yet the fruition and the full reuelation thereof is reserued to the life to come when Christ our righteousnes shall appeare and when the effect of righteousnes namely sanctification shall be accomplished in vs. Rom. 8. 23. 1. Ioh. 3. 2. The sense then is this All the Apostles and Christian churches with one consent in spirit by meanes of their faith waite for the full reuelation of their imputed righteousnes and for euerlasting life whereas the false Apostles place their righteousnes in circumcision of the flesh and looke to haue the fruition of it in this life v. 6. In Christ that is in the Church kingdome or religion of Christ. 2. Cor. 5. 17. If any be in Christ that is if any be a Christian he is a new creature Vncircumcision that is the condition and workes of men vncircumcised Auaileth any thing is of no vse respect or acceptation with God Faith working faith effectuall in duties of loue The resolution These wordes containe a second reason where Paul confirmes the former conclusion and it may be framed thus That thing which makes vs waite for the hope of righteousnes that iustifies not circumcision but faith makes vs waite for the hope of righteousnes therefore not circumcision but faith iustifies The proposition is omitted the minor is in the 5. verse And it is confirmed by two arguments The first is the consent of all Churches We waite The second is taken from the propertie of faith in the sixt verse thus It is faith and not circumcision that auailes before God therefore faith and not circumcision makes vs waite Againe in these two verses Paul meetes with an Obiection which may be framed thus If ye abolish circumcision and the ceremoniall law ye abolish the exercises of religion The answer is in stead of them we haue other exercises in our spirit namely the inward exercises of faith hope and loue The vse In the 5. verse foure things are to be considered The first is who waites Paul saith we waite Before he hath iustified his doctrine by the Scriptures now he addes the consent of the Churches Here then we see what is the office of all faithfull dispensers of the word namely to declare such doctrines as are founded in Scriptures and approoued by the consent of the true Church of God Paul an Apostle that could not erre respected consent much more are all ordinarie Ministers to doe it Againe it is the office of all Christian people to maintaine and defend all such doctrines and opinions as are founded in the Scriptures and ratified by the consent of the true churches of God and no other This to doe is to walke in the way of vnitie and peace and to doe otherwise is to walke in the way of schisme and heresie The second point is what is waited for Paul saith the reuelation of righteousnes and eternall saluation Here I obserue that there is no iustification by the obseruation of the law and I prooue it thus The righteousnes whereby a sinner is iustified is apprehended by faith and expected by hope but if righteousnes were by the law men should haue the fruition of their righteousnes in this life and consequently the hope thereof should cease Secondly here is comfort for the godly They complaine of the want of sanctification but they are to know that in this life they shall neuer feele righteousnes as they feele sinne here they must hunger and thirst after righteousnes liuing in some want of it If we haue the first
teaching admonishing exhorting and by example of good life A particular calling whereby men are called to some estate of life in the familie Church or common wealth And according to the seuerall conditions of particular callings must euery man in his place doe the good he can The magistrate must vse his office first for the maintenance of the Gospell and then for the execution of iustice The minister must preach sound religion in loue of the soules of men The master of the familie must cause his househould to imbrace the Gospell and frequent the exercises of religion Lastly euery man that is in a trade or office must apply himselfe to the vttermost of his power to do all he can for the good of his countrie and he must so deale that he may be helpefull to all with whome he deales and hurtfull to none We are or should be trees of righteousnes our fruite must be meate for others and our leaues for medecines We must be as candles that spend themselues to giue light to others 14. For all the law is fulfilled in one word which is this thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe Fulfilled comprised Rom. 13. 9. One word One precept for the H. G. calles precepts words It may be demanded how the whole law should be fulfilled in the loue of our neighbour Ans. The loue of God and the loue of our neighbour are ioyned together as the cause and the effect and the loue of God is practised in the loue of our neigbour For God that is inuisible will be loued in the person of our neighbour whome we see and with whome we conuerse And the first commandement of the law must be included in all the commandements following and thus the loue of God is presupposed in euery commandement of the second table he therefore that loues his neigbour loues God also Thou shalt loue vnderstand both the affection and the duties of loue Thy neighbour any one that is neare vnto vs in res 〈…〉 t of mans nature Isai. 58. 7. though he be our enemy yet i◠by any occasion he be offered vnto vs of God he is our neighbour As thy selfe these wordes signifie not the measure of our loue as though we should loue our selues in the first place and thē our neighbour in the second place for there are some cases in which we are to loue our neighbour more thē our selues As for example we are more to loue the soule of our brother then our temporall life and a good subiect is more to loue the life of his prince then his owne life here then the H. G. signifies what must be the manner of our loue the word as signifies not quantitie but qualitie and that we are as truly and earnestly with loue to imbrace our neighbour as our selues The scope The words cōtaine a reason of the second Rule which may be framed thus to serue our neighbour in duties of loue is the keeping of the whole law therefore this seruice must carefully be performed The vse Here we see that the end of a mans life is to serue God in seruing of man for this is the summe of the whole law Seruants are commanded in seruing their masters to serue god and to do whatsoeuer they doe as vnto God Col. 3. 23. And so euery man in his place in dealing with men must so deale as if he were to deale with God himselfe Therefore most men prophane their liues when they make the scope and drift therof to be the getting of riches and honours And though they haue great charges that is no excuse for the principal end of our liuing here is to performe seruice to men and in this seruice to do homage to God for which homage God will giue the honour and riches which he sees to be conuenient for vs. Secondly here we may obserue what is true religion and godlines namely to loue and serue God in seruing of man He that saith he loues God and yet hates his brother is a lier 1. Ioh. 4. 20. And here it followes that to liue out of all societie of men though it be in praier and fasting after Monkish fashion is no state of perfection but mere superstition for that is true and perfect loue of God that is shewed in duties of loue and in the edification of our neighbour Againe the hypocrisie of sundrie Protestants is here discouered If they come to the Church and heare sermons frequent the Lords 〈◊〉 they thinke they may do afterward what they will and many such are frequenters of tauernes and alchouses and are giuen to riot and licenciousnes But it is not inough for thee to be holy in the Church thou maiest be a Saint in the Church and a Deuill at home True religion is that which shewes it selfe in thy priuate house priuate dealings and in the course of thine owne life such as thou art in thy particular calling such art thou indeed and truth what showes soeuer thou makest before men 15. If ye bite and deuoure one another take heed that ye be not consumed one of another The sense If ye bite Here Paul alludes to the fashiō of wild beasts as lions wolues c. And by biting we are to vnderstand all iniuries in words as railing cursing slandering bacbiting c. Deuoure here Paul vnderstands all iniuries in deed or violence euen to the shedding of blood Take heed lest here Paul signifies that contentions dissentions breed the destruction and desolation of the Church The scope These wordes are a second reason of the second rule drawne from the dangerous effect of the contrarie thus Contentions breed the desolation of the Church therefore do seruice one to an other by loue The contents In the words Paul deliuers 3 things The first is that there were greeuous contentions in the Church of Galatia The like also were in the Church of Corinth 1. Cor. 3. The cause of the former contentions were differences in points of religion Some of the Galatians no doubt withstanding circumcision and the most of them standing for it For herevpon great were the dissentions of the Churches in Iudea Act. 15. 2. Obserue then that vnitie is not an infallible and an inseperable marke of the Church of God Vnitie may be out of the Church and dissention in the Church as here we see It may be obiected that there is peace in the kingdome of God and that there the wolfe and the lambe dwell together Isai. 11. Ans. This is but in part verified in the kingdome of grace vpon earth and it is fully accomplished in the kingdome of glorie in heauen Againe it may be alleaged that the Church is the companie of them that truly consent in one and the same faith Ans. That is properly meant of the Catholike Church but the case is otherwise in particular Churches where true beleeuers are mixed with hypocrites wherevpon ariseth much dissention And of true beleeuers some are more carnall then spirituall and
that is another cause of dissention 1. Corint 3. 3. The second point concernes the qualitie of these dissentioÌ„s When Paul saith if ye bite and deuoure c. he signifies that they were fierce and violent And such commonly are dissentions for religion as appeares by the persecution in Queene Maries daies the heate whereof nothing could slake but mans blood Againe he signifies in these very wordes that they were bruâ—ish and beastlike more beseeming wolues lions dogges then men This must teach vs to detest railing cursing euill speaking fighting vnles it be in the case of necessarie defence for by these actions we degenerate to the condition of beastes and repell from vs the worke of grace for Christ of lions wolfes beares hath made vs his sheepe and lambes Isai. 11. The third point is touching the effect of contention that is the ruine desolation of the Church The diuision of the members among themselues is the dissolutioÌ„ of the whole bodie Differences in points of religion breed doubting doubting hinders faith and inuocation and the free course of the Gospell and where these be hindred the Church goes to decay And by reason of the dissentions that be in these last daies many liue as Atheistes and will be of no religion By this we are to be admonished to studie and to vse all meanes to maintaine Christian peace and concord Eph. 4. 3. To this end we must remember one generall rule Rom. 12. 18. haue peace with all men And withall we must obserue the cautions which Paul addes one is if it may be with good conscience for there are some with whome there is no peace vnles we sooth them in their vices or denie our religion either in whole or in part The second is If it lie in you for sometime men are accused and must of necessitie defend themselues These two cautions obserued peace must be had with all men It may theÌ„ be demanded why do not the Protestans make a Pacification with the Papists Ans. we are content so to do in respect of ciuill societie but not in respect of religion We haue a commandement to the contrarie Reuel 18. 4. come out of Babylon my people and touch no vnclean thing where a pacification is made both the partes must yeeld somewhat but we may not yeeld in any point of our religion to the Papists In an Instrument of musick the stringes out of tune are set vp or set downe to the rest and the strings that are in tune are not stirred Euen so the Papists are to turne to vs we are not to turne to them our religion beeing the doctrine of the prophets Apostles Peace is three-fould Church peace Ciuill peace Houshould peace All these are to be maintained Touching Church peace I giue 3 rules The first is that for the ending of differences in religion there must be conferences in a free or christian councell the spirits of the prophets is subiect to the prophet 1. Cor. 14. â—2 when there arose differences in the Churches of Iudea the Apostles and elders came together to inquire of the matter Act. 15. 6. And this is a thing much to be desired in these daies specially in these Westerne partes of the world It may be demanded why did not the Protestants ioyne with the Papists at the councell of Trent Ans. from the first session it was more then 6 yeares before any safe conduct was giuen to the Protestants and at their appearing in the councell exception was taken against their letters and they dismissed And when they appeared the second time vpon new safe conduct the councell was the next day reiorned for 2 yeares And when safe conduct was giuen the 3 time the Protestant princes refused to send their diuines because they had bin twice mocked Moreouer the councell was not a free councell because the Pope himselfe was both partie and iudge The second rule There must be a christian toleration one of an other Eph. 4. 2. here that we mistake not I propound 2 questions One is in what must there be a toleration Ans. A toleration presupposeth an errour or defect in our brother An errour is either in iudgement or manners An error in iudgment is either in the foundation of religion or beside the foundation in lighter matters if the errour be in the foundation there is no toleration of it If it be in some lesser matter a toleration is to be vsed according to the rule of the Apostle if ye be otherwise minded God will reueile it Phil. 3. 15. when others see not that which we see we must not preseÌ„tly coÌ„demne them but tolerat their ignorance till God reueile his truth vnto them Againe errors in manners be of 2 sortes some without offence as hastines frowardnes vaine gloriousnes c. these we must tolerate Pro. 19. 11. and others with open offence and such admit no toleration 1. Cor. 5. 11. The second question is to what ende must we tolerate the infirmities and ignorances of our brethren Ans. Toleration must tend to the good and edification of men Rom. 15. 2. We must not so tolerate as that we approoue of the least vice or betray the least part of Gods truth It may here be demanded whether there may not be a toleration for Poperie Ans. No. The toleration of two religions in one kingdome is the ouerthrow of peace Againe Poperie is a religion both hereticall and schismaticall It may be said that faith and conscience is free I answer though faith in the heart and conscience in it selfe be free in respect of mans authoritie yet is not the publishing of faith and the profession of conscience free in like sort but it stands subiect to the power of the Magistrate The third rule Euery man in his place specially teachers must set themselues to build the Church Iud. v. 20. Eph. 4. 12. Indeede the truth is to be defended but marke how The truth must be confessed when time and occasion serues without opposition this done all contentions laid aside we must set our selues to build the Church And the rather Ministers of Gods word in England must remember this because while we are striuing among our selues in sundrie points of difference the Papist our common enemie gets ground Touching ciuill peace it must be remembred that the peace and good estate of Ierusalem stood in this that it was made the seate of Gods sanctuarie and the throne of iustice Psal. 122. When the Arke was in the house of Obed-Edom all things prospered with him Now in the new Testament the preaching of the Gospel inuocation of Gods name with the vse of the Sacraments come in the roome of the Sanctuarie Ciuill peace then is maintained when men yeeld subiection to the Gospel of Christ which brings peace to all that receiue it Touching houshold peace I giue two rules One is that gouernours of families must vrge and compell all vnder them to admit at the least outwardly the practise of
be admonished by Magistrates and Ministers to relinquish their superstitious practises and that vpon a double ground I. Nothing hath efficacie but by the Ordinance of God And this efficacie was either put into the thing in the creation or since by some new Institution in the word And the efficacie of things that comes by any other meanes is by Satanicall operation II. Charmes inchantments and spells whatsoeuer haue no force vnlesse we beleeue that they can doe vs good Now this faith is a false faith and the seruice of the deuill For we must beleeue nothing hope nothing doe nothing without or against the word of God If these two rules be obserued not onely charming but all witchcraft shall be banished out of the world Againe it may be demanded what are the signes that serue to discouer a witch Ans. This discouerie is very hard For witches doe their feates in close manner not onely by foule and open cursing but also by faire speaking and by praising of things And hereupon we haue a fashion in England when we praise any thing withall to blesse it as to say it is a goodly child God saue it that our speach may not be suspected of witchcraft Neuerthelesse there are fiue speciall things that serue to discouer a witch One is the free confession of the accused or suspected witch The second is the confession of the associats of the witch The third is Inuocation of the deuill For that is to renounce baptisme and to make a league with the deuill The fourth is Euidence that the partie hath intertained a familiar spirit in the forme or likenes of some visible creature The fifth is Euidence of any action or actions that necessarily presuppose a league made with the deuill As for example if the partie shew a mans face in a glasse though he professe angelicall holines he is in league with the deuill by whose meanes the feate is wrought There are besides these other signes but they are either false or vncerten A man is sicke he suspects that he is bewitched he takes it on his death that such a partie hath bewitched him All this is nothing but the suspition of one man and therefore no proofe Likewise the testimonie of some wizzard is but the testimonie of one and it is the deuills testimonie and therefore not to be receiued Againe neighbours fall out threatnings are vsed in anger afterward the partie threatned is either sicke or he dies hereupon the partie that vsed threatning words is accused of witchcraft And this is the common course But great circumspection must be vsed for sicknesse and death may arise of any other causes Lastly markes in the bodies of men and women are vncerten signes of witches All this I note the rather because if a iudgement befall a man in his familie presently according to the common fashion he saith he is hurt by euill tongues and challengeth some one or other of witchcraft whereas his owne ignorance vnbeleefe contempt of Gods word and Sacraments c. are the onely witches that hurt him and pull downe Gods iudgements vpon him Heresies The word heresie generally signifies any opinion either good or bad More specially it signifies any errour in religion Thus Ecclesiasticall writers take it For they condemne for heretikes such as erred in smaller points holding the foundation as Vigilantius Novatus c. And the very Opinion that there are Antipodes was condemned for heresie though it be a matter of small moment Yet most properly Heresie may be thus defined It is an errour in the foundation of Christian religion taught and defended with obstinacie Thus Paul saith Tit. 3. 11. that an heretike is peruerted that is put beside the foundation and condemned of himselfe in his sinne that is to say he erres obstinatly euen against his owne conscience I say that heresie is an errour in religion to put a difference betweene an errour in Diuinitie and an errour in Philosophie which is not tearmed heresie and againe to put difference betweene schisme and heresie for heresie is in doctrine schisme in manners order regiment Againe I say heresie is an errour in the foundation of religion to distinguish it from errours that are in smaller points of Diuinitie Some teach that Abraham was borne the 70 of Terah some the 130 of Terah Both cannot be true yet neither of them are heresie Some teach that Daniels weekes begin straight after the returne out of captiuitie others teach that they must begin 80 yeares after both cannot be true yet neither opinion is heresie So there are sundrie opinions touching Ophir Tarshish to which Ionah fled Decapolis in the Gospel all cannot be true yet they are not heresies because they concerne onely times and places and other circumstances of the Bible Lastly I say that heresie is maintained with obstinacy to distinguish heresie a single error For there are three things in heresie an error in the maine doctrine conuiction of the partie touching his error and obstinacie after conuiction The vse In that heresie an error in the minde or vnderstanding is made a worke of the flesh hence it followes that the word flesh signifies more then sensualitie namely the corruption of the higher powers euen of the minde and conscience though Papists teach otherwise Againe if heresie be a worke of the flesh our dutie is to detest and eschew heresies And that we may for euer preserue our selues from them three rules must be obserued I. We must propound vnto our selues the right Principles of religion For as euery Art hath his confessed principles so hath Diuinitie The head and chiefe Principle whereof is this All Scripture of the Prophets and Apostles is giuen by inspiration of God This is the foundation of all true faith here is the highest stay and stoppe This principle is the demonstration of all doctrines and conclusions and it hath no principle aboue it selfe whereby it is to be confirmed As for humane reason it is no principle of religion For it is imperfect and erronious and serues onely to make men without excuse Indeede in the minde of man there are certaine naturall conclusions that there is a God and that he is to be worshipped c. but the certentie of these is in the written word We can by reason dispute of the creation of the world but a full certentie we haue not by reason but by faith in the word Hebr. 11. 3. Againe the Papist makes the authoritie of the Church a principle For that is the first ground which they lay downe that we must captiuate our senses to the authoritie of the Church But this is no principle in religion For we cannot imagine a Church without faith and faith cannot be without the word of God It may be saide that Scripture is the sense of the written word and this sense must be from the Church Ans. Scripture it selfe is both the glosse and the text Scripture is the best interpreter of it selfe And
because God is not mocked nor will not be deluded with such pretenses First here the Apostles dealing is worthy to be obserued in that reproouing them which neglected their dutie to the ministers of the word he bringeth in God himselfe taking the matter into his owne hand making the ministers quarrell his owne quarrell and this he doth to the end we might see whom we haue to deale withall and whom we do abuse when we abuse the ministers of the word to witt that we abuse not man but God For albeit it be true of all and euery sinne which Dauid confesseth of his owne particular murther and adultery that it is against God yea against him alone Psal. 51. 4. yet in these and such like cases which tend to the vndermining of his Church and the decay of his religion and worship he taketh himselfe more directly aimed at and more nearely touched When the Israelites refused to haue Samuell and his sonnes to rule ouer them the Lord saith They haue not cast thee away but they haue cast me away that I should not raigne ouer them 1. Sam. 8. 7. When the Leuites were defrauded of their due the Lord by his prophet telleth the people Ye haue spoiled me in tithes offerings Mal. 3. 8. So in this place when the Galatians did wrongfully withhold and keepe backe that competent allowance that was due to their teachers he telleth them that it was a sinne tending against God who is not nor will not nor cannot be mocked for what wrong soeuer is done to the messenger that is sent the same is done to his Lord that sent him whatsoeuer disgrace or indignitie is offered an Embassadour the same redounds to the Prince whose Embassadour he is This ought to be a Caueat vnto vs to take heed howe we contemne or neglect the ministers of God seeing whatsoeuer wrong is done them Christ takes it as done to himselfe Matth. 25. 45. Act. 9. 4. This lets vs see the hainous sinnes of many that professe the Gospel specially in this kind who now at this day if euer are ingenious in defrauding and eloquent in declaiming against the ministers of the word in laughing them to skorne as they did our Sauiour Christ Mark 5. 40. and abusing them in tearmes and taunts calling them bald priests as young children called Elizeus balde pale no doubt following the example of their parents of whome they learned it ascend thou balde pate ascend thou balde pate 2. King 2. 23. that they are too full of the spirit as they derided the Apostles in saying they were full of newe wine Act. 2. 13. in making them their table talke making songs of them as the drunkards did of Dauid and Ieremie In scourging them with the whippe of the tongue as the Stoicks called Paul a babbler Act. 17. 18. and Festus a madde man Act. 26. Nowe in that they thus scornefully abuse his ministers and so indignely and disdainefully intreat his messengers and Embassadours what doe they els but abuse Christ Iesus himselfe and through their sides wound and crucifie him againe When Sanacherib King of Ashur reuiled Ierusalem Hezekiah the king what saies the Lord O virgin daughter of Sion he hath despised thee and laughed thee to skorne O daughter of Ierusalem he hath shaken his head at thee Whome hast thou railedon and blasphemed and against whome hast thou exalted thy voice and lifted vp thine eies on high euen against the holy one of Israel Esay 37. v. 22 23. The vse Hēce we learne that God hath an exact knowledge of all our actions cannot be deluded Prou. 15. 11. Hell and destruction are before him how much more c. Psal. 11. 4. His eies consider his eie liddes trie the children of men Psal. 139. v. 2. He knowes our thoughts long before they be Hebr. 4. 12. All things are naked and bate in his sight Reason it selfe shewes that he which made the cie cannot but see he that made the heart and minde cannot but vnderstand the frame motion thereof Psal. 94. v. 9. 10. c. II. This shewes the madnesse of those which say God heareth not seeth not vnderstandeth not or which say in their hearts How should he heare is their knowledge in the most high or can he see through the thicke cloud III. Hence we are taught in our praiers to power forth our hearts before the Lord without concealing so much as the least sinne seeing we may easily delude men and deceiue our selues but God we cannot deceiue IV. It ought to be a bridle to vs to curbe and keepe in our corruptions considering his eies pierce the darknesse the most secret and hidden places yea euen the secret closets and cabinets of our hearts Thus much of the reason I proceed to the confirmation or proofe of his reason in these words For whatsoeuer a man soweth that shall he also reape Where the Apostle prooues that God will not be mocked with vaine excuses seeing he will render to euery man according to his workes which is signified by this allegoricall speech of sowing and reaping so often vsed in Scripture as 5. Cor. 9. 11. 2. Cor. 9. 6. in which places labour and cost in doing good and being beneficiall specially to the ministers of the word is compared to seed the workers to seeds-men the ministers to whome this benefit is conferred to the tilled ground the gaine that accrewes vnto them thereby to the haruest wherewith God will reward them and that according to their workes in the generall day of retribution This metaphor of sowing doeth elsewhere signifie all the morall actions of a mans life whether they be good or euill Of good actions Salomon saith He that soweth righteousnesse hath a sure recompence Prou. 11. 18. Of euill actions he saith He that soweth iniquitie shall reape affliction Prou. 22. 8. But here Paul restraines it to those good workes of liberalitie which are performed in the maintenance of the ministerie And he calleth that which is bestowed vpon the ministers of the word seede which beeing sowne doeth recompence the cost thirtie sixtie an hundred fold that so they might not think their labor lost nor their cost bestowed in vaine seeing they were to receiue that which they laid forth with aduantage But here it may be said This prouerbiall sentence is not alwaie true for sometime men sowe much gather but litle Deut. 28. 38. Agg. 1. 6. nay sometime they sowe and reape not Mich. 6. 15. Againe experience shewes that that which is sowen may degenerate into another kind Ans. It is not necessarie that prouerbiall sentences should be true at all times and in euery particular if they be true for the most part or in that for which they are brought it is sufficient as that Matth. 13. 57. a prophet is not accepted in his owne countrie is for the most part true though not alwaies So whatsoeuer a man soweth the same commonly and vsually he doeth reape But it
appearance to excell For as Satan though a blacke deuill an angel of darkenes doth change himselfe into a white deuill as though he were an angel of light so that a man can hardly distinguish his wicked suggestions from the good motions of the spirit of God and therefore may say as Ioshua said to the angel art thou on our side or on our aduersaries Ioshua 5. 13. So his instruments transform themselues as though they were the Apostles of Christ and ministers of righteousnesse 2. Cor. 11. 13 15. In the old Testament false prophets were accustomed outwardly to conforme themselues to the habite and attire of the holy men of God in wearing a rough garment as Elias and the rest of the prophets did Zach. 13. 4. Vnder the newe Testament in the time of Christ the Pharises in hypocrisie vnder a shewe of long praier deuoured widdowes houses Matth. 23. 14. In the Apostles time false teachers with their wil worship as touch not taste not handle not which had a shewe of wisdome in voluntarie religion and humblenesse of minde and not sparing of the bodie did vndermine the religion of God Coloss. 2. 21 22 23. And after that in the primatiue Church the heretickes called Catharists vnder a shewe of holinesse fasting praier c. did sowe most damnable heresies in the Church And as in former times the Iewes vnder the glorious titles of the children of Abraham the schollers of Moses the temple of the Lord the temple of the Lord made many proselytes by deceiuing the soules of the simple So at this day vnder the glorious titles of the Church of Councels fathers antiquitie consent vniuersalitie the pretented Romane Catholikes haue ensnared many a simple soule and no maruaile considering that these are the times of which Christ foretold that false prophets should deceiue if it were possible the very elect Matth. 24. 24. And of which Saint Paul prophecied that Antichrist should come through the efficacie of Satan with all power and signes and lying wonders and in all deceiue ablenesse of vnrighteousnesse among them that perish 2. Thess. 2. 9 10. And all this is done by outward shewes and semblances which our Sauiour Christ tearmeth sheepes cloathing and it stands in these foure particulars First in great swelling titles as the onely true Catholike Church the Vicar of Christ the Oecumennicall Bishop most profound illuminate Angelicall Seraphicall Doctors Iesuits the onely true followers of the doctrine and example of Iesus c. Secondly in pretended zeale and deuotion whereby they would perswade that their religion is the onely true religion all others which swarue from it are nothing but false and fabulous and this they doe three waies First 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by hauing God alwaies in their mouthes crying in hypocrisie with the false prophets Lord Lord Matth. 7. 22. Or as the Iesuiticall faction doe Iesu Maria. Secondly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with enticing words consisting in probable reasons and persuasiue arguments Coloss. 2. 4. Thirdly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with faire and flattering words to deceiue the hearts of the simple Rom. 16. 18. By which three meanes the Iesuites haue preuailed much in Princes courts in these latter daies Apoc. 16. 14. Thirdly in the glorious outside of holinesse of life and conuersation in not sparing the bodie by whipping of themselues as Baals priests lanced themselues till the blood gushed out 1. King 18. 28. in strict fasts canonicall houres hard fare badde lodging course apparrell and such like Lastly in rare and excellent gifts of prophecy tongues eloquence miracles c. And thus they make Pauls shew of godlinesse 2. Tim. 3. 5. to be Peter cloake of wickednesse 1. Pet. 2. 16. so that as the Deuill with faire words put Eue into a fooles paradise till at length he had driuen her out of the terrestriall Paradise and made her also hazard the celestiall So his ministers false teachers by faire and flattering speeches deceiue the minds of the simple and cause them to fall from their owne stabilitie By this we may see how hypocrites and false teachers stand especially vpon outward things as externall rites and ceremonies which are but deuices and doctrines of men Matth. 15. 9. The Pharisies made much adoe about washing the outside of the cuppe and of the platter when as the inside was full of rapine and all vncleannes Matth. 23. 25. very curious about washing of their hands before meate Mark 7. 3. and yet carelesse to wash their hearts froÌ„ wickednes Ier. 4. 14. precise in small matters as in tything of mint annise and cummine but profane in the practise of the waightier things of the law as iudgement mercie and fidelitie Matth. 23. 23. whited tombes faire without and filthie within v. 27. Thus the Popish worship consisteth especially in outward things which may please the senses of carnall men as in vocall and instrumental Musicke to please the eare censings and perfumes to delight the smell guilding and painting with other sights and spectacles to affect the eye And at this day in the Masse which they account the very marrow of their Mattins there is nothing but dumme shews histrionicall gestures and tricks fitter to mocke apes withall then to edifie the people For whereas in former time they were wont to say Let vs goe heare a Masse now the common saying in Italie is this Let vs goe see a Masse Let vs therefore trie the spirits before we trust them and especially in matters of religion follow Christs precept not to iudge by the outward appearance Ioh. 7. 24. But to iudge of Prophets by the fruit of their doctrine Matth. 7. 16. and of their doctrine by the touch-stone of the word Isa. 8. 20. so that though the Deuill transforme himselfe into an angel of light nay though an angel from heauen preach any other thing beside that we haue receiued from Christ we must hold him accursed and in so doing we shall follow Christ his practise who was prudent in the feare of the Lord and did not iudge by the sight of his eyes nor reprooue by the hearing of his eares Isa. 11. 3. The second note and marke of these false teachers is that they compell men to be circumcised The word compell hath great emphasis for it signifieth that they did not conuince the iudgement or perswade the will and affection of the Galatians but enforced them against their wills for though circumcision be nothing of it selfe as Paul saith yet to be compelled to receiue circumcision and to place iustification in the vse of it sinne in the neglect of it is the readie way to ouerturne Christ the foundation of our saluation Gal. 5. 4. Here suodrie questions are to be answered First it may be demanded whether it be lawfull to compell men to embrace religion as the false Apostles compelled the Galatians to circumcisioÌ„ Ans. The Magistrate may ought to compell obstinate Recusants to professe true religion for he is â—â—stos vtriusque
causes 351. 6 Of the churches reioycing 358. 37 It is one in number and no more 351. 37. How the church is troubled vide Trouble The catholike church why called our mother 35. 2. 17 Where our mother is to be found 352. 25. The order to be vsed in the censure giuen vpon a church 9. 10 Ierusalem the mother church rather then Rome 61. 15 The church was before the writing of the word but not before the word 77. 6 It is inuisible 352. Of Circumcision 79. 32 Circumcision considered according to the circumstance of time three waies 373. 15 Circumcision in it selfe a thing indifferent yet not to be vsed if it be vrged as a matter of absolute necessitie 614. 35 Ciuill vertues and a ciuill life are no better then sinnes 16. 10 What is the combate that naturall man haue 417. 28 The cause of the spirituall combate and the persons in whome it is 417. 5. The vse of the combate 419. 1 The commandements of God are not grieuous three waies 190. 15 Concealements of the truth sometimes lawfull 63. 13 How it must be vnderstood that in the commandement the sinnes of the fathers are visited vpon the children 521. 29 Papists make three degrees of concupiscence 252. 11 Concupiscence vide Lust. Conference of Pastor and people necessarie 338. 13 How conscience is free and how subiect to the power of the Magistrate 410. 1 Three obiections remooued that the lawes and traditions of the church bind Conscience as truly as the word of God 369. 21 The consent of Pastors and people excellent 6. 25 What is the force of consent 6. 27 Consent no certen marke of the church 6. 37 The catholike consent of beleeuers in points of religion is not the true and liuely Scripture 7. 5. Consent standes in three things 7. 15. Consent not to be found amongest the papistes 7. 18. Consent is to be found amongest vs in the foundation of religion 7. 23. Consider our selues and others 467. 468. 469. Constancie vid. standing Consultation not to be vsed in matters of religion nor in obedience 56. 19. 37. The vse of the contemplation of Christ by faith 162. 30 The effect of contention 408. 6 Contentions some lawfull some sinfull 436. â—5 Contract in some cases may be dissolued 209. 11 Sinnes after conuersion are pardonable 462. 4 Three causes of Pauls conuersion 46. 32. The order and dependance of causes in a sinners conuersion 47. 13 Fiue Questions of Pauls conuersion vide Paul Conuersion wrought by certain degrees 336. 20 Corruption not felt by corruption but by grace 528. 33 Couenants beeing lawfull are to be kept with heretykes and enemies 208. 23. What couenants with losse are to be kept and what not ibid. 30 Couenants of two sorts legall and euangelicall 569. 6 The couenants of workes hath two properties 348. 27 Conferences and councels are laudible 75. 32 Three caueats in gathering a councell 76. 5 For this ending of differences in religion there must be conferences in a free or christian councell 408. 37. Why the protestants ioyned not with the papists in the councell of Trent 409. 5 Fiue rules for our libertie in vsing the creatures vid. Libertie why we ought to take vp our crosse and follow Christ certaine reasons 620. 5 what is mens by the crosse of Christ. 630. 16. Crucifying is either the action of Christ or our action of Christ threefold 451. 7 Three meanes to crucifie the flesh 451. 26 Reasons why a man hanging on a tree is cursed 202. 8 What the curse is that Christ was made for vs 198. 19 How Christ was a curse ibid. 28 Whether Paul did well in cursing his enemies 396. 30 Whether we may curse ours 397. 10 How we should vse the imprecations in Dauids Psalmes 397. 18 D A fourefould kind of obseruation of daies 314. 4 Against the Popish obseruation of holy daies 316. 7 How Protestants obserue them 316. 28. Against obseruing daies of good bad successe 317. 2 Two rules to be obserued for the right manner and measure of eating and drinking vide Eating Christs temporall death did counteruaile eternall death vide Death Wee must carrie our selues as dead men in three respects 144. 29 There are two degrees both in the first and second death 199. 20. 24. What debate is 436. 3 There is a deceit called dolus bonus 64. 2. Of men deceiuing themselues 508. 30. A man may be deceiued both in diuine and humane things sundry waies 546. 19 A man deceiues himselfe two wries 546. 20. The heart of man deceitfull 546. 40. from whence that springeth 547. 3 Good desires distinguished from carnall d 〈…〉 es by three properties 297. 32 Of the desires of our hearts and that they are cryes and how 598. 6 Of the league of compact with the deuil 429. 20 VVhat is the chiefe principle in diuinitie 433. 24 VVhat drunckennes is 439. 11 Two things in this sinne ibid. 14 To be giuen to drincking is a sinne 439. 21. Inducements to detest drunckennes 439. 30. Arg. for drunkennes answered 440. 20. E Two rules to be obserued for the right manner and measure of eating and drincking 439. 5 ElectioÌ„ ariseth not of the will of man but of the grace of God 40. 27. How we may attaine to the assurance of our election 47. 31 There is a double election 194. 14 Gods election is the roote of all the gifts of God is vs. 308. 15 The meere grace of God is the cause of our election 360. â—6 In religion there ought to be a holy emulation 44. 36 There is a good emulation and a carnall emulation 436. 8 whether Paul did well in cursing his enemies 396. 30 whether we may curse our enemies vide Curse Enmitie vide Hatred Enuie what it is 437. 36 Error in the foundation or beside the foundation of religion 8. 30 Error of humane frailue or of obstinacie 8. 35 No man can set downe the precise time when errors had there be ginning 84. 12 Error is either in iudgement or maÌ„ners both are of two sorts 409. 20. In the examination of our selues foure rules must be obserued 218. 8. The contagion of euill examples must be cut off in the societie of men 109. 40 Excommunication when to be vsed 390. 32 Offenders are not to be excommu nicated at the first but orderly to be proceeded against 393. 9. 486. 37. F Faith is of great vse in the kingdome of God 382. 32 when faith first begins to breede in the heart 240. 30 How faith in Christ is conceiued in the heart 241. 5 whether faith may be lost 69. 25 what Iustifyng faith is as the Papists define 123. 32 The obiect of Abrahams faith was double 123. 38 what true iustifying faith is 124. 35 Faith and confidence are two distinct gifts of God 125. 11 Two causes why a beleeuer is saide to liue by faith 149. 16 How men liue by faith 149. 24 Faith considered two waies 175. 34 That we may liue by faith we
The condition of faithfull Ministers is to be full of troubles 647. 28 In what case a Minister in his preaching may vse Philosophie testimonie of Prophane writers and quotations of Fathers 541. 25 Ministers that labour in the word may lawfully take wages though they haue sufficient of their owne 543. 18. Abuse of the Ministers prooued to be the abuse of God 548. 11 Of Professours deriding defrauding Ministers of the word 549. 1. Why Ministers are not to sell the preaching of the word 437. 26. What they are to aime at in their preachings and what not 537. 20 A Minister is to teach his Auditors onely the word of God and why 540. 23. whether Ministers are to be maintained by common contribution and liberalitie of the people or not 533. 37 That it is more conuenient for Ministers to be maintained by set stipends arising from goods proper to the Church then by voluntarie contribution sundrie reasons 534. 17 obiection That the Ministers place is an easie office answered 535. 1 what a Minister is 171. 20 the Deuill cannot worke a true Miracle 171. 33 how Mocking is persecution 362. 9 the Modestie of Paul 19. 34 the practise of the godly to Mourne for other mens sinnes 337. 27 Obiections in defence of Murther remooued 437. 7 N The kinds of Nakednes 266. 28 Nature doth counterfeit grace and how 330. 28 A naturall man can doe the workes of the morall law yet in him they are sinnes 224. 25 Nature and Person distinguished 279. 32. what Nature is ibid. Naturall and carnall men are of two sorts 463. 13 Necessitie is twofold 369. 35 how we must loue our Neighbours 328. 6. what the loue of our Neighbour is vide Loue. how the whole law is fulfilled in the loue of our Neighbour 405. 15 who is our Neighbour 405. 27 In some cases we must loue our Neighbour more then our selues 405. 34. Of the loue of our Neighbour vide Loue. The new Creature or new man old man what it is 637. 1 The vses of this that we are new creatures in Christ. 638. 23 Greater power required in the regeneratioÌ„ of man then in the creation of the world 639. 3 how men are Nothing of theÌ„selues vide Men. O Foure things in an Oath 65. 15 The forme of an oath is to be plaine and direct in the name of God and not of creatures 65. 35 An Oath is to be vsed onely in the case of extremitie 66. 13 Obseruation of daies and times 314 4. The Gospell must be preached though all men be offended 396. 15. Men haue an ouerweening of themselues naturally 507. 8 The cause of it 508. 10 Such notably deceiue themselues 508. 30. It is the poison of loue 510. 25 Whether a man may not iudge himselfe to haue a greater measure of gifts then they that haue lesse 510 38. The remedies of this euill 511. 36 Outward priuiledges or dignities are of no moment in the kingdome of Christ. 382. 1. 24 P How a pacification is to be made in religion 338. 29 Papists teach and maintaine the worship of false Gods 305. 1. c. Papists and we differ not about circumstances 376. 15 Mo pacification with the Papists for religion but ciuill societie 408. 25. Papists teach Idolatrie foure waies vide Idolatrie Papists vrge their owne ceremonies more strictly then Gods truth 617. 28. Papists like to the false teachers in Pauls time in making things which be signes of saluation meritorious causes of it 618. 4 The Popes Prelats of Rome like to false teachers in compelling men to obserue that which they themselues will not obserue 518. 23. The Popish Church like to false teachers in pretending religion and conscience for their ease and cloaking of their impietie 624. 3 It is shewed in two particulars especially ibid. In pardon there be foure degrees 70. 28. Parents sustaine a double person 115. 12. Of Parents authoritie ouer their children vide children Parents truly punished in their childrens punishment notwithstanding it is not felt by them whereof be foure reasons 522. 14 Foure Principall duties to be performed by the people to the pastors and what they be 531 34 Pastors are to haue not only countenance but maintenance of the people 532. 6 Whether pastors are to be maintained by coÌ„tributioÌ„ or not 533. 37 Reasons to prooue that it is more conuenient for ministers to liue vpon set stipends then voluntarie contribution 534. 17 Obiections that the Pastors office is an easie office vide Ministers We must patiently tary for the reaping of our heauenly reward vrged from Gods patience towards vs. 582. 37 Gods patience waiting for the amendment of our liues set dowe by sundry degrees 583. 20 Mischeifes into which we runne vnto vnlesse we patiently expect god for our reward 584. 22 Reasons why Paul did write the epistle to the Galatians with his owne hand 607. 38 Paul subscribed all his epistles with his owne hand 608. 16 Pauls coÌ„uersion how wrought 50. What was gods preuenting grace in Pauls conuersion 50. 10 Whether Paul was an agent or Patient in his conuersion 51. 26 Whether violence was offered to his will in conuersion 52. 2 The dignitie of Paul aboue the other Apostles 5. 28 Two causes why Paul writes his epistles in the name and with the consent of the brethren 6. 4 The true signe of euery of Pauls epistles discouered and the false remooued 608. 27. 609. 20 Why Paul would not take wages of the church of Corinth and some others foure reasons 536. 25 Peace outward or inward 644. 12 Peace with the creatures which be of foure sorts ibid. 14 Peace of conscience double with god with our selues ibid. 33 Peace with our selues threefould ibid. 34. Of peace of conscience ibid. 35 What peace is and what be the parts of it 10. 16 Peace without grace is no peace 12. 6. How we must haue peace with all men 408. 17 Peace is threefould 408. 35 Three rules for the maintaining of Church peace 408. 36 For the inforcing of the duties of peace there be seuen speciall reasons 410. 35 What peace is for the maintenaunce whereof obserued two rules 444. 34. 37. The people punished for Achans sinne how it may stand 526. 15 There is a double perfection 188. 36. Hatred of Gods grace in men is the beginning of al persecution 362. 12. Persecution what 42. 30 Of the wicked persecuting the good 361. 33. Perseuerance crowneth all our good workes 585. 31 Person and nature distinguished 279. 32. What a person is 279. 33 Of Peters supremacie 94. 11 Pharisisme what it is and the principall doctrine thereof 41. 17 Philosophie not condemned 434. 21. The errors of Philosophie 4â—4 26 There is lawfull pilgrimage 59. 32 Popish pilgrimage condemned for two causes 59. 39 Polygamie not approoued but tolerated for two reasons 342. 9 Reasons for Polygamie answered 342. 29. What poore to be releiued 98. 17 Pastors care of the poore wherein it consists 98. 25 Postscripts no part