are blessed who heare the word and keepe it that not euery one who saith Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdome of heauen but hee that doth the will of our Father which is in heauen that it will nought auaile vs to boast of our faith if it doe not appeare in the fruits of good workes seeing such a faith as is without workes is but a dead carkase without life or soule and therfore cannot iustifie nor saue vs. So the Lord sharpely reprehendeth and condemneth wicked men for Psal 50. 16. 22. making profession of his religion Vnto the wicked saith God What hast thou to doe to declare my statutes or that thou shouldest take my couenant in thy mouth seeing thou hatest instruction and castest my words behinde thee c. And then concludeth Now consider this yee that forget God lest I teare you in pieces and there be none to deliuer So the Prophet Ieremie Behold ye trust in lying words that cannot profit Will yee steale murther and commit adulterie and sweare falsly and Ier. 7. 8. 9. burne incense vnto Baal and walke after other gods that yee know not and come and stand before mee in this house which is called by my name and say we are deliuered to doe all these abominations § Sect. 7. The fleshes deceipt in perswading men to rest in externall ceremonies But if this deceipt bee too grosse as hauing nothing to colour or countenance it but the slight thin vayle of a bare profession then it will perswade vs to place all religion about externall rites and ceremonies and to thinke that we haue done inough if we be strict in the obseruation of them although in the meane time we make no conscience of many Morall duties and vtterly neglect the waighty things of the Law So the Pharises of old placed Mat. 23 all their religion in some legall rites and humane traditions in externall washings sacrifices and tything mynte cummine and annise and neglected the dutie of children to their parents the pure and sincere seruice of God and the waightie points of the Law iudgement mercie and faith And the Apostle telleth vs of some in his times who placed all their religion in the obseruation of dayes Sabbaths Holy-dayes and New Moones and in their obseruance of certaine ordinances Col. 2. 16. 21. as touch not taste not handle not all which did perish with the vsing And wherein doth in these dayes the religion of the Papists chiefely consist but in the obseruation of such holidayes washings purifications fastings from certaine meates at certaine times and in vse of their rites and ceremonies which they preferre before and presse more then many Morall duties or the essentiall parts of Gods seruice with which they will much more easily dispence then with their traditions and superstitious inuentions With which deceipt if the flesh preuaile not it is readie to thrust vs into the contrary extreame and to place all religion in the opposing of these superstitious ceremonies and to spend all our time which should bee spent in attaining vnto the knowledge and practise of true godlinesse in declaiming against will-will-worship and humane traditions As though it were enough to be free from superstition though we be destitute also of all true religion to oppose against false worship though wee doe not practise that which is true to be zealous against ceremonies and to be key-cold in imbracing the substance truth faith mercie iudgement brotherly kindnes and the rest § Sect. 8. The meanes to defeate the former policie But that we may not be ouertaken with this deceit nor be perswaded to spend the strength of our deuotion about ceremonies things of smal moment let vs know that there is no lesse order and due proportion then iustice iudgement in the commandements of God the Lord requiring that those things which are chiefe and principall in their owne nature should haue the first and chiefe place in our obedience So the Morall duties are to be preferred before ceremoniall and among them our dutie to God before our dutie to our brethren the duties of greatest importance before the meane and the meane before the least Which order who so transpose and wil prefer the duties towards men before their dutie vnto God the ceremonies before the substance such mens religion is hypocriticall and odious in Gods sight Hence is it that the Lord condemneth Esa 11. 12. 13 the Sabbaths New Moones sacrifices and solemne assemblies of the Iewes because they put all their religion in them and neglected iudgement mercie relieuing the oppressed and iudging the fatherlesse Thus hee condemneth Esa 58. 5. their fasts and the afflicting of their soules by these bodily exercises because they were ioyned with strife and debate oppression and cruelty yea so odious is this ceremoniall seruice being seuered from the more weighty and substantiall that the Lord professeth that he that killeth Esa 66. 3. an Oxe is as if he sâ—â—e a man he that sacrificeth a Lambe as he that cutteth of a dogges necke he that offreth an oblation as he that offereth swines blood he that burneth incense as if he blessed an idoll So he professeth I will haue mercie and not sacrifice Hos 6. 6. not because he simply reiected sacrifices which himselfe had commanded but if they were seuered from mercie or preferred before it And saith that hee spake not vnto their fathers nor commanded them in the day that hee brought them out of the land of Egypt concerning burnt offerings or Ier. 7. 22. 23. sacrifices but this thing saith hee commanded I them saying obey my voice and I will be your God and ye shall be my people and walke yee in all the wayes that I haue commanded you that it may be well vnto you Implying hereby that as these maine Morall duties were first commanded so also they should be first and chiefely practised Finally the Apostle telleth vs that true religion consisteth not in outward rites signes and sacraments but in the truth and sinceritie of the heart Circumcision saith he verily profiteth if thou be a keeper of the Law but if thou bee a breaker of the law thy Rom. 2. 25. 28 circumcision is made vncircumcision For he is not a Iew which is one outwardly neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh But he is a Iew which is one inwardly and circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit and not in the letter whose praise is not of men but of God CHAP. XIII Of the pollicies of the flesh towards temporarie beleeuers §. Sect. 1. That the flesh in a subtill sort deceiueth temporaries ANd thus the flesh deceiueth the grosser kinde of hypocrites But when men haue receiued such a measure of illightening that these darke fogges and mistes of ignorance are somewhat dispelled and haue their sleepie consciences somwhat awakened so that they are able and ready to tell them that all which is
if there were no spectators who might encourage them with their applause Secondly their pride appeareth in the acting and suffering of this voluntary penance in respect of the ende which is not so much to mortifie the flesh as to make satisfaction to Gods iustice for their sinnes or to merrit his fauour and the ioyes of heauen wherein as they derogate much from Gods mercy and the all sufficient merits satisfaction of Iesus Christ so also they manifest their hellish pride which will not suffer them wholly to deny themselues and ascribe the glory of their iustification and saluation onely to Gods free grace and Christs sufferings and obedience but needs will they share with them in the praise in part at least pay their owne debt and giue something towards the purchase of our heauenly inheritance In which respect it may truely be said that the leaner they make their bodies with penance and punishment the more their hearts are fatned with pride and vaine-glory and the more they subdue and keepe vnder their fleshly carkase the more their mindes are lifted vp with opinion of their merit and deseruing Thirdly we may in this regard iustly taxe them to bee those imposters and deceiuers of whom the Apostle speaketh who seeke to deceiue men of their heauenly reward seeing they hold not the head Christ but in part rest vpon Col 2. 18. 19. 20. 22. 23. their owne superstitious deuices being as the Apostle there speaketh vainely past vp in their fleshly mindes and placing the chiefe of their Religion in a voluntary humilitie and worshipping of Angels in subiecting themselues to humaine ordinances after the commaundements doctrines of men which things haue at the most but a shewe of wisedome in will-wil-worship and humilitie and not sparing or punishing of the body Lastly herein we may well charge them with grosse hypocrisie and false treachery seeing they betray the poore Christian who asketh their counsell and aduise in this spirituall warfare whilest they pretend his strengthening and defence For as they professe Christ in shewe but oppose him in trueth being those limmes of Antichrist who make warre against him and his members so they outwardly proclaime warre against the world and the flesh when as in truth none are greater friendes vnto them for that the flesh our true enemy may escape vntouched and vnhurt in the christian conflict they disguise and hide it least it should be known and craftily substitute into the place thereof our bodies which are our friends to receiue deadly wounds and blowes by the sword of mortification and whilest they afflict and persecute them as though they were the onely troublers of this our Israel they as Iesabell Baalls Priestes cherish and nourish the corruption of nature the flesh and the whole army of carnall lustes as it were at their proper charges giuing them meate and drinke at their owne table §. Sect. 6. That our opposition against the Papists in this doctrine is very necessarie And thus haue I spent more paines and paper vpon this base subiect then it deserueth and both by their doctrine and practise shewed what the Church of Rome and her fauorites thinke of the flesh and of the meanes whereby it may be mortified and subdued partly that all might take heede of the bewitching cups of the whoore of Babylons fornications seeing those who haue drunke thereof haue beene so intoxicated and made drunk with these inchanted potions that like mad men and inraged bedlems they haue not onely wrastled with God himselfe to spoile him of his glory murthered his holy Martyrs and caused the streets to runne with riuers of their bloud but also frantiquely haue offered violence to their owne persons grieuously tormented their owne bodies and sought to satisfie their insatiable cruelty by drinking deepe draughts in their owne bloud Partly also to preserue all who loue the truth from these superstitious cruelties in the practise of their mortification seeing corrupted nature and blinde superstition with as strong a streame of violence carrieth men headlong into these inhumane and vnnaturall practises against their own persons as the pleasures of the flesh transporteth others who are licentious and prophane to the imbracing of them The which we may plainely see in the practise of the Baalitish priests who with kniues launched their owne bodies and in the experience of all ages among the heathens and infidels yea euen of our owne times not onely among the Sauadges and Barbarians but aboue all others among the Papists who are all ready rather to torment their bodies then to crosse their carnall wils to torture the flesh rather then to subdue their fleshly lusts yea euen to mortifie with voluntary penance their naturall parts and members rather then to labour in the crucifying of the old man and to forsake any of their darling sinnes But especially my maine drift herein is to discouer our true enemy that wee discerne it from our friends and to shew what in truth the flesh is that so we may labour to subdue and mortifie it seeing it is ready in craft and subtiltie to hide or disguise it selfe and to substitute another in it place that so wee may spend our strength in vaine and being spent and tyred in fighting against those who are friends vnto vs may be the more easily ouercome at the first incounter of our spirituall enemies CHAP. V. That the body and sensitiue faculties onely are not the flesh proued by the Scriptures and diuers reasons §. Sect. 1. That the body and sensitiue faculties onely are not the flesh proued by testimonies of the Scripture AND therefore hauing shewed what is the erroneous conceipt of the Papists concerning the flesh in the next place wee will confute it and proue that by flesh we are to vnderstand not the body and inferiour and sensitiue faculties of the soule nor yet onely the corruption of them both but also the corruption of the whole man and principally of the reason and wil which they magnifie with so many praises And this will appeare by the cleare euidence of the holy Scriptures by strong and demonstratiue reasons grounded vpon them by the testimony of the Fathers yea euen of the Aduersaries themselues And first in the whole course and current of the Scriptures we may obserue that there is much more spoken of the sinfull corruption of the soule then of the body and in the soule not onely of the inferiour sensitiue and animall faculties but also of the superiour and intellectuall as of the corruption and deprauation of the minde vnderstanding reason wisedome and will The Apostle ioyneth them both together 2. Cor. 7. 1. Hauing therefore saith he these promises dearely 2 Cor. 7. 1. beloued let vs cleanse our selues from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit perfecting holinesse in the feare of God Where he necessarily implyeth that both in himselfe in those beloued Saints to whom he writeth there was remaining corruption and filthinesse
him or else it worketh our minds to some carnall proiudice or dislike of our teachers or of some passages in his Sermon whereby we are affected with choller and spleene towards him or to thinke meanely and basely of him in respect of some naturall infirmities or defects or else because of the mediocritie of his guifts or it hangeth so heauily on vs that it maketh vs weary of these holy exercises before they be halfe ended Or if non of these yet it will neuer faile to distract our mindes with worldly cogitations and wandring thoughts so as wee cannot intend these religious duties but performe them with the lippes eares and outward man but not with the heart in shewe and ceremony but not in spirit and trueth And thus the flesh like Iudas waiteth vpon vs that it may betray vs it goeth with vs into Gods market that it may hinder vs from buying any spirituall merchandize it thrusteth in with vs into Gods armory when as we goe to furnish our selues with spirituall weapons that it may make vs neglect them and leaue them behinde vs or else so weaken vs that we cannot carry them with vs it will like Hushai force kindnesse vpon vs and by no perswasions will stay behinde vs but it is to this ende that by cunning pollicy it may frustrate our enterprises so betray vs into the hands of our enemies For the defeating of which pollicy our best course is to leaue behinde our chiefe corruptions by renewing of our repentance before we come to performe these holy exercises and keepe vnder those which we carry with vs watching ouer them with all diligence that they doe not distract nor hinder vs. To which ende wee must come vnto these holy duties with due preparation and being come we must meditate on Gods glorious presence before whom we stand we must with all diligence looke to our hearts because that the Lord chiefely requireth them in all duties of his seruice we must thinke of the excellency waight and fruite of these Religious exercises that our hearts being inflamed with the loue of them wee may performe them with all cheerefulnesse and delight And finally we must continually craue the assistance of Gods gracious spirit that thereby we may be in some good measure enabled to performe them so as that they may be acceptable to God and profitable for our owne saluation § Sect. 2. How 〈…〉 duties Thus also when wee haue in the regenerate part an earnest desire to embrace vertue and to bee inriched with sauing graces like a cunning sorceresse it laboureth to infect them with the poyson of corruption and like a subtill Merchant it sophisticates these pure wares and intermingleth with them the base refuse of sinneful vices that they with the other may become vendible Thus if wee be deuout and earnest in religion it seeketh to taint vs with will-wil-worship and superstition if we excell in knowledge it laboureth to puffe vs vp with selfe-conceipt to contemne plaine trueth and curiously to affect nice and vnprofitable speculations and to despise others in comparison of our selues whom wee thinke doe come short of our measure With our faith it intermingleth presumption and carnall securitie which our loue lust and iealousie with our zeale rashnesse and corrupt anger with our humilitie basenesse with our courage audatiousnesse with our constancy pertinacy and obstinate inflexiblenesse and finally with all our graces and excellent vertues pride and vaine glory whereby wee ouerweene them or arrogate the praise of them or magnifie our selues before others who haue not attained to our pitch and proportion And thus this cunning coyner embases the pure mettall of grace and vertue by mixing with it the copper or rather drosse of carnall corruptions setting notwithstanding vpon it vertues stampe and superscription that so it may goe for currant with vs and by mingling these poysons with our holesome food doeth make it become vnto vs mortall and pernitious For preuenting of which deceipt we are often to examine our vertues and to try if they be not tainted and infected with the contagion of the next extreames let vs often bring them to the touchstone of Gods trueth which is onely sufficient to make vs discerne the differences betweene the pure gold of Gods graces and the base mettals of our own corruptions let vs continually desire the helpe of Gods holy spirit which is that heauenly fire that can part and seuer the solid substance from the drosse purifying he on and consuming the other and the pure gold from other base metalles of any kinde § Sect. 3. How the flesh perswadeth vs to abate of our zeale and to intermit vertuous actions for a while The third and last kinde of policies which the flesh vseth are those whereby it seeketh to alienate our hearts and affections from imbracing and practising of holy vertues and Christian actions And first of all if it cannot perswade vs wholly to forsake them at once to desist from the exercise of them then it will allure vs to abate our feruour and zeale in piety to intermit all vertuous actions for a little while and not to fall altogether but in some degrees from our former sinceritie either pretending that if we goe more slowly we shall goe more surely or that we are more zealous then needs seeing with faire lesse strictnesse in our courses wee may attaine vnto happinesse or else though vpon some occasions we slacken our pace in the waies of godlinesse for a while we may hereafter make more speed and easily recouer and redeeme our lost time by our future diligence With which deceipt that we may not be ouertaken let vs consider that there is no standing still in the Christian course seeing he who doth not dayly goe forward in it will questionlesse goe backward and what then can become of them who are in the way of declination and backsliding That if we giue way to our spirituall enemies for a time and be perswaded to lay aside our Christian armour they will giue vnto vs deadly wounds before we shall be able to put it on againe and that we may much more easily keepe them out of the gates of our city then driue them backe when they are once entred Let vs know that if we slacken our hold we shall hardly recouer it in our fall and that we may be as desperately endangered by a lingring consumption of grace and goodnes as by a feuer of Apostacie Let vs remember that if our heate come once to lukewarmenesse it will within a while turne to keycoldnes and that if the Diuell and our owne corruption can but a little while disacquaint our hearts from God and his waies they will not leaue till they haue made them meere strangers if they haue a little loosened them from him they will with much more ease pull them quite asunder And therefore let vs carefully watch ouer our selues that there bee no declination in grace nor the least