facit qui dat et velle et perficere If wee say we will the Apostle aunswereth God giueth the will If wee say wee doe endeuour God giueth that endeuour for in him is both the will and the worke Most excellent is that place of Paule in the 5. to the Ephe. A voyce for strength so forcible as Sampsons hairie lockes euen to foile whole Armies of aduersaries 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gratia estis seruati By grace ye are saued through faith not of your selues it is the gift of God not of workes least any man should boast Vita â—ternum Dei donum est Shall wee so vnkindly entertaine this bountifulnes of Gods free mercy as not to accept heereof Yet saith the Papist I le not haue it like a disdainfull proud Merchant vnlesse I may pay for it eyther I le merrit heauen by my works or I le not come there If the Papist had saide he would neuer come there I had the rather beleeued him Certainly if he stay till merit carry him thither vnlesse by merit he vnderstand the merit of Christ he is neuer like to come there In the Lord Iesus Christ. Beleeue in the Lord he doth not say beleeue the Lord. This sheweth the manner howe we ought to beleeue it is one thing credere Deum another thing credere in Deâ— The one is a generall faith such as the deuill hath and his instrumentes the Athiests Daemones credâ—nt contremiscunt and Heretiques and all the Reprobates They haue a generall knowledge they Simon Magus credidit veâ—am esse docuinam Apostolorum non hâ—buit tamâ—n veram sideÌ„ 1 10. 4. beleeue and they will acknowledge that there is a God that made the world that gouerneth the world And wee finde this confession of God and of Christ in many places of the Gospell Thou art Christ the Sonne of the lyuing God Wee neuer finde that hee confessed him to be filium homines Daemon agnoscit Christam vt DeuÌ„ sed noÌ„ vt homineÌ„ simul Iesus I know and Paule I know but who are yee But we are taught another speciall kinde of fayth which is to beleeue in God and in Christ That is to apply by faith vnto our selues all that GOD hath wrought for vs in his Sonne Christ as that hee hath created vs redeemed vs preserued vs sanctified vs and in time will glorifie vs all in Christ nothing of our selues not for vs but all in Christ and for Christ for vvithout him we can doe nothing Yea this our faith as it comes from vs as of it selfe cannot iustifie nor please God onely it is his will to accept it and vs in it how imperfect soeuer it be because Christ our Lord presenteth it and doth perfect it Nam iâ—â—llo habitat omms plenitudo for in him dwelleth all fulnes This is briefely the substaunce of that saith which beeing planted in vs by the spirit of GOD will bring with it all sauing knâ—â—ledge This true beleefe is in vs when wee belâ—â—ue the wholsome Worde of truth All that the Prophets haue written concerning Christ how that hee was borne for vs and dyed for vs and so entred into his glory To beleeue this and to doe there-after so making our election sure as the Apâ—sâ—le warneth vs this is to haue eternall life this is to finde out that saluation which the Iaylour so diligently sought for I shut vp all with this one note the true iustifying faith hath these properties Acquiescit in Christo omnes cius promissiones et merita apprehendus It doth repose it selfe in Christ laying holde on all his promises and merrits Non est temporaria semper consâ—ntit doctrinae caelesti per Prophetas et Apostolos traditae Math 13. 20 eum profitetur de ea gloriatur eius cognitione laetatur non ad tempus sed perpetuo It is not for a time but alwayes agreeable with the heauenly doctrine deliuered by the Prophets Apostles the same it professeth of it she glorieth in the knowledge thereof shee reioyceth not for a time but for euer Semper est fructuosa operans per charitem It is alwayes fruitfull and worketh by loue The Scripture mentioneth but two kinds of â—ayth The one a dead faith without good workes which beleeueth all you say of Christ but obserueth not his commandements The other a liuely a iustifying fayth which dooth not onely beleeue but worke also in charity And thus much may be spoken of fayth which as Chrisostome saith No man knoweth or vnderstandeth a-right but he that receaueth it as no man knoweth the sauour of honey but he that hath seene it and tasted it This faith as the same holy man also writeth is Lumen animae ostium vitae fundamentum salutis â—ternae Hee that hath this faith hath already the kingdom of God within him and he may say as Iacob did when he rested him in Bethel and this is no other but the house of God this is the gate of heauen Lord. Lord importeth his soueraignty and power in that he is a Lord he is able to saue vs and to protect vs if we submit our selues to his gouernment In that he is called a Lord wee must be directed onely by him he must raigne in vs and ouer vs. The homage wee must pay to this our Lord and King is our selues our soules and bodies A liuing sacrifice holy and acceptable vnto God which is our reasonable seruice of God If I be a Lord where is mine honour sayth the Lord by Malachy God wil not be our Lord vnlesse we will become his seruaunts but if wee serue the world or our lusts or our vanities then we cast his yoake from vs. Iesus Signifieth a Sauiour I came not to destroy but that the world in me might haue life And this is eternall life to beleeue that God hath sent his sonne They shall call his name Iesus for he shall saue his people from their sinnes There is no other name giuen vnder heauen whereby we must be saued neither is saluation in any other Christ. Vnctus The Lord hath annoynted him with the oile of gladnes aboue his fellowes Heb. 1. Kings Priests and Prophets were first anoynted before they executed their offices And Christ our Lorde beeing a King a Priest and a Prophet is likewise annoynted to execute his three-fold office for vs in gouerning sacrifycing and praying for vs. He was a Prophet the last of the prophets who now hath sealed vp both vision and prophecie and the whole misterie of godlines which is God is manifested in the 1. Tim 3. 16 flesh iustified in the spirit sâ—â—ne of Angels preached vnto the Gentiles beleeued on in the world and receuâ—ed vp in glory And thou shalt be saued and thine houshold Behold heere the wondersull coÌ„fort presented vpon a suddaine to this laylour Saluation is freely in this place offered vnto him by faith in Christ whom Paul Sylas preached Neuer was the coole shadow so comfortable to the weary traueler in the extremity of Sommers drought as this glad tydings of saluation was to this distresâ—ed Iaylour Sin and sâ—than seazed vpon him before as the legion of fiâ—nds vppon the heard of Swine but now he hath separated froÌ„ him his sinnes and quite expulsed all the intyâ—ing vanities of this deceiâ—full world hee runneth to Christ faster then Zacheus out of the wilde fig-tree Before hee was vnder the wrath of God but nowe hee is vnder grace and is vppon a suddaine become an elect vessell of mercy And thine houshold See howe full the riuers of God are and how vniuersally they streame foorth to water the harts of all Christians that are apt to receiue them Not the Iaylour alone hath the benefit of this wholesoâ—e Emplayster but his whole houshold are salued as wel as himselfe they for his sake haue a promise of the like grace Seruaunts may be glad that are in seruice vnder a religious Maister for that the blessings of God in the Maister are deriued vnto them Here we may cry out with Paul O the riches of Gods mercisulnes And with Moses Dominus domtnus potens et misericors slow to anger and abundant in mercy and truth reseruing mercy for thousands The housholder himselfe and his family chyldren seruaunts and all are saued The vnbelceuing wife shall be accepted for the beleeuing husband in this place the houshold is accepted for the housholder And this that hath beene spoken shall suffize for the clearing of this story of the Iaylour In whose example we are called vpon to make straite steps vnto our paths and to be alwayes deuising what wee may doe to be saued He ranue to the Apostles to learne how he might be saued we must also run to the Apostles that is to the word and we shall be sure to be informed as he was in the way of our saluation We must apply to our sick soules the benefit of the same emplaister and we must beleeue in the Lord Iesus as he did that is Let vs acknowledge him alone to bee our Messias our Redeemer Aduocate and according to this faith let vs work and fructifie by testifying the same both to the world and our own consciences and then shall this vndoubtedly follow We shall be saued and our housholds Soli Deo gloria
translated And thus much is spoken briefely for the question of the laylour Now let vs consider of the Apostles answere Beleeue in the Lord Iesus and thou shalt be saued and thy houshold This is their aunswere hee was not so ready to aske but they are as ready to satisfie his demaund Christes Disciples are like Christ he in the 10. of Mark answered thus to him that demaunded what he might doe to inherite eternall life Hoc fac et viues This doe and thou shalt liue And heere the Apostles gaue like aunswer to this Iaylour Doe this and thou shalt be saued Beleeue in the Lord Iesus Heere wee are to learne by this example of the Apostles to be helpful to our neighbours or whom so euer we find fit for the Kingdome of God wee ought to furnish them with all spirituall knowledge wee must like Peter strengthen them that are weake when we our selues are strong But we see the contrary practised for the greatest part are apt to draw men froÌ„ God and from his truth as the Athiests Papists of these times who straine their endeuours to make others like themselues Boni malos volunt esse bonos vt sint sut similes Mali contra bonos volunt esse malos vt sint sui similes More then a good many can be apt to say with Chora The people are all holy and whereto serues this precisenes They vvould perswade men that they are too good when they are stark naught They will be straight-wayes in the extremity before they haue attained the mediocrity Like the lazie trauailer that sittes downe in the midst of his iourney or like him that running in a race giues ouer in the midst of his course and suffers others to get the goale before him This is the reluctation betweene the holy and vnholy the children of light and the children of the darknes Good men striue to be holy themselues and to beget holines in others but the wicked striue to be naught and to make others worse than themselues And the deuill comes in to act vp the tragedy and so he rageth and so sinne suggesteth so the weaknes of man yeeldeth because he hath not faith in which only we can ouerthrow the world The Apostles sinding this Iaylour in the way of his saluation do help him forwards and doe support his weaknes as Christ caried the lost sheepe vpon his shoulders as the mercifull Samaritane did lay the man that lay by the way side robd wounded vpon his owne beast Beleeue say they in the Lord. This may seeme to be a lesson soone learned and the gayning of heauen a matter of short and easie surprize if it may be obtayned only by beleeuing in the Lord Iesus Indeed the answer is short but the matter of substance included therein is great for as one tree hath many braunches and one branch many blossoms so this one answer hath many circumstances All which being duly considered we shall be forced to acknowledge it a matter of greatest difficulty and that we haue neede to call vpon Gods spirit for his special furtherance in this great frame of our spirituall building For it is not giuen to all to beleeue in the Lord Iesus nay it is giuen but to a fewe to those onely whom the Father hath sealed for that purpose Yea euen the best of vs to whom the Lorde hath giuen most talents of his rich graces may say notwithstanding looking vpon our imperfections Lord wee beleeue helpe our unbeleefe and the spirit is willing but the flesh is weake Faith in the strongest wil be found to be but a deficient faith as Peters was when he began to sinke God will haue it to be so to the end we should haue recourse to the fulnes that is in Christ That when we see our faith weakned or wounded wee should doe as they did who were bitten by Scorpions cast vp our eyes to Christ the brazen serpent who will not cease since now he is lifred vp to draw vs vp also vnto himselfe Beleeue in the Lord Iesus Asour Sauiour told Martha one thing is necessary so the Apostles tell this Iaylor one thing is necessary to furnish him for the Kingdome of heauen euen faith Belecuâ— onely and thou shalt be saued To beleeue is to giue consent in thy hart to the worde of truth to subscribe therevnto by an vnfained profession to yeeld all Christian obedience aunswerable to the measure of grace giuen vnto vs. This faith is begotten in vs by the immediate gift of God and increased in vs by the word of God read and preached God giues the word and the word giues faith and faith giues saluation The Iewes reade the Scriptures and they heard Christ preaching vnto them euery Sabaoth in their Sinagogues yet they beleeued not because the vaile was not taken from them and they were still in theyr sinnes to shew that faith is the speciall gift of God and all cannot receaue it which makes so many to withstand the truth in vngodlines Where it is said heere Beleeue onely and thou shalt be saued Wee learne that faith is the onely principall instrument whereby we apprehend Christ and so consequently our saluation For without faith it is impossible to please God and so without faith it is impossible to be saued Heere may the Papistes lay their handes vpon theyr mouthes for they are no longer In architectura totuÌ„ artificiuÌ„ attribuitur architecto non arti non instrumentis Olâ—uÌ„ et ignis duo sunt sed cohareÌ„t in vno lamâ—adâ—o Make your 〈◊〉 sure by good workes In facto noÌ„ pto facto able to maintaine theyr doctrine of Good-workes in the act of iustification They would haue vs acknowledge with them that fayth without workes is not sufficient to iustifie but with our sayth say they our works must be coÌ„current Which is a manifest errour and this place conuinceth it True it is that fayth neuer goeth alone but is alwayes accompanied vvith good-works as the heate is neuer separated from the fire but in the act of iustification faith alone must be coÌ„sidered otherwise Christ dyed in vaine Homines meritum quid esse potest 〈◊〉 vt ait vaus hommis desperatio aut vt aâ— alter Dei miseratio For what is mans merrit but as one authour saith mans desperation Or as another saith the mercy of God VVho can say My hart is cleane Can the infant or the tender babe newly drawne from the wombe In no wise they cannot For quis dabit mundum ex immundo semme Of vncleane seede vvhat cleannesse can come Num adult us vt sunt annorum sic vitiorum incrementa In youth as yeeres multiply so vices increase Cum omnia feceritis dicite vos esse seruos in vtiles When ye haue done all you can say ye are vnprofitable seruants Si dixerimus nos volumus respondet Apostolus Deus dat velle si dixerimus nos facimus at vt facimus Deus
restoring to his Church that which of right belongs vnto it Giue it beauty ô Lord in sted of ashes rich apparrell in sted of Sack-cloth that yet it may be pronounced which was once proclaimed by the Prophet Aggei The glory of the last house is greater then the glory of the first house He cast out them that bought sold You haue seene Christ reforming the abuses that had crept into this Temple now let vs make a true vse of this to our selues As these grosse corruptions crept into the materiall Temple so the like to these or rather worse then these doe creepe into our spirituall Temples our bodies VVhen wee conuert our bodies to anie prophane vse and doe not glorifie God in them then it may be sayd that wee pollute our Temple When the Magistrate shall be found not to deale truly when he shall not cary cleane hands free from corruptions when he shal peruert iudgement and turne aside out of the right way then it may be sayd hee polluteth the temple of God When the Lawyer or Counseller carryeth not himselfe to his clyent as he ought if he incourage him to proceed in lawe vvith his aduersary when he might work a peace betweene both all for his priuat gaines thinking to becom a purchazer with pooâ—â— mens purses as Gehazy thought to intich himselfe with Naamans gold then doth â—â— pollute the temple of God When the Recorder or Prymitorie doth falsify the record most of al it coÌ„cernes him to be circumspect for the record being falsifyed it may doe harme an 100. yeeres after then he dooth corrupt his conscience and defileth his temple If the Sheriffe shall make a partiall returne of such as must determine matters betweene party and party he prophaneth the temple If the Iurors that are impaneled shall through friendship fauour or feare or being blinded with rewards shall deliuer an iâ—ust verdict they pollute the Temple In a worde this pollution is vniuersall wheresoeuer any kinde of vngodlines shall take place And the soueraine helpe for all this is that which our Sauiour in his owne example hath heere taught vs. When so often as these corruptions shall breake out wee must cast them out betimes as Christ did the buyers and sellers This speedy purging must be effected by the word in the godly Minister and by the sword of authority in the ciuill Magistrate Euery man can best sound his own conscience by sending downe the bucket of Gods spirit into his hart Euery man can best satifie himselfe whether he hath clensed his body by casting out all sin and vanitie and so consecrating it as a holy Temple vnto the Lord or whether hee hath abused it by giuing it ouer to all sensualitie vvith greedines suffering sin and sathan to haue ingresse and egrelle and regresse at theyr pleasures till the graue be possest of his body the wormes of his flesh and the worlde of his goods And so he returne more rotten out of the world then the matter hee was first made of when hee first came into the world Thus you see how the temple of GOD may be polluted and so in time a generall rent be made from the top to the bottome till it be quite destroyed and defaced as that famous Temple of Ierusalem is now defaced and lyeth in the dust But let vs beware how wee runne to the like ruine howe wee destroy this Temple of God not made with hands but by the mightie power of God for feareful is that saying He that destâ— cyâ—th the temple of God him shall God destroy Corruption and sinfulnes are the pullers downe but holines and righteousnes holines I meane towards God and righteousnes I say towards man are the raysers vp of this temple These two are better builders than Noaâ—s vvor-kmaisters that ioyned vvith him in the building of the Arke for they built not for theÌ„selues but for others but these doe build for God and vs. Yea and Christ himselfe worketh in this frame of this spirituall building nay himselfe becomes the head-corner-stone in whom all the building beeing coupled together groweth to a holy temple in the Lord. It followeth For it is written My house is the house of prayer but you haue made it a denne of theeues Christ in these words yeelds them a reason why hee threwe them out hee makes them acquainted with their sinne it was for defiling the Temple My house is the house of prayer but you haue made it a denne of theeues Sin till it be knowne cannot be shunned We shal the sooner be drawne from doing euil when we shal looke into the nature of it and the danger that shal insue of it Christ proueth to their faces the greatnes of theyr sinne which they could not deny nay they must needs condemne themselues in it vpoÌ„ this so manifest a profe produced by our Sauiour It is written Eyther implying a notable ignoraunce in not knowing the Scriptures or an obstinate wilfulnes in them for not performing obedience to the Word By these two as by speciall instruments of wrath sathan worketh mightilie in the children of disobedience by them millions of soules are chaind vp brought vnder sathans seruitude It is written As if hee should haue said Haue you neuer reade that Scripture that speaketh thus c. The Lawyer who woulde needes know what hee must doe to inherite life had thys aunswere How readest thou Christ sendes him to the Word to finde out the life that hee looked sor and so to these buyers and sellers that polluted the Temple Christ speaketh in like manner How reade you It it not written Aâ—y house is the house of prayer why goe yee about then to make it a denne of theeues You erre saith our Sauiour in the twelfth of Marke not knowing the Scriptures and heere he telleth these prophaners that they Mark 12. Math. 22. erred in polluting the temple for that they knew not the Scriptures In the fourth of Mathew he droue away the deuill with one word Scriptum est and heere with the same word he driues before him these buyers sellers out of the Temple I woulde the Papists did learne but thys one thing froÌ„ Christ onely to plead Scriptumest in all theyr Counsels writings and conferences for then all controuersies in religion would quickly be decided â—inde vp the testimony saith Esay seale vp Esay 8 16. the law among my disciples If they teach not according to this lawe it is because there is no light in them If any man bringeth not with him this learning receiue him not to house nor bid him so much as God speede 2. Iohn 1. Christ brings his warrant out of Scripture to teach vs to doe the same other authorities cannot build vp our holy faith As the sunne is not discerned but by his owne light so no spirit can interpret Scripture but by the same spirit that wrote it Goe not out of this field to gleane said Boas
to Ruth so goe not out of the plentifull field of Gods booke to gather Whatsoeuer is gathered elswhere prooues no corne but chaffe which euery gale of wind soone scattereth We must keepe our selues within our compasse that is within the Canon of the word as Shimey was charged not to goe beyond the Riuer Most certaine it is a matter of vndoubted euidence that no doctrine ought to be deliuered concerning faith and religion but Scripture The religion of God must stand simple as GOD himselfe left it Mans additions in Gods matters are but fantasies In other matters adde what they list but in matter cause of saluation Christ left nothing behinde him to be added any more eyther by Apostles or Martyrs or whomsoeuer because the perfection thereof is absolute nothing being lest vnperfect Wherunto who so addeth blasphemeth doth no lesse then infringe the testament of the Lord. Let the Papists then beware howe they maintaine vnwritten verities for in so dooing what do they els but infringe the testament Ambr. in â—uk lib 3. cap. 3. of the Lord. And they seek to eclipse the glory of Christ like Herod who caused all the genealogies of the Kings of Israel to be burnt because hee would not haue his pedigree abased or obscured What certainâ—e of truth can vnwritten verities cary since they resemble a tale that is told which passing froÌ„ mouth to mouth is told so many waies as theâ—e be men to tell it Beware of the leuen of the Phartsees saith our Sauiour So I say Beware of the leuen of vnwritten traditions for it is a phariseicall leuen it will sowre the whole lumpe The doctrines of men may not passe for the precepts of God These things are written that yee should beleeue that Iesus Christ is the sonne of God in so beleeuing you might haue life euerlasting Where it is showed that the Scripture is all sufficient hath nothing it it vnperfect It includeth all things that are necessarily to bee knowne in matters of saluation Let vs drawe then froÌ„ this most holy fountaine for goe the puddles of mans inuention But to end this note let vs haue recourse to Christ alone both in this place and elsewhere let vs make him our Pilot we shal be sure to be soundly directed in our compasse that we cannot erre Consider but of hys practize hyâ— proofes are Scriptum est His demaunds are Quomodo legis His apologies Scrutamâ—â—â— sâ—râ—pturas And the Apostles as they vvere taught by him so they learned to speake as he did I deliuered to you that which I receaued how that Christ died for our sinnes according to the Scriptures and that he was buried and rose the third day according to the Scriptures So Christ himselfe his Apostles all the holy men of God still poynt vs to the Scriptures as the onely Touchstone of Saluation whereby wee try the difference betweene light and darknes God and Beliall truth and heresie It is written My house c. In this place God appropriateth to himselfe the Church to be his house if it bee Gods house than are we to haue a greater regard of this than of our owne houses Dauid had a speciall care of this house when he said One day is better in thy Courts then a thousand elswhere He had rather accept of the meanest office in Gods house than to bee a princely commaunder in his owne house Yea were it but a Porters roome he valued the same so greatly that it made him register his loue to the world to all insuing posterities I had rather be a doore-keeper in the house of God than to dwell in Tabernacles of Cedar And againe hee saith to expresse further the care hee had of Gods house Shall the King dwell in his sieled house and the Arke of God remaine between the Curtaines This sheweth Dauids loue and care and it should draw from vs the like loue care to Gods house yea hee calls vppon vs for this carefulnes in the hundred psalme and in many other places O enter yee into his gates with prayse into his Courtes with reioycing c. The very name of the place as I haue sayd before should force from vs a religious worshippe It is Gods house the place that hee hath sanctified and chosen to himselfe to place his Name there In that it is called an house it dooth signifie the vnitie that must be betweene Christians They that are of this houshold may not be deuided The minister that serueth in the Sanctuarie and the people that come together in the holy assembly to heare or pray or to prayse God must be all of one mind of one affection The coate of Christ vvas Inconsutilis without deuision shewing that if we will weare Christes coate vvee must shun deuision As there is but one trueth one fayth one Baptisine one Christ one Lord ouer all and in vs all so there should be but one Shepheard one slock one Pastor and one pasture So all is Vnitie to shew that he was false that maintained â—nplicitie One lately writ a booke the title whereof was Tria sunt omnia But it had com neerer to the truth of Druinitie if he had altered his poesie thus Vnum sunt omnia For Trinity must be reduced to Vnitie before our fayth can be perfited It pittieth me to see and it is a matter of such griefe that it maâ— expresse and vvring teares from trees and stones where men are sencelesse in beholding the lamentable condition that citties townes almost euery particuler congregation is fallen into and all for want of this vnity The Minister one way the Magistrate another way and the people a third way deuided from them both Manasses against Ephraim Ephraim against Manasses both against Iuda Alas what is this else but in time to eate vp and deuoure one another and to bring in ciuill hostilitie the most mortall and capitall enemy to mankind and the very moth that fretteth and teares in sunder by little little the peace that maintaineth all Christian societies The Minister beates down vanity the Magistrate raiseth it on foote againe like Dagon and the people like men amazed wot not what to do nor whoÌ„ they should cleaue vnto whither to God or Baal When Aaron Myriam were deuided from Moses what came of it God departed from them the clowd a testimony of his presence likewise departed froÌ„ among them And we must not think the contrary but that God also departeth from vs when we cease to be at one When we deuide our selues God wil also deuide himselfe he will goe out from vs as Lot went out from Sodom to dwell in Zoar. Nay hee will not so much as leaue behind him the clowde the testimony of his presence that is his blessings graces all shal be taken from vs our peace our liberty our wealth whatsoeuer we had comfort in â—l we be left as naked as Adam wheÌ„