vnwritten traditions Alfonsus Uiruestus a Popish Bishop and a bitter enemie to Luther acknowledgeth so much For he saith That things may bee contayned in the Scripture eyther formally and expresly or materially being drawne by a necessary collection from the contents And this he saith is called Uirtualis continentia To denie this saith hee is not Christian wisedome but Iewish superstition And then teacheth that wee are as much bound to giue assent to those things that be materially conteyned and drawne thence by a lawfull collection as to those that be formerly and expresly conteyned Bellarmine cannot deny but that Scotus taught there was not any expresse place of Scripture to proue Transubstantiation without the declaration expositioÌ„ of the Church Neither dare the Cardinall reiect that assertion but saith that Transubstantiation belongeth to the Catholicke faith because it is collected out of the diuine Scripture In his iudgement then that is a written truth which is collected from the Scripture as well as that which is expressely set downe in the Scripture If therefore Preachers deliuer no other doctrines in their Sermons if they confute and condemne no other errors if they teach no other duties if they reproue no other sinnes if they minister no other consolations and if they vrge no other exhortations then they haue warrant in the written word of God eyther by expresse testimonies or by necessary collections the word which they preach is the very same in kind in nature and substance with the word written And so there is not one word written and another word preached as the Docter would beare men in hand but one and the same word diuersly vsed So absurd is this his obseruation so voyde of reason so destitute of proofe and so discreâ—ant from the doctrine of his owne Church that it may well be thought that rather malice against vs then any warrant from the text caused him to sâ—t it downe And heere behold how farre malice doth carry your teachers euen to forsake their owne companions and to ouerthrow the coÌ„mon and receiued doctrine of their owne Church that so they may crosse and condemne vs. And to conclude with him he that will regard what he writeth in the latter end of his obseruation may easily perceiue how hee ouerthroweth his owne note obserued in the beginning For he produceth the Apostle Peter as an in different witnes in this case who saith that the Word of God endureth for euer and this is the word which is preached among you whose testimonie doth euidently prooue that the word written and the word preached then by the Apostles and other Ecclesiasticall persons was the very same word For it is apparant by that verse which he alleadged that the word of God which endureth for euer and the word which then was preached were one and the selfe same word Now what was the word that endureth for euer was it not the word written If any will denye this let him reade the former verse in Peter and compare that verse and this with the words of the Prophet Isaiah and hee shall finde it to be the word written by the Prophet So as Peter maketh the word written by the Prophet and preached by the Apostles to be the same Againe this great Docter saith the Word is the Seede because it is vnchangeable in it owne nature and substance though diuers in explication and proueth it out of Basil and Uincentius Lyrenensâ—s who make that agreemeÌ„t betweene the word written and the word preached that they are both one in substance for they preached nothing but what was written yet the word writteÌ„ was made fruitfull by preaching SECT III. BVt to leaue the Doctor and his obseruation It may be some others will acknowledge contrarie to his minde that whosoeuer preacheth nothing but such doctrines as are either expresly taught or necessarily gathered from the scriptures preacheth nothing but the written word And yet will likewise contradict me because they hold that there is another word of God besides the written word Bellarmine saith there is verbuÌ„ Dei scriptuÌ„ verbum Dei non scriptum A word of God written namely the bookes of the old and new Testaments And a word of God not written namely the traditions of the Church which be not written in the scriptures Gregory de Ualentia holdeth it for a most certaine thing that the word of God is not onely conteyned in written letters as it pleaseth him to tearme the scriptures in way of disgrace but is also put in the voyce of the Church and there doth sound Coster the Iesuite speaketh more plainely and peremptorily That the consent of the Catholike Church and the consonant doctrine of all Christians throughout the world is the scripture And in many points excelleth the scriptures which the Apostles haue left vs in parchments And this he maketh the first and chiefest kinde of scripture which now wee haue vnder the Gospell and saith that is a scripture penned with their owne hands The scriptures penned by the Apostles and Euangelists he placeth in the second ranke And addeth that a scripture of the third kind is in the degrees of generall Councells The decrees whereof if a man respect truth if he respect the seale and confirmation of the holy Ghost or the presence of Christ haue the same waight and moment that the holy gospells of God haue And so whereas Bellarmine made but two words of God he maketh three and two of his three are neither of the Cardinalls two Now those who depend on such teachers as these wil hold that albeit the seede be the word of God and Preachers must teach nothing but the word yet they may preach the traditions of the Church and the canons of councells as well as the contents of the written word because these be the word of God as well as the written word Wherevnto I answere that if the Traditions of the Church the word put in the mouth of the Church and the decrees of Councells be eyther expresly taught in the written word or may be warranted thence by iust and lawfull consequence we will acknowledge them to be the word of God But if they be praeter verbum besides the word writteÌ„ hauing neither way any warrant thereby they are not to be preached as the word of God but to be taken as the word of man And if they be contrary to the word written they are so farre from being the word of God as they must rather bee reputed to be the word of the diuell I neede not to stand on the first and last kinde For we acknowledge the first as well as the papists and the papists doe in generall condemne the last as well as we though they iustifie some in particular All the doubt is whether such traditions and canons that bee praeter verbum are to be taught to the people as the true word of God and be the seede
charitie loueth Faith respecteth the first trueth Charitie the chiese good Not the second because although charity arise of faith yet it doth not arise as a proper passion which doth necessarily flowe from the subiect but as a vertue vnto which an other doth dispose and encline And Thomas Aquinas saith Seeing Charitie is without the essence of faith by the comming or departure of it the substance of faith is not changed And although Bellarmine holde with the school-men that Charitie is the forme of faith yet he tteacheth that it is an outward not an inward forme And such a forme as doth not giue beeing vnto it but motion Howe then can it make it make any essentiall differēce betwixt that faith which hath it and that faith which wanteth it I know that the Fathers do sometime note loue as a difference betwixt the faith of Christians and diuels and betwixt the faith of good Christians and bad Yet do they not make it the onely difference betwixt them they teach an essentiall differēce by belieuing in God with trust and confidence Againe they might better make it a difference of theyr faith then the Papists can make it a difference of the faith which they teach because it was a necessary and proper effect proceeding from that their faith not from any other For those that do so belieue in God with hope and confidence of his mercie and goodnes towards them cannot but loue him But papists haue no such confidence nor assurāce in their faith which should make them to loue God they may haue all theyr faith without loue And therefore loue cannot distinguish it essentially from the faith of diuels So then to shut vp this point it still remaineth apparent that in the nature and substance there is no difference at all betwixt popish assenting faith and the faith of diuels And surely those that now content themselues with such a faith as is no better in substance then the faith of diuels may iustly feare least hereafter they shall haue no better estate in substance then the deuils haue SECT XII THe last kinde of faith which I mentioned I called a Temporary faith which differeth from a dead faith because while it lasteth it bringeth forth outward fruites And yet is not the same with a iustfying faith because it commeth short of it by many degrees doth not saue any and continueth not vnto the end This faith is scarce knowne to the papists very fewe of their writers make any mention of it Yet lest any should thinke that it is a new coyned tearme and a newly inuented faith I will shew what authors write of it Augustine long agoe vsed the name and tytle together with the name of Historicall faith as before I declared Bernard doth at large describe it and sheweth the difference betwixt it and other kindes of faith he maketh a diuisiō of a threefold faith There is a dead faith a fained faith and a tried faith The dead faith the Apostle defineth to be a faith without workes which doth not worke by loue The fained faith saith he I thinke that is called which hauing receiued life from charitie begins to be moued to worke well but not perseuering doth faile and die as an vntimely birth In the same sense indeed I may call it fained or fashioned that we call the potters vessels fictilia non because they are not profitable so long as they last but because seeing they are brickle they doe not last long Of this fayning of faith I thinke they are noted in the Gospell who beleeue for a while and in time of tentation goe away When and whither doe they depart surely from faith to infidelitie And these saith Christ haue no rootes He doth not deny but they haue that which is good but he rather blameth them that they were not rooted in that which is good Such are the soules hauing as yet a little and tender charitie and for this cause their faith though liuely yet fained or fraile must needes faile in tentation What kinde of faith euery mans is tribulation doth try If any man faile it is knowne to be fained If any mans continue it is iudged to be a tried and a perfect faith c. So likewise in another place he hauing described what is an vnfained faith he addeth that it is called an vnfained faith to shew the difference of it from a dead faith and a fained faith A dead faith is that which is without workes A fained faith is that which beleeueth for a season and in time of tentation goeth away whence it is called ficta fayned that is fraile or brickle Bernardine hath the same distinction and almost the very same wordes with Bernard in the former place and proueth the difference of a fained and failing faith from a dead faith and a tried faith by the words of the Euangelist Luk. 8. 13. they beleeue for a time Michaell Medina was so farre from thinking that this temporarie faith was the same with a iustifying faith that he accounted it while it continued to be no true faith at all For this he writeth True faith is the faith of Gods elect onely I confesse the reprobate doe belieue but for a season For in the time of tentation they goe away Which faith because it hath no rootes the holie Scripture doth not call a true faith And that faith which doth not bring forth the fruite of glorie is no faith before Christ. In this respect the reprobate are accused of vnbeliefe Because although they seemed in outward appearance to belieue yet they did not truely belieue because they wanted eyther true Charitie or Constancie which is so annexed to true faith that in Scripture faith is taken for fidelitie and that hee proueth by the wordes of the Apostle 1. Pet. 2. 6. These wordes and many more to the same effect are related by Sixtus Senensis yet not confuted nor condemned and therefore seeme to be approued Doe not you therefore condemne me for teaching the temporary faith to be another faith then iustifying faith is Thus I hope you plainely see that there is not one only faith in all men as some of your teachers would bear you in hand but that there be diuers kindes of faith really distinct one from another in nature in degrees in efficacy and operation And that this hath beene the ancient doctrine of the true Church and still hath bene taught by some in the Romane Church I pray God that you may not deceiue your selues with a fained faith nor content your selues with that assenting faith which some doe falsely tell you is sufficient But that you may seeke and also obtaine that iustifying faith which is able to saue your soules Take heede of giuing too much credite to some late popish writers Their malice against vs prouoketh them to speake worse of faith then they ought Though it be the most necessary and most effectuall grace which
hee and the rest of the Apostles preached and therefore he saith If wee or an Angell preach otherwise then that which wee haue preached And what worde hee preached I haue proued before not any traditions but the written word If it be true which Irenaeus and Nicephorus doe write that what the Apostles preached at first was afterward by the will of God set downe in the scriptures it must be acknowledged that they preached no traditions seeing we can finde no traditions penned by thē in their Epistles And though they had bene traditious when they were preached yet they ceased to be traditions when once they were written by them Againe the Fathers restraine the words of the Apostle to the scriptures as if he were accursed that would preach any thing not cōtained in them Augustine is most plaine therein Whether concerning Christ or concerning his Church or any other thing that pertaineth to our faith or life I will not say if wee for we are not to be compared to him who saide if wee but euen as he going forward added If an Angell from heauen shall preach vnto you besides that which ye haue receiued in the scriptures of the lawe and the Gospell let him be accursed Basill likewise teacheth that hearers who be skilfull in the scriptures ought to examine those things which bee deliuered of their teachers And to receiue those things which be agreeable to the scriptures and to reiect those that be not And produceth this testimonie of the Apostle to proue it which had bene an impertinent proofe if the Apostle had spoken as well of a word not written as of a word written The Cardinall mentioneth both these testimonies and would auoyd them by saying that they doe not of purpose expound this place but doe proue by this place that it is not lawfull to auouch any thing contrary to the scriptures Yet cānot he deny but that they doe alleadge this place of the Apostle And I hope he will not say but that they doe deliuer the true sense of it and doe alleadge it according to the true meaning of the Apostle Doth the Cardinall thinke that such learned fathers would giue one sense of it when purposely they expound it and another sense when they alleadged it to prooue a point which they haue in hād This were to wrest the scripture to make it serue their present turne I hope he will not so iudge of such reuerend men And to say that they onely proue thence that it is not lawful to auouch any thing contrary to scripture is to alter and inuert their words Doth not Augustine say praeterquam quod accepistis besides that which you haue receiued but of that afterward And if by that place they proue that nothing must be taught contrary to the scriptures then must they not hold with the Cardinall that the Apostle speaketh of each word as well written as not written but onely of the written word And so the Cardinall maketh them to confute him Chrysostome purposely expounding the place saith Paul preferreth the scriptures before angels comming from heauē As also that Paul doth not say if they preach contrary things or if they subuert the whole Gospell but if they preach but euen a little beside the Gespell which ye haue receiued let them be accursed Thomas Aquinas their Angelicall Doctor professedly expoūding that place doth write that nothing is to be preached but that which is conteyned in the Gospells and in the Epistles and in the holy scripture implicitely or expresly Will they say that their Traditions are conteyned in the scriptures either expresly or by way of implication or consequent thenare they not vnwritten verities as they tearme them A second answere of the Cardinall is this that the Apostle by Praeter vnderstood Contra. And therefore did not forbid new doctrines and precepts which were besides those that were deliuered but onely doctrines and precepts contrarie to the former Yet will not this serue his turne For in matters of faith and religion proeter and contra are both alike Whatsoeuer is taught as necessarie to saluation if it be besides the scripture must be condemned as well as that which is contrarie to the Scriptures The reason is because the Scriptures conteyne all thinges which Ministers are to teach as necessary to saluation And therefore Paul told Timothie that they were able to make him wise vnto saluation And were profitable to teach to improue to correct and to instruct in righteousnesse Two of which respect mens mindes what they are to know and beleeeue as the trueth and what they are to reiect as errors Two of them respect their maners what sinnes they are to auoyde what duties they are to performe Is there any things needfull to bee taught the people but these things And because the Cardinall answereth that the Scriptures are profitable for all these things but not sufficient Consider the wordes of the Apostle following where hee declareth the end of this profitablenes namely that the man of God may be absolute being made perfect to all good works By the man of God he meaneth the Minister of the Gospell That tytle had he in his former Epistle giuen vnto Timothie And Lyra saith the man of God was one ordeyned to the diuine office such a one as Timothie was If then the Scripture being profitable for those foure vses will thereby make a Minister of the Gospell absolute and perfect for each good worke belonging vnto him he is not to teach any things ouer and besides the Scripture Theophylact thus writeth on the former place Hee doth not inferre if they onely preach contrary things but if they preach that which is beside that which we haue preached that is if they shall adde any thing that is but a very little more they are subiect to the curse And indeed it may seeme strange that the Papists are so earnest to haue vnwrittē traditions as wel preached as written truthes seeing the things written are more cettaine more excellent and necessary and require a long time to bee all taught and learned They are more certaine because all men are more certainely assured that the Scriptures the doctrines conteyned in them bee the word of God then that vnwritten traditions be his worde Bellarmine confesseth that nothing is better knowne nothing more certaine then the sacred Scriptures which bee conteyned in the writings of the Prophets Apostles that he must needes be most foolish who denyeth that they are to be beleeued And produceth 5. inuincible and infallible proofes that they are the very word of God Whē he commeth to speake of traditions he alleadgeth no such proofes but onely goeth about to prooue by 4. places of Scripture which haue bene long agoe answered that there are some traditions though neyther he nor any of his fellowes can tell what they are nor can make a perfit Catalogue of them so vncertain are
they Indeede hee deliuereth fiue rules whereby true traditions may bee discerned from false and counterfait traditions yet those rules are grounded on the authoritie of men and do not infallibly proue them to bee the word of God Yea he teacheth that al traditions haue not the like authoritie some haue diuine authoritie some haue Apostolical some ecclesiastical And therfore all of them cannot haue the same authority with the written word which himselfe before proued to haue diuine authoritie And how do they know any thing to bee a tradition but by humane writings and histories which as the Cardinall confesseth can breede but humane beleefe wherein may be falshood Neither are they so necessarie and profitable as the Scripture It is able to make a man wise to saluation It is the seede ofregeneration It is the foode of our soules It is the sword of the spirit to defend vs from the Diuell It bringeth vs to faith and saluation as before I proued Can such profite bee reaped from traditions Did euer any approued authour ascribe such vertue and efficacy to them Did euer any Christian obteyne these benefites by them Moreouer the thinges taught in the Scripture are not easily learned Augustine wrote that the profunditie of the Scripture is so great that hee might hee might dayly profite in them if from the beginning of his childhood to his crooked old age he should with greatest leisure chiefest studie and better wit endeuour himselfe to learne them onely The Papists will not gain-say this seeing they hold the Scripture to be very obscure Pambo confessed that in 19. yeeres hee had not learned to practise one lesson taught him out of Psal. 39. to refraine his tongue from euill How many yeeres then may our people require to learne the meaning and the practise of al things written in the Olde and New Testament I would therefore wish our Popish Priestes and people first to learne how to vnderstand and practise all thinges that bee written and when they haue learned all those then to begin with traditions It is no wisedome to contend much and busie themselues greatly about traditions before they haue learned and practised all things written which be farre more certaine more necessarie and profitable If they would take this course I am assured that there is not any one of them though he liued to be as old as Methuselah that would euer trouble eyther himselfe or vs with traditions But it skilleth not what doctrine Papists heare if Tollet say truely That a countrey man beleeuing his Bishop deliuering hereticall doctrine doth merit by beleeuing SECT IIII. IN describing the second propertie of hearers which was their beleeuing for a time to shew what kind of faith that was I taught that there be diuers kinds of faith one proper to the elect and others common both to them and to the reprobate I may iustly feare left that doctrine will not be receiued of all my countrey men and neighbours because the contrary is taught by many Romish Rabbines The Catechisme of the Tridentine Counsel teacheth That though there bee diuers degrees of faith yet it is but one in kind The Rhemistes holde that the dead faith whereof S. Iames speaketh and the Catholicke faith is all one Maldonatus scoffeth at them who make three kinds of faith Historicall Miraculous Iustifying Bellarmine maintaineth it very stifly that there is but one faith And that the historicall faith the the faith of miracles and the faith of promises are all one and that this is the iustifying faith Lest I bee mistaken I would haue you to vnderstand that I acknowledge that there is but one faith in respect of the obiect or of the things which are to be beleeued In regard whereof the Apostle saith There is one Faith one Baptisme Meaning that we all beleeue the same thing as we are all baptised with the same rite as Bellarmine doth truely expound it And in this respect Agustine taught that there was but one faith of all beleeuers Eadem credentium fides vna But one faith of all them which beleeue the same things And in this respect the Fathers write that there was but one faith in all ages that the beleeuing Iewes vnder the Lawe and beleeuing Christians vnder the Gospel had one and the same faith differing onely in the manner not in the matter they beleeued in Christ who was to come and Christians in him alreadie come Augustine sayd truely Aliud sunt ea quae creduntur Aliud fides qua creduntur The things which are beleeued and the faith whereby they are beleeued are not one and the same The former saith he consist in things which haue beene which are and which shall be but the other is in the minde of the beleeuer And therefore though there bee but one faith in respect of the obiect and thinges to bee beleeued yet there may bee diuers kinds of faith differing much one from another in respect of the habite or facultie of the minde whereby we doe beleeue them because all persons doe not beleeue the same things after one and the same maner Againe I doe confesse that there is but one true sauing and iustifying faith in all the Saints and in all the elect Though euery one of them haue a proper and peculiar faith of his owne yet it is the same with the faith that is in others The faith of one may differ from the faith of another in degrees so as one is stronger another weaker but not in knde not in nature and substance Yet there bee in other persons diuers other kinds of faith besides this which bee not the same with it but doe much differ in substance and kinde not onely from it but likewise one from another The difference and diuersitie of these kinds I haue in the Sermons going before sufficiently proued by testimony of holy writte I will now proue the same by the testimonies of ancient Fathers and late Popish writers And that first in generall then in particular In generall that there is not onely one kind of faith but diuers and seuerall kindes of faith SECT V. MOst of the Fathers and many of the Romish writers haue distinguished betwixt these three Credere Deo credere Deum credere in De◠To beleue God to beleue that he is God and to beleeue in God As namely Augustine Eusebius Emissenus Beda Bernard Lumbard The Ordinary glosse Thomas Aquinas Antonius Bernardinus de Senis Iohannes de Combis and Ferus And I maruell much that Bellarmine writing so much of the difference and vnitie of faith did neuer mention this distinction beeing so rife in all Authours Now these three doe so much differ among thēselues as that they cannot possibly be actes of one and the same faith in kinde First they differ in respect of the nature and properties of them
same words doth in his owne name expound it of the same faith and distinguisheth it from the other faith saying Faith is here taken not for that vertue whereby wee are called belieuers as it is taken of Paul when hee saith there are three vertues Faith Hope Charitie which faith all Christians haue and then the Apostles had But it is taken for the faith of miracles which Paul putteth 1. Cor. 12. among the diuision of Graces which the holy Ghost imparteth to diuers men diuersly euen as he will And this kinde of faith is no hing else but a Confidence of obtaining or working miracâ—es when it is needfull or profitable by calling vpon the Name of God Caietane doth put as great difference betwixt them writing vpon those words 1. Cor. 12. Alteri fides in eodem spiritu saith thus There is no speech heere concerning the faith of things to be belieued but concerning the faith of thinges to be done For that is common to all Christians but this agreeth onely to some certaine persons Pighius also writeth that the faith which is Fiducia an Assurance or Confidence is in the whole kinde diuerse from that Catholike faith where vnto the power of miracles was adioyned For the one doth properly respect the truth of God for the obiect the other respecteth the goodnes of God as made ours after a manner by mutuall loue That goeth before the loue of God and is separable from it so as the Apostle affirmed that he might haue all faith of that kinde though hee had not loue But this doth follow loue and is a bud of it That may be euen in the workers of iniquitie who at the day of iudgement shall heare Christ say to them I neuer knew you But this belongeth onely to iust and holymen who haue already sanctified or Dedicated their soules to God through the obedience of Charitie So many wayes doth hee distinguish them and so farre was he from making them one and the same kinde of faith or making the one to be a degree of the other Consider then I pray you how the Rhemistes and Bellarmine are singular in this their conforming of a miraculous faith with a iustifying faith hauing not only the scriptures but also all sorts of writers gainsaying them And therefore it may well be supposed that rather a desire to contradict vs then any consent of theyr owne Church or any sound reason to warraÌ„t them hath moued them to make that confusion of two distinct gifts And will you giue credite to such spitefull and partiall writers SECT X. Of Hystoricall Faith THe first kind of ordinary faith which is common both to the Elect and reprobate I called an historicall or dogmaticall faith yet I knowe there be many who neither can abide the name and tytle of historicall faith nor yet will acknowledge any difference betwixt the thing signified thereby and a iustifying faith but make them both one Touching the name Gregory Martine said that historicall and speciall faith are hereticall tearmes newly deuised Cardinall Bellarmine saith that Catholikes do not vse the name of historicall faith least they should seeme to thinke that the deedes of the Saints which are recorded in scripture are not beleeued but for the authoritie of the historie writers And that there is but one faith which is neither to be called historicall nor miraculous but a Catholike faith Yet the thing feared by the Cardinall to arise vppon the vse of the Name is but a vaine pretence If he and his fellowes had feared the like daunger in the vse of other Names they would neuer haue allowed the name of Transubstantiation lest any should thinke that they holde a reall Conuersion of the substance of the Bread and Wine into the substance of Christs bodie for so much doth the proper signification of the word import when as the name of hystoricall faith importeth no such thing as he feareth The onely reason why hee and his fellowes contemne the tytle is because we sometime vse it Such is their hatred to vs that they are vnwilling to vse anie Terme of ours though it bee neuer so fitting and proper But first let them knowe that we may lawfully vse terms and tytles to expresse our meaning if the thing meant thereby may be prooued by the Scripture though the Terme it selfe bee not expressely found in the Scripture The ancient Fathers gaue to CHRIST the name and Tytle of omousios consubstantiall to expresse the equalitie of his Godhead with the Father The Arians misliked it because they found it not in the Scriptures Yet the Fathers one after another defended it and vsed it still because though the Name it selfe were not there yet the thing signified thereby was found there Euen as the Arians themselues gaue to the Father the tytles of Unbegotten Incomprehensible Incircumscriptible Incorporall and such like which words were not found in the Scripture yet were the things meant thereby The Cardinall relateth this at large with many testimonies And acknowledgeth that in expressing the mysterie of the Trinitie they vse many names and words which although they be not found in scripture yet their seedes and equiualents are there found And the Rhemists graunt that wee may not measure the newnesse or oldenesse of wordes and tearmes of speaking in Religion by holy Scriptures onely as though all those or onely those were newe and to be reiected that are not expresly found in holie Writte but we must esteeme them by the agreeablenesse or disagreeablenesse they haue to the true sense of Scripture Now wee meane nothing by this Hystoricall Faith but that firme assent which men doe giue to the thinges written in Scripture Not onely to the hystories of Acts done but likewise to all doctrines of faith manners there taught And therefore we also call it a Dogmaticall Faith a faith whereby wee beleeue all the Doctrines of the Scriptures to bee true By which tytle the Cardinall confesseth Cyrill and Chrysostome haue called this faith And hee himselfe calleth that a Dogmaticall Faith which hee saith wee call an Hystoricall Faith And the faith which we meane by the Hystoricall Faith wee prooue out of Scriptures as may be seene in my former Sermons Yea the Papists will not deny but that there is such a faith taught in the Scriptures Yea this is the onely faith which they require Yea Bellarmine though he scarce dare vse the name yet he acknowledgeth that by our Historicall faith wee meane that faith which they call An assent which they giue to the narration of things past not for the authoritie of men but of God himselfe who hath reuealed them And that faith he proueth by Scripture If then they agree with vs about the thing why doe they wrangle with vs about the name It is a folish thing saith Bellarmine to striue about the name when men are agreed of the thing Moreouer not onely the old Doctors
God here bestoweth on man yet are they greater enemies to it and seeke more to disgrace it then any other gift or grace whatsoeuer Some haue thought so basely of it as they haue taught it was too mean a grace for the Virgine Mary to be endued withal Though Augustine sayd Mary was more blessed by perceiuing the faith of Christ then by conceiuing the flesh of Christ. Yet Albertus Magnus who as Hosius saith was not without cause called Gteat goeth about to proue that she had not faith at all but a certaine kinde of knowledge aboue faith Such a knowledge and puritie as neuer any had in the way but the Angels haue in heauen Oh consider that this is the Dâ—uels pâ—llicie and practise that if he cannot make men otherwise to thinke then that faith is absolutely necessarie to saluation hee then stirreth vp some to teach them a false and insufficient faith because hee knoweth that will no more profite them then no faith as all Wherefore searce out the true faith and seeke for it SECT XIII IN speaking of that Faith which is called Temporary and may be lost I touched a question whether true Iustifying Faith may be quite lost And the rather because some popish writers alleadge that place to proue that it may bee lost Not to say any thing of those reasons and texts of Scripture then produced by me to proue that true faith cannot be lost I will now for your further satisfaction set downe the testimonies of diuers learned men approoued by your side who consent with mee in this poynt Augustine taught that those who haue this faith shall neuer perish but shall certainely be saued The Faith which worketh by loue suffereth no man to perish said he So in another place when he exhorted men to a true and right faith so to beleeue in Christ as that they loued him Not to beleeue in him as the Diuels did who though they beleeued yet did not loue Christ and therefore saide to him What haue wee to doe with thee thou Sonne of God But so to beleeue him as wee loue him and say not What haue wee to doe with thee but rather say Wee belong to thee thou hast redeen ed vs. He therevpon inferreth that all they which thus beleue are as liuely stones of which the Temple of God is built and as those neuer putrifying plancks and timber of whieh the arke was made that could not bee drowned in the Flood If they that thus beleeue cannot perish then their faith cannot be lost for they are kept and saued by faith If any will answere that if they keepe their faith they shall not perish but they may lose their faith and so perish Let them heare the same Father in plain tearms denying that For speaking of the praedestinate he saith These mens faith which worâ—eth by loue eyther doth not fayle at all or if there be some of them whose faith fayleth it is repayred before this life bee ended and the iniquitie which came betwixt being blotted out they are reputed to haue perseuerance vnto the end And further teacheth that they whose faith finally faileth were neuer of the number of the elect nor of the number of Christs Disciples Yet more plainely afterward Christ therefore praying for these that their faith might not faile without doubt it shall not fayle vnto the end and therefore it shall continue vnto the end neyther shall the end of this life finde it otherwise then continuing This hee speaketh of them who were called according to Gods purpose as the words immediately going before doe testifie In whom as there hee saith the gifts and calling of God are without repentance And in this respect hee there preferreth the state of the praedestinate aboue the estate of Adam in Paradise And sheweth that this gift of perseuerance is more needfull for the praedestinate now because they are assaulted with so many and so great Tentations And at last concludeth the faithfull man not onely because he hath obteyned mercy that he may be faithfull but also because his faith it seâ—fe fayleth not When he glorieth let him glorie in the Lord. Beda rehearseth the words of Augustine touching the efficacie of Christs prayer in keeping the faith of them who be called according to Gods putpose from fayling reckoneth faith as one of those gifts of God that are without repentance and faith they are without repentance because they are stedsastly fastened without changing And those who beleeue are taught of God and none of them shall perish because Christ looseth none of those whome the father hath giuen him Gregory the great did very fitly distinguish of Gods gifts and shewed the difference betwixt them in regard of continuance There be some gifts of his without which a man cannot attaine to life There be others by which holines of life is declared for the profit of others for meekenes bumilitie patience faith hope charitie are his gifts but those without which men can neuer come to life but prophecie the gift of healing diuersitie of tongnes interpretation of speech are his gifts yet such as shew the presence of his power for the correction of the beholders In those giftes therefore without which men cannot come to life the holy Ghost doth alwayes abide in his preachers or in all the elect But by the other he doth not alwayes abide To the same effect hee likewise speaketh else-where saying The holy Ghost according to certain vertues doth alwayes abide in the harts of the Saintes But according to other hee doth come and goe away goe away and come againe For by Faith Hope and Charitie and other graces without which a man cannot come to Heauen he neuer forsaketh the hearts of the perfect Bernard propouâ— ded a question How any of those who are vnited to Christ by faith can be cut off from him as vnfruitfull branches are cut off from the Vine Seeing be that is coupled with Christ is one spirite with him And answered it by distinguishing of faith that there is a dead faith a fained faith a perueâ—se faith and a right faith And therevpon inferred that hee whoÌ„ had any of the three former might be cut off but he who had the last could not be cut off from that Vine Hee shall abide in Christ and beare fruite and the Father will purge him that hee may beare more fruite Most of the learned Papists seeme to come neere vnto vs in this point Though Stapleton teach that saith cannot be lost by euery mortall sinne but by sinning often and falling often into the same sinnes it may be lost As the rootes of a Tree will not wither if onely one twig be pluâ—ked away but if all be plucked away they will dye Yet is he contradicted by all his fellowes Thomas Aquinas acknowledgeth that faith remaineth in men when they fall from holynes to sinne Whereas some helde that man sinning
the one halfe of the Sabboth in as wanton and lasciuious dancing as euer was vsed by any The ancient Christians would not celebrate the solemne daies of the Emperour with bone-fires publike dancings and drinkings And were defended by Tertullian for that their refusall because they would celebrate those daies rather by conscience then by wantonnes because that were to expresse a publike ioy by a publike shame And those things which were not seemely on other daies were not seemely on the Emperours solemne daies Chrysostome would not suffer the people to set vp the image of the Empresse with publicke dancings and stage-playes Neither would he tollerate any pyping and dancings at weddings The councell of Laodicia forbad dancing at weddings and enioyned Cleargie men to depart from meetings where it was vsed Yet our people iudge it an honest and lawfull keeping of the Lords Sabboth to pype and dance all the afternoone And who are greater maintainers of this impietie then our recusants and new communicants Their purses are euer open for the â—yring of the pyper their children and seruants alwaies ready to dance after him and themselues seldome fayle to be spectators By this meanes they keepe the people from the Church and so continue them in their popery and ignorance Though we often preach against this abuse though we let them knowe that the best learned in the Romish Church haue condemned it as a tricke of wantonnes as a prouocation to lust as a breach of the seuenth commandement and an exercise vnfit for the Sabboth yet sturdo canimus They will not forbeare it because they are not restrained by authoritie Augustine witnesseth that the Bishops of his time were accustomed to suppresse such vaine and filthie dancings As your Lor doth treade in their steps by painefull preaching so if you would imitate them by reforming this great disorder you might greatly further the fruit of our ministery The papists of our time and countrey doe esteeme so little of the authoritie of the Canonicall scriptures and ascribe so much to humane writings that though we proue our doctrine by most pregnant places of scripture yet they will not beleeue it vnles they be assured that the old Fathers and their owne late writers haue taught the same Therein dissenting from the ancient Fathers who would try and iudge of mens words and writings by the Canonicall scriptures but would not iudge of the doctrine of the scriptures by humane writings I haue therefore added vnto the sermons a Post-script to papists to let them vnderstand that what we preach in the pulpit against them is not onely warranted by the diuine scriptures but is also witnessed by the fathers and some of their owne Church And therefore if they condemne vs as heretikes for teaching such doctrine we may say to them as Augustine said to Iulian the Pelagian condemning him for teaching the same doctrine touching originall sinne which other Father 's taught Who seeth not that openly you condeme vs and secretly you condemne them yet haue you the same iudgement both of them and vs. These sermons together with the Postscript I now offer vnto your Lordship not as if the matter of them were worthy your reading but rather that they being approued by your iudgement and protected by your authoritie may better escape the spitefull censures of enuious and superstitious persons As also that I might thereby testifie my thankefulnes to your Lordship who not onely from time to time haue much countenanced and greatly furthered my poore ministerie in these backeward partes but also of late considering my long labours and small meanes of maintenance did procure the continuance of that Pension which was graunted vnto me by the royall gift of two famous Princes when as some vpon stinister pretences and by indirect meanes went about to abridge me of a great part thereof Thus presuming of a pardon for this my boldnes I humbly commit your Lordship to the mercifull protection of Almightie God who long continue your health and happie estate and make you a blessed instrument of much good vnto his church Your Lordships in all dutie to be commanded WILLIAM HARRISON THE DIFFERENCE OF HEARERS Or an exposition of the parable of the Sower Luk. 8. vers 11. 12. 11. The parable is this The seede is the word of God 12. And they that are beside the way are they that heare afterward commeth the diuell and taketh the word out of their hearts least they should beleeue and be saued c. CHrist Iesus our blessed Sauiour did no sooner begin to preach the Gospell but had many hearers With such authoritie did he teach such excellent and profitable doctrine did he deliuer such admirable miracles did he worke to confirme his doctrine and such great fame of him was spread abroad that all people were willing and desirous to heare his sermons yea all manner of persons out of all coastes and quarters of the land flocked vnto him in great multitudes Wherevpon he not onely taking a view of their number but also duly considering their disposition how al of them came not with same intent and purpose how all of them were not alike qualified for profitable hearing and how all of them should not receiue the same benefit by hearing of him he propounded a parable of a sower of corne to declare the diuersitie of hearers who be vnprofitable who be profitable hearers Lest any should imagine that by any kind of hearing they might be saued he lets them vnderstand that there be bad hearers as well as good And because many of them were husbandmen who liued by tilling and sowing of land and all of them were well acquainted with matters of that nature for their better capacitie he fetched his similitude from husbandry This parable is first propounded then expounded propounded in the 5. 6. 7. 8. verses of this chapter whereof I forbeare to speake because the doctrines thereof may be better considered in the exposition It pleased Christ for the instruction of his disciples and for the edification of his Church in future ages to expound this parable And it is the first parable which wee find penned with his exposition The occasion of the exposition is set downe in the two verses immediately going before namely a question moued by the Apostles what should be the meaning of it And a reason rendred by Christ why he would explane it to them and not to others because it was giuen to them to knowe the mysteries of the kingdome of God but not to others Now in the verses following is conteyned the matter of the exposition which is double the former respects the seede the later respects the ground The seede saith Christ is the word of God The ground was of foure kinds and signifieth 4. sorts of hearers 1. The first kind of ground was the high way What hearers are signified thereby is declared here vers 12. and more may be supplied out of
thistles Experience may verifie this Looke into those places and Parishes where the worde is neuer taught or to those persons who will not heare though they might and you shall find nothing among them but Atheisme Popery and prophanenesse Yet in those places where it is taught and heard wee may finde the frutes of holinesse and righteousnesse If not among all yet among many The consideration whereof should mooue the Ministers of the Gospell to bee instant in season and out of season as Paul exhorteth them The lesse they preach the lesse shall they profite the people The more seede they cast into the furrowes of the peoples hearts the greater plenty of fruit may they expect We should follow Salomons aduise who sayth In the morning sow thy seede and in the euening let not thy hand rest for thou knowest not whether shall prosper this or that or whether both shall bee alike good What shall wee answere to the Lord our Maister and owner of the fielde if through our negligence in sowing his fielde of the Church yeelde him not such store of fruit as otherwise it might haue done And you people should likewise apply this to your selues and learne from hence to heare often If you contemne the word will not suffer your hearts to bee sowne with the seede of it you shall bring forth no good fruit but remaine as a barren Heath Doe you not remember what the Apostle saith That the ground which beareth thornes and bryars is reprooued and is neere vnto cursing whose ende is to bee burned Fearefull is their case who are such ground yet no better can they bee who refuse to heare As you are content to haue your fieldes sowne yeerely that so you may reape a croppe at Haruest So must you bee content to haue your hearts cōtinually sowne with this heauenlie seede that so you may be fruitfull in all grace and godlines though your fields be sowne but once a yeare yet must your hearts be sowne continually because you should yeeld and beare fruit continually As we are content to bestowe our paines in sowing this seede continually though it be as toylesome a labour as you finde in your seede-time so be ye willing and readie to receiue this seede into the furrowes of your hearts continually that so you may from time to time abound in fruit for Gods glory and your owne comfort But whose word is it that is this spirituall seede It is not the word of Angell or of man but the word of God This seede did Christ sowe and none else And therefore he said My doctrine is not mine but his that sent me As my Father hath taught me so I speake This seede did the Apostles sow none else For when Christ sent them abroad he bad them teach all Nations to obserue all things which he had commanded them All those thinges must be taught yet nothing else And lest they should forget what those things were hee promised to send the Holy Ghost who should bring all thinges to their remembrance which he had told them who should lead them into all trueth Because as hee sayd hee shall not speake of himselfe but whatsoeuer he shall heare that shall he speake And so carefull were the Apostles to sow this seede onely as they did confidently protest that they receiued of the Lord that which they deliuered to their hearers And if they or an Angell from heauen or any man preach otherwise then they had receiued let him be accursed And no other seed must we sow if we will make the people fruitfull Christ and his Ministers sow none but good seede in his field If bad seede as Tares or Cockle be sowne it is done by the enuious man the Diuell and his instruments As there be doctrines of God so there bee doctrines of Diuels namely errors and heresies those be as tares among wheate and doe greatly hinder the fruitfulnesse of the good seede There be also doctrines of men as the inuentions of their owne heads vnwritten verities Decrees of Popes Canons of Counsels traditions of the Church which wanting the warrant of Gods word are but as chaffe to the wheate and beeing taught in the Church will yeeld no more fruit then chaffe that is sowne in a field Vnder the Lawe God woulde not permit the Iewes to sow the same field with mingled seede And shall we thinke that now vnder the Gospell he will permitte vs to teach for doctrines mens traditions to mingle trueth with error and his diuine Oracles with humane inuentions Wee therefore that bee sowers must see that our seed be good As the Husband-man against seed-time will not onely prouide good seede but will also winnow it fanne it and try it that so he may neither sow chaffe nor light corne nor darnell but pure graine which is like to fructifie So wee before wee come to the Pulpit must try and examine our doctrine that it bee sound and that we deliuer nothing but that which will edifie the hearers And because Non omnis fert omnia tellus Each grounde will not beare each kinde of graine Wee must like wise and carefull Husband-men sow that seed which is fittest for our ground and deliuer such doctrines as are most fitting for the capacitie and present condition of the Auditorie that will yeeld the best encrease And you Christian people as you must take heede how you heare so also take heede what you heare It is the word of God not the word of the Diuell It is the word of Christ not the word of Antichrist that must make you fruitfull As you haue great care that your ground be sowne with sound and cleane seede so be carefull that your soules bee instructed with sound and wholsome doctrine Beleeue not euerie spirit but try the spirits whether they bee of God Despise not Prophesying but try all things and hold that which is good With the Noble-men of Berea search the Scriptures daylie whether those thinges bee so which are taught you What you finde contrary thereto that reiect as tares what is not warranted thereby blowe away as chaffe what is proued thereby that receiue as good seede into the furrowes of your heartes I know the Popish Seminaries will not suffer you to trye their seede you must trust them and take it vpon theyr word but we allowe and require you to trye ours If two men offer you Seede to sowe your ground and the one bid you trye it and view it well the other tell you of it but keeps it in his sacke you must not viewe it whether dealing would you like better whether seede would you receiue If theyr seede were good if they taught Gods worde they would not refuse tryall Vers. 12. And they that are beside the way are they that heare IN the former verse you haue heard the exposition of the seede Now see the exposition of the ground
he knowe them because they are spiritually discerned It is that oyntment which teacheth vs all things Dauid prayed often for illumination Open mine eyes that I may see the wonders of thy lawe Teach me ô Lord the way of thy statutes and I will keepe it vnto the end Paul prayed for it to be bestowed on others As for the Colossians that they might be fulfilled with all knowledge in wisedome and spirituall vnderstanding And for Timothie to whom he thus wrote Consider what I say and the Lord giue thee vnderstanding in all things Much more should we pray to obtaine it for our selues It is the Lords gift beg it of him by prayer the more dull os capacitie you are by nature the more earnestly and the oftner should you pray to God that by grace he may make a supply of that which you want by nature This is one reason why many heare and heede not and vnderstand not euen because they will not pray before they heare Iames saith If any man lacke wisedome let him aske of God and it shall be giuen him So if you want vnderstāding aske it of God and it shall be giuen you 3. Exercise your selues daily in reading the word in meditating of it in conferring and talking of it Dauid said I haue had more vnderstanding then all my teachers for thy testimonies are my meditation The Apostle said that men of age to whom strong meate belongeth through long custome haue their wits exercised to discerne both good and euill If you will often reade the scriptures or heare others reade them you shall be better able to vnderstand thē when you beare them expounded better carry away the doctrine drawne from them 4. Attend diligently to that which is deliuered marke and consider it thinke then on that onely and nothing else Euen as the people gaue heede vnto those things which Phillip spake And as Lidia whē God had opened his hart attended vnto the things which Paul spake This is wanting in many and therefore they vnderstād not for no attention no vnderstanding Paul long agoe forbad men to giue heede to fables yet is it now practised by diuers If a man tell a winter tale a fayned fable or a merry iest many listen very attentiuely vnto him marke it well and will talke of it afterward but when the preacher speaketh of heauenly matters which tend to the saluation of mens soules he is heeded by a few which persōs are like the Athenians who regarded not Demosthenes when he spake of matters for the welfare of their citie but listened well vnto him when he told thē a tale of a contention about an asses shadow betwixt the owner and hyrer of the asse You must know that you cannot vnderstand vnles you doe carefully attend and expell all other by-thoughts out of your mindes And that you may the better attend you must as Christs hearers did fixe and fasten your eyes on the preacher lest gazing on other things your eyes withdraw your minde from the doctrine deliuered And if your bodies growe drowsie and sleepie sit not long but stand on your feete Euen as that worthy and Christian Emperour Constantine the great vsed to do who for reuerence to the word and for his better attention could not be perswaded to sit downe but would most commonly stand at sermons 5. When you vnderstand not a point aske them which be learned and do vnderstand it This was the vsuall practise of the Apostles when they vnderstood not the meaning of this parable they asked Christ and he told them when they vnderstood not his doctrine of the things which defile a man they asked him and he made them to vnderstand it Be not you therefore ashamed to aske you shall find many readie to resolue you if you will aske what you cannot vnderstand of your selues and at the first bearing you may afterward vnderstand by asking of them 6. Lastly be careful to practise what you doe alreadie knowe and vnderstand then shall you be able to vnderstād more afterward for as Dauid saith The feare of the Lord is the beginning of wisedome all they that obserue them haue good vnderstanding And Christ said If any man doe the will of my father he shall knowe of the doctrine whether it be of God or whether I speake of my selfe Obedience is the key of knowledge If men sinne against their own knowledge and conscience the Lord in iudgement blindeth their mindes and hardeneth their hearts that they shall vnderstand lesse afterward and lesse regard what they heare So contrariwise he in his mercy will reward former obedience with future illumination The seruant who hid his talent lost it but he who employed his talents had them multiplyed Whosoeuer will obserue these rules shall hereafter vnderstand and profite more by one sermon then hee hath done by many sermons in times past The second propertie in the first kind of hearers is set forth by the issue and euent that falles out at his hearing The diuell comes and takes the word from him The former propertie came from himselfe this from the diuell In this behauiour of the diuell toward these hearers wee may note 2. things 1. his presence 2. his practise 1. His presence in that he is said to come he commeth to the persons that doe heare and to the places where they heare Though here it be translated afterward commeth the diuell yet it might be translated then commeth the diuell Marke saith that Sathan commeth immediately to wit as soone as they haue heard and before they goe away from the place as well as afterward Euen as fowles come to the field that is sowne so will the diuell come to the persons that heare and to the places where they heare This is to be considered because it is not simply said the diuell taketh the word but all three Euangelists adde this he commeth And this not onely teacheth vs as some haue obserued that the diuell is out of vs is not alwaies present is sometime neere sometime a farre off sometime tempteth sometime tempteth not But likewise that he neither feareth the persons that heare Gods word nor the place where they heare it He came to Adam and Eue while they were in Paradise he came and stood before the Lord among the children of God that is the holy Angells He approached neere to Christs most holy body and carried it from one place to another We must not therefore thinke it strange that he dare come among them that meete together for the hearing of Gods word and into Churches which be consecrated and dedicated for the worship of the Lord. Papists imagine that the ringing of consecrated bells will driue him away And that permanent crosses of mettall and wood and transient crosses made on the forhead with their fingers will put him to flight Let them shew why he should be more afraid of these then of
sight of thine owne eyes but knowe that for all these things GOD will bring thee to Iudgement Hee that is vniust let him be vniust still and he which is filthie let him bee filthie still yet shall they find that Christ will come shortly and his reward is with him to giue to euery one according to his worke And then those which with poore Lazarus endure paine shall bee comforted but those which with the rich glutton enioyed their pleasures shall be tormented What will you abridge vs of all pleasures must we become Stoickes may we not take pleasure sometime for our refreshing We will neyther with Stoickes condemne all pleasures nor with Epicures commend all pleasures Onely we teach you what pleasures are to be auoyded and how other pleasures are to bee moderated least they hinder you in grace and in your dutie to your good God Wee acknowledge that GOD hath giuen vs his blessings and graunted vs the vse of his creatures not onely for necessitie but likewise for delight and pleasure Adam enioyed pleasure before his fall Paradise where hee was placed was called the Garden of Eden that is The Garden of pleasure The Lord hath proomised delights and pleasures as a reward and blessing to his people that obey his voyce The Lord saith the Prophet shall comfort Zion he shall comfort all her desolations he shall make her desart like Eden and her wildernes like the garden of the Lord ioy and gladnes shall be found therein praise and the voyce of singing And God giueth not onely bread to strengthen mans hart but also wine to make his heart glad and oyle to make his face shine But take heede how you vse them The abuse of them dishonoureth God and hindereth the saluation of many mens soules If you will knowe how to vse them aright obserue these foure rules 1. Regard the matter of them that it be not a thing forbidden by God for euery sinfull pleasure shall be punished with a sorrowfull paine voluptas transit peccatum remanet The pleasure passeth away the sinne remaineth and the punishment shall follow he that taketh pleasure in any acte of sinne is like to gnats and flies that play with a candle that burneth them As Dalilah spake faire to Sampson and much delighted him for a time but at last betrayed him and deliuered him into the hands of his enemies and was the cause of his destruction So these sinfull pleasures may delight men for a season yet in the end they will betray them and procure their euerlasting condemnation There be but two ends of these pleasures either repentance or punishment Those that doe not seriously repent shall be seuerely punished 2. Obserue a due measure in them Though the things wherein thou takest delight be lawfull yet moderate thy selfe in the vse of them thou maist tast of them but not surfet hony is sweete and wholesome but hee that eateth much may surfet of it and annoy his body So pleasures are necessarie to satisfie the infirmitie of our fraile nature and to make vs more chearefull in Gods seruice yet superfluitie is dangerous to the soule and will breede securitie and contempt of spirituall things in the heart Doe not turne Christian libertie into licentious Epicurisme As he that will haue an healthfull body must vse sobrietie in his diet so hee that will haue a sound soule must vse temperance in his pleasures 3. See that the time be fitting pleasures must not be perpetuall nor continuall It is noted as a fault in the rich man that he was cloathed in purple and fine linnen and fared delicately euery day Now and then had bene enough There is a time for all things said the wise man A time to weepe and a time to laugh And so there is a time when we may take our pleasures and a time when wee must abstaine from them The Lord reproued the Iewes that when he called them vnto weeping and mourning to baldnes and girding with sackcloath Then there was ioy and gladnes slaying oxen and killing sheepe eating flesh and drinking wine And therefore if God doe visite the land with any publike calamitie of pestilence famine or the sword we should rather hūble our selues with sorrowfull repentance with fasting prayers thē delight our selues with the pleasures of the flesh If any will thē addict thēselues to their wōted delights we may say to them as Elishah said to his seruant Gehazi Is this a time to receiue money and to receiue garments and oliues and sheepe and oxen Is this a time to sport your selues with carnall pleasures and worldly delights Is it not rather a time of mourning then of ioyes We must weepe with them that weepe And therefore if our brethren and neere neighbours feele the hand of God heauie on them we must then forbeare our pleasures and mourne for them The Lord denounced a fearefull woe against them that were at ease in Sion which did lye vpon beds of Iuorie and stretch themselues vpon their beds did eate the lambes of the flocke and the calues out of the stall Did sing to the sound of the violl and inuented to themselues instrumēts of musicke like Dauid Did drinke wine in bowles and annoynt themselues with the chiefe oyutments but were not sorry for the affliction of Ioseph Know then that all times are not seasonable for your pleasures And then onely vse them when it is fitting 4. Doe not content your selues onely with carnall and earthly pleasures but also seeke for spirituall and heauenly pleasures Doe not count this to be your onely pleasure to liue deliciously for a season as some heretofore haue done and were iustly taxed by the Apostle But know that there are delights for the inward man as well as for the outward There is a delight in the lawe of God There is consolation by the scriptures There is consolation in Christ. And a reioycing in the Crosse of Christ. There is a ioy in the holy Ghost There is a ioy of faith There is a reioycing in hope There is a reioycing in the testimonie of a good conscience Do not therfore satisfie thy selfe with outward and corporall delights but seeke also for those that be inward and spirituall these are more permanent and profitable and will yeeld true comfort to thy soule Be like that blessed man who delighteth in the law of God and meditateth therein day and night who feareth the Lord and delighteth greatly in his commandements Imitate the blessed Virgin whose spirit reioyced in God her Sauiour And the holie Apostle who delited in the law of GOD concerning the inward man Then shalt thou bee satisfied with the fatnesse of the Lords house and he shall giue thee drinke out of the Riuer of his pleasures as Dauid speaketh There be also pleasures in heauen for in the presence of God is fulnesse of ioy and at
say with the Apostle It is not I but the grace of God which is with me and by his grace I am that I am The more lowly thou art the better are thy fruites The more and the better graines that an eare of corne hath in it the lower it will bowe downeward but the fewer and the worse graines it hath the higher and straighter will it stand vp Euen so the more good fruites for number and the sounder for qualitie that any man hath the more lowly and humble will he be The prouder he is and the more he insulteth ouer others the fewer worse be his gifts and fruits Therfore be lowly and humble not Arrogating to thy selfe but ascribing to God the glory of all thy fruites Not disdayning any for the small measure of their fuits but honoring them for their good beginning and praying to God that they may abound more and more And this I pray for you all as the Apostle did for the Phlippians that your loue may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all iudgement that yee may discerne things that differ that yee may be pure and without offence vntill the day of Christ filled with the fruites of righteousnes which are by IESUS CHRIST vnto the glorie and prayse of GOD. The Lorde graunt you all these things for his mercies sake in his beloued Sonne Amen A POSTSCRIPT to the Papists in Lancashire I Am not ignorant how hasty and rash manie of you bee in condemning all things spoken and written against the Doctrine of your moderne Priestes If you vouchsafe to reade our wrytings you commonly giue no more fauourable Censure of them then Iulian the Emperour gaue of the Ancient Fathers bookes who thus said of them I read I vnderstood I condemned And we might iustly answere you as Basil and other Learned Byshops answered him Thou hast read but not vnderstod For if thou hadst vnderstood thou wouldst not haue condemned Some of you are like those men whereof the Apostle Iude spake who condemne those things which they knowe not Others of you knowe and vnderstand more yet reiect all things as erronious and Hereticall which you knowe to be contradictorie to the positions of your popish priests Yea many of you be such vnequall iudges that although you cānot but approue almost all points in the booke yet if there bee but one only thing which you distaste you presently condemne all the rest for it And take it to bee as a leafe of Coloquyntis which marreth a whole messe of pottage and as a deade Flye that spoyleth a whole boxe of Oyntment In regard whereof I may iustly feare your sharpe and bitter censures of these my Sermons nowe put foorth to open sight I can expect no more indifferencie and fauour at your hands thē others my betters haue formerly found Notwithstāding as often hereto fore I haue laboured by many meanes to giue you satisfaction in your Doubtes and demaundes both by priuate Conference with diuers of the Layitie by seuerall Answeres made to the wrytings of the learned on your side and also by open disputations with your priests as some of you cannot denie if you would testifie truth So would I now giue you full contentment if any reasonable thing will content you for all such exceptions which I thinke you wil take against these Sermons Whereas the learned on your side doe charge vs that in our sermons and writings we interpret the Scriptures according to our owne fancies and priuate conceits and not according to the vniforme sense giuen by the Fathers and the common exposition of the Church and thervpon would perswade you not to heare or reade or belieue any thing which we proue by the scriptures I will make it apparant that in those points of cōtroucrsie touched in these sermons and confirmed by seuerall texts of scripture I haue the consent of the ancient Fathers and also of many of your owne late wryters Cardinall Bellarmine acknowledgeth that before the Pelagian heresie arose the Fathers did not exactly handle the questionof Praedestination by grace but onely when occasion was offered did briefly set down their opinions And that Chrysost did not plainly preach preuēting grace because at that time they were not risen vp which denyed it As if the Fathers did speake and write plainely fully of those poynts onely which were controuerted and impugned in those dayes Now is it certaine that few of those poyntes which I mentioned were called into question in their dayes There were many controuersies de eo quod creditur non de eo quo creditur as the M. of Sentences out of Augustine distinguisheth of the things to bee beleeued or of the obiect of faith yet not of the habite of faith or of the gift or qualitie whereby we beleeue And therefore the trueth is not to be gain-sayed though we could not produce very pregnant and plentifull testimonies out of their writings touching the nature and kindes of faith Notwithstanding they haue not left themselues without witnes in that they do vpon occasions declare their iudgements therein which serue to confirme the trueth on our side These testimonies of theirs and the testimonies of your owne Doctors I did forbeare to recite in the Pulpit or write in the copie of the Sermons that so I might auoyde tediousnes Yet hauing diligently perused them and hoping that they would be of force with some that duly consider them I thought good to set them apart by themselues and to adde them as a postscript after all SECT II. WHereas I taught that the word of God is the spirituall seede which must bee sowne in our hearts to make vs fruitfull in all good workes And that Preachers ought to teach and people ought to heare and receiue nothing but the word and did limit the word to the word written I know it crosieth the doctrine of some in your Church and therefore may perhaps be misliked by you First your countrey-man Doctor Stapleton writing a Postill for the instruction of Popish Preachers could not finde in all this Parable any poynt to be obserued against vs but onely this that the word is the seed And will haue not the word written but the word preached to be the seede Yea he maketh two words of God the one Now what is preaching but expounding of Scripture and deliuering the true sense of it As appeareth by the practise of Ezra and the Leuites who reade the Lawe of God distinctly and then gaue the sense and caused the people to vnderstand what was read Those then who in their Sermons deliuer the true sense of the word written according to those seuerall kindes of expositions must needes deliuer the word of GOD euen the selfe-same word that is written Againe not onely the things expresly set downe in the Scriptures but likewise such things as by sound and necessarie consequence bee collected thence are taken for written truthes and not
which was sowed by the sower and is able to make the receiuer fruitfull in all good workes and heire of saluation in heauen To that which I deliuered in the sermons I will adde more for your satisfaction to proue them not to be Gods word nor to be taught by the preachers of the Gospell 1. Christ himselfe when he was vpon the earth was a Sower and a principall sower when he preached the word as is acknowledged by all writers in the parable Look then what word he preached that onely was the true word of God there called Seede and no other what hee taught not that was not the word of God For he called his Disciples friends because he had made known to them all things which he heard from his Father Now it is most euident that Christ neuer taught any Traditions of the church nor decrees of coūcels he often codemned the decrees of the Elders and the traditions of the Pharisies And tolde them that in vaine they worshipped God who taught for doctrines mens precepts But himselfe neuer taught any such He receiued his doctrine immediately frō his Father And therefore he said My doctrine is not mine but his that sent mee The things that I heard of him those speake I to the world As my Father hath taught mee so I speake these things Will they say that Doctrine receiued immediately from God and presently taught to people is at the first teaching of it a tradition Then all the visions of the Prophets and all the reuelations of Saint Iohn were traditions They holde onely those to be traditions which being not written are conueyed from one man to an other Againe though Christ receiued his doctrine from his Father euen as the Apostles did from him yet was it no other then that was caught and written in the Bookes of the olde Testament eyther by Types or Precepts or Prophecies or Promises And therefore he bad the Iewes Search the Scriptures because they testified of him And tolde them that Meses accused them For had they belieued Moses they would haue belieued him But if they belieued not Moses writings they could not belieue his words His Sermons were expositions of the Lawe and the Prophets Hee 11 tooke Texts to expound Hee alleadged Testimonies out of the Olde Testament to prooue his Doctrine And that both in his publicke Sermones and in his priuate conferences Whereas he preached pardon of sinne to all that belieued in him Peter tolde Cornelius and his companie To him giue all the Prophets witnes that through his Name all that belieue in him shall receiue remission of sinnes Augustine said perēptorily there was in the olde Testament so great preaching and fore-shewing of the New Testament that nothing are found in the Euangelicall and Apostolicall discipline which be wanting in these olde Bookes Yea he found so great consent of doctrine betwixt the two Testaments that he affirmed that in the Old the New was hid and in the Newe the Old was reuealed Let the Papists name any one doctrine taught by Christ which they take for a tradition and I will vndertake to proue it out of the old Testament Moreouer what Christ taught the Apostles afterward did write thogh not euery word yet the summe and substance of all Luke did perfectly search out all things from the beginning to write therof from point to point And said he made the treatise of his gospell of all that Iesus began to doe and teach vntill the day that he was taken vp Expositors hold that the Euangelists wrote all his wordes and deedes which he thoght worthy and fitte for the office of his dispensation Augustine saide whatsoeuer Christ would haue vs to read of his deeds and sayings he commanded them to write And althogh any one of the Euangelists did not of himselfe make a perfect narration of all Christs doctrines and deede Yet all of them together haue don it For they who wrote last tooke a viewe of those things which the former had written by direction of the spirit added such things as they had omitted It is testified by most Authors that when Iohn percceyued how other Euangelists wrote onely the things of one yeare euen the yeare after Iohns imprisonment hee approued those and in his Gospell added the things done and taught in the former yeares And because some Heretickes denyed the God-head of CHRIST he considering that other Euangelistes did at large describe his Humanitie but spake little of his God-head did in his Gospell write such thinges as proued him to be GOD. And added those Sermons which the rest had omitted And therevppon Sixtus Senensis saide against the Alogan Heretickes That from them all ioyned together there ariseth a most Consonant and most perfect Hystorie of our saluation It is then to be examined whether the Euangelistes haue written that Christ taught any traditions receyued from men If they write no such matter it is certaine that hee taught none at all Let our Aduersaries runne thorough the whole Newe-Testament and they shall not bee able to finde any one of theyr Traditions recorded by the Euangelistes as a doctrine taught by Christ. Seeing then Christ taught no traditions why should wee presume to teach any must wee not receiue from him the matter of our Doctrine and imitate him in the manner of teaching Saide not Ambrose well that wee doe iustly condemne all newe things which Christ hath not taught because Christ is the way to Belieuers If therefore Christ haue not taught that which wee teach euen we doe iudge it to be detestable 2. Againe the Apostle Paul was a painefull Sower and did sowe all the worde of God And therefore could protest to his hearers that hee had kept nothing backe from them but had shewed them all the counsell of God Now what word taught he Did hee teach traditions and mans ordinances Did he not teach only writtē truths Did he not proue his doctrine by the scriptures Did he not in his apologie before Festus auouch that hee taught none other things then those which the Prophetes and Moses did say should come And how could the Bereans haue examined his doctrine by the Scriptures if hee had deliuered anie thing not taught in the Scriptures Yea Saint Paul was so farre from preaching any other Doctrine then that which was written that hee denounced him to be accursed whether hee were man or Angell that should teach otherwise I knowe Bellarmine would elude that place by two seuerall answeres yet all in vaine First he saith that the Apostle speaketh not onely of the word written but of euery word whether it be written or it be by tradition But besides that hee beggeth the question he hath the wordes of the Text and the testimonies of the Fathers and of some Popish writers against him For the Apostle speaketh of that worde which