where I liue It were happely more credit for mee to make this whatsoeuer satisfaction out of mine owne stocke but it will bee your greater gaine that I doe it out of anothers purse Mine owne would proue but short pay and copper coine whereas what heere I haue borrowed to tender vnto you is currant and pure gold of Gods sanctuary which if it please you to put it vp will adde some good increase to your spirituall treasure of sauing knowledge What on my part is wanting in performance I will make vp with my harty desires and prayers for your prosperous state in the world and spirituall welfare in the Lord. At the Free-schoole in Cranebrooke in Kent December the 14. 1618. Your Worships in all Christian seruices J. E. THE MIRROVR OR MIRACLE OF GODS LOVE VNTO THE WORLD OF HIS ELECT IOHN 3.16 For God so loued the world that hee hath giuen his onely begotten Sonne that whosoeuer beleeueth in him should not perish but haue euerlasting life THERE is no wisedome to bee compared with the knowledge of God in Christ The excellency of the knowledge of Christ This hath not a few Arguments to commend it 1. Cor. 2.7 Ioh. 17.3 It is not simply wisedome but Gods wisedome in an eminent and high degree wrapped and folded vp in a mysterie which all men cannot conceiue It is a secret hidden wisedome and that not lately deuised but thought on of old resolued and decreed by God euen before his purpose to create the world for a more speciall aduancement vnto glory Yea to know God in Iesus Christ is life it selfe that life which is euerlasting which it bringeth vs not onely in a sure hope and expectation but in some fruition of it in the foretaste and first fruits therof I haue therefore made choice of this place as in which both God our louing Father and Christ the gift of his grace are vnfoulded vnto vs. But before we come to handle the words themselues it is fit by obseruing their coherence to know the true scope they aime at and if any thing bee obscure to vnfould it The coherence of the words The dependance they haue on the former words is on this sort Christ in the verse immediately going before gaue this out generally That whosoeuer beleeueth shall haue life euerlasting Now the Iewes giuen to emulation might thinke much that the priuiledge of life should bee communicated with the vncircumcised Gentiles Christ therefore meeteth with this corruption Which come in to meete with a scandall of the Iewes and confirmeth the vniuersality of that proposition with this reason What GOD proposeth as his end shall certainely be My counsell shall stand and I will do whatsoeuer I will Isay 46.10 But God hath set downe with himselfe this end in giuing his Sonne that whosoeuer beleeueth shall haue life Ergo Whosoeuer beleeueth shal haue life euerlasting The Minor is in these words of my Text the conclusion in the fifteenth verse the proposition is from elsewhere to be gathered and supplied In the words there is onely one phrase of speech that doth neede to be vnfoulded that is what is meant by the world Their sense Theophylact giueth two significations of this word What is meant by the world in the eleuenth of Iohn the one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the whole vniuerse The other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is men worldly minded Some taking it in the former sense very largely Not all mankinde aâ— some thinke though not for the vniuersalitie of the creature yet for all men vniuersally giue these two interpretations of it The first thus God so loued all men that he vouchsafed to giue and offer his Sonne in the preaching of the Gospell vnto all according to those places Goe teach all Nations Mat. 28.19 Preach the Gospell to euery creature Marke 16.15 A trueth I confesse but not meant in this place For heere is not meddled with the Ministerie but the Decree of God and manner of our Redemption is manifested And when wee come to handling of those words of giuing the onely begotten we shall see that agreeably vnto the context they are to be taken in another sense The second exposition is that God so loued all that hee gaue his onely Sonne to death of purpose and effectually for all But this is false For euen this one reason ouerthroweth it For God did not purpose the saluation of all mankinde by Christ Whatsoeuer the Lord purposed Christ perfectly performed I haue finished the worke thou gauest mee to doe Iohn â—7 4 But Christ did neither make intercession nor dye for all Ergo. The first is proued Iohn 17.9 Since Christ did not intercede for all mankinde c. I pray not for the world That is say some not that they should continue in worldly courses Ans There is an opposition betweene the world and those that were giuen vnto Christ which plainely sheweth that hee doth exclude the world from the benefit of his prayers as being none of those which were giuen him by his Father which opposition doth also inferre and inforce thus much that if in one member as for them which thou gauest me persons namely Gods elect are meant as is most euident then in the other we are to vnderstand not worldly courses not approued of God but men passed by neglected of him But this prayer is not made by him as Mediatour Euen when he prayed as Mediatour Ans Thiâ— sh ft is vtterly ouerthrowne by the context of this Chapter For this was made when the houre of his offering vp approached was as it were the sanctification of himselfe thereunto was not made for a few godly but all that euer should beleeue verse 20. Which Cyril saith to be put in least that the high Priest and Mediatour of our soules should not seeme to intercede for vs. Pontifex mediatar animaruÌ„ nostrarum pro nobis minime interrogare videretur And the iudgement of Cyril is that he maketh this prayer as Mediatour on the ninth verse of this Chapter Where hee hath these words Christus suos a non suis separans pro his qui verbum audierunt qui iugum susceperunt rogat quorum Mediator atque Pontifex est istis tantummodo mediationis bonum non iniuria attribuens that is Christ separating his from those that were not his doth pray for those which heard his word which had taken his yoke on them not vniustly bestowing the benefit of his mediation onely on those whose Mediatour and high Priest he is Not did die for all mankinde but his sheepe onely The second thing that he died not for all appeapeareth Iohn 10. verse 15. I lay downe my life for my sheepe Yea but may it be said all are his sheepe Ans Not so For his sheepe haue their note and name giuen â—â—em of separation from others which are not so Secondly in the twenty sixt verse hee saith to
time which hee ordained When the holy men of God looked vnto this time with what ioy were they replenished As it is said of Abraham that he saw this day of Christ and reioiced thereat Iohn 8.56 And if the contemplation of it before hand made them to reioyce How much more should wee reioyce in this grace of God and in this day of saluation vnto whom it is risen and who enioy the comfortable and blessed presence of it 3. An exhortaâ—ion to imbrace the present grace offred vs. Thirdly it is a ground of exhortation to vs that wee put not the grace of God from vs. Euery one that beleeueth shall be saued That is no condition no not of the greatest excepted of whom this is not required To beleeue Look to me all â—ee Nations of the earth and be you saued Be men what they will be neuer so rich noble and great they must looke and goe to Christ if they will haue saluation What happinesse is this then that â—hrist is come vnto vs and this grace is offered vs It is iust with God that wee perish if on any worldly confidence we neglect this saluation and do not with both armes embrace and lay hold of it being thus brought vnto vs. Doct. 6. The onely obiect of our faith as it iustifies vs is Christ Now it followeth euery one beleeuing on him This doth teach what is the obiect of our faith that is Iesus Christ whom onely faith doth looke vnto and respect as it doth make vs righteous in the sight of God which other Scriptures plentifully confirme To as many as receiued him hee gaue this priuiledge to bee the sonnes of God euen to them that beleeue in his name Iohn 1.12 A worthy honour to be made the Sonne of God which faith onely can aduance vs to and that onely as it doth beleeue in Christ and receiue him And so Acts 16.30 31. What saith the Iayler must I doe to bee saued Beleeue doth Paul and Silas answere him But on whom on the Lord Iesus And Acts 26.18 that they may receiue forgiuenesse of sinnes and inheritance among them that are sanctified through faith in mee It is therefore called the faith of Christ because Christ is he whom faith doth apprehend to righteousnesse and life according to that in the twenty sixt Verse of this Chapter Hee that beleeueth on the Sonne of God hath life And righteousnesse is euery vvhere tied vnto faith euen to faith in Christ whom onely it doth and can looke vnto as it iustifieth vs. It is true that a iustifying faith may worke a miracle may beleeue an historie but it doth not iustifie vs as it is occupied this way neither in these things doth it onely eye Iesus Christ For there are those who may beleeue the history of the gospell yea and worke miracles also who were neuer iustified as wee may reade Mat. 7.22.23 But this matter will bee better cleared if we consider what it is to beleeue on Christ The papists say it is to giue credit to the doctrine touching Christ his person offices passion and merits we say it is confidence of mercy in Christ Which faith is a confidence of mercy in Christ touching pardon of sinne and life In handling of this point I will first cleare the truth then answer what may bee obiected against it This then that faith is an affiance of mercy is proued by the nature of the phrase secondly by the interpretation of scripture thirdly by reasons As is manifest by the phrase The phrase to beleeue on Christ notes confidence assurance as may easily be conuinced For so these three phrases Credere de Christo credere Christo et credere in Christum To beleeue concerning Christ to beleeue Christ and to beleeue on Christ must bee distinguished that the former two include a bare knowledge and assent and may be where there is no iustification but the last containeth confidence in it and euer doth iustifie This phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 answereth to these Hebrew phrases 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or batach in construction with beth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For these referred to God are all one â—sal 18.22 vsed sometime in way of exegesis and exposition the one to the other That these answer to this greek phrase is apparant both by comparing the Syriacke and by the translation of the Septuagint who so translate it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 out of the 28. of Esay verse 16. as Paul citeth it Rom. 10.11 Looke now how the Scripure expoundeth these phrases 2. By the Scriptures expositioÌ„ In the 50. of Esay 10. you haue one expounded Trust in the Lord the meaning whereof is giuen vs in the next words and rest vpon him So Esay 31.1 the same phrase to trust is expounded by staying euen as a man would stay himselfe on a staffe wherewith he is vnderpropped So also Ier. 17.5 To trust in man is to make man his arme letting the hart go back from God In Psal 62.7 To trust on the Lord is to place our strength in the Lord. And Psal 37.5 To trust in him is for a man to roule himselfe and his actions on him If to beleeue on God were to holde dogmatically this or that reuealed of him then this beleefe were common to other things with him and wee might as well beleeue in creatures as in God For what doth let but that we may without sin holde and assent to those dogmaticall truthes which are taught concerning them Adde to these things the iudgement of Augustine on the 77. Psal * Hoâ— est credere in Deum credendo ad â—aâ—ere ad benè cooperandum bona operant Deo Aug. in psal 77. This saith he is to beleeue in God By beleeuing to cleaue vnto him And more largely on Ioh. 7. tract 29. b Si creditis in eum creditis ei non autem continuâ— qui credit ei credit in eum c. De Apostolis possumus dicere credimus Paulo sed non credimus in Paulum credimus Petro sed non credimus in Petrum c. Quid est ergo credere in eum credendo amare credendo diligere credendo in eum ire eius membris incorporari Augustine in Iohannem cap. 7. tract 29. If ye beleeue in God ye also beleeue God but not forthwith doth he beleeue in God who beleeueth God Againe we may say we beleeue Paul and Peter but not wee beleeue in Paul and Peter What is therefore to beleeue in him it is by beleeuing to affect him by beleeuing to loue him by beleeuing to goe into him and to bee incorporated into his members In which sense words also Lumbard * Credere in Deum est credendo amare credendo in eum ire credendo ei adhaerere et eius membris incorporari Lomb lib. 3. distinct 23. doth expound the same phrase lib. 3. dist 23.
vp in the generall promise How we haue a particular word for the pardon of our sinnes in particularly as it hath a commandement annexed thereto for euery one to apply it to himselfe If a King shall by proclamation exhort his subiects that are risen in armes against him to lay downe their armes and submit themselues vnto him and withall promise that whosoeuer shall so doe shall haue his pardon is it not as good and firme to euery one that cometh in accordingly as if the King had by name said to him Thou and thou shalt haue thy pardon Now doth not God promise pardon mercy to euery one that beleeueth in the name of Christ and doth he not command euery one to beleeue in Christ and to take this promise as made to him in particular What then is this but euen as much as if he did say to euery beleeuer by name Thy sinnes are forgiuen thee Secondly they obiect Iustifying faith goeth before iustification but the beleefe that our sinnes are pardoned must follow the pardon of them which they thus proue The beleefe of the pardon of our sinnes doth follow our iustification or else wee beleeue our sinnes pardoned when they are not Faith and pardon of sin go together but this were a false and foolish faith Ergo c. Ans Neither of these is true For neither doth the beleefe of the pardon of our sins follow our iustification nor yet doe wee beleeue our sinnes forgiuen before they bee forgiuen For God hath thus appointed that whensoeuer a sinner beleeueth and repenteth his iniquity shall then be done away They goe together But it will bee asked How faith can beleeue the pardon of sinne before the pardon is really made we cannot see a thing before it be and something is presented to vs that is visible Ans Faith requireth one kinde of obiect sense another the obiect of sense must bee actually existing in the nature of things but it sufficeth that the obiect of faith be in the word of promise Now the pardon of sinne Pardon of sin hath its being in the word of promise before we enioy it hath its being euen before it be beleeued in regard of Gods decree then also of Christs merit and purchase and lastly in the word of promise which doth assure thee that vpon thy beleeuing thy sinnes are pardoned Now faith taketh this pardon presented to it in the word of promise and trauailing with it bringeth forth the actuall remission of our sinne which vpon our faith wee receiue from God Againe they say if this be iustifying faith to haue trust and assurance that our sinnes are pardoned then we cannot say as we are taught to pray Forgiue vs our sinnes Ans That doth not follow for as in other graces so in faith wee must grow and go from faith to faith more more strongly to beleeue the pardon of our sinnes How wee doe pray for the daily pardon of our sinnes which already in part wee beleeue this is it then which vvee craue in that petition which we may well do yea ought to do that for our daily trespasses which wee fall vnto we may by faith apprehend and obtaine the pardon of them and for our former trespasses that the pardon of them may be made good to vs and by a greater measure of faith more firmely apprehended and confirmed to our soules Lastly they obiect Faith is the cause of confidence ergo not confidence it selfe Ans It doth not follow but rather the contrarie it breedeth confidence ergo it hath it for nothing can make another thing hot which hath not heat in it selfe nor could faith ingender confidence in the beleeuer if in its owne nature it did not containe the same Doct. 7. Faith doth iustifie vs not of it selfe but for Christ whom it apprehendeth That we beleeuing on him Before we come to the vses of this point wee may heere fitly obserue another point that hath much affinity with the former that is Whence it is that faith saueth and iustifieth vs it is not for its owne worth but for Christ on whom it resteth GOD gaue his onely begotten Sonne saith Christ that we beleeuing on him might haue life teaching vs that for this obiect that is Iesus Christ the onely begotten of God to whom it is referred whom it apprehendeth wee are iustified and saued Wee are to know then that when we say we are iustâ—fied by faith it is all one with this that wee are iustified through Christ apprehended by faith The Papists say indeed that this is a glosse of our owne making Wherefore we will a little further cleare and confirme the poynt First then the phrase of Scripture if we well mark it will teach vs thus much that it is not the worthiness of faith for which we are iustified for wee read that of faith and by faith and through faith wee are iustified as Rom. 3.30 5.1 but we neuer read for faith we are iustified as if it were ascribed to the worth of faith But not to stand on this the equivalence of the former phrases is the expresse word of the Scripture To be iustified by faith and by Christ apprehended by faith is all one In the third chapter of the Epistle to the Romans and elsewhere oft we meet with this phrase Wee are iustified by faith now in the fift chapter of the said Epistle it is said verse the 17. that we shall raigne in life through Iesus Christ and verse 19. that by his obedience we shall be made righteous What in the first place is called iustification and saluation by faith that in the other is called making righteous and raigning in life through Christ and him beleeued on So also Acts 3.16 First saith Peter his name hath made this man sound through faith in his name and then the faith which is by him hath giuen to him this disposition of his body Is it not plaine here that faith hath healed him is as much as his name or Christ beleeued on hath healed him the one phrase doth expound the other Reason of the point But beside this there are pregnant reasons to manifest this thing First then Faith doth onely so iustifie vs as it apprehends the righteousnesse of God Reason 1. But Christ onely is the righteousnesse of GOD. Christ is Gods righteousneâ—â—e Hee is Iehoua our righteousnesse Ier. 33.16 the Sunne of righteousnesse Mal 4.2 No righteousnesse can suffice to our iustification but such as one as God doth ordaine and allow nay such a righteousnesse as is of and in him who is not onely man but God also for it must counteruaile infinite sinnes and suffice for many thousands that are to be saued Nor can such a righteousnesse doe vs any good vnlesse as it is most sufficient in it selfe so it bee made ours Whom faith onely doth make ours And where is such a righteousnesse to be found but in Christ