Which Labyrinth as the other sort doth justly shun so the way which they take to the same Inâ— is somewhat more short but no whit more certain For through Gods Omnipotent Power they imagine that Transubstantiation followeth upon the words of Consecration and upon Transubstantiation the Participation of Christs both Body and Blood in the onely shape of Sacramental Elements So that they all three do plead Gods Omnipotency Sacramentaries to that Alteration which the rest confess he accomplisheth the Patrons of Transubstantiation over and besides that to the change of one substance into another the Followers of Consubstantiation to the kneading of both Substances as it were into one lump Touching the sentence of Antiquity in this cause first For as much as they knew that the force of this Sacrament doth necessarily presuppose the Verity of Christs both Body and Blood they used oftentimes the same as an Argument to prove That Christ hath as truly the substance of Man as of God because here we receive Christ and those Graces which flow from him in that he is Man So that if he have no such Being neither can the Sacrament have any such meaning as we all confess it hath Thus Tertullian thus Irenaeus thus Theodoret disputeth Again as evident it is how they teach that Christ is personally there present yea present whole albeit a part of Christ be corporally absent from thence that Christ assisting this Heavenly Banquet with his Personal and true Presence doth by his own Divine Power add to the Natural Substance thereof Supernatural Efficacy which addition to the Nature of those consecrated Elements changeth them and maketh them that unto us which otherwise they could not be that to us they are thereby made such Instruments as mystically yet truly invisibly yet really work our Communion or Fellowship with the Person of Jesus Christ as well in that he is Man as God our Participation also in the Fruit Grace and Efficacy of his Body and Blood whereupon there ensueth a kinde of Transubstantiation in us a true change both of Soul and Body an alteration from death to life In a word it appeareth not that of all the ancient Fathers of the Chruch any one did ever conceive or imagine other then onely a Mystical Participation of Christs both Body and Blood in the Sacrament neither are their speeches concerning the change of the Elements themselves into the Body and Blood of Christ such that a man can thereby in Conscience assure himself it was their meaning to perswade the World either of a Corporal Consubstantiation of Christ with those Sanctified and Blessed Elements before we receive them or of the like Transubstantiation of them into the Body and Blood of Christ. Which both to our Mystical Communion with Christ are so unnecessary that the Fathers who plainly hold but this Mystical Communion cannot easily be thought to have meant any other change of Sacramental Elements then that which the same Spiritual Communion did require them to hold These things considered how should that Minde which loving Truth and seeking Comfort out of Holy Mysteries hath not perhaps the leisure perhaps nor the wit nor capacity to tread out so endless Mazes as the intricate Disputes of this cause have led men into how should a vertuously disposed minde better resolve with it self then thus Variety of Iudgments and Opinions argueth obscurity in those things whereabout they differ But that which all parts receive for Truth that which every one having sifted is by no one denied or doubted of must needs be matter of infallible certainly Whereas therefore there are but three Expositions made of This is my Body The first This is in it self before participation really and truly the Natural Substance of my Body by reason of the coexistence which my Omnipotent Body hath with the sanctified Element of Bread which is the Lutherans Interpretation The second This is in itself and before participation the very true and Natural Substance of my Body by force of that Deity which with the words of Consecration abolisheth the Substance of Bread and substituteth in the place thereof my Body which is the Popish construction The last This Hallowed Food through concurrence of Divine Power is in verity and truth unto faithful Receivers instrumentally a cause of that Mystical Participation whereby as I make my self wholly theirs so I give them in hand an actual possession of all such saving Grace as my Sacrificed Body can yield and as their Souls do presently need This is to them and in them my Body Of these three rehearsed Interpretations the last hath in it nothing but what the rest do all approve and acknowledge to be most true nothing but that which the words of Christ are on all sides confest to inforce nothing but that which the Church of God hath always thought necessary nothing but that which alone is sufficient for every Christian man to believe concerning the use and force of this Sacrament Finally Nothing but that wherewith the Writings of all Antiquity are consonant and all Christian Confessions agreeable And as Truth in what kinde soever is by no kinde of Truth gain-said so the minde which resteth it self on this it never troubled with those perplexities which the other do both finde by means of so great contradiction between their opinions and true principles of Reason grounded upon Experience Nature and Sense Which albeit with boysterous courage and breath they seem oftentimes to blow away yet whoso observeth how again they labor and sweat by subtilty of wit to make some shew of agreement between their peculiar conceits and the general Edicts of Nature must needs perceive they struggle with that which they cannot fully master Besides sith of that which is proper to themselves their Discourses are hungry and unpleasant full of tedious and irksome labor heartless and hitherto without Fruit on the other side read we them or hear we others be they of our own or of ancienter times to what part soever they be thought to incline touching that whereof there is controversie yet in this where they all speak but one thing their Discourses are Heavenly their Words sweet as the Honey-Comb their Tongues melodiously tuned Instruments their Sentences meer Consolation and Ioy Are we not hereby almost even with voice from Heaven admonished which we may safeliest cleave unto He which hath said of the one Sacrament Wash and be clean hath said concerning the other likewise Eat and live If therefore without any such particular and solemn warrant as this is that poor distressed Woman coming unto Christ for health could so constantly resolve her self May I but touch the skirt of his Garment I shall be whole what moveth us to argue of the manner how Life should come by Bread our duty being here but to take what is offered and most assuredly to rest perswaded of this that can we but eat we are safe When I behold with
what went they out to see a Man Cloathed in Purple and fine Linen no indeed but an obscure harmless Man a Man in poor Clothes his Loynes usually girt in a course Gown or Canonical Coat of a mean Stature and stooping and yet more lowly in the thoughts of his Soul his body worn out not with Age but Study and Holy Mortifications his face full of Heat-Pimples begot by his unactivity and sedentary life And to this true Character of his Person let me add this of his Disposition and behaviour God and Nature blest him with so blessed a hashfulness that as in his younger days his Pupils might easily look him out of countenance so neither then nor in his Age did he ever willingly look any Man in the face and was of so mild and humble a Nature that his poor Parish Clark and he did never talk but with both their Hats on or both off at the same time and to this may be added that though he was not purblind yet he was short or weak-sighted and where be fixt his eyes at the beginning of his Sermon there they continued till it was ended and the Reader has a Liberty to believe that his Modesty and Dim sight were some of the reasons why he trusted Mistris Churchman to choose a Wife for him This Parish Clark lived till the third or fourth year of the late long Parliament betwixt which time and Mr. Hookers Death there had come many to see the place of his Burial and the Monument dedicated to his memory by Sir William Cooper who still lives and the poor Clark had many rewards for shewing Mr. Hookers Grave-place and his said Monument and did always hear Mr. Hooker mentioned with Commendations and Reverence to all which he added his own knowledge and observations of his Humility and Holiness in all which Discourses the poor man was still more confirm'd in his opinion of Mr. Hookers Vertues and Learning but it so fell out that about the said third or fourth year of the long Parliament the present Parson of Borne was Sequestred you may guess why and a Genevian Minister put into his good living This and other like Sequestrations made the Clerk express himself in a wonder and say They had Sequestred so many good Men that he doubted if his good Master Mr. Hooker had lived till now they would have Sequestred him too It was not long before this intruding Minister had made a party in and about the said Parish that were desirous to receive the Sacrament as in Geneva to which end the day was appointed for a Select Company and Forms and Stools set about the Altar or Communion Table for them to sit and eat and drink but when they went about this work there was a want of some Joynd-stools which the Minister sent the Clerk to fetch and then to fetch Cushions When the Clerk saw them begin to sit down he began to wonder but the Minister bade him cease wondering and lock the Church door To whom he replied Pray take you the Keys and lock me out I will never come more into this Church for all men will say my Master Hooker was a good Man and a good Scholar and I am sure it was not used to be thus in his days And report says The old man went presently home and died I do not say died immediately but within a few days after But let us leave this grateful Clerk in his quiet Grave and return to Mr. Hooker himself continuing our observations of his Christian behavior in this place where he gave a holy Valediction to all the pleasures and allurements of Earth possessing his Soul in a vertuous quietness which he maintained by constant Study Prayers and Meditations His use was to Preach once every Sunday and he or his Curate to Catechize after the Second Lesson in the Evening Prayer His Sermons were neither long nor earnest but uttered with a grave Zeal and an humble Voice His Eyes always fixt on one place to prevent his imagination from wandring insomuch that he seem'd to Study as he spake the design of his Sermons as indeed of all his Discourses was to shew Reasons for what he spake And with these Reasons such a kinde of Rhetorick as did rather convince and perswade then frighten men into Piety Studying not so much for matter which he never wanted as for apt illustrations to inform and teach his unlearned hearers by familiar examples and then make them better by convincing Applications never laboring by hard words and then by needless distinctions and subdistinctions to amuse his hearers and get glory to himself But glory onely to God Which intention he would often say was as discernable in a Preacher as an Artificial from a Natural Beauty He never failed the Sunday before every Ember week to give notice of it to his Parishioners perswading them both to fast and then to double their Devotions for a Learned and Pious Clergy but especially for the last saying often That the life of a pious Clergy-man was visible Rhetorick and so convincing That the most godless men though they would not deny themselves the enjoyment of their present Lusts did get secretly wish themselves like those of the strictest lives And to what he perswaded others he added his own example of Fasting and Prayer and did usually every Ember week take from the Parish Clerk the Key of the Church door into which place he retired every day and lockt himself up for many hours and did the like most Fridays and other days of Fasting He would by no means omit the customary time of Procession perswading all both rich and poor if they desired the preservation of Love and their Parish Rights and Liberties to accompany him in his Perambulation and most did so In which Perambulation he would usually express more pleasant discourse then at other times and would then always drop some loving and facetious observations to be remembred against the next year especially by the boys and young people still inclining them and all his present Parishioners to meekness and mutual kindnesses and love because Love thinks not evil but covers a multitude of infirmities He was diligent to enquire who of his Parish were sick or any way distressed and would often visit them unsent for supposing that the fittest time to discover those Errors to which health and prosperity had blinded them And having by pious Reasons and Prayers molded them into holy Resolutions for the time to come he would incline them to Confession and bewailing their sins with purpose to forsake them and then to receive the Communion both as a strengthning of those holy Resolutions and as a Seal betwixt God and them of his mercies to their Souls in case that present sickness did put a period to their lives And as he was thus watchful and charitable to the sick so he was as diligent to prevent Law-sutes still urging his Parishioners and Neighbors to bear with each others
weighed from whose magnanimity in causes of most extream hazard those strange and unwonted resolutions have grown which for all circumstances no people under the Roof of Heaven did ever hitherto match And that which did always animate them was their meer Religion Without which if so be it were possible that all other Ornaments of Minde might be had in their full perfection nevertheless the minde that should possess them divorced from Piety could be but a spectacle of commiseration even as that Body is which adorned with sundry other admirable Beauties wanteth Eye-sight the chiefest Grace that Nature hath in that kinde to bestow They which commend so much the felicity of that innocent World wherein it is said That men of their own accord did embrace fidelity and honesty not for fear of the Magistrate or because revenge was before their eyes â— if at any time they should do otherwise but that which held the people in aw was the shame of ill-doing the love of equity and right it self a bar against all oppressions which greatness of power causeth They which describe unto us any such estate of happiness amongst men though they speak not of Religion do notwithstanding declare that which is in truth her onely working For if Religion did possess sincerely and sufficiently the hearts of all men there would need no other restraint from evil This doth not onely give life and perfection to all endeavors wherewith it concurreth but what event soever ensues it breedeth if not joy and gladness always yet always patience satisfaction and reasonable contentment of minde Whereupon it hath been set down as an Axiom of good experience that all things religiously taken in hand are prosperously ended because whether men in the end have that which Religion did allow them to desire or that which it teacheth them contentedly to suffer they are in neither event unfortunate But lest any man should here conceive that it greatly skilleth not of what sort our Religion be in as much as Heathens Turks and Infidels impute to Religion a great part of the same effects which our selves ascribe hereunto they having ours in the same detestation that we theirs It shall be requisite to observe well how far forth there may be agreement in the effects of different Religions First By the bitter strife which riseth oftentimes from small differences in this behalf and is by so much always greater as the matters is of more importance we see a general agreement in the secret opinion of men that every man ought to embrace the Religion which is true and to shun as hurtful whatsoever dissenteth from it but that most which doth farthest dissent The generality of which perswasion argueth That God hath imprinted it by nature to the end it might be a spur to our industry in searching and maintaining that Religion from which as to swerve in the least points is error so the capital enemies thereof God hateth as his deadly foes aliens and without repentance children of endless perdition Such therefore touching mans immortal state after this life are not likely to reap benefit by their Religion but to look for the clean contrary in regard of so important contrariety between it and the true Religion Nevertheless in as much as the errors of the most seduced this way have been mixed with some truths we are not to marvel that although the one did turn to their endless wo and confusion yet the other had many notable effects as touching the affairs of this present life There were in these quarters of the World Sixteen hundred years ago certain speculative Men whose Authority disposed the whole Religion of those times By their means it became a received opinion that the Souls of Men departing this life do slit out of one Body into some other Which opinion though false yet entwined with a true that the Souls of Men do never perish abated the fear of death in them which were so resolved and gave them courage unto all adventures The Romans had a vain superstitious custom in most of their enterprises to conjecture before hand of the event by certain tokens which they noted in Birds or in the Intrails of Beasts or by other the like frivolous Divinations From whence notwithstanding as oft as they could receive any sign which they took to be favorable it gave them such hope as if their gods had made them more then half a promise of prosperous success Which many times was the greatest cause that they did prevail especially being men of their own natural inclination hopeful and strongly conceited whatsoever they took in hand But could their fond Superstition have furthered so great attempts without the mixture of a true perswasion concerning the unresistable force of Divine Power Upon the wilful violation of Oaths execrable Blasphemies and like contempts offered by Deriders of Religion even unto false gods fearful tokens of Divine Revenge have been know to follow Which occurrents the devouter sort did take for manifest Arguments that the gods whom they worshipped were of power to reward such as sought unto them and would plague those that feared them not In this they erred For as the Wise man rightly noteth conning such it was not the power of them by whom they sware but the vengeance of them that sinned which punished the offences of the ungodly It was their hurt untruly to attribute so great power unto false gods Yet the right conceit which they had that to perjury vengeance is due was not without good effect as touching the course of their lives who feared the wilful violation of Oaths in that respect And whereas we read so many of them so much commended some for their milde and merciful disposition some for their vertuous severity some for integrity of life all these were the fruits of true and infallible principles delivered unto us in the World of God as the Axioms of our Religion which being imprinted by the God of Nature in their hearts also and taking better root in some them in most others grew though not from yet with and amidst the heaps of manifold repugnant Errors which Errors of corrupt Religion had also their suitable effects in the lives of the self-same parties Without all controversie the purer and perfecter our Religion is the worthier effects it hath in them who stedfastly and sincerely embraceit in others not They that love the Religion which they prosess may have failed in choice but yet they are sure to reap what benefit the same is able to afford whereas the best and foundest professed by them that bear it not the like affection yieldeth them retaining it in that sort no benefit David was a Man after Gods own heart so termed because his affection was hearty towards God Beholding the like disposition in them which lived under him it was his Prayer to Almighty God O keep this for ever in the purpose and thoughts of the heart of this people But
which sanctified our Nature in Christ that which made it a Sacrifice available to take away sin is the same which quickneth it raised it out of the Grave after Death and exalted it unto Glory Seeing therefore that Christ is in us as a quickning Spirit the first degree of Communion with Christ must needs consist in the Participation of his Spirit which Cyprian in that respect well termeth Germanissimam Societatem the highest and truest Society that can be between man and him which is both God and Man in one These things St. Cyril duly considering reproveth their speeches which â—aught that onely the Deity of Christ is the Vine whereupon we by Faith do depend as Branches and that neither his Flesh not our Bodies are comprised in this resemblance For doth any man doubt but that even from the Flesh of Christ our very Bodies do receive that Life which shall make them glorious at the latter day and for which they are already accounted parts of his Blessed Body Our corruptible bodies could never live the life they shall live were it not that here they are joyned with his Body which is incorruptible and that his is in ours as a cause immortality a cause by removing through the Death and Merit of his own Flesh that which hindered the life of ours Christ is therefore both as God and as Man that true Vine whereof we both spiritually and corporally are Branches The mixture of his Bodily Substance with ours is a thing which the Ancient Fathers disclaim Yet the mixture of his Flesh with ours they speak of to signifie what our very bodies through Mystical Conjunction receive from that vital efficacy which we know to be in his and from bodily mixtures they borrow divers Similitudes rather to declare the Truth then the manner of coherence between his sacred and the sanctified Bodies of Saints Thus much no Christian Man will deny That when Christ sanctified his own Flesh giving as God and taking as Man the Holy Ghost he did not this for himself onely but for our sakes that the Grace of Sanctification and Life which was first received in him might pass from him to his whole Race as Malediction came from Adam unto all mankinde Howbeit because the Work of his Spirit to those effects is in us prevented by Sin and Death possessing us before it is necessity that as well our present Sanctification unto newness of life as the future of Restauration of our Bodies should presuppose a participation of the Grace Efficacy Merit or Vertue of his Body and Blood without which Foundation first laid there is no place for those other operations of the Spirit of Christ to ensue So that Christ imparteth plainly himself by degrees Iâ— pleaseth him in Mercy to account himself incompleat and maimed without us But most assured we are that we all receive of his Fulness because he is in us as a moving and working Cause from which many blessed effects are really found to ensue and that in sundry both kindes and degrees all tending to eternal happiness It must be confest that of Christ working as a Creator and a Governor of the World by providence all are partakers not all partakers of that Grace whereby he inhabiteth whom he saveth Again as he dwelleth not by Grace in all so neither doth he equally work in all them in whom he dwelleth Whence is it saith St. Augustine that some be holier then others are but because God doth dwell in some more plentifully then in others And because the Divine Substance of Christ is equally in all his Humane Substance equally distant from all it appeareth that the participation of Christ wherein there are many degrees and differences must needs consist in such effects as being derived from both Natures of Christ really into us are made our own and we by saving them in us are truly said to have him from whom they come Christ also more or less to inhabit and impart himself as the Graces are fewer or more greater or smaller which really flow into us form Christ. Christ is whole with the whole Church and whole with every part of the Church as touching his Person which can no way divide it self or be possest by degrees and portions But the Participation of Christ importeth besides the Presence of Christs Person and besides the Mystical Copulation thereof with the Parts and Members of his whole Church a true actual influence of Grace whereby the life which we live according to godliness is his and from him we receive those perfections wherein our eternal happiness consisteth Thus we participate Christ partly by imputation as when those things which he did and suffered for us are imputed unto us for Righteousness Partly by habitual and real infusion as when Grace is inwardly bestowed while we are on Earth and afterwards more fully both our Souls and Bodies make like unto his in Glory The first thing of his so infused into our hearts in this life is the Spirit of Christ whereupon because the rest of what kinde soever do all both necessarily depend and infallibly also easue therefore the Apostles term it sometime the Seed of God sometime the Pledge of our Heavenly Inheritance sometime the Hansel or Earnest of that which is to come From hence it is that they which belong to the Mystical Body of our Saviour Christ and be in number as the Stars of Heaven divided successively by reason of their mortal condition into many Generations are notwithstanding coupled every one to Christ their Head and all unto every particular person amongst themselves in as much as the same Spirit which anointed the Blessed Soul of our Saviour Christ doth so formalize unite and actuate his whole Race as if both he and they were so many Limbs compacted into one Body by being quickned all with one and the same Soul That wherein we are Partakers of Jesus Christ by Imputation agreeth equally unto all that have it For it consisteth in such Acts and Deeds of his as could not have longer continuance then while they were in doing nor at that very time belong unto any other but to him from whom they come and therefore how men either then or before or fithence should be made Partakers of them there can be no way imagined but onely by Imputation Again a Deed must either not be imputed to any but rest altogether in him whose it is or if at all it be imputed they which have it by Imputation must have it such as it is whole So that degrees being neither in the Personal Presence of Christ nor in the Participation of those effects which are ours by Imputation onely it resteth that we wholly apply them to the Participation of Christs infused Grace although even in this kinde also the first beginning of Life the Seed of God the First-fruits of Christs Spirit be without latitude For we have hereby onely the being of
Life in his Body and Blood by means of this Sacrament Wherefore should the World continue still distracted and rent with so manifold Contentions when there remaineth now no Controversie saving onely about the subject where Christ is Yea even in this point no side denieth but that the Soul of Man is the receptacle of Christs presence Whereby the question is yet driven to a narrower issue nor doth any thing rest doubtful but this Whether when the Sacrament is administred Christ be whole within Man onely or else his Body and Blood be also externally seated in the very Consecrated Elements themselves Which opinion they that defend are driven either to Consubstantiate and Incorporate Christ with Elements Sacramental or to Transubstantiate and change their substance into his and so the one to hold him really but invisibly moulded up with substance of those Elements the other to hide him under the onely visible shew of Bread and Wine the substance whereof as they imagine is abolished and his succeeded in the same room All things considered and compared with that success which Truth hath hitherto had by so bitter Conflicts with Errors in this point Shall I wish that men would more give themselves to meditate with silence what we have by the Sacrament and less to dispute of the manner how If any man suppose that this were too great stupidity and dulness let us see whether the Apostles of our Lord themselves have not done the like It appeareth by many examples that they of their own disposition were very scrupulous and inquisitive yea in other cases of less importance and less difficulty always apt to move questions How cometh it to pass that so few words of so high a Mystery being uttered they receive with gladness the gift of Christ and make no shew of doubt or scruple The reason hereof is not dark to them which have any thing at all observed how the powers of the minde are wont to stir when that which we infinitely long for presenteth it self above and besides expectation Curious and intricate speculations do hinder they abate they quench such inflamed motions of delight and joy as Divine Graces use to raise when extraordinarily they are present The minde therefore feeling present joy is always marvellous unwilling to admit any other cogitation and in that case casteth off those disputes whereunto the intellectual part at other times easily draweth A manifest effect whereof may be noted if we compare with our Lords Disciples in the Twentieth of Iohn the people that are said in the Sixth of Iohn to have gone after him to Capernaum These leaving him on the one side the Sea of Tiberias and finding him again as soon as themselves by ship were arrived on the contrary side whither they knew that by ship he came not and by Land the journey was longer then according to the time he could have to travel as they wondered so they asked also Rabbi when camest thou hither The Disciples when Christ appeared to them in far more strange and miraculous manner moved no question but rejoyced greatly in that they saw For why The one sort beheld onely that in Christ which they knew was more then natural but yet their affection was not rapt therewith through any great extraordinary gladness the other when they looked on Christ were not ignorant that they saw the Well-spring of their own Everlasting felicity the one because they enjoyed not disputed the other disputed not because they enjoyed If then the presence of Christ with them did so much move Judge what their thoughts and affections were at the time of this new presentation of Christ not before their Eyes but within their Souls They had learned before That his Flesh and Blood are the true cause of Eternal Life that this they are not by the bate force of their own substance but through the dignity and worth of His Person which offered them up by way of Sacrifice for the Life of the whole World and doth make them still effectual thereunto Finally that to us they are Life in particular by being particularly received Thus much they knew although as yet they understood not perfectly to what effect or issue the same would come till at the length being assembled for no other cause which they could imagine but to have eaten the Passover onely that Moses appointed when they saw their Lord and Master with hands and eyes lifted up to Heaven first bless and consecrate for the endless good of all Generations till the Worlds end the chosen Elements of Bread and Wine which Elements made for ever the Instruments of Life by vertue of his Divine Benediction they being the first that were commanded to receive from him the first which were warranted by his promise that not onely unto them at the present time but to whomsoever they and their Successors after them did duly administer the same those Mysteries should serve as Conducts of Life and Conveyances of his Body and Blood unto them Was it possible they should hear that voice Take eat This is my Body Drink ye all of this This is my Blood Possible that doing what was required and believing what was promised the same should have present effect in them and not fill them with a kinde of fearful admiration at the Heaven which they saw in themselves They had at that time a Sea of Comfort and Joy to wade in and we by that which they did are taught that this Heavenly Food is given for the satisfying of our empty Souls and not for the exercising of our curious and subtile wits If we doubt what those admirable words may import let him be our Teacher for the meaning of Christ to whom Christ was himself a School-master let our Lords Apostle be his Interpreter content we our selves with his Explication My Body The Communion of my Body My Blood The Communion of my Blood Is there any thing more expedite clear and easie then that as Christ is termed our Life because through him we obtain life so the parts of this Sacrament are his Body and Blood for that they are so to us who receiving them receive that by them which they are termed The Bread and Cup are his Body and Blood because they are causes instrumental upon the receit whereof the Participation of his Body and Blood ensueth For that which produceth any certain effect is not vainly nor improperly said to be that very effect whereunto it tendeth Every cause is in the effect which groweth from it Our Souls and Bodies quickned to Eternal Life are effects the cause whereof is the Person of Christ His Body and Blood are the true Well-spring out of which this Life floweth So that his Body and Blood are in that very subject whereunto they minister life Not onely by effect or operation even as the influence of the Heavens is in Plants Beasts Men and in every thing which they quicken but also by a far more Divine and
Mystical kinde of Union which maketh us one with him even as He and the Father are one The Real Presence of Christs most Blessed Body and Blood is not therefore to be sought for in the Sacrament but in the worthy Receiver of the Sacrament And with this the very order of our Saviours words agreeth first Take and eat then This is my Body which was broken for you First Drink ye all of this then followeth This is my Blood of the New Testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins I see not which way it should be gathered by the Words of Christ when and where the Bread is his Body or the Cup his Blood but onely in the very Heart and Soul of him which receiveth them As for the Sacraments they really exhibite but for ought we can gather out of that which is written of them they are not really nor do really contain in themselves that Grace which with them or by them it pleaseth God to bestow If on all sides it be confest That the Grace of Baptism is poured into the Soul of Man that by Water we receive it although it be neither seated in the Water nor the Water changed into it what should induce men to think that the Grace of the Eucharist must needs be in the Eucharist before it can be in us that receive it The fruit of the Eucharist is the Participation of the Body and Blood of Christ. There is no sentence of holy Scripture which saith That we cannot by this Sacrament be made partakers of his Body and Blood except they be first contained in the Sacrament or the Sacrament converted into them This is my Body and This is my Blood being words of promise sith we all agree That by the Sacrament Christ doth really and truly in us perform his promise why do we vainly trouble our selves with so fierce Contentions whether by Consubstantiation or else by Transubstantiation the Sacrament it self be first possessed with Christ or no A thing which no way can either further or hinder us howsoever it stand because our Participation of Christ in this Sacrament dependeth on the co-operation of his Omnipotent Power which maketh it his Body and Blood to us whether with change or without alteration of the Element such as they imagine we need not greatly to care or inquire Take therefore that wherein all agree and then consider by it self what cause why the rest in question should not rather be left as superfluous then urged as necessary It is on all sides plainly confest first That this Sacrament is a true and a real Participation of Christ who thereby imparteth himself even his whole intire Person as a Mystical Head unto every Soul that receiveth him and that every such Receiver doth thereby incorporate or unite himself unto Christ as a Mystical Member of him yea of them also whom he acknowledgeth to be his own Secondly That to whom the Person of Christ is thus communicated to them he giveth by the same Sacrament his holy Spirit to sanctifie them as it sanctifieth him which is their Head Thirdly That what merit force or vertue soever there is in his Sacrificed Body and Blood we freely fully and wholly have it by this Sacrament Fourthly That the effect thereof in us is a real transmutation of our Souls and Bodies from sin to righteousness from death and corruption to immortality and life Fifthly That because the Sacrament being of it self but a corruptible and earthly Creature must needs be thought an unlikely Instrument to work so admirable effects in Man we are therefore to rest our selves altogether upon the strength of his glorious power who is able and will bring to pass That the Bread and Cup which he giveth us shall be truly the thing he promiseth It seemeth therefore much amiss that against them whom they term Sacramentaries so many invective Discourses are made all ranning upon two points That the Eucharist is not bare a Sign or Figure onely and that the efficacy of his Body and Blood is not all we receive in this Sacrament For no man having read their Books and Writings which are thus traduced can be ignorant that both these Assertions they plainly confess to be most true They do not so interpret the words of Christ as if the name of his Body did import but the figure of his Body and to be were onely to signifie his Blood They grant that these holy Mysteries received in due manner do instrumentally both make us partakers of the Grace of that Body and Blood which were given for the Life of the World and besides also impart unto us even in true and real though mystical manner the very Person of our Lord himself whole perfect and intire as hath been shewed Now whereas all three opinions do thus far accord in one that strong conceit which two of the three have imbraced as touching a Literal Corporal and Oral Manducation of the very Substance of his Flesh and Blood is surely an opinion no where delivered in holy Scripture whereby they should think themselves bound to believe it and to speak with the softest terms we can use greatly prejudiced in that when some others did so conceive of eating his Flesh our Saviour to abate that error in them gave them directly to understand how his Flesh so eaten could profit them nothing because the words which he spake were Spirit that is to say they had a reference to a Mystical Participation which Mystical Participation giveth life Wherein there is small appearance of likelihood that his meaning should be onely to make them Marcionites by inversion and to teach them that as Marcion did think Christ seemed to be Man but was not so they contrariwise should believe That Christ in Truth would so give them as they thought his Flesh to eat but yet left the horror thereof should offend them he would not seem to do that he did When they which have this opinion of Christ in that Blessed Sacrament go about to explain themselves and to open after what manner things are brought to pass the one sort lay the Union of Christs Deity with his Manhood as their first foundation and ground From thence they infer a power which the Body of Christ hath thereby to present it self in all places out of which Ubiquity of his Body they gather the presence thereof with that sanctified Bread and Wine of our Lords Table The Conjunction of his Body and Blood with those Elements they use as an Argument to shew how the Bread may as well in that respect be termed his Body because his Body is therewith joyned as the Son of God may be named Man by reason that God and Man in the Person of Christ are united To this they add how the Words of Christ commanding us to eat must needs import That as he hath coupled the Substance of his Flesh and the Substance of Bread together so we together should receive both
mine eyes some small and scarce discernable Grain or Seed whereof Nature maketh a promise that a Tree shall come and when afterwards of that Tree any skilful Artificer undertaketh to frame some exquisite and curious work I look for the event I move no question about performance either of the one or of the other Shall I simply credit Nature in things natural Shall I in things artificial relie my self on Art never offering to make doubt And in that which is above both Art and Nature refuse to believe the Author of both except he acquaint me with his ways and lay the secret of his skill before me Where God himself doth speak those things which either for height and sublimity of Matter or else for secresie of Performance we are not able to reach unto as we may be ignorant without danger so it can be no disgrace to confess we are ignorant Such as love Piety will as much as in them lieth know all things that God commandeth but especially the duties of Service which they ow to God As for his dark and hidden works they prefer as becometh them in such cases simplicity of Faith before that Knowledge which curiously sisting what it should adore and disputing too boldly of that which the wit of man cannot search chilleth for the most part all warmth of zeal and bringeth soundness of belief many times into great hazard Let it therefore be sufficient for me presenting my self at the Lords Table to know what there I receive from him without searching or enquiring of the manner how Christ performeth his promise Let Disputes and Questions Enemies to Piety abatements of true Devotion and hitherto in this cause but over-patiently heard let them take their rest Let curious and sharp-witted Men beat their Heads about what Questions themselves will the very Letter of the Word of Christ giveth plain security that these Mysteries do as Nails fasten us to his very Cross that by them we draw out as touching Efficacy Force and Vertue even the Blood of his goared side In the Wounds of our Redeemer we there dip our Tongues we are died red both within and without our hunger is satisfied and our thirst for ever quenched they are things wonderful which he feeleth great which he seeth and unheard of which he uttereth whose Soul it possest of this Paschal Lamb and made joyful in the strength of this new Wine This Bread hath in it more then the substance which our eyes behold this Cup hallowed with solemn Benediction availeth to the endless life and welfare both of Soul and Body in that it serveth as well for a Medicine to heal our infirmities and purge our sins as for a Sacrifice of Thanksgiving With touching it sanctifieth it enlightneth with belief it truly conformeth us unto the image of Iesus Christ. What these Elements are in themselves it skilleth not it is enough that to me which take them they are the Body and Blood of Christ his Promise in witness hereof sufficeth his Word he knoweth which way to accomplish why should any cogitation possess the minde of a Faithful Communicant but this O my God thou art true O my Soul thou art happy Thus therefore we see that howsoever Mens opinions do otherwise vary nevertheless touching Baptism and the Supper of the Lord we may with consent of the whole Christian World conclude they are necessary the one to initiate or begin the other to consummate or make perfect our life in Christ. 68. In Administring the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ the supposed faults of the Church of England are not greatly material and therefore it shall suffice to touch them in few words The first is That we do not use in a generality once for all to say to Communicants Take eat and drink but unto every particular person Eat thou drink thou which is according to the Popish manner and not the Form that our Saviour did use Our second oversight is by Gesture For in Kneeling there hath been Superstition Sitting agreeth better to the action of a Supper and our Saviour using that which was most fit did himself not kneel A third accusation is for not examining all Communicants whose knowledge in the Mystery of the Gospel should that way be made manifest a thing every where they say used in the Apostles times because all things necessary were used and this in their opinion is necessary yea it is commanded in as much as the Levites are commanded to prepare the people for the Passover and Examination is a part of their Preparation our Lords Supper in place of the Passover The fourth thing misliked is That against the Apostles prohibitionâ— to have any familiarity at all with notorious Offenders Papists being not of the Church are admitted to our very Communion before they have by their Religious and Gospel-like behavior purged themselves of that suspition of Popery which their former life hath caused They are Dogs Swine unclean Beasts Foreigners and Strangers from the Church of God and therefore ought not to be admitted though they offer themselves We are fiftly condemned in as much as when there have been store of people to hear Sermons and Service in the Church we suffer the Communion to be ministred to a few It is not enough that our Book of Common Prayer hath godly Exhortations to move all thereunto which are present For it should not suffer a few to Communicate it should by Ecclesiastical Discipline and Civil punishment provide that such as would withdraw themselves might be brought to Communicate according both to the Law of God and the ancient Church Canons In the sixth and last place cometh the enormity of imparting this Sacrament privately unto the sick Thus far accused we answer briefly to the first That seeing God by Sacraments doth apply in particular unto every mans person the Grace which himself hath provided for the benefit of all mankinde there is no cause why Administring the Sacraments we should forbear to express that in our forms of Speech which he by his Word and Gospel teacheth all to believe In the one Sacrament I Baptize thee displeaseth them not If â—at thou in the other offend them their fancies are no rules for Churches to follow Whether Christ at his last Supper did speak generally once to all or to every one in particular is a thing uncertain His words are recorded in that Form which serveth best for the setting down with Historical brevity what was spoken they are no manifest proof that he spake but once unto all which did then Communicate muchless that we in speaking unto every Communicant severally do amiss although it were clear that we herein do otherwise then Christ did Our imitation of him consisteth not in tying scrupulously our selves unto his syllables but rather in speaking by the Heavenly Direction of that inspired Divine Wisdom which teacheth divers ways to one end and doth therein controul their boldness
Chancellours Officials Commissaries and such other the like names which being not found in holy Scripture we have been thereby through some mens errour thought to allow of Ecclesiastical Degress not known nor ever heard of in the better ages of former times all these are in truth but Titles of Office whereunto partly Ecclesiastical Persons and partly others are in sundry forms and conditions admitted as the state of the Church doth need degrees of Order still continuing the same they were from the first beginning Now what habit or attire doth beseem each Order to use in the course of common life both for the gravity of his Place and for Example-sake to other men is a matter frivolous to be disputed of A small measure of wisedom may serve to teach them how they should cutt their coats But seeing all well-ordered Polities have ever judged it meet and fit by certain special distinct Ornaments to sever each sort of men from other when they are in publick to the end that all may receive such Complements of Civil Honour as are due to their Roomes and Callings even where their Persons are not known it argueth a disproportioned minde in them whom so decent Orders displease 79. We might somewhat marvel what the Apostle Saint Paul should mean to say that Covetousness is Idolatry if the daily practise of men did not shew that whereas Nature requireth God to be honoured with wealth we honour for the most part Wealth as God Fain we would teach our selves to believe that for worldly goods it sufficeth frugally and honestly to use them to our own benefit without detriment and hurt of others or if we go a degree farther and perhaps convert some small contemptible portion thereof to Charitable uses the whole duty which we owe unto God herein is fully satisfied But for as much as we cannot rightly honour God unless both our Souls and Bodies be sometime imployed meerly in his Service Again sith we know that Religion requireth at our hands the taking away of so great a part of the time of our lives quite and clean from our own business and the bestowing of the same in his Suppose we that nothing of our wealth and substance is immediately due to God but all our own to bestow and spend as our selves think meet Are not our riches as well his as the days of our life are his Wherefore unless with part we acknowledge his Supream Dominion by whose benevolence we have the whole how give we Honour to whom Honour belongeth or how hath God the things that are God's I would know what Nation in the World did ever honour God and not think it a point of their duty to do him honour with their very goods So that this we may boldly set down as a Principle clear in Nature an Axiom which ought not to be called in question a Truth manifest and infallible that men are eternally bound to honour God with their substance in token of thankful acknowledgement that all they have is from him To honour him with our worldly goods not only by spending them in lawful manner and by using them without offence but also by alienating from our selves some reasonable part or portion thereof and by offering up the same to him as a sign that we gladly confess his sole and Soveraign Dominion over all is a duty which all men are bound unto and a part of that very Worship of God which as the Law of God and Nature it self requireth so we are the rather to think all men no less strictly bound thereunto than to any other natural duty in as much as the hearts of men do so cleave to these earthly things so much admire them for the sway they have in the World impute them so generally either to Nature or to Chance and Fortune so little think upon the Grace and Providence from which they come that unless by a kinde of continual tribute we did acknowledge God's Dominion it may be doubted that short in time men would learn to forget whose Tenants they are and imagine that the World is their own absolute free and independent inheritance Now concerning the kinde or quality of gifts which God receiveth in that sort we are to consider them partly as first they proceed from us and partly as afterwards they are to serve for divine uses In that they are testimonies of our affection towards God there is no doubt but such they should be as beseemeth most his Glory to whom we offer them In this respect the fatness of Abel's Sacrifice is commended the flower of all mens increase assigned to God by Solomon the Gifts and Donations of the People rejected as oft as their cold affection to God-ward made their Presents to be little worth Somewhat the Heathens saw touching that which was herein fit and therefore they unto their gods did not think they might consecrate any thing which was impure or unsound or already given or else not truly their own to give Again in regard of use forasmuch as we know that God hath himself no need of worldly commodities but taketh them because it is our good to be so exercised and with no other intent accepteth them but to have them used for the endless continuance of Religion there is no place left of doubt or controversie but that we in the choyce of our gifts are to level at the same mark and to frame our selves to his known intents and purposes Whether we give unto God therefore that which himself by commandment requireth or that which the publick consent of the Church thinketh good to allot or that which every man 's private devotion doth best like in as much as the gift which we offer proceedeth not only as a testimony of our affection towards God but also as a mean to uphold Religion the exercise whereof cannot stand without the help of temporal commodities if all men be taught of Nature to wish and as much as in them lyeth to procure the perpetuity of good things if for that very cause we honour and admire their wisdom who having been Founders of Common-weals could devise how to make the benefit they lest behind them durable if especially in this respect we prefer Lycurgus before Solon and the Spartan before the Athenian Polity it must needs follow that as we do unto God very acceptable service in honouring him with our substance so our service that way is then most acceptable when it tendeth to perpetuity The first permanent donations of honour in this kinde are Temples Which works do so much set forward the exercise of Religion that while the World was in love with Religion it gave to no sort greater reverence than to whom it could point and say These are the men that have built us Synagogues But of Churches we have spoken sufficiently heretofore The next things to Churches are the Ornaments of Churches memorials which mens devotion hath added to remain in the treasure of
Dominion over the whole Church of Christ militant doth and that by divine right appertain to the Pope of Rome They did prove it lawful to grant unto others besides Christ the power of Headship in a different kinde from his but they should have proved it lawful to challenge as they did to the Bishop of Rome a Power universal in that different kinde Their fault was therefore in exacting wrongfully so great Power as they challenged in that kinde and not in making two kindes of Power unless some reasons can be shewed for which this distinction of Power should be thought erroneous and false A little they stirr although in vain to prove that we cannot with truth make such distinction of Power whereof the one kinde should agree unto Christ onely and the other be further communicated Thus therefore they argue If there be no Head but Christ in respect of Spiritual Government there is no Head but be in respect of the Word Sacraments and Discipline administred by those whom he hath appointed for as much also as it is his Spiritual Government Their meaning is that whereas we make two kindes of Power of which two the one being Spiritual is proper unto Christ the other men are capable of because it is visible and external We do amiss altogether in distinguishing they think forasmuch as the visible and external power of Regiment over the Church is onely in relation unto the Word Sacraments and Discipline administred by such as Christ hath appointed thereunto and the exercise of this Power is also his Spiritual Government Therefore we do but vainly imagin a visible and external Power in the Church differing from his Spiritual Power Such Disputes as this do somewhat resemble the practising of Well-willers upon their Friends in the pangs of Death whose maner is even their to put smoak in their Nostrils and so to fetch them again alhough they know it a matter impossible to keep them living The kinde of affecton which the Favourers of this laboring cause bear towards it will not suffer them to se it dye although by what means they should make it live they do not see but thy may see that these wrestlings will not help Can they be ignorant how little it boteth to overcast so clear a light with some mist of ambiguity in the name of Spiritual Râ—iment To make things therefore so plain that henceforward a Childes capacity ma serve rightly to conceive our meaning we make the Spiritual Regiment of Christ to â—e generally that whereby his Church is ruled and governed in things Spiritual Of this general we make two distinct kindes the one invisible exercised by Christ himself in his own Person the other outwardly administred by them whom Christ doth allow to be Rulers and Guiders of his Church Touching the former of these two kindes we teach that Christ in regard thereof is particularly termed the Head of the Church of God neither can any other Creature in that sense and meaning be termed Head besides him because it importeth the conduct and government of our Souls by the hand of that blessed Spirit wherewith we are sealed and marked as being peculiarly his Him onely therefore do we acknowledge to be the Lord which dwelleth liveth and reigneth in our hearts him only to be that Head which giveth salvation and life unto his Body him onely to be that Fountain from whence the influence of heavenly Graces distilleth and is derived into all parts whether the Word or the Sacraments or Discipline or whatsoever be the means whereby it floweth As for the Power of administring these things in the Church of Christ which Power we call the Power of Order it is indeed both Spiritual and His Spiritual because such properly concerns as the Spirit His because by him it was instituted Howbeit neither Spiritual as that which is inwardly and invisibly exercised nor His as that which he himself in Person doth exercise Again that power of Dominion which is indeed the point of this Controversie and doth also belong to the second kinde of Spiritual Government namely unto that Regiment which is external and visible this likewise being Spiritual in regard of the manner about which it dealeth and being his in as much as he approveth whatsoever is done by it must notwithstanding be distinguished also from that Power whereby he himself in Person administreth the former kinde of his own Spiritual Regiment because he himself in Person doth not administer this we do not therefore vainly imagine but truly and rightly discern a Power external and visible in the Church exercised by men and severed in nature from that Spiritual Power of Christ's own Regiment which Power is termed Spiritual because it worketh secretly inwardly and invisibly His because none doth nor can it personally exercise either besides or together with him seeing that him onely we may name our Head in regard of His and yet in regard of that other Power from this term others also besides him Heads without any contradiction at all which thing may very well serve for answer unto that also which they further alledge against the aforesaid distinction namely That even the outward Societies and Assemblies of the Church where one or two are gathered together in his Name either for hearing of the Word or for Prayer or any other Church-exercise our Saviour Christ being in the midst of them as Mediatour must be their Head and if he be not there idle but doing the Office of a Head fully it followeth that even in the outward Societies and Meetings of the Church no more man can be called the Head of it seeing that our Saviour Christ doing the whole Office of the Head himself alone leaveth nothing to men by doing whereof they may obtain that Title Which Objection I take as being made for nothing but onely to maintain Argument for they are not so farr gone as to argue this in sooth and right good earnest God standeth saith the Psalmist in the midst of gods if God be there present he must undoubtedly be present as God if he be not there idle but doing the Office of a God fully it followeth that God himself alone doing the whole Office of a God leaveth nothing in such Assemblies to any other by doing whereof they may obtain so high a Name The Psalmist therefore hath spoken amiss and doth ill to call Judges Gods Not so for as God hath his Office differing from theirs and doth fully discharge it even in the midst of them so they are not hereby excluded from all kinde of Duty for which that Name should be given into them also but in that Duty for which it was given them they are encouraged Religiously and carefully to order themselves after the self-same manner Our Lord and Saviour being in the midst of his Church as Head is our comfort without the abridgement of any one duty for performance whereof others are termed Headsm another kinde than he is
that Church never knew the meaning of her Heresies So that although all Popish Hereticks did perish thousands of them which lived in Popish Superstitions might be saved Thirdly seeing all that held Popish Heresies did not hold all the Heresies of the Pope why might not thousands which were infected with other leaven live and die unsowred with this and so be saved Fourthly If they all held this Heresie many there were that held it no doubt but onely in a general form of words which a favourable Interpretation might expound in a sense differing far enough from the poysoned conceit of Heresie As for example Did they hold that we cannot be saved by Christ without good works We our selves do I think all say as much with this Construction salvation being taken as in that sentence Corde creditur ad justitiam Ore fit confessio ad salutem except Infants and Men cut off upon the point of their conversion of the rest none shall see God but such as seek peace and holiness though not as a Cause of their salvation yet as a Way which they must walk which will be saved Did they hold that without works we are not justified Take justification so as it may also imply sanctification and St. Iames doth say as much For except there be an ambiguity in the same term St. Paul and St. Iames do contradict each the other which cannot be Now there is no ambiguity in the name either of Faith or of Works being meant by them both in one and the same sense Finding therefore that Justification is spoken of by St Paul without implying Sanctification when he proveth that a man is justified by faith without works finding likewise that justification doth sometime imply sanctification also with it I suppose nothing to be more sound then so to interpret St Iames speaking not in that sense but in this 21. We have already shewed that there be two kinds of Christian righteousness the one without us which we have by imputation the other in us which consisteth of faith hope and charity and other Christian Vertues And S. Iames doth prove that Abraham had not onely the one because the thing believed was imputed unto him for righteousness but also the other because he offered up his Son God giveth us both the one justice and the other the one by accepting us for righteous in Christ the other by working Christian righteousness in us The proper and most immediate efficient cause in us of this latter is the Spirit of adoption we have received into our hearts That whereof it consisteth whereof it is really and formally made are those infused vertues proper and peculiar unto Saints which the Spirit in the very moment when first it is given of God bringeth with it the effects whereof are such actions as the Apostle doth call the fruits of works the operation of the Spirit The difference of the which operations from the root whereof they spring maketh it needful to put two kinds likewise of sanctifying righteousness Habitual and Actual Habitual that holiness wherewith our souls are inwardly indued the same instant when first we begin to be the Temples of the Holy Ghost Actual that holiness which afterwards beautifieth all the parts and actions of our life the holiness for which Enoch Iob Zachary Elizabeth and other Saints are in the Scriptures so highly commended If here iâ— he demanded which of these we do first receive I answer that the Spirit the vertue of the spirit the habitual justice which is ingrafted the external justice of Jesus Christ which is imputed these we receive all at one and the same time whensoever we have any of these we have all they go together Yet sith no man is justified except he believe and no man believeth except he hath Faith and no man except he hath received the spirit of Adoption hath Faith forasmuch as they do necessarily infer justification and justification doth of necessity presuppose them we must needs hold that imputed righteousness in dignity being the chiefest is notwithstanding in order to the last of all these but Actual righteousness which is the righteousness of good works succeedeth all followeth after all both in order and time Which being attentivly marked sheweth plainly how the faith of true Believers cannot be divorced from hope and loveâ— how faith is a part of sanctification and yet unto justification necessary how faith is perfected by good works and not works of ours without faith Finally how our Fathers might hold that we are justified by Faith alone and yet hold truly that without works we are not justified Did they think that men do merit rewards in heaven by the works they perform on earth The Ancients use meriting for obtaining and in that sense they of Wittenberg have it in their Confession We teach that good works commanded of God are necessarily to be done and by the free kindness of God they merit their certain rewards Therefore speaking as our Fathers did and we taking their speech in a â—ound meaning as we may take our Fathers and might for as much as their meaning is doubtful and charity doth always interpret doubtful things favourably what should induce as to think that rather the damage of the worst construction did light upon them all then that the blessing of the better was granted unto thousands Fiftly if in the worst construction that may be made they had generally all imbraced it living might not many of them dying utterly renounce it Howsoever men when they sit at ease do vainly tickle their hearts with the vain conceit of I know not what proportionable correspondence between their merits and their rewards which in the trance of their high speculations they dream that God hath measured weighed and laid up as it were in bundles for them notwithstanding we see by daily experience in a number even of them that when the hour of death approacheth when they secretly hear themselves summoned forthwith to appear and stand at the Bar of that Judge whose brightness causeth the eyes of the Angels themselves to dazel all these idle imaginations do then begin to hide their faces to name merits then is to lay their souls upon the rack the memory of their own deeds is lothsome unto them they forsake all things wherein they have put any trust or confidence no staff to lean upon no ease no rest no comfort then but onely in Jesus Christ. 22. Wherefore if this proposition were true To hold in such wise as the Church of Rome doth that we cannot be saved by Christ alone without works is directly to deny the foundation of Faith I say that if this proposition were true nevertheless so many ways I have shewed whereby we may hope that thousands of our Fathers which lived in popish superstition might be saved But what if it be not true What if neither that of the Galathians concerning Circumcision nor this of the Church of Rome by Workes be
infirmities and live in love because as St. Iohn says He that lives in love lives in God for God is Love And to maintain this holy Fire of Love constantly burning on the Altar of a pure Heart his advice was to watch and pray and always keep themselves fit to receive the Communion and then to receive it often for it was both a confirming and a strengthning of their Graces This was his advice and at his entrance or departure out of any house he would usually speak to the whole Family and bless them by name insomuch that as he seem'd in his youth to be taught of God so he seem'd in this place to teach his Precepts as Enoch did by walking with him in all Holiness and Humility making each day a step towards a blessed Eternity And though in this weak and declining age of the World such examples are become barren and almost incredible yet let his memory be blest with this true Recordation because he that praises Richard Hooker praises God who hath given such gifts to men and let this humble and affectionate Relation of him become such a pattern as may invite Posterity to imitate his Vertues This was his constant behavior at Borne thus as Enoch so he walked with God thus did he tread in the footsteps of Primitive Piety and yet as that great example of meekness and purity even our Blessed Iesus was not free from false accusations no more was this Disciple of his This most humble most innocent holy Man his was a slander parallel to that of chaste Susannaes by the wicked Elders or that against St. Athanasius as it is Recorded in his life for that holy Man had Heretical enemies and which this age calls Trepanning The particulars need not a repetition and that it was false needs no other Testimony then the publick punishment of his accusers and their open confession of his innocency 'T was said that the accusation was contrived by a Dissenting Brother one that indur'd not Church Ceremonies hating him for his Books sake which he was not able to Answer and his name hath been told me But I have not so much confidence in the Relation as to make my Pen fix a scandal on him to Posterity I shall rather leave it doubtful till the great day of Revelation But this is certain that he lay under the great charge and the anxiety of this accusation and kept it secret to himself for many moneths And being a helpless man had lain longer under this heavy burthen but that the Protector of the innocent gave such an accidental occasion as forced him to make it known to his two dear Friends Edwin Sandys and George Cranmer who were so sensible of their Tutors sufferings that they gave themselves no rest till by their disquisitions and diligence they had found out the Fraud and brought him the welcome news that his accusers did confess they had wrong'd him and begg'd his pardon To which the good mans reply was to this purpose The Lord forgive them and The Lord bless you for this comfortable news Now I have a just occasion to say with Solomon Friends are born for the days of Adversity and such you have prov'd to me And to my God I say as did the Mother of St. John Baptist Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the day wherein he looked upon me to take away my reproach among men And O my God neither my life nor my reputation are safe in mine own keeping but in thine who didst take care of me when I yet hanged upon my Mothers Brest Blessed are they that put their trust in thee O Lord for when false witnesses were risen up against me when shame was ready to cover my face when I was bowed down with an horrible dread and went mourning all the day long when my nights were restless and my sleeps broken with a fear worse then death when my Soul thirsted for a deliverance as the Hart panteth after the Rivers of Waters Then thou Lord didst bear my complaints pitty my condition and art new become my Deliverer and as long as I live I will hold up my hands in this manner and magnifie thy Mercies who didst not give me over as a prey to mine enemies O blessed are they that put their trust in thee and no prosperity shall make me forget those days of sorrow or to perform those vows that I have made to thee in the days of my fears and affliction for with such sacrifices thou O God art well pleased and I will pay them Thus did the joy and gratitude of this good Mans heart break forth and 't is observable that as the invitation to this slander was his meek behavior and Dove like simplicity for which he was remarkable so his Christian Charity ought to be imitated For though the Spirit of Revenge is so pleasing to mankinde that it is never conquered but by a Supernatural Grace being indeed so deeply rooted in Humane Nature that to prevent the excesses of it for men would not know Moderation Almighty God allows not any degree of it to any man but says Vengeance is mine And though this be said by God himself yet this revenge is so pleasing that man is hardly perswaded to submit the menage of it to the Time and Justice and Wisdom of his Creator but would hasten to be his own executioner of it And yet nevertheless if any man ever did wholly decline and leave this pleasing Passion to the time and measure of God alone it was this Richard Hooker of whom I write For when his slanderers were to suffer he labored to procure their Pardon and when that was denied him his Reply was That however he would fast and pray that God would give them Repentance and Patience to undergo their Punishment And his Prayers were so for returned into his own bosom that the first was granted if we may believe a Penitent Behavior and an open Confession And 't is observable that after this time he would often say to Dr. Saravia O with what quietness did I enjoy my Soul after I was free from the fears of my slander And how much more after a conflict and victory ever my desires of Revenge In the Year One thousand six hundred and of his Age Forty six he fell into a long and sharp sickness occasioned by a Cold taken in his Passage betwixt London and Gravesend from the malignity of which he was never recovered for till his death he was not free from thoughtful days and restless nights but a submission to his Will that makes the sick mans bed easie by giving rest to his Soul made his very languishment comfortable And yet all this time he was solicitous in his Study and said often to Dr. Saravia who saw him daily and was the cheifâ— comfort of his life That he did not beg a long life of God for any other reason but to live to finish his three remaining Books of POLITY and
of all these Inferences being this That in our Church there is no means of Salvation is out of the Reformers Principles most clearly to be proved For wheresoever any Matter of Faith unto Salvation necessary is denied there can be no means of Salvation But in the Church of England the Discipline by them accounted a Matter of Faith and necessary to Salvation is not onely denied but impugned and the Professors thereof oppressed Ergo. Again but this Reason perhaps is weak Every true Church of Christ acknowledgeth the whole Gospel of Christ the Discipline in their opinion is a part of the Gospel and yet by our Church resisted Ergo. Again The Discipline is essentially united to the Church By which term Essentially they must mean either an essential part or an essential property Both which ways it must needs be That where that Essential Discipline is not neither is there any Church If therefore between them and the Brownists there should be appointed a Solemn Disputation whereof with us they have been oftentimes so earnest challengers It doth not yet appear what other answer they could possibly frame to these and the like Arguments wherewith they might be pressed but fairly to deny the Conclusion for all Premises are their own or rather ingenuously to reverse their own Principles before laid whereon so soul absurdities have been so firmly built What further proofs you can bring out of their high words magnifying the Discipline I leave to your better remembrance But above all points I am desirous this one should be strongly inforced against them because it wringeth them most of all and is of all others for ought I see the most unanswerable you may notwithstanding say That you would be heartily glad these their Positions might so be salved as the Brownists might not appear to have issued out of their Loyns but until that be done they must give us leave to think that they have cast the Seed whereout these Tares are grown Another sort of Men there are which have been content to run on with the Reformers for a time and to make them poor instruments of their own designs These are a sort of Godless Politicks who perceiving the Plot of Discipline to consist of these two parts The overthrow of Episcopal and erection of Presbyterial Authority and that this latter can take no place till the former be remov'd are content to joyn with them in the Destructive part of Discipline bearing them in hand that in the other also they shall finde them as ready But when time shall come it may be they would be as loth to be yoaked with that kinde of Regiment as now they are willing to be released from this These Mens ends in all their actions is Distraction their pretence and colour Reformation Those things which under this colour they have effected to their own good are 1. By maintaining a contrary Faction they have kept the Clergy always in aw and thereby made them more pliable and willing to buy their Peace 2. By maintaining an opinion of Equality among Ministers they have made way to their own purposes for devouring Cathedral Churches and Bishops Livings 3. By exclaiming against abuses in the Church they have carried their own corrupt dealings in the Civil State more covertly for such is the nature of the multitude they are not able to apprehend many things at once so as being possessed with a dislike or liking of any one thing many other in the meantime may escape them without being perceived 4. They have sought to disgrace the Clergy in entertaining a conceit in mens minds and confirming it by continual practice that Men of Learning and specially of the Clergy which are imployed in the chiefest kinde of Learning are not to be admitted of sparingly admitted to Matters of State contrary to the practice of all well-governed Commonwealths and of our own till these late years A third sort of Men there are though not descended from the Reformers yet in part raised and greatly strengthned by them namely the cursed crew of Atheists This also is one of those Points which I am desirous you should handle most effectually and strain your self therein to all points of motion and affection as in that of the Brownists to all strength and sinews of Reason This is a sort most damnable and yet by the general suspition of the World at this day most common The causes of it which are in the parties themselves although you handle in the beginning of the Fift Book yet here again they may be touched but the occasions of help and furtherance which by the Reformers have been yielded unto them are as I conceive two Senseless Preaching and disgracing of the Ministry For how should not men dare to impugn that which neither by force of Reason nor by Authority of Persons is maintained But in the parties themselves these two causes I conceive of Atheism 1. More abundance of Wit then Judgment and of Witty then Judicious Learning whereby they are more inclined to contradict any thing then willing to be informed of the truth They are not therefore Men of sound Learning for the most part but Smatterers neither is their kinde of Dispute so much by force Argument as by Scoffing Which humor of Scoffing and turning Matters most serious into merriment is now become so common as we are not to marvel what the Prophet means by the â—eat of Scorners nor what the Apostles by foretelling of Scorners to come our own Age hath verified their speech unto us which also may be an Argument against these Scoffers and Atheists themselves seeing it hath been so many Ages ago foretold That such Men the latter days of the World should afford which could not be done by any other Spirit save that whereunto things future and present are alike And even for the main question of the Resurrection whereat they stick so mightily was it not plainly foretold that men should in the latter times say Where is the promise of his coming Against the Creation the Ark and divers other Points exceptions are said to be taken the ground whereof is superfluity of Wit without ground of Learning and Judgment A second cause of Atheism is Sensuality which maketh men desirous to remove all stops and impediments of their wicked life amongst which because Religion is the chiefest so as neither in this life without shame they can persist therein nor if that be true without Torment in the life to come they whet their Wits to annihilate the Joys of Heaven wherein they see if any such be they can have no part and likewise the pains of Hell wherein their portion must needs be very great They labor therefore not that they may not deserve those pains but that deserving them there may be no such pains to seize upon them But what conceit can be imagined more base then that man should strive to perswade himself even against the secret instinct no doubt of his own
rest their manner was to term disdainfully Scribes and Pharisees to account their Calling an Humane Creature and to detain the people as much as might be from hearing them As touching Sacraments Baptism administred in the Church of Rome they judged to be but an execrable Mockery and no Baptism both because the Ministers thereof in the Papacy are wicked Idolaters lewd Persons Thieves and Murderers cursed Creatures ignorant Beasts and also for that to baptize is a proper action belonging unto none but the Church of Christ whereas Rome is Antichrists Synagogue The custom of using God-fathers and God-mothers at Christnings they scorned Baptism of Infants although confest by themselves to have been continued even sithence the very Apostles own times yet they altogether condemned partly because sundry errors are of no less antiquity and partly for that there is no Commandment in the Gospel of Christ which saith Baptize Infants but he contrariwise in saying Go Preach and Baptize doth appoint that the Minister of Baptism shall in that action first administer Doctrine and then Baptism as also in saying Whosoever doth believe and is baptized be appointeth that the party to whom Baptism is administred shall first believe and then be baptized to the end that Believing may go before this Sacrament in the Receiver no otherwise then Preaching in the Giver sith equally in both the Law of Christ declareth not onely what things are required but also in what order they are required The Eucharist they received pretending our Lord and Saviour example after Supper And for avoiding all those impieties which have been grounded upon the Mystical words of Christ This is my Body This is my Blood they thought it not safe to mention either Body or Blood in that Sacrament but rather to abrogate both and to use no words but these Take eat declare the death of our Lord. Drink shew forth our Lords death In Rites and Ceremonies their Profession was hatred of all Conformity with the Church of Rome For which cause they would rather endure any torment then observe the solemn Festivals which others did in as much as Antichrist they said was the first inventer of them The pretended end of their Civil Reformation was That Christ might have dominion over all that all Crowns and Scepters might be thrown down at his feet that no other might raign over Christian men but he no Regiment keep them in aw but his Discipline amongst them no Sword at all be carried besides his the Sword of Spiritual Excommunication For this cause they labored with all their might in over-turning the Seats of Magistracy because Christ hath said Kings of Nations in abolishing the execution Iustice because Christ hath said Resist not evil in forbidding Oaths the necessary means of Iudicial tryal because Christ hath said Swear not at all Finally in bringing in Community of Goods because Christ by his Apostles hath given the World such example to the end that men might excel one another not in Wealth the Pillar of Secular Authority but in Vertue These men at the first were onely pitied in their Error and not much withstood by any the great Humility Zeal and Devotion which appeared to be in them was in all mens opinion a pledge of their harmless meaning The hardest that men of sound understanding conceived of them was but this O quam honestâ voluntate miseri errant With how good a meaning these poor Souls do evil Luther made request unto Frederick Duke of Saxony that within his Dominion they might be favorably dealt with and spared for that their Error exempted they seemed otherwise right good men By means of which merciful Toleration they gathered strength much more then was safe for the State of the Commonwealth wherein they lived They had their secret Corner-meetings and Assemblies in the night the people flocked unto them by thousands The means whereby they both allured and retained so great multitudes were most effectual First A wonderful shew of zeal towards God wherewith they seemed to be even rapt in every thing they spake Secondly An hatred of sin and a singular love of integrity which men did think to be much more then ordinary in them by reason of the custom which they had to fill the ears of the people with Invectives against their authorized Guides as well Spiritual as Civil Thirdly The bountiful relief wherewith they eased the broken estate of such needy Creatures as were in that respcit the more apt to be drawn away Fourthly A tender compassion which they were thought to take upon the miseries of the common sort over whose heads their manner was even to pour down showres of tears in complaining that no respect was had unto them that their goods were devoured by wicked Cormorants their persons had in contempt all Liberty both Temporal and Spiritual taken from them that it was high time for God now to hear their groans and to send them deliverance Lastly A cunning slight which they had to stroke and smoothe up the mindes of their followers as well by appropriating unto them all the favorable Titles the good words and the gracious promises in Scripture as also by casting the contrary always on the heads of such as were severed from that retinue Whereupon the peoples common aeclamation unto such deceivers was These are verily the Men of God these are his true and sincere Prophets If any such Prophet or Man of God did suffer by order of Law condign and deserved punishment were it for Fellony Rebellion Murder or what else that people so strangely were their hearts inchanted as though Blessed St. Stephen had been again Martyred did lament that God took away his most dear servants from them In all these things being fully perswaded that what they did it was obedience to the Will of God and that all men should do the like there remained after speculation Practice whereby the whole World thereunto if it were possible might be framed This they saw could not be done but with mighty opposition and resistence against which to strengthen themselves they secretly entred into a League of Association And peradventure considering that although they were many yet long Wars would in time waste them out they began to think whether it might not be that God would have them do for their speedy and mighty increase the same which sometime Gods own chosen people the people of Israel did Glad and fain they were to have it so which very desire was it self apt to breed bâ—th an opinion of possibility and a willingness to gather Arguments of likelihood that so God himself would have it Nothing more clear unto their seeming then that a New Jerusalem being often spoken of in Scipture they undoubtedly were themselves that New Jerusalem and the Old did by way of a certain Fegurative resemblance signifie what they should both be and do
to the private intents of men over-potent in the Commonwealth So the grievous abuse which hath been of Councils should rather cause men to study how so gracious a thing may again be reduced to that first Perfection then in regard of stains and blemishes sithence growing be held for ever in extream disgrace To speak of this matter as the cause requireth would require very long discourse All I will presently say is this Whether it be for the finding out of any thing whereunto Divine Law bindeth us but yet in such sort that Men are not thereof on all sides resolved or for the setting down of some Uniform Judgment to stand touching such things as being neither way matters of necessity are notwithstanding offensive and scandalous when there is open opposition about them Be it for the ending of strifes touching matters of Christian belief wherein the one part may seem to have probable cause of dissenting from the other or be it concerning matters of Policy Order and Regiment in the Church I nothing doubt but that Christian men should much better frame themselves to those Heavenly Precepts which our Lord and Saviour with so great instancy gave as concerning Peace and Unity if we did all concur in desire to have the use of Ancient Councils again renewed rather then these proceedings continued which either make all Contentions endless or bring them to one onely Determination and that of all other the worst which is by Sword It followeth therefore that a new Foundation being laid we now adjoyn hereunto that which cometh in the next place to be spoken of namely wherefore God hath himself by Scripture made known such Laws as serve for direction of Men. 11. All things God onely accepted besides the Nature which they have in themselves receive externally some Perfection from other things as hath been shewed In so much as there is in the whole World no one thing great or small but either in respect of knowledge or of use it may unto our Perfection add somewhat And whatsoever such Perfection there is which our Nature may acquire the same we properly term our good our Soveraign Good or Blessedness that wherein the highest degree of all our Perfection consisteth that which being once attained unto there can rest nothing further to be desired and therefore with it our souls are fully content and satisfied in that they have they rejoyce and thirst for no more Wherefore of good things desired some are such that for themselves we cover them not but onely because they serve as Instruments unto that for which we are to seek Of this sort are Riches Another kinde there is which although we desire for it self as Health and Vertue and Knowledge nevertheless they are not the last mark whereat we aim but have their further end whereunto they are referred So as in them we are not satisfied as having attained the utmost we may but our desires do still proceed These things are linked and as it were chained one to another We labor to eat and we eat to live and we live to do good and the good which we do is as seed sown with reference unto a future Harvest But we must come at the length to some pause For if every thing were to be desired for some other without any stint there could be no certain end proposed unto our actions we should go on we know not whither yea whatsoever we do were in vain or rather nothing at all were possible to be done For as to take away the first efficient of our Being were to annihilate utterly our persons so we cannot remove the last final cause of our working but we shall cause whatsoever we work to cease Therefore something there must be desired for it self simply and for no other That is simply for it self desirable unto the nature whereof it is opposite and repugnant to be desired with relation unto any other The Ox and the Ass desire their food neither propose they unto themselves any end wherefore so that of them this is desired for it self But why By reason of their imperfection which cannot otherwise desire it whereas that which is desired simply for it self the excellency thereof is such as permitteth it not in any sort to be referred unto a further end Now that which Man doth desire with reference to a further end the same he desireth in such measure as is unto that end convenient but what he covereth as good in it self towards that his desire is ever infinite So that unless the last good of all which is desired altogether for it self be also infinite we do evil in making it our end even as they who placed their felicity in wealth or honor or pleasure or any thing here attained because in desiring any thing as our final perfection which is not so we do amiss Nothing may be infinitely desired but that good which indeed is infinite For the better the more desireable that therefore most desireable wherein there is infinity of goodness So that if any thing desireable may be infinite that must needs be the highest of all things that are desired No good is infinite but onely God therefore he is our felicity and bliss moreover desire tendeth unto union with that it desireth If then in him we be blessed it is by force of participation and conjunction with him Again it is not the possession of any good thing can make them happy which have it unless they enjoy the things wherewith they are possessed Then are we happy therefore when fully we enjoy God as an object wherein the Powers of our Souls are satisfied even with everlasting delight So that although we be men yet by being unto God united we live as it were the Life of God Happiness therefore is that estate whereby we attain so far as possibly may be attained the full possession of that which simply for it self is to be desired and containeth in it after an eminent sort the contentation of our desires the highest degree of all our Perfection Of such Perfection capable we are not in this life For while we are in the World we are subject unto sundry imperfections grief of body defects of minde yea the best things we do are painful and the exercise of them grievous being continued without intermission so as in those very actions whereby we are especial'y perfected in this life we are not able to persist forced we are with very weariness and that often to interrupt them Which rediousness cannot fall into those operations that are in the state of bliss when our union with God is compleat Compleat union with him must be according unto every power and faculty of our mindes apt to receive so glorious an object Capable we are of God both by Understanding and Will By Understanding as he is that Soveraign Truth which comprehends the Rich Treasures of all Wisdom By Will as he is that Sea of Goodness
whereof whoso tasteth shall thirst no more As the Will doth now work upon that object by desire which is as it were a motion towards the end as yet unobtained so likewise upon the same hereafter received it shall work also by love Appetitus inhiantis fit amor fruentis saith St. Augustine The longing disposition of them that thirst is changed into the sweet affection of them that taste and are replenished Whereas we now love the thing that is good but good especially in respect of benefit unto us we shall then love the thing that is good onely or principally for the goodness of beauty in it self The Soul being in this sort as it is Active perfected by love of that infinite good shall as it is Receptive be also perfected with those Supernatural Passions of Joy Peace and Delight All this endless and Everlasting Which Perpetuity in regard whereof our Blessedness is termed A Crown which withereth not doth neither depend upon the nature of the thing it self nor proceed from any natural necessity that our Souls should so exercise themselves for ever in beholding and loving God but from the Will of God which doth both freely perfect our nature in so high a degree and continue it so perfected Under Man no Creature in the World is capable of felicity and bliss First because their chiefest Perfection consisteth in that which is best for them but not in that which is simply best as ours doth Secondly because whatsoever External Perfection they tend unto it is not better then themselves as ours is How just occasion have we therefore even in this respect with the Prophet to admire the goodness of God Lord what is man that thou shouldst exalt him above the works of thy hands so far as to make thy self the Inheritance of his Rest and the Substance of his Felicity Now if men had not naturally this desire to be happy how were it possible that all men should have it All men have Therefore this desire in Man is natural It is not in our power not to do the same how should it then be in our power to do it coldly or remisly So that our desire being natural is also in that degree of earnestness whereunto nothing can be added And is it probable that God should frame the hearts of all men so desirous of that which no man may obtain It is an Axiom of Nature that natural desire cannot utterly be frustrate This desire of ours being natural should be frustrate if that which may satisfie the same were a thing impossible for Man to aspire unto Man doth seek a tripple Perfection first a sensual consisting in those things which very life it self requireth either as necessary Supplements or as Beauties and Ornaments thereof then an Intellectual consisting in those things which none underneath Man is either capable of or acquainted with lastly a Spiritual and Divine consisting in those things whereunto we tend by supernatural means here but cannot here attain unto them They that make the first of these three the scope of their whole life are said by the Apostle to have no God but onely their Belly to be earthly-minded men Unto the second they bend themselves who seek especially to excel in all such Knowledge and Vertue as doth most commend Men. To this branch belongeth the Law of Moral and Civil Perfection That there is somewhat higher then either of these two no other proof doth need then the very Process of Mans desire which being natural should be frustrate if there were not some farther thing wherein it might rest at the length concented which in the former it cannot do For Man doth not seem to rest satisfied either with fruition of that wherewith his life is preserved or with performance of such actions as advance him most deservedly in estimation but doth further covet yea oftentimes manifestly pursue with great sedulity and earnestness that which cannot stand him in any stead for vital use that which exceedeth the reach of Sense yea somewhat above capacity of Reason somewhat Divine and Heavenly which with hidden exultation it rather surmiseth then conceiveth somewhat it seeketh and what that is directly it knoweth not yet very intentive desire thereof doth so incite it that all other known delights and pleasures are laid aside they give place to the search of this but onely suspected desire If the Soul of Man did serve onely to give him Being in this life then things appertaining unto this life would content him as we see they do other Creatures which Creatures enjoying what they live by seek no further but in his contentation do shew a kinde of acknowledgment that there is no higher good which doth any way belong unto them With us it is otherwise For although the Beauties Riches Honors Sciences Vertues and Perfections of all Men living were in the present possession of one yet somewhat beyond and above all this there would still be sought and earnestly thirsted for So that Nature even in this life doth plainly claim and call for a more Divine Perfection then either of these two that have been mentioned This last and highest estate of Perfection whereof we speak is received of Men in the nature of a Reward Rewards do always presuppose such duties performed as are rewardable Our natural means therefore unto Blessedness are our works nor is it possible that Nature should ever finde any other way to Salvation then onely this But examine the works which we do and since the first Foundation of the World what one can say My ways are pure Seeing then all flesh is guilty of that for which God hath threatned eternally to punish what possibility is there this way to be saved There resteth therefore either no way unto Salvation or if any then surely a way which is Supernatural a way which could never have entred into the heart of man as much as once to conceive or imagine if God himself had not revealed it extraordinarily For which cause we term it the Mystery or Secret way of Salvation And therefore St. Ambrose in this matter appealeth justly from Man to God Caeli mysterium doceat me Deus qui condidit non homo qui seipsum ignoravit Let God himself that made me let not Man that knows not himself be my instructer concerning the Mystical Way to Heaven When Men of excellent wit saith Lactantius had wholly betaken themselves unto study after farewel bidden unto all kinde as well of private as publick Action they spared no labor that might be spent in the search of Truth holding it a thing of much more price to seek and to finde out the reason of all Affairs as well Divine as Humane then to stick fast in the toil of piling up Riches and gathering together heaps of Honors Howbeit they both did fail of their purpose and got not so much as to quit their charges because Truth which is the secret of
no proof to the contrary But that our love is sound and sincere that it cometh from a pure heart a good conscience and a faith unfeigned who can pronounce saving only the searcher of all mens hearts who alone intuitively doth known in this kind who are his And as those everlasting promises of Love Mercy and Blessedness belong to the mystical Church even so on the other side when we read of any duty which the Church of God is bound unto the Church whom this doth concern is a sensible known company And this Visible Church in like sort is but one continued from the first beginning of the World to the last end Which company being divided into two moyeties the one before the other since the coming of Christ that part which since the coming of Christ partly hath embraced and partly shall hereafter embrace the Christian Religion we term as by a more proper name the Church of Christ. And therefore the Apostle affirmeth plainly of all men Christian that be they Jew or Gentiles bond or free they are all incorporated into one company they all make but one body The unity of which visible body and Church of Christ consisteth in that Uniformity which all several persons thereunto belonging have by reason of that one Lord whose servants they all profess themselves that one Faith which they all acknowledge that one Baptism wherewith they are all initiated The visible Church of Jesus Christ is therefore one in outward profession of those things which supernaturally appertain to the very Essence of Christianity and are necessarily required in every particular Christian man Let all the house of Israel know for certainty saith Peter that God hath made him both Lord and Christ even this Iesus whom ye have crucified Christians therefore they are not which call not him their Master and Lord. And from hence it came that first at Antioch and afterward throughout the whole world all that were of the Church visible were called Christians even amongst the Heathen which name unto them was precious and glorious but in the estimation of the rest of the world even Christ Jesus himself was execrable for whose sake all men were so likewise which did acknowledge him to be their Lord. This himself did foresee and therefore armed his Church to the end they might sustain it without discomfort All these things they will do unto you for my names sake yea the time shall come that whosoever killeth you will think that he doth God good service These things I tell you that when the hour shall come ye may then call to minde how I told you before-hand of them But our naming of Jesus Christ the Lord is not enough to prove us Christians unless we also embrace that Faith which Christ hath published unto the World To shew that the Angel of Pergamus continued in Christianity behold how the Spirit of Christ speaketh Thou keepest my Name and thou hast not denied my Faith Concerning which Faith The rule thereof saith Tertullian is one alone immoveable and no way possible to be better framed anew What rule that is he sheweth by rehearsing those few Articles of Christian belief And before Tertullian Irency The Church though scattered through the whole World unto the uttermost borders of the Earth hath from the Apostles and their Disciples received Belief The parts of which Belief he also reciteth in substance the very same with Tertullian and thereupon inferreth This Faith the Church being spread far and wide preserveth as if one House did contain them These things it equally embraceth as though it had even one Soul one Heart and no more It publisheth teacheth and delivereth these things with Uniform consent as if God had given it lut one onely Tongue wherewith to speak He which amongst the Guides of the Church is best able to speak uttereth no more then this and less then this the most simple do not utter when they make Profession of their Faith Now although we know the Christian Faith and allow of it yet in this respect we are but entring entred we are not into the Visible Church before our admittance by the door of Baptism Wherefore immediately upon the acknowledgment of Christian Faith the Eunuch we see was baptized by Philip Paul by Ananias by Peter a huge multitude containing Three thousand Souls which being once Baptized were reckoned in the number of Souls added to the Visible Church As for those Vertues that belong unto Moral Righteousness and honesty of life we do not mention them because they are not proper unto Christian Men as they are Christian but do concern them as they are Men. True it is the want of these Vertues excludeth from Salvation So doth much more the absence of inward belief of heart so doth despair and lack of Hope so emptiness of Christian Love and Charity But we speak now of the Visible Church whose Children are signed with this mark One Lord one Faith one Baptism In whomsoever these things are the Church doth acknowledge them for her Children them onely she holdeth for Aliens and Strangers in whom these things are not found For want of these it is that Saracens Jews and Infidels are excluded out of the bounds of the Church Others we may not deny to be of the Visible Church as long as these things are not wanting in them For apparent it is that all Men are of necessity either Christians or not Christians If by External Profession they be Christians then are they of the Visible Church of Christ and Christians by External Profession they are all whose mark of Recognisance hath in it those things which we have mentioned yea although they be impious Idolaters wicked Hereticks Persons excommunicable yea and cast out for notorious improbity Such withal we deny not to be the Imps and Limbs of Satan even as long as they continue such Is it then possible that the self-same men should belong both to the Synagogue of Satan and to the Church of Jesus Christ Unto that Church which is his Mystical Body not possibleâ— because that Body consisteth of none but onely true Israelites true Sons of Abraham true Servants and Saints of God Howbeit of the Visible Body and Church of Jesus Christ those may be and oftentimes are in respect of the main parts of their outward Profession who inregard of their inward disposition of minde yea of External Conversation yea even of some parts of their very Profession are most worthily both hateful in the sight of God himself and in the eyes of the sounder part of the Visible Church most execrable Our Saviour therefore compareth the Kingdom of Heaven to a Net whereunto all which cometh neither is nor seemeth Fish His Church he compareth unto a Field where Tares manifestly known end seen by all Men do grow intermingled with good Corn and even so shall continue till the final consummation of the World God hath had ever
it self could not reach unto Yet those things also we believe knowing by Reason that the Scripture is the Word of God In the presence of Festus a Roman and of King Agrippa a Jew St. Paul omitting the one who neither knew the Jews Religion not the Books whereby they were taught it speaks unto the other of things foreshewed by Moses and the Prophets and performed in Jesus Christ intending thereby to prove himself so unjustly accused that unless his Judges did condemn both Moses and the Prophets him they could not chuse but acquit who taught onely that fulfilled which they so long since had foretold His cause was easie to be discerned what was done their eyes were witnesses what Moses and the Prophets did speak their Books could quickly shew It was no hard thing for him to compare them which knew the one and believed the other King Agrippa believest thou the Prophets I know thou dost The question is how the Books of the Prophets came to be credited of King Agrippa For what with him did authorise the Prophets the like with us doth cause the rest of the Scripture of God to be of credit Because we maintain That in Scripture we are taught all things necessary unto Salvation hereupon very childishly it is by some demanded What Scripture can teach us the Sacred Authority of the Scripture upon the knowledge whereof our whole Faith and Salvation dependeth As though there were any kinde of Science in the World which leadeth men unto knowledge without presupposing a number of things already known No Science doth make known the first Principles whereon it buildeth but they are always either taken as plain and manifest in themselves or as proved and granted already some former knowledge having made them evident Scripture teacheth all supernaturally revealed Truth without the knowledge whereof Salvation cannot be attained The main principal whereupon our belief of all things therein contained dependeth is That the Scriptures are the Oracles of God himself This in it self we cannot say is evident For then all men that hear it would acknowledge it in heart as they do when they hear that every whole is more then any part of that whole because this in it self is evident The other we know that all do not acknowledge when they hear it There must be therefore some former knowledge presupposed which doth herein assure the hearts of all Believers Scripture teacheth us that saving Truth which God hath discovered unto the World by Revelation and it presumeth us taught otherwise that it self is Divine and Sacred The question then being By what means we are taught this some answer That to learn it we have no other way then onely Tradition as namely that so we believe because both we from our Predecessors and they from theirs have so received But is this enough That which all mens experience teacheth them may not in any wise be denied And by experience we all know that the first outward Motive leading men so to esteem of the Scripture is the authority of Gods Church For when we know the whole Church of God hath that opinion of the Scripture we judge it even at the first an impudent thing for any man bred and brought up in the Church to be of a contrary minde without cause Afterwards the more we bestow our labor in reading or hearing the Mysteries thereof the more we finde that the thing it self doth answer our received opinion concerning it So that the former enducement prevailing somewhat with us before doth now much more prevail when the very thing hath Ministred further Reason If Infidels or Atheists chance at any time to call it in question this giveth us occasion to sift what reason there is whereby the testimony of the Church concerning Scripture and our own perswasion which Scripture it self hath confirmed may be proved a truth infallible In which case the ancient Fathers being often constrained to shew what warrant they had so much to relie upon the Scriptures endeavored still to maintain the authority of the Books of God by Arguments such as unbelievers themselves must needs think reasonable if they judged thereof as they should Neither is it a thing impossible or greatly heard even by such kinde of proofs so to manifest and clear that point that no man living shall be able to deny it without denying some apparent Principle such as all men acknowledge to be true Wherefore if I believe the Gospel yet is reason of singular use for that it confirmeth me in this my belief the more If I do not as yet believe nevertheless to bring me into the number of Believers except Reason did somewhat help and were an Instrument which God doth use unto such purposes what should it boot to dispute with Infidels or godless persons for their conversion and perswasion in that point Neither can I think that when grave and learned men do sometime hold that of this Principle there is no proof but by the testimony of the Spirit which assureth our hearts therein it is their meaning to exclude utterly all force which any kinde of Reason may have in that behalf but I rather incline to interpret such their speeches as if they had more expresly set down that other motives and enducements be they never so strong and consonant unto Reason are notwithstanding ineffectual of themselves to work Faith concerning this Principle if the special Grace of the Holy Ghost concur not to the enlightning of our mindes For otherwise I doubt not but men of wisdom and judgment will grant That the Church in this point especially is furnished with Reason to stop the mouths of her impious Adversaries and that as it were altogether bootless to alledge against them what the Spirit hath taught us so likewise that even to our own selves it needeth Caution and Explication how the testimony of the Spirit may be discerned by what means it may be known lest men think that the Spirit of God doth testifie those things which the spirit of error suggesteth The operations of the Spirit especially these ordinary which be common unto all true Christian men are as we know things secret and undiscernable even to the very soul where they are because their nature is of another and an higher kinde then that they can be by us perceived in this life Wherefore albeit the Spirit lead us into all truth and direct us in all goodness yet because these workings of the Spirit in us are so privy and secret we theresore stand on a plainer ground when we gather by Reason from the quality of things believed or done that the Spirit of God hath directed us in both then if we settle our selves to believe or to do any certain particular thing as being moved thereto by the Spirit But of this enough To go from the Books of Scripture to the sense and meaning thereof because the Sentences which are by the Apostles recited out of the Psalms to prove
end It behoveth that the place where God shall be served by the whole Church be a publick place for the avoiding of Privy Conventicles which covered with pretence of Religion may serve unto dangerous practises Yea though such Assemblies be had indeed for Religions sake hurtful nevertheless they may easily prove as well in regard of their fitness to serve the turn of Hereticks and such as privily will soonest adventure to instill their poyson into mens minds as also for the occasion which thereby is given to malicious persons both of suspecting and of traducing with more colourable shew those Actions which in themselves being holy should be so ordered that no man might probably otherwise think of them Which considerations have by so much the greater waight for that of these inconveniences the Church heretofore had so plain experience when Christian men were driven to use Secret Meetings because the liberty of Publick places was not granted them There are which hold that the presence of a Christian multitude and the Duties of Religion performed amongst them do make the place of their Assembly publick even as the presence of the King and his Retinue maketh any mans House a Court But this I take to be an errour in as much as the only thing which maketh any Place publick is the publick assignment thereof unto such Duties As for the Multitude there assembled or the Duties which they perform it doth not appear how either should be of force to insuse any such Prerogative Not doth the solemn Dedication of Churches serve only to make them publick but farther also to surrender up that right which otherwise their Founders might have in them and to make God himself their Owner For which cause at the Erection and Consecration as well of the Tabernacle as of the Temple it pleased the Almighty to give a manifest sign that he took possession of both Finally it not fiâ—th in solemn manner the Holy and Religious use whereunto it is intended such Houses shall be put These things the wisdom of Solomon did not account superfluous He knew how easily that which was meant should be holy and sacred might be drawn from the use whereunto it was first provided he knew how bold men are to take even from God himself how hardly that House would be kept from impious profanation he knew and right wisely therefore endeavoured by such Solemnities to leave in the minds of men that impression which might somewhat restrain their boldness and nourish a reverend affection towards the House of God For which cause when the first House was destroyed and a new in the stead thereof erected by the Children of Israel after their return from captivity they kept the dedication even of this House also with joy The Argument which our Saviour useth against Prophaners of the Temple he taketh from the use whereunto it was with Solemnity consecrated And as the Prophet Ieremy forbiddeth the carrying of Burdens on the Sabbath because that was a Sanctified day So because the Temple was a Place sanctified our Lord would not suffer no not the carriage of a Vessel through the Temple These two Commandements therefore are in the Law conjoyned Ye shall keep my Sabbaths and reverence my Santuary Out of those the Apostles words Have ye not Houses to eat and drink in albeit Temples such as now were not then erected for that exercise of Christian Religion it hath been nevertheless not absurdly conceived that he teacheth what difference should be made between House and House that what is fit for the Dwelling Place of God and what for Mans Habitation be shewethâ— requireth that Christian men at their Own home take Common food and in the House of the Lord none but that food which is heavenly he instructeth them that as in the one place they use to refresh their Bodies so they may in the other learn to seek the nourishment of their Souls and as there they sustain Temporal life so here they would learn to make provision for Eternal Christ could not suffer that the Temple should serve for a place of Mart not the Apostle of Christ that the Church should be made an Inne When therefore we sanctifie or hallow Churches that which we do as ooly to testifie that we make them Places of publick resort that we invest God himself with them that we sever them from Common uses In which action other Solemnities than such as are decent and fit for that purpose we approve none Indeed we condemn not all as unmeet the like whereunto have either been devised or used haply amongst Idolaters For why should conformity with them in matter of Opinion be lawful when they think that which is true if in action when they do that which is meet it be uot lawful to be like unto them Are we to forsake any true Opinion because Idolaters have maintained it or to shun any requisite action only because we have in the practise thereof been prevented by Idolaters It is no impossible thing but that sometimes they may judge as tightly what is decent about such external affairs of God as in greater things what is true Not therefore whatsoever Idolaters have either thought or done but let whatsoever they have either thought or done idolatrously be so far forth abhorred For of that which is good even in evil things God is Author 13. Touching the names of Angels and Saints whereby the most of our Churches are called as the custome of so naming them is very antient so neither was the cause thereof at the first nor is the use and continuance with us at this present hurtful That Churches were consecrated unto none but the Lord only the very General name it self doth sufficiently shew is as much as by plain Grammatical construction Church doth signifie no other thing than the Lords House And because the multitude as of Persons so of things particular causeth variety of Proper names to be devised for Distinction sake Founders of Churches did herein that which best liked their own conceit at the present time yet each intending that as oft as those Buildings came to be mentioned the name should put men in mind of some memorable thing or person Thus therefore it cometh to pass that all Churches have had their names some as memorials of peace some of wisdom some in memory of the Trinity it self some of Christ under sundry Titles of the blessed Virgin not a few many of one Apostle Saint or Martyr many of all In which respect their commendable purpose being not of every one understood they have been in latter ages construed as though they had superstitiously meant either that those places which where denominated of Angels and Saints should serve for the worship of so glorious Creatures or else those glorified Creatures for defence protection and patronage of such places A thing which the Antients do utterly disclaim To them saith
hath credit with all that confess it as we all do to be his Word every Proposition of holy Scripture every Sentence being to us a Principle if the Principles of all kindes of Knowledge else have that vertue in themselves whereby they are able to procure our Assent unto such Conclusions as the industry of right Discourse doth gather from them we have no reason to think the Principles of that Truth which tendeth unto man's everlasting happiness less forcible than any other when we know that of all other they are for their certainty the most infallible But as every thing of price so this doth require travel We bring not the knowledge of God with us into the World And the less our own opportunity or ability is that way the more we need the help of other men's Judgments to be our direction herein Nor doth any man ever believe into whom the doctrin of Belief is not instilled by instruction some way received at the first from others Wherein whatsoever fit means there are to notifie the Mysteries of the Word of God whether Publickly which we call Preaching or in Private howsoever the Word by every such mean even ordinarily doth save and not only by being delivered unto men in Sermons Sermons are not the only Preaching which doth save Souls For concerning the use and sense of this word Preaching which they shut up in so close a Prison although more than enough have already been spoken to redeem the liberty thereof yet because they insist so much and so proudly insult thereon we must a little inure their Ears with hearing how others whom they more regard are in this Case accustomed to use the self-same language with us whose manner of speech they deride Iustin Martyr doubteth not to tell the Grecians That even in certain of their Writings the very Judgment to come is preached not the Council of Vaeus to insinuate that Presbyters absent through infirmity from their Churches might be said to preach by those Deputies who in their stead did but read Homilies nor the Council of Toledo to call the usual Publick reading of the Gospels in the Church Preaching nor others long before these our days to write that by him who but readeth a Lesson in the Solemn Assembly as part of Divine Service the very Office of Preaching is so far-forth executed Such kind of speeches were then familiar those Phrases seemed not to them absurd they would have marvelled to hear the Out-cryes which we do because we think that the Apostles in writing and others in reading to the Church those Books which the Apostles wrote are neither untruly nor unfitly said to preach For although mens Tongues and their Pens differ yet to one and the self-same general if not particular effect they may both serve It is no good Argument St. Paul could not write with his Tongue therefore neither could he preach with his Pen. For Preaching is a general end whereunto Writing and Speaking do both serve Men speak not with the Instruments of Writing neither write with the Instruments of Speech and yet things recorded with the one and uttered with the other may be preached well enough with both By their Patience therefore be it spoken the Apostles preached as well when they wrote as when they spake the Gospel of Christ and our usual Publick reading of the Word of God for the Peoples instruction is Preaching Nor about words would we ever contend were not their purpose in so restraining the same injurious to God's most Sacred Word and Spirit It is on both sides confest That the Word of God outwardly administred his Spirit inwardly concurring therewith converteth edifieth and saveth Souls Now whereas the external Administration of his Word is as well by reading barely the Scripture as by explaining the same when Sermons thereon be made in the one they deny That the Finger of God hath ordinarily certain principal operations which we most stedfastly hold and believe that it hath in both 22. So worthy a part of Divine Service we should greatly wrong if we did not esteem Preaching as the blessed Ordinance of God Sermons as Keyes to the Kingdom of Heaven as Wings to the Soul as Spurrs to the good Affections of Man unto the Sound and Healthy as Food as Physick unto diseased Mindes Wherefore how higly soever it may please them with words of Truth to extoll Sermons they shall not herein offend us We seek not to derogate from any thing which they can justly esteem but our desire is to uphold the just estimation of that from which it seemeth unto us they derogate more than becometh them That which offendeth us is first the great disgrace which they offer unto our Custom of bare reading the Word of God and to his gracious Spirit the Principal vertue whereof thereby manifesting it self for the endless good of mens Souls even the Vertue which it hath to convert to edifie to save Souls this they mightily strive to obscure and Secondly The shifts wherewith they maintain their opinion of Sermons whereunto while they labour to appropriate the Saving power of the Holy Ghost they separate from all apparent hope of Life and Salvation thousands whom the goodness of Almighty God doth not exclude Touching therefore the use of Scripture even in that it is openly read and the inestimable good which the Church of God by that very mean hath reaped there was we may very well think some cause which moved the Apostle Saint Paul to require that those things which any one Churches affairs gave particular occasion to write might for the Instruction of all be published and that by reading 1. When the very having of the Books of God was a matter of no small charge and difficulty in as much as they could not be had otherwise than only in written Copies it was the necessity not of Preaching things agreeable with the Word but of reading the Word it self at large to the People which caused Churches throughout the World to have publick care that the sacred Oracles of God being procured by Common charge might with great sedulity be kept both intire and sincere If then we admire the providence of God in the same continuance of Scripture notwithstanding the violent endeavours of Infidels to abolish and the fraudulence of Hereticks always to deprave the same shall we set light by that Custom of Reading from whence so precious a benefit hath grown 2. The Voyce and Testimony of the Church acknowledging Scripture to be the Law of the Living God is for the truth and certainty thereof no mean Evidence For if with Reason we may presume upon things which a few mens depositions do testifie suppose we that the mindes of men are not both at their first access to the School of Christ exceedingly moved yea and for ever afterwards also confirmed much when they consider the main consent of all the Churches in the whole World witnessing
of a standing Tribute that there they did openly read the Scriptures and whosoever will bear saith Tertullian he shall finde God whosoever will study to know shall be also fain to believe But sith there is no likelihood that ever voluntarily they will seek Instruction at our hands it remaineth that unless we will suffer them to perish Salvation it self must seek them it behooveth God to send them Preachers as he did his elect Apostles throughout the World There is a Knowledge which God hath always revealed unto them in the works of Nature This they honour and esteem highly as profound Wisdome howbeit this Wisdome saveth them not That which must save Believers is the knowledge of the Cross of Christ the only Subject of all our Preaching And in their Eyes what seemeth this but Folly It pleaseth God by the foolishness of Preaching to save These Words declare how admirable force those Mysteries have which the World do deride as Follies they shew that the Foolishness of the Cross of Christ is the Wisdom of True Believers they concern the Object of our Faith the Matter preached of and believed in by Christian men This we know that the Grecians or Gentiles did account Foolishness but that they did ever think it a fond or unlikely way to seek mens Conversion by Sermons we have not heard Manifest therefore it is that the Apostle applying the name of Foolishness in such sort as they did must needs by the Foolishness of Preaching mean the Doctrine of Christ which we learn that we may be saved but that Sermons are the only manner of teaching whereby it pleaseth our Lord to save he could not mean In like sort where the same Apostle proveth that as well the sending of the Apostles as their preaching to the Gentiles was necessary dare we affirm it was ever his meaning that unto their Salvation who even from their tender Infancy never knew any other Faith or Religion that only Christian no kinde of Teaching can be available saving that which was so needful for the first universal Conversion of Gentiles hating Christianity neither the sending of any sort allowable in the one case except only of such as had been in the other also most fit and worthy Instruments Belief in all sorts doth come by hearkning and attending to the Word of Life Which Word sometime proposeth and preacheth it self to the Hearer sometime they deliver it whom privately Zeal and Piety moveth to be Instructors of others by conference sometime of them it is taught whom the Church hath called to the Publick either reading thereof or interpreting All these tend unto one effect neither doth that which St. Paul or other Apostles teach concerning the necessity of such Teaching as theirs was or of sending such as they were for that purpose unto the Gentiles prejudice the efficacy of any other way of Publick instruction or inforce the utter disability of any other mens Vocation thought requisite in this Church for the saving of Souls where means more effectual are wanting Their only proper and direct proof of the thing in question had been to shew in what sort and how farr man's Salvation doth necessarily depend upon the knowledge of the Word of God what Conditions Properties and Qualities there are whereby Sermons are distinguished from other kindes of administring the Word unto that purpose and what special Property or Quality that is which being no where found but in Sermons maketh them effectual to save Souls and leaveth all other Doctrinal means besides destitute of vital efficacy These pertinent Instructions whereby they might satisfie us and obtain the Cause it self for which they contend these things which only would serve they leave and which needeth not sometime they trouble themselves with fretting at the ignorance of such as withstand them in their Opinion sometime they fall upon their poor Brethren which can but read and against them they are bitterly eloquene If we alledge what the Scriptures themselves do usually speak for the saving force of the Word of God not with restraint to any one certain kinde of delivery but howsoever the same shall chance to be made known yet by one trick or other they always restrain it unto Sermons Our Lord and Saviour hath said Search the Scriptures for in them ye think to have eternal life But they tell us he spake to the Jews which Jews before had heard his Sermons and that peradventure it was his minde they should search not by reading nor by hearing them read but by attending whensoever the Scriptures should happen to be alledged in Sermons Furthermore having received Apostolical Doctrine the Apostle Saint Paul hath taught us to esteem the same as the Supream Rule whereby all other Doctrines must for ever be examined Yea but in as much as the Apostle doth there speak of that he had Preached he flatly maketh as they strangely affirm his Preachings or Sermons the Rule whereby to examine all And then I beseech you what Rule have we whereby to judge or examine any For if Sermons must be our Rule because the Apostles Sermons were so to their Hearers then sith we are not as they were Hearers of the Apostles Sermons it resteth that either the Sermons which we hear should be our Rule or that being absurd therewill which yet hath greater absurdity no Rule at all be remaining for Tryal what Doctrines now are corrupt what consonant with heavenly Truth Again let the same Apostle acknowledge all Scripture profitable to teach to improve to correct to instruct in Righteousness Still notwithstanding we erre if hereby we presume to gather that Scripture read will avail unto any one of all these uses they teach us the meaning of the words to be that so much the Scripture can do if the Minister that way apply it in his Sermons otherwise not Finally they never hear Sentence which mentioneth the Word or Scripture but forthwith their Glosses upon it are the Word preached the Scripture explained or delivered unto us in Sermons Sermons they evermore understand to be that Word of God which alone hath vital Operation the dangerous sequel of which Construction I wish they did more attentively weigh For sith Speech is the very Image whereby the minde and soul of the Speaker conveyeth it self into the bolom of him which heareth we cannot chuse but see great reason wherefore the Word that proceedeth from God who is Himself very Truth and Life should be as the Apostle to the Hebrews noteth lively and mighty in operation sharper than any two-edged Sword Now if in this and the like Places we did conceive that our own Sermons are that strong and forcible Word should we not hereby impart even the most peculiar glory of the Word of God unto that which is not his word For touching our Sermons that which giveth them their very being is the wit of man and therefore they oftentimes accordingly taste too much of
lost and that without all hope of recovery This is the true cause of odds between Sermons and other kindes of wholesome Instruction As for the difference which hath been hitherto so much defended on the contrary side making Sermons the only ordinary means unto Faith and eternal Life sith this hath neither evidence of Truth nor proof sufficient to give it warrant a cause of such quality may with fart better grace and conveniency aske that pardon which common humanity doth easily grant than claim in challenging manner that assent which is as unwilling when reason guideth it to be yielded where it is not as with-held where it is apparently due All which notwithstanding as we could greatly wish that the rigour of this their opinion were allayed and mittigated so because we hold it the part of religious ingenuity to honour vertue in whomsoever therefore it is our most hearty desire and shall be always our Prayer unto Almighty God that in the self-same fervent zeal wherewith they seem to effect the good of the Souls of men and to thirst after nothing more than that all men might by all means be directed in the way of life both they and we may constantly persist to the Worlds end For in this we are not their Adversaries though they in the other hitherto have been ours 23. Between the Throne of God in Heaven and his Church upon Earth here militant if it be so that Angels have their continual intercourse where should we finde the same more verified than in those two ghostly Exercises the one Doctrine the other Prayer For what is the Assembling of the Church to learn but the receiving of Angels descended from above What to pray but the sending of Angels upwards His Heavenly Inspirations and our holy Desires are as so many Angels of intercourse and commerce between God and us As Teaching bringeth us to know that God is our supream Truth so Prayer testifieth that we acknowledge him our soveraign Good Besides sith on God as the most High all inferiour Causes in the World are dependant and the higher any Cause is the more it coveteth to impart vertue unto things beneath it how should any kinde of service we do or can do finde greater acceptance than Prayer which sheweth our concurrence with him in desiring that wherewith his very Nature doth most delight Is not the name of Prayer usual to signifie even all the service that ever we do unto God And that for no other cause as I suppose but to shew that there is in Religion no acceptable Duty which devout Invocation of the name of God doth not either presuppose or inferr Prayers are those Calves of Mens lips those most gracious and sweet odours those rich Presents and Gifts which being carried up into Heaven do best restifie our dutiful affection and are for the purchasing of all favour at the hands of God the most undoubted means we can use On others what more easily and yet what more fruitfully bestowed than our Prayers If we give Counsel they are the simpler onely that need it if Almes the poorer only are relieved but by Prayer we do good to all And whereas every other Duty besides is but to shew it self as time and opportunity require for this all times are convenient when we are not able to do any other things for mens behoof when through maliciousness or unkindness they vouchsafe not to accept any other good at our hands Prayer is that which we always have in our power to bestow and they never in theirs to refuse Wherefore God fotbid saith Samuel speaking unto a most unthankful People a People weary of the benefit of his most vertuous Government over them God forbid that I should sin against the Lord and cease to pray for you It is the first thing wherewith a righteous life beginneth and the last wherewith it doth end The knowledge is small which we have on Earth concerning things that are done in Heaven Notwithstanding thus much we know even of Saints in Heaven that they pray And therefore Prayer being a work common to the Church as well Triumphant as Militant a work common unto Men with Angels what should we think but that so much of our Lives is celestial and divine as we spend in the exercise of Prayer For which cause we see that the most comfortable Visitations which God hath sent men from above have taken especially the times of Prayer as their most natural opportunities 24. This holy and religious duty of Service towards God concerneth us one way in that we are men and another way in that we are joined as parts to that visible Mystical Body which is his Church As men we are at our own choice both for time and place and form according to the exigence of our own occasions in private But the service which we do as Members of a Publick Body is publick and for that cause must needs be accompted by so much worthier than the other as a whole society of such condition exceedeth the worth of any one In which consideration unto Christian Assemblies there are most special Promises made St. Paul though likely to prevail with God as much as any one did notwithstanding think it much more both for God's glory and his own good if Prayers might be made and thanks yielded in his behalf by a number of men The Prince and People of Niniveh assembling themselves as a main Army of Supplicants it was not in the power of God to withstand them I speak no otherwise concerning the force of Publick Prayer in the Church of God than before me Tertullian hath done We come by Troops to the Place of Assembly that being banded as it were together we may be Sapplicants enough to besiege God with our Prayers These Forces are unto him acceptable When we publickly make our Prayers it cannot be but that we do it with much more comfort than in private for that the things we aske publickly are approved as needful and good in the Judgement of all we hear them sought for and desired with common consent Again thus much help and furtherance is more yielded in that if so be our zeal and devotion to God-ward be slack the alacrity and fervour of others serveth as a present spurt For even Prayer it self saith Saint Basil when it hath not the consort of many voyces to strengthen it is not it self Finally the good which we do by Publick Prayer is more than in private can be done for that besides the benefit which is here is no less procured to our selves the whole Church is much bettered by our good example and consequently whereas secret neglect of our duty in this kinde is but only our own hurt one man's contempt of the Common Prayer of the Church of God may be and oftentimes is most hurtful unto many In which considerations the Prophet David so often voweth
unto God the Sacrifice of Prayse and Thanksgiving in the Congregation so earnestlie exhorteth others to sing Praises unto the Lord in his Courts in his Sanctuary before the memorial of his Holiness and so much complaineth of his own uncomfortable exile wherein although he sustained many most grievous indignities and indured the want of sundry both pleasures and honours before injoyed yet as if this one were his only grief and the rest not felt his speeches are all of the heavenly benefit of Publick Assemblies and the happiness of such as had free access thereunto 25. A great part of the Cause wherefore religious mindes are so inflamed with the love of Publick devotion is that vertue force and efficacy which by experience they finde that the very form and reverend solemnity of Common Prayer duly ordered hath to help that imbecillity and weakness in us by means whereof we are otherwise of our selves the less apt to perform unto God so heavenly a service with such affection of heart and disposition in the powers of our Souls as is requisite To this end therefore all things hereunto appertaining have been ever thought convenient to be done with the most solemnity and majesty that the wisest could devise It is not with Publick as with Private Prayer In this rather secresie is commanded than outward shew whereas that being the publick act of a whole Society requireth accordingly more care to be had of external appearance The very assembling of men therefore unto this service hath been ever solemn And concerning the place of assembly although it serve for other uses as well as this yet seeing that our Lord himself hath to this as to the chiefest of all other plainly sanctified his own Temple by entituling it the House of Prayer what preeminence of dignity soever hath been either by the Ordinance or through the special favour and providence of God annexed unto his Sanctuary the principal cause thereof must needs be in regard of Common Prayer For the honour and furtherance whereof if it be as the gravest of the antient Fathers seriously were perswaded and do oftentimes plainly teach affirming that the House of Prayer is a Court beautified with the presence of Celestial powers that there we stand we pray we sound forth Hymnes unto God having his Angels intermingled as our Associates and that with reference hereunto the Apostle doth require so great care to be had of decency for the Angels sake how can we come to the House of Prayer and not be moved with the very glory of the place it self so to frame our affections Praying as doth best beseem them whose Suits the Almighty doth there sit to hear and his Angels attend to further When this was ingrafted in the mindes of men there needed no penal Statutes to draw them unto publick Prayer The warning sound was no sooner heard but the Churches were presently filled the pavements covered with bodies prostrate and washt with their tears of devout joy And as the place of publick Prayer is a Circumstance in the outward form thereof which hath moment to help devotion so the Person much more with whom the People of God do joyn themselves in this Action as with him that standeth and speaketh in the presence of God for them The authority of his Place the fervour of his Zeal the piety and gravity of his whole Behaviour must needs exceedingly both grace and set forward the service he doth The authority of his Calling is a furtherance because if God have so farr received him into favour as to impose upon him by the hands of men that Office of blessing the People in his Name and making intercession to him in theirs which Office he hath sanctified with his own most gracious Promise and ratified that promise by manifest actual performance thereof when others before in like place have done the same is not his very Ordination a seal as it were to us that the self-same Divine love which hath chosen the instrument to work with will by that instrument effect the thing whereto he ordained it in blessing his People and accepting the Prayers which his Servant offereth up unto God for them It was in this respect a comfortable Title which the Antients used to give unto God's Ministers terming them usually God's most beloved which were ordained to procure by their Prayers his love and favour towards all Again if there be not zeal and fervency in him which proposeth for the rest those sutes and supplications which they by their joyful Acclamations must ratifie if he praise not God with all his might if he pour not out his Soul in Prayer if he take not their Causes to heart and speak not as Moses Daniel and Ezra did for their People how should there be but in them frozen coldness when his affections seem benummed from whom theirs should take fire Vertue and godliness of life are required at the hands of the Minister of God not only in that he is to teach and instruct the People who for the most part are rather led away by the ill example then directed aright by the wholesom instruction of them whose Life swarveth from the rule of their own Doctrine but also much more in regard of this other part of his Function whether we respect the weakness of the People apt to loathe and abhorr the Sanctuary when they which perform the service thereof are such as the Sonnes of Heli were or else consider the inclination of God himself who requireth the lifting up of pure hands in Prayers and hath given the World plainly to understand that the Wicked although they cry shall not be heard They are not fit Supplicants to seek his mercy on the behalf of others whose own un-repented sins provoke his just indignation Let thy Priests therefore O Lord be evermore cloathed with Righteousness that thy Saints may thereby with more devotion rejoice and sing But of all helps for due performance of this Service the greatest is that very set and standing order it self which framed with common advice hath both for matter and form prescribed whatsoever is herein publickly done No doubt from God it hath proceeded and by us it must be acknowledged a Work of singular care and providence that the Church hath evermore held a Prescript form of Common Prayer although not in all things every where the same yet for the most part retaining still the same analogy So that if the Liturgies of all antient Churches throughout the World be compared amongst themselves it may be easily perceived they had all one original mold and that the publick Prayer of the People of God in Churches throughly settled did never use to be voluntary Dictates proceeding from any man's extemporal wit To him which considereth the grievous and scandalous Inconveniencies whereunto they make themselves daily subject with whom any blinde and secret Corner is judged a fit House of
then their calculation be true for so they reckon that a full third of our Prayers be allotted unto earthly benefits for which our Saviour in his platform hath appointed but one Petition amongst seven the difference is without any great disagreement we respecting what men are and doing that which is meer in regard of the common imperfection our Lord contrariwise proposing the most absolute proportion that can be in mens desires the very highest mark whereat we are able to aime For which cause also our custom is both to place it in the front of our Prayers as a Guide and to adde it in the end of some principal limbs or parts as a complement which fully perfecteth whatsoever may be defective in the rest Twice we rehearse it ordinarily and oftner as occasion requireth more solemnity or length in the form of Divine Service not mistrusting till these new curiosities sprang up that ever any man would think our labour herein mis-spent the time wastfully consumed and the Office it self made worse by so repeating that which otherwise would more hardly be made familiar to the simpler sort for the good of whose Souls there is not in Christian Religion any thing of like continual use and force throughout every hour and moment of their whole lives I mean not only because Prayer but because this very Prayer is of such efficacy and necessity for that our Saviour did but set men a bare example how to contrive or devise Prayers of their own and no way binde them to use this is no doubt as Errour Iohn the Baptist's Disciples which had been always brought up in the bosom of God's Church from the time of their first Infancy till they came to the School of Iohn were not so brutish that they could be ignorant how to call upon the Name of God but of their Master they had received a form of Prayer amongst themselves which form none did use saving his Disciples so that by it as by a mark of special difference they were known from others And of this the Apostles having taken notice they request that as Iohn had taught his so Christ would likewise teach them to pray Tertullian and Saint Augustin do for that cause term it Orationem legitimam the Prayer which Christ's own Law hath tyed his Church to use in the same Prescript form of words wherewith he himself did deliver it and therefore what part of the World soever we fall into if Christian Religion have been there received the ordinary use of this very Prayer hath with equal continuance accompanied the same as one of the principal and most material duties of honour done to Jesus Christ. Seeing that we have saith Saint Cyprian an Advocate with the Father for our Sins when we that have sinned come to seek for pardon let us alledge unto God the words which our Advocate hath taught For sith his promise is our plain warrant that in his Name what we aske we shall receive must we not needs much the rather obtain that for which we sue if not only his Name do countenance but also his Speech present our requests Though men should speak with the tongues of Angels yet words so pleasing to the ears of God as those which the Son of God himself hath composed were not possible for men to frame He therefore which made us to live hath also taught us to pray to the end that speaking unto the Father in the Sonn 's own prescript without scholy or gloss of ours we may be sure that we utter nothing which God will either disallow or deny Other Prayers we use may besides this and this oftner than any other although not tyed so to do by any Commandement of Scripture yet moved with such considerations as have been before set down the causeless dislike where of which others have conceived is no sufficient reason for us as much as once to forbear in any place a thing which uttered with true devotion and zeal of heart affordeth to God himself that glory that aide to the weakest sort of men to the most perfect that solid comfort which is unspeakable 36. With our Lords Prayer they would finde no fault so that they might perswade us to use it before or other Sermons only because so their manner is and not as all Christian people have been of old accustomed insert it so often into the Liturgy But the Peoples custom to repeat any thing after the Minister they utterly mislike Twice we appoint that the words which the Minister first pronounceth the whole Congregation shall repeat after him As first in the publick Confession of Sins and again in rehearsal of our Lord's Prayer presently after the blessed Sacrament of his Body and Blood received A thing no way offensive no way unfit or unseemly to be done although it had been so appointed ofner than with us it is But surely with so good reason it standeth in those two places that otherwise to order it were not in all respects so well Could there be any thing devised better then that we all at our first access unto God by Prayer should acknowledge meekly our sins and that not onely in heart but with tongue all which are present being made ear-witnesses even of every mans distinct and deliberate assent unto each particular branch of a common Indictment drawn against our selves How were it possible that the Church should any way else with such ease and certainty provide that none of her Children may as Adam dissemble that wretchedness the penitent confession whereof is so necessary a Preamble especially to Common Prayer In like manner if the Church did ever devise a thing fit and convenient what more then this that when together we have all received those Heavenly Mysteries wherein Christ imparteth himself unto us and giveth visible testification of our blessed communion with him we should in hatred of all Heresies Factions and Schisms the Pastor as a Leader the people as willing followers of him step by step declare openly our selves united as Brethren in one by offering up with all our hearts and tongues that most effectual Supplication wherein he unto whom we offer it hath himself not onely comprehended all our necessities but in such sort also framed every Petition as might most naturally serve for many and doth though not always require yet always import a multitude of speakers together For which cause Communicants have ever used it and we at that time by the form of our very utterance do shew we use it yea every word and syllable of it as Communicants In the rest we observe that custom whereunto St. Paul alludeth and whereof the Fathers of the Church in their Writings make often mention to shew indefinitely what was done but not universally to binde for ever all Prayers unto one onely fashion of utterance The Reasons which we have alledged induce us to think it still a good work which they in their pensive
their Form of Administration Upon their Force their necessity dependeth So that how they are necessary we cannot discern till we see how effectual they are When Sacraments are said to be Visible Signs of Invisible Grace we thereby conceive how Grace is indeed the very end for which these Heavenly Mysteries were instituted and besides sundry other Properties observed in them the matter whereof they consist is such as signifieth Figureth and representeth their End But still their efficacy resteth obscure to our understanding except we search somewhat more distinctly what Grace in particular that is whereunto they are referred and what manner of operation they have towards it The use of Sacraments is but onely in this life yet so that here they concern a far better life then this and are for that cause accompanied with Grace which worketh Salvation Sacraments are the Powerful Instruments of God to Eternal Life For as our Natural Life consisteth in the Union of the Body with the Soul so our Life Supernatural in the Union of the Soul with God And for as much as there is no Union of God with Man without that mean between both which is both it seemeth requisite that we first consider how God is in Christ then how Christ is in us and how the Sacraments do serve to make us partakers of Christ. In other things we may be more brief but the weight of these requireth largeness 51. The Lord our God is but one God In which Indivisible Unity notwithstanding we adore the Father as being altogether of himself we glorifie that Consubstantial Word which is the Son we bless and magnifie that Co-essential Spirit eternally proceeding from both which is the Holy Ghost Seeing therefore the Father is of none the Son is of the Father and the Spirit is of both they are by these their several Properties really distinguishable each from other For the Substance of God with this property to be of none doth make the Person of the Father the very self-same Substance in number with this property to be of the Father maketh the Person of the Son the same Substance having added unto it the property of proceeding from the other two maketh the Person of the Holy Ghost So that in every Person there is implied both the Substance of God which is one and also that property which causeth the same Person really and truly to differ from the other two Every Person hath his own subsistence which no other besides hath although there be others besides that are of the same Substance As no man but Peter can be the person which Peter is yet Paul hath the self-same Nature which Peter hath Again Angels have every of them the Nature of pure and Invisible Spirits but every Angel is not that Angel which appeared in a Dream to Ioseph Now when God became Man lest we should err in applying this to the Person of the Father or of the Spirit St. Peters confession unto Christ was Thou art the Son of the Living God and St. Iohns Exposition thereof was made plain That it is the Word which was made Flesh. The Father and the Holy Ghost saith Damascen have no Communion with the Incarnation of the Word otherwise then onely by approbation and assent Notwithstanding for as much as the Word and Deity are one Subject we must beware we exclude not the Nature of God from Incarnation and so make the Son of God incarnate not to be very God For undoubtedly even the Nature of God it self in the onely Person of the Son is incarnate and hath taken to it self Flesh. Wherefore Incarnation may neither be granted to any Person but onely One nor yet denied to that Nature which is common unto all Three Concerning the cause of which incomprehenble Mystery for as much as it seemeth a thing unconsonant That the World should honor any other as the Saviour but him whom it honoreth as the Creator of the World and in the Wisdom of God it hath not been thought convenient to admit any way of saving man but by man himself though nothing should be spoken of the Love and Mercy of God towards Man which this way are become such a Spectacle as neither Men nor Angels can behold without a kinde of Heavenly astonishment we may hereby perceive there is cause sufficient why Divine Nature should assume Humane that so God might be in Christ reconciling to himself the World And if some cause be likewise required why rather to this end and purpose the Son then either the Father or the Holy Ghost should be made man Could we which are born the children of wrath be adopted the Sons of God through Grace any other then by the Natural Son of God being Mediator between God and us It became therefore him by whom all things are to be the Way of Salvation to all that the Institution and Restitution of the World might be both wrought by one hand The Worlds Salvation was without the Incarnation of the Son of God a thing impossible not simply impossible but impossible it being presupposed That the Will of God was no otherwise to have it saved then by the Death of his own Son Wherefore taking to himself our Flesh and by his Incarnation making it his own Flesh he had now of his own although from us what to offer unto God for us And as Christ took Manhood that by it he might be capable of death whereunto he humbled himself so because Manhood is the proper subject of compassion and feeling pity which maketh the Scepter of Christs Regency even in the Kingdom of Heaven be amiable he which without our Nature could not on Earth suffer for the sins of the World doth now also by means thereof both make intercession to God for sinners and exercise domnion over all men with a true a natural and a sensible touch of Mercy 52. It is not in mans ability either to express perfectly or conceive the manner how this was brought to pass But the strength of our Faith is tried by those things wherein our wits and capacities are not strong Howbeit because this Divine Mystery is more true then plain divers having framed the same to their own conceits and fancies are found in their Expositions thereof more plain then true In so much that by the space of Five hundred years after Christ the Church was almost troubled with nothing else saving onely with care and travel to preserve this Article from the sinister construction of Hereticks Whos 's first mists when the light of the Nicene Council had dispelled it was not long ere Macedonius transfered unto Gods most holy Spirit the same blasphemy wherewith Arius had already dishonored his co-eternally begotten Son not long ere Apollinarius began to pare away from Christs Humanity In refutation of which impieties when the Fathers of the Church Athanasius Basil and the two Gregories had by their painful
same Conjunction so much altered as not to stay within those limits which our Substance is bordered withal nor the state and quality of our Substance so unaltered but that there are in it many glorious effects proceeding from so near Copulation with Deity God from us can receive nothing we by him have obtained much For albeit the Natural Properties of Deity be not communicable to Mans nature the Supernatural Gifts Graces and Effects thereof are The honor which our Flesh hath by being the Flesh of the Son of God is in many respects great If we respect but that which is common unto us with him the Glory provided for him and his in the Kingdom of Heaven his Right and Title thereunto even in that he is Man differeth from other mens because he is that Man of whom God is himself a part We have right to the same Inheritance with Christ but not the same right which he hath his being such as we cannot reach and ours such as he cannot stoop unto Furthermore to be the Way the Truth and the Life to be the Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification Resurrection to be the Peace of the whole World the Hope of the Righteous the Heir of all things to be that Supream Head whereunto all Power both in Heaven and in Earth is given These are not Honors common unto Christ with other Men they are Titles above the dignity and worth of any which were but a meer Man yet true of Christ even in that he is Man but Man with whom Deity is personally joyned and unto whom it hath added those excellencies which makes him more then worthy thereof Finally Sith God hath deified our Nature though not by turning it into himself yet by making it his own inseparable Habitation we cannot now conceive how God should without Man either exercise Divine Power or receive the glory of Divine Praise For Man is in both an Associate of Deity But to come to the Grace of Unction Did the parts of our Nature the Soul and Body of Christ receive by the influence of Deity wherewith they were matcht no ability of Operations no Vertue or quality above Nature Surely as the Sword which is made fiery doth not onely cut by reason of the sharpness which simply it hath but also burn by means of that heat which it hath from fire so there is no doubt but the Deity of Christ hath enabled that Nature which it took of Man to do more then Man in this World hath power to comprehend for as much as the bare Essential Properties of Deity excepted he hath imparted unto it all things he hath replenished it with all such Perfections as the same is any way apt to receive at the least according to the exigence of that oeconomy or service for which it pleased him in Love and Mercy to be made Man For as the Parts Degrees and Offices of that Mystical Administration did require which he voluntarily undertook the Beams of Deity did in operation always accordingly either restrain or enlarge themselves From hence we may somewhat conjecture how the Powers of that Soul are illuminated which being so inward unto God cannot chuse but be privy unto all things which God worketh and must therefore of necessity be endued with knowledge so far forth Universal though not with infinite knowledge peculiar to Deity itself The Soul of Christ that saw in this life the Face of God was here through so visible presence of Deity filled with all manner of Graces and Vertues in that unmatchable degree of Perfection for which of him we read it written That God with the Oyl of Gladness anointed him above his fellows And as God hath in Christ unspeakably glorified the Nobler so likewise the meaner part of our Nature the very Bodily Substance of Man Where also that must again be remembred which we noted before concerning the degrees of the influence of Deity proportionable unto his own purposes intents and counsels For in this respect his Body which by Natural condition was corruptible wanted the gift of Everlasting immunity from Death Passion and Dissolution till God which gave it to be slain for sin had for Righteousness sake restored it to life with certainty of endless continuance Yea in this respect the very glorified Body of Christ retained in it the skars and marks of former mortality But shall we say that in Heaven his glorious Body by vertue of the same cause hath now power to present it self in all places and to be every where at once present We nothing doubt but God hath many ways above the reach of our capacities exalted that Body which it hath pleased him to make his own that Body wherewith he hath saved the World that Body which hath been and is the Root of Eternal Life the Instrument wherewith Deity worketh the Sacrifice which taketh away sin the Price which hath ransomed Souls from Death the Leader of the whole Army of Bodies that shall rise again For though it had a beginning from us yet God hath given it vital efficacy Heaven hath endowed it with celestial power that vertue it hath from above in regard whereof all the Angels of Heaven adore it Notwithstanding a Body still it continueth a Body consubstantial with our Bodies a Body of the same both Nature and Measure which it had on Earth To gather therefore into one sum all that hitherto hath been spoken touching this point there are but four things which concur to make compleat the whole state of our Lord Jesus Christ his Deity his Manhood the Conjunction of both and the distinction of the one from the other being joyned in one Four principal Heresies there are which have in those things withstood the truth Arians by bending themselves against the Deity of Christ Apollinarians by maiming and misinterpreting that which belongeth to his Humane Nature Nestorians by renting Christ asunder and dividing him into two persons the followers of Eutiches by confounding in his Person those Natures which they should distinguish Against these there have been four most famous Ancient General Councils the Council of Nice to define against Arians against Apollinarians the Council of Constantinople the Council of Ephesus against Nestorians against Eutichians the Calcedon Council In four words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 truly perfectly indivisibly distinctly The first applied to his being God and the second to his being Man the third to his being of both One and the fourth to his still continuing in that One both We may fully by way of Abridgment comprize whatsoever Antiquity hath at large handled either in Declaration of Christian Belief or in Refutation of the soresaid Heresies Within the compass of which four heads I may truly affirm That all Heresies which touch but the Person of Jesus Christ whether they have risen in these latter days or in any age heretofore may be with great facility brought to confine themselves We conclude
of words as Alchymy doth or would the substance of Mettals maketh of any thing what it listeth and bringeth in the end all Truth to nothing Or howsoever such voluntary exercise of wit might be born with otherwise yet in places which usually serve as this doth concerning Regeneration by Water and the Holy Ghost to be alledged for Grounds and Principles less is permitted To hide the general consent of Antiquity agreeing in the literal interpretation they cunningly affirm That certain have taken those words as meant of Material Water when they know that of all the Ancients there is no one to be named that ever did otherwise either expound or alledge the place then as implying External Baptism Shall that which hath always received this and no other construction be now disguised with a toy of Novelty Must we needs at the onely shew of a critical conceit without any more deliberation utterly condemn them of Error which will not admit that Fire in the words Iohn is quenched with the Name of the Holy Ghost or with the name of the Spirit Water dried up in the words of Christ When the Letter of the Law hath two things plainly and expresly specified Water and the Spirit Water as a duty required on our parts the Spirit as a Gift which God bestoweth There is danger in presuming so to interpret it at if the clause which concerneth our selves were more then needeth We may by such rate Expositions attain perhaps in the end to be thought witty but with ill advice Finally if at the time when that Baptism which was meant by Iohn came to be really and truly performed by Christ himself we finde the Apostles that had been as we are before Baptized new Baptized with the Holy Ghost and in this their latter Baptism as well a visible descent of Fire as a secret miraculous infusion of the Spirit if on us he accomplish likewise the Heavenly work of our New birth not with the Spirit alone but with Water thereunto adjoyned sith the faithfullest Expounders of his words are his own Deeds let that which his hand hath manifestly wrought declare what his speech did doubtfully utter 60. To this they add That as we err by following a wrong construction of the place before alledged so our second over-sight is that we thereupon infer a necessity over-rigorous and extream The true necessity of Baptism a sew Propositions considered will soon decide All things which either are known Causes or set Means whereby any great Good is usually procured or Men delivered from grievous evil the same we must needs confess necessary And if Regeneration were not in this very sense a thing necessary to eternal life would Christ himself have taught Nicodemus that to see the Kingdom of God is impossible saving onely for those Men which are born from above His words following in the next Sentence are a proof sufficient that to our Regeneration his Spirit is no less necessary then Regeneration it self necessary unto Life Thirdly Unless as the Spirit is a necessary inward cause so Water were a necessary outward mean to our Regeneration what construction should we give unto those words wherein we are said to be new born and that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 even of Water Why are we taught that with Water God doth purifie and cleanse his Church Wherefore do the Apostles of Christ term Baptism a Bath of Regeneration What purpose had they in giving men advice to receive outward Baptism and in perswading them it did avail to remission of sins If outward Baptism were a cause in it self possessed of that power either Natural or Supernatural without the present operation whereof no such effect could possibly grow it must then follow That seeing effects do never prevent the necessary causes out of which they spring no man could ever receive Grace before Baptism Which being apparently both known and also confest to be otherwise in many particulars although in the rest we make not Baptism a cause of Grace yet the Grace which is given them with their Baptism doth so far forth depend on the very outward Sacrament that God will have it embraced not onely as a sign or token what we receive but also as an Instrument or Mean whereby we receive Grace because Baptism is a Sacrament which God hath instituted in his Church to the end that they which receive the same might thereby be incorporated into Christ and so through his most precious Merit obtain as well that saving Grace of Imputation which taketh away all former guiltiness as also that infused Divine Vertue of the Holy Ghost which giveth to the Powers of the Soul their first disposition towards future newness of life There are that elevate too much the ordinary and immediate means of life relying wholly upon the bare conceit of that Eternal Election which notwithstanding includeth a subordination of means without which we are not actually brought to enjoy what God secretly did intend and therefore to build upon Gods Election if we keep not our selves to the ways which he hath appointed for men to walk in is but a self-deceiving vanity When the Apostle saw men called to the participation of Jesus Christ after the Gospel of God embraced and the Sacrament of Life received he feareth not then to put them in the number of Elect Saints he then accounteth them delivered from death and clean purged from all sin Till then notwithstanding their preordination unto life which none could know of saving God what were they in the Apostles own account but Children of Wrath as well as others plain Aliens altogether without hope strangers utterly without God in this present World So that by Sacraments and other sensible tokens of Grace we may boldy gather that he whose Mercy vouchsafeth now to bestow the means hath also long sithence intended us that whereunto they lead But let us never think i◠safe to presume of our own last end by bare conjectural Collections of his first intent and purpose the means failing that should come between Predestination bringeth not to life without the Grace of External Vocation wherein our Baptism is implied For as we are not Naturally men without birth so neither are we Christian men in the eye of the Church of God but by New birth nor according to the manifest ordinary course of Divine Dispensation new born but by that Baptism which both declareth and maketh us Christians In which respect we justly hold it to be the Door of our Actual Entrance into Gods House the first apparent beginning of Life a Seal perhaps to the Grace of Election before received but to our Sanctification here a step that hath not any before it There were of the old Valentinian Hereticks some which had Knowledge in such admiration that to it they ascribed all and so despised the Sacraments of Christ pretending That as Ignorance had
is freely given the fruit of their Bodies bringeth into the World with it a present interest and right to those means wherewith the Ordinance of Christ is that his Church shall be sanctified it is not to be thought that he which as it were from Heaven hath nominated and designed them unto Holiness by special priviledge of their very Birth will himself deprive them of Regeneration and Inward Grace onely because necessity depriveth them of outward Sacraments In which case it were the part of Charity to hope and to make men rather partial then cruel Judges if we had nor those fair apparancies which here we have Wherefore a necessity there is of Receiving and a necessity of Administring the Sacrament of Baptism the one peradventure not so absolute as some have thought but out of all peradventure the other more straight and narrow then that the Church which is by Office a Mother unto such as crave at her hands the Sacred Mystery of their new Birth should repel them and see them die unsatisfied of these their Ghostly desires rather then give them their Souls Rights with omission of those things which serve but onely for the more convenient and orderly Administration thereof For as on the one side we grant that those sentences of holy Scripture which make Sacraments most necessary to eternal life are no prejudice to their Salvation that want them by some inevitable necessity and without any fault of their own So it ought in reason to be likewise acknowledged that for as much as our Lord himself maketh Baptism necessary necessary whether we respect the good received by Baptism or the Testimony thereby yielded unto God of that Humility and meek Obedience which reposing wholly it self on the absolute Authority of his Commandment and on the Truth of his Heavenly Promise doubteth not but from Creatures despicable in their own condition and substance to obtain Grace of inestimable value or rather not from them but from him yet by them as by his appointed means Howsoever he by the secret ways of his own incomprehensible Mercy may be thought to save without Baptism this cleareth not the Church from guiltiness of Blood if through her superstuous scrupulosity lets and impediments of less regard should cause a Grace of so great moment to be withheld wherein our merciless strictness may be our own harm although not theirs towards whom we shew it and we for the hardness of our hearts may perish albeit they through Gods unspeakable Mercy do live God which did not afflict that Innocent whose Circumcision Moses had over-long deferred took revenge upon Moses himself for the injury which was done through so great neglect giving us thereby to understand that they whom Gods own Mercy saveth without us are on our parts notwithstanding and as much as in us lieth even destroyed when under unsufficient pretences we defraud them of such ordinary outward helps as we should exhibit We have for Baptism no day set as the Jews had for Circumcision neither have we by the Law of God but onely by the Churches discretion a place thereunto appointed Baptism therefore even in the meaning of the Law of Christ belongeth unto Infants capable thereof from the very instant of their Birth Which if they have not howsoever rather than lose it by being put off because the time the place or some such like circumstance doth not solemnly enough concur the Church as much as in her lieth wilfully casteth away their Souls 61. The Ancients it may be were too severe and made the necessity of Baptism more absolute then Reason would as touching Infants But will any man say that they notwithstanding their too much rigor herein did not in that respect sustain and tolerate defects of Local or of Personal Solemnities belonging to the Sacrament of Baptism The Apostles themselves did neither use nor appoint for Baptism any certain time The Church for general Baptism heretofore made choice of two chief days in the year the Feast of Easter and the Feast of Pentecost Which Custom when certain Churches in Sicily began to violate without cause they were by Leo Bishop of Rome advised rather to conform themselves to the rest of the World in things so reasonable then to offend mens mindes through needless singularity Howbeit always providing That nevertheless in apparent peril of death danger of siege streights of persecution fear of shipwrack and the like exigents no respect of times should cause this singular defence of true safety to be denied unto any This of Leo did but confirm that sentence which Victor had many years before given extending the same exception as well unto places as times That which St. Augustine speaketh of Women hasting to bring their children to the Church when they saw danger is a weak proof That when necessity did not leave them so much time it was not then permitted them neither to make a Church of their own home Which answer dischargeth likewise their example of a sick Jew carried in a Bed to the place of Baptism and not baptized at home in private The casue why such kinde of Baptism barred men afterwards from entring into holy Orders the reason wherefore it was objected against Novatian in what respect and how far forth it did disable may be gathered by the Twelfth Canon set down in the Council of Neocaesarea after this manner A man which hath been baptized in sickness is not after to be ordained Priest For it may be thought That such do rather at that time because they see no other remedy then of a voluntary minde lay hold on the Christian Faith unless their true and sincere meaning be made afterwards the more manifest or else the scarcity of others inforce the Church to admit them They bring in Iustinians Imperial Constitution but to what purpose seeing it onely forbiddeth men to have the Mysteries of God administred in their Private Chappels lest under that pretence Hereticks should do secretly those things which were unlawful In which consideration he therefore commandeth that if they would use those private Oratories otherwise then onely for their private Prayers the Bishop should appoint them a Clerk whom they might entertain for that purpose This is plain by latter Constitutions made in the time of Leo It was thought good saith the Emperor in their judgment which have gone before that in Private Chappels none should celebrate the holy Communion but Priests belonging unto greater Churches Which Order they took as it seemeth for the custody of Religion lest men should secretly receive from Hereticks in stead of the food the ban of their Souls pollution in place of expiation Again Whereas a Sacred Canon of the Sixth Reverend Synod requireth Baptism as others have likewise the holy Sacrifices and Mysteries to be celebrated onely in â—emples hallowed for publick use and not in private Oratories which strict Decrees appear to have been made heretofore in regard
contrary Internal Powers Which whosoever doth think impossible is undoubtedly farther off from Christian Belief though he be Baptized then are these Innocents which at their Baptism albeit they have no conceit cogitation of Faith are notwithstanding pure and free from all opposite cogitations whereas the other is not free If therefore without any fear or scruple we may account them and term them Believers onely for their outward professions sake which inwardly are farther from Faith then Infants Why not Infants much more at the time of their solemn Initiation by Baptism the Sacrament of Faith whereunto they not onely conceive nothing opposite but have also that Grace given them which is the first and most effectual cause out of which our belief groweth In sum the whole Church is a multitude of Believers all honored with that title even Hypocrites for their Professions sake as well as Saints because of their inward sincere perswasion and Infants as being in the first degree of their ghostly motions towards the actual habit of Faith the first sort are faithful in the eye of the World the second faithful in the sight of God the last in the ready direct way to become both if all things after be suitable to these their present beginnings This saith St. Augustine would not happily content such persons as are uncapable or unquiet but to them which having knowledge are not troublesome it may suffice Wherein I have not for case of my self objected against you that custom onely then which nothing is more from but of a custom most profitable I have done that little which I could â—â— yield you a reasonable cause Were St. Augustine now living there are which would tell him for his better instruction that to say of a childe It is elect and to say it doth believe are all one for which cause sith no man is able precisely to affirm the one of any Infant in particular it followeth that precisely and absolutely we ought not to say the other Which precise and absolute terms are needless in this case We speak of Infants as the rule of piety alloweth both to speak and think They that can take to themselves in ordinary talk a charitable kinde of liberty to name men of their own sort Gods dear children notwithstanding the large reign of of Hyprocrisie should not methinks be so strict and rigorous against the Church for presuming as it doth of a Christian Innocent For when we know how Christ is general hath said That of such is the Kingdom of Heaven which Kingdom is the Inheritance of Gods Elect and do withal behold how his providence hath called them unto the first beginnings of Eternal Life and presented them at the Well-spring of New-birth wherein original sin is purged besides which sin there is no Hinderance of their Salvation known to us as themselves will grant hard it were that loving so many fair inducements whereupon to ground we should not be thought to utter at the least a truth as probable and allowable in terming any such particular Infant an elect Babe as in presuming the like of others whose safety nevertheless we are not absolutely able to warrant If any troubled with these seruples be onely for Instructions sake desirous to know yet some farther reason why Interrogatories should be ministred to Infants in Baptism and be answered unto by others as in their names they may consider that Baptism implieth a Covenant or League between God and Man wherein as God doth bestow presently remission of sins and the Holy Ghost hinding also himself to add in process of time what Grace soever shall be farther necessary for the attainment of Everlasting Life so every Baptized Soul receiving the same Grace at the hands of God tieth likewise it self for ever to the observation of his Law no less then the Jews by Circumcision bound themselves to the Law of Moses The Law of Christ requiring therefore Faith and newness of life in all men by vertue of the Covenant which they make in Baptism Is it toyish that the Church in Baptism exacteth at every mans hands an express Profession of Faith and an inevocable promise of obedience by way of solemn stipulation That Infants may contract and covenant with God the Law is plain Neither is the reason of the Law obscure For sith it rendeth we cannot sufficiently express how much to their own good and doth no way hurt or endanger them to begin the race of their lives herewith they are as equity requireth admitted hereunto and in favor of their tender years such formal complements of stipulation as being requisite are impossible by themselves in their own persons to be performed leave is given that they may sufficiently discharge by others Albeit therefore neither deaf nor dumb men neither surious persons nor children can receive any civil stipulation yet this kinde of ghostly stipulation they may through his indulgence who respecting the singular benefit thereof accepteth Children brought unto him for that end entrech into Articles of Covenant with them and in tender commiseration granteth that other Mens Professions and Promises in Baptism made for them shall avail no less then if they had been themselves able to have made their own None more fit to undertake this office in their behalf then such as present them unto Baptism A wrong conceit that none may receive the Sacrament of Baptism but they whose Parents at the least the one of them are by the soundness of their Religion and by their vertuous demeanor known to be Men of God hath caused some to repel Children whosoever bring them if their Parents be mis-perswaded in Religion or sot other mis-deserts ex-communicated some likewise for that cause to withhold Baptism unless the Father albeit no such exception can justly be taken against him do notwithstanding make Profession of his Faith and avouch the childe to be his own Thus whereas God hath appointed them Ministers of holy things they make themselves Inquisitors of mens persons a great deal farther then need is They should consider that God hath ordained Baptism in favor of mankinde To restrain favors is an odious thing to enlarge them acceptable both to God and Man Whereas therefore the Civil Law gave divers Immunities to them which were Fathers of three children and had them living those Immunities they held although their children were all dead if war had consumed them because it seemed in that case not against reason to repute them by a courteous construction of Law as live men in that the honor of their Service done to the Commonwealth would remain always Can it hurt us in exhibiting the Graces which God doth bestow on men or can it prejudice his glory if the self-same equity guide and direct our hands When God made his Covenant with such as had Abraham to their Father was onely Abrahams immediate issue or onely his lineal posterity according to the flesh included in that
great matter Finally Seeing that both are Ordinances were devised for the good of Man and yet not Man created purposely for them as for other Offices of Vertue whereunto Gods immutable Law for ever tieth it is but equity to wish or admonish that where by uniform order they are not as yet received the example of Victors extremity in the one and of Iohns Disciples curiosity in the other be not followed yea where they are appointed by Law that notwithstanding we avoid Judaism and as in Festival days mens necessities for matter of labour so in times of Fasting regard be had to their imbecillities lest they should suffer harm doing good Thus therefore we see how these two Customes are in divers respects equal But of Fasting the use and exercise though less pleasant is by so much more requisite than the other as grief of necessity is a more familiar guest then the contrary passion of mind albeit gladness to all men be naturally more welcome For first We our selves do many â—o things amiss than well and the fruit of our own ill doing is remorse because nature is conscious to it self that it should do the contrary Again forasmuch as the world over-aboundeth with malice and few are delighted in doing good unto other men there is no man so seldom crost as pleasured at the hands of others whereupon it cannot be chosen but every mans Woes must double in that respect the number and measure of his delights Besides concerning the very choice which oftentimes we are to make our corrupt inclination well considered there is cause why our Saviour should account them the happiest that do most mourn and why Solomon might judge it better to frequent mourning then Feasting-houses not better simply and in it self for then would Nature that way incline but in regard of us and our common weakness better Iob was not ignorant that his Childrens Banquets though teâ—diÌ„g to amity needed Sacrifice Neither doth any of us all need to be taught that in things which delight we easily swerve from mediocrity and are not easily led by a right direct line On the other side the Sores and Diseases of mind which inordinante pleasure breedeth are by Dolour and Grief cured For which cause as all offences use to seduce by pleasing so all punishments endeavour by vexing to reform transgressions We are of our own accord apt enough to give entertainment to things delectable but patiently to lack what flesh and blood doth desire and by Vertue to forbear what by Nature we covet this no man attaineth unto but with labour and long practice From hence it riseth that in former Ages abstinence and Fasting more then ordinary was always a special branch of their praise in whom it could be observed and known were they such as continually gave themselves to austere life of men that took often occasions in private vertuous respects to lay Solomons counsel aside Eat thy bread with joy and to be followers of Davids Example which saith I humbled my soul with fasting or but they who otherwise worthy of no great commendation have made of hunger some their Gain some their Physick some their Art that by mastering sensual Appetites without constraint they might grow able to endure hardness whensoever need should require For the body accustomed to emptiness pineth not away so soon as having still used to fill it self Many singular Effects there are which should make Fasting even in publick Considerations the rather to be accepted For I presume we are not altogether without experience how great their advantage is in martial Enterprizes that lead Armies of men trained in a School of Abstinence It is therefore noted at this day in some that patience of hunger and thirst hath given them many Victories in others that because if they want there is no man able to rule them not they in plenty to moderate themselves he which can either bring them to hunger or overcharge them is sure to make them their own overthrow What Nation soever doth feel these dangerous inconveniences may know that sloth and fulness in peaceable times at home is the cause thereof and the remedy a strict Observation of that part of Christian Discipline which teacheth men in practice of Ghostly warfare against themselves those things that afterwards may help them justly assaulting or standing in lawful defence of themselves against others The very purpose of the Church of God both in the number and in the order of her Fasts hath been not only to preserve thereby throughout all Ages the remembrance of miseries heretofore sustained and of the causes in our selves out of which they have risen that men considering the one might fear the other the more but farther also to temper the mind lest contrary affections coming in place should make it too profuse and dissolute in which respect it seemeth that Fasts have been set as Ushers of Festival days for prevention of those disorders as much as might be wherein notwithstanding the World always will deserve as it hath done blame because such evils being not possible to be rooted out the most we can do is in keeping them low and which is chiefly the fruit we look for to create in the minds of men a love towards a frugal and severe life to undermine the Palaces of wantonness to plant Parsimony as Nature where Riotousness hath been studied to harden whom pleasure would melt and to help the tumours which always Fulness breedeth that Children as it were in the Wool of their Infancy dyed with hardness may never afterwards change colour that the poor whose perpetual Fasts are of Necessity may with better contentment endure the hunger which Vertue causeth others so often to chuse and by advice of Religion it self so far to esteem above the contrary that they which for the most part do lead sensual and easie lives they which as the Prophet David describeth them are not plagued like other men may by the publick spectacle of all be still put in mind what themselves are Finally that every man may be every mans daily guide and example as well by fasting to declare humility as by praise to express joy in the sight of God although it have herein befallen the Church as sometimes David so that the speech of the one may be truly the voice of the other My soul fasted and even that was also turned to my reproof 73. In this world there can be no Society durable otherwise then only by propagation Albeit therefore single Life be a thing more Angelical and Divine yet sith the replenishing first of Earth with blessed Inhabitants and then of Heaven with Saints everlastingly praising God did depend upon conjunction of Man and Woman he which made all things compleat and perfect saw it could not be good to leave men without any Helper unto the sore-alledged end In things which some farther and doth cause to be desired choice
Sacrifices of the ungodly Our fourth Proposition before set down was that Religion without the help of spiritual Ministery is unable to plant it self the fruits thereof not possible to grow of their own accord Which last Assertion is herein as the first that it needeth no farther confirmation If it did I could easily declare how all things which are of God he hath by wonderful art and wisdom sodered as it were together with the glue of mutual assistance appointing the lowest to receive from the neerest to themselves what the influence of the highest yieldeth And therefore the Church being the most absolute of all his works was in reason to be also ordered with like harmony that what he worketh might no less in grace than in nature be effected by hands and instruments duly subordinated unto the power of his own Spirit A thing both needful for the humiliation of man which would not willingly be debtor to any but to himself and of no small effect to nourish that divine love which now maketh each embrace other not as Men but as Angels of God Ministerial actions tending immediately unto God's honour and man's happinesse are either as contemplation which helpeth forward the principal work of the Ministery or else they are parts of that principal work of Administration it self which work consisteth in doing the service of God's House and in applying unto men the soveraign medicines of Grace already spoken of the more largely to the end it might thereby appear that we owe to the Guides of our Souls even as much as our Souls are worth although the debt of our Temporal blessings should be stricken off 77. The Ministery of things divine is a Function which as God did himself institute so neither may men undertake the same but by Authoritie and Power given them in lawful manner That God which is no way deficient or wanting unto Man in necessaries and hath therefore given us the light of his heavenly Truth because without that inestimable benefit we must needs have wandered is darkness to out endless perdition and woe hath in the like abundance of mercies ordained certain to attend upon the due execution of requisite Parts and Offices therein prescribed for the good of the whole World which men thereunto assigned do hold their authoritie from him whether they be such as himself immediately or as the Church in his name investeth it being neither possible for all not for every men without distinction convenient to take upon him a Charge of so great importance They are therefore Ministers of God not onely by way of subordination as Princes and Civil Magistrates whose execution of Judgement and Justice the supream hand of divine providence doth uphold but Ministiers of God as from whom their anthority is derived and not from men For in that they are Christ's Ambassadours and his Labourers Who should give them their Commission but he whose most inward affairs they mannage Is not God alone the Father of Spirits Are not Souls the purchase of Jesus Christ What Angel in Heaven could have said to Man as our Lord did unto Peter Feed my Sheep Preach Baptize Do this in remembrance of me Whose Sins ye retain they are retained and their offences in Heaven pardoned whose faults you shall in earth forgive What think we Are these terrestrial sounds or else are they voices uttered out of the clouds above The power of the Ministry of God translateth out of darknesse into glory it rayseth men from the Earth and bringeth God himself from Heaven by blessing visible Elements it maketh them invisible grace it giveth daily the Holy Ghost it hath to dispose of that flesh which was given for the life of the World and that blood which was poured out to redeem Souls when it poureth malediction upon the heads of the wicked they perish when it revoketh the same they revive O wreched blindnesse if we admire not so great power more wretched if we consider it aright and notwithstanding imagine that any but God can bestow it To whom Christ hath imparted power both over that mystical Body which is the societie of Souls and over that natural which is himself for the knitting of both in one a work which antiquitie doth call the making of Christ's Body the same power is in such not amiss both termed a kinde of mark or Character and acknowledged to be indelible Ministerial power is a mark of separation because it severeth them that have it from other men and maketh them a special order consecrated unto the service of the most High in things wherewith others may not meddle Their difference therefore from other men is in that they are a distinct order So Tertullian calleth them And Saint Paul himself dividing the body of the Church of Christ into two Moyeties nameth the one part 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is as much as to say the order of the Laity the opposite part whereunto we in like sort term the order of God's Clergy and the Spiritual power which he hath given them the power of their order so farr forth as the same consisteth in the bare execution of holy things called properly the affairs of God For of the Power of their jurisdiction over mens persons we are to speak in the Books following They which have once received this power may not think to put it off and on like a Cloak as the weather serveth to take it reject and resume it as oft as themselves list of which prophane and impious contempt these latter times have yielded as of all other kindes of Iniquity and Apostasie strange examples but let them know which put their hands unto this Plough that once consecrated unto God they are made his peculiar Inheritance for ever Suspensions may stop and degradations utterly cut off the use or exercise of Power before given but voluntarily it is not in the power of man to separate and pull asunder what God by his authority coupleth So that although there may be through mis-desert degradation as there may be cause of just separation after Matrimony yet if as sometime it doth restitution to former dignity or reconciliation after breach doth happen neither doth the one nor the other ever iterate the first knot Much less is it necessary which some have urged concerning the re-ordination of such as others in times more corrupt did consecrate heretofore Which Errour already quell'd by Saint Ierome doth not now require any other refutation Examples I grant there are which make for restraint of those men from admittance again into rooms of Spiritual function whose fall by Heresie or want of constancy in professing the Christian Faith hath been once a disgrace to their calling Nevertheless as there is no Law which bindeth so there is no cause that should alwaies lead to shew one and the same severity towards Persons culpable Goodnesse of nature it self more inclineth to clemency than rigour And we in other mens
the birth of our Saviour Christ begin the distinction of the Church into Parishes Presbyters and Deacons having been ordained before to exercise Ecclesiastical Functions in the Church of Rome promiscuously he was the first that tyed them each one to his own station So that of the two indefinite Ordination of Presbyters and Deacons doth come more near the Apostles Example and the tying of them to be made onely for particular Congregations may more justly ground it self upon the Example of Evaristus than of any Apostle of Christ. It hath been the opinion of wise and good men heretofore that nothing was ever devised more singularly beneficial unto God's Church than this which our honourable Predecessors have to their endless praise found out by the erecting of such Houses of Study as those two most famous Universities do contain and by providing that choise Wits after reasonable time spent in contemplation may at the length either enter into that holy Vocation for which they have been so long nourished and brought up or else give place and suffer others to succeed in their rooms that so the Church may be alwayes furnished with a number of men whose ability being first known by publick tryal in Church-labours there where men can best judge of them their calling afterwards unto particular charge abroad may be accordingly All this is frustrate those worthy Foundations we must dissolve their whole device and religious purpose which did erect them is made void their Orders and Statutes are to be cancelled and disannulled in case the Church be forbidden to grant any power of Order unless it be with restraint to the Party ordained unto some particular Parish or Congregation Nay might we not rather affirm of Presbyters and of Deacons that the very nature of their Ordination is unto necessary local restraint a thing opposite and repugnant The Emperour Iustinian doth say of Tutors Certa rei vel causae tutor dari non potest quia personae non causae vel rei tutor datur He that should grant a Tutorship restraining his grant to some one certain thing or cause should do but idlely because Tutors are given for personal defence generally and not for managing of a few particular things or causes So he that ordaining a Presbyter or a Deacon should in the form of Ordination restrain the one or the other to a certain place might with much more reason be thought to use a vain and a frivolous addition than they reasonably to require such local restraint as a thing which must of necessity concurr evermore with all lawfull Ordinations Presbyters and Deacons are not by Ordination consecrated unto Places but unto Functions In which respect and in no other it is that sith they are by vertue thereof bequeathed unto God severed and sanctified to be imployed in his Service which is the highest advancement that mortal Creatures on Earth can be raised unto the Church of Christ hath not been acquainted in former Ages with any such propane and unnatural Custom as doth hallow men with Ecclesiastical Functions of Order onely for a time and then dismiss them again to the common Affairs of the World Whereas contrariwise from the Place or Charge where that Power hath been exercised we may be by sundry good and lawful occasions translated retaining nevertheless the self-same Power which was first given It is some grief to spend thus much labour in refuting a thing that hath so little ground to uphold it especially sith they themselves that teach it doe not seem to give thereunto any great credit if we may judge their mindes by their actions There are amongst them that have done the work of Ecclesiastical Persons sometime in the Families of Noblemen sometime in much more publick and frequent Congregations there are that have successively gone through perhaps seven or eight particular Churches after this sort yea some that at one and the same time have been some which at this present hour are in real obligation of Ecclesiastical duty and possession of Commodity thereto belonging even in sundry particular Churches within the Land some there are amongst them which will not so much abridge their liberty as to be fastened or tyed unto any place some which have bound themselves to one place onely for a time and that time being once expired have afterwards voluntarily given unto other places the like experience and tryal of them All this I presume they would not doe if their perswasion were as strict as their words pretend But for the avoiding of these and such other the like confusisions as are incident unto the cause and question whereof we presently treat there is not any thing more material than first to separate exactly the nature of the Ministery from the use and exercise thereof Secondly to know that the onely true and proper Act of Ordination is to invest men with that power which doth make them Ministers by consecrating their Persons to God and his Service in holy things during term of life whether they exercise that power or no Thirdly that to give them a Title or Charge where to use their Ministery concerneth not the making but the placing of God's Ministers and therefore the Lawes which concern onely their Election or Admission unto place of Charge are not applyable to infringe any way their Ordination Fourthly that as oft as any antient Constitution Law or Cannon is alledged concerning either Ordinations or Elections we forget not to examine whether the present case be the same which the antient was or else do contain some just reason for which it cannot admit altogether the same Rules which former Affairs of the Church now altered did then require In the question of making Ministers without a Title which to doe they say is a thing unlawful they should at the very first have considered what the name of Title doth imply and what affinity or coherence Ordinations have with Titles which thing observed would plainly have shewed them their own errour They are not ignorant that when they speak of a Title they handle that which belongeth to the placing of a Minister in some charge that the Place of Charge wherein a Minister doth execute his Office requireth some House of God for the People to resote unto some definite number of Souls unto whom he there administreth holy things and some certain allowance whereby to sustain life that the Fathers at the first named oratories and Houses of Prayer Titles thereby signifying how God was interessed in them and held them as his own Possessions But because they know that the Church had Ministers before Christian Temples and Oratories were therefore some of them understand by a Title a definite Congregation of People onely and so deny that any Ordination is lawful which maketh Ministers that have no certain Flock to attend forgetting how the Seventy whom Christ himself did ordain Ministers had their Calling in that manner whereas yet no certain Charge could be given them Others
do admit which may be thought repugnant to any thing hitherto alledged and in what special consideration they seem to admit the same Considering therefore that to furnish all places of Cure in this Realm it is not an Army of twelve thousand Learned men that would suffice nor two Universities that can always furnish as many as decay in so great a number nor a fourth part of the Livings with Cure that when they fall are able to yield sufficient maintenance for Learned men is it not plain that unless the greatest part of the People should be left utterly without the publick use and exercise of Religion there is no remedy but to take into the Ecclesiastical Order a number of men meanly qualified in respect of Learning For whatsoever we may imagine in our private Closers or talk for Communication-sake at our Boords yea or write in our Books through a notional conceit of things needful for performance of each man's duty if once we come from the Theory of Learning to take out so many Learned men let them be diligently viewed out of whom the choice shall be made and thereby an estimate made what degree of skill we must either admit or else leave numbers utterly destitute of Guides and I doubt not but that men indued with sense of common equity will soon discern that besides eminent and competent knowledge we are to descend to a lower step receiving knowledge in that degree which is but tolerable When we commend any man for learning our speech importeth him to be more than meanly qualified that way but when Laws do require learning as a quality which maketh capable of any Function our measure to judge a learned man by must be some certain degree of learning beneath which we can hold no man so qualified And if every man that listeth may set that degree himself how shall we ever know when Laws are broken when kept seeing one man may think a lower degree sufficient another may judge them unsufficient that are not qualified in some higher degree Wherefore of necessity either we must have some Judge in whose conscience they that are thought and pronounced sufficient are to be so accepted and taken or else the Law it self is to set down the very lowest degree of fitness that shall be allowable in this kinde So that the question doth grow to this issue Saint Paul requireth Learning in Presbyters yea such Learning as doth inable them to exhort in Doctrine which is sound and to disprove them that gain-say it What measure of ability in such things shall serve to make men capable of that kinde of Office he doth not himself precisely determine but referreth it to the Conscience of Titus and others which had to deal in ordaining Presbyters We must therefore of necessity make this demand whether the Church lacking such as the Apostle would have chosen may with good conscience take out of such as it hath in a meaner degree of fitness them that may serve to perform the service of publick Prayer to minister the Sacraments unto the People to solemnize Marriage to visit the Sick and bury the Dead to instruct by reading although by Preaching they be not as yet so able to benefit and feed Christ's flock We constantly hold that in this case the Apostles Law is not broken Herequireth more in Presbyters than there is found in many whom the Church of England alloweth But no man being tyed unto impossibilities to do that we cannot we are not bound It is but a stratagem of theirs therefore and a very indirect practise when they publish large declamations to prove that Learning is required in the Ministry and to make the silly people believe that the contrary is maintained by the Bishops and upheld by the Laws of the Land whereas the question in truth is not whether Learning be required but whether a Church wherein there is not sufficient store of Learned men to furnish all Congregations should do better to let thousands of Souls grow savage to let them live without any publick service of God to let their Children dye unbaptised to with-hold the benefit of the other Sacrament from them to let them depart this World like Pagans without any thing so much as readd unto them concerning the way of life than as it doth in this necessity to make such Presbyters as are so farr forth sufficient although they want that ability of Preaching which someothers have In this point therefore we obey necessity and of two evils we take the less in the rest a publick utility is sought and in regard thereof some certain inconveniencies tolerated because they are recompenced with greater good The Law giveth liberty of Non-residence for a time to such as will live in Universities if they faithfully there labour to grow in knowledge that so they may afterwards the more edifie and the better instruct their Congregations The Church in their absence is not destitute the Peoples salvation not neglected for the present time the time of their absence is in the intendment of Law bestowed to the Churches great advantage and benefit those necessary helps are procured by it which turn by many degrees more to the Peoples comfort in time to come than if their Pastours had continually abidden with them So that the Law doth hereby provide in some part to remedy and help that evil which the former necessity hath imposed upon the Church For compare two men of equal meanness the one perpetually resident the other absent for a space in such sort as the Law permitteth Allot unto both some nine years continuance with Cure of Souls And must not three years absence in all probability and likelihood make the one more profitable than the other unto God's Church by so much as the increase of his knowledge gotten in those three years may adde unto six years travel following For the greater ability there is added to the instrument wherewith it pleaseth God to save Souls the more facility and expedition it hath to work that which is otherwise hardlier effected As much may be said touching absence granted to them that attend in the families of Bishops which Schools of gravity discretion and wisedom preparing men against the time that they come to reside abroad are in my poor opinion even the fittest places that any ingenious minde can with to enter into between departure from private study and access to a more publick charge of Souls yea no less expedient for men of the best sufficiency and most maturity in knowledge than the very Universities themselves are for the ripening of such as be raw Imployment in the Families of Noble-men or in Princes Courts hath another end for which the self-same leave is given not without great respect to the good of the whole Church For assuredly whosoever doth well observe how much all inferiour things depend upon the orderly courses and motions of those greater Orbes will hardly judge it either meet or good
Repentance alone sufficeth unless some special thing in the quality of Sin committed or in the Party that hath done amiss require more For besides our submission in Gods sight Repentance must not only proceed to the private contentation of Men if the Sin be a crime injurious but also farther where the wholsome Discipline of Gods Church exacteth a more exemplary and open satisfaction Now the Church being satisfied with outward Repentance as God is with inward it shall not be amiss for more perspicuity to term this latter alwayes the Vertue that former the Discipline of Repentance which Discipline hath two sorts of Penitents to work upon in as much as it hath been accustomed to lay the Offices of Repentance on some seeking others shunning them on some at their own voluntary request on others altogether against their Wills as shall hereafter appear by store of ancient examples Repentance being therefore either in the sight of God alone or else with the notice also of Men Without the one sometime throughly performed by alwayes practised more or less in our daily devotions and Prayers we have no remedy for any fault Whereas the other is only required in Sins of a certain degree and quality the one necessary for ever the other so far forth as the Laws and Orders of Gods Church shall make it requisite The nature parts and effects of the one alwaies the same The other limitted extended and varied by infinite occasions The vertue of Repentance in the heart of Man is Gods handy-work a fruit or effect of Divine Grace which Grace continually offereth it self even unto them that have forsaken it as may appear by the words of Christ in St Iohns Revelation I stand at the door and knock Nor doth he only knock without but also within assist to open whereby access and entrance is given to the heavenly presence of that saving power which maketh man a repaired Temple for Gods good Spirit again to inhabit And albeit the whole train of vertues which are implied in the name of Grace be infused at one instant yet because when they meet and concurr unto any effect in man they have their distinct operations rising orderly one from another It is no unnecessary thing that we note the way or method of the Holy Ghost in framing mans sinful heart to Repentance A work the first foundation whereof is laid by opening and illuminating the eye of Faith because by Faith are discovered the Principles of this action whereunto unless the understanding do first assent there can follow in the Will towards Penitency no inclination at all Contrariwise the Resurrection of the dead the Judgement of the World to come and the endless misery of sinners being apprehended this worketh fear such as theirs was who feeling their own distress and perplexity in that passion besought our Lords Apostles earnestly to give them counsel what they should do For fear is impotent and unable to advise it self yet this good it hath that men are thereby made desirous to prevent if possibly they may whatsoever evil they dread The first thing that wrought the Ninivites Repentance was fear of destruction within fourty daies signes and miraculous works of God being extraordinary representations of Divine Power are commonly wont to stir any the most wicked with terrour lest the same Power should bend it self against them And because tractable minds though guilty of much Sin are hereby moved to forsake those evil waies which make his power in such sort their astonishment and fear therefore our Saviour denounced his curse against Corazin and Bethsaida saying that if Tyre and Sidon had seen that which they did those signes which prevailed little with the one would have brought the others to Repentance As the like thereunto did in the men given to curious Arts of whom the Apostolick History saith that Fear came upon them and many which had followed vain sciences burnt openly the very books out of which they had learned the same As fear of contumely and disgrace amongst men together with other civil punishments are a bridle to restrain from any hainous Acts whereinto mens outrage would otherwise break So the fear of Divine Revenge and punishment where it takes place doth make men desirous to be rid likewise from that inward guiltiness of Sin wherein they would else securely continue Howbeit when Faith hath wrought a fear of the event of Sin yet Repentance hereupon ensueth not unless our belief conceive both the possibility and means to avert evil The possibility in as much as God is merciful and most willing to have Sin cured The means because he hath plainly taught what is requisite and shall suffice unto that purpose The nature of all wicked men is for fear of revenge to hate whom they most wrong The nature of hatred to wish that destroyed which it cannot brook And from hence ariseth the furious endeavours of godless and obdurate sinners to extinguish in themselves the opinion of God because they would not have him to Be whom execution of endless wo doth not suffer them to Love Every Sin against God abateth and continuance in Sin extinguisheth our love towards him It was therefore said to the Angel of Ephesus having sinned Thou art fallen away from thy first love so that as we never decay in love till we Sin in like sort neither can we possibly forsake Sin unless we first begin again to love What is love towards God but a desire of union with God And shall we imagine a Sinner converting himself to God in whom there is no desire of union with God presupposed I therefore conclude that fear worketh no mans inclination to Repentance till somewhat else have wrought in us love also Our love and desire of union with God ariseth from the strong conceipt which we have of his admirable goodness The goodness of God which particularly moveth unto Repentance is his mercy towards mankind notwithstanding Sin For let it once sink deeply into the mind of man that howsoever we have injuried God his very nature is averse from revenge except unto Sin we add obstinacy otherwise alwaies ready to accept our submission as a full discharge or recompence for all wrongs and Can we chuse but begin to Love him whom we have offended or can we but begin to grieve that we have offended him whom we love Repentance considereth Sin as a breach of the Law of God an act obnoxious to that revenge which notwithstanding may be prevented if we pacifie God in time The root and beginning of Penitency therefore is the consideration of our own Sin as a cause which hath procured the wrath and a subject which doth need the mercy of God For unto mans understanding there being presented on the one side tribulation and anguish upon every soul that doth evil On the other eternal life unto them which by continuance in well doing seek Glory and Honour and Immortality On the one hand a curse to
the Children of disobedience On the other to lovers of righteousness all grace and benediction Yet between these extreams that eternal God from whose unspotted justice and undeserved mercy the lot of each inheritance proceedeth is so inclinable rather to shew compassion then to take revenge that all his speeches in holy Scripture are almost nothing else but entreaties of men to prevent destruction by amendment of their wicked lives All the works of his providence little other then meer allurements of the just to continue stedfast and of the unrighteous to change their course All his dealings and proceedings towards true Converts as have even filled the grave writings of holy men with these and the like most sweet sentences Repentance if I may so speak stoppeth God in his way when being provoked by crimes past he cometh to revenge them with most just punishments Yea it tyeth as it were the hands of the Avenger and doth not suffer him to have his will Again The merciful eye of God towards Men hath no power to withstand Penitency at what time soever it comes in presence And again God doth not take it so in evil part though we wound that which he hath required us to keep whole as that after we have taken hurt there should be in us no desire to receive his help Finally lest I be carried too far in so large a Sea There was never any Man condemned of God but for neglect nor justified except he had care of Repentance From these considerations setting before our eyes our inexcusable both unthankfulness in disobeying so merciful foolishness in provoking so powerful a God there ariseth necessarily a pensive and corrosive desire that we had done otherwise a desire which suffereth us to foreslow no time to feel no quietness within our selves to take neither sleep nor food with contentment never to give over Supplications Confessions and other penitent Duties till the light of Gods reconciled favour shine in our darkned soul. Fulgentius asking the question Why Davids confession should be held for effectual Penitence and not Saul's answereth that the one hated Sin the other feared only punishment in this world Sauls acknowledgement of Sin was Fear David's both fear and also love This was the Fountain of Peters Tears this the Life and Spirit of Davids eloquence in those most admirable Hymns intituled Penitential where the words of sorrow for Sin do melt the very Bowels of God remitting it and the Comforts of Grace in remitting Sin carry him which sorrowed rapt as it were into Heaven with extasies of joy and gladness The first motive of the Ninevites unto Repentance was their belief in a Sermon of Fear but the next and most immediate an Axiom of Love Who can tell whether God will turn away his fierce wrath that we perish notâ— No conclusion such as theirs Let every man turn from his evil way but out of premisses such as theirs were Fear and Love Wherefore the Well-spring of Repentance is Faith first breeding Fear and then Love which Love causes hope hope resolution of Attempt I will go to my Father and say I have sinned against Heaven and against thee that is to say I will do what the Duty of a Convert requireth Now in a Penitent's or Convert's duty there are included first the aversion of the will from Sin secondly the submission of our selves to God by supplication and Prayer thirdly the purpose of a new life testified with present works of amendment Which three things do very well seem to be comprised in one definition by them which handle Repentance as a vertue that hateth bewaileth and sheweth a purpose to amend Sin We offend God in thought word and deed To the first of which three they make Contrition to the second Confession and to the last our works of Satisfaction answerable Contrition doth not here import those sudden Pangs and Convulsions of the mind which cause sometimes the most forsaken of God to retract their own doings it is no Natural passion or anguish which riseth in us against our wills but a deliberate aversion of the Will of Man from Sin which being alwaies accompanied with grief and grief oftentimes partly with tears partly with other external signs it hath been thought that in these things Contrition doth chiefly consist whereas the chiefest thing in Contrition is that alteration whereby the Will which was before delighted with Sin doth now abhorr and shun nothing more But forasmuch as we cannot hate Sin in our selves without heaviness and grief that there should be in us a thing of such hatefull quality the Will averted from Sin must needs make the affection suitable yea great reason why it should so do For since the Will by conceiving Sin hath deprived the Soul of Life and of life there is not recovery without Repentance the death of Sin Repentance not able to kill Sin but by withdrawing the Will from it the Will unpossible to be withdrawn unless it concur with a contrary affection to that which accompanied it before in evill Is it not clear that as an inordinate delight did first begin sin so Repentance must begin with a just sorrow a sorrow of heart and such a sorrow as renteth the heart neither a feigned nor sleight sorrow not feigned blest it increase Sin nor sleight lest the pleasures of Sin over-match itâ—â—â—ef Wher ore of Grace the highest cause from which Mans Penitency doth proceed of Faith Fear Love Hope what force and efficiency they have in Repentance of Parts and Duties thereunto belonging comprehended in the Schoolmens definitions finally of the first among those Duties Contrition which disliketh and bewaileth iniquity let this suffice And because God will have Offences by Repentance not only abhorred within our selves but also with humble Supplication displayed before Him and a testimony of amendment to be given even by present works worthy Repentance in that they are contrary to those we renounce and disclaim Although the vertue of Repentance do require that her other two parts Consession and Satisfaction should here follow yet seeing they belong as well to the Discipline as to the vertue of Repentance and only differ for that in the one they are performed to Man in the other to God alone I had rather distinguish them in joynt-handling then handle them apart because in quality and manner of practise they are distinct Of the Discipline of Repentance instituted by Christ practised by the Fathers converted by the School-men into a Sacrament and of Confession that which belongeth to the vertue of Repentance that which was used among the Iews that which the Papacy imagineth a Sacrament and that which Antient Discipline practised 1. OUr Lord and Saviour in the sixteenth of St. Matthews Gospel giveth his Apostles Regiment in General over Gods Church For they that have the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven are thereby signified to be Stewards of the House of God under whom they Guide Command Judge and
Councel of Nice where thirteen years being set for the Penitency of certain offenders the severity of this Degree is mitigated with special caution That in all such cases the mind of the Penitent and the manner of his Repentance is to be noted that as many as with fear and tears and meekness and the exercise of good works declared themselves to be Converts indeed and not in outward appearance only towards them the Bishop at his discretion might use more lenity If the Councel of Nice suffice not let Gratian the Founder of the Canon Law expound Cyprian who sheweth that the stine of time in Penitency is either to be abridged or enlarged as the Penitents Faith and behaviour shall give occasion I have easilier found out men Saith S. Ambrose able to keep themselves free from crimes then conformable to the rules which in Penitency they should observe S. Gregory Bishop of Nisse complaineth and enveigheth bitterly against them who in the time of their Penitency lived even as they had done alwaies before Their countenance as chearful their attire is neat their dyet as costly and their sleep as secure as ever their worldly business purposely followed to exile pensive thoughts for their minds repentance pretended but indeed nothing less express These were the inspections of life whereunto St. Cyprian alludeth as for Auricular Examinations he knew them not Were the Fathers then without use of private Confession as long as publick was in use I affirm no such thing The first and ancientest that mentioneth this Confession is Origen by whom it may seem that men being loth to present rashly themselves and their faults unto the view of the whole Church thought it best to unfold first their minds to some one special man of the Clergy which might either help them himself or referre them to an higher Court if need were Be therefore circumspect saith Origen in making choice of the party to whom thou meanest to confess thy Sin know thy Physitian before thou use him If he find thy malady such as needeth to be made publick that other may be the better by it and thy self sonner helpt his counsel must be obeyed That which moved sinners thus voluntarily to detect themselves both in private and in publick was fear to receive with other Christian men the mysteries of heavenly grace till Gods appointed Stewards and Ministers did judge them worthy It is in this respect that St. Ambrose findeth fault with certain men which sought imposition of Penance and were not willing to wait their time but would be presently admitted Communicants Such people saith he do seek by so rash and preposterous desires rather to bring the Priest into bonds then to loose themselves In this respect it is that S. Augustine hath likewise said When the wound of Sin is so wide and the disease so far gone that the medicinable body and blood of our Lord may not be touched men are by the Bishops authority to sequester themselves from the Altar till such time as they have repented and be after reconciled by the same authority Furthermore because the knowledge how to handle our own sores is no vulgar and common art but we either carry towards our selves for the most part an over-soft and gentle hand fearful of touching too near the quick or else endeavouring not to be partial we fall into timerous scrupulosities and sometime into those extream discomforts of mind from which we hardly do ever lift up our heads again men thought it the safest way to disclose their secret faults and to crave imposition of Penance from them whom our Lord Jesus Christ hath left in his Church to be Spiritual and Ghostly Physitians the Guides and Pastors of redeemed Souls whose Office doth not onely consist in generall perswasions unto amendment of life but also in the private particular cure of diseased minds Howsoever the Novatianists presume to plead against the Church saith Salvianus that every man ought to be his own Penitentiary and that it is a part of our duty to exercise but not of the Churches Authority to impose or prescribe Repentance the truth is otherwise the best and strongest of us may need in such cases direction What doth the Church in giving Penance but shew the remedies which Sin requireth or what do we in receiving the same but fulfill her precept what else but sue unto God with tears and salts that his merciful ears may be opened St. Augustines exhortation is directly to the same purpose Let every man whilst he hath time judge himself and change his life of his own accord and when this is resolved Let him from the disposers of the holy Sacraments learn in what manner be is to pacifie Gods displeasure But the greatest thing which made men forward and willing upon their knees to confess whatsoever they had committed against God and in no wise to be with-held from the same with any fear of disgrace contempt or obloquy which might ensue was their servent desire to be helped and assisted with the Prayers of Gods Saints Wherein as St. Iames doth exhort unto mutual confession alledging this onely for a reason that just mens devout prayers are of great avail with God so it hath been heretofore the use of Penitents for that intent to unburthen their minds even to private persons and to crave their Prayers Whereunto Cassianus alluding counselleth That if men possest with dulness of spirit be themselves unapt to do that which is required they should in meek affection seek health as the least by good and vertuous mens prayers unto God for them And to the same effect Gregory Bishop of Nisse Humble thy self and take unto thee such of thy brethren as are of one mind and do bear kind affection towards thee that they may together mourn and labour for thy deliverance Show me thy bitter and abundant tears that I may blend mine own with them But because of all men there is or should be none in that respect more fit for troubled and distressed minds to repair unto then Gods Ministers he proceedeth further Make the Priest as a Father partaker of thine affliction and grief be bold to impart unto him the things that are most secret he will have care both of thy safety and of thy credit Confession saith Leo is first to be offered to God and then to the Priest as to one which maketh supplication for the sins of Penitent offenders Suppose we that men would ever have been easily drawn much less of their own accord have come unto publick Confession whereby they know they should sound the trumpet of their own disgrace would they willingly have done this which naturally all men are loth to do but for the singular trust and confidence which they had in the publick prayers of Gods Church Let thy Mother the Church weep for thee saith Ambrose let her wash and bathe thy faults with
with our Ministerie God really performing the same which Man is authorized to act as in his Name there shall need for decision of this point no great labour To Remission of Sins there are two things necessary Grace as the only cause which taketh away Iniquity and Repentance as a Duty or Condition required in us To make Repentance such as it should be what doth God demand but inward sincerity joyned with fit and convenient Offices for that purpose the one referred wholly to our own Consciences the other best discerned by them whom God hath appointed Judges in this Court. So that having first the promises of God for pardon generally unto all Offenders penitent and particularly for our own unfeigned meaning the unfallible testimony of a good Conscience the sentence of God's appointed Officer and Vicegerent to approve with unpartial Judgement the quality of that we have done and as from his Tribunal in that respect to assoil us of any Crime I see no cause but that by the Rules of our Faith and Religion we may rest our selves very well assured touching God's most merciful Pardon and Grace who especially for the strengthening of weak timerous and fearful mindes hath so farr indued his Church with Power to absolve Sinners It pleaseth God that men sometimes should by missing this help perceive how much they stand bound to him for so precious a Benefit enjoyed And surely so long as the World lived in any awe or fear of falling away from God so dear were his Ministers to the People chiefly in this respect that being through tyranny and persecution deprived of Pastors the doleful rehearsal of their lost felicities hath not any one thing more eminent than that Sinners distrest should not now know how or where to unlade their Burthens Strange it were unto me that the Fathers who so much every where extol the Grace of Jesus Christ in leaving unto his Church this Heavenly and Divine power should as men whose simplicity had universally been abused agree all to admire the magnifie and needless Office The Sentence therefore of Ministerial Absolution hath two effects touching sin it only declareth us freed from the guiltiness thereof and restored into God's favour but concerning right in Sacred and Divine Mysteries whereof through Sin we were made unworthy as the power of the Church did before effectually binde and retain us from access unto them so upon our apparent repentance it truly restoreth our Liberty looseth and Chains wherewith we were tyed remitteth all whatsoever is past and accepteth us no less returned than if we never had gone astray For in as much as the Power which our Saviour gave to his Church is of two kindes the one to be exercised over voluntary Penitents only the other over such as are to be brought to Amendment by Ecclesiastical Censures the words wherein he hath given this Authority must be so understood as the Subject or Matter whereupon it worketh will permit It doth not permit that in the former kinde that is to say in the use of Power over voluntarie Converts to binde or loose remit or retain should signifie any other than only to pronounce of Sinners according to that which may be gathered by outward signes because really to effect the removal or continuance of Sinne in the Soul of any Offender is no Priestly act but a Work which farr exceedeth their Ability Contrariwise in the latter kinde of Spiritual Jurisdiction which by Censures constraineth men to amend their Lives It is is true that the Minister of God doth then more declare and signifie what God hath wrought And this Power true it is that the Church hath invested in it Howbeit as other truths so this hath by errour been oppugned and depraved through abuse The first of Name that openly in Writing withstood the Churches Authority and Power to remit Sinne was Tertullian after he had combined himself with Montanists drawn to the liking of their Heresie through the very sowreness of his own nature which neither his incredible skill and knowledge otherwise nor the Doctrine of the Gospel it self could but so much alter as to make him savour any thing which carried with it the taste of lenity A Spunge steeped in Worm-wood and Gall a Man through too much severity merciless and neither able to endure nor to be endured of any His Book entituled concerning Chastity and written professedly against the Discipline of the Church hath many fretful and angry Sentences declaring a minde very much offended with such as would not perswade themselves that of Sins some be pardonable by the Keyes of the Church some uncapable of Forgiveness That middle and moderate Offences having received chastisement may by Spiritual Authority afterwards be remitted but greater Transgressions must as touching Indulgence be left to the only pleasure of Almighty God in the World to come That as Idolatry and Bloodshed so likewise Fornication and sinful Lust are of this nature that they which so farr have fallen from God ought to continue for ever after barred from access unto his Sanctuary condemned to perpetual profusion of Tears deprived of all expectation and hope to receive any thing at the Churches hands but publication of their shame For saith he who will fear to waste out that which he hopeth he may recover Who will be careful for ever to hold that which be knoweth cannot for ever be withheld from him He which slackneth the Bridle to sinne doth thereby give it even the spurr also Take away fear and that which presently succeedeth in stead thereof is Licencious desire Greater Offences therefore are punishable but not pardonable by the Church If any Prophet or Apostle be found to have remitted such Transgressions they did it not by the ordinary course of Discipline but by extraordinary power For they also raised the Dead which none but God is able to do they restored the Impotent and Lame men a work peculiar to Jesus Christ Yea that which Christ would not do because executions of such severity beseemed not him who came to save and redeem the World by his sufferings they by their power strook Elymas and Ananias the one blinde and the other dead Approve first your selves to be as they were Apostles or Prophets and then take upon you to pardon all men But if the Authority you have be only Ministerial and no way Soveraign over-reach not the limits which God hath set you know that to pardon capital Sin is beyond your Commission Howbeit as oftentimes the vices of wicked men do cause other their commendable qualities to be abhorred so the honour of great mens vertues is easily a Cloak of their Errours In which respect Tertullian hath past with much less obloquy and reprehension than Novatian who broaching afterwards the same opinion had not otherwise wherewith to countervail the Offence he gave and to procure it the like toleration Novatian at the first a Stoical Phylosopher which kinde of men hath alwayes accounted
otherwise was most requisite Wherefore the necessity of ordaining such is no excuse for the rash and careless ordaining of every one that hath but a friend to bestow some two or three words of ordinary commendation in his behalf By reason whereof the Church groweth burdened with silly creatures more then need whose noted baseness and insufficiency bringeth their very Order it self into contempt It may be that the fear of a Quare impedit doth cause Institutions to pass more easily then otherwise they would And to speak plainly the very truth it may be that Writs of Quare non impedit were for these times most necessary in the others place Yet where Law will not suffer men to follow their own judgment to shew their judgment they are not hindred And I doubt not but that even conscienceless and wicked Patrons of which sort the swarms are too great in the Church of England are the more imboldened to present unto Bishops any reffuse by finding so easie acceptation thereof Somewhat they might redress this sore notwithstanding so strong impediments if it did plainly appear that they took it indeed to heart were not in a manner contented with it Shall we look for care in admitting whom others present if that which some of your selves confer be at any time corruptly bestowed A foul and an ugly kind of deformity it hath if a man do but think what it is for a Bishop to draw commodity and gain from those things whereof he is left a free bestower and that in trust without any other obligation then his sacred Order only and that religious Integrity which hath been presumed on in him Simoniacal corruption I may not for honors sake suspect to be amongst men of so great place So often they do not I trust offend by sale as by unadvised gift of such preferments wherein that ancient Canon should specially be remembred which forbiddeth a Bishop to be led by humane affection in bestowing the things of God A fault no where so hurtful as in bestowing places of jurisdiction and in furnishing Cathedral Churches the Prebendaries and other Dignities whereof are the very true successors of those ancient Presbyters which were at the first as Counsellers unto Bishops A foul abuse it is that any one man should be loaded as some are with Livings in this kind yea some even of them who condemn utterly the granting of any two Benefices unto the same man whereas the other is in truth a matter of far greater sequel as experience would soon shew if Churches Cathedral being furnished with the residence of a competent number of vertuous grave wise and learned Divines the rest of the Prebends of every such Church were given within the Diocess unto men of worthiest desert for their better encouragement unto industry and travel unless it seem also convenient to extend the benefit of them unto the learned in Universities and men of special imployment otherwise in the affairs of the Church of God But howsoever surely with the publick good of the Church it will hardly stand that in any one person such favours be more multiplied then law permitteth in those Livings which are with Cure Touching Bishops Visitations the first institution of them was profitable to the end that the state and condition of Churches being known there might be for evils growing convenient remedies provided in due time The observation of Church Laws the correction of faults in the service of God and manners of men these are things that visitors should seek When these things are inquired of formally and but for custom sake fees and pensions being the only thing which is sought and little else done by Visitations we are not to marvel if the baseness of the end doth make the action it self loathsom The good which Bishops may do not only by these Visitations belonging ordinarily to their Office but also in respect of that power which the Founders of Colledges have given them of special trust charging even fearfully their consciences therewith the good I say which they might do by this their authority both within their own Diocess and in the well-springs themselves the Universities is plainly such as cannot chuse but add weight to their heavy accounts in that dreadful Day if they do it not In their Courts where nothing but singular integrity and Justice should prevail if palpable and gross corruptions be found by reason of Offices so often granted unto men who seek nothing but their own gain and make no account what disgrace doth grow by their unjust dealings unto them under whom they deal the evil hereof shall work more then they which procure it do perhaps imagine At the hands of a Bishop the first thing looked for is a care of the Clergy under him a care that in doing good they may have whatsoever comforts and encouragements his countenance authority and place may yield Otherwise what heard shall they have to proceed in their painful course all sorts of men besides being so ready to malign despise and every way oppress them Let them find nothing but disdain in Bishops in the enemies of present Government if that way lift to betake themselves all kind of favourable and friendly help unto which part think we it likely that men having wit courage and stomack will incline As great a fault is the want of severity when need requireth as of kindness and courtesie in Bishops But touching this what with ill usage of their powe amongst the meaner and what with disuage amongst the higher sort they are in the eyes of both sorts as Bees have lost their sting It is a long time sithence any great one hath felt or almost any one much feared the edge of that Ecclesiastical severity which sometime held Lords and Dukes in a more religious aw then now the meanest are able to be kept A Bishop in whom there did plainly appear the marks and tokens of a fatherly affection towards them are under his charge what good might he do ten thousand ways more then any man knows how to set down But the souls of men are not loved that which Christ shed his blood for is not esteemed precious This is the very root the fountain of all negligence in Church-Government Most wretched are the terms of mens estate when once they are at a point of wrechlesness so extream that thy bend not their wits any further than only to shift out the present time never regarding what shall become of their Successors after them Had our Predecessors so loosely cast off from them all care and respect to posterity a Church Christian there had noâ— been about the regiment whereof we should need at this day to strive It was the barbarous affection of Nero that the ruine of his own Imperial Seat he could have been well enough contented to see in case he might also have seen it accompanied with the fall of the whole World An affection not more intolerable then theirs
every one of them for distinction from the rest so that every body Politique hath some Religion but the Church that Religion which is only true Truth of Religion is the proper difference whereby a Church is distinguished from other Politique societies of men we here mean true Religion in gross and not according to every particular for they which in some particular points of Religion do sever from the truth may nevertheless truly if we compare them to men of an heathenish Religion be said to hold and profess that Religion which is true For which cause there being of old so many Politique societies stablished through the world only the Common-wealth of Israel which had the truth of Religion was is that respect the Church of God and the Church of Jesus Christ is every such Politique society of men as doth in Religion hold that truth which is proper to Christianity As a Politique society it doth maintain Religion as a Church that Religion which God hath revealed by Jesus Christ with us therefore the name of a Church importeth onely a society of men first united into some publique form of Regiment and secondly distinguished from other societies by the exercise of Religion With them on the other side the name of the Church in this present question importeth not only a maltitude of men so united and so distinguihed but also further the same divided necessarily and perpetually from the body of the Common-wealth so that even in such a Politique society as consisteth of none but Christians yet the Church and Common-wealth are too Corporations independently subsisting by it self We hold that seeing there is not any man of the Church of England but the same man is also a member of the Common-wealth nor any member of the Common-wealth which is not also of the Church of England Therefore as in a figure Triangle the base doth differ from the sides thereof and yet one and the self same line is both a base and also a side aside simply a base if it chance to be the bottom and under-lye the rest So albeit properties and actions of one do cause the name of a Common-wealth qualities and functions of another sort the name of the Church to be given to a multitude yet one and the self-same multitude may in such sort be both Nay it is so with us that no person appertaining to the one can be denied also to be of the other contrariwise unless they against us should hold that the Church and the Common-wealth are two both distinct and separate societies of which two one comprehendeth alwayes persons not belonging to the other that which they do they could not conclude out of the difference between the Church and the Common-wealth namely that the Bishops may not meddle with the affairs of the Common wealth because they are Governours of an other Corporation which is the Church nor Kings with making Lawes for the Church because they have government not of this Corporation but of another divided from it the Common-wealth and the walls of separation between these two must for ever be upheld they hold the necessity of personal separation which clean excludeth the power of one mans dealing with both we of natural but that one and the same person may in both bear principal sway The causes of common received Errors in this Point seem to have been especially two One That they who embrace true Religion living in such Common-wealths as are opposite thereunto and in other publike affairs retaining civil Communion with such as are constrained for the exercise of their Religion to have a several Communion with those who are of the same Religion with them This was the state of the Jewish Church both in Egypt and Babylon the state of Christian Churches a long time after Christ. And in this case because the proper affairs and actions of the Church as it is the Church hath no dependance on the Laws or upon the Government of the civil State and opinion hath thereby grown that even so it should be always This was it which deceived Allen in the writing of his Apology The Apostles saith he did govern the Church in Rome when Nero bare rule even as at this day in all the Churches dominions The Church hath a spiritual Regiments without dependance and so ought she to have amongst Heathens or with Christians Another occasion of which mis-conceit is That things appertaining to Religion are both distinguished from other affairs and have always had in the Church spiritual persons chosen to be exercised about them By which distinction of Spiritual affairs and persons therein employed from Temporal the Error of personal separation always necessary between the Church and Common-wealth hath strengthened it self For of every Politick Society that being true which Aristotle saith namely That the scope thereof is not simply to live nor the duty so much to provide for the life as for means of living well And that even as the soul is the worthier part of man so humane Societies are much more to care for that which tendeth properly to the souls estate then for such temporal things which the life hath need of Other proof there needeth none to shew that as by all men the Kingdom of God is to be sought first for so in all Common-wealths things spiritual ought above temporal be sought for and of things spiritual the chiefest is Religion For this cause persons and things imployed peculiarly about the affairs of Religion are by an excellency termed Spiritual The Heathens themselves had their spiritual Laws and Causes and Affairs always severed from their temporal neither did this make two Independent estates among them God by revealing true Religion sioth make them that receive it his Church Unto the Iews he so revealed the truth of Religion that he gave them in special Considerations Laws not only for the administration of things spiritual but also temporal The Lord himself appointing both the one and the other in that Common-wealth did not thereby distract it into several independent Communities but institute several Functions of one and the self-same Communitie Some Reasons therefore must there be alledged why it should be otherwise in the Church of Christ. I shall not need to spend any great store of words in answering that which is brought out of the Holy Scripture to shew that Secular and Ecclesiastical affairs and offices are distinguished neither that which hath been borrowed from antiquity using by phrase of speech to oppose the Common-weal to the Church of Christ neither yet their Reasons which are wont to be brought forth as witnesses that the Church and Common-weal were always distinct for whether a Church or Common-weal do differ in not the question we strive for but our controversie is concerning the kind of distinction whereby they are severed the one from the other whether as under heathen Kings of the Church did deal with her own affairs within her self without depending
where once he dwelleth What shall become of his Promise I am with you to the Worlds end If the Seed of God which containeth Christ may be first conceived and then cast out how doth S. Peter term it immortal How doth St. Iohn affirm It abideth If the Spirit which is given to cherish and preserve the Seed of Life may be given and taken away how is it the earnest of our inheritance until Redemption how doth it continue with us for ever If therefore the man which is once just by faith shall live by Faith and live for ever it followeth that he which once doth believe the foundation must needs believe the foundation forever If he believe it for ever how can he ever directly deny it Faith holding the direct affirmation the direct negation so long as Faith continueth is excluded Object But you will say That as he that is to day holy may to morrow forsake his holiness and become impure as a friend may change his minde and be made an enemy as hope may wither so saith may dye in the heart of man the Spirit may be quenched Grace may be extinguished they which believe may be quite turned away from the Truth Sol. The case is clear long experience hath made this manifest it needs no proof I grant we are apt prone and ready to forsake God but is God as ready to forsake us Our mindes are changeable is His so likewise Whom God hath justified hath not Christ assured that it is his Fathers will to give them a Kingdom Notwithstanding it shall not be otherwise given them than if they continue grounded and stablished in the Faith and be not moved away from the hope of the Gospel if they abide in love and holiness Our Saviour therefore when he spake of the sheep effectually called and truly gathered into his fold I give unto-them eternal life and they shall never perish neither shall any pluck them out of my hands in promising to save them he promised no doubt to preserve them in that without which there can be no salvation as also from that whereby it is irrecoverably lost Every errour in things appertaining unto God is repugnant unto Faith every fearful cogitation unto hope unto love every stragling inordinate desire unto holiness every blemish wherewith either the inward thoughts of our mindes or the outward actions of our lives are stained But heresie such as that of Ebion Gerinthus and others against whom the Apostles were forced to bend themselves both by word and also by writing that repining discouragement of heart which tempteth God whereof we have Israel in the Desart for a pattern coldness such as that in the Angels of Ephesus soul sins known to be expresly against the first or second table of the Law such as Noah Monasses David Solomon and Peter committed These are each in their kind so opposite to the former vertues that they leave no place for salvation without an actual repentance But Infidelity extream despair hatred of God and all goodness obduration in Sin cannot stand where there is but the least spark of Faith hope love and sanctity even as cold in the lowest degree cannot be where heat in the highest degree is found Whereupon I conclude that although in the first kind no man liveth which sinneth not and in the second as perfect as any do live may sinne yet sith the man which is born of God hath a promise That in him the Seed of God shall abide which Seed is a sure Preservative against the sinnes that are of the third suit Greater and clearer assurance we cannot have of any thing than of this that from such sinnes God shall preserve the Righteous as the apple of his Eye for ever Directly to deny the foundation of Faith is plain Infidelity where Faith is entred there Infidelity is for ever excluded Therefore by him which hath once sincerely believed in Christ the foundation of Christian Faith can never be directly denied Did not Peter Did not Marcellinus Did not others both directly deny Christ after that they had believed and again believe after they had denied No doubt as they confesse in words whose Condemnation is nevertheless their not believing for example we have Iudas So likewisewise they may believe in Heart whose Condemnation without Repentance is their not Confessing Although therefore Peter and the rest for whose Faith Christ hath prayed that it might not fail did not by denial sinne the Sinne of Infidelity which is an inward abnegation of Christ for if they had done this their Faith had clearly failed Yet because they sinned notoriously and grievously committing that which they knew to be expresly forbidden by the Law which saith Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serve necessary it was that he which purposed to save their Souls should as he did touch their Hearts with true unfeigned repentance that his mercy might restore them again to life whom Sinne had made the children of Death and Condemnation Touching the point therefore I hope I may safely set down that if the Justified erre as he may and never come to understand his errour God doth save him through general repentance But if he fall into Heresie he calleth him at one time or other by actual repentance but from Infidelity which is an inward direct denial of the foundation he preserveth him by special providence for ever Whereby we may easily know what to think of those Galatians whose hearts were so possest with the love of the Truth that if it had been possible they would have pluckt out their eyes to bestow upon their Teachers It is true that they were greatly changed both in perswasion and affection so that the Galatians when Saint Paul wrote unto them were not now the Galatians which they had been in former time for that through errour they wandred although they were his sheep I do not deny but that I should deny that they were his sheep if I should grant that through errour they perished It was a perilous opinion that they held perilous even in them that held it only as an Errour because it overthroweth the foundation by consequent But in them which obstinately maintain it I cannot think it less than a damnable Heresie We must therefore put a difference between them which erre of ignorance retaining neverthelesse a mind desirous to be instructed in Truth and them which after the Truth is laid open persist in the stubborn defence of their blindness Heretical defenders froward and stiff-necked Teachers of Circumcision the blessed Apostle calls Doggs Silly men who were seduced to think they taught the Truth he pitieth he taketh up in his arms he lovingly imbraceth he kisseth and with more than fatherly tenderness doth so temper qualifie and correct the speech he useth towards them that a man cannot easily discern whether did most abound the love which he bare to to their godly
and using all men as Brethren both near and dear unto us supposing Christ to love them tenderly so as they keep the profession of the Gospel and joyn in the outward communion of Saints Whereof the one doth-warrantize unto us their Faith the other their love till they fall away and forsake either the one or the other or both and then it is no injury to term them as they are When they separate themselves they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not judged by us but by their own doings Men do separate themselvs either by Heresie Schism or Apostasie If they lose the bond of Faith which then they are justly supposed to do when they frowardly oppugn any principal point of Christian Doctrine this is to separate themselves by Heresie If they break the bond of Unity whereby the Body of the Church is coupled and knit in one as they doe which wilfully forsake all external Communion with Saints in holy Exercises purely and orderly established in the Church this is to separate themselves by Schism If they willingly cast off and utterly forsake both profession of Christ and communion with Christians taking their leave of all Religion this is to separate themselves by plain Apostasie And Saint Iude to expresse the manner of their departure which by Apostasie fell away from the Faith of Christ saith They separated themselves noting thereby that it was not constraint of others which forced them to depart it was not infirmity and weaknesse in themselves it was not fear of Persecution to come upon them whereat their hearts did fail it was not grief of torment whereof they had tasted and were not able any longer to endure them No they voluntarily did separate themselves with a fully settled and altogether determined purpose never to name the Lord Jesus any more nor to have any fellowship with his Saints but to bend all their counsel and all their strength to raze out their memorial from amongst them 12. Now because that by such examples not onely the hearts of Infidels were hardned against the Truth but the mindes of weak Brethren also much troubled the Holy Ghost hath given sentence of these Backsliders that they were carnal men and had not the Spirit of Christ Jesus lest any man having an overweening of their Persons should be overmuch amazed and offended at their fall For simple men not able to discern their Spirits were brought by their Apostasie thus to reason with themselves If Christ be the Sonne of the Living God if he have the words of Eternal life if he be able to bring Salvation to all men that come unto him what meaneth this Apostasie and unconstrained departure Why do his Servants so willingly forsake him Babes be not deceived his Servants forsake him not They that separate themselves were amongst his Servants but if they had been of his Servants they had not separated themselves They were amongst us not of us saith Iohn and Saint Iude proveth it because they were carnal and had not the Spirit Will you judge of Wheat by Chaff which the winde hath scattered from amongst it Have the Children no Bread because the doggs have not tasted it Are Christians deceived of that Salvation they look for because they were denyed the joys of the life to come which were no Christians What if they seemed to be Pillars and principal Upholders of our Faith What is that to us which know that Angels have fallen from Heaven Although if these men had been of us indeed O the blessedness of a Christian man's estate they had stood surer than the Angels that had never departed from their place Wherein now we marvel not at their departure at all neither are we prejudiced by their falling away because they were not of us sith they are fleshly and have not the Spirit Children abide in the House for ever they are Bond-men and Bond-women which are cast out 13. It behoveth you therefore greatly every man to examine his own estate and to try whether you be bond or free children or no children I have told you already that we must beware we presume not to sit as Gods in judgement upon others and rashly as our conceit and fancy doth lead us so to determine of this man he is sincere or of that man he is an Hypocrite except by their falling away they make it manifest and known that they are For who art thou that takest upon thee to judge another before the time Judge thyself God hath left us infallible evidence whereby we may at any time give true and righteous sentence upon our selves We cannot examine the hearts of other men we may our own That we have passed from death to life we know it saith St. Iohn because we love the Brethren And know ye not your own selves how that Iesus Christ is in you except you be Reprobates I trust Beloved we know that we are not Reprobates because our Spirit doth bear us record that the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ is in us 14. It is as easie a matter for the Spirit within you to tell whose ye are as for the eyes of your Bodie to judge where you sit or in what place you stand For what saith the Scripture Ye which were in times past Strangers and Enemies because your mindes were set an evil works Christ hath now reconciled in the body of his Flesh through death to make you holy and umblameable and without fault in his sight If you continue grounded and established in the Faith and be not moved away from the hope of the Gospel Collos. 1. And in the third to the Colossians Ye know that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of that Inheritance for ye serve the Lord Christ. If we can make this account with our selves I was in times past dead in Trespasses and Sinnes I walked after the Prince that ruleth in the Ayr and after the Spirit that worketh in the Children of Disobedience but God who is rich in mercy through his great love wherewith he loved me even when I was dead hath quickned me in Christ. I was fierce heady proud high-minded but God hath made me like the Childe that is newly weaned I loved pleasures more than God I followed greedily the joyes of this present World I esteemed him that erected a Stage or Theatre more than Solomon which built a Temple to the Lord the Haâ—p Viol Timbrel and Pipe Men-singers and Women-singers were at my Feast it was my felicity to see my Children dance before me I said of every kinde of vanity O how sweet art thou in my Soul All which things now are crucified to me and I to them Now I hate the pride of life and pomp of this world now I take as great delight in the way of thy Testimonies O Lord as in all Riches now I finde more joy of heart in my Lord and Saviour than the Worldly-minded-man when his Wheat and Oyl do much abound
the Lord's building and as Saint Peter speaketh Heirs of the grace of life as well as we Though it be forbidden you to open your mouths in Publick Assemblies yet ye must be inquisitive in things concerning this Building which is of God with your Husbands and Friends at home not as Delilah with Sampson but as Sarah with Abraham whose Daughters ye are whilst ye do well and build your selves 13. Having spoken thus farr of the Exhortation as whereby we are called upon to edifie and build our selves it remaineth now that we consider the things prescribed namely wherein we must be built This prescription standeth also upon two points the thing prescribed and the adjuncts of the thing And that is our most pure and holy Faith 14. The thing prescribed is Faith For as in a chain which is made of many links if you pull the first you draw the rest and as in a Ladder of many staves if you take away the lowest all hope of ascending unto the highest will be removed So because all the Precepts and Promises in the Law and in the Gospel do hang upon this Believe and because the last of the graces of God doth so follow the first that he glorifieth none but whom he hath justified nor justifieth any but whom he hath called to a true effectual and lively Faith in Christ Jesus therefore St. Iude exhorting us to build our selves mentioneth here expresly onely Faith as the thing wherein we must be edified for that Faith is the ground and the glory of all the welfare of this Building 15. Ye are not Strangers and Foreigners but Citizens with the Saints and of the Houshold of God saith the Apostle and are built upon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles Iesus Christ himself being the chief Corner-stone in whom all the Building being coupled together groweth unto an holy Temple in the Lord in whom ye also are built together to be the habitation of God by the Spirit And we are the habitation of God by the Spirit if we believe for it is written Whosoever confesseth that Iesus is the Sonne of God in him God dwelleth and he in God The strength of this habitation is great it prevaileth against Satan it conquereth Sinne it hath Death in cerision neither Principalities nor Powers can throw it down it leadeth the World captive and bringeth every enemy that riseth up against it to confusion and shame and all by Faith for this is the Victory that overcommeth the World even our Faith Who is it that overcommeth the World but he which believeth that Jesus is the Son of God 16. The strength of every Building which is of God standeth not in any man's arms or leggs it is onely in our Faith as the valour of Sampson lay only in his hair This is the reason why we are so earnestly called upon to edifie our selves in Faith Not as if this bare action of our mindes whereby we believe the Gospel of Christ were able in itself as of it self to make us unconquerable and invincible like stones which abide in the Building for ever and fall not out No it is not the worthiness of our believing it is the vertue of him in whom we believe by which we stand sure as houses that are builded upon a Rock He is a Wise-man which hath builded his house upon a Rock for he hath chosen a good foundation and no doubt his house will stand but how shall it stand Verily by the strength of the Rock which beareth it and by nothing else Our Fathers whom God delivered out of the Land of Egypt were a People that had no Peers amongst the Nations of the Earth because they were built by Faith upon the Rock which Rock is Christ. And the Rock saith the Apostle in the first to the Corinthians the tenth Chapter did follow them Whereby we learn not onely this that being built by Faith on Christ as on a Rock and grafted into him as into an Olive we receive all our strength and fatness from him but also that this strength and fatnesse of ours ought to be no cause why we should be high-minded and not work out our salvation with a reverent trembling and holy fear For if thou boasteth thy self of thy Faith know this That Christ chose his Apostles his Apostles chose not him that Israel followed not the Rock but the Rock followed Israel and that thou bearest not the Root but the Root thee So that every Heart must thus think and every Tongue must thus speak Not unto us O Lord not unto us nor unto any thing which is within us but unto thy name onely onely to thy Name belongeth all the praise of all the Treasures and Riches of every Temple which is of God This excludeth all boasting and vaunting of our Faith 17. But this must not make us careless to edifie our selves in Faith It is the Lord that delivereth mens souls from death but not except they put their trust in his mercy It is God that hath given us eternal life but no otherwise than thus If we believe in the name of the Sonne of God for he that hath not the Sonne of God hath not life It was the Spirit of the Lord which came upon Sampson and made him strong to tear a Lyon as a man would rend a Kid but his strength forsook him and he became like other men when the Razor had touched his Head It is the power of God whereby the Faithful have subdued Kingdoms wrought Righteousness obtained the Promises stopped the mouths of Lyons quenched the violence of Fire escaped the edge of the Sword but take away their Faith and doth not their strength forsake them are they not like unto other men 18. If ye desire yet farther to know how necessary and needful it is that we edifie and build up our selves in Faith mark the words of the blessed Apostle Without Faith it is impossible to please God If I offer unto God all the Sheep â—â—d Oxen that are in the World if all the Temples that were builded since the dayes of Adam till this hour were of my foundation if I break my very heart with calling upon God and wear out my tongue with preaching if I sacrifice my body and my soul unto him and have no Faith all this availeth nothing Without Faith it is impossible to please God Our Lord and Saviour therefore being asked in the sixth of St. Iohn's Gospel What shall we do that we might work the works of God maketh answer This is the work of God that ye believe in him whom he hath sent 19. That no work of ours no building of our selves in any thing can be available or profitable unto us except we be edified and built in Faith What need we to seek about for long proof Look upon Israel once the very chosen and peculiar of God to whom the adoption of the Faithful and the glory of Cherubims and the