similitude of ingrafting wherein Christ is compared to the Vine and wee to the branches grafted into him Lastly by the similitude of feeding wherin Christ is compared to the foode and wee to the bodie which is nourished As for the similitude of Marriage the strongest bands of coniunction that euer was betweene two creatures was betweene Adam and Eue for Eue was his Wife his Sister and his Daughter his Wife being ioyned with him in marriage by God she became one flesh with him she was his Sister made immediately by the hand of that same Father who made Adam and that without Adams helpe shee was also his Daughter for of him shee was made bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh All these wayes are we alyed vnto Iesus Christ we are his spouse in respect of that mutuall contract and couenant which is betweene vs he hath marryed vs to himselfe in righteousnesse iudgement mercy and compassion We are his Sonnes and Daughters in respect of regeneration which is our new creation we are also his brethren and sisters in respect of the spirit of adoption by whom we acknowledge God the father of our Lord Iesus Christ to be our father also in him and his sonne Iesus to be our elder brother Yet is our allyance with Christ so neere that all these whereof we haue spoken can not expresse it and therefore ye shall finde that there is not a way by which in nature two things are made one but from it the spirit of God borrowes similitudes to declare how Christ and we are one in him as the branch in the tree we are of him as Eue was of Adam we are of him as the house is built on the foundation wee are one with him and that many manner of wayes one with him as brother with brother as husband and wife as the body and the head as meat and that which is nourished what meruaile theâ— considering all these that the Apostle with boldnes breakes out in this glorious triumph there is no condemnation to them who are in Christ seeing we are in him as branches in the tree it is not possible that we can wither or decay for want of the sap of Grace so long as he doth retaine it and that shall be for euer seeing we are built on him like an house vpon a sure foundation what storme can ouerblow vs let the winde rise and the raine fall wee shall not be ouerthrowne because wee are the building of God standing vpon a sure foundation seeing wee are his spouse who can haue action against vs our debts fall to be payd by our husband he liueth to make answere for vs seeing we are his conquered inheritance who will take vs out of his hand My sheepe can no man take out of my hand saith our blessed Sauiour Most happy then and sure is the estate of all those who are in Christ Iesus But leauing other similitudes let vs consider that this phrase to be in Christ is borrowed from planting or ingrafting Our Sauiour vses this same similitude Iohn 15. And in it we haue these things to consider First who is the stock or root secondly who are the grafts or branches ingrafted thirdly what is the manner of the ingrafting fourthly some comfors and instructions arising hereof The root or stock whereinto this ingrafting is made is Iesus Christ called by himselfe the true Vine by the Apostles the true Oliue by the Prophets the roote of Iesse and the righteous branch this roote that great husbandman the eternall God prepared to be as a stocke of life wherein he ingrafts all of Adams lost posteritie whom he hath concluded to saue to the praise of the glory of his mercie After that in the fulnes of time God hath sent him into the world clad with our nature and he hath done the work for which he came the Lord laid him in the graue and as it were set him in the graue but at once like a liuely roote hee sprang vp and rested not till his branches spred to the vttermost ends of the earth and till his top mounted vp vnto heauen for there now he sits and raignes in life who before was humbled to death The branches or graftes ingrafted in him are of two sorts first all the members of the Church visible who by externall Baptisme are entred to a profession of Christ baptised with water but not with the holy Ghost this kinde of ingrafting will suffer a cutting off if thou continue not in his bountifulnesse thou shalt also be cut off For they haue not the sap of grace ministred to them from the stocke of life but are as dead trees hauing leaues without fruit they haue a shew of Godlinesse but haue denyed the power thereof these are no better then Esau who lay in the same wombe with Iacob borne and brought vp in the same Family of Isaac which was the Church of God marked also with the same sacrament of Circumcision Naâ— sicut ille ex legittima matre natus gratiam superbe spreuit reprobatus est it a qui in vera Ecclesia baptizantur gratiam Dei non amplectuntur cum Esauo reijciuntur For as hee being borne of a lawfull Mother proudely despised Grace and was cast off so they who are baptised in the true Church of God and embrace not the grace of God shall be reiected with Esau neyther shall it auaile them that by an externall kinde of ingrafting they haue beene adioyned to the fellowship of the visible Church The other sort are they who beside the outward ingrafting whereof we haue spoken are also inwardly grafted by the holy Ghost in Iesus Christ in such sort that Christ is in them and they in Christ and can say with the Apostle Now I liue yet not I any more but Christ Iesus liueth in me these haue in them that same minde which was in Iesus the onely sure argument of our spirituall vnion with him for if any man haue not the spirit of Christ the same is not his and they who are quickned and ruled by this spirit are assuredly his As for the manner of the ingrafting it is spiritual wrought by the holy Ghost who creating faith in our heart by hearing of the Gospell makes vs to goe out of our selues tranfire in Christum so to relie vpon him that by his light we are illuminated by his spirit wee are quickned by the continuall furniture of his grace we perseuere and increase in spirituall strength in a word so we liue that in our selues we dye Euery lampe of the golden candlesticke hath his owne pipe through which these two oliues that stand with the ruler of the whole world emptie themselues into the gold that is euery member of the Church of Christ receiues grace from that fulnesse of Grace which is in him through the secret conduits of the spirit whereby he causeth
but phantasie and vanishing shewes nothing commends vs to God but this one to haue the spirit of Christ dwelling in vs. Againe wee see here that Christ and his Spirit cannot bee sundred except men will crucifie againe the Sonne of God Let no man therefore say that he hath Christ vnlesse hee haue the Spirit of Christ. As hee is not a man who hath not a Soule so hee is not a Christian who hath not the spirit of Christ no man counteth that a member of his body which is not quickned by his Spirit no more is hee a member of Christ who hath not the spirit of Christ hereby wee know that wee dwell in him and hee in vs because he hath giuen vs of his Spirit And as Christ and his spirit are not sundred so cannot the spirit be sundred from the fruits of the Spirit now the fruites of the Spirit are Loue Ioy Peace Long Suffering Gentlenesse Goodnesse Faith Meeknesse Temperance If the Spirit of Christ dwell in vs and if wee liue in the Spirit let vs walke in the Spirit this is the conuiction of carnall professors that while they say the spirit of Christ is in them they declare none of his fruites in their conuersation but to insist somwhat more in this same purpose Wee are to know that the effects and operations of the Spirit are twofold the one is a generall and common operation which he hath in the wicked for hee illuminates euery one who commeth into the world Neyther can any man say that Iesus is the Lord but by the Spirit euery spark of light and portion of truth bee it in whom it will flowes out of doubt from this holy Spirit That Caiaphas and Saul can Prophecie that Iudas can Preach all is from him but of â—his manner of operation is not here meant for this way he vvorketh in the wicked not for any good to them but for the aduancement of his owne worke The other kinde of the holy Ghosts operation is speciall and proper to the godly by the vvhich hee doth not onely illuminate their mindes but proceeds also to their harts and workes this threefold effect in it Sanctification Intercession and Consolation First he is vnto them a spirit of Sanctification renuing their harts by his effectuall grace hee first rebukes them of sinne he wakens their conscience with some sight of their iniquities and sense of that wrath which sinne hath deserued whereof arises heauinesse in their harts sadnesse in their countenance lamentation in their speech and such an alteration in their whole behauiour that their former pleasures become painefull vnto them and others who knevv them before wonders to see such a change in them From this he proceeds and leads them to a sight of Gods mercie in Christ hee inflames their harts with a hunger thirst for that mercie and workes in their hearts such a loue of righteousnesse and hatred of sinne that now they become more afraid of the occasions of sinne then they were before of sinne it selfe this resistance made to the â—entations this care to eschew the occasions of sinne is an vndoubted token of the spirit of Christ dwelling in thee This is the first operation of the spirit but it is not all he proceeds yet further by degrees for the kingdom of God is as if a man should cast seede into the earth which growes vp and vve cannot tell how first it sends out the blade secondly the eares and then the cornes so proceeds the kingdome of God in maâ— by degrees In the second place the holy spirit becomes to the godly a spirit of Intercession so long as vve are bound with the cords of our transgressions we cannot pray but from the time hee once loose vs from our sinnes hee openeth our mouth vnto God hee teacheth vs to pray not onely with sighes and sobbes that cannot be expressed but also puts such words in our mouths as we our selues who spake them are not able to repeat againe And thirdly hee becomes vnto them the spirit of Consolation if he be vnto thee a sanctifier and an intercessor hee shall not faile at the last to be thy comforter If at the first after that thou hast sent vp supplications thou find not his consolation descending vpon thee be not discouraged but be the more humbled for alas our sinnes shortens his arme and the hardnesse of our harts holds out his comforts we must fall downe vvith Mariâ— and lye still washing the feet of Christ with our teares before he takes vs in his armes to kisse vs with the kisses of his mouthâ— and if wee finde these effects of his presence going before humiliation of our hart and the grace of prayer wee may be out of all doubt that his consolations shall follow after Of this it is yet further euident against all those who deny that the Christian may bee sure of his saluation that hee vvho hath the spirit of Iesus knowes that hee hath him as he who hath life feeles sensiblie that he hath it and is able truely to say I liue â—o he who hath the spirit of Iesus knowes by feeling that hee hath him and is able to say in truth Christ liueth in mee Know yee not saith the Apostle that Christ Iesus is in you except yee be reprobates This shall bee further confirmed by considering those three names which are giuen to the holy spirit from his operation in vs hee is the Seale the Earnestâ— the witnesse of God the vse of a Seale is to confirme and make sure One of these two therefore must the Papists say that â—yther none are sealed by the holy Spirit or else they must confesse that they who are sealed are sure If they say that none are sealed by this Spirit they speake against the manifest truth of God grieue not the holy spirit by whom yee are sealed against the day of redemption And if they deny that they who are seâ—led by him are sure of that saluation which God hath promised he hath sealed they blaspheme calling him such a seale as makes not them sure who are sealed by him hee who hath the seale of a Prince rests assured of that which by the seale is confirmed to him aâ—d shall not the seale of the 〈◊〉 God the Spirit of promise confirme that man in the assurance of saluation who hath receiued him Neither is he onely the seale of God but hee is also the earnest of our inheritance and the witnesse of God he that beleeueth in the sonne hath a witnesse in himselfe what vvill the aduersarie of Christian comfort say to this if yee say that there are none to whom Gods spirit witnesses mercie from God ye speake against the Apostle the spirit beares witnesse to our spirit that we are the sonnes of God or if yee say that those vvho haue this testimonie of the
according to your Highnesse wonted fauour and clemencie toward me your maiestie would graciously accept it as a testimonie of my earnest and vnfained affection toward your Highnesse name and honour in this life and euerlasting welfare in the life to come Your Maiesties most humble Subiect and dayly Oratour William Cowper Minister at Perth THE RIGHT WAY TO Eternall Glory THE SECOND PART OF THE CHAPter contayning Comforts against the CROSSE Verse 17. If so be wee suffer with him that we may also be glorified with him THE mortification of a Christian whereunto the spirit of GOD so frequently exhorts vs consists in these two first in a subduing by a holy Discipline our inordinate lustes which naturally rebell against the law of God secondly in a patient bearing of the Crosse of Iesus In the first part of the Chapter the Apostle hath exhorted vs vnto the one and now in the second by many arguments he strengthens vs against the other vnlesse wee make some profit in the first point of mortification it is certaine we shall neuer proceed to the second For the life of one affection is far lesse preuailes most to make man impatient and so driue him to blaspheme God And therefore most of all wee are to confirme our weakenesse against the crosse since in it the enimie of our saluation placeth his principall strength Let vs hearken to the Apostle who as a minister of Iesus indeede and a heauenly Phisition sent to vs from the Lord our God doth here temper the bitter waters of Marah and make them sweet vnto all the Israell of God The first argument of comfort is set downe in this latter end of the 17. Verse and it is taken partly from the nature of out sufferings they are sufferings with Christ and partly from the end thereof which is to raigne with Christ in glory Here first we learne that suffering must goe before glory the husband-man must labour before hee receiue the fruits neither is hee that striueth for a maisterie crowned except hee striue as hee ought The prince of saluation was consecrated by affliction it behoued him first to suffer and then to enter into his kingdome All that professe him are desirous with the sonnes of Zebedeus to sit some at his right hand and some at his left but are not so content to drinke of his cuppe and be baptised with his baptisme Volunt omnes te frui at non ita imitari conregnare cupiunt sed non compati they would all enioy thee knowing that pleasures for euermore are at thy right hand but are not content to follow thee they all desire to raigne with thee but not so to suffer with thee but this is a preposterous way it is to diuide those things which the Lord here hath ioyned together except first we suffer with him we shall not hereafter raigne with him Secondly let vs marke here the different courses of the Christian and worldling the Christian by temporall trouble goes on to eternall glory the worldling by temporall glory goes on to eternall shame If yee goe to the Schoole of Iesus the first ABC of religion taught you there will bee this If any man will be my Disciple let him denie himselfe take vp his Crosse and follow mee if yee goe to the Schoole of Sathan the first ABC of Atheisme taught there is this All the kingdomes of the world will I giue thee if thou wilt fall downe and worship mee The Lord Iesus through light and momentanie afflictions leades his children to an infinite waight of glory but Sathan through the present perishing pleasure of sinne leades his miserable captiues to euerlasting paine therefore it is said of our Sauiour of the one blessed are yee that mourne for yee shall be comforted and of the other wâ—e bee to you that laugh now for yee shall waite and weepe As there is no comparison betweene these two so blessed shall wee be if wee make choyse of the best Moses esteemed the rebuke of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt because he had respect to the recompense of reward and shall not we reioyce in our present afflictions considering they are the way vnto our glory if wee sowe in teares wee shall reape in ioy The end of the godly is better than their beginning for the light of the righteous encreaseth more and more like the Sunne vnto the noone day they begin with teares and they end with ioy but the light of the wicked is like vnto the light of a candle it shineth for a while and incontinent ends in stincking smoake as Beltasars banquet was concluded with a cuppe of wrath so all the pleasures of the wicked ends in paine At that banquet in Cana the Lord Iesus brought in the finest wine hindmost but Sathan doth with his miserable banquetters as the gouernours of that feast speakes hee presents his best first and after when they haue well dronken brings in that which is worse in the entry he presents the deceitfull pleasures of sinne but doolefull and lamentable is their end for what better portion can he giue vnto them than is prepared for himselfe he is reserued to blacknesse of darknesse tribulation and anguish of Spirit terrour and horrible wrath shame and endlesse confusion is prepared for him and all those who are portioners with him owne bloud that fruitful Vine which hath sprung out from that blessed stock Iesus Christ the more it was cut by the bloudy kniâ—e of cruell persecuters the more hath it flourished Againe wee haue here this comfort that the sufferings of the godly are sufferings with Christ. There is no man in the world who wants his owne crosse euen they who haue their fattest portions in earth haue it not without many sorrowes by vertue of that cursse in the sweat of thy brow shalt thou eate bread till thou returne to the earth and herein they are but miserable vae portantibus Crucem non sequentibus Christum woe is vnto them who beare the crosse and follow not Christ comfortlesse fruitlesse and endlesse will their sufferings be But as for the Godly they are sufferers with Christ they suffer not alone if Ioseph goe to the prison the Lord shall goe with him if the three Children goe to the fire the fourth like the sonne of God shall goe with them God the Father protests that in all the troubles of his Children hee was troubled and that he hath such a tender feeling of their afflictions that hee who toucheth them toucheth the apple of his eye and the Lord Iesus the sonne of God when his Saints at Damascus were persecuted cryed from heauen to the persecuter Saul Saul why perseâ—cutest thou me And as concerning the holy Ghost the Apostle testifies Blessed are yee if yee be railed vpon for the name of Iesus for the Spirit of God and of glory rests on you which on their
to the aduersary as to thinke I haue no faith because it is weake or I haue no loue because it is little or no sanctification because it is but in a beginning No but I will so hunger and thirst for more grace that I will still giue thankes for the grace I haue receiued for here vve haue no fulnesse our greatest measure is as the first fruits in respect of that which is to come On the other side because euery comfort vvhich is giuen to the godly is turned by prophane contemners and mockers into an occasion and nourishment of sinne they are to know this comfort belongs not vnto them It is a common thing to them to excuse the want of all Grace O it is but a small grace vvhich in this life is communicated to the best and they thinke their sinnes are well inough couered by this that all men are sinners as if there were no difference betweene sinne tyrannizing in the wicked and captiued in the the godly or as if beginnings of Grace in the regenerate did not seperate them in regard of conuersation from the vnregenerate who are void of all Grace Let them therefore know that the Spirit of God vvhom the godly receiue is not onely called the first fruits the earnest and the witnesse of God but also the seale and signet of the liuing God As a seale leaues in the waxe that similitude and impression of the forme which is in it selfe so the Spirit of God communicates his owne image to all those whom he seales against the day of redemption hee makes them nevv and holy creatures And this conuinces carnall professors of a lye vvho say they haue receiued the first fruites of the Spirit notwithstanding that their vvorks be wicked and vncleane they may rather if they would tell the truth say as those who being demaunded vvhether they had receiued the holy Ghost or no answered we know not vvhether there be an holy Ghost or no so may they instead of bragging of the first fruits of the Spirit say in truth we knovv not vvhat yee call the first fruits of the Spirit And thirdly out of this description vve may gather that albeit we haue no more but the first fruits of the Spirit yet are they sufficient to assure vs that hereafter vve shall enioy the whole Masse In two respects it is customable to men to giue an earnest penny in buying and selling either when the summe is greater than they are able to pay for the present or when the thing bought is of that nature that it cannot presently be deliuered but betweene the Lord and vs there is no buying nor selling he giues freely vnto vs both the earnest and the principall but first the one and then the other not that the Lord is vnable to pay presently all that he hath promised but because the principall is of that nature that it cannot be receiued till we be prepared for it As the husbandman must sow and tarâ—y with patience till the haruest come wherein he may sheare as the warriour must fight before he obtaine the victory and the wrestler receiues not his crowne till hee haue ouercome neither doth he that runnes in a race obtaine the prise till he haue finished it so must the Christian in all these be exercised before that the Lord possesse him in the promised kingdome of his sonne Christ Iesus And though payment of the principall for a time be delayed yet for our comfort the earnest and first fruits are presently deliuered vnto vs the Lord so dealing with vs as he delt with Israell in the Wildernesse when he caused the twelue spies to bring with them from the riuer of Eschol a branch of the Vine tree so full of the clusters of grapes that it was borne betweene two vpon a tree together with the figges and pomegranats and other fruits of that land for no other end but that Israell tasting of the first fruits of Canaan might be prouoked to a more earnest desire thereof as also to assure them that the Lord who had giuen them the beginnings would also put them in possession of the whole according to his promise euen so the Lord Iesus who hath gone before vs to our heauenly Canaan not to view it onely but to take possession thereof in our name hath sent downe vnto vs some of the first fruites thereof that we may taste them such as peace of Conscience and ioy of the Spirit that by proofe of the small beginnings we may knovv vvhat excellent comfort is laid vp in store for vs. We sigh in our selues Here followes now the two effects of the Spirit which he vvorkes in them vvho haue receiued it The first is a sense of their present misery which causes them to sigh vnto God for deliuerance and hee sayth they sigh within themselues to teach vs that it is not an hipocriticall and counterfait but an inward and godly sorrow vvhich the Spirit workes in the children of God Which I doe not so speake as if I did condemne those sighes which breake forth without for sometime the griefe of hart is so aboundant in the godly that not onely it breakes out in sighing and mourning but in strong crying to God also but to restraine the hipocrisie of others who make a faire shew of that in the flesh which is not in the Spirit True religion striues rather to be approued of God than seene of men one sigh proceeding from the heart is a louder crying in the eares of the Lord of hosts and more forcible to moue him than the noise of all the shooting Priests of Baal when they are gathered together into one We are therefore more deepely to consider this that the Spirit of God first teacheth vs to figh and mourne for our present misery before he comfort vs with a constant hope of deliuerance If now we mourne not wee shall not reioyce hereafter it is onely mourners whom God hath marked in the fore-head to saue from the wrath to come such a continuall mourner was Dauid who protests that in the night he watered his couch with teares and in the day mingled his cuppe therewith Iob in like manner my sighing said he comes before my eating The Saints of God are not ashamed to professe that of themselues which the mockers of this age esteeme a womanly affection there is nothing to be found among them but eating drinking singing and a contracting of one sin after another with carnall reioycing but woe be vnto them that now laugh for assuredly they shall weep the end of their ioy shall be endles mourning and gnashing of teeth they shall shed teares abundantly with Esau but shall finde no place for mercy Let vs therefore goe to the house of mourning with the Godly rather than to the banquetting houses of the wicked reioycing in their sinfull pleasures At one time Simon the Pharise gaue our Sauiour a dinner
choise in things spirituall of that which is good for seeing vve cannot know vvhat is good for vs till the Spirit teach vs vvhat power haue vve of our selues to make choise of it It is true that men by the quicknesse of their naturall vvit haue found out many artes and trades profitable for this naturall life so Iubal was the first Father of them who play on Harpes and Organes and Tubal-cain the first inuenter of cunning working in brasse and iron but as for spirituall things which concerne the life to come man is not able by any power of Nature to help himselfe therein for vvhat can he doe seeing he doth not vnderstand those things that are of God But the spirit it selfe makes request The Apostle to the Galathians hath a commentary for these words when hee saith that God hath sent downe his Spirit into our harts by and againe tardius dando quod petimus instantiam nobis orationis indicit the Lord when hee is slow to giue that which vve aske doth it onely that he may commend his gifts vnto vs and make vs more instant and earnest in prayer For the better vnderstanding of this let vs distinguish our petitions sometime vve seeke those things which are not so expedient for our selues to be granted as refused vnto vs and in these non audit nos ad voluntatem vt exaudiat ad salutem the Lord regardeth not thy wil but thy vveale The Apostle buffeted by an Angell of Sathan besought the Lord to remoue that tentation from him but obtained not his vvil the Lord saw it was not for his weale and not onely doe we read that men beloued of God haue beene refused in mercy but others haue had their petitions granted in anger which wee may see not onely in the Israelites vvho obtayned flesh when they sought but in his anger but also in those damned Spirits vvho sought licence of the Lord Iesus to enter into Swine and obtained it but to the greater augmentation of their vvrath If therfore thy petition vnto God be for a thing absolutely necessary to thy saluation be assured that howeuer the Lord delay it hee shall not simply refuse it and if otherwise thou craue a thing not absolutely necessary for thee if the Lord refuse to satisfie thy will therein it is that hee may doe according to thy weale When the Disciple asked Iesus of the resurrection Lord wilt thou at this time restore the kingdome to Israell he satisfied them not in that which they craued It is not for you saith hee to know the times or seasons which the Father hath put into his owne hand but another thing meeter for them and lesse craued of them hee promised vnto them But yee shall receiue power of the holy Ghost when hee shall come vpon you and yee shall be witnesse vnto me A comfortable answere indeed an exchange most profitable for vs and wee rest content with it So be it euen so be it O Lord giue vs thine holy Spirit and deny vs any other thing thou wilt And of this againe we learne that we liue onely by mercy for not onely those things which we obtaine by prayer are begged by vs and giuen by God For what hast thou O man that thou hast not receiued but we see here that prayer it selfe whereby wee get all things is also a gift of God if we wanted not of our owne we would not seeke of another by prayer and if vve could also pray of our selues vve needed not another to teach vs Etiam ipsa Oratio inter gratiae munera reperitur it is the Lord who commands and worketh in vs both the will and the deed vnto him therefore belongs the prayse of all Wee haue here also to consider a great comfort for the Godly who are oft times redacted to that estate that there is none among men to speake for them Ieremie cannot finde one Ebed-melech neyther haue the Prophets of the Lord one Obadiah to hide them Daniel hath none to speak for him al stands vp that had credit to procure that he may be cast into the denne those that should be friends oftentimes become foes to the seruants of God but euen at this time their comfort is that not onely they haue Iesus the Iust an Aduocate for them at the right hand of his Father but haue also the Spirit the Comforter within them an Intercessor for them Miserable therfore must they be who bend their tongues to speake against those for whom the holy Ghost maketh request vnto God that rebuke which the Prophet gaue to Iehosaphat vvhen he went out to help wicked king Achab wilt thou helpe them that hate the Lord we may turne to those in our time that are enimies to the Children of God Will yee hurt them whom the Lord helpeth The Children of God in all their infirmities haue the holy Spirit for their helper vvhat euer man speakes against them hee maketh request vnto God for them It cannot then otherwise be but in the end comfort must be to them and confusion vnto their enimies That oracle which Zeresh gaue to Hamans husband shall assuredly prooue true vpon all the enimies of in all our waies principally to looke vnto it It is in the most part of men an argument of their Atheisme that they look curiously to the decking of the body which falleth vnder the eye of man but regard not the hid man of the heart which falleth vnder the eye of God And againe we learne here that it cannot be without great contempt to God to sinne against him vnder hope of secrecie it is with thy sin to ioyne a mocking of God for in effect thou sayest with the Atheist The Lord seeth not A most high sinne against his Maiestie whereby thou dost all thou canst to pull out the eyes of the Lord that hee should not see or at least thinks so of him in the false conclusion of thy darkned mind No meruaile therefore that against such as thou art the Prophet threaten that fearefull curse Woe be to them that seeke in deepe to hide their counsell from the Lord their works are in darkenesse and they say who seeth vs or who knoweth vs your turning of deuices shall it not be esteemed as the potters clay for shall the worke say to him that made it hee made me not or the thing formed say of him that fashioned it hee had none vnderstanding Vnderstand yee vnwise among the people and yee fooles when will yee be wise Hee that planted the eare shall hee not heare or he that formed the eye shall he not see he that teacheth man knowledge shall hee not know Certainely the Lord knoweth the thoughts of the heart of man that they be but vanitie Let vs therefore sanctifie the Lord God of hostes in our heart let vs neuer seeke to hide our wayes from heauen for that is impossible let
deliuering vs from so fearefull a condemnation Last of all as this is the happy estate of them who are in Christ that now there is no condemnation for them so is it the contrary miserable estate of the damned doe what they will euery action of their life makes out the processe of their most iust condemnation for to the vncleane all things are vncleane yea euen their consciences are defiled and their prayer is abhominable and turned into sinne but thanks be to God through Iesus Christ who hath deliuered vs from this most vnhappie condition To them who are in Christ. Albeit the former mentioned deliuerance from the wrath to come be most comfortable yet this which is subioyned should waken euery man to take heed vnto himselfe when we heare that this deliuerance is limited and restrained onely to them who are in Christ. It is true that by the offence of one man the fault came on all to condemnation but by the obedience of one all are not made righteous onely they who receiue the abundance of grace and gift of righteousnesse shall reigne in life through one Iesus Christ. As therfore we haue receiued within our selues by nature the sentence of death knowing that we are borne heyres of the wrath of God by disobedience so wisedome craues that we neuer rest nor suffer our eies to sleepe nor our eye-lids to slumber but that wee should recount our former sinnes in the bitternesse of our heart and water our couch with teares in the night and call vpon the Lord without ceasing in the day continually vntill we finde that we are translated from darknesse to light taken out of nature and planted in Christ and that first sentence of absolution be pronounced to our conscience by the spirit of adoption goe thy way thy sinnes are forgiuen thee For the Apostle vseth here this limitation of the comfort to certain persons thereby to declare that it appertaines not vnto the remnant of the world When the originall world was ouerwhelmed with waters none were saued but such as were in the Arke when Sodome was burnt with fire none were saued but those of the familie of Lot when Iericho was destroyed none were preserued but such as were in the Familie of Rahab all these are figures shadowing vnto vs that when the Lord shall come to cut downe the wicked with the sword or hooke of his iustice to cast them for euer into the wine-presse of his wrath saluation shall belong onely to those who are of the houshold of faith euen that whole familie whereof God in Iesus Christ is the Father which number is indeede exceeding small if they bee compared with the remnant and great multitude of the world therefore let not their euill example deceiue vs but remembring the kingdome of heauen suffers violence let vs cast away these burdens and impediments specially this sinne which hangeth so fast on that we may enter in time into the arke of God and Familie of Rahab that so vvee may bee saued Wee haue here then first to obserue a certaine distinction of mankinde whereof some are in Christ these are vessels of honour reserued to mercy others out of Christ and these are vessels of dishonour ordained vnto wrath This distinction is first made in God his secret counsell electing some and leaâ—ing others according to the good pleasure of his will and this is onely knowne vnto himselfe It begins first to be manifest when the Lord by effectuall calling seperates his Elect from the children of wrath and disobedience and then it is knowne but properly and truely of those onely who are effectually called for that now name which To them that are in Christ. The Apostle you see changes the manner of his speach when hee spake of the power of sinne remayning in our nature he spake of it in his owne person but when hee speakes of our deliuerance by Iesus Christ he speakes of it in the person of others Thus the Apostle by an holy wisedome doth order his speach for the comfort of the children of GOD for least that other weake christians might bee discouraged by reason of their sinnes hee speakes of remanent sinfull corruption in his owne person to declare that none no not the holy Apostles are exempted from it Of deliuerance againe he speaks in the person of others least any should thinke that the grace of Christ were restrayned onely to such singular persons as holy Apostles were not also extended to others Commonly these whâ— are of such a tender Conscience makes exception of themselues as if the comfort of other christians belonged not to them the Apostle therefore includes within the communion of this benefit all vvhosoeuer Pastors people learned vnlearned poore rich weake and strong prouiding that they bee in Iesus Christ. Men who are truely godly in the matter of misery chiefly contemne themselues therefore the Apostle calles himselfe the chiefe of all sinners but they neuer exclude others from the same communion of mercie I know sayes the Apostle that there is layd vp for mee a crowne of glory and not onely for mee but for all them who loue the second appearing of the Lord Iesus It is farre otherwise with naturall men blinded with presumption they extoll their owne righteousnesse aboue others in their conceit with the proud Pharisee condemneth euery other man as a greater sinner than himselfe they carrie in their bagge two measures by the one they take to themselues making much of the smallest good which is in them by the other they giue setting that by for light which is most excellent in another Our Sauiour properly expresses their corrupt iudgement when hee compares it to the light of the eye which can see any other thing better than it selfe and can espye a moate sooner in another than a beame in it selfe After this manner hipocrites looke out curiosi ad cognoscendâ—m vitam alienam dâ—sidiosi ad corrigendum suam curious searchers of the life of others carelesse correcters of their owne Mens peracute perspiciens alienos errores tarda est ad proprios cognoscendos defectus the minde that sharply lookes to the faults of others doth but slowly consider her owne defects but let vs learne by the precept of our blessed Sauiour and practise of this holy Apostle rather to looke to our selues searching out our owne sins then neglecting our selues to prattle vainely of the sinnes of other men That are in Christ. But now to come to the matter The spirit of God in holy Scripture expresses our vnion with Christ by fiue sundry similitudes first by a marriage wherin Christ is the husband and we the spouse Secondly by a body whereof Christ is the head and wee the members Thirdly by a building or house wherein Christ is the foundation or ground stone and wee the vpper building vpon him Fourthly by the
vs to grow and preserueth our soules in life Though he be in heauen and we on earth no distance of place can stay this vnion for seeing the members of the body howsoeuer scattered through sundry parts of the world so farre that many of them haue neuer seene others in the face are notwithstanding knit together by the band of one spirit into one holy communion why should it bee denyed but that the head and members of this mysticall body are also one by the same Spirit suppose the head be in heauen and the members on earth or what need is there to enforce for effecting of this vnion such a corporall presence of Christ in the Sacrament as cannot stand with the truth of Gods word Now the comforts that ariseth vnto vs of our communion with Christ are exceeding great for first we haue with him a communion of natures hee hath taken vpon him ours and hath communicated his nature vnto vs. Of the first after a sort all mankinde may glory forasmuch as Christ tooke not on the nature of Angels but the nature of man yet if there bee no more the comfort is small yea the condemnation of man is the greater that the Lord Iesus came vnto man in mans nature and man would not receiue him But as for the godly let them reioyce in this that the Lord Iesus hath not onely assumed our nature but also made vs pertakers of the diuine nature before hee assumed our nature hee sanctified it and now hauing by his owne spirit ioyned vs to himselfe wee may bee out of doubt hee shall not cease till he hath fully sanctified vs. It is a notable comfort that the worke of our perfect sanctification is not left vnto vs to doe the Lord Iesus hath taken it into his owne hand to performe it what then shall hinder it I am perswaded that hee who hath begunne this good worke in you will performe it against the day of Iesus Christ. Hee who at his pleasure turned water into Wine hee who made the bitter vvaters to become sweet hee who makes the wildernesse a fruitfull land and the barren woman to become the mother of many children in a word hee who calles things which are not and causeth them to bee is hee not able to make sinners become Saints or shall hee not perfect that worke of the new creation which hee hath begunne in vs As for man he may begeâ— children but cannot renew their nature he may marrie a Wife but cannot change her conditions no more than Moses qui Aethiopissam duxit sed non potuit aethiopissae mutare colorem who married an Aethiopian woman but could not change her colour But the Lord Iesus hath so loued his Church that hee shall make head and remanent members euidently shewes that this spirituall life is but weake in vs. Last of all by our ingrafting in Christ wee haue this comfort that we are sure of the benefite of perseuerance and that because as the Apostle saith we beare not the root the root beares vs our saluation depends not vpon vs for that were an vnsure foundation it depends vpon him because we are in him we grow and increase yea the older we be in Christ the more we fasten our roote and flourish for they who are planted in the Courts of the Lord flourish in their old age and bring forth fruit and wheras other branches may be pulled away from their stocke eyther by violence of winde or force of the hands of men or at least consumed by length of time it shall not be so with them who are in Christ they keepe not him but are kept by him because I am not changed therefore yee are not consumed O yee sonnes of Iacob but as to those who are not planted in Iesus bee who they will they shall be pulled vp they shall not continue in honour The Princes of the earth their breath shall decay they shall returne to their earth and their thoughts shall perish the Iudges thereof shall bee made as vanitie as though they were not planted nor sowen or as if their stocke tooke no root in the earth The Lord shall blow vpon them and they shall wither the whirle-wind shal take them away like stubble O silly glory of worldlings which dieth to them oftentimes before themselues at least with them their beâ—utie consumes when they go from the house to the graue their pomp doth not descend after them Onely happy sure is the state of that man who is in Christ neyther life nor death things present nor things to come shal seperate him from the loue of God Now the lessons of instruction are chiefely two first is a lesson of humilitie seeing it is so that in Christ we haue life let vs be humble in our selues forasmuch as that which we haue we haue of another so taught the auncient fathers agreeable to holy scripture eleauen hundred yeers before vs which I mark the rather to point out the agreement in one truth between vs and the Fathers of the primitiue Church Ita sunt in vite palmites vt illi nihil conferant sed inde accipiant vnde viuant sic quippe vitis est in palmitibus vt vitale subministret illis non sumat ab ijs ac per hoc manentem in se habere Christum manere in Christo discipulis prodest non Christo the branches are so in the vine that they giue nothing vnto it but receiues from it that sap of grace wherby they liue but the vine is so in the branches that it ministers life vnto them and receiues nothing from them that therefore Christ abideth in vs and we in him is profitable to vs who are his Disciples but not vnto himselfe Thus they learned from our Sauiour who in his speach to his Disciples denyes that man is able to doe any good thing without him as the branch can beare no fruit except it abide in the root no more can ye except ye abide in me for without me ye are able to do nothing And that which is subioyned doth yet more humble vs praeciso palmite potest de viuae radice alius pullulare qui autem praecisus est non potest sine radice viuere though a branch be cut off from the root another may spring out but the branch which is cut off cannot liue without the root it withereth and is meet for nothing but the fire he that falleth away from Christ shall perish like a withered branch but the Lord Iesus shal not want another who shall grow vp in him we stand by faith let vs not be high minded but feare The second is a lesson of thankfulnesse wee who professe that we are in Christ should be fruitfull in good works herein saithâ—our Sauiour is my Father glorified that yee beare much fruit There is such a liuely power in this stock of
men in the vvorld ye shall see some in stead of following Christ flying from him Qui enim male facit odit lucem for hee vvho doth euill hateth the light Others vvhere they should follow him runne before him not waiting vpon his light direction in matters of his vvorship followes their owne spirit doing that vvhich is good in their owne eyes they run vvith zeale but not in the right vvay And vve haue so much the more to take heede vnto the vvay because euery mans course declareth vvhat kinde of man he is vvhether carnall or spirituall and vvhat vvill be his end he that soweth to the flesh of the flesh will reape corruption but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reape life euerlasting I am perswaded there is no man among vs vvho vvill not say hee vvould be at the best end vvhich is eternall life but here is the vvonderfull folly of men the proposed end of their pilgrimage vvhereat they vvould be is heauen but the vvay vvherein they vvalk is the vvay that leadeth close into hell Who vvill not esteeme him a foole vvho in word saith his iourney is toward the South and yet for no mans vvarning vvill refraine his feete from vvalking toward the North but more foolish is hee vvho professing himselfe a pilgrime trauailing towards heauenly Ierusalem keepes notwithstanding a contrarie course hauing his backe vpon heauen and his face towards hell vvalking not after the Spirit but after the Flesh. O pittifull blindnesse and folly how many witnesses of God haue forewarned thee in thy life all crying to thee vvith a loud voice this vvay wherein thou walkest O sinfull man is the way of death hee vvho liues after the Flesh shall dye assuredly yet wilt thou not returne nor change the course of thy life to walke after the liuing God that thy mayest be saued And hauing once found the right way which may lead vs vnto God let vs strengthen our selues to walke in it by those three most notable helpes of a godly life deliuered to vs by Dauid in three verses of 119 Psal. vers 57. O Lord I haue determined to keepe thy word 58. I haue made my supplication in thy presence with my whole hart 59. I haue considered my wayes and turned my feete vnto thy testimonies Determination is the first it is a good thing by setled resolution to conclude with thy selfe that thou wilt liue godly Supplication is the second except by continuall prayer our determination bee confiâ—med and strengthned by grâ—ce from God our conclusions vvhich vve take to day shall vanish to morrow Consideration is the third and it is profitable to reduce vs againe into the way of God so often as of weaknes we wander from it contrary to our first determination These are the three helpes to keepe our hart in the way of God so necessary that if without them we doe any worke it is not possible but wee shall bee snared And therefore as in a ship which is ready to sayle so soone as the sayles are hoysed vp presently some skilfull Marriner starteth to the rudder so euery morning wherein vve rise from our rest and make our selues ready to go forward in our pilgrimage let vs first of all take heed vnto the hart for it is the rudder of the whole bodie let vs knit it vnto God by this threefold cord whereof I haue spoken so shall our wayes be ordered aright and vve shall make a happie progresse euery day in that way which leades to eternall life By determination we begin to keepe a good course By supplication vve continue in it By consideration we see vvhether we be right or wrong if vve be out of the way consideration warnes vs to returne againe into it Happie is that man in whose life one of these three is alwayes an actour And fourthly by this metaphor of walking that in our Christian conuersation there should bee a continuall progresse in godlinesse For as in walking saith Basil the steps other thing but the life of Christ like that Reuel 11. 11. Againe the law of the spirit of life in Christ is no other thing but that forcible working liuely power vvhich is in Christ for it is customable to the holy Apostle to vse the vvord law to expresse any thing wherein there is a commanding or working power so hee hath ascribed a law to sinne a law to his members a law to death and now very properly hee oppones vnto them a law of the spirit of life in Christ vvhich is more liuely and powerfull to saue to free and to quicken then any law that hath contrary power can be able to destroy captiue or slay them who are in Christ. Thus the words being expounded the first lesson will arise out of the Apostles manner of speach who ascribing to sinne and death a law vvhich may condemne and destroy ascribes to Christ a more powerfull law to iustifie and preserue Most sure then is our estate vvho are in Iesus Christ for there is a power in our Lord vvhich shall bring euery contrary power of man and Angell in subiecton to him that tyrant sinne hath indeede oppressed and ouer-ruled many a one but our Lord Iesus the valiant conquerour hath a mightie power able to disanull the lavv of sinne and Sathan is that strong one vvho by nature possesses the hart of man as his owne house but Iesus is that stronger one vvho vvill dispossesse him and cast him out of the hearts of all such as are his The God of peace shall shortly tread Sathan vnder our feet and therefore suppose vve bee vveake in our selues yet vve vvill reioyce in the strength of the Lord Iesus Secondly vve learne here that without Christ vve liued in a vile seruitude and bondage of all seruants those are in vvorst case who are sould and of those vvho are sould they are vvorst vvho must doe seruice in prison and of them vvho are in prison most lamentable is their estate vvho are chayned and bound in prison yet such seruants were vve by nature before Christ made vs free vve were not onely the seruants of sinne and sould vnder sinne as witnesseth the Apostle but more also vve vvere as sayth Esay captiued and bound with chaines in prison the Iaylour vvhereof is infidelitie for wee were all shut vp vnder vnbeliefe a Iaylour so straite and tyrannous as permitted vs not so long as wee were in his keeping so much as â—o lift vp our head or looke vp to heauen for deliuerance from him from whom onely comes our helpe Our oppressers in this bondage are Sathan and Sinne and sinnes of so many sorts as doe miserably distract the soule Pride one while vsurping dominion ouer vs Auarice another while vendicating a seat to her selfe with power to commaund vs Concupiscence most commonly challenging vs to doe her seruice as our soueraigne Sic certant in me de me
from vs that we should so doe Away with this wisedome of the flesh which is inimitie with God Perceiue againe how the spirit of God in such sort describes the nature of man vnrenued by Grace that no good is left in it out of vvhich the Semipelagians of our time may draw their vvorkes of preparation or merits of congruitie for vvhere as in the Soule of man there are but two faculties the Vnderstanding and the Will the spirit of God so describes his Vnderstanding that not onely hee saith the naturall man vnderstands not the things that are of God but as if that were not suffâ—cient to expresse mans miserable estate hee addeth neither indeed can he vnderstand them because they are spiritually discerned And againe his will hee so describeth it that it is not subiect vnto the Law of God and he addeth this neyther indeed can it bee what more can be said to abase the naturall pride of man he hath such a mind as neither vnderstands nor can vnderstand the things of God he hath such a will as neyther is subiect nor can be subiect to the Law of God This is the iudgement of gods spirit concerning the corruption of our nature vvee set it against the vaine opinion of all those vvho to magnifie the arme of flesh and the merits of man dreames of a good in our nature without grace which cannot be found in it Neyther let any man inferring more of the Apostles speach then himselfe concludes think it impossible that our rebellious vvill should be made obedient the Apostle takes not away this hope from man onely he denyes that nature is able to doe it Nature without grace may increase the inimitie but cannot make reconciliation but that vvhich is impossible to man is possible to God The nature of beasts birds and creeping things hath beene tamed by the nature of man saith Saint Iames but the tongue of man though the smallest member in the body yet so vnâ—uly an euill that no man is able to tame it Wee cannot change one haire of our head to make that vvhite vvhich is blacke far lesse can we change our hearts to make them holy vvhich are vncleane What then shall wee be out of all hope that vvhich vve are not able to doe shall vvee thinke it shall neuer bee done Let vs not so conclude though no man can tame the nature of man the Lord can Paul who vvas a rauening Wolfe in the Euening the Lord made a peaceable Lambe in the Morning Naturalists haue written that the bloud of the Goat causeth the hard Adamant to breake but the holy Scripture hath more surely taught that the bloud of Iesus hath vertue to turne a stony heart into a soft where it pleases the Lord of stones to raise vp children vnto Abraham There is nothing colder than ice yet sayth Augustine it is melted and made warme by the help of fire A thornie ground sayth Cyrill being vvell manured becomes fertile and the Lord sayth the Psalmist turneth a barren wildernes into a fruitfull land hee rayses the dead he makes the blind to see and the lame to vvalke he causes the Eagle to renue his youth shall we then close his hands and thinke it impossible for him to make the sinner conceiued and borne in sinne to cast the olde slough of nature and become a new creature And this haue I marked to keepe vs from that presumptuous iudging as to conclude any mans reprobation because of his present rebellion thou knowest not vvhat is in the counsell of God though in regard of his conuersation for the present hee be a stranger from the life of God And againe for our selues that vve may magnifie the mercie of the Lord our God vvho hath done that vnto vs by grace vvhich nature could neuer haue done that is hath made our rebellious harts subiect vnto his holy law and vve are sure hee vvill also performe that good worke which hee hath begunne in vs. The word which the Apostle vseth here to expresse mans naturall rebellion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 noteth such a rebellion of mans corrupt nature as is not subiect according to order we are not to thinke that any rebell vvere he neuer so stubborne can exempt himselfe from subiection doe vvhat he can he bides vnder the Lords dominion but a naturall man saith the Apostle giueth not orderly subiection vnto God Ieroboam shooke off the yoke of his lawfull Lord and Rehoboam vvas not able to controll him But let man repine as he vvill can hee cast off the yoke of the Lord No no if man refuse to declare his subiection by an humble submission of his spirit to the Lords obedience the Lord for all that shall not lose his superioritie but shall declare his power vpon man by controlling him he shal bruise coutrary to Gods most holy will Woe be to him that striueth with his maker If the will of God be not done by vs assuredly it shall bee done vpon vs de his qui faciunt quae non vult facit ipse quae vult the Lord saith Augustine in a meruailous manner doth his will on them who doe that which hee will not and therefore woe shall bee vnto all which are opposit to God his most holy will Quid tam paenale quam semper velle quod nunquam erit semper nolle quod nunquam non erit what greater punishment can there be then this euermore to desire that vvhich neuer shall be alway to dislike that which foreuer shal be a wicked man shall neuer obtaine that vvhich hee desires but shall suffer for euer that vvhich he dislikes For remedy of this rebellion our Sauiour hath taught vs daily to pray thy will be done in earth as it is in heauen so we pray and the Lord giue vs grace that vve may practise it that in euery action of our life denying our selues vve make looke to our heauenly Father enquire for his will and follow it saying vvith our blessed Sauiour not my will O Lord but thine be done Verse 8. So then they that are after the flesh cannot please God HEre the Apostle concludes the miserable estate of them who walke after the flesh affirming that doe what they vvill they cannot please God To be in the flesh sometime is taken in a good part for it is all one with this to liue in the body but here it is taken in an euill part for to bee in the flesh and to be in Christ are opposit one to another so that to be in the flesh is to be in the state of nature vnregenerate a stranger from the grace of Christ and the phrase is very significant for it imports an vniuersall thraldome of mans nature vnto the lusts of the flesh That speach of the Apostle to Simon Magus I see that thou art altogether in the gall of bitternesse signifies much more
these Romanes were spirituall Was not Eli deceiued in iudging of Anna she sought the Lord in the affliction of her spirit and hee iudged that she had beene a wicked woman and may not godly men be deceiued on the other extremitie to thinke well of them vvho are euill indeede I answere the Apostle doth here write vnto a Church and a publique fellowship or company of men seperate from the remanent of the world by the heauenly vocation called to be Saints and therefore might vndoubtedly write vnto them as vnto Saints and spirituall men it being alway most sure that where the Lord gathers by his word a Church he hath alway in the middest thereof a number that belong to the election of grace But to proceed further and to see how farre vve may goe in iudging of a priuate man we must know that first there is a iudgement of faith secondly a iudgement of fruits thirdly a iudgement of extraordinarie reuelation By the first we can onely iudge our selues and know our owne saluation according to that of the Apostle proue your selues if yee be in the faith know yee not your owne selues how that Christ is in you except yee be reprobates By the iudgement of fruits we may also proceed and iudge of others according to that rule of our blessed Sauiour Yee shall know them by their fruits no man gathers grapes of thornes or figges of thistles Euery good tree bringeth forth good fruit and a corrupt tree bringeth forth euil fruit These first two are common to euery Christian the iudgement of fruits being helped by the iudgement of Charitie Concerning the third Simon Peter knew by extraordinarie reuelation that Simon Magus was a reprobate a child of perdition by it the Apostle Paul knew that the same vnfayned faith dwelt in Timothie which dwelt before in his grandmother Lois and in his mother Eunice and by it Iohn the Euangelist knew that the Lady to whom hee wrote vvas an elect Lady but as for vs we are not to presume the election or reprobation of any man by such extraordinary reuelation Againe wee haue to mrke for our comfort how the Apostle calles them spirituall men in whom notwithstanding remained fleshly corruption The iudgement of the Lord and Sathan are contrary there is in you saith the deceiuer to the weake Christian fleshly corruption therefore yee are carnall there is in you saith the Lord through my grace a spirituall disposition therefore yee are spirituall Sathan is so euill that his eye sees nothing in the Christian but that which is euill the Lord is so good that hee sees no transgression in Israell hee iudges not his children by the remanents of their old corruption but by the beginnings of his renuing grace in vs. One dram of the grace of Christ in the soule of a Christian makes him more pretious in the eyes of God than that any remanent corruption in him can make him odious therfore is it that the Lord giues vnto them the names of his beloued his seruants his Sonnes his Saints who are so onely in part and by a beginning Both these are true hee that is borne of God sinneth not and againe if we say we haue no sinne we deceiue our selues Illud ex primimitijs noui hominis istis ex reliquijs veteris the one wee haue of the first fruits of the new man the other of the remanents of the old man Let vs therefore be so continually displeased with our inhabitant corruption that we dispaire not nor be discouraged neither let vs so complain of our sins that wee become false witnesses against the grace of God which is in vs. If there were nothing in vs but that wee haue by nature our estate were most miserable but seeing beside nature theâ—e is in vs a new workmanship of grace fâ—om the which the Lord accounts vs new and spirituall men wee haue thanks be to God matter of comfort As Sathan is a lyer in denying the name of spirituall men to men regenerate so his supposts aduersaries of the truth of Christ are lying deceiuers and vniust robbers when they restraine this name to such as are of their Cleargie which here the Apostle makes competent to euery man in whom the spirit of Christ dwelleth Spiritualem non facit vestis locus officium opus sed Spiritus it is neyther garment sayes one of their owne nor place nor office nor externall work that makes a man spirituall but the holy Spirit dwelling in him Because the Spirit of God dwels in you He subioynes here the confirmation of his former comfort hee hath said vnto them yee are not in the flesh hee proues it the Spirit of God dwels in you therefore yee are noâ— in the flesh not carnall but spirituall The necessitie of the consequence depends vpon this middest that the spirit of God where hee dwels is not idle but workes where he workes he workes not in vaine but effectuates that which he intends he transforms them in whom he dwels into the similitude of his owne Image hee is compared to fire that giues light euen to them who are farre of and heate to them who are neere hand but transchangeth those things into the nature of fire which are cast into it with so meruailous a vertue that yron which is cold by nature being put into the fire becomes hot and burning so doth that holy Spirit illuminate euery one who comes into the world but hee changeth all those in whom hee dwelleth hee transformeth them into his owne similitude and endueth them with an holy and heauenly disposition then his argument is sure the Spirit of God dwelleth in you therefore yee are not carnall but spirituall In the end of the last Chapter the Apostle said that sinne dwelleth in the man regenerate it is not I but sinne that dwelleth in me and here hee sayes that the spirit of God dwelleth in the man regenerate this is strange that two guests of so contrary natures should both at one time haue their dwelling in man I compare the soule of man regenerate to the house of Abraham wherein there was both a free woman Sarah and a bond woman Hagar vvith their children Ismael the sonne of the bond woman borne after the flesh is older and stronger then Isaac the sonne of the freewoman borne after the spirit that is according to the promise hee disdaines little Isaac as weaker and persecutes him yet the comfort of Isaac is that though Ismaell dwell in the house of Abraham for a while hee shall not remaine the sonne of the bondwoman shall be cast out and shall not inherit the promise with the sonne of the free woman such a house is the soule of a Christian there dwelleth in it at one time both old nature and new grace with their children the old man at the first being older and stronger than the new
man doth persecute him and seekes by all meanes to oppresse him but at the last hee shall be cast out This metaphor of dwelling doth also yeelde vnto vs exceeding great comfort in all other habitations the lodging is larger than the inhabiter but this is maruailous that the lodging here is so little and the inhabiter so great that infinite maiestie vvhom the heauen of heauens cannot contain vvho hath the heauen for his throne and the earth for his footestoole hath chosen for his dwelling and place of rest the soule of him that is poore contrite and trembles at his word A wonderfull mercy that the highest maiestie should so farre dimâ—t the selfe as that passing by all his other creatures hee should make choyse of man to be his pleasant sanctuary From this it is euident that this dwelling doth designe some speciall presence of God with his own children which he shewes not vnto others it is true hee is present in euerie place bounded within no place he containes all things vncontayned of any where hee dwelleth not as a Father there hee sits as a Iudge and is a terrour which manner of way the damned are continually vexed with his presence but in the Christian hee dwels as a maister in his owne familie as a Father with his children quickning ruling and preseruing them Worldlings may match the Christian in externall gifts but cannot compare with him in this internall glory though without hee be but an earthen vessell yet hath hee within an heauenly treasure for hee is the habitation of God in whom the Lord dwels by his spirit It was Beniamin his glory that the Lord should dwell betweene his shoulders and the glory of Ierusalem that there the Lord dwelt between the Cherubins but most of all the glory of a Christian that the Lord dwelleth betweene the secrets of his soule let worldling reioyce in their outward priuiledges and in their presumptuous minds leap like the mightie mountaines esteeming themselues high as mount Basan yet this is the glory of a Christian that God delights to dwell in him Let vs therfore make much of them who feare the Lord though in regard of their outward estate they were neuer so base we should not be ashamâ—d to doe them honour for his sake who dwelleth in them Dariâ—s preferred Daniell because the spirit was excellent in him and Pharaoh honoured Ioseph because the Spirit of God was in him yea the Angels are content to be Seruants and Ministers to them who feare the Lord they honoured Shepheards for Christs sake with their presence which they did not vnto King Herod for all his glory and shall not wee delight in Gods excellent ones vpon earth surely hee shall dwell in the Tabernacle of God in whose eyes a vile person is contemned but hee honoureth them who feare the Lord. Hereby wee know that wee are translated from death to life because wee loue the brethrâ—n Not onely doth this Metaphor of dwelling import a familiar presence but also a continuance thereof for he soiourns not in vs as a stranger that lodges for some dayes or Moneths in a place but hath setled his residence to dwell in vs for euer howeuer by temporall desertions he humble vs yet shall he neuer depart from that soule which once hee hath sanctified to be his owne habitation and this comfort is confirmed to vs by most sure arguments The first is taken from the nature of God Hee is faithfull saith the Apostle by whom wee are called to the fellowship of his Sonne Iesus Christ our Lord hee will confirme vs to the end that we may bee blamelesse in the day of our Lord Iesus And againe saith hee I am perswaded that hee who hath begunne this good work in you will performe it vntill the day of Christ. That word which the Lord spake to Iacob stands sure to all his posteritie I will not forsake thee till I haue performed that which I promised thee The couenant of God is perfect and euerlasting and therefore with Dauid will wee giue this glory vnto God that he will performe his promise toward vs and bring forward his owne worke in vs to perfection The second argument is taken from the nature of that life which Christ communicateth to his members it is no more subiect vnto death We know that Christ being raised from the dead dyes no more this life I say is communicated to vs for it is not we that liues but Christ that liues in vs. And the third is taken from the nature of that seede whereof we are begotten for as the seede is so is the life that comes by it now the seed saith the Apostle is immortall wee are borne of new not of mortall seed but immortall our life therefore is immortall But against this is obiected that the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul and that which Dauid prayes take not thine holy Spirit from me To this I answere that the spirit is taken sometime for the common and externall gifts of the spirit such as are bestowed as well vpon the wicked as vpon the godly as the gift of Prophecie gouernement working miracles and such like and these once giuen may bee taken againe in this sense it is said that God tooke the spirit that was vpon Moses and gaue it vnto the seauentie Elders and so also it is said that the spirit of God departed from Saul there it is put for the gift of gouernement sometime againe it is taken for the speciall and internall gift of sanctification this spirit once giuen is neuer taken away for this gift and calling of God is without repentance that is they neuer fall vnder reuocation To the second when Dauid saith take not thine holy spirit from me and restore me againe to the ioy of thy saluation this impoâ—â—s not a full departure of Gods spirit from him otherwise he could not haue prayed but that his sinne had diminished the sense and feeling of that operation of the spirit in him which he was wont to feele before and so is it with others of Gods Children that eyther the neglect of the spirituall worship or the commission of some new sins doth so impayre the sense of mercy in them that to their iudgement the spirit of God hath iustly forsaken them This I confesse is a very heauie estate and more bitter to them that haue felt before the sweetenesse of Gods mercy than death it selfe yet euen in this same estate wherein no comfort is felt let patience sustaine men let them learne to put a difference betweene that which they feele and that which is and remember that this is a false conclusion to say the spirit of grace is not in thee because thou canst not feele him for as there is a substance in the Oake or Elme euen when it hath cast the leaues so is there Grace in the heart
many times when it doth not appeare and these desertions which endure for a while are but meanes to effectuate a neerer communion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. hee turneth away from thee saith Chrysostome for a short while that he may haue thee for euer with himselfe Now it remaines that wee consider of these benefits wee haue by the dwelling of Christs Spirit in vs and of the duties which we owe againe vnto him The benefites are many and great Si enim tanta sit vis animae in massa terrae sustinenda mouendâ— impellenda quanta erit vis Dei in anima quae natura agilis est mouenda for if the soule be of such force to giue life and motion to this body which is but a masse of earth what shall the spirit of God doe vnto our soule which naturally is agill the wonderfull benefits that the body receiues by the dwelling of the soule in it may leade vs some way to consider of those great benefits which are brought vnto the soule by the dwelling of the spirit of God in vs. But of many we will shortly touch these two onely the first is that where this holy spirit comes to dwel he repaires the lodging man by nature being like vnto a ruinous pallace is restored by the grace of Christ. This reparation of man is sometimes called a new creation sometimes regeneration and it extends both to soule and body as to the soule the Lord strikes vp nevv lights in the miâ—do restores life to the heart communicates holinesse to the affections so that where before the soule was a habitation for vncleane spirits lying vnder the curse of Babel the Iim and Zijm dwelling in it the Ostriches lodging the Satires dauncing the Dragons crying within her pallaces that is defiled with all sorts of vile and vncleane affections the Lord Iesus hath sanctified it to be a holy habitation vnto himselfe And as to the reparation of our bodies it consists partly in making all the members thereof weapons of righteousnesse in this life and partly in deliuerance of them from mortalitie and corruptibilitie which shall be done in the day of resurrection which for the same cause is called by our Sauiour the day of regeneration for then shall hee change our mortall bodies and make them like vnto his owne glorious body thus by his dwelling in vs haue we the reparation both of our soules and bodies The other benefit we enioy by his dwelling in vs is the benefit of Prouision where hee comes to dwell hee is not burdenable after the manner of earthly Kings but his reward is vvith him for he hath not chosen vs to be his habitation for any neede hee hath of vs sed vt haberet in quem collocaret sua beneficia but that he might haue some on whom to bestow his benefits non indiget nostro ministerio vt domini seruorum sed sequimur ipsum vt homines lumen sâ—quuntur nihil ipsi praestantes sed beneficium a lumine accâ—pientes he hath no need of our seruice as other Lords haue neede of their seruants but we follow him as men follow the light giuing nothing to it but receiuing a benefit from it It falles commonly out that where men of meane estate receiue to lodge those that are more honourable they disease themselues to ease their guests but if thou receiue this rich spirit of the Lord to lodge non angustaberis sed dilataberis thou shalt not be straited but shalt be enlarged sayth Augustine hee knew the comfort hee reaped by this presence of God and therefore could speake the better thereofvnto others quando hic non eras angustias patiebar nunc implesti cellam meam non meam exclusisti sed angustiam meam when thou Lord dwelst not in me much anguish of minde oppressed mee now thou hast filled the cellers of my hart thou hast not excluded mee but excluded that anguish which troubled mee In a word the benefits wee receiue by him doe not onely concerne this life but are stretched out also to eternall life Dauid comprises all in a short summe the Lord is a light and defence hee will giue grace and glory and no good thing shall be withholden from them that loâ—e him The greater benefits we haue by the dwelling of Christ in vs the more are we obliged in our dutie to him O how should that house be kept in order wherein the King of glory is resident what daily circumspection ought to bee vsed that nothing be done to offend him not without cause are these watch-words giuen vs grieue not the spirit quench not the spirit There are none in a familie but they discerne the voyce of the master thereof and followes it they goe out and in at his commandement if he say vnto one Goe he goeth if to another Come he commeth if the Lord be our master let vs heare euery morning his voyce and inquire what his will is we should doe with a promise to reâ—igne the gouernment of our hearts vnto him for it is certaine he will not dwell where he rules not as he will admit no vncleane thing within his holy habitation so will he not dwell with the vncircumciâ—ed in hart the Lord will not take a wicked man by the hand noâ— haue fellowship vvith the throne of iniquitie If holy men when they see brothels abhorre them and goes by them how much more shall wee thinke that the most holy Lord will despise and passe by their soules which are polluted rather like to the filthie stewes of Sodome than the holy sanctuary of Sion for the Lord to dwell in And if hereby the weake conscience be cast downe reasoning within the selfe alas how can my beloued dwel with me who am so polluted and defiled remember that the more thou art displeased vvith thy selfe the more thy Lord is pleased with thee for thy daily pollutions hee hath appointed daily washings in that fountaine which he hath opened to the house of Dauid for sin and for vncleannesse Sweepe out thy sinnes euery day by the besome of holy anger and reuenge and vvater the house of thy hart with the teares of contrition quoniam sine aliquo vulnere esse non possumus medelis spiritualibus vulnera nostra curemuâ— seeing wee cannot be without some wounds of Conscience let vs daily goe to the next remedie that vvith spirituall medicines wee may cure them chastising our selues euery morning and examining our selues vpon our bed in the euening And againe seeing wee are made the Temples of the holy Ghost there should be within vs continuall sacrifices offered vnto God of prayer and praysing together with a daily slaughter of our beastly affections Among the Israelites Princes vvere knowen by the multitude of their sacrifices vvhich they offered vnto God but now they who sacrifice most of their vncleaâ—e affâ—ctions are most approued
bastard Christians which stands onely in a fayre Sepulcher prouided before hand for themselues in an honourable buriall commanded expected of them before death and in abundance of worldly things which they leaue to theirs behinde them all which as saith the same Father viuorum sunt solatia non mortuorum are comforts to them that liue behinde but no help to them who are dead I note this that considering the magnanimitie of these Ethnicks in suffering of death notwithstanding the weake and small comforts which they had to sustaine them we may be ashamed of our pâ—sillanimitie who hauing from Christ most excellent comforts against death are afraide at the smallest remembrance thereof An euident argument that albeit many professe him yet few are pertakers of his power life and grace and that many hath him dwelling in their mouths in whose harts he dwelleth not by his spirit The body is dead Hee sayes not the body is subiect to death but by a more significant manner of speach he sayth the body is dead There is a difference betweene a mortall body and a dead body Adams body before the fall was mortall that is subiect to a possibilitie of dying but now after the fall our bodies are so mortall that they are subiect to a necessitie of dying yea if wee will here with the Apostle esteeme of death by the beginning thereof our bodies are dead already The officers and sergeants of death which are dolours infirmities and heauieâ— diseases hath seased already vpon our bodies and marked them as lodgings which shortly must be the habitation of death so that there is no man who is not presently dead in some part or other of his body Not onely is the sentence giuen out against vs thou art dust and to dust thou shalt returne but is begun to bee executed our carkasses are bound with cords by the officers of death and our life is but like that short time which is graunted to a condemned man betweene his doome and his execution all which the Apostle liuely expresses when he sayes the body is dead Whereof there arises vnto vs many profitable instructions and first what great neede wee haue as wee are commaunded to passe the time of our dwelling here in feare working out our owne saluation in feare and trembling seeing our sinnes haue cast vs into the hands of the first death shall we not cry without ceasing that we may be deliuered from the power of the second Alas it is pittifull that man should so farre forget himselfe as to reioyce in the time of his misery to passe ouer the dayes of his mortall life in vanitie and wantonnesse not considering how the first death is already entred into his carkasse nor foreseeing how hee may bee deliuered from the second but liues carelesse like to the Apostates of the old world who in the middest of their sinfull pleasures were sodainly washed away with the waters of the wrath of God and their spirits for disobedience sent vnto the prison where now they are and like those Philistims who banquetting in the platforme of the house of Dagon their God hauing minde of nothing but eating drinking and sporting not knowing that their enimie was within were sodainely otherthrowne and their banquetting house made their buriall place so shall it be with all the wicked who liuing in a dead body cares for nothing but how to please themselues in their sinne the piller of their house shall be pulled downe destruction shall come vpon him like a whirlewinde and in a moment shall sodaine desolation ouertake them And let this same meditation represse in vs that poyson of pride the first sinne that euer sprung forth of our nature next to infidelitie and last in rooting out Wilt thou consider O man that thou art but dead and that thy body be it neuer so strong or beautifull is but a lodging of death and what cause shalt thou haue to waxe proud for any thing that is in the flesh quid â—u superbis terra cinis si superbientibus Angelis non pepercit deus quanto minus tibi putredo vermis what hast thou to doe to be proud O dust and ashes if God spared not the Angels when they waxed proud vvill he spare thee who art but a rotten creature yea Vermis crastino moriturus a worme that must dye to morrow If so was done to an Angell saith Bernard what shall become of me ille intumuit in coelo ego in sterquilinio he vvas puft vp in heauen and therefore was cast downe from the place of his habitation if I waxe proude lying in a douâ—g-hill shall I not bee punished and cast downe into hell So oft therefore as corrupâ— nature stirreth vp the heart of man to pride because of the flowers of beautie strength that grow out of it let this humble thee thy flowres O man cannot but wither for the roote from which they spring is dead already And lastly is the body dead then learne temperance and sobrietie what auaileth it to pamper that carkasse of thine with excessiue feeding which is possessed by death already if men tooke the tenth part of that care to present their spirits holy and without blame vnto the Lord which they take to make their bodyes fat and beautifull in the eyes of men they might in short time make greater progresse in godlinesse then they haue done but herein is their folly Carnem pretiosis rebus impinguant c. they make fat their flesh with delicate things which within few daies the woâ—ms shall deuoure Animam vero non adornant bonis operibiu but beautifies not the Soule with good works which shortly is to bee presented vnto God Let vs refraine from the immoderate pampering of this flesh Meates are ordained for the belly and the belly for meates but God will destroy them both We haue here moreouer discouered vnto vs the shamelesse impudencie of Sathan who daily tempting man to sin promiseth vnto him some good by committing of it as boldly as if hee had neuer falsified his promise before He promised to our Parents in Paradise that if they did eate of the fruite of the forbidden tree they should become like vnto God but what performed he in stead of making man like vnto God hee made him like vnto himselfe yet as I sayde so shamelesse is that lying Spirit that hee dâ—re as boldly promise vantage by committing of sinne this day as he did the first day to Adam in Paradise notwithstanding that wee see through miserable experience that death because of sinne is enâ—â—ed into our bodyes Is hee not a deceiuer indeed that did first steale from vs our birth-right and now would also take from vs the blessing all those benefites wee got by our first creation he hath stollen them from vs with his lying words and now hee goes about by lyes also to steale from vs that
are the Heyres of God heires annexed with Iesus Christ and the heritage whereunto they are borne is eternall life therefore of necessitie they must liue Here first wee haue to consider what action and operation of the spirit this is which distinguisheth the Sonnes of God from other men The operations of the Spirit are diuers hee hath an vniuersall operation by which he works in all his creatures conseruing leading and directing them to his owne determined ends for in him euery thing that is hath the being liuing and mouing as euery creature is made by God so is it ruled and led by the Spirit according to his appointment Hee hath againe a more speciall operation in man and them backe againe seauen mightie nations of the Canaanits are gathered before them to resist them and hold them out of Canaan but the shepheard and leader of Israell steps ouer all these impediments as if they had not beene in the way and places his people in the mountaine of his inheritance and afterward when he concluded to bring his people from Babell homeward to Canaan he prepared a way for them in the Wildernesse he commaunded the mountaines to bee made low and the vallies to be exalted he commanded the crooked to be straight and the rough places to become plaine and it was done This is for our comfort the Lord who hath taken vs by the hand to lead vs into his holy habitation shall remoue all impediments that are before vs though Sathan like a Lyon spoyled of his pray snatch after vs though he double his tentations vpon vs and with manifold afflictions compasse vs though terrible death and the horrible graue stand before vs threatning to swallow vs by the way yet shall we see the goodnesse of the Lord in the land of the liuing and ouer all our enimies shall be more than conquerors through him that loued vs and hath taken vs into his owne hand to lead vs to that inheritance which he hath prepared for vs. For it is manifest that both the beginning progresse and perfection of our saluation is ascribed to the spirit of God in holy scriptures when we were dead in sinne he quickned vs when he hath quickned vs he gouernes and leads vs and worketh continually in vs till he perfect vs. Thus is he the author and the finisher of our faith and all the glory of our saluation is his as wee cannot begin to doe well without him so we cannot continue in well doing without him if he lead vs not we wander from him and wearie our selues in the vvay of iniquitie It should serue to humble vs that wee are pointed out here to be but babes and children such as cannot goe by our selues vnlesse we be led by another As that Eunuch answered Phillip when he asked vnderstandest thou what thou readest how can I saith he vnderstand without a guide so may we answere the Lord when he commaunds vs to vvalk in his way how can wee O Lord that are but children and new borne babes walke in thy way without a guide It is a point of good religion to turne the Lords precepts into prayers Send out Lord thy light and thy truth let them lead mee let them bring mee into thine holy mountaine and to thy tabernacles Let thy good spirit lead mee vnto the land of righteousnesse When the Lord threatned that hee would no more goe before the Children of Israel to lead them as hee had done Moses tooke it so deepely to heart that he protested he would not goe one foote further except the Lord went with him and certainely if wee knew the manifold inconueniences whereunto wee shall fall if the Lord forsake vs wee would neuer enter our feete into that way wherein wee saw not the Lord going before vs in mercy to lead vs. Our life on earth should be ordered as was the life of Israell in the wildernesse the Lord went before them by day in a cloud by night in a pillar of fire when the cloud remoued they remoued what way so euer it went they followed where the cloud stood they camped thus the Lord led them by two and fortie stations fortie yeeres in the Wildernesse though Canaan was not farre from them yet they entred not into it till the Lord directed them The Lord hath in like manner praysed be his name for it brought vs out of the land of our bondage he might if he had pleased long ere now haue entred vs into our Canaan but it pleaseth him for a time to exercise vs and to haue vs walking vp and downe this Wildernesse Let vs possesse our harts with patience and reuerence the Lords dispensation in the meane time take heed that the Lord goe before vs that his word shine vnto vs as a lanthorne to our feete and that his holy spirit be our guide to lead vs in his righteousnesse then shall we be sure of a happy end of our iourney when wee liue not as wee list but vnder the gouerment of the holy spirit when our rising and lying downe our Verse 15. For yee haue not receiued the Spirit of bondage to feare againe but the Spirit of Adoption whereby wee cry Abba Father THe Apostle to strengthen his former argument sets downe a short discription in this and the subsequent verse of a threefold operation which the spirit maketh in them whom he leadeth for first he is vnto them a spirit of bondage working feare Secondly he is a Spirit of Adoption working loue through the sense of Gods mercy for hee not onely makes them whom hee leades the Sonnes of God but intimates vnto their spirits Gods loue towards them which otherwise was vnknowne vnto them and thirdly hee is a Spirit of intercession making vs to goe with boldnesse to the throne of grace and call vpon God as vpon our Father Of the which the first part of his argument is made cleare that they who are led by the spirit of God are the Sonnes of God yea by the testimonie of the Spirit they themselues know that it is so and therefore in most homely and humble manner acknowledge him for their Father This the Apostle propones in such a manner that hee applyes it particularly to the Godly Romaines vnto whom hee writeth Yee haue not saith he receiued againe the Spirit of bondage vnto feare as yee did in the time of your first conuersion yee haue proceeded further and haue experience of his other operations then yee felt him casting you downe with the sight of your sinnes but now ye feele him comforting you and raising you vp with the sense of Gods loue and mercy toward you in Iesus Christ. The spirit of God is called a Spirit of bondage vnto feare not as if hee made them in whom hee worketh slaues or bond-men but because in his first operation hee rebukes them of sinne in whom hee worketh and lets them see that bondage
Adoption we pray vnto God without that Spirit men may speake of God but without him they cannot speake vnto God Prayer is a proper action of the sons of God The Apostle describing them who are Saints by calling saith they are sanctified by Christ and call vpon the name of the Lord Iesus hee ioynes these two together to tell vs that they who are not called by God and sanctified in Christ cannot call vpon him as for prophane men it is certain they cannot pray though they repeat that prayer Our Father which art in heauen what else doe they but multiply lyes as they multiply words Onely the spirit of Adoption teacheth the Children of God to pray Prayer is vnto them like that fire Chariot in the which Eliah was carried from earth to heauen by it they are transported to haue their conuersation with God and speake to him in so familiar a manner that they know not those things which are beside them neyther see they those things which are before them being in the body they are carried out of the body they present to the Lord sighs which cannot be expressed and vtters to the Lord such words as they themselues are not able to repeat againe and that all this proceeds from the operation of the Spirit who bends vp their affections and teacheth them to pray is euident by this that when this holy Spirit intermits or relents his working in them they become senselesse and heauy hearted more ready to sleepe with Peter Iames and Iohn than to watch and pray with Iesus yea suppose it were in the very houre of tentation Wee cry c. The Apostle you see reckons himselfe among others who cryes by this spirit of Adoption though the children of God be many yet seeing they all are led by one spirit they should all cry for one thing vnto God the assemblies of the Church militant on earth should resemble as neere as they can the glorious assemblies of the Church triumphant in heauen many are they who followes the Lambe their voyce is like vnto the voyce of many waters yet they all sing but one song so should there be among vs that are Christians but one voyce specially when we meet in the publike assemblies of the Church though wee were neuer so many yet our affections and desires should concur in one and all of vs send vp one voyce to the Lord. Wee see that in nature coniunction of things which are of one kinde makes them much stronger many flames of fire vnited in one are not easily quenched many springs of water if they meet together in one make the stronger riuer but being deuided are the more easily ouercome Saint Iames saith the prayer of one righteous man auailes much if it be powred out in faith what then shall we thinke of the prayers of many Oh what a blessing might we looke for if wee could ioyne in one to call vpon God but now alas where one with a contrite hart cryes to God for mercy how many by continuance in sinne cryes to him for iudgement what meruaile then the arme of the Lord be shortned toward vs and hee doe not help vs As they who resolue to lift any heauie burthen ioyne their hands together vnder it and so by mutuall strength makes that easie to many which were impossible to one so when we are assembled together to lift from off our heads by vnfayned repentance that burthen of the wrath of God which our sinnes hath brought vpon vs if there be among vs no deceiuers but that euery man in the sinceritie of his hart ioyne his earnest supplication with the prayers of his brethren what a blessing may wee looke for Take heede therefore how you behaue your selues in the holy assemblies though they should neuer bee brought forth by speach of the mouth and this for their comfort who through extremitie of sicknesse or otherwise are not able to vse their tongues in prayer to God Father wee learne here that the Parent which begets Prayer is the Spirit of adoption the mother that conceiues it is the humble and contrite heart for no proud vncleane and hard heart can pray vnto God the vvinges whereby it ascends are feruencie and an heauenly disposition feruency is noted in the word of Crying for as in crying there is an earnestnesse of the powers of the body to send out the voice so in prayer should there bee an earnestnesse of the powers of our soule to send vp our desires As incense without fire makes no smell and therefore the Lord commaunded it to bee sacrificed with fire in the Law so prayer without feruencie sends vp no sweet smell vnto the Lord. Our heauenly disposition required in prayer is collected out of this that hee to whom wee speake is our Father in Heauen if our mindes bee earthly wee can haue no communing with him that is in heauen vvee must therefore ascend in our affection enter within the vaile if vvee would speake familiarly vvith our Father Prayer this manner of way sent vp and presented to our aduocate and intercessor the Lord Iesus out of the hand of Faith cannot but returne a fauourable answere if not at the first as in the very time of Prayer Daniell receiued his answer yea at the beginning of his supplication as the Angell Gabriell informed him the commandement came forth to answere him yet shall not the Lord faile in his owne good time to fulfill the desires of them vvho feare him Manifold examples of holy Scripture lets vs see that Prayer this vvay powred out vnto God is most effectuall At fiue sundry petitions did not Abraham bring the Lord from fitie to ten euery petition returnes to Abraham some vantage faine vvould Abraham had Sodome preserued for Lots cause at his first request hee got this answere that the Lord would spare it for fiftie righteous mens sake if they might be found in it but at the last from fiftie hee brings him to ten as long as Abraham prayed the Lord answered and for euery petition hee yeelded something to Abraham and most comfortable is it that the Lord ceases not from answering till Abraham ceased from asking any more When Peter prayed vpon the house top he fel into a trance and saw a heauenly vision when Iesus prayed vpon Mount Tabor he was transfigured and if at any time the children of God bee transformed from an earthly disposition to a heauenly they finde in their owne experience that it is in the time of prayer Sathan for this cause is a most troublesome enimie to the exercises of the word and of prayer because the one is the mother the other is the nurse of all the graces of God in vs either hee makes men lightly to esteeme the exercise of prayer or then doth what he can to interrupt them in it as that Pithonisse interrupted Paul while hee was going to pray
so hath that aduersary a thousand wiles whereby either before prayer he seekes to diuert them to some other businesse or in the action to trouble them and diuide the powers of the soule by vncomely and prophane motions If Iehoshua stand before the Lord Sathan shall stand at his right hand to resist him Vnlesse therefore with Abraham we driue away the rauening birds from our sacrifice vnles with the Israelites we stand on Ierusalems wall with a weapon ready in our hand to repell the aduersarie as oft as hee comes to stay the worke of God it is impossible that our harts can continue in feruent prayer to God Yet the restles opposition of the aduersary should not make vs to breake off this exercise of prayer but the more we finde Sathan angry at our prayers the more should we be prouoked to pray if hee felt not himselfe hurt and his kingdome weakened by our prayers he would not so busily trouble vs in prayer yee see hee troubles vs not in such exercises as troubles not him speake as long as you will of taught of God we cannot saith the Apostle call vpon him in whom we beleeue not As for the Angels wee beleeue that they are which the Saduces did not but we beleeue not in them and therefore will not pray vnto them In all the old Testament we read no prayer made to Abraham albeit hee was the father of the faithfull none to Isaac or Iacob or Moses or any other of the fathers departed In a hundreth and fiftie Psalmes no prayer is made to Cherube or Seraphin though they in their psalter of the Virgin haue turned ouer all the prayses and petitions made to our Lord into petitions to our Lady as if where Dauid saith O Lord rebuke mee not in thine anger wee were also to say O Ladie rebuke me not in thine anger and O Lord thou art my righteousnesse O Ladie thou art my righteousnesse and so forth in the rest but we may boldly say with Bernard libenter certe gloriosa virgo tali honore carebit the glorious Virgin is willingly content to want such a honour The Angell would not suffer Iohn to prostrate before him doe it not saith he I am but thy fellow seruant this one of those blessed spirits witnesses to vs in name of all the rest that it is the will of the Saints of God in heauen that we who are vpon earth should reserue to the Lord his owne worship and giue no part thereof to creatures yea they are offended when that honour is offered to them which is due to their Lord. Where if that common obiection be brought which Ambrose did obuiate in his time posse nos per istos ire ad Deum sicut comites peruenitur ad regem that men by such mediators may goe to God as they goe to Kings by those who are honorable in their courts to them we answere with him hoc est misera vti excusatione this is to pretend a miserable excuse for men goe to kings by courtiers because the king is but a man ad Deum autem quem nihil latet promirendum suffragatore non opus est sed mente deuota but as for the Lord from whom nothing is hid there needs no such procutor to make him fauourable vnto vs onely there is required a deuout minde for in whatsoeuer place he who is truely godly speaks vnto God the Lord shall answere him And lastly that the Apostle here ioyneth two words of sundry languages Abba Father it is to teach vs that euery tongue is sanctified to the vse of Gods children and that it is lawfull for vs to pray in any language if so be we vnderstand it but to binde people to pray in a language they vnderstand not or for him that should be the mouth of God in the exercise of diuine worship to speake to the people in a strange language which they vnderstand not is a sacrilegious tyrannie That which God powred out as a cruse on the first Babell that one of them vnderstood not what another said and the people knew not what the builders craued in the second Babell is receiued as a blessing The Caldeans a fierce and cruell nation were sent against the Iewes speaking to them in a language which they vnderstood not to punish in them the contempt of the voice of God which they would not learne nor vnderstand and now the messengers of Antichrist a cruell and mercilesse people are come out speaking to the world in an vncouth language for punishment of them that receiued not the loue of the truth A faithfull seruant of the Lord had he neuer so many languages had rather speake in the Church fiue words with vnderstanding that others might be instructed than tenne thousand otherwaies he is but an hireling and a false Apostle that purposely speakes to a people in a language they vnderstand not Wee giue thanks to God who hath deliuered vs from this most fearefull captiuitie and confusion of Babell thou art but a lyar against the holy Ghost and a wilfull murtherer of thine owne soule by faithlesse presumption The other sort of men are the Children of God who because they finde not alwayes within themselues this testimony of the Spirit in a like measure are therefore cast downe and made oftentimes to think they neuer had it for as none are more ready to boast of the spirit then they who haue him not so none complaines more that they want him then they who possesse him The Children of God in this being like vnto rich worldlings who suppose they bee possessours of much yet the great desire of more which is in them causeth them to esteeme that which they haue as nothing and therefore comforts not themselues with the lawfull vse of that which they haue but vexes their spirits with restlesse thoughts for that which they want euen so it is customable with the Children of God albeit they haue attayned to a good measure of faith and loue of God and are euen become rich in the grace of the Lord Iesus yet are they so desirous of more that many a time they esteeme nothing of that which they haue but goe about mourning and complaining that they haue no faith no loue no grace no life in which extremitie we see that many in their weaknesse offend the Lord their God Herein therefore is the Christian to bee admonished that hee keepe mediocritie to lament thy wants and to thirst for more grace is a sure token of a spirituall life but let vs so complaine for that which wee vvant that wee bee comforted in God for that beginning and little measure of grace which wee haue remember that the same mouth of God which commaunds thee to mourne commaunds thee also to reioyce we want not matter of both matter vve haue of mourning for which wee may lament with the Apostle O wretched man that
who saile in her that how euer they change their action yet goe they on in their course toward their wished hauen so is it with vs doe what wee will whether wee eate or wee sleepe wee are hasting alway toward our ends The Psalmist againe compares our life to a spanne or hand breadth to the grasse which groweth vp in the morning and is cut downe in the euening to a sleepe which slippes away before wee can know what were doing in it to a dreame which of all things is most fickle and vaine to a thought which is not well begunne when it is ended and last of all to a declyning shadow as is the shadow of the Sunne in the setting which a man shall see on the toppe of a mountaine lesse and lesse vanishing till it be no more The Apostle S. Paul compares our life to a race and S. Iames compares it to a smoke or vapour Thus we see how little the spirit of God esteemes of that whereof all the sonnes of Adam accounts so much Our sinne hath shortened our dayes and made them miserable the pleasures of this life are worme-eaten and the glory of flesh is but like the gourd of Ionas which the one day growes vp and the next day is consumed by the wormes If Salomon who proued all the pleasures this life could yeeld after tryall of them cryed out all is vanitie if Iob when his wealth had worne from him looking to his forepassed dayes was compelled to conclude I haue had for inheritance the months of vanitie what shall wee looke to finde more comfort in this wretched life than those men of God before vs haue found let vs not thinke it if wee seeke our comfort in her perishing gaine or glory we shall lament at the last we haue fished all night and haue taken nothing wee haue former seauen yeeres of plenty so shall the endlesse sorrowes of the vvicked make all their former pleasures to be forgotten the dayes shall come vpon them in the vvhich they shall say I haue no pleasure in them Oh that men could consider this double losse they incurre by continuing in their sinnes Esau sold his birth-right for a mease of pottage and Adam lost paradise for an apple and thou more to be lamented that becomes not wise by their example looses like a foole that glory to be reuealed for a floure for what better are the best things of the world than the floure of the Rose vvhich vvanteth not the owne thornes and vermine being plucked in the garden it vvithers in thy hand before thou canst bring it home to thy house and yet for the like of these thou doest forgoe those things which are aboue and more then that redeemes those shadowes by bringing vpon thy selfe that infinit weight of wrath vvhich is to be reuealed vpon all the children of disobedience Of the glory The end of our present sufferings here vve see it is glory Yee shall weepe and lament saith our Sauiour and the world shall reioyce yee shall sorrow but your sorrow shall be turned into ioy Sometime God giues his children notable comfort before trouble as Elias receiued a double portion before his forty dayes fasting Peter Iames and Iohn saw the glory of Christ transfigured on Mount Tabor before they saw his fearefull and bloody sweat in the garden it pleased the Lord by the sight of the one to confirme them that the sight of the other should not confound them Sometime againe the Lord in the middest of trouble giues his children such comfort as deuoures all their present sorrowes to Peter in the prison there appeared an Angell and a light shining round about him and Iacob banished from his fathers house sees a more comfortable vision at Bethel than any that euer he had seene at home but albeit the Lord deales not alway with al his children as he did with these yet are they all sure of this comfort glory shall be the end of their sufferings To be reuealed The Apostle calleth it a glory to be reuealed hee telleth vs in another place that it is prepared already yea it was prepared before the foundation of the world but it is not yet reuealed beatitudo illa comparari hic potest possideri non potest that felicitie may bee obtayned here but cannot be possessed here Ne itaque quaeras in via quod tibi seruatur in patria seeke not therefore that in the way which is keept for thee till thou come to thy country let vs possesse our Soules in patience waiting for that which in this life is neyther reuealed nor can be possessed Moses besought the Lord to shew him his glory and he receiued this answere No man can see it and liue and when that glory filled the Tabernacle it is said that Moses could not enter into it Seeing it is so that our wretched nature can not abide that glory and we cannot liue and see the Lord let vs prepare our selues with ioy and contentment to dye that wee may see him And in the meane time by that glory which God hath reuealed in his works let vs iudge of that which is not reuealed if these workes of God which wee see bee so beautifull what shall we thinke of those wee see not out of all doubt among all the workes of God those which are inuisible are most excellent as the body of man is a beautifull workmanship but not comparable to the soule This glory I account it the highest degree of eternall life the first is Righteousnesse the second Peace the third Ioy the fourth is Glory Righteousnesse breeds Peace and Peace breeds Ioy and our Ioy shall be crowned with glory if the doing of the workes of righteousnesse bring such comfort to the minde as the Godly find in experience how shall our comfort abound when we receiue the reward of righteousnesse which is Glory Si sic bonus es quaerentibus te qualis es assequentibus if thou Lord be so good to them who seeke thee what shalt thou bee to them who finde thee wee may be assured that these first fruites of the Spirit and the earnest of our heauenly inheritance wherin now stands our greatest the Lord face to face and shall in such sort behold his glory that wee shall be transformed into it This change as witnesseth the Apostle is begun by that sight of God which we haue in the Gospell for euen now we beheld as in a mirrour the glory of the Lord with open face and are changed from glory to glory by the same image by the spirit of the Lord but in heauen this change shall be perfected and wee shall be fully transformed into his holy similitude so that nothing shall be left in vs but that which is his owne workmanship O how hath the Lord magnified his mercy towards vs hee hath raised our honour from the dust and deliuered our soules for the lower
hell and hath made vs to sit with himselfe in the highest places where wee shall be filled with the ioyes which are at his right hand we shall drinke of the riuers of his pleasures in his light we shall see light and be transchanged by the light of his countenance Moses was fortie dayes with God vpon Mount Sinai and his face shined so brightly that when hee came downe the people of Israell might not behold him if fortie dayes remayning with God did so transchange him how shall we be changed who shall for euer abide with him neuer any more come downe from him Our Sauiour Christ saith that the face of the iust shall shine in that day like the Sunne in the firmament O what glory shall be among them all when the glory of one shall be like the brightnesse of the Sunne et qualis tunc erit splendor animarum quando solis habebit claritatem lux corporum and when the light of their body shall be like vnto the light of the Sunne how great thinke yeâ— shall be the shining light of the soule Those three disciples that were with our Lord vpon Mount Tabor were so filled with ioy at the little glance of his glory which they saw that they wished they might bide therefor euer how then shall we be rauished when we shall see that full manifestation of his glory we shall neuer desire to remoue out of that mountaine of God another hart shall be giuen vs and we shall become other men then we are so that as a little drop of water powred into a great vessell full of wine looseth both the taste and colour of water and becomes wine or as iron put into the fire takes on after a sort the nature of fire and as the ayre illuminated with the bright shining Sunne seemes not so much to be illuminated as to be light it selfe so our soules and bodyes when the glory of God shal shine vpon them shall be so wonderfully transchanged that after a sort wee shall become pertakers of the diuine nature Beside this the excellencie of that glory shall yet better appeare if we consider the companions with whom we shal be glorified there is the congregation of the first borne all of them are men of excellent strength and dignitie not of base linage but noble indeede for by their second birth they are the Sonnes of God and brethren of the Lord Iesus The Citizens of Tyrus are discribed by Esau to haue been companions to Princes but in that heauenly Ierusalem euery Citizen is a crowned King and none but Kings are freemen of that citie knit among themselues by the band of one Spirit into so holy a communion that euery one of them accounts the ioy and glory of his brethren an increase of his owne ioy It is not there as here vpon earth where the ioy of one is the cause of sorrow to another the light of the Sun darkneth the Moone and the light of the Moone obscureth the light of the Stars if the one halfe of the earth be illuminated the other is left in darknesse but there the light of one augments the light of another the glory of one shall be the glory of all euery one of them reioycing not onely because the lightsome countenance of God shines vpon themselues but also because they see their brethren admitted to the fruition of that same glory But among all those with vvhom wee shall be glorified there is one companion of our glory who aboue all the rest shall breede vs exceeding delectation Iesus Christ the man O with what boldnesse and spirituall reioycing shall wee stand in among the holy Angels when wee shall see seest it replenished with varietie of all necessary and pleasant things no sense wanting innumerable obiects that may delight thee and yet all the beautie and pleasure of this earth is as farre inferiour to that which is aboue as it is superiour to that which the infant had in the mothers belly The firmament which is the seeling of our second house beautified with the Sunne Moone and Starres set in it by the hand of God and shining more gloriously than all the pretious stones in the world shall be no other thing but the neather side of the pauement of our Pallace Iohn the Baptist sprung for ioy in the bellie of his mother Elizabeth when the Lord Iesus came into the house in the wombe of his mother Mary but afterward when hee saw the Lord Iesus more clearely face to face and pointed him out with the finger behold the Lambe of God when he stood by him as a friend and heard the voyce of the Bridegroome he reioyced in another manner so in very truth all the reioycing that wee haue in the house of our pilgrimage is but like the springing of Iohn Baptist in his mothers wombe in comparison of those infinite ioyes wherewith wee shall be replenished when wee shall meete with our bridegroome in our Fathers house wherein we shall see him face to face and abide with him for euer It is written of Ahashuerus that he made a great banquet to his Princes and Nobles vvhich lasted for the space of an hundâ—ed and fourescore dayes and when he had done with that hee made another banquet to his Commons for the space of seauen dayes the place vvas the outmost court of the kings Pallace the Tapestry was of all sorts of colours white greene and blew fastned with cords of fine linnen and purple through rings and pillars of siluer and marble the beds were of gold and siluer the pauement of porphire marble alablaster and blew colour the vessels wherein they dranke were all of Gold all this hee did that hee might shew the glory of his kingdome and the honor of his maiestie If a worm of the earth hath done so much for declaring his begged glory as rauished men into admiration thereof how I pray you shall the Lord our God the great King declare his glory when hee shall make his banquet couer his Table and gather his Princes that is his Sonnes therevnto not for a few dayes but for euer not in the outmost Court but in the inner Court of his Pallace Surely no tongue can expresse it for seeing hee hath decked this world wherein wee soiourne and which I haue called the outmost Court of his Pallace in so rich and glorious manner that he hath ordayned lights both by day and night to thine in it and hath prepared a store-house of Fowles in the ayre another of Beastes in the earth and the third of Fishes in the Sea for our necessitie beside innumerable pleasures for delectation what glory and varietie of pleasures may wee looke for when hee shall separate vs fully from the children of wrath and assemble vs all into the inner Court of his owne Pallace into the chamber of his presence wee may well thinke with the Apostle that the heart
which our sinnes hath subdued them should not we much more sigh and grone for our owne sinnes assuredly if wee doe not we are conuinced to be more sensles then the senslesse creatures themselues Concerning this metaphor of trauailing it is two manner of wayes ascribed to the wicked in holy Scripture and one manner of way to the godly For first their concupiscence is compared to a mother that conceiues and trauailes continually without rest till it bring out sinne and sinne being finished is compared in like manner to a mother that bringeth out death And secondly the imagination of their hart is compared to a mother which conceiues cruell counsels and mischieuous deuices against the godly all their dayes they trauaile with this birth and would fain haue it brought out to perfection but at length they bring forth a lye for the malice of the wicked shall slay himselfe his mischiefe shall turne vpon his owne head and his crueltie shall fall vpon his owne paâ—e But as for the children of God they trauaile in paine of the monstrous birth of sin that is within them not that they are desirous to perfect and finish it but to destroy and abolish it as being a monster within them which they abhorre and adulterous birth begotten by a most vnlawfull copulation betweene Sathan and their corrupted will the father that begot this monster being Sathan and the mother that conceiued it their corrupt Nature for this they sigh and cry vnto God with the Apostle O miserable man who shall deliuer me from this bâ—dy of death This was his voyce vnto God and should much more be our continuall lamentation seeing in sinnes we are more abundant and in grace farre inferiour to that holy Apostle The Lord therefore worke it in vs for his Sonne Christs sake Verse 23. And not onely the creature but wee also who haue receiued the first fruits of the Spirit euen we doe sigh in our selues waiting for the adoption euen the redemption of our bodyes NOw followeth the Apostles other argument wherby he proues the greatnesse and certaintie of that glory to be reueiled it is taken from that feruent expectation vvhich the sonnes of God haue of it It can neither be a vaine nor a small thing but by the contrary both great and certaine vvhereupon God hath set the desire of his best creatures by instinct of the Spirit of Grace So that vve haue here first a description of Gods children they are such as haue receiued the first fruits of the spirit secondly a twofold effect vvhich this holy Spirit workes in Gods children first a wearinesse of their present bondage and seruitude of sinne secondly a vvaiting by a constant expectation for a better And this doth very much confirme the Apostles purpose there being none on earth vvho can better iudge the excellencie of that glory to come than they vvho haue receiued the first fruits thereof Out of all doubt the testimonie of any one vvho hath tasted of that ioy to come is more worth to commend it than is the contrary iudgement of a thousand others to disproue it And not onely the creature The Apostle proceedes from the testimonie of the creature to the testimonie of the sonnes of God when he spake of the creature he said they sigh and grone with vs they trauaile together in paine with vs and when hee speakes of the godly hee saith we sigh in our selues As man was not made for himselfe but for the Lord and therefore should wait vpon him so the creatures were not made for themselues but for vs and therefore where they are at couenant with vs they in their kind wait vpon vs they goe with vs they grone with vs are grieued with vs and shall neuer rest till vve be deliuered let licentious men liuing in their sinnes marke this they sigh not in themselues with the godly yea they scorne their sighings and therefore shall not be restored with the godly they grone not with the creature and shall not be deliuered with the creature O miserable man how vnhappie is that end whereunto thy vvanton and hard heart which cannot repent doth lead thee thou shalt not stand in iudgement with the godly where they goe there shalt not thou goe thou didst not mourne with the children of the marriage chamber and therefore shalt not enter with them into it to be comforted thou shalt goe to another place and mourne without them the burthen of thy sins which now thou feelest not shall presse thee downe to hell and confound thee for euer the creature that groned with the godly shall be restored with them and thou shalt not be restored O how shalt thou be cast downe when the earth whereupon thou treadest shall be deliuered into the glorious liberty of the sonnes of God and shall as a seruant stand in the day of restitution but thou as a rebell shalt be cast into vtter darknesse and shall not be so much as pertaker of the deliuerance of the creature But we also who haue receiued the first fruits of the Spirit In this description of the godly let vs consider these three things First that whatsoeuer grace we haue we receiued it Secondly that grace we haue receiued is not full but in part for we haue onely receiued the first fruits of the Spirit And thirdly that the first fruits which we haue are sufficient pledges to vs of the plenitude and fulnesse which afterward we shall receiue The first of these learnes vs humilitie what hast thou O man which thou hast not receiued The Lord dispenses grace to euery one according to his pleasure and we are but vessels filled and emptied as hee will Secondly it learnes vs thankfulnesse whatsoeuer Grace wee haue receiued wee should returne both the praise and the vse of it to him who gaue it as the waters by secret conduits come from the Sea returne againe openly into it through the troughes so that all men may see the returning albeit they saw not the comming so that Grace which the Lord by his Spirit secretly conuayes to the godly doth againe publikely returne vnto him by prayse and well doing And thirdly it doth teach vs diligence in prayer if we desire encrease of Grace vve should seeke it from him of vvhom vve haue the beginning and vse all the meanes such as hearing reading praying keeping of a good conscience by which Grace may grovv and be intertayned in vs. The next thing we obserue is that in this life we receiue not the plenitude and fulnesse of Grace but onely the first fruits thereof The vse of this is first to comfort the children of God who are oftentimes discouraged with the sense and feeling of their owne wants It is one of Sathans stratagems to try those by the rule of perfection who are yet but in the state of proficients and we had neede to beware of it Shall I giue that vantage
are truely Godly are so far from wickednesse that if they were such men as they desire to be and could possibly perform that good which they prease to doe there would not be such a thing as a spark of the life of sinne left remaning in them Alwayes wee liue vnder this hope that the Lord who hath already by his grace deliuered vs from wickednes will also in his owne good time deliuer vs from our weaknesse hee shall make our deeds answerable to our desires and wee shall become such as may say Now thankes be to God for I doe the good which I would These infirmities after our regeneration are left in vs partly as Antidotes against our naturall presumption as wee may see in the holy Apostle who least hee should haue beene exalted out of measure was buffeâ—ed with the Angell of Sathan and partly for our prouocation to prayer that having experience of our owne weaknesse wee might runne to the Lord who is the strength of our soule and seeke his helpe by prayer whereunto otherwise we are very slow by nature notwithstanding it be the best and most acceptable seruice that we can giue vnto God vpon earth We haue marked this in experience that as they who finde not themselues bodily diseased seeke not the Phisition so hee that feeles not the spirituall infirmities of his soule cannot pray vnto God to remedie them the Lord hath vsed the infirmities of many as holy meanes to make them truely religious who were prophane before and for these causes are infirmities left in vs. Infirmities So the Apostle speakes in the plurall number because not one but manifold are the infirmities whereunto we are subiect whereof there arises to vs a two-fold warning First that we take heede vnto our selues and see where wee are weakest to the end that there wee may strengthen our selues The Philistims were very carefull to know wherein Sampsons strength lay to the end that spoyling him of his strength they might spoyle him of his life but Sathan by long experience knows our infirmities and sets vpon vs there where hee knowes that wee are weakest As therefore they who are besieged looke not so much vnto the stronger part of the wall as vnto the weaker that they may strengthen it so wisdome craues that we should looke most narrowly to our greatest infirmities Hee that hath children albeit he loue them all yet hath he most respect to the most infirme among the and he that hath many tenements of land hastes soonest to repayre that which is most ruinous and among all the members of the body we care most for those that are weake or wounded Seeing Nature hath taught vs to take heed to those things which are ours shall we not much more take heed vnto our selues It is euen a point of holy wisedome to consider where wee are weakest and what those sinnes are vnto which we are most subiect and by which Sathan hath gotten greatest vantage against vs that so we may take the more paynes to make our selues strong against it And after that by prayer and spirituall exercises thou hast made thy selfe strong there where thou wast wont to be weake yet take heede vnto thy selfe it is not one but many infirmities whereunto we are subiect and the craftie enimie can very well change his tentations vpon thee if he be repulsed at any one part whereat he was wont to enter hee will goe about and seeke vantage at an other and therefore seeing our enimie is restlesse and the matter hee workes vpon is our manifold infirmities let vs walke circumspectly and pray continually standing with the whole grace the grace of Prayer is we should not so vainely professe in our words that wee can pray as earnestly beseech him with the Disciples that he would teach vs to pray As that Eunuch professed that hee could not vnderstand without a guide so may we that we cannot pray without a guide it is easie to speake of God but not so easie to speake vnto God hee that will speake to God saith Ambrose must speake to him in his owne language that is in the language of his Spirit Prayer is not a communing of the tongue with God but of the soule with God and of such a soule onely as is taught by the holy Spirit how to pray it is true the Lord vnderstands the thoughts of euery mans heart but the language acceptable to God are those motions of the heart which are raised by his owne Spirit and hee that wants this Spirit can not speake vnto God in Gods language Let this serue to reforme the corrupt iudgement of many who thinking themselues able enough to pray passe ouer their dayes without the grace of Prayer a fearefull punishment of carnall presumption This naturall inabilitie to pray consists in these sometime the fault is in our vnderstanding fallimur putantes prodesse quae poscimus cum non prosint wee are deceiued thinking those things to be profitable for vs which are not so the Iewes not content to be fed with Manna according to the Lords dispensation will haue flesh which the Lord giues them but in his anger and their posteritie not content with the Lords gouernement will haue a King like other nations which the Lord gaue them but in his wrath Of this sort are they who send out in stead of lawful prayers vnlawfull imprecations against their brethren crying for the plagues of God vpon their neighbours for euery small offence in stead of the blessings of God these are like the Disciples that prayed for fire from heauen to burne vp Samaria not being led by a right spirit or rather like vnto Corah Dathan and Abiram who sent vp to the Lord strange fire vvhich at length brought downe a strange iudgement vpon themselues Sometime againe wee seeke that which lawfully may be sought the fault is not in the vnderstanding but in the affection as when men seeke lawfull things for the wrong end or in the wrong place Of the first sayth Saint Iames yee seeke and receiue not because yee aske amisse that yee may consume it vpon your lusts Of the second saith our Sauiour seeke first the kingdome of Go and other things shall be cast vnto you the Lord is greatly dishonoured when we seeke any thing before himselfe for remedy let vs remember these rules First that the thing we seeke be good Secondly that vve seeke the greatest good in the first roome And thirdly that the secondary gifts vve seeke them for the right end namely that they may be seruants to vs in our seruing of God onely and that wee abuse them not as occasions of sinning against our God And further we may learne here how little cause either the Pelagian had of old or the semipelagian Papists haue now to magnifie so farre the arme of flesh as to affirme that man vnregenerate hath power of his owne free-will to make
vnproperly compared to a Rock in the sea which being beaten on euery side vvith vvaues raysed by the wind yet stands vnmoueable vnbroken it selfe breakes them that assaults it Againe yee see that the Apostle who speaking of the estate of christians vpon earth sayd before wee are slaine all the day long saith now we are more then conquerours strange it is that hee who is slaine should be a conquerour but so it is the christian battell euery way is meruailous paâ—tly because it is foughten within and against himselfe and partly because then is hee a conquerour when â—ee seemes to be vanquished being the member of that head who obtayned greatest victory vvhen hee suffered most shamefull death Through him that loued vs. The Apostle doth so giue comfort to the christian that he reserues the glory vnto the Lord the strength whereby we preuaile is from him that loued vs not from our selues It is very comfortable to consider that a christian is not a man standing or liuing by himselfe he hath his being in Christ as long as there is life in him we cannot die it is true that sometime being deserted and left to our selues we fall away for a time as we may see in Peter vvho at the voyce of a Damsell denyed the Lord Iesus and this is to teach vs that the praise of our standing perseuering and ouer-comming pertaines to the Lord. Verse 38 For I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come 29. Nor height nor any other creature c. THe Apostle continuing in his triumph mounts to an higher sort of enimies and hee also proclaimes defiance to them affirming that neither death nor life nor Angels nor things present nor things to come nor any other creature whatsoeuer if any other be are able to seperate vs from the loue of God Of the which wee haue first to learne that a Christian man in this life may be perswaded of his saluation neyther is it to be accounted presumption for as much as in so doing hee leanes not vpon himselfe but vpon the word and promise of God which the Lord hath confirmed by an oath that hee may make sure to the heyres of promise the stabilitie of his counsell Where if the aduersary obiect that the word of the Lord out of all doubt is true and that they who beleeues and repents shall be saued but euery one who saith hee beleeues doth not beleeue and so cannot be perswaded of his saluation To this I answere that hee who repents vnfainedly and beleeues knowes as certainely that hee hath repentance and faith as hee who hath in his hand a iewell knowes that he hath iâ— and therefore may conclude with himselfe that the promises of saluation made to the penitent beleeuers belongs vnto him for albeit it be true there be many in the Church like vnto those fiue foolish Virgins who suppose they haue that which they shall not be found to haue in the end yet is there no reason to conclude that because some are deceiued all are deceiued because some thinke they haue faith and haue it not therefore none can be sure that they haue faith Out of all doubt where the Lord Iesus dwelleth by his Spirit hee makes himselfe knowne to them in whom hee dwelleth according to that Know ye not that Christ is in you except ye be reprobates and these names giuen to the holy Spirit of Adoption doth also confirme the same truth for hee is called the Seale the Witnesse earnest penny of God which names hee receiues from his effects and operations which hee workes in them to whom hee is giuen eyther therfore must the aduersary say that there are none to whom the Spirit is giuen or they must graunt that they to whom he is giuen are sure the first they will not affirme the second they cannot with reason deny for what is this to say that a man hath the Seale the Witnesse and the Earnest of God giuen to confirme the promise of God and yet all these doe not make him who hath them sure of saluation But here least that which I haue said discourage them who are of weake consciences let them know that this assurance of saluation doth not alway continue with the Christian in a like measure for here wee doe so beleeue that we want not our owne vnbeleife and albeit our faith when it is in the full strength ouer-comes all doubting yet is it oftentimes so weake that it is againe disquieted with doubting for which if we pray instantly with the Father of that child Lord I beleeue but helpe my vnbeliefe wee may be sure at length Faith shall ouercome and thus farre teach we concerning the assurance which the Christian man hath of his saluation But as for that Religion which teacheth doubtings and pronounceth them accursed who hold that a man may be assured of saluation wee accurse it as a doctrine enimie to Faith and Saluation such as is the doctrine of the counsell of Trent Si quis dixerit hominem renatum teneri ex side ad credendum se certo esse ex numero praedestinatorum anathema sit It is strange to see that where they teach a man is able to fulfill the whole Law of God and by his workes to merit eternall life yet they accurse him if hee say hee is sure to be saued so directly doth one point of their false doctrine impugne another But indeed it is no meruaile if their Religion can yeeld no comfort nor certaintie of saluation to the weary conscience because they draw men from off the foundation Iesus Christ in whom onely it is promised that wee shall finde rest to our soules and would make vs to leane vpon rotten foundations such as the merit of Masses the vertue of our workes and humane satisfaction and because all these cannot yet satisfie the doubting consciences of men they suspend them with a vaine hope of greater comfort which they shall finde in their forged and comfortlesse Purgatorie thus doe they hold the poore people comfortlesse both in life and in death But as for vs wee will abide on the rocke renouncing all purgation but the purgation of his bloud wee will content our selues with Iesus Christ in whom the Father is well pleased that in him we may finde rest to our soules which neyther in our selues nor in any other creature shall wee euer be able to finde Let them call it Presumption Non arrogantia est sed fides praedicare quod acceperis non superbia est sed deuotio it is not presumption but Faith or otherwise if wee say vnto him who hath begotten vs by the lawer of regeneration Pater bona praesumptio est Father this said Augustine is a good presumption And to the same effect said Bernard Propter hoc data sunt signa quaedam
13. Professors conuinced that serue him not Loue to those whom he hath bidden loue for his sake Christ came to destroy sinne cursed are they who nourish it 1 Peâ— 3. 18. How Christ hath condemned sinne Colos. 2. 24. Ambrose in hunc locum Two head or chiefe iustice Courts holden by God In the first the sinnes of all Gods elect are condemned In the second the persons of all the wicked shall bee condemned Ioh. 5. 24. Christ did greatest works when to mans iudgement hee was weakest Cyp. de duplici martirio August de temp ser. 7. Mâ—car hom 11. Chris. hom 2 in Math. Christ a power full Sauiour stronger then Samson yea stronger then that strong one Christs power yeelds vs great comfort 2 Kin. 18. 35 Deut. 28. 29 Psal. 143. 12 Here followes the second member of the explication wherein hee shewes how we are deliuered from the commanding power of sin Ephes. 5. 26. How the righteousnesse of the law is fulfilled in vs. The Iesuits collect here that the Law is fulfilled in this life This place prooueth no such thing Caietane That the law is not fulfillâ—d in vs nor by vs in this life is proued Amb. de paeniten li. 1. cap. 6 Ierem. 17. Aug. de verb Apost ser. 29 Ibidem A question for Papists 1. Ioh. 1. 9. Luke 17. 10. Aug. de verb. Apost ser. 29 Ber. in annuÌ„ Mariae Ber. in Cant. Serm. 23. Ber ser. cont vitiuÌ„ingrati Places of scripture wherein godly men are called Saints righteous makes not for their error of perfect obseruance of the Law In what sense Godly men are called perfect in holy Scripture August in Psal. 38. Ber. in Cant. serm 49. Ambros. in Rom. cap. 8. ver 9. August de temp ser. 49. How Zacharie and Elizabeth walked in all the commandements of God Luke 1. 6. Heb. 5. 3. Aug. Enchi The end of Christs death is our sanctification therefore it should not be abused to giue libertie to sinne 2 Cor. 7. 1. Christ hath freed vs from the curse of the law not from the obedience thereof Rom. 6. 15. Rom. 7. 12. Rom. 5. 17. Ambrose in Rom. cap. 8. Rom. 7. 22. We are sure our begun sanctification shall be perfected Application of his former doctrine contayning first a Commination of the wicked wherein is declared their miserable state who walke after the flesh The diuers disposition of the Christian and carnall man flowes from the diuersitie of their generations Iohn 3. 6. The contrary disposition of the christian carnall man appeares In their vnderstanding Iohn 3. 4. Act. 26. 24. Gen. 19. 1 Iohn 5. 20. Aug. de verb Apost ser. 17 In their affections Math. 8. Aug. ibid. 2 Cor. 5. 15. In the soule of a carnall man the blind leads the crooked The most excellent knowledge of the naturall man brings out death Neither naturall nor morall philosophie could profit men to saluation Naturalists are all blinde like Sampson Wisest among them cannot preuent their miserable end more then Achitophel farre lesse the wrath to come 2 Sam. 17. Iere. 4. 22. Luke 16. 8. Compared to Howlets Basil hexam hom 8. The carnall man and the Christian eyther of them iudgeth other to be foolish Psal. 8 5. August de tem ser. 200 Their securitie is like the securitie of Ionas A Christian hath peace with God and himselfe his brethren but not perfect in this Greg. moral in Iob. lib. 6. Aug. in Ioan. tract 77. Ibidem Inward outward troubles may interrupt our peace but cannot take it away Greg. moral in Iob. lib. 2. 2 Cor. 1. 5. Our life stands 〈◊〉 with God Hovv foolish man is when he entertaines inimitie with God 1 Cor. 10. 22 Psal. 2. 9. Psal. 50. 22. No good in mans nature before it be renued against the Semipelagians of our time A minde that neither sees nor can see 1 Cor. 2. 14. A will that neither is subiect to God nor can bee The praise of Gods power grace is the greter because it reforms nature it being so farre peruerted Iam. 3. 7. Mat. 5. 36. Ciril catec 2 Psal. 107. Psal. 103. Iudge not rashly of any mans reprobation The rebellion of the wicked against God exempts them not from his dominion Isal. 45. 9. Miserable is that man who maintaines a contrary to Gods Aug. de cor gra ca. 14 Mat. 26. 39. He concludes the miserable estate of them who walke after the flesh Acts. 8. 23. What it is to be in the flesh Syricius expounds this of the state of marriage wrongfully The best actions of wicked men please not God Gen. 4. 5. Gen. 27. 38. Heb. 12. 17. Gen. 32. 26. Hos. 12. 4. Luk. 18. 11. Luk. 16. Aug. in Ioan. cap. 7. tra 28 The second part of his application contains consolation for the godly that twofold Consolation against the remanents of carnal corruption that are in vs. The word of God should so be handled that it be applyed Math. 3. 10. Luk. 3. 10. 12 14. Act. 2. 37. Acts. 16. 30. Bernard How the Apostle giues iudgement of others that are spirituall 1 Sam. 1. A threefold iudgement first of our selues by faith secondly by fruits thirdly by reuelatioÌ„ 2 Cor. 13. 5 Math. 7. 16 Acts. 8. 1 Tim. 1. 5 2 Iohn 1. 1 Comfort that the Lord cals them spirituall in whom remained carnall corruption The Lord esteemes of hiâ— his children â—cording tâ— his new 〈◊〉 in them 〈◊〉 after their corruptioÌ„ 1 Ioh. 3. 9 1 Ioh. 1. 8 Augustine Papists wil haue none called spirituall men but their Cleargie Ferâ—â—s The spirit of God where hee dwels workes wher he works he workes not in vain therfore they cannot but â—e spirituall in 〈◊〉 he dwels Strange that two guests of so coÌ„trary naturs as sin and the holy spirit should dwell in one man Rom. 7. 17 The soule of man regenerate compared to the house of Abraham Meruailous that the inhabiter is larger thaÌ„ the habitation The speciall glory of a Christian is that God dwels in him Worldlings may exceede him in woridly gifts but can not match him in this Deut. 33. 12. They should be honoured in whom Christ dwels Dan. 6. Gen. 41. 42 Psal. 15. The Metaphor of dwelling imports a continuance of gods presence with his children Three argumeÌ„ts to proue that the regenerate are sure of perseuerance in Grace FroÌ„ the nature of God who begets vs. Phil. 1. 5. 6. FroÌ„ the nature of that life communicated to vs. Rom. 6. 9. FroÌ„ the nature of that seede whereof wâ— are begotten 1 Pet. 1. 23. How the spirit of God is said to depart from Saul 1 Sam. 16. 14. Psal. 51. 11. How Dauid prayeth that God would not take from him his holy Spirit In spirituall desertioÌ„s we must distinguish betweene that which is and which we feel Esa. 6. 13. Chri. in Mat. hom 14. What great benefits comes to the soule by the dwelling of Christs spirit in vs. He repaires the whole lodging of soule and body Isai. 13.
21. What vgly guests dwelt in vs before hee came to possesse vs. He prouides all necessaries where hee dwels Iren. cont val lib. 4. cap. 28. Not like kings of the earth who oft times are burdenable to them with whom they lodge Ang. de verb Apost ser. 15 Psal. 84. 11. What duties of thankfulnes we owe to our Lord who 〈◊〉 in vs. Eph. 4. 30. 1 Thes. 5. 19 That we discerne the voyce of our Master and obay it Math. 8. 9. Macar hom 12 That euery day we sweepe and water his chaÌ„ber with the besome and teares of repentance Zach. 13. 1. Cyprian That in his Temple there want not morning and euening sacrifice Macar hom 28 Bastard professors lodges this holy spirit in a wrong roome Eph. 3. 17. 1 Cor. 6. 20. Humble gestures of the bodie in publike exercises of diuine worship prophanly scorned by some Superstitiously abused by others Seeing we are the temples of God we should be more beautifull within then without Exod. 28. 36 But the wicked are compared sometime to open and sometime to paâ—nted Sepulchers Mat. 23. 27. Psal. 32. 2. Ioh. 1. 47. Rom. 2. 29. The secondary great question in religion is this who are Christians Mat. 11. 3. A soueraigne rule whereby Christians of all estates must be tryed Acts. 25. 23. Christ and his Spirit are not sundred 1 Iohn 4. 13 Gal. 5. 22. 23 24 Operations of the spirit are two-fold Externall common to al men Iohn 1. 1 Cor. 12. 3. Internall and proper to the godly Three effects wrought by the speciall operation of the spirit in the godly Sanctification Intercession Consolation Math. 26. That a Christian who hath Gods spirit knowes that he hath him Gal. 2. 20. 2 Cor. 13. 5. And therefore may be sure of saluation is proued by three names giuen to the holy spirit 1 He is Gods Seale Eph. 4. 30. Gods earnest 1 Ioh. 5. 10. Rom. 8. 16. Gods witnesse Sinne causes the Lord deny his owne creature Luk. 13. 27. Consolation against the fruite of sin specially against death whereunto we are subiect The death whereunto we are subiect is neither totâ—ll nor perpetuall The Comforts of God are not common to all men indifferently Mat. 10. 12. 13. Mat. 7. 6. 2. Kin. 9. 18. Christ dwelling in vs is by his spirit no carnal presence required to make our vnion with him Act. 3. 21. Aug. epist. 57 adâ— Darâ—â—n Act. 1. 11. The comfort of Ethnikes against death not comparable to ours and our courage inferior to theirs Tit. 1. 16. Our bodies are not onely mortall but dead The officers of death hath bouÌ„d vs alredy Gen. 3. 19. Therefore should we liue in the body vnder feare 1 Pet. 1. 12. Phil. 2. 12. The pittifull securitie of carnall professors Psal. 58. 9. Psal. 73. 19. Death entred into the body should represse our naturall pride Bernard Aug ser. 21. Should learne vs temperance and sobrietie Bernard 1 Cor. 6. 13. Sathans shamelesse impudencie discouered Gen. 31. 7. A good answer to be giuen Sathan in all his tentations to sinne Rom. 6. 21. Seeing he hath deceiued vs so oft let vs beleeue him no more Iudg. 16. 1 King 22. How they who liue in sin are murtherers of themselues Psal. 34. 21. Strange death and diseases commeth vpon men through the groth of their sinnes against God Leuit. 26. 25 Cypri ad Demet. Delay of iudgement confirms the wicked in euill and it is the first impediment which stayes them froÌ„ repenting at Gods threatnings Deu. 29. 18. Eccles. 8. 11. Rom. 2. 4. But they who are spared should learne wisedome by iudgements exâ—cuted vpon others 2 Pet. 2. 3. Cyp. de lapsis serm 5. Luke 13. Aug. de ciuit Dei cap. 8 Why some wicked men are punished in this life and not others Psal. 58. 11. It is a great iudgement not to be corrected by God Hos. 4. 14. Ber. in Cant. hom 42. Philo. lib. de confus linguarum Psa. 119. 71 Psal. 73. 4. Prou. 1. 32. Aug. Marcellino epist. 5 Impediment Wicked men repent not because they see the Godly subiect to the same outward euils which come vpon them The actions pasâ—â—ons of the 〈◊〉 and wicked different in one and the self same thing Cyprian ad Dâ—met Basil. hexam hom 10. Tertull. de resur carnis As also of their meruailous coniunction Bern. in die natal dom serm 2. This doctrine knowne but not considered How that harmony which was betweene the soule and body by creation is now turned into disagreement Foure estates of mans soule body vnited Comfort our estate in this life is neither our last nor best estate Comfort wee 〈…〉 which no deâ—th can extinguiâ—h The prison of the body being broken the soule that was prisoner escapes Phil. 1. 21. Gâ—n 3. Rom. 16. 20. Amb. de poem lib. 1. cap. 13. Wicked men dye eyther vncertaine of comfort Eph. 4. 18. Or most certaine of condemnation 1 Pet. 4. 19. Gen. 46. 4. O what a kindnes He is a holy balme wherby the body shall be preserued immortall Worldlings seeke immortalitie the wrong way Esay â—5 2. Life is first restored to the soule and then to the body Iohn 1. 29. Phil. 2. 21. Ber. de adueÌ„ dom ser. 4. What necessity is here that hee who raysed Christ shall also raise vs Ephe. 1. 29. 1 Cor. 15. 20 Tertul. de resur carnis Seeing our Lord was among the dead let vs not feare when God cals vs to lye down among them also Reâ— 7. What comfort Christs reâ—urrection giues vs against death Mat. 28. 5. 6 Resurrection is a work of God and not of man Rom. 4. 19. Examples of the ResurrectioÌ„ Gen. 5. 2 Kings 2. Acts. 9. 40. Acts. 3. Gods working both in our selues and the creature coâ—firmes the Resurrection 1 Cor. 15. Aug. de verb. Apost ser. 34 A two-fold meditation to coÌ„firme the resurrection How of a litle drop God madâ— vs that which now wee are Iust. Mart. â—pol 2. ad Senat. Rom. How God hath made vs of nothing to be that which now wee are Ciril catech 4 It is easier to restore one that hath been then to make one that neuer was Ouâ— bodâ—es shall be raised with new qualities They shall bee honourable Members lame shal be restored Tertul. de resur carnis They shall be glorious Phil. 3. 2â— Mat. 17. They shall be spirituall Acts. 1. 11. Resurrection is a benefit when remission of sin goes before it and eternal life follows after it Exhortation What fruit wee should gather of the Apostles former doctrin Consolation exhortation both necessary for vs. Ber ser. 46. in Cant. Euery benefite of god is a new obligation bâ—â—ding vs to serue him Christ hath freed vs from all other seruice that we might be bound to his owne He is a seruant of seruants who is not the seruant of Christ Iesus We are bound to do God seruice by two great bands especially Creation 1 Cor. 9. 7. It is a shame that man craues that of his inferiours