Works, Part 4 · Religious instruction · Chapter 13 – Chapter 14
CHAP. XIII. Of the Church.
THe Papist of pride, the Familie of louelove of hypocrisie, and many of singularitie hauehaveSchismatickes, and heretickes. Who forsake the Church, Protestants or Papists. singled themselues from vsus, as Hymenaeus did. But we are little discouraged, and lesse follow it. For if they separate themselues as stones from the building, and as members from the body, what hope is there of them? The Papists will say, we forsake them, and not they vsus. We forsake them in the wall, they vsus in the foundation. For our faith was before their opinion, though their persons were before ours. As Noah forsooke the world, as Lot forsooke Sodome, as Abraham forsooke Aegypt, as our Sauiour Christ forsooke the Pharisies: so wee for sake them, and Christ shall be the iudge, who hath bene the runnagate, who hath bene the Apostata.
2 Behold a miracle, heauen made subiect to the earth! O what is man that thou art so mindfull of him, not onelyonly to giuegive him the rule of the earth, but euen of heauen? Whom the Church doth loose on earth, the Lord doth loose in heauen; and whome the Church hath bound on earth, he also hath bound in heauen. Hee doth manie things without vsus,Matth. 18. Binding and loosing in the Church. yet when we hauehave done this, he will not alter it, nor doe otherwise.
3 Albeit the Church be base and contemptible in the world, yet hee counteth it as the apple of his eye. The earth, the aire, and the heauens attended on it, and hee hath made the Angels to serue it. Hee hath committed his treasures to it. And what bee his treasures? Surely, when Dauid commeth to value it, hee saith that it is better than golde, than much golde, than much fine golde, than all pretious stones. The word of reconciliation, the couenant of grace, the broade seales of his kingdome, Baptisme and the Lords Supper,Rom. 3. 1. 2. The dignitie of the church The Church deer to christ binding and loosing, life and death are left and committed to the Church and her holy Ministers.
4 The Church is euen the quintessence of the world, such as Sathan hath sifted to the proofe: it is euen washed and made cleane with the bloud and water which issued out of Christs side. It seemeth hee forgot to louelove himselfe that hee might louelove vsus; yea if that one death and suffering had not beene sufficient, hee would yet once more come againe for vsus.
5 It is one thing to liue where meanes of pure worship are wanting; another to beeNote. 2 Cor. 11. Means wanting, or superstition set vp, howe much they differ. Church of the Iewes. Church of the Gentiles. The day of iudgement. where false worship is erected: for the first we are not to flie the Church, but by prayer and patience to stay the Lordes merciemercy: for the other, wee must depart because of that abomination.
6 The world is as the Lords great chamber, whereunto all are admitted: the Church is as the chamber of presence. The natiuitie of the Church is a greater worke then the creation of the world. The world was finished with a Word, but many dayes and many yeares did the Lord trauell, before the Church could be brought forth to his good liking. Hee shooke the earth, darkened the heauens, turned the whole course of nature, before he had framed and set vp the little Church of the Iewes. But in gathering the Church of the Gentiles, the Sunne became blacke as a pot, the Heauens were couered as with a haire-cloth, the vayle of the temple rent, the earth trēbled, the graues opened, & aboue all, the GOD of nature suffered. But of all, the third gathering shall be fearfull: when heauen and earth shall not abide to see, but shall melte and consume away at the glorifying of that Church, which the world so contemneth: & yet on this Church hangeth the continuance of the world. For certaine it is the world standeth, and all the foure windes are stopped till all2. Pet. 3. Tolle hanc & ipsa Angelc…ū gloria claudicabit. be sealed; and in that moment that this number is filled, this world shall out of hand vanish away.
7 In the world wee doe (as it were) but see the Lords backe parts: we see him, as a thing in a troubled well, dwelling but in the neather and outward courtes of the Temple, but in the Church we see him almost face to face.
8 That mightie Sampson suffered himselfe to be shauen, and his strength to bee as another mans for the great louelove of his Church: hee shed his precious blood from all parts ofO magnnm vinculum charitatis! quo & ipse Deus alligari voluit. Diligis me plus his? Pasce oues meas, cō firma Fratres …ous: symbolū amoris, cura Ecclesiae. his bodie for it: and that no bloud might be too deare for vsus, with his heart bloud he hath testified, how much he doth louelove vsus, his louelove and spouse the Church of the faithfull.
9 It is true that the Psalmist saith, Psal. 16. the Lord hath no neede of our seruice, and therefore he hath set ouer his louelove to the Chuch, there to be answered vntounto her in obedidience, & furtherance of his members; there he would hauehave it seene, how we value his benefits. All blessings are continued on this earth for the Church sake. The Sun doth shine vponupon the earth, vponupon the iust and vniust; but vponupon the vniust for the iust mans sake.
10 The Church is the household of faith, the citie of the liuing GOD, the spouse of the Lamb CHRIST, the kings daughter, the childrē of light, & of the liuing God, the children of promise, & of the freewoman, a chosen generation, a royall priesthood, an holy nation,Primitiae mundi. Municipe… coelorum. Phil. 3. 20. Ho…tus conclusus. Fo…s signatu…. people gotten by purchase, the mysticall body of Christ, the sold of the Prince of Pastors, the virgin Israel, the children of Abraham, the elect seede of God, heires of grace, ioynt heires with Christ, the Sanctuary of the Lord, the daughter of Sion: the Lords heritage, the people of his pasture, the sheepe of his hands, the temple of the holy Ghost, the price of his blood, the Lords Eden. Thrice blessed and happy are al the liuing stones of the most beautifull building. Confer Psal. 147. 2. 3. 1. Pet. 2. 9. 10. Phil. 3. 8. Ephes. 2. 19. 20. 1. Thes. 2. 19. 20. 2. Cor. 3. 2. 2. Cor. 6. 11. 12. 1. Thes. 2. 8. Rom. 9. 3. Reuel. 21. 10.
CHAP. XIIII. Of the Confession of sinne.
THis is a good affection of Christianitie, to conceale a fault; and this also is a good affection of men regenerate, to testifie their faults to allTo acknowledge our faults one to another. men, whereby they make knowne their thankefulnesse, in that whereas by nature they were thus, by grace they are so and so. Againe, men vse it to comfort others, that though they bee in their old estate, yet they may receiue grace, if they hinder not themselues, and shut out the grace of God from them. Thus the children of God are wont toGrace. aggrauate their sinnes, that others might hauehave comfort in the like case. Matthew in the ninth chapter and the ninth verse, shameth himselfe by the name of a Publican: and yet if we looke to his sinne, it was not like the sinne of Peter against the ninth commaundement: nor like the sinne of Dauid against the sixe and seuenth commaundements, the sinne of Paul against the first, as of them that crucified Christ himselfe. But that which he concealeth, the other Euangelists blase abroad; that which they conceale he blaseth abroad. And this is one argument of the truth of the word: for wheras other Chronicles doGods word. euer cōmend themselues and their owne natiue countries best (as if you read the Chronicles of England, you will thinke it the hest nation) it is contrary in the word: the deniall of Peter is more expresly set downe of Marke, than of any other, yet did he write the Gospell out of his mouth. Paul setteth out his own faults in more sharpe measure and manner, than any other can doe, Act. 26. Moses, Gen. 49. seemeth to discredit his owne birth: Wee see all these were of God, who is then most glorified when we are most cast downe.
2 As the hiding of our sinne with Adam hindreth merciemercy; so to testifie our sinne to beHiding sinne; greater than it is, (with Cain) displeaseth God highly.
3 Confession without yeelding and feeling is nothing but a testimonie against our selues: let vsus then so confesse, that it may moue vsus to louelove the truth.
4 Pharaohs confession is rather in iudgement than in affection, in respect of the punishment, not of his sin, ergo it is not enough: & yet he hath profited further than many of vsus, which will not confesse our sinnes at all.
5 Whensoeuer we hauehave sinned, it is good to hauehave this or the like meditation: goodHow to rise when we fall into any sin. Note. Lord, wilt thou call me to iudgement and enter thine action with mee? How shall I doe then? I will take this order; I will disagree and fall out with my selfe. But is there any hope that God will then shewe mercy? Yea no doubt, for if the Lord were minded presently to imprison vsus, he would neuer by his prophets forewarne vsus by a writ, hee might vse the whole host of the creatures, to execute his vengeance eueryevery houre, but hee deales more mercifully with vsus if we confesse our sinnes.
6 Naturally we be all slowe to confesse our sinnes: we cast short reckoning on our owne faults, Adam said, I hauehave not sinned Lord: hee lesseneth his sinne in conceit, saying: The woman gaue it me, and I did eate: Iob seemeth to make an apologie, as being vnworthy of such a punishment. But wee must learne that a sinner the more hee doth extenuate and hide sinne, the more he doth aggrauate sinne, and hasten iudgement: the more freely he doth confesse and iudge himselfe, the more he is freed from Gods seate of iustice. Pro. 28. 13. 2. Cor. 11. 31. 32.