The Merchant Real, Sermon · Lesson 6
The ſixt leſſon.
Moreouer the Marchant to vvhom this kingdome is resēbled is not a Ievveller of ordinary Ievvells, but one that ſeeketh goodly pearles ſo that hence vve learne. That the high vvay to this kingdome of heauē is goodnes, & the ſtudie of Goodnes is the Chriſtian, & reall Marchants practice.
foreign.The light of this appeares in the vvord of the text vvhichwhich ſignifieth beautifull, cōmodious, amiable, & ſuperexcellent pearls.
Beautifull is goodnes in it ſelfe, for if it could be portrayed in orient colours, & ſet out to the life▪ vvonderfull vvould be the louelove that men vvould be ſtirred vp to beare vntounto it. Cōmodious, for godline▪ is the goodlieſt riches.Phil. 4.8.9 Amiable in effecte, making them amiable that are good, ſuperexcellēt, ſo ſayth the Apoſtle whatſoeuer things are true, vvhatſoeuer things are honeſt. Whatſouer things are iuſt, vvhatſoeuer things pure, vvhatſoeuer things are louely, vvhatſoeuer things are of good report, if there be any vertue, & if there be any praiſe, think on theſe things: Thoſe vvhichwhich ye hauehave both learned, and receaued, & hard, & ſeene in me, doe, & the god of peace shall be vvith you. The feete of them amiable, that bring vsus the meanes that makes vsus to be good. The promiſe that god vvould be preſent vvith it.2. Chro. 19 11. For Jehoſaphat told his iudges that they should be of good courage, & doe it, & god vvould be vvith the good.Mich. 6.8. And the declaration of this shevves it to be good. For god hath shevved thee o man vvhat is good, & vvhat the lord requireth of thee: ſurely to doe iuſtly, to louelove mercy, & to humble thy ſelf to vvalke vvith thy god.
Secondly this appeares by the diſtinction of goodnes Naturall, Morall, & Deuine.Juſt. Mar. For Chriſtian Marchants doe not only deſire accidentall good things, as a good vvife, good children, good ſeruants,Titus 2.12. & ſuch like vvhichwhich are all gods good gifts. And Morall goodnes in themſelues, but alſo Deuine goodnes vvhichwhich leads them to this kingdome.Heb. 10.24 2. Pet. 1.10. And theſe things doe ſoe neare touch vsus that vve by goodnes, & the effecte thereof doe ſigne to others,…. Tim. 1.7. & ſeale to our ſelues the certainty of our election. Wherein alſo our faith doth not only shevve it ſelfe, but exerciſe,Eph. 4.…0. & inflame vsus to a godly ſeale.
Thirdly it abandoneth vsus from ſinne. For as by euills vve greeue the holy ghoſt, that ſealeth vsus vntounto god, ſoe by goodnes vve ioy our conſcience in the holy ghoſt.
Fouerthly as by doing evill vve call to our ſelues many miſeries,Deut. 28. ſo by doing the good vve shall auoyd many euills of punishment, & ſee the goodnes of god in the land of the liuing.
Laſtly goodnes is the vvay vvherein gods childrē ordinarily trade,Eph. 2.10. for they are his vvorkmāshipe created for that purpoſe. Thirdly there is a neceſſity of being good in gods children. Not a neceſſity of coaction, for gods children doe the good Chearfully. Not of cauſe, for goodnes is but the vvay, and gods children vvalke therein, but it is of neceſſary duty that vve should be good. For thats the vvill of god euen your ſantification.1. Theſ. 4.3 It is the commandement of god. Let your lights ſo shine before men that they may ſee your good vvorkes,Matt. 5.16. and glorifie your father vvhichwhich is in heauen,Tit. 2.12. & it is the end of all preaching. Noe good actiō can be done but by a good man vvho doth it out of a pure hart, othervviſe it is baſe, & ſordid, out of a true faith vvhichwhich elſe is a glittering ſinne, & to the glory of god,Vae juſtitiae noſtrae ſiremota juſtitia Chriſti judicetur; Nam qu…equid in te eſt ſine Chriſto Sathan eſt. Auguſt. vvhichwhich othervviſe is but hiprocriſie, And this is the cauſe vvhy it is accepted of god for Chriſt his ſake othervviſe all our goodnes vvere menſtruous & monſtrous. The right of this appeares, foraſmuch, as reall Chriſtians knovve that god regardeth goodnes more then greatnes. Nay there is nothing but foolish man regardeth greatnes. Nature doth not for the ſonnes of royalty are borne naked, & the god of nature is noe accepter of perſons, nor the deſtroyer of nature, for death viſits the crovvne, aſſoone as the clovvne.
Againe it is the end, & ſcope of the reall Chriſtians lyving vvhichwhich hath three aſpects in doing good. Firſt to the praiſe of god. O lett my ſoule liue, & it shall praiſe thee ſayth Dauid. Secondly to comfort our ſelues in making our election ſure by goodnes. Laſtly to ouercome others euill vvith our good.…. Petr. ….10
Secondly reall Chriſtians are pertakers of the diuine nature. For vvhen god tooke a vevve of vvhat he had made he ſavve it vvas exceeding good, but vvhen mā tooke a ſuruay of vvhat he had done behold it vvas nothing, but vanity, & vexation of ſpirit.
Thirdly good examples of good men doe encite gods children to goodnes. For albeit none are abſolutly good, but god only.2. Chro. 32 32 2. Chro. 35 26. Yet the ſcripture ſtiles Hezekias, & Ioſias to be good kings. The goodnes of gods children hath a threefold povver. Of Preſeruation, Vnion, Communication. It is a preſervatiue to pull ſome out of the fire.Iud. Epiſt. 23. Of vnion to make peace. Of communication by extending their goodnes to the ſaincts on earth. Thy Chriſtians faith is a proper, & a peculiar good betvvixt god, & thine ovvne ſoule, but a Chriſtians goodnes; is extenſiue & delated to all demenſions of goodnes. The very profeſsion of a Chriſtian is goodnes. See in the rule of addition in Chriſtian arythmetike that S. Peter ſetteth dovvne for ſayth he. Adde to your faith vertue,2. Pet. 1….5.6.7.8. & to vertue knovvledge, & to knovvledge, temperance, & to temperance, patience, and to patience godlines, & to godlines brotherly kindnes, & to brotherly kindnes charitie. For if theſe things be in you, & abound they make you that ye shall neither be barren, nor vnfruitfull in the knovvledge of our lord Ieſus. Laſtly let vsus reaſon from the povver of Chriſt bloud, vvas it shed that vve should be vile ſtill? farre should any ſuch thought be from vsus that vve should profeſſe religion & deny the povver thereof. By this then that hath bine ſpoken both from the light of Illumination in gods vvord, & by the right of Demonſtration in reaſoning from the vvord: It is plaine that the high vvay to heauen is to conſult, and reſolue to doe all the good vve can vvhile vve are here trading tovvard heauen. The vſe of this is manifold.
Practice 1 Firſt of anſvvere to the cauills of popery vvho accuſe vsus Proteſtants for contemners of goodnes becauſe vve teach that man is iuſtified by faith only. And here vponupon they accuſe vsus that we preach negatiue, & priuatiue doctrines, & not affirmatiue, & poſitiue. And here vpō they ſay that the tymes are novve become Ablatiue vvhichwhich vvere heretofore Datiue branding vsus vvith the hereſies of the Synomians, Eunomians, Jovinians, & ſuch like, vvhereas vve in one vvord anſvvere directly that theſe are meere slanders, & vntruths. For vve teach onlie that good vvorkes hauehave noe iuſtifying quality in themſelues before god, but that faith only is like Iohn the deuine leaning on Chriſts breaſts, & good vvorkes like S. Peter that followed after Chriſt. Faith the bride, good vvorkes the handmaids. Faith the bride goeth into the chamber, yea into the bed of her beloued, vvhere the handmaids come not. Faith the roote, good vvorkes the fruite, Faith only neceſſary to juſtification goodvvorkes to ſaluation.
Practice. 2 The ſecond vſe is of thankfulnes. For all our good is of god, vvhether it be the good of prouidence all ſayth Iob is of the lord he giueth it. The bread vve daylie eate is called ours, but vve beg it of him. The goods of the body as Sampſons ſtrength, Abſolons beauty, Sauls tallnes, all of god. The goods of the mind are of god, he giues vviſdome to Solomon, taketh it avvay frō Georgius Trapezuntius vvho being ſomtimes a great scholler, at the laſt by accident forgat his ovvne name. The diuerſity of good gifts is of god. Paull is profound, Apollos eloquēt, Cephas Zealous, Auguſtine an excellent diſputāt, Ierome textuall, Gregorij morall, Ambroſe iuditious, Origen allegoricall, Chryſoſtome excellent to moue, paſſion all diuerſified. The goodnes of our vvill is of god. My goods of mind are thy gifts.Bona mea. Dona tua. Auguſt. Conf. 10. lib. 4. cap. If any man think othervviſe, if he vvere as good as an angell, & his meate that he eateth as good as Māna, & his garmēt as good as the Ephod of Aarō, let that mā knowe that he muſt attribute all to god, & be thankfull for all gods goodnes tovvards him either naturall, or ciuill, or ſpirituall, or externall, internall, eternall, for all our good is either god himſelfe, or from god himſelfe, & it is his goodnes that hath follovved vsus all our life.
Practice. 3 The third vſe is of Enquirie amongſt you Marchants. Are you traders for theſe goodly pearles? If you be you vvill not abuſe the good things of god to euill purpoſes. Neither the goodnes of gods prouidence to exceſſe, & royott, vanity, & vilenes, nor the goods of your body to vvickednes, you vvill not abuſe your eares to become a ſepulcher to burie the good name of your frend, nor your tongues to be organs of deſpite, nor your eies fireballs of enuy, nor your hands engines of mischeefe, nor your vvhole body a ſtie, and ſtinck of ſinne, Nor the goods of your mind vvill you abuſe either to your imagination to imagine mischeefe vponupon your beds, nor in your vvills to deſire to doe euill, like miſcreants vvhen you cannot. Nor to be as hammers to knocke out on anothers braines, nor as ſvvords in each others bovvells, nor as arrovves to on anothers harts. But rather vvhichwhich is the fourth vſe here of to directe on another.
Practice. 4 For negatiue juſtification auailes not. It is Pharaſaicall. For eueryevery tree that bringeth not forth good fruite is hevven dovvne, & caſt into the fire. Be therefore directed to recompence noe man euill for euill, as Joab did Abner, for thats a poore ſpirit, much leſſe euill for good as Iudas did to Chriſt for thats a diuells ſpirit: Nay if you doe recompence good vvith good as Ahasuerosh did Mordicai it is but common juſtice, but to ouercome euill vvith goodnes, is more then to preach,Rom. 12. vlt. or to doe a miracle, or to caſt out a diuell.
Practice. 5 For if I should expoſtulate vvith you, vvhy vve doe vſurpe theſe glorious titles, as to be called the ſonnes of god, if vve hauehave noe good bloud of our heauenly father, but are like the fig tree vvhichwhich had only leaues, ſo vve like Nepthalie hauehave goodlie vvords but doe neuer a good vvorke, What doth it profitt vsus to be ſtiled Citizens vvith the ſaincts, Domeſtickes, ſeruants, ſaincts, baptized illuminats Chriſtians, & hauehave noe goodnes anſvverable to thoſe goodly titles. There may a Zozomen ariſe, & obſerue that vve Chriſtians like Turckes, vvhichwhich call themſelues Sarazens vvhen they are but Hagarens. ſoe vve call our ſelues Chriſtians vvhen vve hauehave noe goodnes of Chriſt in vsus, but are indeed Cretians vvho as Paule citeth out of Epimenides vvere alvvaies Liars,Tit. 1. ill beaſts, slovve bellies. For tell me vvhat doe they meane that lay vvaſte their conſciences by doing euill, & trading for counterfeits, coralls, paultry ieat, or for euill.
Doth any hard harted Pharoh, imperious Nebuchanezer, cruell Adonibezek, prophane Paſshur, falſe harted Zidkiah, foolish Ahab, inceſtuous Ammon, misperſvvaded Magus, ſorcerous Elymas, vnmercifull Gluton, Prodigall, Prodigious, vvicked miſcreant thinke vvho here doth runne out his tyme vvith euill of ſinne, that there vvill not come a tyme vvhen the euill of punishment shall be avvarded ſeauen fold into his boſome? Nothing more ſure. For he that had not ſoe much goodnes as extended to a crumme of bread had not afforded him a drop of the vvater of merciemercy.Luc. 16. Look to it therefore Maſters, & mortalls. For the apoſtaſie of faith vvas in the later tymes,1. Tim. 4.1 but novve for ought that I can ſee there is an apoſtaſie of goodnes in the vvorld of both vvhichwhich Paule prophecieth.2. Tim. 3.1. Looke therfore to eueryevery caſe of your conſcience. Doe you feare the vvrath of god for the guilt of your ſinne? fall to doing of goodnes,2. Chro. 19.3. & god vvill turne avvay his vvrath from you for Chriſt ſake as he did from Iehoſophat. Is thy ſoule almoſt dead in ſinne? Incline to goodnes,Act. 9.36. & god vvill raiſe thee frō death as he did Tabitha that is from the death of ſinne to the life of righteouſnes. Wilt thou be certified of thine election? make it ſure by good vvorkes.2. Pet. 1.10. Wilt thou be ſecured from the diuell? god vvill check him, if thou be doing of good, & vvill ſay vntounto all the povvers of darknes, as Chriſt ſayd vntounto thoſe that hindered Mary Magdalen vvhy trouble ye the vvoman?Matth. 26. Wilt thou ſpend thy tyme vvell?Gal. 6.10. Doe good vvhile thou haſt tyme. Wilt thou be crovvned? continue in doing good, & thou shalt hauehave honor, & glory,Roman. 2. & immortallity, & euerlaſting life. In a vvord good vvorkes doe not goe before one that is to be juſtified, but they follovve him that is already juſtified. Conceaue not therefore that thou art juſtified by faith vnleſſe thou ſee good vvorkes follovve thy faith. If thou doſt imagine othervviſe, Chriſt vvas not conceaued in thee by faith, nor borne by louelove, nor ſuffered, nor aroſe from the dead, nor aſcended for thee. And remember this that in the end of the vvorld, & in the day of iudgment as the forme is ſett dovvne in Mathevves goſpell there is noe queſtion made of faith,Matth. 25. but of facte, vvhat vve hauehave done, or not done. For he that beleueth not,Ioh. 3. is condemned already ſaith Chriſt. Be therefore aduiſed, & doe the good here, & you shall ſee the goodnes of god in the land of the liuing.