The Governance of Virtue, Part 2 · Section 36
¶ Of the glory of heauen, and of euerlasting lyfe.
IF Sathan go forth to tempt thee that thou mightest lose the inheritance of the kingdome of god, and say vntounto thee that thou art a sinner & an abhominable liuer, and therfore thy faith is frustrate, and thy hope vain in loking for the glory of heauen, for God is a righteous Iudge, and rewardeth eueryevery man according to his deedes and merites: let all these his crafty… assaultes nothinge moue or abashe thee, but call to thy remembraunce and beleeue stedfastlye, that the heauenlye kingdome is not geuen thee for thy merites and desartes (for so shouldest thou receiue nothing but eternal dampnation) but for the promises which god the father hath made thee in Christes bloud, if thou repent & beleue. Therfore cast away that rightousnes which the hypocrites chalenge by their good works, and lay handes on that which commeth by faith of Iesus Christe, so canst thou not be deceiued, so can sathan win nothyng at thy hande, so can it not but come to pas, that thou shalt enioy the glory of heauen thorowe Christe Iesu. And that thou mayest doubt nothinge in this behalfe, imprint these sentences and examples of the holy … scripture diligētly and earnestly in thy minde.
☞ Examples out of the olde Testament.
THe Lord hath saued me because it was…salm. 23. his pleasure.
Prayse the Lorde O my soul, and all that is within me, praise his holy name.
Praise the Lord O my soule, and forget not all his benefites, which forgeueth all thy sinnes, and healeth all thine infirmities, which saueth thy life from destructiō and crowneth the with mercy and louing kindnesse.Esay. 37
They that put their trust in me shall inherite the land, and possesse my holy hil.Osec. 13
Thy damnation (O Israel) came of thy selfe, but thy saluation commeth of me.
Examples out of the olde Testament.
That princelye Prophet Dauid being thorowly perswaded that the inheritance of the glory of heauen and the possession of euerlasting life is the free gift of god thorow Iesus Christe, and is denied to none, although neuer so sinful and wretched, if they repent: being nothing appalled with his former sinful liuig, as though y• shuld pluck him from the inheritaunce of the heuenly kingdome, knew what blessed felicitie and ioyful quietnes the soules of the faithful do enioy after their departure frō the bodyes: lamented, he caried so longe in this vale of misery, and no lesse feruently desired to come and appeare before the face of god, than the thirstye harte desireth to come to the water brookes.
The godly auncient Tobye knowinge gods exceeding great liberalitie in the gift of euerlastinge quietnes after the humble submission of him self vntounto the Lorde hys god, wyshed rather to dy than to lyue, and beseched god that hys spyryte might be receiued in peace.
☞ Sentences out of the new Testament.
FEare not litle flocke, for it is your Fathers…uc. 12 plesure to geue you a kingdom.
Euerlasting life is the gift of God thorowRom. 6 Christe our Lord.
Whome god hathe predestinate, themRom. 8. hath he also called, whome he hath called, them also hath he iustified whome, he hath iustified, them hathe he glorified.
The eye hath not sene, and the eare hath1. Cor. 2 not heard, neither hath it entered into the hart of man, what thinges god hath prepared for them that louelove him.
By grace are ye saued thorow faith, andEphe. 2 that not of your selues. For it is the gifte of god, and commeth not of workes, least any man should boast him self.
God saued vsus, not for the dedes of righTim. 3. teousnes whiche we wrought, but for hys mercy and louing kindnes.
God hath geuen vsus euerlasting life, and1. Iohn. 5 this life is in his Sonne, he that hathe the Sonne hath life: and he that hathe not the Sonne of god, hath not life.
Be faithful vntounto the death, and I willApoc geue thee the crowne of life.
To him that ouercōmeth will I geueApoc to sit with me in my seate, euen as I ouercame and hauehave sitten with my father in his seate.
Examples out of the newe Testament.
The reuerent & auncient father Simeō Luke.being nothing apalled with y• remēbraūce of his sinnes, after he had seene and embra sed Christ in his armes, knowinge him to be the alone Sauiour of the world, shewed himselfe ready, glad and willinge to dye, that he might enioy that heauenly enheritance purchased by the same Iesus Christ our Lorde.Phil. …
S. Paule being fully perswaded that al his sinnes were washed away in Christes bloud, desired to be loosoned from that his mortall body and to be with Christ.
Virescit vulnere virtus.
Geue the glory to god alone.
Here endeth the Gouernance of vertue.