Gods Effectual Calling, Dedication 3
TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL AND HIS VERIE CHRISTIAN LOVING FRIEND, MAISTER WILLIAM SCOT of Ely, grace and peace by Ieſus Chriſt.
WHen I had finiſhed my laſt ſommers worke of reuiſing, and correcting Maſter Rollockes readings on the Coloſſians, I was inwardlie much affected with the holy ſpirit of the man, which I found as in that, ſo in the reſt of his workes. Then my heart deſired that as forraine Churches greatly reioyce in him, and bleſſe God for him; ſo the Churches of England and Scotland, might to their greater ioy heare him ſpeake yet more vntounto them in their owne natiue language.
This is the cauſe (right worſhipfull) that mooued me the winter paſt, to gaine ſome houres from mine ordinarie labours, to giuegive this little booke a new coate, that it might be knowne alſo in all this Iland, where it was firſt conceiued and borne.
It hath the protection of our moſt mightie King, for ſaftie and free paſſage into other parts of the world, where it hath been intertained with kinde acceptation: and ſo now, no doubt, it ſhall be no leſſe in both theſe kingdomes, when as all true hearted ſubiects ſhall ſee, with what chriſtian affection our moſt noble King affected this faithfull ſeruant of Ieſus Chriſt, and his holy workes. Now bleſſed bee God for being thus mindfull of vsus; and for annoynting his ſacred breaſt with ſuch a meaſure of the ſpirit of iudgement, as an 2. Sam. 19. 27. Phil. 19. 10. Eſa. 11. 3. 4.Angel of God, to diſcerne the things that differ, and ſo to reſpect the meeke ones of the earth, to the vnſpeakable ioy of the good, and terror of the wicked.
Behold now, praiſe the Lord with vsus, and let vsus magnifie his name together, for the Lord hath done great things for vsus: the Lord hath ſo ſet the wheeles of his admirable prouidence, and ſo carried his bleſſed hand this yeare paſt in all his proceedings round about vsus, and ſo touched the hearts 1. Sam. 10. 26.of all this kingdome, as hauing a purpoſe to accompliſh a great worke in the building of his Church, and in his good time to lift vp ſuch ſtrokes as ſhall deſtroy for euer, eueryevery enemie that doth euill to the ſanctuarie.Pſal. 74. 3.
The Lords compaſſions faile not: O Lord withdraw Pſal. 85. 3. 4.thine anger, and turne backe the fiercenes of thy wrath: Turne vsus O God of our ſaluation, turne thou vsus Lam. 5. 21.vntounto thee that wee may bee turned, and cauſe thy face to ſhine vponupon vsus, that we may be ſaued. Ceaſe not to pray for vsus, that we may not returne to our olde ſecuritie and vnthankfulnes any more, but that wee may attend what the Lord ſaith, for now he begins to ſpeake peace vntounto his people, and vntounto his Saints, crying in their doores euen as it Prou. 1. Pſal. 85. 8.were in the open ſtreetes, that they returne not againe to folly.
Now we ſee that the counſell of the Lord ſhall ſtand for euer, and that the thoughts of his heart ſhall continue throughout all ages: for he hath broken the counſels of the wicked, who hauehave euer ſought to be poſſeſt of Gods habitations: but the Lord ſhall make them as ſtubble before the wind, the Lord will perſecute them with his tempeſt, and make them afraid with his ſtorme. O Lord fill their Pſal. 83. 16.faces with ſhame, that they may ſeeke thy name. Finally, the Lord hath made our corners full and abounding with diuers forts of bleſſings: hee hath made Pſal. 144. 13.the barres of our gates ſtrong, and hath ſetled peace in our borders: he hath ſtabliſhed his Goſpell and holy couenant with vsus: he hath taught vsus to obſerue his iudgements, and his wonderfull adminiſtrations both of his iuſtice and merciemercy: he Pſal. 147. 13.hath not dealt ſo with any Nation round about vsus. Wherefore, O praiſe the Lord with vsus: let England and Scotland now with one heart, as with one mouth praiſe God in all the aſſemblies: Pſal. 6. 8. 26.O praiſe the Lord ye that are of the fountaine of Iſrael, praiſeye the Lord.
To returne to our purpoſe, as touching this ſweete treatiſe in hand, I ſay no more but this, (I truſt the reader ſhall finde my words true) that ſo many common places of diuinity as be here briefely couched, as branches appertaining to this one head, the religious and wiſe (I hope) ſhall finde them as iudicially, comfortably, and compendiouſly ſet downe and knit together, as any one thing of this kinde as yet extant in the Engliſh tongue.
Next, as for the argument of this booke, our effectuall calling is one principall linke of the golden chaine of the cauſes of our ſaluation. And it is the very firſt (in the execution of Gods eternall decree of our election) which manifeſteth the euerlaſting louelove of God in Ieſus Chriſt vntounto the heart of eueryevery beleeuer: that almightie God ſhould louelove him being his enemie, ſeeke him, and finde him, when he wandered in the maze and vanitie of his owne minde, quicken him when hee lay dead in ſinne, looſe him when he lay faſt bound in the bonds of death, inlighten him when he ſate in extreame darkenes: giuing him the ſpirit of grace, and of faith by the Goſpell, to attend his holy calling, and in time to reioyce with an exceeding ioy Rom. 5. 2. 3.therein.
Laſtly for the tranſlation, albeit I hauehave not followed the authors words, yet hauehave I endeuoured faithfully to deliuer his meaning, in the plaineſt forme, and in words moſt in vſe among the people. Horat. art. non verbum verbo curabis reddere fidus interpres.The Lord giuegive it a bleſſing, whereſoeuer it ſhall reſt, among Gods elect of both theſe kingdomes.
Now (right Worſhipfull Maiſter Scot) I come vntounto yourſelfe: your moſt chriſtian and holy louelove in theſe cold and euill times, as vntounto all the Saint, ſo ſpecially to this good ſeruant of Chriſt, like as it comforted him greatly in his latter dayes: ſo aſſuredly it ſhall much refreſh your owne heart, not onelyonly all your life, but alſo much more (I doubt not) in the very houre of death.
There be three infallible notes knit together in one Scripture, to iuſtifie our pretious faith vntounto our owne hearts, that we may be truely perſwaded we are poſſeſt of that faith which ſhall iuſtifie vsus before God: louelove to the brethren, hoſpitalitie of louelove, and chriſtian ſympathie to the Saints in their 1. 2.afflictions. LoueLove to the holy members of Chriſt, 3.is often commaunded and commended in Ioſeph, in Moſes, in Nehemias, in Daniel, in Dauid, who being aduanced to great dignities, yet eſteemed they nothing more then the good of the Church, and to become ſeruiceable (as it were) by all meanes to the Saints. To louelove the ſeruants of Chriſt, and to be beloued of *Rom. 15. 31. Philip. 1. 9.them, it is (as Saint Iohn ſaith) an infallible argument that God hath taken vsus by the hand, looſened our *1. Iohn. 3. 8.bands, and tranſlated vsus from death to life, and from *1. Pet. 2. 9.darknes into the glorious light of God. All that talke of Charitie, doe not louelove the Saints, that is, the liuing members of Chriſt on earth. We may diſcerne our louelove to be ſound by theſe notes. Firſt, it is a flame which comes downe from God into our aRom. 5. 5. Luk. 7. 47.hearts, kindling (as it were) within vsus, and giuing vsus no reſt, till we performe duties to the Saints. And this is that which the Apoſtle meaneth, when he willeth vsus to bHeb. 10. 24.ſtirre vp one another vntounto a paroxyſme of louelove. Secondly, hence it comes to paſſe, that louelove to the Saints, being neuer colde, is neuer idle in well doing, and therefore proceedes the ſecond note which the ſame Apoſtle calles cHeb. 6. 10.labour foreign. Pſalm. 16. 4, 5.of louelove: for that this louelove trauailes by all meanes poſſible, to doe good to the members of Chriſt. Thirdly, next, this louelove is ſincere dRom. 12. 9.voide of all diſſimulation. Fourthly and laſtly, it is eHebr. 13. 1. Act 2. 42▪ 46.conſtant, conſuming, as a fire, all offences, fPhil. 1. 9. 10.and cannot bee quenched.
The ſecond marke, in the ſame Scripture, of our moſt holy faith, is gHebr. 13. 2.hoſpitalitie of louelove (as the Syriack tranſlation hath it) not of lucre. The Lord gaue often hRom. 12. 10. 11 1. Pet. 4 9. 1. Tim. 3. 2. 15. 20.charge by his Apoſtles concerning this, foreſeeing the neceſſitie and afflictions of the Saints in the tenne bloodie perſecutions, which euen then began and were to follow. The practiſe Hilariter excipere, affabiliter tractare, ami… dimittere.of this we ſee commended in all ages: in Abraham and Lot receiuing Angels, they receiue them cheerefully, they intertaine and vſe them courteouſly, they diſmiſſe them louingly. So did Bethuel Eleazar, ſo did Iethro Moſes, ſo did Manoah the Angell of God, ſo did the good olde man of Gibeah, the Leuite and his wife; ſo did Obadiah the Prophets, ſo did the widow of Zarephath Elias, ſo did the Sunamite Eliſha, ſo did Mary often receiue Chriſt, ſo did the Tanner and Cornelius Peter, Lydia and the Iayler the Apoſtles, Aquila and Priſcilla, Paul; Phebe, and Stephanus many, and Gaius the whole Church at Corinth. All theſe are Chronicled in the booke of God as moſt memorable preſidents for all ages.
The third note of the precious faith of Gods elect, in the ſame place annexed: is Chriſtian ſympathy to the ſeruants of Chriſt in all their afflictions. This grace is found, when louelove hath ſet on fire our very iMatth 9. 36. Philip. 1. 9. foreign.bowels (as the holy Ghoſt ſpeaketh) that in all their paſſions, it fils vsus with a feeling and a tender compaſſion. This ſtirres vp men to kMatth 25. 36.viſit the members of Chriſt in all their miſeries, to conſider lPſalm. 41. 1.wiſely of their afflictions, to mRom. 12. 15.mourne when they mourne, to nRom. 12. 13.diſtribute to their wants: and ſo to proceede on to the duties of inſtruction, admonition, conſolation, inſtant and oIam. 5. 13. 20feruent in prayer, and to adde confeſſion of ſinnes, with faſting, if the ſtate and heauines of the affliction ſo require.
Theſe things I write vntounto you (right Worſhipfull) firſt not ſo much for your inſtruction, as for the edification and confirmation of others, in this frozen age, wherein carnall and ſelfe louelove, and all iniquitie increaſeth, and louelove to the Saints decreaſeth and waxeth cold, as Chriſt hath pMatth. 24. 12forewarned vsus: a manifeſt ſigne that ſauing faith faileth, in moſt places, euen where it is profeſſed moſt. Secondly, I write thus vntounto you, for that you hauehave been taught of God (as I heare) to practiſe theſe things, and to obſerue the Canons of Chriſt in his Goſpell concerning louelove to the Saints. This holy ſeruant of Chriſt Maiſter Rollocke, if he were liuing, could and would teſtifie of your ſincere louelove, when you intertained him into your owne familie, reſpecting his wants with all compaſſion and tendernes of heart.
The moſt prouident ruler of Heauen and earth, which hath ſhed, by the working of his holy ſpirit, this precious louelove into your heart, will fully repay and recompenſe this your louelove, with manifold comforts of his ſpirit, euen then ſpecially when the comforts and props of this preſent life ſhall moſt be wanting. Now the God of hope fill you with all ioy and peace in beleeuing, that ye may abounde in hope, through the power of the holy Ghoſt, that ſo ye may perſeuer in this your holy faith in Chriſt, and louelove to the Saints vntounto the end.
Amen.
Yours to vſe in the Lord Chriſt Ieſus, HENRIE HOLLAND.