Against Popery, Treatise · Argument 7
THE SEAVENTH ARGVMENT touching one neceſſarie effect, or fruit of true religion, which is, true ioy and ſound comfort of heart.
I Might adde many other effects and fruits of poperie, whereby more plentifully to prooue it not to be of God, but becauſe I hauehave written much alreadie, and yet hauehave diuers other arguments of as good moment as the former remaining, I will adde one fruit more, or at the leaſt one fruit which that religion that is commended in the Scriptures doth alwaies bring forth, but beeing not to be found vponupon the whole tree of poperie, doth therefore prooue the ſame neuer to be planted or grafted by the Lord. This fruit is the great ioy and ſound comfort of conſcience that alwaies groweth vponupon the religion commended in the ſcriptures. The ſtatutes of the Lord (ſaith Dauid) are right, and reioyce the heart, Pſal. 19. 8. They are alſo ſweeter then honie, or the honie combe, v. 10. He ſaith alſo that the promiſe of God had beene his comfort in his trouble, and had quickned him, pſal. 119. 50. and that he remembred the ancient iudgements of God and ſo was comforted, v. 52. and againe, v. 92. that except the law of God had beene his delight he ſhould hauehave periſhed in his affliction. S. Peter alſo ioyneth theſe two religions together, beleeuing in him whome we ſee not, and reioycing with ioy vnſpeakable and glorious, 1. Pet. 1. 8. And indeede how can this religion be without ſuch ioy and comfort? For it teacheth that the ſinnes of ſuch as doe beleeue according to the ſcriptures are forgiuen, Matth. 9. 2. that they are iuſtified and hauehave peace with God, Rom. 5. 1. that they ſhall neuer be caſt awaie, Joh. 6. 37. but raiſed vp at the latter daie, v. 44. that they are in the hands of Chriſt, and that no man ſhall take them out, but that they ſhall certenly hauehave eternall life, Ioh. 10. 28. which eternal life is kept for them in heauen, as likewiſe they are kept for it in earth, not by men or angels, but by the mightie power of God, 1. Pet. 1 4, and 5. that they are tranſlated from death to life, 1. Ioh. 3. 14. and are of the truth, and doe as certenly know themſelues to be of the truth, and that therfore they ſhall before him aſſure their hearts, as God himſelfe greater then their hearts knoweth all things, v. 19, and 20. that they are borne of God, 1. Ioh. 4. 7. and therefore are the children of God, and heyres of God, and coheyres with Chriſt, Rom. 8. 17. and that nothing ſhall ſeparate them from the louelove of God, v. 38. that they are ſo built vponupon a rocke, that no ſtormes or tempeſts ſhall ouerthrow them, Math. 7. 25. but ſtand faſt for euer like vntounto mount Zion, pſal. 125. 1. that they may no more doubt that God will forget the worke and labour of their louelove, then they may doubt of the righteouſneſſe of God himſelfe, Heb. 6. 10. not in reſpect of their works, but in reſpect of his promiſe, 1. Ioh. 2. 25. and the price wherewith they are bought by Chriſt Ieſus. 1. Cor. 7. 23. and 1. Pet. 1. 9. and of the earneſt of their inheritance, euen the ſpirit, Eph. 1. 14. and of the continuall interceſſion of Chriſt for them at the right hand of God his father. Rom. 8. 34. Theſe and ſuch like things doth the Scripture aſſure all them of, that by the fruits of a true faith and religion both inward and outward, know that they hauehave true faith and religion. How therefore can they be heauie? yea how can they not reioyce with ioy vnſpeakable and glorious?
2 But what ioy and comfort can there be in poperie? doth not poperie denie the firſt foundation of ſound comfort, namely the doctrine of particular election, whereby a man is taught, that God loued him, and predeſtinated him to eternall ſaluation before the world was made? doth not poperie take awaie the word of God that giueth wiſdome to the ſimple, ſight to the blinde, light to them that ſit in darknes, and life to them that are dead in their ſinnes? and doth it not therefore leaue men fooliſh and blinde, in darknes and in death it ſelfe? Can there be any comfort in ſuch an eſtate? Doth not poperie teach that ſaluation is to be had partly, yea chiefely by our owne works and merits? And who knoweth when he hath wrought and merited enough? Doth not poperie teach that the efficacie of the ſacrament, dependeth vponupon the intention of the prieſt? Who knoweth the intention of any man his heart but his owne? 1. Cor. 2. 11. who therefore knoweth when he receiueth the ſacrament, and when he doth not? Doth not poperie teach, that it is preſumption for any man to ſaie that he is certen and ſure of the fauour of God, and his continuance therein, and of his ſaluation? What ſound and certen comfort can there be without aſſurance of theſe things?
3 I graunt that the Papiſts reioyce and are merrie as other wicked men reioyce and are merrie. But ſuch ioy is fleſhly, ſuperficiall and vncertaine, the ground thereof beeing not in God but in themſelues, in Saints, in reliques of Saints, in the bloode of Martyrs, in the pardon and indulgences of the Pope, and ſuch like ſandie ſtuffe, and therefore not certaine. The ioy of the Papiſts is like the ioy of the Iſraelites at the making and worſhipping of the calfe. Exod. 32. 6, 17, 18, and 19. The ioye of the Papiſts is the ioye of Nabal in his great feaſt, 1. Sam. 25. 36. The ioye of the Papiſts is like the ioye of Belſhazzar, when he made the great feaſt to a thouſand of his Princes, and dranke wine before the thouſand, commaunding the holy veſſells of the Temple of the Lord to be brought forth vntounto that feaſt, and polluting them at his pleaſure. Dan. 5. 1. Euen ſuch, (I ſaie) and no other is the ioye of the Papiſts before their Calfe, that is, before their innumerable idols and grauen images, and at their ſolemne feaſtes which they dedicate to the honour and worſhippe of them and of their Saints.
4 Contrariwiſe our religion teacheth all theſe thinges which before wee heard to be taught in the Scriptures, it teacheth men to applie them to themſelues, and by them to aſſure themſelues of God his louelove and fauour, as certenly as if the angel Gabriel were ſent to thē as he was to the Virgin Marie, euen to ſpeake to them particularly, as he ſpake to her and ſaide, Luk. 1. 28. Hayle, or (according alſo to the naturall ſignification of the word) reioyce and be merrie, as one that is freely beloued; and againe whatſoeuer thy ſinnes be, &c. yet feare not, for thou haſt found fauour with God, v. 30. as if alſo another ſhould ſaie as he did to the ſhepheards, Luk. 2. 10. Be not afraid: for behold, I bring you tidings of great ioye, that ſhall be to all people, &c. This comfort and this ioy doth our religion teach and commend, and offer, yea alſo bring vntounto all them that truly embrace the ſame. Yea certenly they that by the powerful working of our religion in their hearts, and in their outward conuerſation, doe know themſelues not to be hypocrites, but truly to hauehave embraced our religion and the doctrine thereof, they (I ſay) may better caſt away all feare, and more certenly aſſure themſelues of God his fauour, and therefore alſo more truly reioyce then all the Papiſts in the world, or any one of them, remaining in his poperie may or might, not onelyonly if one angel, but if all the angels in heauen ſhould come and ſpeake vntounto them in like manner. This is a great word, but it is a true word: how ſo? verily becauſe one greater then all the angels doth ſpeake it, and biddeth all ſuch not to feare, but to reioyce. God himſelfe generally thus ſpeaketh in all the Scriptures, to all ſuch generally: and the holy Ghoſt his effectuall working of true faith and true godlines in eueryevery particular perſon, that is, truly of our religion ſpeaketh alſo the ſame thing. Therefore the greater and more credible that the maſter is then the ſeruant, and ſo alſo God himſelfe, then the angels, which are but the worke of his hands, and therefore his ſeruants, and miniſtring ſpirits: the more certen alſo may eueryevery one be aſſured of God his fauour, to whome God and his ſpirit by their effectuall working doe teſtifie the ſame, then if the angels of heauen ſhould ſpeake as much to one in whome were not the effects of the ſpirit. Further alſo the reaſon of that comfortable ſpeach of the angels to Marie and the ſhepheards beeing well obſerued, doth confirme that which I hauehave ſaid of the applying of the ſame comfort to all thoſe that are truly of our religion. For why will the angel hauehave the virgin Marie not to feare? becauſe ſhee was freely beloued, and had found fauour with God: but how doth the angel prooue this? becauſe (ſaith he) thou ſhalt conceiue in thy vvombe, and beare a ſonne, and thou ſhalt call his name Jeſus. If therefore to conceiue in her wombe and beare this ſonne onelyonly, were a ſufficient argument to perſwade her to caſt away feare, to reioyce, and aſſure her ſelfe that ſhee had found fauour with God, how much more may he caſt away feare, reioyce, and aſſure himſelfe of God his fauour, whoſe ſoule and whole man hath embraced whole Chriſt, & is likewiſe embraced of Chriſt, and is made one with Chriſt, euen fleſh of his fleſh, and bone of his bone, and which knoweth this by the death of ſinne, and the life of righteouſnes in him, through the death and reſurrection of Chriſt? If ſhee were ſo bleſſed whoſe wombe ſhould beare Chriſt according to the fleſh, and whoſe pappes ſhould giuegive him ſucke, how much more bleſſed are they that heare the word of God and keepe it? Luc. 11. 28.
5 The like may be ſaide of the argument of the angel to the ſhepheards, for be not afraid, ſaith the angel: but why? I bring you trdings of great ioye, that ſhall be to all people. What are theſe tydings, and what is this great ioye? Ʋnto you is borne this day in the city of Dauid, a Sauiour which is Chriſt the Lord, &c. Now if this were ſuch ioye to heare onelyonly of the birth of Chriſt Ieſus, how much greater is it to heare of the birth of the whole life, of the death, of the reſurrection, of the aſcenſion, and of the ſitting of Chriſt Ieſus at the right hand of God, there making interceſſion for all his members? yea not onelyonly to heare, but alſo to be aſſured of theſe things by the effects of them in our conſciences. Neither doth our religion onelyonly bid men thus to reioyce for a time, and at a ſtart, but we ſaie alſo with the Apoſtle, Reioyce in the Lord alwaies: and againe I ſay reioyce, Phil. 4. 4. But vponupon what ground doth our religion bid men thus to reioyce? becauſe it aſſureth them not onelyonly of the preſent fauour of God, but alſo of the continuance thereof for euer to them that are once truly incorporated into Chriſt Ieſus. For whome God loueth, he loueth to the ende, Ioh. 13. 1. and, the gifts of God are without repentance, Rom. 11. 29. and, in God is no change nor ſhadow of change, Iam. 1. 17. Neither is he as man, that he ſhould repent: hath he ſaide, and ſhall he not doe it? hath he ſpoken and ſhall he not accompliſh it? Num. 23. 19. And againe, Heauen and earth ſhall paſſe, but the word of the Lord ſhall not paſſe, till all things be done. Luk. chap. 21. verſ. 33.
6 VponUpon theſe and many other the like grounds, we bidde them that truly hauehave embraced our religion to reioyce alwaies, and doe aſſure them vponupon the immutable nature of God, and of his word, that they ſhall neuer be caſt out of his fauour: yea that it is as poſſible for the power of hell to take away from Chriſt one of the members of his materiall bodie now glorified and raigning in heauen, as to plucke away or cut off any member of his myſticall and ſpirituall bodie here in earth. Therefore of all ſuch & eueryevery ſuch we ſaie, that God ſpeaketh as Iſaac ſpake of Iaacob, after that he had one bleſſed him, I hauehave bleſſed him, therefore he ſhall be bleſſed, Gen. 27. 33. As Pilate alſo ſaith of the title and ſuperſcription, which he had ſet vponupon the head of Ieſus Chriſt crucified, when the high Prieſts laboured him to alter the ſame, What I hauehave written, that I hauehave written, Ioh. 19. 22. So ſaie we of all them, whoſe names God hath once written and regiſtred in the booke of life; that (the decree of God, beeing like the decree of the Medes and Perſians, which altereth not, Dan. 6. 8.) though all the deuills in hell ſhould labour God for the raſing of any out of the booke of life, whoſe names are written therein, yea if it were poſſible, that all the bleſſed angels ſhould indeauour and intreat any ſuch thing, that God would alwaies keepe his purpoſe, and anſwer them, Him that I hauehave written, I hauehave written. This is the ioye and comfort of God his children, and this ioye and comfort is in our religion, and neuer to be found in poperie or to be attained vntounto thereby.
7 If any obiect that many ſometime of our religion doe vtterly fall away, and ſometime alſo deſpaire for euer of the goodnes and fauour of God, I anſwer with S. Iohn, They went our from, vsus, but they were not of vsus, 1. Ioh. 2. 19. They profeſſed our religion, but they neuer truly embraced the ſame, neither did euer truly feele the power of godlines in their ſoules; yea though it may be that they had ſome ioy in our religion, yet it was but the ioy of the ſtony ground, wherin the ſeede of the word hath no ſound rooting, Math. 13. 20. and like vntounto the ioy of Herod at the preaching of Iohn Baptiſt, Mark. 6. 20. Yea but ſome perhaps will obiect further, that many of the beſt of our religion are often in great heauines of minde, and doe much doubt of God his fauour, &c. yea that moſt part of their life they continue in this penſiuenes. To this I anſwer, that although this fruit of ioy and ſound comfort do alwaies grow vponupon the tree of our religion, yet ſometime the twigges of our olde crabſtocke into which this religion is grafted, doe grow out ſo farre through our euill husbandrie, and not pruning them in time, that the leaues thereof beeing very thicke, according to the nature of the crabbe, doe ſo ſhadowe this fruit, that euen he that is grafted with the impes and ſciences of our religion, can hardly finde this fruit without narow ſearch and diligent turning ouer, and remoouing the leaues as it were one by one with his hand. As alſo we read that although Chriſt were in the preſence of the two diſciples that were going to Emaus and talked with them, and yet was not diſcerned by them, becauſe their eyes were holden, that they could not know him, Luk. 24. 16. as alſo that Marie Magdalene ſaw Ieſus and talked with him, but yet knew him not, Ioh. 20. 14. So alſo the children of God that by a true and liuely faith are partakers of Chriſt, do not yet ſee Chriſt, nor the great comfort which they hauehave by Chriſt, becauſe their eyes are holden, that is, their ſight is dimmed by the ſight of ſinne partly, and partly alſo by the ſleights of Satan, that they can neither ſee nor feele that matter of ioy and comfort which they hauehave and carrie daily about within their breaſts.
8 Finally touching this comfort, it is with the children of God, and ſuch as are truly of our religion, as it is with many ſimple men in the world touching their earthly poſſeſſions and inheritances. For although they hauehave neuer ſo good right vntounto them, and neuer ſo good aſſurance of them, euen as good as poſſibly they can hauehave, and as all the lawyers by all the law in the world can make them, yet for all that, they oftentimes meete with ſome pettifogger and couſening mate, that telleth them their title is naught and not worth a ſtraw, & ſo forth. Now by ſuch wordes the ſimple man is halfe perſwaded, and beginneth ſomething to doubt, yea ſometime almoſt to feare: and thus he continueth till he meete with his learned counſaile, that doe againe declare vntounto him and aſſure him of the contrarie: ſo, Iſaie, is it with the children of God, and ſuch as are truly ſeaſoned with our religion. By Chriſt Ieſus they hauehave as good right to the kingdome of heauen as is poſſible, and their eſtate is ſo good as that all the enemies they hauehave either carnal or ſpirituall, cannot poſſibly defeat them thereof; notwithſtanding ſuch is their ſimplicitie in heauenly things (as oftentimes it is greater in earthly things) that their enemie and the enemie of God meeting with them, and reaſoning the caſe, either by his outward inſtruments, or by thoſe ſecret friends which he hath in a man his owne heart, doth at the laſt by his ſubtiltie make them to doubt, and filleth them with feare, till they meete againe with their old counſeller the ſpirit of God (who ſometime keepeth himſelfe cloſe, and for a time will not (as it were) be ſpoken withall, to trie what his clyents will or can doe without him) but when they meete and conferre with him, by the time that he hath a little repeated their aſſurance, and declared their right from point to point by his ſeuerall effects in their hearts, and how alſo Chriſt Ieſus purchaſed ſaluation for them, and beſtowed it vponupon them, and therefore alſo gaue him vntounto them as an earneſt pennie thereof, to ſeale and confirme the whole gift; then doe they caſt away their former feare, and recouer their ancient comfort. So is it from time to time with them, whilſt Satan talketh with them, and the ſpirit of God hideth himſelfe, they doubt: but when the ſpirit of God talketh with them, by his liuely and ſenſible operation in their hearts, then are they of good cheere and comfort; yet euen whilſt they feare, they hauehave no cauſe of feare, but their right is alwaies one and the ſame: onelyonly ſometime by their ſimplicitie they ſee not their right. This ſhall ſuffice to hauehave ſpoken both of the abundance of all heauenly comfort in our religion, and alſo of the want thereof in poperie. Wherefore I doe againe conclude, both that our religion is moſt pleaſant and acceptable vntounto the God of all comfort, and alſo that poperie is altogether abominable in his ſight.