The Way to True Peace and Rest, Sermon 2
THE SECOND SERMON, VPONUPON THE PREPARATION TO THE LORDS SVPPER.
1. COR. 11.2.
Let eueryevery man therefore examine himselfe, and so let him eate of this Bread, and drinke of this Cup.
IN the doctrine of our triall and due examination, the Apostle (as ye hauehave heard, wel-beloued in Christ Iesus) gaue vsus a speciall command, that eueryevery one of vsus should try and examine narrowly our selues: that is, that eueryevery man should condescend and enter into his owne conscience, try and examine the estate of his own conscience, in what estate he findes it with God; and in what estate he findes it with his neighbour. He enioynes this triall to our selues, and commandeth that eueryevery one of vsus should take paines about the true examination of our consciences. He enioynes this work to vsus, why? Because no man knoweth so much of me, as I do my selfe; because no man can be sure of the estate of my conscience, but I my selfe; because no man can so diligently, nor so profitably try my conscience, as I my selfe. Therefore chiefly it behooueth eueryevery man and woman, before they do enter in to the hearing of the Word, before they giuegive their eare to the Word, or their mouth to the Sacrament, it behooueth them to trie and examine their owne consciences. Not that the Apostle would seclude the triall of other men: for as it is lawfull for me to try my selfe, so no doubt it is lawfull for my Pastor to try me. It is lawfull for other men that hauehave a care ouer me to try, and examine me: but no man can do this so profitably to me as I my selfe. And though we had neuer so many tryers and examiners, all is nothing if we trie not our selues. So whether there be a second or a third tryer and examiner, let our selues be one, and the first. And no doubt the Apostles minde was this, to let vsus see clearely, that he that cometh to that Table, and hath not that knowledge, nor is not of that ability to try him-selfe, is a profane commer, cometh vncleanely; and therefore must needs come to his owne destruction. Let eueryevery man therefore grow in knowledge, grow in vnderstanding, grow in the spirit, that he may be the more able to try and examine his owne conscience.
To the end that ye may go forward and proceede in the worke of this triall, with the better speed, and with the better fruites, in this examination we laid downe this order: First of all, I shewed, what that is which we call a conscience, and what is meant thereby. Next, I declared for what causes ye should put your consciences to this triall, and narrow examination. And thirdly, so farre as time suffered, I entred into the points, wherein eueryevery one of you should try and examine your owne consciences. As for conscience, that ye may call that definition to your memory, I will resume it shortly. We call a conscience, a certaine feeling in the heart, resembling the righteous iudgement of GOD, following vponupon a deed done by vsus, flowing from a knowledge in the mind. A feeling, accompanied with a motion in the heart; a motion either of feare, or ioy, trembling or reioycing. I leaue the opening vp of these parts to your memories, and I pray God, that they may be well sanctified. I come next to the causes, wherefore eueryevery one of you should be carefull in trying & examining your owne consciences. The first cause is, because the Lord of heauen hath his eye continuallie vponupon the conscience: the eye of God is neuer from the conscience and heart of man, as I proued to you by diuerse places. Next because this God hath chosen his lodging, and hath set downe his throne, to make his residence in the conscience: Therefore, that he may dwell in cleannesse, ye ought to hauehave a regard to his dwelling place. Thirdly, he is the Lord, yea the onelyonly Lord of this conscience, who hath power onelyonly to controlle, who onelyonly hath power to saue or to cast away: therefore that it may do good seruice to thy owne Lord, thou oughtest to take heede to thy conscience. And last of all, in respect yt the health of thy soule standeth in the estate of thy conscience, and if thy soule be in good health, thy bodie cannot be ill: therefore in respect that the soule and body depend vponupon the estate of the conscience, eueryevery one of you should carefully looke to your consciences. I will not amplifie this, but leaue it to your memories, how the health of the soule and welfare of the soule should be kept. Next I come in the third and last place to the points, in the which eueryevery one of you should trie and examine your consciences. And as ye may remember, I set downe two points wherein ye ought to put your consciences in triall: First, to know whether your consciences were at peace with God or not: Secondly, whether your consciences were in louelove and charitie, and in amitie with your neighbour or not: In these two points chiefly ye must trie and examin… your selues. To know whether ye be at peace with God or not, ye must first trie whether ye be in the faith or not, (as the Apostle saith) whether ye be in the faith of Christ or not: For being in the faith, and iustified thereby, of necessitie ye must hauehave peace with God. Then the next care must be to trie your faith, and to see whether ye hauehave faith or not. Faith can no waies be tried but by the fruits: Faith cannot be iudged of by me that looke vponupon it onelyonly, but by the effects. Therefore, to trie whether ye be in the faith or not, marke the fruits; Take heede to thy mouth, take heede to thy hand, take heede to thy words and to thy deeds: for except thou glorifie God in thy mouth, & confesse to thy saluation, and except thou glorifie him also in thy deeds, and make thy holy life a witnesse of thy holy faith, all is but vaine, all is but meere hypocrisie.How a sincere faith is knowne. Therefore to know the sinceritie of thy faith, thou must take heed that there be a harmonie betweene thy hand, thy mouth, and thy heart, that there be a naturall consent, that thy doings preiudge not thy heart, that thy mouth preiudge not thy heart, but that mouth and hand may testifie the sinceritie of the heart. If the heart, the hand, and the mouth, consent and agree in one harmonie together; no question, that heart that breaketh forth into so good fruits is coupled with God; there is no question, the light of thy actions, the beames & shining of thy life, shall make the name of thy good God to be glorified.
Therefore, the whole weight of thy triall stands chiefly vponupon this point, to see whether we be in the faith or not; to trie and examine whether Christ dwell in vsus by faith or not: for without faith there can be no coupling or conioyning betwixt vsus and Christ; without faith our hearts cannot be sanctified and cleansed; and without faith we cannot worke by charitie: so all depends on this onelyonly. And therefore that ye might the better vnderstand whether ye hauehave faith or no, I was somewhat the more exact in this matter, and I began to let you see how the holy Spirit createth faith, and worketh faith in your soules, hearts and minds: I began to shew you what order the holy Spirit k…pt in forming & in creating this notable instrument in your hearts & minds. Not onelyonly how he ingenders and begins faith, but also how he entertaineth it, how he nourisheth it. And I shewed you the externall meanes and instruments, which he vseth to this effect: To beget faith in our soules, the holy Spirit vseth the hearing of the word preached by him that is sent, and the ministerie of the Sacraments, as ordinary meanes and instruments: which ordinarie meanes are onelyonly then effectuall, when as the holy Spirit concurs inwardly in our hearts with the word striking outwardly in our eares, and with the Sacrament outwardly receiued. And except the holy Spirit grant his concurrence to the word and Sacrament, word and Sacrament both will not worke faith. So all dependeth vponupon the working of this holy Spirit: the whole regeneration of mankind, the renewing of the heart and of the conscience, depend on the power of the holy Spirit; and therefore it behooueth vsus carefully to imploy our selues in calling vponupon God for his holy Spirit. By the same meanes and no other, that the holy Spirit begetteth faith in vsus, by the same meanes he nourisheth and augmenteth that which he hath begotten: And therefore as we got faith by the hearing of the word, so by continuall and diligent hearing we hauehave this faith augmented and nourished in vsus. And from hence I tooke my exhortation, that if ye would hauehave that spirituall life nourished in you, and if ye would hauehave a further assurance of heauen, of necessitie ye must both continually & diligently heare the blessed word of God.
Now it resteth that eueryevery one of you carefully apply this doctrine to your owne soules, and enter into the triall of your owne consciences, to see if this faith as I spake, be begun in your hearts and minds, or not: how farre, or how little the holy Spirit hath proceeded in that worke, trie with me, and I with you. The first effect of the holy Spirit whereby ye may trie your minds, whether ye be in the faith or not, is this: Reuolue in your memories and remember, if at any time it pleased the Lord in his merciemercy to turne the darknes of your minds into light, to cause that naturall darknesse which was within you to depart: through ye which darknes, neither had ye an eye to see your selues what you were by nature, nor yet had ye an eye to see God in Christ, nor any part of his merciemercy. Examine, I say, whether this darknesse of the naturall vnderstanding be turned into light, by the working of the Spirit or not. If thou art become a child of the light, a child of the day; if thou art become (as the Apostle speaketh) light in the Lord: if there be this alteration made in thy mind, that whereas naturally before, it was closed vp in da…kenesse, whereas it was filled with vanities and errors, wheras it was closed vp in blindnes: If the Lord hath at any time inlightened the eye of thy mind, and made thee to see thine owne misery, to see the vglines of thine owne nature, to see the haynous sins in the which by nature thou liest; If he hath granted to thee …n insight of thy selfe in some measure; and on the other side, if he hath granted thee the remedie, and hath giuen thee an insight of the merciemercy of God in Christ Iesus, if thou hast obtained an insight of the riches of his grace in Christ; no doubt the holy Spirit hath begun a good worke in thee, a worke which will bring forth repentance, which in his owne time he will perfect. So this is the first care which ye ought to hauehave, and the first point wherein ye ought to examine your minds, to see if there be any light in it, whereby ye may know your miserie, & hauehave an insight of the free merciemercy of God in Christ Iesus. This being done, that thou findest a sight of these two in thy mind, f…om thy mind go to thy heart: and as thou hast tried thy mind, so try thy heart: And first examine thine heart, if it be altered or not, that the will of it be framed and bowed to Gods obedience, that thy affection be turned into the life of God, and be poured out on him, as it was poured out on vanities, on filthinesse, and on the world before. Trie whether the ground of thy heart and the fountaine from whence thy motions and affections proceede be sanctified or not: for from a holy fountaine holy waters must distill: from a holy fountaine, holy motions, holy cogitations, and sanctified considerations must flow.
Trie then and examine your hearts, if the Spirit of God hath wrought any such reformation, as I speake of in your hearts or not. And that ye may perceiue the working of the holy Spirit the better in your hearts and consciences, (for the holy Spirit hath his chiefe residence in your hearts) I will declare vntounto you the fi…st effect that euer the holy Spirit bringeth forth in the heart, in framing it, in mollifying it, and in bowing it vntounto the obedience of God. You shall know the working of the holy Spirit by this effect: namely, if your minds see and behold what is ill, see & behold what is good, perceiue and discerne your owne miserie and your sinnes, which hauehave brought this misery vponupon you; and withall perceiue and behold the riches of the merciemercy of God in Christ Iesus. If as your minds see these two, your hearts be reformed and prepared to louelove the sight of them: and as you see in your minds the mercy of God, and that in Christ, if ye hauehave hearts to desire mercy, if ye hauehave a thirsting and earnest desire to be partakers of mercy; where this desire & thirst is there ye holy Spirit is, he hath no doubt opened the heart. On the other side, if as thou seeest merciemercy, thou seest thy misery; if as thy mind seeth thy miserie, it seeth also the fountaine from whence thy miserie floweth, to wit, from thine owne sinnes; if then thy heart also hate this, the holy Spirit is there: if as thou seest sinne, which is the cause of thy miserie, with the eye, which is giuen thee in the minde; thou hatest this sinne with thy heart, no question the holy Spirit is there. And as thou hatest it, if also thou sorrow for it (for it is is not enough to hate it, if thou lament not the committing of it, and with a godly sorrow deplore it) the holy Spirit is there. And thirdly, if with thy lamenting, thou hast a care and a study to eschue that sin, (for what auailes it to lament, if like a dogge returning to his vomite, thou fall into that same gulfe againe?) Therefore, where there is an hatred of sinne, a sorrow for sinne, a care and a studie to eschue sin; no question, the holy Spirit hath opened the heart, and is working out that pretious instrument. Obserue all this in a word, all the operation of the holy Spirit and working in the heart, and by this examine thine heart: See and perceiue it the holy Spirit hath entred so farre in thee, to worke in that hard hea…t of thine an earnest and a diligent studie, a carefull solicitude, continually to be reconciled with the great God whom thou hast offended: Is there such a thing as a thirst, as a desire, to be at amity with him, whom thou hast offended, to be reconciled with the God of heauen, whom thou hast offended by thy manifold transgressions? where this care and studie of reconciliation is, if this care & studie of reconciliation be in the heart, there is no doubt but the heart that thirsteth for this reconciliation, is heartily content not onelyonly to renounce sinne, to renounce all the impieties that separated thee from God; but the heart that is endued with this thirst, will be heartily content to renounce it selfe, to cast downe it selfe as stubbo…e as it was before, to cast downe it selfe at the feete of the mighty God, and be wholly content at all times after to be ruled by his holy will: Not to follow it owne lust, it owne will and appetite, as it did before; but to resigne it selfe wholly into the hands of the mighty God, to be ruled by his will, at his pleasure, and to obey his commands. And except ye finde this disposition in your owne hearts, to acquire your selues, to renounce your selues, it is a vaine thing for you to say, that ye hauehave a thirst to be reconciled. So the greater thirst of reconciliation that we hauehave, and the more that the care & study thereof groweth; the greater that the apprehension of my misery, of the deepe gulfes, and very hels (whereunto my soule is subiect) increaseth in my soule, the more earnest would I be to be reconciled. And to be reconciled, I would not stand for the renouncing of the lusts of my heart, but I would renounce my heart, & the obedience of the will and desire: why? Because I see I must die for euer except the Lord reconcile himselfe with me: I see the huge deepes & oceans of all misery, into the which I shall fall in the end, except inmercie the Lord reconcile himselfe with me. To eschue these miseries and inconueniences, is there any question but the heart that hath any sense and is touched with them, will most willingly endeuour to acquite it selfe? Againe, seeing the Lord hath taken paines to deliuer me out of the deepe miserie in the which I had drowned my selfe, and hath purchased my redemption by so deere a price, not with gold nor with siluer or any drosse of the earth, but by such a wonderfull meanes, by such a pretious price, and rich ransome; looking to the greatnesse of our misery, and to the greatnesse of the price whereby he hath redeemed vsus, what heart is it but would willingly renounce it selfe, to get a part of that redemption, and to be deliuered out of that hell wherein we are presently, and wherein we shall be in a greater measure hereafter, except we be reconciled? So th…n with this there is ioyned a disposition in the heart, whereby the heart is willing in some measure to renounce it selfe.
This lesson is often taught vsus by our Sauiour Christ; we must both take vp the crosse and renounce our selues also▪ before that we can follow him. The more that this thirst groweth in the heart, the more this renouncing of our selues groweth in the heart: the more that this thirst decayeth & is diminished in the hart, the more we cleaue to the wo…ld, the more we louelove the flesh, and the more are we ruled and guided by them. So either we must nourish a thirst of righteousnesse, a hunger of life euerlasting, a thirst of merciemercy, a hunger after that iustice that is in Christ, or it is not possible that in any measure we can be his disciples.
Now to proceede:A man renouncing himselfe, is neuer disappointed of his expectation. The heart that after this manner is prepared, that with a thirst to be reconciled, is resolued also to renounce it selfe; this heart in the which there remaineth so earnest a thirst, is neuer frustrate of the expectation, is neuer disappointed. But as the Lord hath imprinted in it an earnest studie to be reconciled, and to lay hold on Christ: so in his merciemercy he grants vntounto that heart, the possession of merciemercy; he puts that heart in some measure, in possession of merciemercy which it seeketh, in possession of Christ Iesus himselfe whom it seeketh: the which apprehension which it hath of Christ, the heart sensiblie feeleth, and apprehendeth in that peace which he giueth to the conscience. So that the conscience which was terrified, exceedinglie gnawen and distracted before; by the approching of this peace and of Christ with his graces, incontinent it is quieted and pacified; there cometh a calmnesse and soundnesse into the heart, and all troubles and stormes are remoued. With this peace is conioyned a taste of the powers of the world to come; the heart gets a taste of the sweetnes that is in Christ, of the ioy which is in the life euerlasting, which taste is the only earnest pennie of that full and perfect ioy, which soule and bodie in that life shall enioy. And the earnest penny (as ye know) must be a part of the summe, and of the nature of the rest of the summe. And therefore that earnest pennie of ioy assures vsus, that when we shall gette possession of the whole summe, it shall be a strange ioy: and these documents lift vp the heart, and make it not to linger, nor wearie in the expectation of that life: but being refreshed now and then therewith, by so many earnest pennies, they assure vsus of the full fruition of that ioy, for the which in patience we will sustaine all troubles. So as the holy Spirit worketh a thirst in vsus to be with Christ, a thirst of mercy and reconciliation with him; the same holy Spirit disappointeth not that same expectation and thirst, but putteth the soule and heart in possession of Christ, by the which the conscience is pacified, the heart is reioyced, and we get a taste of the sweetnes and of the power of that life to come. The sensible feeling of the which taste that passeth all naturall vnderstanding, what doth it in my heart and conscience? It worketh a wonderfull assurance and perswasion that God loueth me: The feeling of his merciemercy in the bowels of my heart, in the bottome of my conscience, worketh a certaine assurance and perswasion that he is my God, that he wil saue me for Christs sake yt the promise of mercy, which I durst not apply vntounto my conscience before, now by the feeling of merciemercy I dare boldly applie, and say, merciemercy appertain…th to me; life and saluation belongeth to me. For the conscience being exceedingly terrified, and seeing nothing in God but fire and wrath, it is not possible but it must flie from him, it cannot approch to a consuming fire. But from the time that the conscience getteth a taste of this peace, merciemercy and sweetnesse; how fast soeuer it fled from the presence of God before, now after this reconciliation, it will runne as fast to him, and will possesse him more & more fully. So the assurance & perswasion of merciemercy ariseth from the feeling of merciemercy in the heart and conscience. And except the heart feele it and taste it in some measure, no conscience dare apply God and his merciemercy to it selfe. I may be sure in generall, that all my sinnes are remissible, and that I may obtaine merciemercy, before I feele it. But to applie this merciemercy particularly to my selfe vntil I feele a taste of it, I dare not. So this particular application whereby we claime God and Christ as a property vntounto vsus, as if no man had title to him but we, & to call him my God, my Christ; & to claime his promises, as if no man had interest in them but we; this cometh of the s…nce and feeling of merciemercy in the heart: and the more that this feeling groweth, and the greater experi…nce that we hauehave in our owne hearts of this peace and merciemercy, the more increaseth our faith and assurance. Our perswasion becometh s… strong, that we dare at the last say with the Apostle, What can separate vsus from the louelove of God? Neither death, nor life, nor Angels, nor Principalities, nor Powers, nor things present, nor things to come, shall be able to separate me from the louelove of God, which is in Christ Iesus our Lord.
This particular application which ariseth (no doubt) vponupon the feeling and sence of merciemercy, is the speciall difference, the chiefe marke and proper note, whereby our faith who are iustified in the bloud of Christ, is discerned from that generall faith of the Papists. Our faith by this particular application, is not onelyonly discerned from the generall faith of the Papists, but it is discerned from all the pretended faiths of all the Sects in the world. For the Papist dareth not apply the promise of merciemercy to his owne soule: he accounteth it presumption to say, I am an elect, I am saued and iustified. And f…om whence floweth this? OnelyOnly from hence; that in their consciences they hauehave neuer felt merciemercy, they hauehave neuer tasted of the louelove, fauour and sweetnes of God. For looke how fast the conscience flieth from God before it get the taste of his sweetnesse; it runneth as diligently to him, and threatneth louelove of him, after that it hath gotten that taste.
So they miserable men, content themselues with this generall faith, which is no other thing but an historicall faith, which groundeth onelyonly on the truth of God, whereby I know that the promises of God are true. But the Papists dare not come and say, They are true in me. Why? Because they hauehave not felt it, and their hearts are not opened. But our iustifying faith, as I told you, consecrateth the whole soule vntounto the obedience of God in Christ.
So that it resteth not onelyonly vponupon the truth of God, nor it resteth not onelyonly vponupon the power of God, (though these be two chiefe pillars of our faith also) but especially and chiefely it resteth vponupon the merciemercy of God in Christ. It resteth also vponupon the truth and power of God, but especially vponupon the promise of grace and merciemercy in Christ. The soule of the Papist, being destitute of the feeling and taste of merciemercy, dare not enter into this particular application, and so he cannot be iustified. Yea no doubt, so many of them as are iustified in the merciemercy of God, get a taste of this merciemercy and kindnesse before they depart this life. Thus farre concerning the effects.
Then ye hauehave onelyonly this to remember; The opening of the heart, the pacifying and quieting of the conscience, they worke an assurance and a strong perswasion of the mercy of God in Christ. The more that the heart is opened, the more yt the conscience is pacified, the more that the taste of that sweetnesse continueth and remaineth, the more art thou assured of Gods merciemercy. So then wouldest thou know whether thy faith be strong or not, whether thy perswasion of Gods merciemercy be sure or not? Looke to thy conscience.
If thy conscience be wounded, assuredly thou wilt doubt: and if thou doubtest, thou canst not hauehave such a strong perswasion as otherwise thou wouldest hauehave, if thy doubting were remooued. Not that I will hauehave faith to be so perfect in this life, that there be alwaies no doubting ioyned with it; I require not that perfection: but I say, that a wounded conscience must euer doubt; and the more we doubt, the lesse is our perswasion. So the more that thou woundest thy conscience, the lesse faith thou hast. Then thou must come to this point; Keepe a sound conscience, entertaine peace in thy conscience, and thou shalt keepe faith, and shalt hauehave thy perswasion in that same measure that thou hast of rest & peace in thy conscience: & the more that thy conscience is at peace and rest, the greater shall thy faith and perswasion be.
So this ground is certaine; A doubting conscience causeth a weake faith; and the more the doubting in thy conscience is, the weaker is thy faith. Then true it is that the Apostle saith, That faith dwelleth in a good conscience, that faith is locked and closed vp in a good conscience. So that if ye keepe a good conscience, ye shall keepe a strong faith: and if ye wound your consciences, ye shall wound your faith.
Now to make this more sensible; How can I be perswaded of his merciemercy whose anger I feele kindled against me, and against whom my conscience sheweth me that I am guiltie of many offences? No question, so long as the sence of his anger, and feeling of my offences remaineth, I cannot hauehave a sure perswasion that he will be mercifull vntounto me: but when I get accesse vntounto his presence, and a sight that he hath forgiuen me, then I begin to be surely perswaded. So then keepe a good conscience, and thou shalt keepe faith; and the better that thy conscience is, the surer will thy faith be.
Then the whole exhortation that we gather from this point, dependeth vponupon this;Exhortation. That eueryevery one of you in what ranke soeuer ye be, take heed vntounto your consciences: for losing it, ye lose faith; and losing faith, ye lose saluation. Are ye in the ranke of great and rich men? Ye ought to take heede vntounto your consciences: especially in respect that the Lord hath placed you in a higher calling. Ye hauehave many things wherein ye ought to controll your consciences; ye ought to craue the aduice of your consciences before ye attempt any great worke, in respect that ye are bound in manifold duties to God, and to your inferiours.
And no doubt if some great men had aduised well with their consciences, such dissolutions had not fallen out in their owne houses, such oppressions of the poore, deadly feudes with men of their owne ranke would not hauehave burst forth in so high a measure. But the Lord seeing them take so little care vntounto their consciences, depriueth them of faith, and of the hope of merciemercy; and their end will be miserable. Ye shall see that the God of heauen will make those who liue so dissolutely, spectacles of his iudgements vntounto the world: for the Lord leaueth not such men vnpunished.
By their examples it w…re very necessarie, that men of inferiour ranke should take heede vntounto their consciences: and …herefore let eueryevery man according vntounto his calling examine his calling by the rule of his conscience.
Let the Iudges before they giuegive and pronounce forth iudgement, aduise with their consciences, and the law thereof; and in iudgement not to follow their affections, but to follow the rule of their consciences. Likewise, they that are of inferiour degree vntounto Iudges, let them controll their doings by their consciences; and giuegive not the poore subiects iust cause to complaine of them. Let them not terrifie them from the pleading of Iustice, by exorbitant prices and extraordinarie kind of dealings: but let them moderate all their actions so, that they agree with the rule of their consciences; that so far as in him lieth, Iustice ceasse not. Likewise the Merchants, let not them looke so much to this, or that, as to the conscience that is in them; what in conscience they may do, according to the measure of knowledge that God hath placed in them; and whatsoeuer they do, let them beware that they do not against their knowledge.
I grant their knowledge will not be so learned as it should be; and this maketh many deformed actions: yet let no man do against his knowledge; but let eueryevery man do according vntounto the measure of knowledge wherewith God hath indued him. And though it be not well reformed, yet do not any thing by guesse, but aduise well with thy conscience, and follow thy knowledge: for that which is done doubtingly is sinne. So whatsoeuer thou doest let not thy eye, thy hand, nor any member of thy bodie, do against thy knowledge: for this is a step to that high sinne against the holy Ghost.
This is the ready way to put all knowledge out of your mindes: for if men do against knowledge, and continue in doing against knowledge, at the last they will become a masse of darknesse; the Lord will scrape out all knowledge out of their mindes, and all feeling of merciemercy out of their hearts. Therefore let eueryevery man follow his knowledge: and according to the measure of his knowledge let his actions proceede.
It hath pleased the Lord to powre this liquor,Faith is the free gift of God. this precious ointment into vsus: though we be earthly and fraile vessels, miserable creatures, yet it hath pleased our gracious God to powre such a precious liquor into our hearts and mindes, and to credite such a Iewell in our keeping, that by vertue thereof we may take hold on Christ; who is our iustice, our wisedome, sanctification, and redemption.
Though we be miserable creatures, yet the Lord of his mercy hath a respect to vsus in Christ, in giuing vsus this precious liquor, wherby our soules may be seasoned to life euerlasting. In this that he poures it into our hearts, we see cleerly that it growes not in our hearts, nor breedes not in our nature. No, this gif… of faith is not at mans command, nor vnderunder his arbitrement, as if it were in his power to belieue, or not to beleeue, as he pleaseth. It is the gift of God poured downe freelie of his vndeserued grace, in the riches of his merciemercy in Christ. That it is a gift ye see clearelie, 1. Cor. 12.9. where the Apostle saith; And to another is giuen faith by the same Spirit. As also, Philip. 1.29. For, vntounto you it is giuen for Christ, that not onelyonly ye should belieue in him, but also suffer for his sake. So faith is the gift of the holy Spirit: and this gift is not giuen to all men and women, as the Apostle plainlie declareth; All hauehave not faith.
This gift though it be giuen, it is not giuen to all, but is onelyonly giuen to the Elect: that is, to so many as the Lord hath appointed to life euerlasting. This gift where-euer it is, and in what heart soeuer it be, it is neuer idle, but perpetually working; and working well by louelove and charitie, as the Apostle affirmeth, Gala. 5.6. This gift where-euer it is, is not dead, but quicke and liuely, as the Apostle Iames testifieth, in his second Chapter.
And to let you know whether it be liuely and working, or not, there is no better meanes then to looke vntounto the fruites and effects that flow from it. And therefore that ye by your owne effects, may be the more assured of the goodnesse of your faith, I will giuegive you three speciall effects to obserue, by the which ye may iudge of the goodnesse of your faith.
Certaine effects, whereby we may know if we hauehave faith.First looke to thy heart, and cast thine eye on it: If thou hast a desire to pray, a desire to craue mercy for thy sinnes, to call vponupon Gods holy Name for mercy and grace: if there be such a thing in thy heart, as a desire to pray, if thy heart be inclined, and hath a thirst to seeke after merciemercy and grace; though the greatest part of thine heart repine, and would drawe thee from prayer, yet assuredly that desire that thou hast in any measure to prayer, is the true effect of the right faith. If thou hauehave a heart to pray to God, though this desire be but slender, assure thy selfe thy soule hath life: for prayer is the life of the soule, and maketh thy faith liuely. And why? Prayer is Gods owne gift, it is no gift of ours; for if it were ours, it would be euill: but it is the best gift that euer God gaue man; and so it must be the gift of his owne holy Spirit; and being his owne gift, it must make our faith liuely. Without this thou art not able, nor thou darest not call vponupon him in whom thou beleeuest not, as the Apostle saith, Rom. 10.14. For if I intreate him by prayer, I must trust in him. Then prayer is a certaine argument of iustifying faith and beliefe in God: for I cannot speake to him, much lesse pray to him, in whom I trust not. And though the heart be not fully resolued and well disposed, yet if there be any part of the heart that inclineth to prayer, it is a sure gage that that part belieueth.
The second effect whereby thou shalt know whether faith be in thee, or no, is this: Obserue and aduise with thy selfe, if thy heart can be content to renounce thy rancour, to forgiue thy grudges, and that freely, for Gods cause. Canst thou do this? And wilt thou forgiue thy neighbour, as freely as God hath forgiuen thee? Assuredly, this is an effect of the right Spirit; for nature could neuer giuegive yt. There is nothing whereunto nature bendeth it selfe more then to rancour and enuy; and there is nothing wherein nature placeth her honour more greedily, then in priuy reuenge.
Now if thy heart be so tamed and brought downe, that it will willingly forgiue the iniurie for Gods cause, this is the effect of the right Spirit. This is not my saying, it is the saying of Christ himselfe in the Euangelist, Math. 6.14. where he thus speaketh; If ye do forgiue men their trespasses, your heauenly Father will also forgiue you. And in the fifteenth verse, But if ye doe not forgiue men their trespasses, no more will your heauenly Father forgiue you your trespasses.
So that Christ saith, He that forgiueth wrongs, shall hauehave wrongs forgiuen him: but he that will reuenge his wrongs, wrong shall be reuenged vponupon him. Therefore, as thou wouldest be spared of thy wrongs done vntounto the mightie God, spare thou thy neighbour. I will not insist; examine whether ye hauehave faith or not; examine it by prayer, examine it by the discharge of your owne priuie grugdes: for if ye want these effects, a heart full of rancour, a heart voide of prayer, is a heart faithlesse and meete for hell.
The third effect of faith, is compassion. Thou must bow thy heart, and extend thy pity vntounto the poore members of Christ his body, and suffer them not to want, if thou hauehave: for except ye hauehave this compassion, ye hauehave no faith. Examine your selues by these three effects; and if ye find these in any measure, though neuer so small, you hauehave the right faith in your hearts; the faith that ye hauehave is true and liuely: and assuredly, God will be mercifull vntounto you.
This faith of ours, though it be liuely,Our faith must be cō tinually nourished, because it is ioyned with doubting. yet it is not perfect in this world; but eueryevery day and eueryevery houre it needeth a continuall augmentation, it craueth euer to be nourished: for the which increase the Apostles themselues, Luke 17.5. said, Lord increase our faith. And Christ himselfe commandeth vsus to pray, and say, Lord increase our faith: I belieue, Lord helpe my vnbeliefe. Then by Christ his owne command we plainely see, that this faith needeth continually to be nourished & helped; and it cannot be helped but by prayer: therefore should we alwayes continue in prayer. That this faith should be helped, and that we should be perpetually vponupon our guard, in feare and trembling, to get it augmented, the terrible doubtings, the wonderfull pits of desperation, into the which the dearest seruants of God are cast, do dailie teath. For the best seruants of God are exercised with terrible doubtings in their soules, with wonderfull stammerings; and they shall be brought at some times, as appeares in their owne iudgement, to the very brinke of desperation. These doubtings and stammerings let vsus see that this faith of ours would be perpetually nourished, and that we hauehave need continually to pray for the increase of it. It pleaseth the Lord at sometimes to let his seruants hauehave a sight of themselues, to cast them downe, and to let them see how vgly sinne is: It pleaseth him to let them fall into the bitternesse of sinne; and to what end? Not that he will deuoure them, and suffer them to be swallowed vp of destruction.
Though Hezekiah cryeth out: That like an hungry Lyon, the Lord is like to deuoure him, and bruise him in peeces; yet the Lord suffers him not to despaire. And though Dauid cry, I cannot away with this consuming fire; I cannot endure the fire of the Lords iealousie, yet he despaireth not. But the Lord casteth his seruants very low. To what end? To the end that they may feele in their hearts and consciences, what Christ suffered for them on the Crosse, in soule and body. Yea, we would thinke that there had bene plaine collusion betwixt the Father and the Sonne, and that his suffering had bene no suffering, except we felt in our soules in some measure, the hell which he sustained in fullmeasure.
So to the end that we might clearely vnderstand the bitternesse of sinne, that we might know how farre we are indebted to Christ, who suffered such torments for our sinnes, and that we may be the more able to thanke him, to praise his holy Name, he suffers his owne seruants to doubt, but not to despaire; he forgiues their doubtings, he forgiues their stammerings, and in his owne time he supports them, and brings vsus vntounto the waters of life.
These doubtings, as I hauehave often said,Doubting & faith may lodge in one soule. may lodge in one soule with faith; for doubting and faith are not directly opposite: onelyonly faith and despaire are opposite; and therefore faith and despaire cannot lodge both in one soule. For despaire ouerthroweth the pillars of hope; and where there is no hope, there can be no faith. But as for doubting, it may lodge, it will lodge, and hath lodged in the soules of the best seruants that euer God had. Marke the speech of the Apostle, We are alwaies in doubt, saith he, but we despaire not. 1 Cor. 4.So doubting and faith may lodge both in one soule.
And from whence floweth this doubting? We know that in the regenerate man, there is a remnant of corruption: for we hauehave not our heauen in this earth; though we begin our heauen here, yet we get it not fully here. And if all corruption were taken away, what should there want of a full heauen here? So it is onelyonly begun in this life, and not perfected: therefore there remaines in the soule a great corruption, which is neuer idle but continually occupied.
This corruption is euer bringing forth the birth of sinne more or lesse; eueryevery sinne hurts the conscience: a hurt conscience impaireth the perswasion, & so comes in the doubting. For there is not a sinne that we commit, but it banisheth light, and casteth a mist ouer the eye of our faith, whereby we doubt and stagger in our sight: and were it not that the Lord in his merciemercy taketh vsus vp, giueth vsus the gift of repentance, and maketh vsus eueryevery day as oft as we sin, to crie as oft for merciemercy, and so to repaire the losse that we hauehave of faith, to repaire the losse that we hauehave of the feeling of merciemercy, we would wholly put out that same light. But it pleaseth the Lord though we be eueryevery day sinning, to giuegive vsus the gift of repentance; and by repentance to repaire our faith; to repaire the sense and feeling of merciemercy in vsus, and to put vsus in that same state of perswasion wherein we were before. Therefore if God begin not, continue not, & end not with merciemercy, in that very moment that he abs…racts his merciemercy from vsus, we will decay. So we must be diligent in calling for merciemercy; we must be instant continually, in seeking to hauehave a feeling of merciemercy. Thus much for th… doubting.
A doubting and weake faith, is faith, and shall neuer decay.Now howsoeuer it be sure and certaine, that the faith of the best children of God is often subiect to doubting; yet it is as sure and certaine, that it is neuer wholly extinct: albeit it were neuer so weake, yet it shall neuer vtterly decay and perish out of the heart, wherein it once maketh residence. This comfort and consolation the Spirit of God hath set downe in his word, to support the troubled heart; That howsoeuer fai…h be weake, yet a weake faith is faith: and where that faith is, there will euer be merciemercy.
Ye hauehave in Romanes 11.29. that the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. But among all the gifts that are of this sort, faith is one of the chiefest: therefore it cannot be reuoked againe.
Ye hauehave in Iude 3. That faith was once giuen vntounto the Saints. Once giuen, that is, constantly giuen, neuer to be changed, nor vtterly taken from them. The Lord will not repent him of this gift: but the soule which he hath loued once he will louelove perpetually.
It is true and certaine, that the sparkles of faith which are kindled in the heart by the Spirit of God, may be obscured and smothered for a long time; they may be couered with the ashes of our owne corruption, and with our owne ill deeds and wickednesse, into which we daily fall. It is true that the effects of a liuely faith will be interrupted, and that thy lusts and affections will preuaile for a long time: so that when thou lookest on thy selfe, vponupon the iudgements of God that hang ouer thy soule and bodie, & when thou lookest vponupon thy dissolute life, and on the anger of God against this dissolute life: in the mind, in the heart and conscience of him that hath so smothered and oppressed his faith, it will oft times come to passe in his owne iudgement, hauing his eyes fixed on himselfe onelyonly, that he will thinke himselfe to be a reprobate, to be an outcast, and neuer able to recouer merciemercy.
Where this corruption bursteth forth in this grosse manner, after that the Lord hath called thee; looke how soone the Lord beginneth to waken thee againe, incontinent thou fixest thine ey…s vponupon thine owne life, and entrest into a deepe consideration as well of the weight of thy sinne, as of the weight of the wrath of God, which thou seest following thereupon; and art loath to remit these cogitations, to thinke vponupon the deepenesse of the merciemercy of God.
Resting on these considerations, it cannot but come to passe that in thine owne iudgement thou art an out-cast. And yet God forbid it were so; for though these sparks of the Spirit be couered by the corruption that is within thy soule, yet these sparkles are not wholly put out.
And to let you see that they are not extinguished,The spa…kles of faith though they be smothered, they are not wholly put out, nor are idle. though they breake not forth in the outward effects, that the world may know thee to be a faithfull man as heretofore; yet these sparkles are not idle, & thou shalt find them not to be idle in thee. As for confirmation of my argument, that howsoeuer our bodies are let loose to all dissolution, after our effectuall calling within vsus in our soules, that yet the sparkles are not idle; ye see that though the fire be couered with the ashes, yet it is a fire: there is no man will say, that the fire is put out, though it be couered. No more is faith put out of the soule, though it be so couered that it neither giuegive heate nor light outwardly.
An example of this we hauehave clearely in the Prophet Dauid, after his lamentation in that Psalme of Repentance, Psal. 51.11. he prayeth to God in these words, Cast me not away from thy presence. And what addeth he? And take not thy holy Spirit from me. Had he not lost the Spirit by his adultery and murther? No: for he would not hauehave said then, Take it not from me: but, Restore it to me.
It is true that he vseth the like in the verse following, R… store me to the ioy of thy saluation. Not that he wanted the Spirit wholly, but that the Spirit lacked force in him, and needed strengthening and fortification: it would be stirred vp, that the flame of it might appeare. Therefore I say, in that Dauid speaketh so plainly after his adulterie and murther, Take not thy Spirit from me, it is a certaine argument, that the faithfull hauehave neuer the Spirit of God alwaies taken from them in their greatest dissolutions. The second point is this: How proue I that these sparkles are not idle, though the outward effects be interrupted? As Dauid felt this in his conscience, so eueryevery one of you may feele it in your owne consciences.
The Spirit of God in mans heart cannot be idle; but these sparkles during the time that the bodie is let loose to all dissolutions, these sparkles are accusing thy dissolution, are finding fault with thy manners; these sparkles suffer thee not to take the pleasure of thy bodie without great bitternesse and continuall remorse. And these sparkles where they are, will make the soule wherein they dwell to vtter these speeches at one time or other, once in the twenty-foure houres; Alas, I am doing the euill which I would not do, if I had power or strength to resist my affection: & if I might be master of my affections, I would not for all the world do the euill which I do. Againe, if I had power to do the good which I would do, I would not leaue it vndone for all the world.
So these sparkles, though they hauehave not such force and strength presently as to resist the affection & abstaine from doing euill deeds, yet perpetually in the heart they are finding fault with thy corruption, and suffer thee not to take thy pleasure without paine, but last of all force thee to vtter these speeches; If I had strength to resist, I would not do the euill which I do. Where these speeches are, no question they are the words of a soule which the Lord hath begun to sanctifie: and being once sanctified, in despite of the diuell and of the corruption that is in vsus, this faith shall neuer perish: but if the whole soule without contradiction, with a greedy appetite and pleasure be carried to euill, and hath no sorrow for it, that soule is in an ill estate; I can looke for nothing in such a soule but death, except the Lord of his great merciemercy preuent it.
But where this remorse and sorrow, and such speeches are in the soule, that soule, in the time that God hath appointed, shall recouer strength. The Lord shall neuer suffer those sparkes to be wholly taken away; but in his owne time he shall fortifie them, and make them to breake out before the world in good works. The Lord in his owne time will sanctifie them, he will scatter the ashes of corruption, stirre vp the sparkles, and make them to breake out into a better life then euer they did before; as ye may cleerely see that Dauids repentance hath done more good to the God, then if he had neuer fallen. Thus farre concerning the effects.
Though the effects of repentance be interrupted,Similitudes, shewing that the sparkles of faith, though they be couered, are not extinguished. yet those sparkles are not extinguished. For there is no man will thinke that the fire which is couered with ashes, is extinguished; but being stirred vp in the morning, it will burne as cleerely as it did the night before. There is no man will think the trees that now in the time of Winter want leaues, fruite, and externall beauty, to be dead. There is no man will thinke the Sunne to be out of the firmament, though it be ouershadowed with a clowde of darkenesse and mist. There is great difference betweene a sleeping disease, and death: for men are not dead though they be sleeping; and yet there is nothing liker vntounto death then sleepe. As there is great difference betwixt a drunken man, and a dead man; so there is great oddes betwixt the faith that lieth hid for a while and vttereth not it selfe, and the light that is vtterly put out.
When we breake not forth into outward deedes, God forbid that we should thinke that these sparkles are whollie extinguished. Indeede the soule which is visited after foule and haynous backslidings from his calling, and against his knowledge, before this soule recouer the former beauty, it is in a strange danger. For if the Lord suffer thy corruption to get loose, in such sort that it carry thee as it will, and by all meanes possible maketh thee to labour to put out the sparkles of regeneration; when the Lord beginnes to challenge thee, or to make thee rēder an account of this life past, the soule of that man when it is challenged, is in great danger.
So that no question, when the Lord beginnes to lay to your charge your dissolute life, the contempt and abuse of your calling, assuredly your soules are so neere to the b…inke of desperation that there can be nothing neerer. For wilt thou looke to God? Thou wilt see nothing but his anger kindled as a fire against thee. Wilt thou looke to thy selfe? Thou wilt see nothing but sin prouoking his anger: thou wilt see the contempt and abuse of thy calling enlarging his anger; thou wilt see nothing but matter of despaire.
And what is the best pillar and surest retreat, whereupon such a soule that is so neere to the brinke of desperation, may repose? I will shew you the helpe whereupon. When thou art assaulted by all the greatest tentations thou canst imagine,A sure retreat, to repose on in highest tentations. when there is nothing before thee but death; when thou seest the diuell accusing thee, thine owne conscience bearing him witnes against thee, thy life accusing thee, and the abuse of thy calling accusing thee: whither shalt thou go? Looke backe againe to thy forepast experience, cast ouer thy memorie, and remember if God at any time, and in any measure, hath loued thee; if euer thou hast felt the louelove and fauour of God in thy heart and conscience. Remember if euer the Lord hath so disposed thy heart, that as he loued thee thou louedst him, and hadst a desire to obtaine him. Remember if euer the Lord hath so disposed thy heart, that as he loued thee, thou louedst him, & hadst a desire to obtaine him. Remember this, and repose thine assurance on this, that as he loued thee once he will louelove thee euer, and will assuredly restore thee to that louelove before thou departest this life. The heart that felt once this louelove of God, shall feele it againe: and looke what gift or grace, or what taste of the power of the world to come that euer the Lord gaue to his creatures in this life, to that same degree of mercy he shall restore his creature before it depart this life.
So the soule that is tossed with high assaults and great dangers, where present things will not helpe, it is necessary that it hauehave recourse vntounto things past, and keepe in memory the fore-past experience of mercy, which the Lord hath freely shewed towards that soule. This same memory shall be so pleasant to the soule, that it shall stay it presently from desperation, and vphold it vntounto the time the Lord pacifie that heart, and giuegive comfort to that soule: which being done, that soule shall see, that howsoeuer God was angry, he was angry onelyonly for a while.
I speake these things, not that I thinke that eueryevery one of you hath tasted of them; & yet in some measure the seruants of God must taste of them: and ye that hauehave not tasted of them, may taste of them before ye die. And therefore whether ye hauehave tasted or not tasted of them, it cannot be but profitable for you to locke vp this lesson in your hearts, and remember it faithfully, that if the Lord at any time strike at your hearts, ye may remember and say with your selues, I learned a lesson: To looke backe vntounto my forepast experience, and thereon to repose.A lesson.
And though ye be not touched presently your selues, yet when ye visite them that are troubled in conscience, let these things be proposed to them as comforts, & vse them as medicines most meete to apply to the griefe of the inward conscience, and so ye shal reape fruite of this doctrine, and possesse your soules in a good estate. Thus farre for the first point, wherein eueryevery one of you ought to try and examine your owne consciences.
The second point is this; Try whether ye hauehave louelove towards your neighbour or not.Of louelove, which is the secōd point of our triall. For as we are coupled with God by faith, so by the band of louelove we are coupled with our neighbour: For louelove is the chiefe and principall branch that springs from the roote of faith. LoueLove is that celestiall glew that conioyneth all the faithfull members in the vnity of a mysticall body. And seeing that religion was instituted of God, to serue as a path-way to conuey vsus to our chiefe felicity: & happy we cannot be except we be like vntounto our God; like vntounto him we cannot be, except we hauehave louelove. (For, as it is 1. Iohn 4.8. God is louelove.) So seeing God is louelove it selfe, whosoeuer will resemble him, must be endued with the oyle of louelove. This onelyonly one argument testifieth to vsus, that this louelove is a principall head, whereunto all things that are commanded in religion ought to be referred.
To spend long time in the praise of louelove, I hold it not necessary, seeing the holy Scripture resounds in blasing the commendations of it: but that we speake not of any thing ambiguous, I will let you see how this word is considered & taken in the Scriptures.How the word louelove is taken in the Scripture. LoueLove is considered either as a spring or fountaine, from whence the rest proceedes, that, is for the louelove whereby we louelove God. And as louelove cometh first from God, and is poured by his holy Spirit into our hearts: so it first redounds vpward, and strikes backe vponupon himselfe: for the louelove of God must euer goe before the louelove of the creature.
Next, we take this word for that louelove whereby we louelove Gods creatures our neighbours, & especially them that are of the family of faith. And thirdly, it is taken for the deedes of the second Table, which flow from this louelove.
Now when I speake of louelove, I speake of it as in the second signification; to wit, as it is taken for the louelove of our neighbour.The definition of louelove. And taking it so, I call louelove The gift of God, poured into the hearts of men and women: by the which gift we first louelove God in Christ our Sauiour; and next in God, and for Gods cause, we louelove all his creatures, but chiefly our brethren that are of the family of faith, the children of one cō mon Father with vsus. We will examine this definition; I say, first the louelove of God as it cometh from God,Of our louelove toward God. it returneth to God; as it comes down from him, so it strikes vpward to him againe. And is it not good reason? And why? Let thy heart fixe thy louelove as long as thou wilt vponupon the creatures, thou shalt neuer be satiate, nor thy affections shall neuer be content, except thou lay hold on God: but if once thou louelove God in thy heart, and cast thy affections vponupon him, & once takest hold on him, the longer thou louest him, the greater safetie and contentment shalt thou hauehave; thou shalt not thirst for any other. For as to the creatures there is neuer a creature that God hath created but it is stamped with his owne stampe, and eueryevery creature beareth his Image: and looking to the Image of God in the creature, should it not draw thee to him, that thou fixe not thy heart vponupon the creature? For his owne Image in his creature, should leade thee to himselfe. And therefore the more that thou knowest the creatures, and the greater varietie of knowledge that thou hast of them, the more should eueryevery particular knowledge of them draw thee to God: and the more shouldest thou wonder at thy God, and know thy dutie towards him. And seeing that delight floweth from knowledge, and eueryevery knowledge hath his owne delight; as the varietie of knowledge that ariseth from the creature should make the mind to mount vp to the knowledge of God: so the varietie of delights that arise vponupon the diuersitie of this knowledge, should moue the heart vpward to the louelove of God: and the heart getting hold of God, and being seised with the louelove of God, and the mind being occupied with the true knowledge of God; so soone as heart and mind is full of God, the heart is quiet and the mind is satisfied. So that the more this knowledge groweth in the mind, the greater contentment thou hast; and the more the louelove of God groweth in thy heart, the greater ioy and reioycing hast thou in thy soule. And why? In God ye hauehave not onelyonly all the creatures, but ye hauehave himselfe beside the creatures: and therefore in God ye hauehave all the knowledge and delight that can arise of the creatures; and besides the creatures ye hauehave God himselfe, who is the Creator. And so I say, the minde of man can neuer quiet it selfe in the knowledge, nor the heart can neuer settle it selfe in the louelove of naked creatures; in respect they are flowing and vanitie, as Salomon calleth them: But in the infinite God rightly knowne, and earnestly loued, the mind shall finde a full rest, and the heart shall hauehave a perfect ioy. For our affection is so insatiable that no finite thing will satisfie it; nor there can be no solide setling vponupon the thing that is transitorie. So the louelove ought to mount vpward, first to God, in whose face the heart shall find full and perfect ioy.
The second argument that I vse is this; Seeing there is onelyonly one precept left by our Master in recommendation to be obserued by vsus,Of louelove towards our neighbour. namely, That eueryevery one of vsus should louelove another: therefore our wise Master vnderstanding well, that where louelove was there needed no more lawes, that the life of man by louelove onelyonly behooued to be most happie, left onelyonly the same in chiefe recommendation, and taketh vp the whole Law and Gospell in one word, LoueLove. And if the heart of man were endued with louelove, his life might be most happy and blessed: for there is nothing maketh this life happie, but the resemblance and likelihood that we hauehave with God. The neerer we draw to God, the more blessed is our life; for there cannot be so happie a life as the life of God. In the first Epist. of Iohn, 4.8. God is louelove: therefore the more we are in louelove, the more neere we are to that happie life: for we are in God, and partakers of the life of God. When I speake this, ye must not thinke that louelove in God and louelove in vsus is one thing: for louelove is but a qualitie in vsus, and it is not a qualitie in God. There is nothing in God but that which is God; so louelove in God is his owne essence: therefore the more that ye grow in louelove, the neerer ye draw to God, and to that happie and blessed life. For there is nothing more profitable, more agreeable & conuenient vntounto nature then to louelove, and aboue all things to louelove God. And therefore it is that God and his Angels are most happie and blessed, because they louelove all things, and desire euer to do good. On the other side, there is nothing more vnhappie, nothing more noysome, more hurtful & that eateth vp nature more, then to burne with enuie and hatred: and therefore it is that the diuels are most miserable, who torment themselues with continuall malice and hatred, burning with a vehement appetite to be noysome vntounto all creatures. So as the life of the diuel is most vnhappie, because he is full of enuie and malice; so our life will be most happie, if we be full of louelove. I will no further speake of louelove: OnelyOnly if ye hauehave louelove, marke the effects of it set downe, 1. Cor. 13.4.5.6.7. verses, which effects if ye hauehave not in some measure, ye hauehave not true louelove.
I end here.Conclusion, with an exhortation. Ye see in what points eueryevery one of you ought to be prepared: Ye must be endued with this louelove, and ye must be endued with faith; and if ye hauehave these in any small measure, go boldly to the hearing of the word, and to the receiuing of the Sacraments. This is the preparation that we allow of. I grant the Papists hauehave a preparation far differing from this, and therefore they can hauehave no warrant from the word of God. Last of all, seeing that we are commanded to trie our selues, he that lacketh knowledge cannot trie himselfe, a mad man cannot trie himselfe, a child cannot trie himselfe; therefore they ought not to come to the Lords Table. All these things being considered aright, he that hath faith and louelove in any kind of measure, let him come to the Table of the Lord. And all these things serue as well for the hearing of the word fruitfully, as for the receiuing of the Sacrament. Therefore the Lord of his mercy illuminate your minds, and worke some measure of faith & louelove in your hearts, that ye may be partakers of that heauenly life, offered in the word and Sacraments; that ye may begin your heauen here, and obtaine the full fruition of the life to come: and that in the righteous merits of Christ Iesus. To whom with the Father, and the holy Ghost, be all honour, praise and glorie, both now and for euer, Amen.