The Plain Mans Spiritual Plow, Chapter 18
CHAP. XVIII. The 5. part of the Soole, is the Tractorie.
THe firſt member of the Spirituall Soole, is the Hope of Remiſsion, The hope of Remiſſion.ſignified by the Tractorie, (or Lamb, as ſom call it) which neceſſarily muſt be faſtened to the former foure, leſt whiles by terrifying the ſinner with continuall threates of Gods Iudgementes and Spirituall coraſiues to caſt him downe, and to drawe him from proude preſumption, hee ſhould (for want of comforts and reliefe,) be drench't in vtter deſpaire: yet not ſo, that being a greeuous offender, …ee might be occaſioned to preſume on MercieMercy, but, that knowing both his ſinnes with the danger and horrour thereof, & repenting, he ſhould not be ouerwhelmed in feare, but hope for merciemercy. This rule Paul obſerued wryting to the Corinthians, who hauing terrified them, by laying before their eyes the terrible examples of Gods Iudgements on the auntient Iewes in the wildernes, to breede in them true contrition, humility, confeſſion, and mortification of the fleſh, by and by he addeth for their conſolation & ſtay; There is no tentation hath taken you, but ſuch as belongeth to the Nature of man: and God is Righteous, who will not ſuffer you to be tempted aboue your power. And this hath bene the cuſtome of the holy Prophets to mixe ſweeet things with ſower, to this ende, that whileſt they ſought to plaiſter one wounde, they might not make another: but rather (one thing cōſidered with another) they might heale the one, and withſtand the other. Therefore hauehave wee alſo thought good, ſoone after thoſe fower harde Coraſines before going, to miniſter this godlie Comfortatiue, the Hope of Remiſsion, which animateth the ſinner to followe Pieties Plough, for Hope is Tò en Toīs Senois Phàrmacon, a Remedie in all hard aduentures, as ſaid Gregory Nazianzen Naz: ad ciues Naz: Aug: in Pſal 104.to his citizēs. And as another ſaid truly, Qui gaudet in Spetenebit & rem, &c: He that reioyceth in Hope, ſhall alſo enioy the thing hoped for: but, hee that is without Hope, cannot obtaine the thing. In regard whereof, this vertue is called the Mother of all endeuours and ſtudies, Hope is the Mother of endeuours. Mater conatuū.engendring not onelyonly the will, but alſo the endeuour of ſtudying, working & proſecuting that which is commenced. By this, the Mariner & Merchant paſſe ouer the daungerous Seas, hoping to returne home with gaine. The husbandman teareth vp his ſoile and laboureth hardlie in the field, in Hope to gather the fruits of his trauailes. The Father puts forth his Sonne in a farre Country at his great charge, in hope hee will returne home a learned man. By this, the very Rebell ſometimes yeelds himſelfe to the Princes hand, in hope of pardon, the condemned man hopes for life, the ſick man ſeeing the Phiſitian, lookes for health: & to all men, the greateſt ſolace in the concourſe of calamities is the Hope of an Alteration:Nazian: Eccl 9.4. whereof the wiſe man ſaid, To the liuing there is hope: 3. Kind… of Hope.and therfore a liuing dogge is better then a dead Lyon. By this are wee reteined in the full expectation of thoſe things which are either promiſed or wiſhed for. And of this, there be three kindes: the firſt wherof, is engendred of an Opinion: the ſecond of certaine Knowledge: the third of Faith. The Opinionate hope, is either taken from the report of the worde of ſome others: or from ſome particular examples: or from the conceite of a mans owne minde, and is indeede nothing but a bare perſwaſion, and often prooued deceitfull and vaine. The next, is that which Experience hatcheth, as whereby men hauing tried the cauſes by their effectes, hope for the like to enſue againe. The third ſpringeth of Faith, The vaine hope.and beeing of affinitie to the ſeconde, expecteth that which Faith aſſureth, relying on Gods promiſes. Againe, that firſt kinde, though but deceitfull and vaine, hath drawen many men forth, not onelyonly to the contriuing of manie vnlawfull actions;Gen. 3.1. but alſo to the aduenture of diuers & ſundry hard exploits: the which Pindare conſidering, ſaid▪ that manie a man it exalted, whom vppon a ſodaine it caſt downe. Heuah, hearkening to the deceitfull words of the Serpent,Act. 12. hoped that ſhe ſhould be made a Goddeſſe, & paſsing wiſe, by eating of the forbidden fruit. King Herod ſeeing that he preuailed in his purpoſe, againſt Iames the brother of Iohn, hee proceeded further, and tooke Peter alſo, hoping hee ſhould hauehave had therein the like ſucceſſe: arguing thus; I had my purpoſe on Iames, Ergo I ſhall hauehave the like on Peter. Gen. 4.Cayn conceyted ſo well of himſelfe and of his actions, that if Abel his brother were extinguiſhed, he hoped he ſhould be the onelyonly promiſed Seede of the woman, the heire of the world, and liue in all peace. The like hope had Abſalom againſt his Father Dauid: 2 Sam. 15 Mat: 2.So the other Herod hoped that in the murthering of the Innocent children, hee ſhould alſo murther Chriſt, and ouerthrowe his kingdome. But (as the wiſe man ſaith) Whiles the vngodly hope to hauehave a friend of vnrighteouſnes, Sap. 2.16. & 5.14. Iob. 8 9. Ia: 1.10.they come to nought: for the hope of the vngodly is like the drye thiſtle flower or duſt, which is blowē away of the winde, & …ike a thinne ſcumme that is ſcattered abroade with the ſtorme, and as the ſmoke that the winde diſperſeth, and as the remēbrance of him that paſſeth & taryeth but for a day.
2 The more certaine hope.The ſecond kinde of hope is more aſſured, for that it is taken frō the certaine knowledge or experiēce of things, as wherby mē of the ſame cauſes hope for the like effects: as frō the fire heate: from the water moiſture: from the Sunne light: and from the night darknes. So in things diuine and ſpirituall, from Gods louelove we expect grace, & vponupon our true repentance, the mercy of God. Thus we hope as God is our Father, and we are his children, that hee will prouide for vsus, according to his good nature, and his louing kindnes to others his children. Thus Paul conſolated the Corinthians2. Cor 1.7 in their affliction. Our hope (ſaith he) is ſtedfast concerning you, in as much as we know, that as yee are partakers of the ſufferings, yee ſhall alſo be partakers of the Conſolation: hee addeth: for wee would not hauehave you ignorant of our afflictions, &c: becauſe wee ſhould not truſt in our ſelues, but in God, who deliuered vsus from ſo great a death: and thus hee would thereof conclude: therefore hee wil alſo deliuer you, who hauehave the ſame God for your Father: who are profeſſours of the ſame cauſe: who are partakers of the ſame afflictions with vsus. Thus the poore prodigall Sonne,Luke 15. vponupon certaine knowledge of his good Fathers nature and louelove, returned home, hoping to finde the fruits thereof towards himſelfe.1. King. 20.32. Thus the Aſſyrians, hauing experienced the mercifull heartes of the Kings of Iſrael, came and ſubmitted themſelues to the King with halters on their neckes. And thus the people hauing tried and found the great vertue of healing in the Lord Ieſus, and his Apoſtles, came & preſēted their ſick before him and them, in hope of helpe. Such arguments we finde aboundant, as in the holy Scriptures, ſo chiefly in Dauids PſalmesPſal 37. and ſayings, among the which, that is notable, where hee ſaith: I hauehave bene yong, and now I am old, yet I neuer ſaw the righteous forſaken: thereof he would conclude, therefore I hope hee will not forſake me, which am a righteous man in this, that my ſinnes are pardoned, and I depend on him by my faith. Againe, hee ſaith: The righteous man is mercifull. As if hee wold argue: This is a righteous man: ergo, I hope he will ſhew me mercy. For I find it truly tried, that from righteouſnes, iſſueth mercy. This is a good hope, and of neere affinitie with that which followeth,3. The beſt kinde of hope, and chiefly he…e required. which riſing of a true faith in Ieſus Chriſt, is defined the ſure expectation of thoſe good things promiſed vsus in the holy Goſpel: as namely, remiſsion of our ſinnes, the righteouſneſſe of Chriſt, the gratious aide and help of God in all our afflictions, the mitigation of our ſorrowes and calamities, a glorious victory ouer ſinne and the diuell, and the inheritance of life euerlaſting, according to the fore knowledge and good will of God in his Sonne.Rom. 8. This is that which fortifieth patience, & perſwadeth the verie groaning creature to abide & ſerue vntill the day of the adoption of Gods children. In this hope ſaid Dauid I beleeue verily to ſee the goodneſſe of God in the land of the liuing. In the ſame ſaid Iob, Iob. …4.I know that my Redeemer liueth, and that I ſhal riſe againe in the laſt day, and ſhalbe couered with my skinne, Heb. 11and ſhall ſee God. In this, the ancient fathers trauailed patiently towardes the Citie of the Saintes, before they obtained the promiſes. This is that Helmet of Saluation whereof St. Paul ſpeaketh in the furniture of a true Chriſtian,Epheſ. 6 Omnium prorum ſpes, &c. and the only hope of all the godly (as not only Augustine, but the Apoſtle writeth that we hauehave an Aduocate with the Father, Ieſus Chriſt the righteous, and hee is the propiciation for our ſinnes. For whenſoeuer the vngodly ſhall forſake his own waies, and the vnrighteous his owne imaginations, and turne againe vntounto the Lord, the Lord (through this his Sonne) ſhall be mercifull vntounto him, for hee is verie ready to forgiue: yea, hee will put all his wickedneſſe out of his remembrance: as the holy Prophets teſtifie. Therfore is this part worthily likened to the Tractorie, by the which all Chriſtians are not only conſolated in their great ſorrow: but alſo drawne forth & encouraged in the workes of their vocation, to follow Chriſt their Maiſter (though vnderunder the Croſſe) towards euerlaſting life.