1 Part.

Concerning the first, to wit, the Fathers giuing, contained in these words, (all that the Father giueth mée) a learned writer sayth thus. Quos pater dedit praedestinatione, veniunt per fidem, & tales non eijcit Christus. Whome the Father giueth by predestina­tion, those come to Christ by faith, and he casteth not away such commers. Making this giuing of the father to be nothing else, The Fa­thers giue­ing is our election. but his eternall election & apointment vnto life of such as he will haue saued in Christ and by Christ. And in déede so it is. Dat e­nim Christo pater, cum eligit in Christo tanquam in capite, in quo omnia mēbra salua erunt. The Father giueth to Christ when he electeth in Christ, as in the head in whome all the mē ­bers shalbe saued. Proofes of scripture are the grounds of grounds to direct both my speche and your faith, & of those I could re­member you of many, if it were néedefull. But the 17. of Ihon shall suffice vs for all, where it is said: I haue declared thy name vnto the men whom thou Gauest me, thine Ver. 6. they were & thou Gauest them me. I pray not for the world, but for them whome thou Ver. 9. hast Giuen me. Holy Father keepe them Ver. 11. [Page 5] whome thou hast Giuen me. Them whom Ver. 12. thou Gauest me, I haue kept. Ouer & ouer repeating this word you sée, & euer by the same noting Gods election of his seruants and children apointed to be saued. There­fore this exposition is plaine not onely by testimonies of interpreters, but by confe­rence & witnesse of scriptures themselues.

So then the doctrine of Gods election is the first point that to day we are occasioned by this text to speake and heare of, it being ment by y^• word Giuing, as I haue shewed.

A doctrine as you well know, that both heretofore hath, and euen yet still is of ig­norant minds auoided as a dangerous doc­trine, iudged not fit to be spoken of, except it be in schooles, and charged with many wicked inconueniences as flowing from y^• affirmation thereof. The Epistles of Pros­per. and Hilari prefixed, before the bookes of Austen. De predestinatione sanctorum will iustifie what I say, in stede of many mo, which might be brought. What others of later time, & especially Papists haue both writen and dayly speake, would be to te­dious to obserue.

Whatsoeuer they were, or are, olde, or [...] ▪ is most certaine they consider not

• [Page 6]Either y^e dutie of gods ministers & childrē.
• Or the great euidence of Scripture for this doctrine.
• Or y^e swet vse of it to mani special purposes

For all these do show, that the doctrine in no case is to be auoyded, but both spoken and heard of, as occasion shall serue, to Gods great glory and his true seruaunts swéete comfort.

And first for our dutie, thinke of it I Our dutie bindeth vs to cōsider this doctr. pray you. Surely it is this. Ut arcana non inuestigare, ita reuelata non occultare & sup­primere. As not to search the secrets of God which are not reuealed: so not to suppresse and hide what is reuealed. For so teacheth vs Moyses if you remember, when he saith, The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things reuealed belong to vs Deutro. 29. 29. and to our children for euer, that we may do all the words of the lawe.

Againe it is our dutie to estééme of the Lord and his word thus, that as he hath A second reason. omitted nothing that is needefull to be knowen so hath he laid downe nothing, but what ought to be knowen and is most [...] ­fitable. But he hath laid downe this doc­trine of our election, therefore necessary to be taught and looked into of all men.

[Page 7] Thirdly, it is the dutie of all faithfull A third reason. ministers to preach the gospell wholie to Gods people and to deliuer vnto them e­uen all the counsel of God: But this doctrine is a part of the contents of this booke of God, therefore to be deliuered to Gods people as occasion shall serue, or else we do not our duities.

And least any man should distinguish of Gods people, & say some be learned, some be vnlearned, the one may be thus prea­ched vnto, but not the other, cōsider I pray you the words of our Sauiour Christ, Go preach the gospell, Omni creaturae, To all creatures, euidently giuing the simpler sort as good right to the whole doctrine of his word, as the better, and the vnlearned as the learned. Which y^• faithfull Apostle well knew when he saide: I am a debter Ro. 1. 14. both to the Graecians and Barbarians, both to the wisemen and to the vnwise.

If any man will say: yet a care must be had of mens capacities, and of edificati­on, I confesse it willingly, and therefore haue alwaies added (as occasion serueth) that is, as shall be fit for y^• people, to whom we speake, going by degrées in all our doctrine, as may most profit, and euer so­berly [Page 8] and carefully keping within the li­mits of the word. But vtterly to suppresse and alwaies to auoyd any truth reueled in the booke of God, or by name this truth of our election and predestination, I say it is not lawfull, but the contrarie a parcell of our bounden dutie both to God, our selues, and our brethren.

In the second place, they consider as Euidence of Scrip­ture. litle the euidence of scripture for this doc­trine as they haue done before our duties. For I may bouldly saye there is no one thing more plainely and fully testified in the word then this is, being often iterated and beaten vpon in sundry places. That a thing often spoken of might at one time or other be duelie marked and borne away. First, the doctrine, then the branches.

The doctrine it selfe is layd downe in First for the doctr. this sort. That as the clay lyeth before the potter to be vsed and handled, disposed of and formed as shall please him: so were all men at the first before the Lord in his e­ternall counsell, to receiue an ende or vse according to his will, to life or death, to honor or dishonor, to saluation or damna­tion, to heauen or hell. In which good plea­sure of his (euer the rule of right) he hath [Page 9] disposed of some, one way, of some another. It being his glory in his house also, to haue vessells of diuers sortes and not all to one vse. Of many scriptures some few shall serue. First the testimonie of the Apostle who saith to the Romanes. That whome he Ro. 8. 30. hath predestinate them also he called, and whome he called them also he iustified, and whome he iustified, them also he glorified. Boldly auouching this doctrine which some make so dangerous with all the degrées & sequells of the same. In the 9. Chapter he Ro. 9. 22. 23. maketh expresse mention of Vessels of mer­cy prepared to glory, and vessells of wrath prepared to destruction. To the Ephesians Eph. 1. he saith, He hath chosen vs in him, he hath predestinate vs to be adopted, &c. In the Gospell sée often two sorts of men, one to Mat. 13. 11. whome it is giuen to vnderstand the secrets of the kingdome of Heauen, an other to whome it is not giuen, one sort to whome it shalbe said Come ye blessed, an other Math. 25. sort to whome it shalbe said, Go ye cursed. Behold againe saith olde Simeon: This Luke. 2. 34 childe is apointed for the fall and rising of many in Israell. Therefore two sorts there are in this counsell of God, one must rise & the other must fall, being so apointed. Esau [Page 10] and Iacob, Peter and Iudas with the two theues at the death of Christ, & many mo, declare thus much in example to vs. God hath loued, and God hath hated, God hath elected and God hath reiected, God hath sa­ued & God hath cast away for euer. Still but in iustice whatsoeuer he doth, without wrong to any all being his owne.

Now if any man will not stay héere, but will search further, and aske a reason of this the Lords doing, why he reiecteth any, all being equall his workmanship and alike by nature, to these the wise and so­ber Apostle answereth no otherwise, but he willed because he willed. Noting ther­by Ro. 9. that his will should content vs, which he hath reuealed, without any reason which is not reuealed. And if it do not, then heare I pray you what Saint Austine saith to such curious inquirers: Tu homo expec­tas De verbis Apost. Ser. 20. a me responsum, & ego quoqua homo sum. Itaquae ambo audiamus dicentem: O homo, tu quis es qui responsas deo, melior est fidelis igno­rantia, quam temeraria scientia. Quaere merita, non inuenies nisi paenā, O altitudo. Petrus negat, latro credit. O altitudo. Quaeris tu rationem, ego expauescam altitudinem. Tu ratiocinare, ego mirabor. Tu disputa, ego credam. Altitudinem [Page 11] video, ad profunditatem non peruenio. Paulus inscrutabilia vocat, tu vis scrutari, ille inuesti­gabiles vias eius, tu vestigas. Cui responsio ista De spir. & lit. cap. 34. displicet, quaerat, doctiores, sed caueat, ne inue­niat presumtores. Thou O man lookest for an answere of me, and I my selfe am also a man. Therefore both thou and I, let vs har­ken to him that saith: O man who art thou that disputest with God? Better farre is faithfull ignorance, then rash knowledge. Seeke for merit, thou shalt finde but punish­ment. O depth. Peter denieth, the theefe be­leueth. O depth. Thou seekest a reason of this, I will trēble at the depenes. Thou rea­sonest, I will wonder. Thou disputest, I will beleue. A depth I see, to the bottome I can­not come, Paule calleth them the vnsearch­able waies of God, & thou wilt search thē. Whosoeuer is not satisfied with this aun­swere, let him seeke for one better learned then I am, but let him take hede that he finde not a more presumer. Thus much may suffice for the doctrine it selfe that it is euident in the scripture.

Concerning the braunches of it, as e­uident The cause of electiō. againe is the word for the same, and first for the cause. It telleth vs plainelie that we are chosen according to his good [Page 12] will. His will I say and not our will or Ephese. 1. 5. Ver. 4. yet worke any manner of way. That we should be holy, saith the Apostle, not be­cause we were holy, making our holinesse an effect flowing from election, not electi­on from, or for our holynesse. With which Saint Austine agréed when he said: Pra­destinatio est preparatio beneficiorum Dei. Praedestination is a preparation to all the benefits of God. I haue obtained mercie 1. Cor. 7. 25. saith the Apostle to be faithfull, not be­cause I was faithful, or would be in time. Againe to the Romans, There is a rem­nant Ro. 11. 5. according to the election of grace, of grace, I say, and marke it, he saith not of merit, or for merit, for grace excludeth merit, as the Apostle plentifully prooueth, Ro 4. And Sainct Austine plainly confes­sed Ro. 4. when he saide, Gratia non est vllo modo, nisi sit gratuita omni modo. It is not grace a­ny way except it be free euery way. And a­gaine writing vpon these words in Iohn: Nisi pater traxerit, except the father dra [...]v­eth: Cur aijt traxerit & non duxerit? Ne vl­lam Aug. in Ihon. 6. precedere nostram voluntatem au [...] meri­tum credamus. Why saith he except the fa­ther draw him and nor except the Father guide or leade him? Surely for feare wee [Page 13] should think by so speaking that some will of ours or merit went before.

3 Plaine againe is the scripture for the The stabi­litie of our election. firmenesse and stabilitie of this decrée of God, as by many places might be showed. Writing vnto Timothie the Apostle saith thus in plaine words: The foundation of 2. Tim. 2. 19. God remaineth sure, sure I say and marke it, hauing this seale, the Lord knoweth who be his. To the Romanes he saith thus, The Ro. 11. 25. gifts and calling of God are without repen­tance, that is without change or alterati­on. It may appeare vnto vs also most eui­dently by this argument. If whatsoeuer A reason proouing the stabi­litie of Gods de­cree. befalleth the wicked, still befalleth them to their damnation, béeting so by theyr great wickednesse peruerted, and whatso­euer befalleth y^• godly still turneth to their good, then is the decrée of God for the life of some, and death of other some, most sta­ble and firme, but this is so, if you marke particulers, therefore the conclusion fol­loweth. For perticulers, name what you will, be it neuer so good, yet to them that be reprobates still it is a fall. The gos­pel of God, how swéete, how good, how pro­fitable & yet to the wicked it is a sauour 2. Cor. 2 16. of death vnto death, and not a sauour of [Page 14] life vnto life. The long suffering of God, how gratious, how good, how worthie praise and thanks for euer. Yet vnto the wicked Ro. 2. 4. it is made an occasiō to harden their harts to presume in sinning, & to heape vp more and more wrath against the day of wrath for body & soule. Christian libertie, what a blessed grace of God is it? Yet of the wick­ed Galat. 5. 13 it is turned into wantonnesse, & made an occasion of great offence. The Supper of the Lord, what a swéete Sacrament is it, full of comfort to y^• godly, to the increase of true faith in them, yet the wicked eate & drink it vnworthely to their owne dam­nation, 1. Cor. 11. and regard not as they ought the Lords bodie. What should I saye? Is not Christ himselfe our déere and blessed Sa­uiour good, and full of life and saluation to all that beléeue? Yet euen this Lambe of 1 Peter. 2. 8. God, & sonne of the most high to these cur­sed castawaies is a stone to stumble at & a rock of offence, they being disobedient and euen ordeigned to this thing. Finally in a Tit. 1. 15. word: vnto them that are defiled and vn­beleeuing, nothing is pure, but euen their mindes and consciences are destled. Con­trarywise Rom. 8. to the godly which are pure, all things are pure, and euen all things, all [Page 15] things, I say, worke to y^• best to them that loue God. Yea saith Austen Ipsa etiam pec­eata. The very sinnes & falls of the godly turne vnto their good some way or other, though thereby they may not be imboldned to offend. Therefore we sée how firme this decrée of God is, the wicked cannot be sa­ued turning all things to their wo, and the elect cannot finally be cast away, reaping through the assisting grace of Gods spirit good from all things that befall them.

The nū ­ber of the elect and knowledg of them in God. Luc. 12. 7. For number and knowledge of God of these his elect and chosen, the scripture a­gaine is not silent, but telleth vs thus much, that the haires of our heads are nū ­bered. Then certainly our persons. God 2 Tim. 2. 19. knoweth who be his. Then certainly he knoweth the number, and the number is certaine. Our names are written in the Lucke. 10. 20. Iho. 10. 13. booke of life. Therefore we are knowne and the number is certaine. He calleth his by their names therefore he knoweth them, both who they are and how many. With which proofes and many mo that might be named Saint Austen ioyneth when he saith. Praedestinatorum ita certus est numerus vt eis nec addatur, nec minuatur. The num­ber Aug. de Cor. & of the elect is so certaine, that neither [Page 16] addition can be made vnto them nor dimi­nution Gra. to. 3. cap. 12. 13. from them.

Lastly the word instructeth euen vs al­so Knowledg in vs of the same. to knowe and to beléeue this matter in perciculer of our selues. For the Spirit shall rebuke the world of sinne saith Saint Ihon, because it beléeueth not, and what is Ihon. 16. 9. it to beléeue, but in my soule and consci­ence to be assured, that Christ died, not onely for others, but euen for me, and that by his death and passion, as well I my selfe, my poore body and soule shalbe saued, as any others? And what is this I pray you, but to beléeue that amongst others, & with others, & as well as others God hath cho­sen you to be an heire of his Kingdome? Want this faith in your selfe, & the place I aledged saith the spirit shall rebuke you, and as many as want it, for sinne because ye do not beléeue this. Therefore we are all bound you sée euen by the will of God to beléeue our particuler election & predestina­tion, & he that doubteth or waueretd must be rebuked, and is rebuked euen of Gods spirit for so doing. Why againe should so much, and so many things be spoken of the The se­cond rea­son. mercie & goodnesse of God as is in y^• scrip­ture, but that you & I, and all flesh should [Page 17] catch hold of it, and conclude out of y^• same, that to vs particulerly such & so euer God wilbe. Looke we then at the light of y^• word of God both for election, for y^• causes of the same, for the firmenesse & stabilitie of it, for nūber & knowledge in God in our selues, and sée whether these mad men that cannot away with this doctrine of Gods election, do not oppose themselues directly & plainely against the euidence of Gods holy & sacred Scriptures, striuing against the streame, and kicking against the prick to their fear­full confusion if they leane not. The third & last thing which I said they oppose them­selues against, is the swéet vse of this holy doctrine which it yeldeth sūdry waies to as many, as rightly with vnderstanding me­ditate vpon it. As first by confirming most The first vse of this doctrine. strongly this féeble faith of ours against despayre when troubles & crosses do euery way beset vs, & as it were ouerwhelme vs. For truely may it be saide of the afflictions often of the godly as one saide of an other matter [...] one labour beg [...] [...] [...]her, one sorow foloweth an o­ther, [...] [...] [...]iue godly in Christ [...], the troubles Lucke. 12. 32. [...]. But [...]eare not [Page 18] litle flock saith our Sauiour Christ, for it is your Fathers will to giue you a kingdom, as if he should say whatsoeuer befalleth you bitter in this world, dispaire not, but com­fort your selues and soules with this that you are of the flock, that is elect & chosen for a kingdome which your fathers will is w^t ­out all faile to giue you. Reioyce that your Lucke. 10. 20. names are written in the booke of life, that is, stay your selues vpon your election euer & feare not. Who shall lay any thing to the Ro. 8. 33. charge of Gods chosen? it is God that iusti­fieth, who shall condemne? Who shall sepe­rate 34. vs from the loue of Christ? shall tribu­lation, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, 35. or nakednesse, or perill, or sword? No I am perswaded that neither death nor life, nor 38. Angells, nor Principalities, nor powers, nor things presēt, nor things to come, nor height 39. nor depth, nor ani other creature shalbe able to seperate vs from y^• loue of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. Sed superatis omnibus pro cellis, tandem in portu &c. But all storms & waues of wo being passed ouer & well bro­ken of, at last in y^• quiet hauen of euerlasting comfort I shall haue my rest for euer & euer. In a word, how can a man dispaire of Gods mercie in due time, that findeth his election [Page 19] in the meane time. Swéete therefore euer against finall feare is this doctrine.

Secondly, it cooleth and quencheth the Another vse. proud puffe of sinfull flesh, telling vs that be we neuer so mightie, neuer so Honora­ble and high by place and calling in the world, yet we were made of the same masse and mould that the poorest man and most wretched caitife to see to in the world was, we haue stode before the potter no better matter then he, to receiue a choise to such vse and ende as might please him. What difference is in vs (if any be touching elec­tion) it hath come by mercy and not from merit, therefore no pride, but thankes, no disdaine of any, but humilitie toward all, and euer in our selues bewtifieth & ador­neth vs most. He that gloryeth, let him glo­rie in the Lord, saith this doctrine of electi­on. For fauour in God is the fountaine of our grace whatsoeuer it is that we reioyse in. Shall I hoyse sayle and looke bigge vpon others, when onely by grace I am that I am? It may not be.

Thirdly, it [...]réth our harts with a fée­ling A third vse. of loue in God towards vs, that is swéeter then hony or the hony combe, and [...]eth our soules to loue againe, except we [Page 20] be dead, yea to loue most earnest according to the mercie that we haue tasted of. Some shadowing of it we may sée in men, that stand all condemned iustlie for matter of trespasse committed, and expect a sentence of bitter death accordingly. Let the Prince in this case release one, pardoning in mer­cie and giuing life, when paritie of tres­passe called for equall punishment: O how leapeth the hart of that released one, when be knoweth it, crying mercy mercy, O swéetest mercy how bound am I for this release. Can I loue, can I thinke, can I ho­nor euer condignly the fountaine of this fauour towards me? I cannot, I cannot, and therefore I will dye with this O mer­cy aboue merit and hope of requit all in me. So it is in our election where onely grace hath made the difference & saued vs. The loue is great we cannot but sée it, & what is due we may not deney it If all loue de­stre loue againe, God forbid but such loue Cupit omnis dilec­tio reda­mari. should be euer thought of as the Lord in­ableth.

Fourthly, it prouoketh vs to all good A fourth vse. works, we neuer think obediene to much y^t redounneth to the good liking of him y^t thus hath loued vs. If men in this world shall [Page 21] stede vs any way, how wish we, how will we, how care we, how seeke we to do the thing that may content, & auoyd the thing that may offend them? what comparison is there betwixt the loue of men, and this loue of God towards vs before the world was made? Can then the knowledge and true regard of it be without fruite in our con­uersation? It cannot be.

Fiftly, it stayeth vs against offence that A fift vse. wold grow by such as fall away, if this wer not. For it telleth vs some stand in show, and some stand in truth, some stand for tyme, and some stand for euer. If any had bene of vs saith y^e Apostle Ihon. They would 1. Ihon. haue continued with vs. Feare we not ther­fore when men start aside, but stand we fast whosoeuer shake, remembring wel that all being not apointed to the end, they neither are apointed to the meanes.

Lastly, most swéetly this doctrine of our The 6. vse. election profiteth vnto patience, telling vs, y^t no tiranny in this cursed worlde, no ma­lice nor moods of mortall men, can, or shall euer preuaile beyond the limits and lists of his counsell, y^t hath decréed their pitch. And therefore indure it, and indure it patiently, for he moderateth. This comforted the A­postles [Page 22] for their Lord & master in that no­table place of the Acts, worthy reading a thousand times. O Lord say they against thy holy Sonne Iesus, whome thou hadst a­nointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentills and the people of Israel gathe­red themselues together. But what could Act. 4. 27. 28. they doe? Surely they haue done nothing, but what thy hand and thy counsell had de­termined before to be done. This comfort our Sauiour himselfe pleased to apply to himself against the cruel enemy lifting him selfe vp, & vāting as though he had all power of life & death against our Sauiour. Thou couldst haue no power against me saith he, except it were giuen thee from aboue. True in the head, and true in the members, euer to our great stay and comfort. These and such like are y^• fruits of this doctrine of our election. Which they neuer tasted, nor euer knew, that so wickedly condemne it. Let it suffice that we féele it to the prayse of God & our comfort, and let them perish with their error, that so cast away a doctrine of such heauenly vse, if they will not repent and be perswaded.

Away then with those cursed Cauils that flye vp & downe against this doctrine. Cauils a­gainst [Page 23] For it is holy, it is swéete, it is the Lordes. Gods pre­destinatiō. It maketh no man set all at six and seuen as carelesse what he doth, saying if I be pre­destinate The first obiection. to be saued, I cannot be damned, and if I be apointed to death I cannot be saued. But contrarywise it maketh men rather carefull to vse meanes, as knowing that the decrée of God taketh his effect by meanes. And therefore such as rightly vn­derstand this doctrine & cary in themselues a care not to speake prophanely of any truth of God, howbeit they knowe that the decrée of God standeth euer in it selfe vn­changeable, and cannot be altered, yet looke they not at that, but at the meanes that God hath apointed all men to vse, either for the obtaining, or auoyding of any thing wished, or feared. And those meanes they vse with all care and diligence, séeking the ende by the way ordeyned, & not any way made retchlesse in the meanes by the end. As for example, that I may be plaine. Re­becca knew that GOD had apointed her sonne Iacob to liue, & to be a greater man then Esau, because God himselfe had tould her, that he would make two mightie na­tions of her two sonnes, & the elder should serue the yonger, yet did she not conclude [Page 24] hérevpon as these men do, that therfore it skilled not what she did when Esau threat­ned to kill Iacob, for being apointed to liue, he could not be killed. But contrarywise she most carefully deuised, and most spéede­ly vsed meanes to kéepe him from danger, by sending him away to her brother Laban till Esau his anger should be as waged. Knowing as I say that the decrée of God did not preiudice meanes, but rather binde vnto the same, as being to take his effect in time by the same. And so she ran not rashly to the counsell of GOD as these men doe, but looked what her owne dutie was and vsed that. By which meanes her Sonnes both liued, and all came to passe Act 27. well as God had decréed. Take an other example as plaine as this. In the Acts of the Apostles we read that Paule and his company were in great danger vpon y^t sea. In so much that they were faine to throw all their lading out, and in the end the ship burst in two. Before the extremitie of the perill, God, that is euer carefull to comfort his by his Angel, in y^t night foretould Paule of all y^t should happen, had him not feare, for he should escape, and for his sake all like­wise that were with him which were in [Page 25] number 276. soules. Héere was Gods coū ­sell knowen, his decree and purpose reuea­led, which Paule beléeued, and exhorted all thē most firmely to be persuaded of. What now? Did Paule vpon this cōclude, as these men speak, why then it skills not what we do. For God hauing determined to saue vs, we cannot be drowned. No such matter, but leauing y^• decrée of God, looketh streight at the meanes that must be vsed, the indu­strie of y^• Mariners, who wold haue stolne ver. 30. away, had not Paule preuented them & the strēgthning of their bodies by taking some meat. Which being don, such as could swim threw themselues first into the Sea, y^t get­ting to land, they might helpe others, & the rest on boards and broken péeces of y^t ship came all safe to shore. Thus did meanes ef­fect Godꝭ purpose, and not Gods purpose knowen of Paule, hinder the carefull vse of meanes in him or the company.

A third example, if you will, let vs adde to these two, as pregnant to our purpose, as either of thē. Our Sauiour Christ him selfe in his youth was sought for by Herod Math. 2. to haue bene slaine. Yet God had apointed him to liue and to effect the worke of our redemption. So in respect of Gods decrée it [Page 26] was not possible y^t Herod should hurt him, doe what he could. What then? would God haue this counsell of his a cause of securitie or neglect of meanes in Ioseph the reputed father of our Sauiour? No. But his owne selfe willeth him in a dreame by his Angel to take Mary and the Child and to slye in­to Egipt, there tarying till he should bring him word Which Ioseph dyd, & so by vse of meanes preserued him, whom yet God had apointed to liue from euerlasting, do Herod & all the world what they could. Did Mary hinder Ioseph from vsing these meanes, saying to him, tush, do not we know what God hath aponinted this Child vnto? Did not I heare what the Angell said to me when I conceiued, what the Shepherds & wise men said when he was borne, what Simeon and Lucke. 2. 51. Anna sayd at my Purification (all which things Mary layd vp in her hart saith the text) therefore let Herod doe what he can, Gods apointmēt must take place, & cannot be preuented by his malice, though we sit still and slye not at all. Did, I say, Mary thus reason, or thus hinder him? Nothing lesse. And therefore learne we euer by this example the true dutie of Gods children, & the right vse of the doctrine of gods prede­stination. [Page 27] Surely it is this, that whatsoe­uer the decrée of God is, we euer pitch our owne eyes vpon the meanes that God hath apointed, knowing that as he hath apoin­ted vs to the ende, so he hath prescribed a­way to come to the same by. If I wilbe sa­ued I must doe this, if I will not be dam­ned, I must auoyd that. So you sée did Re­becca, Paule, God himselfe for his Sonne Christ, and all that euer feared God, & vn­derstoode this doctrine since the world be­gan. So doe we our owne selues I doe not doubt at this day, carefully working our saluation with feare & trembling by hea­ring the word, receiuing the Sacraments, and folowing the course prescribed in the word to such as wilbe saued. Making the determined counsell of God in predestina­ting vs to life, whereof in our consciences we féele a swéete assurance, the ende of this our obedience, a comfort against our im­perfections whē we cannot do the good that we would, and therevpon Satan séekes to terrifie vs, and in a word rather a chéefe cause to incourage vs to the vse of meanes, then any way to make vs negligent in the course of good liuing. Let prophane persons doe what they will, and say what they list, [Page 28] as hoth works and words be vnsanctified, yet thus both doe & say the godly, whome we are to folow. If for the abusing of this doctrine by some, the doctrine it selfe must be reiected, then must y^e whole word it selfe be also prohibited, because that vnto some it is a sauour of death vnto death, as often as it is either read or preached. But God forbid. Let sinne be sinne in them that a­buse it, and truth be frée for them that will learne it. Uaine then is this obi [...]ction, I hope you sée against gods predestination, that it maketh vs carelesse what we doe. Surely it maketh vs most carefull as I haue shewed. And let this suffite.

Why but if I did nothing yet I should be saued, being apointed to be saued, and if I do neuer so well, yet I shalbe damned, be­ing apointed therevnto.

Be not deceiued. Being apointed to be saued, it is not possible that you should do nothing. For aswell you are apoynted to the meanes, as to the end, which apointmēt is effectual euer as examples haue showed, & no example can be showed to y^• contrary. For as predestination hath folowed vpon loue in God, so doth calling folow predesti­nation, iustification folow calling, & sanc­tification, [Page 29] which is this vsing of meanes that I speake of, folow iustification. Till at the last we come to gloryfication. You knowe it is the Apostles cheyne to the Ro­manes. Ro. 1. [...]. Contrarywise if a man be apoyn­ted vnto death and a reprobate, it is neuer possible that his déeds should be good in re­spect of him selfe but alwaies there wilbe some secret poyson in them as was in Iudas care for the poore when he would haue had the oyntment sould, beare they neuer such a glosse to the eye of the world. And there­fore that againe is but an error that men shalbe damned do they neuer so well, being apoynted therevnto.

Well Sir, then may you say, this is al­so 2. Obiecti­on. that which maketh against this doctrine which you now handle, that it séemeth to iustifie or excuse the wicked, who are not a­ble to do other wise thē they do, being mark­ed of God vnto perdition, & therfore should not as it séemeth be punished, for that which they cannot chuse but commit.

Neither in this againe let vs be decey­ued. For to sinne necessarely, and to sinne constraynedly are two things, farre diffe­ring one from an other. The reprobate they sinne necessarely in respect of Gods de­crée, [Page 30] but yet they sinne not constreynedlie, or by force thereof at any time. For then might their punishment séeme somewhat hard. But there is in them knowledge ma­ny times when they sinne, will, delight, & anger if they be restreyned or brideled any way, all which are testimonies against thē of the iustice of their punishment, fully con­uincing them in their consciences, and ac­cusing thē, & clering this doctrine of Gods decrée from being any compulsion to them to transgresse euer. Let this cauill therfore also cease, and this holy doctrine stand still vndefiled in our eyes.

Thirdly, it is not so high, mysticall, ob­scure The 3. ob­iection. The doc­trine of predesti­nation is not to high. &c. & hidden, if it be soberly intreated of and within the limitts of the word, but that it may be vnderstode with profit and comfort of a reuerēt minde. Witnesse here­of all that I haue now saide of the points & seuerall members of this doctrine, so eui­dent, and plaine and easie, as we cannot de­sire a greater light. If any thing be obscure in it, or hard, yet may not that cause all the rest to be reiected, as Austen truely testifi­ed when he said: Numquid negandum quod apertum, quia comprehendi non potest quod oc­cultum? Must we therefore deny what is [Page 31] playne and manifest, because we cannot comprehend what is hidden? Thus doe we sée the vanitie of mens cauills against this sacred truth of God, and whatsoeuer else is brought of any man against it, falleth as these with the light of truth, when they are considered and compared with it. And let thus much suffice for the first point.

The 2. part. Venit ad me. Commeth vnto me.

Venire ad christum est christum fide amplec­ti, & locum dare veritati. To come vnto Christ, is to embrace him by faith, & to giue place to the truth, saith one. Quod dedit mi­hi pater, (scilicet) perpraedestinationem, venit ad me (.s.) per fidem. What the father hath giuen me (to wit) by predestination, that commeth vnto me (by faith) saith an other, as we hard before in the beginning. Quid est, qui ad me venerit, nisiqui se mihi certa fide dederit. What is this, he that commeth vn­to me, but he that giueth himselfe vnto me by assured faith, saith a third. By all which, and many mo, that I could aledge, we sée the sense is thus much, as if our Sauiour should haue saide, all that the father giueth [Page 32] me by his election to life, those come vnto me by faith, that is, those lay hould of me, and embrace me by true beléeuing in me, & testifie that fayth by fruits of the same day­ly, as God inableth. Which euidently con­firmeth that which I sayd before, that the cause of election is in God, not in man. For here we sée beléeuing floweth from gods gi­uing, and not gods giuing from our belée­uing. Therefore is true faith called Elec­torum fides, the faith of the elect, because it is in none but in them, & springeth euer from Tit. 1. 1. this fountaine. As many as were ordained to eternall life beleeued, saith the Apostle. Making ordayning first, and beléeuing se­cond. The like doth that golden cheyne testi­fie Act. 13. 48. Ro. 8. in the eight to the Romans, and many places mo.

Sée then (beloued) in these words gi­uen to vs by the Lord Jesus our Sauiour How to know whether we be the chil­dren of God, or no. himselfe a sure token & a true way to know whether we be the children of God or no, and stand in a comfortable estate, if God should call vs herehence. Surely if we be come vnto Christ by a true faith, working to holy life, then are we sure by Christes owne words, who is truth it selfe, that we are giuen by the Father, that is chosen and [Page 33] elected to eternall life, and cannot perish. And that the Lorde would haue vs marke this and make a tryall of our selues by it, his very spech declareth. For he could haue sayde as easily (euery one that is elected is giuen vnto me, as all y^• is giuen me com­meth vnto me,) but that by the former no light had broken out to vs, wheras by the later we haue a most plain signe. Looke we then earnestly at this marke, & sée if we be commers, & commers a right vnto Christ. For Iudas came, and that with both lowly D [...]uers sortes of commers to Christ. & louely behauiour out ward, but his drift was naught & no lesse then treason. In the 7. of Ihon some came to Christ, but they came to intrap him. In this present chap. they came to Christ & that by slocks, but it was for lo [...]ues and not for loue, as our sa­uiour telleth them. The Capernaites also both came and saw as others dyd, but they beléeued not. Many amongst vs come to Church, Sermons & Lectures as others, to the good comfort of men that sée no more then what is without, but God knoweth secrets, & the ende of all mens comming. Certaine it is that euerie comming pro­ueth not a giuing of God, & therefore looke we about [...]. It is no smal dutie of a Chri­stian [Page 34] man & woman to be carefully harted and sharply sighted, to sée into themselues how they walke & liue, and are like to dye, when the trée falleth, & so shall lye, till the iudging daye. For the spirit often beateth vpon this as a néedefull thing. Let vs search Lamen. 3 40. 2. Cor. 13 & trye our wayes saith y^• Prophet Ieremy. Proue your selues whether you be in the faith or no, saith y^• Apostle, with many such like. Many haue thought too well of them selues, and found it too late. Here is a di­rection before our eyes. If we be Gods, we are elected & so giuen to Christ as men that shall not perish but be saued in him & by him eternally. This election shall a­peare The de­grees of our estate to be obserued of vs. to vs by comming to Christ, For all that y^• Father giueth, commeth to him, sayth this text. This comming to Christ is by faith. What faith? By a true & liuely faith. And how is that knowne? Euer by fruits as fire by heat. Here then is y^• point. Our fruits show our faith, our faith showes our comming to Christ, and our comming to Christ in this sort showeth our election by God to eternall lyfe. Fruits then are all, which what they are this daye in many of vs that pro [...]esse the gospell religiously, as men [...] [...] before the maiestie of God, & [Page 35] the burning brightnesse of his pearcing eyes, let vs all consider in the secret soules and consciences of vs.

May that fearefull strange and mon­strous Pride in aparel no proof y^• we are come to Christ. pryde in aparell that this daye a­peareth and eateth vp this lande, testifie vnto the soule of any man or woman de­lighted with it and in it, that they are come to Christ? did euer any in the world proue his election by this fruit? we know [...]o. We thinke no, euen as we sit now, and yet we feare not. Herod was royal­ly robed, and dreadfully perished. The rich glutton with his costly purple & fine linnen was a castaway. And had not vani­tie of aparell saith Gregory béene a grée­uous sinne: Nunquam sermo dei tam vigi­lanter exprimiret quod diues qui torquebatur Greg. ho. vlt. in [...]uā. apud inferos bysso & purpura indutus fuisset. Neuer would the word of God so carefully note, that this rich man tormented in hell was in his life time clothed with purple & fine linen. So saith he else where, if pryde Hom. 6. in aparell were not most sinnefull, neuer would Christ so haue praised Ihons mean­nesse and plainnesse in aparell, or the A­postle haue exhorted women to beware of brodered haire, &c. By the prophet Sophony [Page 36] the Lord saith. He will visit all those that Sopho. 1. 8 go in strange apparell: meaning the cour­tiers as the marginall note saith, which imitated other nations in their apparell. If the Lord threaten punishment, iudge in a féeling hart how he liketh it. Saint Ie­rom noteth an example of his punishment Hier. epist. ad Laetam. in a noble woman in those daies, who deck­ing and painting vp a yong mayde that was her Neece with Jewells in her haire and such like trimings, by and by had both her handes withered, and shortly after dy­ed, concluding vpon it. Sic gemmas & pre­tiosissima ornamenta Christus defendit. So doth Christ defend pretious stones end gaye clothes. God forbid all hands in these daies, that are busied in such dressing of haire and hanging on of ornamēts aboue that which is fit, should tast of such iudgemēt, yet feare beloued, and thinke of this example in the middest of your deckings. For God may show his wrath if it please him in a mo­ment. Cypryan sayth profitably. Tormen­ta paucorum exempla sunt omnium. The pu­nishment of one is an example for all. And with the wise it is so. Apparell sayth the wise man showeth what manner of person Eccle. 19 one is, as doth also gesture, and laughter. [Page 37] Then vaine apparell saith we are vaine, Such as our appa­rell is such are we. proud apparell, proud, wanton apparell, wanton &c. So that where we might hap­pely séeme at least to be good, vertuous, & honest if our apparell were modest, though in déede we were starke naught, by this meanes it commeth to passe that we can­not so much as séeme to be good, or be once but imagined to be vertuous. For thy ap­parell sayth the wise man which is subiect to all mens eyes publisheth as with a trū ­pet that thou art as it is, prodigall as it is, prowd as it is, wāton & garish as it is, vaine as it is, & in a word starke nought as it is. And what a trumpet is this to beare about one? if we considered it. Surely if it be a A vaine garmēt is like West­minster papers. shame to weare a paper on my hat at west­minster hal to declare what I haue done, it is as reprocheful to weare a vain garment on my back, to pull all mens eyes vpō me to read in capitall letters what a persō I am. O that the God of heauen would so change Back pa­pers & hat papers. the harts of men and women by his holy spirit, that these back papers, (I meane apparell in excesse) might be as odious in our eyes and harts, as those hat papers be at Westminster, without doubt, beloued, they doe tell vs foule tales of vs in their [Page 38] kinde, as those do. I could finde in my hart to spend all the time against this sinne, if I knew I should profit, but other things also being to be considered I will end this Note this well. matter with that pretie spéech of Philip of Macedon, who hauing apointed one to be a Judge, & hearing after that he vsed to dye or couler his beard and haire, streight way displaced him, with this speach, y^• he which was not faithful in his haire, but vsed for­gerie and falsehood in it, to change it frō his truth, was no way to be iudged as a man that would be trustie in greater matters. A most notable hatred in a heathen man of that which Christians dote in, and will not be perswaded of. If this argument should be vrged in our dayes, howsoeuer men escape, many women would be conclu­ded worthy litle trust. God worke with vs and so I leaue it.

May that inward roote from whence Inward pride of minde no token of our comming to Christ. this outward fruit most commonly flow­eth, to wit, an high stomack & proud minde, proue vnto any mans conscience that he is come to Christ, & so consequently an elect. No, beloued, and therefore the Prophet Da­uid being desirous to approue himselfe vn­to the Lord as one of his, before all things [Page 39] purgeth himselfe from this, and saith: Lord I am not high minded, I haue no proude lookes. I doe not exercise my selfe in mat­ters that are to high for me &c. Making it as we all sée, a filthy blot in any man that will belong to God, to be thus.

Oh pride of minde, what hurt hast thou done and dayly yet doest to mem & women ouercaried with thée? What downefals & breaknecks hast thou brought to many? Adam and Eue with all the world in them Examples of such as haue falne by pride of minde. ouerthrowen most fearefully by pride of minde. Absolon a kings sonne by birth, and for personage so goodly a man that y^• scrip­ture saith there was not a blemish in him from the top of his head to the sole of his foote, yet so ouercaried with inward con­ceipt of himselfe that the earth refused a­ny longer to beare him, y^• heauens abhor­red vtterly to receiue him, and so he was hanged betwixt heauen and earth by the haire of his head, for a spectacle of Gods wrath towards a loftie stomack, while the world endureth. Corah and his company ouercaried w^t pride of minde against those whome God had exalted ouer them dread­fully perished, & out of the bowells of the earth, into which they sanke, preach to all [Page 40] men this day to beware of pride, & of high stomacks, disliking their owne places, coue­ting greater, enuying of them y^• haue thē, & so in spite as malecontents opposing our selues against them. Miriam, other wise a good woman had a litle spice of this inward pride, and it made her prattle against her owne brother. Which litle busie braine a­gainst a superior euen in so good a woman God could not, nor would not suffer, but by no lesse buffet then a loathsome leprosie bett it & chastised it in her. The great king Nabuehad nezzar swelled in his minde, Dan. 4. 28 when he sayde, Is not this great Babell that I haue built by the might of my power, & for the honor of my maiestie? and how did God indure it? Surely saith the text, while the word was in his mouth, a voyce came from heauen & said his kingdome was de­parted from him, & he should liue with the beastes of the fielde and eate grasse with oxen till this pride were abated in him, &c. Reade the place at large. Remember Ha­man, how the pride of his minde brake his neck. Reade the pride of Tyrus in the pro­phet Ezekiel, and O London take héede be­times. Ezek. 28. 2 This is an arrow that flyeth by day, which who so escapeth is graciously bles­sed. Psal. 91. 5 [Page 41] Why, but are all proud y^• meddle with high matters? God forbid. For some mens callings & guifts warrāt what other mens vtterly deny thē. And it is not medling, but busie medling aboue a calling, that noteth pride. Otherwise I haue euer liked well of Ammonius speach, a scholler of Origens, Episcopi funct. fugient. which he made to Euagrius, shunning to be a Bishop, when he was called to it. At tu multó grauius inquit peccasti quia linguam ti­bi ipsi excidisti, nec conferre eam ad dei gloriam pia predicatione euangelij illustrandam audes. But thou hast sinned much more greuously in cutting out thine owne tongue & not da­ring to vse it to the setting out of gods glo­ry by holy preaching. Et ne tibi arrogare vi­dearis gratia Dei non vteris. And least thou shouldest seeme to think well of thy selfe, y^u wilt not vse the guifts giuen thee of God. A golden speach, beloued, for many in these dayes to thinke of, noting a golden meane betwixt arrogancie and negligence. Yea, rubbing their consciences that whilst they Vt crescūt dona sic rationes donorum. Greg. would séeme to thinke reuerently of the Ministery, defraud y^• church of their guifts, for the earth is cursed that rendreth not crop according to séede receaued.

[Page 42] May an holow hart to the present state A holow hart to the state, no proofe of our elec­tion. saying as Esau did, The dayes of mourning will shortly come, for my father Isaac, & thē will I kill my brother Iacob, declare this comming? Nay, will hastning this day of mourning, which the Lord knoweth is like to be a day of blacknesse & darknesse to this land in déede, & I warrant them, to them­selues Remēber Rodulphe absolued by Greg. which wish it, as heauie as to any, though now they dreame of a dry sommer, through the false and subtill persuasions of hissing serpents in holes and corners, & by a iudgement of God vpon their vnderstan­ding, may I saye y^• hastning of this day by conspiracies and treasons, treacheries and practises, abhorred of all true Christians, proue vnto any mans soule this comming that we speake of?

Let the iudgements of God answer for me, who hath euer yet wounded in wrath The iudge ment of God euer vpon tray­tors. the hayry scalp of such cursed caitifes, and being immutable in his iustice, shall still finde out such wickednesse, and giue them their portion of shame and confusion in this world with endlesse wo in y^t world to come. Which Lord we beséech thée in mercy to­wards vs and this land, still doe, and with A prayer. hands & harts lifted vp to heauen, we thāke [Page 43] thy maiestie for thy great goodnesse in this behalfe, crauing in y^• precious bloud of Je­sus Christ, that the Soule of our Souereigne 1. Sam. 25 29. may still be bound in the bundell of life with thee her gracious God, and her & our enemies for thy gospells sake be euermore cast out, as out of the middle of a sling. A­men. Amen.

May that most fearefull diuision, bit­ternesse Contentiō & diuision amongst brethren and gaule both in word & writing y^• hath now too long so spotted this famous Church of England, and many worthy men in it, prooue vnto any guiltie causer of the same, his comming to Christ? Surely it doth not, Surely it cannot. And y^• God of might and power persuade it to vs.

What am I beloued that after so many worthy instrumēts in Gods Church which both in this place and else where, haue tou­ched this griefe, I should assay to coole and delay the heat of it? Surely I am no bo­die, and therefore better for me to doe as I haue hitherto done, sit still in silence and wish that my head were full of water, and myne eyes a fountaine of teares y^t I might wéepe day and night for this fault amongst vs, thē to say any thing of it. Yet since God is strong in weaknesse, and hath a blessing [Page 44] for euerie mans speach, seasoned with his truth according to his pleasure, I ioyne my hart & tongue and soule to theirs that haue herein persuaded, and with all the power of my spirit I beséech you brethren, with them high and low whatsoeuer you are, as the Apostle dyd y^t Philippians: If there be any Philip. 2 consolation in Christ, any comfort of loue, any felowship of the Spirit, any compassion and mercy, fulfill we the Apostles ioye, be­ing like minded hauing the same loue, be­ing of one accord and of one iudgement, nothing being done through contention or vaine glory, but that in meekenes, of minde we may euery man esteme others better thē our selues, &c. Thinke we of the words of our Sauiour Christ, neuer to be forgotten of a Christian man, that Hereby we are to be discerned to be his disciples, if we loue one an other. Hereby I say, hereby, If we loue one an other. Loose this badge and loose our comfort, weare it, and show it, and as the Lord is God, we are his chosen. God is loue, and he that dwelleth in loue, dwelleth 1. Iohn. 4 in God and God in him. An vnspeakeable comfort to the man that hath loue. God is not contention, malie [...] there­fore he that dwelleth in these dwelleth not [Page 45] in God, nor God in him. As vnspeakeable a terror where loue is lacking if it were thought of. Blessed are the peace makers for Math. 5. 9 they shalbe called the children of God. Cur­sed then are the peace breakers, & bate ma­kers, for they are not the children of God. What saith y^• Apostle to the Ephesians? So say I. Ther is one bodie, one spirit, one hope Ephes. 4. 4 of our calling, one Lord, one faith, one bap­tisme, one God and father of all which is a­boue all, and through all, and in vs all. For his Blud that dyed for vs, let all these ones, make vs one, indeuoring to our dying day, to keepe that vnitie of the spirit in the bond of peace. which there the Apostle inferreth. And I beséech you marke what vertues in y^t place are noted as necessary to this ver­tue, if euer we wish it.

• Humblenesse of minde to bridle pride & contempt.
• Meekenesse moderating anger, & desire of reuenge.
• Long suffring, to indure infirmities in bre­thren.
• And a supportation one of another tho­rough loue to meete with summum eius, when we are wronged.

These are y^• vertues that preserue con­cord, [Page 46] and are as cheynes and braceletts of gold to y^• possessors of them. Againe, what strength and power to persuade euery good minde, is in y^• similitude of members which the holy Ghost vseth, you haue often heard, & therefore I spare to stand vpon it. Onely Why we haue two hands two eyes &c. let me remember you what Xenophon speaketh with good consideration, to witte, that we haue Oculos, manus, pedes, binos, vt coniuncti se adiuuent, non impediant. Eyes, hands & feete, two of eche, that ioyning & ioyned together one may be an help to the other. Sic decet fratres [...]. So becommeth it An em­bleme de­claring the dutie of brethren. brethren to haue hands, eyes, and féete one for an other. As the man that was blind ca­ried the lame man on his back, and so lent him his legges, the lame man guided y^• blind man and so lent him his eyes. But against a brother we should neither haue handes, eyes, feete, pen, paper, yncke, tongue, hart, word, thought, nor any thing, if all were as it should be. O fearefull [...] beloued, if it were felt with trembling hart to fall into the offence of God: Why [...] thou Psal. 50. 16 my words in thy mouth, &c. [...] what hast thou to doe with me, [...] [...] 19 thée, as long as [...] to [Page 47] [...]uell, and with thy tongue forgest deceipt, 20 as long as thou sittest and speakest against thy BROTHER and slandrest thy mo­thers Note. sonne. When brethren therefore speake one against an other they are not reformed as they should be, & the Lord wil neither alow them to speake in his name, nor take them as beleuers in the same, if they continew, But wil reproue them as the 21 text saith, & setting before them these mis­demenors, will teare them in peeces and no 22 man shall deliuer them. How feareful a­gaine is that of Salomon, that sixe things the Lord hateth and the seuenth his soule abhorreth. What is that seuenth? euen he Pro. 6. 19 that rayseth vp contention amongst bre­thren. This man or woman, this person rich or poore, the Lord hateth, the Lord loa­theth, and the very soule of the Lord abhor­reth. A fearefull speach.

If any man tell me I loose my labour in persuading peace, as long as men kéepe the mindes they haue, that they must haue this & that in the state altered or they will haue no [...]. To this man I saye as Austen sayd, [...] dicitur glacialem niuē calulam esse Aug 2. dis. Fortuna­tum. [...] pacto quam diū nixest [...] &c. It is truely said y^t the [Page 48] congealed snow cannot be hat. For as long as it is snow, it cannot be hotte. But that Snow may be dissolued & then that water that before was cold snow, may be heat, & become hotte water. So men that wish some things and want, & by reason of that want still blow the cole of this grieuous discention amongst vs, though while they retaine such iudgement resolutely, ther be small hope of peace, yet may they by Gods gracious working, sée either some fault in matter wished, or in manner vsed to attain their wish, and so become otherwise incli­ned to peace then earst they were. God is able, and God is good, and therefore wish­ing but what God willeth, and my persua­sion being but the Lords message deliuered to me in his worde, I will not dispaire what so many good Christians ioyne with me in begging at Gods hands. I hope that of Salomon shall [...] déepe [...], that It Pro. 20. 3 is a mans honor to cease from [...], but e­uery foole will be medling [...] the holy Ghost censureth to be fooles, they are like to proue no lesse what soeuer they think of themselues. Haue solt in your selues sayth the holy Ghostby and by ioynes [...] & Peace one with an other. For Sal [...] est Marc. 9. 50. [Page 49] virtutis donum, sed damnationis argumentum. Salt without peace is not a vertue, but an ar­gument rather of damnation, sayd he true­ly that sayd it. Let vs consider one an other, Heb. 10. 24 sayth the Apostle, to prouoke vnto loue and to good works, not forsaking the felowship that we haue among our selues, as y^e manner O Note it. of some is, but let vs exhort one an other, & that so much the more because y^e daye draw­eth neere. I will conclude with Austen, and so trouble you no more in this matter: Si Aug. Ser. 186. vultis viuere de Spiritu Sancto, tenete charita­tem, amate veritatem, desiderate vnitatem, vt perueniatis ad aeterminatem. If you will liue according to the holy Spirit, then imbrace loue, make much of truth, and desire vnitie, that you may come to aeternitie. God in his swéete mercy giue vs vnitie.

May reuerence to superiors as holow as euer was Iudas his to his master proue vnto our soules that we are come to Christ by the fathers giuing? No, no, neither cap nor kisse, nor crouching curtesie without faithfull honor within, can euer be testimo­nie of true pietie. And if séeming to reue­rence them both by gesture and title as Iu­das did, cannot make me better thē a Iudas, except there be truth within me, how much [Page 50] lesse may open, wayward and wilful with­standing, malitious and spitefull denying both of title and gesture yeld my soule com­fort in the day of féeling what all sinne me­riteth at the hand of God? I read quoted out of Chrisostome, a complaint which may Annales eccles. Baronij pag. 576 fitly be thought of in our dayes. Vt diabolus, ita inquit, etiam, quilibet facit haereticus vehe­mentissimus in tempore persecutionis. Loquens cum pontifice, nec eum vocat pontificem, nec ar­chiepiscopum, nec Religiosissimum, nec sanctum. Sed quid? Reuerentia tua, Sapientia tua, Pruden­tia tua, Iustitia tua, & nomina illi adducit com­munia, eius negans authoritatem. Diabolus hoc tunc fecit in deo. As the diuell, so, saith he doth euery earnest and vehement heretike when once he is touched or troubled for his fault. Speaking with y^e Bishop, he neither calleth him Byshop, nor Archbishop, nor most reli­gious, nor holy. But what? Common names he giueth vnto him as your Reuerence, your wisedome, your Prudence, your Iustice, de­nying his authoritie. This then did the di­uell in God. Which whether some come ve­ry néere vnto in our dayes, or rather be not all out so good as this, I appeale to your knowledge, and say no more. Certainly be­loued it is worthy marking, and may make [Page 51] vs wise, séeing Satan to run ouer his olde lessons againe to such as will learne them at his hand. An other man saith thus: Sicut rem ipsam: ita & in scribendo morem obseruare nostrarum partiū ducimus esse. As we obserue the matter of mens writings, so is it our part to obserue the manner also. And what hath bene the manner of reuerencing men with titles in olde tyme? Surely not sparingly, not grudgingly, but fully, largely & hartely. Ignatius who liued in y^e apost. time writing but to a Deacon vseth all these tytles, Ho­norato Epist. [...]o ad Hiero. a deo, exoptatissimo, ornatissimo, Christo spirituque pleno germano filio in fide & chari­tate, Diacono Christi, famulo dei. To the hono­red of God, to y^e most Wished, most Excel­lent, full of Christ and the holy ghost, his true sonne in faith & loue, the Deacon of Christ, the seruant of God. And what was y^e custom then thinke we to men of higher place? I could easely show if it were my purpose. Quod aijt Paulus, Apostolus Iesu Christi, tale mihi videtur quasi dixisset praefectus Praetorio Augusti Caesaris, magister exercitus Tyberij Imperatoris. That Paule intitleth himselfe an Ex Anna­libus pre­dict. loco predict. Apostle of Iesu Christ, saith Hierome, it se­meth to me asmuch as if he should haue writ the chiefe ruler of Augustus Caesars palace, [Page 52] or the master of y^e host of Tyberius the Em­perour. Meaning he thought y^• one as great and honorable as the other, & as lawful for Ministers to haue titles of honor to worke reuerence and submission to their places as for others. Which he insinuateth after whē he saith he intitled himselfe thus highly: Vt lecturos nominis autoritate deterreret. That he might feare the readers with the authoritie of his name. Wherefore beloued let vs ne­uer enuie any man, nor for malice denie any man, what his place yeldeth vnto him. Nei­ther let vs giue it with holow hart. For surely such hart towards men in place ouer vs yeldeth no comfortable testimonie vnto our consciences y^• we are come vnto Christ if we examine it. The Lord hath sayd, mea­sure vnto all men good measure heaped vp and pressed downe. And what we giue we shall receiue againe in his promise. If we grudge other men what is due to their pla­ces, some shall rise vp and requite vs in our places, for God is iust, and God is true, who hath vowed that as we measure to others we shall receiue againe good and bad.

Neither may then beloued, pride out­ward, or pride inward, pride of body, or pride of minde, assure our harts that we [Page 53] are come to Christ. No more can a false faith to the state we liue in, nor that la­mentable diuisiō amongst vs as it is main­tained this day, ne yet a holow hart to superiours by gréeuing at either gesture or title due to them, do it.

What should I say of one thing mo, & Sacriledge no proofe of our comming to Christ. so passe away from this examination and that is a lusting, longing, coueting minde to haue the spoyle of Church and Church liuing ordayned at the first, and to this day continued to the maintaināce of learning and knowledge amongst vs, may that proue vnto him that hath it that he is the childe of God & come vnto Christ by the fathers giuing. Then would not God haue visited with so strange a sight the Sonne of that notable church robber Belshazzar, making Dan. 5 euen then and at the same houre the fing­ers of a mans hand write vpon the wall of the palace where the king sat, that God had numbred his kingdom and finished it, wayed him in the balance and found him to light, diuided the kingdome and giuen it to the Medes and Persians, euen then I say and at the same houre when he was drinking with his Princes, wiues and con­cubines in the vessels of gold & siluer which [Page 54] were taken from the house of God. Hath Feare this iudge mēt you church robbers. God no mo hands in heauen nor earth at his commaundement to write wrath a­gainst such in our daies as itche to haue not onely the vessels of gold and siluer if any poore ones be, but land and liuing, stone & tymber, lead and iron and whatsoeuer re­maineth at this day, a comfort to poore stu­dents that haue spent their friends many a pound, and an incouragemēt to learning that was euer yet accompted a blessing in a kingdome? Beloued he hath hands thou­sands Sublatis studiorū pretijs, e­tiam stu­dia pereūt. Corn. Ta­cit. Annal. 11 Mar. 6. 34 and ten thousands thousands, if once he beginne. And if lack of liuing make lacke of learning as all wise men know, it will in time, and lacke of learning cause Gods people to wander vpon the mountaines as sheepe without an able shepherd: by a due consequence, surely he y^• had an aking hart to sée such a sight in the gospell, will as ve­rely as he is God make their harts ake one day that are or shalbe sinnefull causers of the same. If he smote with so dreadfull a iudgement, Ananias and Saphyra his wife for withhoulding part of that church main­tainance Act. 5. which by themselues was giuen, will he indure for euer them y^• take what they neuer gaue? No, No, and that shall [Page 55] they know when peraduenture it will be too late to be sory for it. Did these men sée what my selfe haue seene, and diuers yet liuing with me, that can witnesse the same as well as I, what twitching torments of a wounded conscience, what hellish gripes of dispayring feare neuer to sée the face of God, but to perish for euer with reprobates and castawaies, some haue had for detay­ning or retayning but a small portion of such maintainance as now is thought the best cheat that can be caught, happely it would, nay assuredly it would, except hell and death had already taken possession, a­bate the lust and aswage the longing that they haue to deuoure the incouragemēts of learning that yet remayne vnspoyled in this land. But what they haue not séene in others, they may féele in thē selues too soone and sharpe, if nothing will perswade them. Thou art dead O Shunamit that intrea­tedst 2. Kings. 4 10 thy husbād to build for the prophet a chamber and to furnish it, but thy memo­rie is blessed with God and man, & a wit­nesse shalt thou be in the day of iudgement against pullers downe of the houses built by men and women of deuotion and pietie for the prophets, and children of the pro­phets, [Page 56] to attayne to learning in, till they wer able to serue abroad. But I haue else Preface to my booke vpon the com. where at large layd downe this fearefull sinne, and therefore I will referre any thi­ther that pleaseth to consider further of it.

Since then none of these fruits amongst vs this day do prooue vnto our consciences Other sins amongst vs. that we are come to Christ, I trust you thinke, adultery and whoredom, swearing and forswearing, drunkennes & ryot, op­pression and crueltie, fraud & deceit in buy­ing & selling, with such like, can much lesse do it. And these are the workes that most we show foorth. How then doe we stand cō ­cerning our election, which is knowen by comming to Christ, and our comming to Christ, by faith, & faith by fruits? Certain­ly as yet such men as these, haue but colde comfort.

What then? Shall we saye all such as are spotted with these vices are by and by Yet ther is time to re­pentance. reprobates? God forbid. For my text doth not say, all that y^t father giueth me, is come vnto me, but shall come vnto me, to wit, in time. [...]herfore what I haue [...] without [...] vnto vs [...] comfort [...] of the same, as yet [...] such [...]. [Page 57] Which is cause inough to make vs looke a­bout vs and beware. For what true com­fort may all the world yelde me, if I finde no steps of my election to life in me. Yet since y^e text is, as it is, that they shall come, not that they are come, sée the swéetnesse of it and tast it and take it with you. It show­eth thus much to vs that there is yet mer­cie with God, and tyme to amend. Though hither to vpon such fruits as these, neither you nor I nor any flesh liuing can ground any good estate like to insew vs in the world to come, but euen the flat contrary, yet we may come to day all in tyme by true repen­tance, and showing foorth hereafter fruits of a true and liuing faith, that faith shall show our comming to Christ, and that com­ming, the fathers giuing, and so hereafter we haue comfort of that which as yet by y^t true sequele of this text we haue not had. A fit oportunitie were here thē to persuade amendment to all estates, if the time were not too farre spent. As yet turne and liue. As yet turne and show that you were the Lords from euerlasting, though straying & starting aside for a time and not throughly called. As yet brethren giue diligence to 2. Peter. 1. 10. make your calling & election sure by good [Page 58] fruits. Euen such as the Apostle there na­meth. For if you doe these things saith he, you shall neuer fall. There being by this meanes an entrance ministred vnto you a­bundantly 11. vnto the euerlasting kingdome of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ. This is comfort, that we may yet come, & let vs not neglect it. So cease I further to mooue you in this matter, hoping no man to day hearing Gods voyce, will harden his hart, and persuading himselfe either that he is come when in déede he is not, or presuming that he may come when he will, though he doe deferre it, which in déede he cannot, be­fore euer he doe come perish & be damned.

Lastly by this manner of spech (shall come) certainty of comming is noted first A comfort against despisers of reforma­tion. or last, though no time limited. A great cō ­fort againe to fathers for their vnreformed children, to Pastors for their vnreformed shéepe, & to all men for their vnruly friends whome they wish well vnto, and yet can­not preuaile by perswasion withall. Feare not, if they be Gods, first, or last, good coūsel shall be folowed, and they shall come, as this scripture saith. Til which time, indure their delay with hope. And though they of­fend greatly by prouoking God so long, yet [Page 59] yéeld you God honor by beléeuing his word, and expecting their calling according to the promise of the same in comfortable pati­ence. And let thus much suffice of this se­cond part. To wit, the comming of such as are giuen.

The 3. part.

The intertainment that such as come to Christ shall finde w^t him, is layd downe in these words Non eijcio, I cast not away. The words are plaine, and therfore let vs but consider the vse of them, and so hast to an ende.

1 First then they contayne a singular The first vse. Comfort against vn worthines comfort against the wringing thought of our vnworthynesse, being in sence as if the Lord Jesus should saye: feare not though base, though sinnefull, poore, and of no ac­compt in the eye, either of thy selfe, or o­thers. For if thou commest to me, thou art welcome, notwithstanding these, and I ne­uer cast away him that commeth. True, be­loued, true, and most true, blessed be his maiestie for such goodnesse. Publicans and sinners, poore fishermen and despised Gen­tils he hath entertayned withall mercie & fafour as we know. Come vnto me all ye y^t [Page 60] trauell and are heauy laden, carieth with it no exception of pouertie or basenesse, but reacheth out comfort to all commers be they neuer so many in the eyes of men, ego reficiam vos. I will refresh you. At what time soeuer a sinner repenteth himselfe from the botome of his hart I will put all his wick­ednesse out of my remembrance saith the Lord. Hath it any exception of vnworthi­nesse against any true repenter? If thy sinnes were as redd as skarlet I will make them as white as snow, noteth it any casting away of any y^t is truely sorowfull? No, no. And therefore this speach is true, he that commeth to me I cast not away. Dauid so dead by adultery and murder he cast not a­way, when repentance cryed hartely Lord Psal. 51 forgiue. Paul a most fierce Saul persecuting the saints of God was not cast away, when he came. Peter with his periury & sinful de­nyall was yet receiued when he came. Ma­ry with her seuen diuells was not cast a­way. He that sorowfully sayd Lord I be­leeue (to witt as I am able) help my vn­beleefe, found his swéet comfort notwith­standing imperfection. In a word, he that commeth vnto me I cast not away, haue all true commers to Christ foūd since y^• world [Page 61] was, and shall doe till it ende againe. Hea­uen and earth passing, but not a iote of this word of God fayling in truth & swéetnesse promised.

2 An other swéete vse of these words The se­cond vse. Comfort against disdaine. is this. Comfort against contempt in the world and disdaine of proud ones. Thou commest to their houses, tables, and com­panies being poore & simple but a true fear­er of God & his lawes, and what entertain­ment hast thou? Surelie this, thou art cast out and contemned. For either they cannot be mery whilst thou art in place, or y^e pride of their places séeme nothing sutable to so sely a guest? Farewell they, & behould thy comfort héere, Jesus Christ casteth thée not awaie if thou come to him, and therefore blesse him, loue him, and still more & more in all thy occasions resort to him, leauing those proud pecocks to the will of him that hateth them and theire sinnefull contempt of their brethren, and his most déere ser­uants.

3 A third vse is this to Magistrates & The third vse. A pa­terne for gouernors rulers, iudges & gouernours vnto whome come thousands with sorow in their harts, and litle money peraduenture in their pur­ses. O cast them not away as néere as you [Page 62] can without your comfort. Their spirits are troubled, their iniuries be great, their skill but small to moue your affections by any orderly tale. But this scripture is written? and let it moue you and moue you greatly that your Lord & master casteth none away that come to him. He in nature and you in office be gods of comfort to poore commers, the fewer you cast away the li­ker to him, and if you cast none away then lykest of all. And what better paterne of liked life then Christ our Lord. O happie man that foloweth him, & riding on horse­backe Be merci­cifull as your hea­uenly Fa­ther is merciful. casteth a comfortable eye downe to him that walketh afoote by his side telling his case as panting and breathing & feare of some greater man to come and cary you from him, will giue him leaue. Yea O hap­py man I say againe. For in earth such an one shalbe blessed, praysed and prayed for and in heauen no more cast away, then he hath cast others, but receyued and com­forted as he hath done others.

4 Fourthly it most notably implieth The 4. vse, to proue y^e certaintie of our sal­uation. the certayntie and assurance of our salua­tion. For if the constancy of Christs loue to all that come vnto him be such, that he neuer casteth any of them away, iudge in [Page 63] your owne selfe if once you finde the assu­rance of your cōming, whether your safe­tie be not sealed in the word of Gods truth, that you can no more perish, then he be vntrue. Laye this text then to many scrip­tures mo that most comfortably deliuer this doctrine to vs. To the first Psalme which saith the man that is once come to Christ by a true beléefe in his name and a life, as God inableth, according to such faith, is like a tree planted by the water side Psal. 1 whose leafe shall neuer fade nor fall away, for want of moysture, neuer, neuer. To the two and thirtie of Ieremy where promise is made that the couenant with such as are come vnto him shalbe euerlasting, that he Iere. 32. 40 will neuer turne away from them to doe them good, but will put his feare in their harts that they shall not depart from him. Which place Austen often vrgeth, and setteth it as a wall of brasse against doubt héerein by any man. To the testimony in Mathew againe, wher it is sayd, they should Math. 24. deceiue the verie elect, (if it were possible) if it were possible againe I say, and euer remember it. To the tenth of Ihon where our Sauiour saith I will giue my sheepe Ihon. 10. 28. (that is, such as our text to day calleth cō ­mers [Page 64] to him) eternal life, and they shall ne­uer perish, neither shal any pluck them out of my hands. With a number such places mo, all proouing and preaching this truth of God vnto vs, that once finde in our selues a true comming to Jesus Christ by faith and obedience, the two heads of all religion, and conclude a comfort more swéete then tounge can tell: our saluation is sure when this life is ended, for this text is plaine with all else now named, He that commeth to me I neuer cast away. Shaken we may be & dangerously tempted, as God shall thinke good, but perish we cannot if these scrip­tures be true. Peter is a paterne what may befal vs, and Peter is a proofe of Gods good­nesse toward vs. Of whom Tertullian saith thus: Fidei robur concussum fuit, sed non ex­cussum, mota fuit fides, sed non amota, caepit a­rescere, sed nō exaruit, ore deū negauit, sed corde Note. tenuit. The strēgth of his fayth was shaken, but not shiuered in peeces, moued it was, but not remoued, it began to dry, but it withe­red not quite, with his mouth he denyed God, but his hart did not fully, and finallie let him go. Thus farre may we fall (which yet God forlnd) and by the mercy that ray­sed him, rise againe. [...] ten­tatoris, [Page 65] viuit tamen radix. Wel may the temp­ter cast downe our leaues that declared vs to liue, and yet shall the roote remaine a liue though it be not seene, saith Theophilact. Fowlly fell Dauid we all know, and felt a feareful change in his hart when he cryed: O Lord Let me feele y^e comfort of thy Spi­rit againe, yet finally forsakē he neuer was, Psal. 51. nor cast away. Notable is the storie of ma­ster Robert Glouer in the Acts and Monu­ments The storie of master Glouer. of our Church, to show how shrodly a childe of God may be shaken & humbled, & yet all well in time againe. Master Glo­uer, to my remembrance hauing receiued sentence to be burned for his faith, was in the prison after so bereft of all swéet com­fort and féeling of the Spirit in his soule and inwards, that he séemed rather to him­selfe as it were forsaken, then otherwise, of God and his grace. Diuers godly brethren to whome he made great lamentation for this his dulnesse, comforted him with gods promises, assuring him in the truth therof, y^• it would be otherwise with him in due tyme, though thus it pleased God to hum­ble him for a while happely, (as in déede it was) y^• it might be more swéet, when it come. Say what they all could, he recei­ued [Page 66] no tast of swéetnesse, but remained still all dull and heauie & dead in himselfe. The tyme of his death came, he thus voyde of comfort, a dolefull and heauie case if we thinke of it. The brethren applied him stil with their comfort, bad him not feare, for as sure as the Lord liued, who neuer for­saketh his in their most néede, the Spirit would come againe yet ere he died. And be­cause they were most sure of it, grounding themselues vpon Gods promises which ne­uer faile, therfore they intreated him that when it came, he should giue them a signe, or by some meanes or other make them ac­quainted with it, both for their comfort present, and instruction euer in the like tri­all. He promised that he would, and now sée the wonderfull worke of God, being taken out of the prison and vpon his way to the place where he must dye, sodainly in y^• way came such a streame of swéetnesse into his hart, and such a power of the Spirit reple­nished his soule, that he cryed with a loude voyce: He is come, he is come, he is come. To the vnspeakeable comfort of the godly brethren, that had assured him thereof be­fore, & the great wonder of them that knew not what be meant. Neuer being so heauy [Page 67] in the tyme of his hūbling as now he was ioyfull after this his lightning. Tried ther­fore I say Gods children may be, and séeme as forsaken, but yet in the ende it is not so, my text being true, as God is true: He that commeth to me I neuer cast away. Stand we therefore in the truth of God with as­sured comfort of our happy end when once we find we are truely come to Jesus Christ by the Fathers giuing. Eor whom the Lord Ihon 13. 1 Hebr. 13. 8 loueth to the and he loueth & Iesus Christ is yesterday & to day & the same for euer.

But O presumption, presumption, cry To beleue God is farre from presump­tion. some y^t neuer knew or else would not haue y^t people of God to know what true pietie meaneth. Papists I meane who in no case can abide this doctrine being a cutthrote to their purgatorie, masses and satisfacto­rie works all flowing from a fearefull vn­certaintie what shall become of vs, & deui­sed by thē to comfort this feareful thought with all. Alas beloued, is this presumption to giue credit to God when he promiseth, yea againe and againe and twentie times promiseth? Make the case your owne, and suppose that your selues do promise a man, either [...]aiment, or pleasure, or some thing or other, and the partie resteth vpon the [Page 68] truth of that word, assuring himselfe it shal neuer faile, but is as sealed with a thou­sand seales. Doth this man offend in presu­ming or rather yeld you the credit y^• is due vnto you, you meaning w^t all truth the per­formance of your word? So is this case, yea so much better as God excéedeth man in truth of meaning and power to performe what he promiseth. God saith I will not cast him away that commeth, or I do neuer cast him away. If I beléeue this [...]o be true, doe I presume, or performe my dutie in giuing credit to the Lord? Nay, is not y^• doubting of it a feareful dishonoring of God and de­tracting from his truth? Surely if a man should doubt one of your wordes you will make it and take it a wrong, and shall it be no wrong to doubt of God? Much more. Therefore let these sinfull men delight in their owne discomfort & the Lords disgrace, till God open their eyes, let you and me be of Austens iudgement in this matter: Non est ista superbia elati, sed c [...]fessio non ingrati: This is not any pride of one puffed vp, but a confession of one that is not vnthankfull.

If any man thinke yet this doctrine of assurāce will make men carelesse how they liue, I haue answered before this obiection [Page 69] and showed, that is neuer so in them that are truely religious and truely taught, be­cause they know God hath aswell apoin­ted the way, as the ende, that is holy life aswell as saluation in heauen. And Pietas quae finem nouit, non est pietas: Pietie that cea­seth was neuer pietie.

Lastly these words teach vs constancie Constan­cie in God tea­cheth vs to be con­stant one to an o­ther. in loue and affection one towards an other as our Lord and Sauiour is most constant towardes all [...]at come to him. We are to fickle and tickle many of vs, to day take­ing and to morow forsaking, to day louing and to morow lothing, without any cause in the world, other then our owne naturall corruption soone hott, soone colde. Such is not our God & Sauiour we héere sée, who neuer reiecteth whome once he accepteth, neuer casteth away who once commeth to him. And what better paterne to frame our selues vnto, then such an one? Such was not Ruth, who answered her mother in law Ruth. 1. 16 that wold haue had her returne, and sayd, Intreat me not to leaue thee, nor to depart from thee. For whither thou goest I will go, where thou dwellest I will dwell, thy people shalbe my people, and thy God my GOD. Where thou dyest, I will dye, and there will [Page 70] I be buryed. The Lord do so to me & more also, if ought but death depart thee and me. This was stedfastnesse worthie praise and an example for all to folow, that in this be­halfe wil be worthie of prayse. Such againe was not Traian the Emperour of whome it is written that when Sura Licinius one whome he greatly trusted, was accused to him that he was not faithfull, but practised trechery against him: Traian would not be induced to suspect his faith [...]home long he had loued and duely tried, but in stede of that frowne with the appurtenances which the accusers looked for, went to Sura his house vnbidden & tould him he would suppe with him, called for Sura his barbar & cau­sed him to shaue him, euery way contynued his receiued liking of a faithfull falsely ac­cused friend, to his great honor, Sura his great commfort, and the accusers great griefe that saw it. This againe was con­stancie worthie prayse in a noble Empe­rour. A glasse for all noble men and great men to looke in, y^• the like vertue may win the like prayse, and their poore, faithfull, true friends & seruants like comfort. The very same honor for constancie in his affec­tion got Alexander the great in his life, and [Page 71] kepeth it yet to this day in y^• monuments of learning, for giuing no credit to such as Yet said he well Tua cau­tio, O princeps, no­stra cauti­o, est. Cic. pro Mar­cell. accused Philip his phisition y^t he ment to poyson him being hired so to doe by Darius. For the next phisicke he had néede of, he cau­sed the same Philip to make him a p [...]tion and taking the same with one hand deliue­red Philip the letter that accused him with the other, drinking of the potion without any stay or doubt either then or euer after­ward. But what, shold I trouble you with many of these examples, my text is in stéed of ten thousands thousands of them, Jesus Christ our Sauiour is constant & loueth to the end whome he once loueth, casting not a­way for malice of man or diuill whom once he receiueth being come vnto him. Thinke therfore of this, & let this reforme our wa­uering wills, our tottering loue, & vnstable affectiōs, together with that of Salomon, if Pro. 17. 17. you will: Omni tempore diligit qui amicus est. He loueth euer that is a true friend. And let this suffice.

I might note a true comfort in this con­stancie Sectaries excommunication. of our Sauiour against the bluste­ring threats and thundering excommuni­cations of Pope and papists, sectaries, and [...]nabaptists, who shal neuer be able to hurt [Page 72] such as haue the true comfort of their com­ming to Christ by a liuely faith in their con­sciences. But the time is past. The God of heauen giue this which hath béene spoken his blessing that it may be a sauour of life vnto life to vs, and neuer a sauour of death vnto death, to the prayse of his name and our eternall comfort through Je­sus Christ our Lord.