I. Booke. Caje1 of Conjcience. 17 asrhoughthcybe twodillinttinnarurc, yet A they may be both one in vfeand pratti(e, Se· condly in all eucntsrharcome ro palle, eucr · more i~ patience and filence hee mufl Cubmit himfciftorhe good will and pleafurcofGod. Thus iris[aid of Aaron,tharwhen God had dellroyed his Cannes, for offeringvp iirange fire before him, hee heldhi& peace, Leuir. 1 o. 3· And Dauid 01eweth, that 11 was his prattifc, when being affiitted, he faith, Iw.u .udumbe, and•pen<d not mymouth, becarifc thOJt Lord didfl it,Plal. 39· 9.Thirdly,ifarany time he falleth, either through infirmity,the malice ofSaran, or theviolence of Come temptation, be muii humble himfelfbefore God,Iaoour tobreake off hisGnne, andrecouer himfelfebyrepen– rance. And thefe three bee the principall and B 1nainegrounds ofNew..obedience. The fecond Q!!eilion. ConGdering that all good workes are the fruits ofaregenerate perfon, and are contained vnder New-obe· dience J How may aman doe a good workeJ that may bee accepted of God, and pleafe him~ Forrefolution whereof, it is tobe careful· lyremembred, that to the doing of a good worke, fundrierhings are required: vVh~reof, fome in nature doegoe before the worke to be done,•fomc doe accompanie the doing thereof,and Come againe do follow the wmk, beingrequired to be done, when the workeis done. Beforethewor~e, th.eremullgoe Rccon- C ciliation; whereby the pcrfon is reconciled vnto God in Chrifl,and made acceptable to him. For iris a clearecafe,that no workeof man can be accepted ofGod,vnlelfe the per– Con ofthe wor~erbe approoucd ofhim. And rheworkcs of men ohvhardignitie foeucr, arenor to bee eiieemed by rhe thew and out– ward appearance of them, but by the minde and condition ofrhedocr. Againe, before wee doe any good 1vorke, wee mull by prayer lift vpour hearts vnro God, and delire him toinablc vs by hisfpirit rodo it, and to guide vs bythefame, in theaClion which wee area– bout to doe. This did the Prophet Dauid of· tentimes,as w• may readein the Pfalmes,bur efpecially in Pfalme I4l· 10. when heefairh, D T<achmeetod" thy,.i/1, 0 G•d;[or thoua'/ my G•d,ler thy good Spi,it leade me v•t• the land of ~ighte•ufnej]e, And oftentimes in the I I 9· PCalm.Teach me,O L/JI'd,thcway•fthy flatutts, ~crfe 33· Giuemevnderftanding. 34.Direilme mthep•th ufthy commaundementt. 35· Againc, Teach me iudgement lfnd k.t~o'tt'ledge. 66. Let my heart bevpright in thy flatutet, 8o,Stablt{l; me, acc/JI'ding to thy promife,!li 6, Diuflmy fleppei mthy word 1 tlndletnone imquitie hautdominion o~ uerme,133· In the doingofthe worke, weeareto con– fider two things; the matter, and the man– ner or forme of doing it. Forehe manner, it muO beaworke commaunded in the word of God, eitherexprelfely or generally, For it is Gods reuealedwillthargiuesrhe goodnelfe to anyworkc. Chri(l faith of the Pharifies, that they worfoippcd him in vn;nc, teaching for doilrines, the comrnaundemrnts of men. Hee therefore that will doe aworke, rending ro rhe wor01ippe of God, mutl doe that which God commaunderh. Now attions exprefiy commaunded, are the duties of the morall Law; Attions geflerally commaunded, arc all fuch as ferue to bee helpes and meanes to further rhe faid morall duties. And here wee mu(! remember, that attions indifferent in the cafe of offence,or edification,ceafe ro bee indifferent,and come vndcr fame commaun– dementofthe moral Law.To which purpnfe Paulfaitll,I.Cor.8.13.1f'"'ing jle(b r.illojfend my brother, I will eat< "' jlejb while the world {land"h; his meaning is, that rhoughhisea· ting of flelh was a thingindifferentin it felfe, yet in cafe ofoffence,his mind was to abflainc from ir, as much as from the breach of rhe Law of God. Againe,ifan attion indifferent, comes within the cafeoffurti1ering the good of the Common-wealth, or Church, ir cea– feth to be indifferent, and comes vnder com– maundement;and foall kinde ofcallings and rheir works,rhoughneuer Co bafe, may be the matter of good workes. This point is to bee remembr~d: for it ferueth to encourage cue· ry man,ot what condition foeuer he be,in the dihgent performanceoftheduries of hiscal· ling; as alfo to ccmfute the dottrine ofthe Popi01 Church, which reacheth, that onely almes-deedes, and ,building or maintaining of Churches and religious houfes, arc the mattcrofgood workcs. · Now to the manner or forme ofa good worke, there is required Faith. For aswith· oHt f•ithit uimp•Jlible t• pleafeG•d, Hebrewes I I,6:Cowhat(oouerworlc isvnderraken with– ourfaith, cannot in any fort bee acceptable vnto him.What faith then isrequired mtbis cafe I I anfwer. Firfl,a generall faith,where– by wee are perfwaded, rhat the thing ro bee done, may lawfully be done; andof this the ApoOiefpeakerh,when hefaith,Wh4tfoerm u nstuff•ith,u finne, Rom. '4·'3· Secondly, a particular or iu{lifying faith, which purifieth the heart,and makethir fitte to bring forrh a good worke: for it giuesa beginning to the worke, and alfo couers the wants and defctts thereof, by apprehending and applyingvn– rovs, Chri{l and his merits, Againe, a good worke for themanoerrhereof, mufl beJone in obedience. For knowing,thatthe thing to be done is commaunded of God, wee mull haue aminde and intention ro obey God in the thing w'e doe, accordmgro his comman. demenr. lt it bee here demaunded, feeing workes mufl bee done in obedience,how,and to what part of theword wee mutl dirett our obedience/ Ianfwer, to rbeLaw. But bowl not conGdered in hisrigour,but astt is quali– fied,molhfied,and tempered by theGofpcU' for accordmgto the r~gour of tbeLaw,which ); 3 com-
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=