A golden chaine: or The description of theologie containing the order of the causes of saluation and damnation, according to Gods word. A view whereof is to be seene in the table annexed. Hereunto is adioyned the order which M. Theodore Beza vsed in comforting afflicted consciences.

III. Conclusion.

A constant and earnest desire to be reconciled to God, to beleeue and to repent, if it be in a touched heart, is in acceptation with God, as reconciliation, faith, repentance it selfe.

The Exposition.

LVst or desire is twofold, naturall and supernaturall. Naturall is that, whose beginning and obiect is in nature, that is, which ariseth of the naturall will of man; and anecteth such things as are thought to be good according to the light of nature. And this kind of desire hath his degrees, yet so as they are all limited within the compasse of nature. Some desire riches, honours, pleasures, some learning and knowledge: because it is the light and perfection of the minde: some goe further and seeke after the vertues of iustice, temperance, li∣beralitie, &c. and thus many heathen men haue excelled. Some againe desire true happinesse, as Balaam did, who wished to die the death of the righteous: because it is the propertie of nature to seeke the preseruation of it selfe. But here nature staies it selfe: for where the minde reueales not, the will affects not. Supernaturall desires are such as both for their beginning and obiect, are aboue nature, for their beginning is from the holy Ghost, and the obiect or matter about which they are conuersant, are things diuine and spirituall, which concerne the kingdome of heauen: and of this kind are the desires of which I speake in this place. Againe, that we may not be deceiued in our desires, but may the better discerne them from flittering & fleeting motions, I adde three restraints. First of all, the desire of reconciliation, the desire to be∣leeue, or the desire to repent, &c. must be constant and haue continuance, o∣therwise it may iustly be suspected. Secondly, it must be earnest and serious, though not alwaies, yet at sometimes, that we may be able to say with Dauid, My soule desireth after thee, O Lord, as the thirstie lād. And, as the heart brai∣eth after the riuers of water, so panteth my soule after thee, O God: my soule thirsteth for God, euen the liuing god. Thirdly, it must be in a touched heart: for when a man is touched in conscience, the heart is cast down, and (as much as it can) it withdrawes it selfe from God. For this cause, if then there be any spirituall motions whereby the heart is lift vp vnto God, they are without doubt from the spirit of God. Thus then I auouch, that the desire of reconci∣liation with God in Christ, is reconciliation it selfe: the desire to beleeue, is faith indeede, and the desire to repent, repentance it selfe. But marke how: A desire to be reconciled is not reconciliation in nature (for the desire is one thing and reconciliation is an other) but in Gods acceptation: for if we being touched throughly for our sinnes, doe desire to haue them pardoned, and to be at one with God, God accepts vs as reconciled. Againe desire to beleeue, it is not faith in nature, but onely in Gods acception, God accepting the will for the deede. That this doctrine is the will and word of God, it appeares by these reasons. First of all, God hath annexed a promise of blessednes, and of life euerlasting, to the desire of grace. Math. 5. Blessed are they which hunger and thirst after righteousnes, for they shall be satisfied. Ioh. 7.38. If any man thirst let him come to me and drinke. Reu. 21. I will giue vnto him which is a thirst of the well of the water of life freely.

Now what is this, to thirst? properly it is, when we are in a drought or dri∣nesse, and want drinke to refresh vs, to desire it. And therefore by a resem∣blance, they are saide to thirst after righteousnesse, that want it and would haue it, and they thirst after Christ that feele themselues out of Christ, and

desire, yea, long after the blood of Christ, that they might bee refreshed with it in their consciences. Here then we see that the desire of mercie, in the want of mercie, is the obtaining of mercie, and the desire to beleeue in the want of faith, is faith. Though as yet thou want firme and liuely grace, yet art thou not altogether void of grace, if thou canst desire it, thy desire is the seed, con∣ception, or budde of that which thou wantest: nowe is the spring time of the ingrafted worde or the immortall seede cast into the furrowes of thy heart: waite but a while, vsing good meanes, and thou shalt see that leaues, blossoms, and fruites will shortly followe after: Secondly, the desire of any good thing is accepted of God, as the liuely inuocation of his holy name, Psal. 10. God heareth the desires of the poore. Psal. 145. Hee will fulfill the desire of them that feare him. When Moses said nothing, but onely desired in heart the helpe and protection of God at the red sea, the Lord said vnto him: why criest thou vn∣to me? Exod. 14. And when wee knowe not to pray as wee ought•• Paul saith, that the spirit maketh request by the inward groanes of the heart. Rom. 8.26•• Hence I gather, when a man in his weakenes praies with ••ighes and groanes, for the gift of liuely faith, the want whereof he finds in himselfe; his very prai∣er on this manner made, is as truely in acceptation with God, as the praier made in liuely faith. Thirdly to the testimonie of Scripture, I adde the testi∣monies of Godly and learned men, not to prooue the doctrine in hand, but to shewe a consent, and to prooue thus much that the thing which I auouch is no priuat phantasie of any man:a 1.1Augustine saieth, Let thy desire be before him, and thy father which seeth in secret shall rewarde thee openly: for thy de••ire is thy praier, and if thy desire be continuall, thy praier is continuall. Hee addes further in the same place, that the desire is a continuall voice, and the crie of the heart, and the inward inuocation of God, which may bee made without intermission. Againe,b 1.2 The whole life of a good christian, is an holy will and desire. And that which thou de∣sirest thou seest not: but by desiring art, as it were, inlarged and made capable, that when it shall come which thou shalt see, thou maiest be filled. c 1.3Bernard saith, What, is not desire a voice? Yea a very strong voice. God heareth the desire of the poore, and a continuall desire, though we speake nothing, is a voice continued.d 1.4Luther saith, Christ is then truely omnipotent, and then truely raignes in vs, when we are so weak that we can scarce giue any groane. For Paul saith, that one such groane is a strong crie in the eares of God, filling both heauen and earth. e 1.5Againe, very fewe knowe howe weake and small faith and hope is vnder the crosse and in temptation. For it ap∣peares then, to be as smoaking flaxe, which a good blast of winde would presently put out: but such as beleeue in these combates, and terrours against hope, vnder hope, that is, opposing themselues by faith in the promises of Christ against the feeling of sinne, and the wrath of God, doe finde afterward, that this little sparke of faith (as it ap∣peares to reason, which hardly perceiueth it) is peraduenture as the whole element of fire which filleth all heauen, and swalloweth vp all terrours and sinnes. f 1.6 Again, the more we finde our vnworthinesse and the lesse we finde the promises to belong vnto vs, the more we must desire them, be••ing assured that this desire doeth greatly please God, who desireth and willeth that his grace should be earnes••ly desired: This doeth faith, which iudgeth it a pretious thing, and therefore greatly hungereth and ••hir∣s••eth after it, and so obtaines it. For God is delighted to fill the hungrie with good

things, and to send the rich emptie away. h 1.7Theodore Beza saith, If thou finde not thine heart inwardly touched, pray that it may be touched: for then must thou knowe that this desire is a pledge of the fathers good will to thee. i 1.8 Kimnitius saith, When I haue a good desire, though it doe scarcely shewe it selfe in some little and slender sigh, I must bee assured that the spirit of God is present, and worketh his good work. k 1.9Vrsinus saith, Faith in the most holy men in this life is vnperfect and weake. Yet neuerthelesse, whosoeuer feeles in his heart an earnest desire to beleeue, and a stri∣uing against his naturall doubtings, both can and m••st assure himselfe that he is in∣dued with true faith. Againe, Wicked men doe not desire the grace of the holy spi∣rit, whereby they may resist sinne. And therefore they are iustly depriued of it: for hee that earnestly desireth the holy Ghost, hath it alreadie: because this desire of the spi∣rit cannot be but from the spirit: as it is saide, Blessed are they that hunger & thirst after righteousnesse, for they shall be satisfied. l 1.10Bradford saith, Thy sinnes are vn∣doubtedly pardoned, &c. for god hath giuen thee a penitent and beleeuing heart: that is, an heart which desireth to repent and beleeue: for such an one is taken of him (hee accepting the will for the deede) for a penitent and beleeuing heart indeede. m 1.11 Taf∣fine saith, Our faith may be so small and weake, as it doth not yet bring forth fruits, that may be liuely felt of vs, but if they which feele themselues in such estate, desire to haue these feelings (namely of Gods fauour and loue) if th••y aske them at Gods hand by praier; this desire and praier are testimonies that the spirit of God is in thē, and that ••••ey haue faith alreadie: for is such a desire, a fruite of the flesh, or of the spirit? It is of the holy spirit, who bringeth it forth onely in such as he dwells in, &c. Then these holy desires and praiers beeing the motions of the holy Ghost in vs, are testimonies of our faith, although they seeme to vs small and weake. As the woman that feeleth the mooning of a childe in her body, though very weak, assureth her selfe that shee hath conceiued, and that shee goeth with a liue childe: so if we haue these motions, these holy affections, and desires before mentioned, let vs not doubt but that we haue the holy Ghost (who is the author of them) dwelling in vs, and consequently that we haue also faith. Againe he saith, If thou hast begun to hate and flee sinne, if thou feelest that thou art displeased at thine infirmities, corruptions: if hauing of∣fended God, thou feelest a griefe and a sorrow for it: if thou desire to abstaine: if thou thou auoidest the occasions: if thou trauailest to doe thy endeauour: if thou praiest to God to giue thee grace: all these holy affections proceeding from none other then from the spirit of God, ought to be so many pledges, and testimonies that hee is in thee.

n 1.12Master Knokes saith, Albeit your paines sometimes bee so horrible, that you finde no release nor comfort, neither in spirit nor bodie, yet if thy heart can onely sob vnto God, despaire not, you shall obtaine your hearts desire. And destitute you are not of faith: for at such time as the flesh, naturall reason, the lawe of God, the pre∣sent torment, the deuill at one doe crie, God is angrie, and therefore there is neither helpe nor remedie to be hoped for at his handes: at such time I say, to sob vnto God, is the demonstration of the secret seede of God which is hidde in Gods elect children: and that onely sob is vnto God a more acceptable sacrifice, then without this crosse, to giue our bodies to be burnt euen for the truthes sake. More testimonies might be alleadged, but these shall su••fice.

Against this point of doctrine it may bee alleadged: that, if desire to be∣leeue

in our weakenesse bee faith indeede; then some are iustified and may be saued wanting a liuely apprehension and full perswasion of Gods mercie in Christ. Answere. Iustifying faith in regard of his nature is alwaies one and the same, and the essentiall propertie thereof is to apprehend Christ with his be∣nefits, and to assure the very conscience thereof. And therefore without some apprehension and assuranee there can be no iustification or saluation in them that for age are able to beleeue. Yet there be certaine degrees, and measures of true faith. There is a strong faith, which causeth a full apprehension and perswasion of Gods mercy in Christ. This measure of faith the Lord vouch∣safed Abraham, Dauid, Paul, the Prophets, and Apostles, and Martyrs of God. It were a blessed thing, if all beleeuers might attaine to this height of liuely faith, to say with Paul, I am perswaded, that neither life, nor death, nor any thing else, shall be able to separate vs from the loue of God in Christ: but all cannot; therefore there is another degree of faith lower then the former, and yet true faith, called a little or weake faith, and it also hath a power to ap∣prehend and apply the promise of saluation, but as yet by reason of weake∣nesse, it is infolded (as it were) and wrapt vp in the heart, as the leafe and blos∣some in the budde. For such persons as haue this weake faith, can say indeede that they beleeue their sinnes to bee pardonable, and that they desire to haue them pardoned: but as yet they cannot say, that they are without all doubt pardoned. And yet the mercie of God is not wanting vnto them•• ••or in that they doe, and can desire, and indeauour to apprehend, they doe indeede ap∣prehend; God accepting the desire to doe the thing, for the thing done. This which I say, will the better appeare if the groundes thereof bee considered. Faith doeth not iustifie in respect of it selfe, because it is an action, or vertue: or because it is strong, liuely, and perfect: but in respect of the obiect thereof, namely, Christ crucified, whome faith apprehendeth as hee is set forth vnto vs in the word and sacraments. It is Christ that is the author, & matter of our iustice, and it is he that applieth the same vnto vs: as for faith in vs, it is but an instrument to apprehend and receiue that which Christ for his part offereth and giueth. Therefore, if faith erre not in his proper obiect, but followe the promise of God, though it doe weakly apprehend, or at the least cause a man onely to endeauour and desire to apprehend, it is true faith, and iustifieth. Though our apprehension be necessarie, yet our saluation standes rather in this, that God apprehendes vs for his owne, then that we apprehend him. Phil. 3.12.

Out of this conclusion springes another, not to bee omitted, that God accepts the indeauour of the whole man to obey, for perfect obedience it selfe.

THat is, if men indeauour to please God in all things, God will not iudge their doings by the rigour of the lawe: but will accept their little and weake indeauour, to doe that which they can doe by his grace, as if they had perfectly fulfilled the lawe. But here remember I put this caueat, that this in∣deauour must be in and by the whole man; the very minde, conscience, wil, & affections, doing that which they can in their kinds: and thus this indeauour,

which is a fruite of the spirit, shall be distinguished from ciuill righteousnes, which may bee in heathen men. The trueth of this conclusion appeares by that which the Prophet Malachi saith, that God will spare them that feare him, as a father spares his childe: who accepts the thing done, as well done, if the child shewe his good will, to please his father, and to doe what he can.

Notes

• a 1.1

  Psal. 36.
• b 1.2

  Exposit. E∣pist. Ioh. tract. 4. de cap. 3.
• c 1.3

  Super can. Serm. 84.
• d 1.4

  Tom. 4. p. 124.
• e 1.5

  Ib. fol. 156.
• f 1.6

  Ib. fol. 300.
• h 1.7

  Resp. ad Acta Col. loq. Monpel.
• i 1.8

  Locor. cō∣par. 1.
• k 1.9

  Catech.
• l 1.10

  Epistle to Carelesse.
• m 1.11

  Booke of the markes of Gods children.
• n 1.12

  Psal. 6.