An harmony of the confessions of the faith of the Christian and Reformed Churches which purelie professe the holy doctrine of the Gospell in all the chiefe kingdomes, nations, and prouinces of Europe: the catologue and order whereof the pages following will declare. There are added in the ende verie shorte notes: in which both the obscure thinges are made plaine, & those thinges which maie in shew seeme to be contrarie each to other, are plainelie and verie modestlie reconciled, and if anie points doe as yet hang in doubt, they are sincerelie pointed at. All which things, in the name of the Churches of Fraunce and Belgia, are submitted to the free and discrete iudgement of all other Churches. Newlie translated out of Latine into English. Also in the end is added the confession of the Church of Scotland. Alowed by publique authoritie.

Of the time of grace CHAP. 20.

FVrthermore among all other thinges they teach, con∣cerning the time of grace, and the fatherly visitation, that men maie learne to consider, that all that time of age, they lead in this life, is giuen them of God to be a time of grace, in the which they maie seeke their Lord and God his grace and mercie, and that they maie be loued of him, and by this meanes obteine here their saluation in Christ; whereof the Apostle also made mention in his sermon, which he preached at Athens, saying, God hath as∣signed * 1.1vnto man the times, which were ordeined before, and the bandes of their habitations, that they should seeke the Lord, if so be they might haue groped after him, and found him. And by the Prophet Esaie the Lorde saith, In an acceptable time h••••e * 1.2I heard thee, and in the daie of saluation haue I helped thee. Beholde now, saith Saint Paull, is the acceptable time, no•• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the daie of saluation. Therefore at all times the people be admonished, that whilest they liue on the earth, and are in good health and haue in their hands, and do presentlie en∣ioy the time of grace offered by God, they would truelie re∣pent, and beginne the amendment of their life, and re∣concile themselues to God: that they would stirre vp their conscience by faith in Christ, and quiet it by the ministerie of the Gospell in the Church, and herein confirme them∣selues, that God is mercifull vnto them, and remitteth all their sinnes for Christ his sake. Therefore when they are confirmed in this grace which is offred them to establish & confirme their calling, & do faithfullie exercise themselues in good works, then at the length they are also in an assured hope to looke for a comfortable end, & they must certenlie persuade thēselues, that they shal assuredlie be caried by the Angels into heauen, & eternall rest, as was the soule of that * 1.3godlie Lazarus, that they maie be there, where their Lord and redeemer Iesus Christ is, and that afterward in the daie of resurrection this soule shall be ioyned againe with the bo∣die, * 1.4to take full possession of that ioy and eternall glorie, which can not be expressed in words. For they shall not c••••e

into condemnation, but by making a waie through it, they shall passe from death into life.

The epistle to the Hebrewes to stirre vs vp to vse such ex∣hortations, saieth, Exhort your selues among your selues, exhort * 1.5ye one another dailie, so long as it is said to daie. Let no man a∣mong you be hardned by the deceit of sinne. For we enter into the rest, which haue beleeued, that is, which haue obeied the voice of God, while wee had time giuen vs. On the other side we must also holde this moste assuredlie, that if anie man, beeing polluted with sinnes, and filthie deedes manifest∣lie contrarie to vertue, do in dying departe out of this worlde without true repentance and faith, that his soule shall certainlie goe into hell, as did the soule of that rich man, who wanted faith, in the bottomeles pit whereof there is no droppe of grace, and that in the daie of iudgement that moste terrible voice of the Sonne of God sounding in * 1.6his eares shall be heard, wherein he shall saie, Departe from me ye curssed into euerlasting fire, which is prepared for the Deuill and his Angells: for they which haue done euill, shall come forth to the resurrection of iudgement.

Therefore in teaching they doe continuallie vrge this, that no man differ repentance and turning vnto God, till he come to be olde, or till he lieth sicke in his bed, and in the meane time doe boldelie practise his wantonnes in sins, and in the desires of the flesh and the world, because it is written, Doe not saie, The aboundant mercie of the Lord will purge my sinnes: for mercie and wrath doe hasten with him, and his indig∣nation shall lie vpon the sinners. Make no tarying to turne vnto the Lord, and put not of from daie to daie. For suddenlie shall the wrath of the Lorde breake forth, and in thy securitie thou shalt be destroyed, and thou shalt perish in time of vengeance. But that especiallie is a moste daungerous thing, if anie man, after he hath receiued the gift of the grace of God (and that in the testimonie of a good conscience) doth of set purpose, and wantonlie sinne, and contemne, and make no account of all those exhortations and allurements, proceeding ou•• of a louing heart, and that to this ende, that he maie in time thinke on that which is for his health, and repent, and moreouer doth persist in a bold and blind perswasion of the mercie of God, and trusting thereto, doth sinne, and doth

confidentlie abuse it, and goeth forward in that sort withou•• repentance, euen vnto the last pinch, and then beginne••h being forced thereunto by the terrours of death and the feare of infernall punishments, so late to conuert him∣selfe, and to call for the mercie of the Lorde, as when the seuere and intollerable anger of the Lord wa••eth hot••••, and punishments rush and breake foorth, as doth the great violence of floodes, which can not be resisted. Therefore of such a man, (which thing we speake with sorowe) it is hard to beleeue that he can trulie repent, and therefore it is to be doubted, lest that be fulfilled in him, which the Lord doth threaten by the Prophet Micheas, That insteed of grace he shall feele the wrath of God, and that it will come to passe that the wrath of God shall sley him. For in * 1.7a fearefull speach doth he saie thus, Then shall they crie to the Lord, but he will not heare them, but he will hide his face fo•• them at that time, because they haue continuallie liued wickedlie. * 1.8Yea the Lord himselfe saith, Although they crie in mine 〈◊〉〈◊〉 with a loude voice, yet will I not heare them, seeing they would no•• heare my voice, when as all the daie long I spread out my hands to them, and gaue them large time and space for grace. For the which cause the holie Ghost crieth out, and saith, To∣daie* 1.9 if ye will heare his voice, harden not your hartes, as in the gi••∣uing in the daie of that tentation in the wildernes.

Therefore according to all these thinges, our men doe diligentlie, and out of the groundes of the Scripture, exhort, that euerie man do in time vse and follow this faithful coun∣sell, and necessarie doctrine, that so he maie turne awaie the feare of this moste heauie daunger, yea that he doe not be∣traie the health of his owne soule. For vndoubtedly this hor∣rible daunger is greatlie to be feared, lest whatsoeuer here that doth rashlie or stubbornelie condemne or neglect this time of grace, so louinglie graunted of the Lord, he doe re∣ceiue, and that worthelie, that rewarde of eternall punish∣ment, which is due thereunto: euen as saint Ambrose also, a∣mongst manie other thinges, which he handleth diuerslie * 1.10to this purpose, doth thus write, and in these wordes: If any man at the verie point of death shall repent, and be absolued (for this could not be denied vnto him) & so departing out of this life dieth, I dare not saie, that he departeth hence in good case, I do not affirme it,

neither dare I affirme or promise it to anie man, because I would de∣ceiue no man, seeing I haue no certeintie of him. Doe I therefore saie that be shall be damned? neither doe I saie that he shall be deliuered. For what other thing I should say, I know not▪ Let him be commended to God. Wilt thou then, O brother, be freed from doubting? repent whiles thou art in health. If thou will repent, when thou canst not sin, thy sinnes haue left thee, and not thou thy sinnes. Yet that no man maie dispaire, they teach this also, that if anie man, in the last hower of his life, shew out signes of true repentance, which thing doth fall out verie seldome (for that is certain∣lie true which is written in the epistle to the Hebrues, And this will we also doe, so that God giue vs leaue to doe it) that such a * 1.11one is not to be depriued of instruction, comforte, absoluti∣on, or remission of sinnes. For the time of grace doth last so long as this lise doth last: wherfore, so long as we liue here, it is meete that we should thinke of that Propheticall and A∣postolicall sentence, To daie, seeing yee haue heard his voice, harden not your heartes. Now herein doe our men labour, and * 1.12endeuour them selues moste earnestlie, that all men maie obeie this louing commaundement and counsell▪ and that they speedelie repent, before the sunne be darkened after a strange manner, and the hilles be ouerwhelmed with dark∣nes, & that laying sinne aside, they would turne them selues to god, by flying vnto him in true confidence, and with a constant inuocation, from the bottome of the heart, and that they do their faithful indeuour, that they be not repel∣led from the glorie of eternall life, but that they maie liue with Christ & his Church in this life for a time, and in the other life for euer.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Act. 17.
• * 1.2

  Isa. 49. ••. Cor. 6.
• * 1.3

  Luc. 16. Ioan. 12. & 14. & 17.
• * 1.4

  Ioan. 5.
• * 1.5

  Heb. 4.
• * 1.6

  Math. 29. Ioh. 5.
• * 1.7

  Mich. 3.
• * 1.8

  Ezech. 8. Iere. 7. & 11. Isa. 65. & 66.
• * 1.9

  Psal 95. Heb. 3.
• * 1.10

  Lib. 3. de paenit. qui Augustini esse putatur.
• * 1.11

  Heb. ••.
• * 1.12

  Heb. 3.