of these in order as they lye in the Creede And first of the title father It may seeme that he hath some prerogatiue over the sonne and the holy ghost because he is set before them but we must know he is set before them neither in regard of time nor of dignitie for therein all three are equall but in regarde of order onely The father is the first the sonne the second and the holy ghost the third as may appeare by this similitude If three Emperours equall in dignity should meete all in one place beeing equall also in power and maiestie if all three should sit dovvne though one be no better then an other yet one of them must needes sit downe the first and another in the seconde place and then the thirde but yet wee can not say that he which sate downe first is the chiefest And so it is in the Trinitie though none be greater or above another yet the Father is in the first place not because he is before the sonne or the holy ghost in dignitie or honour but because he is the fountaine of the deitie the sonne being from him and the holy ghost from them both Nowe let us come to the title of the first person The name Father in Scriptures is ascribed either to God taken indefinitely and so by consequente to all the three persons in Trinitie or particularly to the first person alone For the first God is a Father properly and principally according to the saying of Christ Call no man father vpon earth for there is but one your father vvhich is in heaven that is principally whereas earthly parentes whome wee are commaunded to worship and honour are but certaine images or resemblances of our heavenly father having this blessing that they are fathers from him And hereupon this title agrees in men not simply but so farre forth as God honoureth them with fatherhoode in calling them to be fathers whereas god himselfe receiues this honour from none God is tearmed a father in respect both of nature and grace Hee is a father in regard of nature because hee created and gouerneth all things In this regard hee is called the father of spirits and Adam is called the Sonne of God Hee is a father in respect of grace because wee are regenerate by him and accepted to be his sonnes by adoption thorough the merite of Christ. And in this respect the second person as well as the first is called a Father and saide to haue an offspring or seede and children But when the name of Father is giuen to the first person 〈◊〉 is done upon a speciall consideration because he is a father by nature to the seconde person begetting him of his owne substance before all worldes By this it appeares that out of the title of the first person wee may fetch a description thereof on this maner The Father is the first person in Trinitie begetting the sonne Nowe to beget is the personall proprietie whereby he is distinguished from the other two If it be said that the creatures doe beget that therefore to beget is not proper to the father the answere is that in this point there are many differences betweene God the father all creatures First the father begets the sonne before all eternitie and therefore God the Father begetting and the sonne begotten are equall in time whereas in earthly generation the father is before the sonne in time Secondly God the father begets his Sonne by communicating unto him his whole essence or godhead which can not be in earthly parents unlesse they should be abolished and come to nothing VVhereas neuerthelesse God the Father giuing his whole nature to his sonne retaines the same still because it is infinite Thirdly the father begetts the sonne in himselfe not forth of himselfe but in earthly generation the father begetting is forth of the child and the child forth of the father And that must not trouble vs which heretikes alledge against this doctrine namely that if the father who is of one nature with the sonne did beget the sonne then hee did beget himselfe for the godhead of the father doth not beget either the godhead or the person of the sonne but the person of the father begets the person of the sonne both which in one godhead are really distinct Thus we see what the father is Nowe to beleeue in the father is to be perswaded that the first person in Trinity is the father of Christ and in him my father particularly and that for this cause I entend desire for euer to put my trust in him The duties which wee may learne hence are manifolde And here we haue occasion offered first of all to consider who is our father by nature I shall say to corruption saieth Iob thou art my father and to the worme thou art my mother seeing god vouchsafeth this great prerogatiue to them that loue him that he vvill be their father therefore Iob in consideration hereof would haue euery man to haue recourse to his owne naturall condition to see who is his father by nature Iob saith corruption is his father but if we mark the condition of our nature we shall further see euery man is by nature the child of wrath and that Sathan is his father for so long as a man walkes in his sinnes which euery man doth by nature so long doth he shew himselfe to be the liuely child of the deuill And thus Christ reasoneth against the Scribes and Pharises Yee are of your father the deuill and the lustes of your father ye will doe And true it is that no childe is so like his father that begat him as euerie man by nature is like the deuill and the whole tenour and course of his naturall life without grace is a liuely resemblance of the disposition of Satan Secondly euery one that beleeves God to be a Father and in Christ his father must as a good child be obedient to his fathers will So Salomon saith A vvise sonne maketh a glad father How by doing his will and therefore when one tolde our Sauiour Christ that his mother and breethren stoode vvithout desiring to speake with him he saide VVhosoever shall doe my fathers vvill vvhich is in heaven the same is my father my sister and mother where vvee may note that hee that will haue God the Father to be his Father and Christ Iesus his brother must doe the will of God the father And hence God saith If I be a master vvhere is my feare If I be a father vvhere is my honour VVhere is plainely taught this seconde duety that if God be our father then as good children vvee must shevve obedience unto him but if vvee be disobedient vnto him then vve must knowe that that former saying of Christ will be verefied vpon vs that because men doe the lustes of the devill therefore they are the children
proper ende of Christes condemnation set dovvne though not in Pilats will yet in Gods eternall counsell was that he might be the cause of absolutiō at the barre of Gods iustice unto all those whosoeuer they are which shall come to life eternall for we must still remember that whē Christ was condemned by mortal Iudges he stood in our place in him were all our sinnes condemned before God Therefore to conclude this point if this were the end in the coūsell of God to haue his owne sonne condēned by Pontius Pilate a mortall iudge that we might not be condemned but absolved before Gods iudgement seat let us all labour to haue this absolution sealed up in our hearts by the testimony of Gods spirit For one day we must come to the bar of Gods iudgement and if we haue not an absolution by Christs condemnation at Pilates earthly barre let us looke for nothing els but the fearefull sentence of condemnation at the celestiall bar of Gods iustice to be uttered at the day of the last iudgement If a man should commit such an heynous offence as that he could no other way escape death but by the princes pardon he neither would nor could be at rest till by one meanes or other hee had obtained the same and had gotten it written and sealed which done hee would carrie it home locke it up safe and sound and many times looke upon it with great ioy gladnes Well this is the case of euerie one of vs by nature we are rebells and traitours against God and haue by our sinnes deserued ten thousand deaths Now our onely stay and refuge is that Christ the sonne of God was condemned for vs and therfore in Christ we must sue for pardon at Gods hands and neuer rest till we haue the assurance thereof sealed up in our hearts and consciences alwaies remembring that euer after we lead a new life and neuer commit the like sinnes against God any more It were a blessed thing if this would enter into our hearts but alas we are as dead in our sinnes as a deade carkasse is in the graue The ministers of God may teach this often unto us and we may also heare the same but Satan doth so possesse mens hearts that they seldome or neuer beginne to beleeue or receiue it till it be too late Euery one can say God is mercifull but that is not enough for Christ being most righteous was condemned that thou being a wretched sinner mightest be saued and therefore thou must labour for thy selfe to haue some testimony of thine absolution by Christs condemnation sealed up in thine owne conscience that thou maist more assuredly say God is and will be mercifull unto thee Hauing spoken of the whole arraignement of Christ and of his passion in generall Now let vs proceede to the partes of the passion which are three Christs Execution his Buriall his Descending into hell This being withall remembred that these three partes are likewise three degrees of Christs humiliation Christes execution is that part of his passion which hee bare upon the crosse expressed in the words of the Creede he was crucified and died In handling of it we must obserue fiue things I. the person that suffered II. the place where he suffered III. the time when he suffered IIII. the manner how he suffered V. the excellencie of his passion For the first the person that suffered was Christ the iust as Peter saieth Christ also hath once suffered for sinnes the iust for the vniust and againe Christ Iesus the iust saith S. Iohn is the reconciliation for our sinnes And in his execution wee shall haue manifest declarations of his righteousnesse and iustice consisting in two most worthie points First when he was upon the crosse and the souldiers were nailing his handes and feete thereunto and racking his bodie most cruelly he prayed Father forgive them they know not what they doe These souldiers were by all likelihood the verie same that apprehended him and brought him before Caiphas and from thence to Pontius Pilate and there platted a crowne of thornes and set it on his heade and buffetted him and spitefully intreated him as we haue heard and yet Christ speaks no word of reuenge unto them but with all patience in the extremitie of their malice and iniurie he prayeth his father to forgive them Hence we are taught that when iniuries are done unto us we ought to abstaine from all affection of reuenge and not so much as manifest the same either in word or deede It is indeed a hard lesson to learne and practise but we must indeauour to doe it not onely so but to be readie for evill to doe good yea even at that instant when other men are doing us wrong euen then I say we must be readie if it be possible to doe them good When as Christes enemies were doing unto him al the trecherie they would euen then he performeth the worke of a Mediatour and prayeth for them unto his father and seeketh their saluation Againe whereas Christ prayeth thus Father forgive them we gather that the most principall thing of all that man ought to seeke after in this life is the forgiuenesse of sinnes Some thinke that happinesse consisteth in honour some in wealth some in pleasure some in this some in that but indeed the thing which we should most labour for is reconciliation with God in Christ that we may haue the free remission of all our sinnes Yea this is blessednesse it selfe as David saith Blessed is hee whose iniquitie is forgiven and whose sinne is covered Here then behold the madnesse of most men in this world that either seeke for this blessing in the last place or not at all The seconde testimony of Christs righteousnesse given in the middest of his passion was that he behelde his mother standing by and commended her to the custodie of Iohn his disciple whereby he gaue an example of most holy obedience unto the fift commaundement which prescribeth honour to father and mother And this his fact sheweth that the obseruing of this commandement standeth not in outwarde shewe and reuerence onely but in a godly recompence in procuring unto parents all the good we can both concerning this and a better life It often falls out that children be as it were Cains to father and mother some raile on them some fight with them others see them pine away and sterue and not relieue them But all dutifull children must here learne that as their parents haue done many duties unto them haue brought them up so they againe must in al reuerence performe obedience vnto them both in worde and deede and when occasion is offered relieve them yea in all that they can do good unto them Againe in this wee may see what a wretched state is that which the Church of Rome calleth the state of perfection namely to liue a part from the companie of men in fasting and
of the deuill But least this fearefull sentence be verefied of vs it is the duety of euerie man that maketh this confession that hee beleeues God to be his father first to labour to knovve Gods will and secondly to perfourme continuall obedience unto the same Like unto a good childe that would faine please his father and therefore is alwaies ready to do the best he can And without doubt that man which unfainedly takes God for his father is then most grieued when as by any sinne he displeaseth him no other crosse or calamity is so grieuous unto him The greatest grief that the prodigall sonne had was that he had offēded his father by sinning against heauē against him the same also must be our griefe and all our care set on this how we may be obedient children to this our louing father Thirdly that mā that beleeues God to be his father must imitate and follow him for it is the will of God that his children should be like vnto himselfe Now we follow God especially in 2. things I. In doing good to them that persecute vs so saith our Sauiour Christ Pray for them that hurt you that you may be the children of your father which is in heaven for hee maketh the sunne to rise on the evill and on the good and sendeth raine on the iust and uniust II. Our heavenly father is mercifull for he is a father of the fatherlesse and therefore he that will be a sonne of this father must be mercifull to his poore breethren as Iob saith of himselfe I vvas the eyes to the blind I vvas the feete unto the lame I vvas a father unto the poore Fourthly seeing wee beleeue God to be our father we are hereby taught onely to vse moderate care for the things of this life for if a man know himselfe to be the child of God then he also knowes that God will provide for him as wee know in a family the father provideth for all Now God is a father and his Church is his family therefore if thou wilt be a mēber of Gods Church a child of God thou must cast thy care on god follow the counsell of Christ Be not to carefull for your life what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink And mark his reason drawen from the point which we haue in hand The fowles of the heauen saith he they neither sow nor reape nor carrie into barnes and yet your heavenly father feedeth them are not ye much better then they But alas the practise of the worlde is contrarie for men haue no care for the knowledge of Gods worde nor the meanes of their salvation all their mindes are set on the things of this life when as Christ saith First seeke the kingdome of heaven and the righteousnesse thereof and all these things shall be ministred vnto you If you shoulde see a young man provide for himselfe and no man else for him wee woulde say surely his father is deade euen so when a mans care is set wholly both day and night for the things of this life it argues that God hath either cast him off or else that he takes him for no father of his Fiftly if God he our father then wee must learne to beare any crosse patiently that he shall lay upon us either in bodie or in minde and alwaies looke for deliverance from him for whome the Lorde loueth them hee chastiseth and if yee endure chastising saith the Apostle God offereth himselfe unto you as vnto children which may appeare more plainly by this comparison If two children shoulde fight and a man comming by shoulde parte them and after beate the one and let the other goe free euerie man that seeth this will say that that childe which hee beates is his owne sonne Euen so when God chastiseth vs he shevveth himselfe unto us as a father if we submit our selues Nowe if our earthly fathers corrected us and we gaue them reverence taking it patiently should vve not much rather be in subiection to the father of spirits that wee may liue Therefore the conclusion is this if we displease God be ye sure he will correct us when his hand is upon us we must not murmure against him but beare it with a milde spirite and furthermore when vvee are under the crosse we must alwaies looke for deliverance from this our father onely If a sonne vvhen hee is beaten should flee to his fathers enemies for helpe and counsell it woulde argue that hee were but a gracelesse childe Sundry and divers calamities and crosses befall men in this life which they can not brooke and therefore it is a common practise of many among us in these dayes vvhen Gods hande is upon them to goe for helpe to the deuill they seeke for counsell at witches and vvise men as I haue said but let them looke unto it for that is the right vvay to double their miserie and to shewe themselues levvde children Lastly if wee confesse and beleeue god to be the father of Christ and in him our father also then in regarde of our conuersation wee must not frame our selves like unto the world but the course of our liues must be in righteousnesse and true holinesse Paul exhorteth the Corinthians to separate themselues from Idolaters alledging the place out of the olde Testament where the Lorde biddeth the Israelites to come out from Idolaters and to touch no vncleane thing and the reason followeth out of Ieremie that if they doe so then God vvill be their father and they shall be his children even his sonnes and daughters which reason Paul vrgeth in the next chapter to this effect considering wee haue these promises that therefore wee shoulde cleanse our selues from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirite and growe up unto holines in the feare of the Lorde where if wee marke the place diligently wee shall finde this lesson that euerie man who takes God for his father must not onely in this sinne of Idolatrie but in all other sinnes separate himselfe that men by his godly life may knowe whose childe he is But some will say this exhortation is needlesse amongst vs for wee haue no cause to separate our selues from others because all amongst vs are Christians all beleeve in God and are baptised and hope to be saved by Christ. Ansvver In outvvard profession I confesse wee carrie the shewe of Christians but in deede and trueth by our lives and conversations very many among vs denie Christ for in euerie place the common practise is to spende the time in drunkennesse and surfetting in chambering and wantonnesse yea great is the companie of those that make a trade of it take this conversation from many men and take away their liues And on the Lordes day it may bee seene both publiquely and priuately in houses and in the open streetes there is such reuell as though there were no
teach and hold that a man must come to speake to god by prayer through the intercession of saintes for say they the presence of god is so glorious that we may not be so bolde as of our selues to speake unto him but needs must haue the intercession of others Lastly God will provide for all his Church and children all things needfull both for their bodies and soules so our Sauiour Christ bids his disciples take no thought what they should eate or what they shold drinke or wherewith they should be clothed adding this reason For your heavenly Father knovveth all your vvants And if we take thought it must be moderate and not distrustfull it is a part of the fathers dutie to provide for his family and children and not the children for the father Now shall an earthly father haue this care for his children and shall not our heauenly father much more provide for those that feare and loue him Nay marke further in Gods Church there be many hypocrites which receiue infinite benefites from God by reason of his elect children with whome they liue and we shall see this to be true that the wicked man hath ever fared better for the godly mans cause Sodome and Gommorrha receiued many benefites by reason of righteous Lot and when the Lord was purposed to destroy Sodome he was faine to pull Lot forth of the citie for the text saith the angell of the Lorde coulde not doe any thing till he vvas come out of it So also in Pauls daungerous voyage towardes Rome all the men in it fared better for Pauls company for the Lord told Paul by an angel that there should be no losse of any mans life for the Lord had given to him all that sailed with him And undoubtedly if it were not for some few that feare God hee would poure downe his vengeance upon many nations and kingdomes there is such excesse of wickednesse in all sortes Againe if the Lord doe thus carefully provide for his children all kind of benefites what a wonderfull wickednesse is this for men to get their liuing by ungodly meanes as vsurie carding dicing and such like exercises If a man were perswaded that God were his father and would provide sufficiently both for his body and soule so that using lawfull meanes he should euer haue enough out of all doubt hee woulde neuer after the fashion of the world use unlawfull and profane meanes to get a liuing But this prooveth that howsoeuer such men say God is their father yet indeede they deny him And thus much of this title father the first thing whereby the first person is described Now followeth the second point namely his attribute of omnipotencie in this worde almightie And whereas the father is saide to be almightie it is not so to be vnderstood as though the Sonne were not almightie or the holy Ghost not almightie for euery propertie and attribute saue the personall properties is cōmon to all the three persons For as God the Father doth impart his Godhead vnto the Sonne and to the holy Ghost so also he doeth communicate the proprieties thereof to them God is omnipotent two waies I. Because he is able to doe whatsoeuer he will II. Because he is able to doe more then he will doe For the first that God is able to doe whatsoeuer he will Dauid saith Our God is in heauen and he doth whatsoeuer he will for there is nothing that can hinder God but as he willeth so euery thing is done Secondly that God can doe more then hee willeth to be done it is plaine where Iohn Baptist saith God is able of these stones to raise vp children vnto Abraham though God can doe this thing yet he will not doe it So likewise when Christ was betraied the Father could haue giuen him more then 12. legions of Angels to haue deliuered him out of their hands but yet he would not and the like may be said of many other things The father is was able to haue created another world yea a thousand worlds but he would not nor will not And likewise Christ beeing vpon the crosse was able at their bidding to haue come downe and saued himselfe from death but he would not and therefore this is true the Lord can doe any thing that he willeth to be done actually yea and more then he will But some will say God can not doe some things which man can doe as God can not lie nor denie himselfe and therefore he is not omnipotent Answ. Although some haue thought God could doe these things and that he did them not because he would not yet we must knowe and beleeue that God can neither lie nor denie himselfe indeede man can doe both but these and many other such things if he could doe them he could not be God God indeede can doe all things which shewe foorth his glorie and maiestie but such things as are against his nature he can not doe as for example God can not sinne and therefore can not lie and because he can not doe those things therefore he is omnipotent for these and such like are workes of impotencie which if God could doe he were but an impotent God Secondly he can not doe that which implies contradiction as when a thing is to make it at the same time to be and not to be as when the sunne doth shine to make it at the same instant to shine and not to shine And therefore false is the doctrine of the Church which in their transubstantiation make the body of Christ whose essētiall propertie is to be only in one place at once to be circumscribed and not to be circumscribed to be in one place and not to be in one place And thus much for the meaning Now follow the dueties wherunto we are mooued by this doctrine of Gods omnipotencie First whereas God the Father is said to be Almightie we are taught true humiliation Humble your selues vnder the mightie hand of God saith Peter where he giueth an exhortation to humilitie alledgeth the cause because God is almightie To make this more plaine Euery one of vs was borne in sinne and by nature we are most wretched in our selues nowe what an one is God Surely he is able to doe whatsoeuer he will yea and more then he will and is able to destroy such as rebell against him euery moment Therefore our duetie is to cast downe our selues for our sinnes in his presence This true humiliation was that which our Sauiour Christ would haue brought the young man in the Gospell vnto when he bad him goe sell all that he had and giue to the poore Therfore whosoeuer thou art take heede thou must for if thou runne on in thy wickednes and still rebell against God it is a thousand to one at length he will destroy thee For he is an almightie God and able to doe whatsoeuer he will his hand is mightie it boots not a man
but he which is very God IV. It was the pleasure of God to shewe his incomprehensible goodnes in this that his grace should not onely be equall to our sinne but also by many degrees goe beyond it And therefore the first Adam beeing but a meere man the second Adam must be both God man that as the second was more excellent then the first so our comfort might be greater in our redemption by the second then our miserie and discomfort was by the fall of the first Hitherto wee haue shewed howe Christ is the sonne of God Now let vs come to the second point namely that he is the onely sonne of God And he is so tearmed because he is the sonne of the father in that manner as nothing else can be but he Angels indeede are tearmed the sonnes of God but that is onely in respect of their creation and all that beleeue in Christ are the sonnes of God by adoption being receiued into the familie of God which is his Church by the merit of Christ whereas by nature they were the children of wrath Christ also as he is man I say not his manhood which is a nature and no person is the sonne of God by the grace of personall vnion and not by nature or by adoption Lastly Christ as he is the second person in trinitie the eternall worde of the father coeternall and consubstanciall with him is also the sonne of God But how neither by creation nor adoption nor by the vertue of personall vnion but by nature as he was begotten of the very substance of the father before all worlds and therefore he is called the proper and onely begotten sonne of God It may be obiected on this manner If the father beget the sonne he doth it either willingly or against his will if willingly then the sonne is begotten by the freewill of the father and no sonne by nature Answer The father did communicate to the sonne his whole Godhead willingly without constraint yet not by his will and therefore he is the sonne of the father by nature not by will It may be further said that if Christ be the sonne of God by nature as he is the essentiall word of the father by personall vnion as he is mā then is he not one but two sonnes Answ. As he is but one person so is he but one sonne yet not in one but in two respects two respects make not two things whereas one and the same thing and so remaining may admit sundrie respects Thus much of the meaning of the third title Now follow the comforts which may be gathered hence Whereas Christ Iesus is the sonne of God it serues as a meanes to make miserable and wretched sinners that are by nature the children of wrath and damnation to be the sonnes of God by adoption as Saint Iohn testifieth Now what a benefit is this to be the child of God no tongue can expresse Christ saith Blessed are the peacemakers but why are they blessed for saith he they shalbe called the sonnes of God Whereby he testifieth that the right of adoption is a most excellent priuiledge and not without cause For he which is the childe of God is spiritually allyed to Christ and to all the saints and seruants of God both in heauen and earth hauing him for his elder brother and all his members as his brethren and sisters yea if we be Gods adopted children we are also heires euen heires of God and heires annexed with Christ. Well how great soeuer this prerogatiue is yet few there be that rightly waigh it and consider of it Children of noble men and princes heires are had in account and reputation of all men they are the very speach and wonder of the world But it is a matter of no account to be the sonne of God and fellow-heire with Christ. The dearest seruants of God haue beene esteemed but as the offscouring of the world And no meruaile for they which are after the flesh sauour the things of the flesh Fewe men haue their vnderstandings inlightned to discerne of such spirituall things as these are and therefore are they little or nothing regarded A blinde man neuer seeing the sonne is not brought to wonder at it and earthly minded men neither seeing nor feeling what an excellent thing it is to be the child of God cannot be brought to seeke after it But let all such as feare God enter into a serious consideration of the vnspeakeable goodnes of God comforting thēselues in this that God the father hath vouchsafed by his own sōne to make thē of the vassals of Satā to be his own deere childrē Now follow the duties which are two First we beleeue that Iesus Christ who was to be the Sauiour of mākind must needs be God what is the reason hereof surely because no creature no not all creatures in heauen and earth were able to saue one man so vyle wretched and miserable is our estate by Adams fall And therefore the sonne of God himselfe pitied our estate and beeing king of heauen and earth was faine to come from heauen and lay downe his crowne and become a seruant and taking vpon him our nature was also faine to take vpon him our case and condition suffer death for our sinnes which otherwaies euery one of vs should haue suffered both in bodie and soule world without end To make this more plaine let vs suppose that some one hath cōmitted an offence against a prince now the trespasse is so grieuous that no man can appease the kings wrath saue onely the kings onely sonne and which is more the kings sonne cannot release him vnlesse he suffer the punishment for him in his owne person which is due vnto the malefactour Now what is to be thought of this mans estate surely all men will say that he is in a most miserable taking and that his trespasse is notorious and so it is with euery one of vs by nature whatsoeuer we are No man could saue our soules no not all the angels in heauen vnlesse the king of heauen earth the only sonne of God had come down from heauē suffered for vs bearing our punishment Now the cōsideratiō of this must humble vs and make vs to cast down our selues vnder the hād of God for our sinnes pray continually that the Lord would send some Moses or other which might smite the rocks of our hearts that some tears of sorow repentāce might gush out for our woful miserie Secondly whereas God the father of Christ gaue his only sonne to be our sauiour as we must be thankfull to God for all things so especially for this great vnspeakeable benefite Cōmon blessings of God as meat drink health wealth liberty must at all times mooue vs to be thankful but this that Christ Iesus the onely sonne of God redeemed vs beeing vtterly lost this I say must be the mayne point of al our
essence of God vnlesse we will make euery mans soule to be God neither doth it spring of the soule of the parents for the soule can no more beget a soule then an angel can beget an angel And Adam is called a liuing soule and not a quickning soule And earthly fathers are called the fathers of our bodies and not of our soules It remaines therefore as beeing most agreeable to the Scriptures that the soules of men are then created by God of nothing when they are infused into the bodie And though the soules of men haue a beginning yet they haue no end but are eternal And when they are said to die it is not because they cease at any time to subsist or haue beeing in nature but because they cease to be righteous or to haue fellowship with God Whereas our bodies are Gods workemanship we must glorifie him in our bodies and all the actions of bodie and soule our eating and drinking our liuing and dying must be referred to his glorie yeâ— we must not hurt or abuse our bodies but present them as holy liuing sacrifices vnto God And whereas God made vs of the dust of the earth we are not to glorie and boast our selues but rather to take occasion to praise the great goodnes of God that hath vouchsafed to honour vs beeing but dust ashes And after that man is created what is his life alas it is nothing but a little breath stop his mouth and his nostrils and he is but a dead man By this we are put in minde to consider of our fraile and vncerten estate and to lay aside all confidence in our selues and for this cause the Prophet Esay teacheth vs to haue no confidence in man because his breath is in his nostrils Againe let vs marke the frame and shape of mans bodie Al other creatures go with their bodies eyes to the ground-ward but man was made to goe vpright whereas all other creatures haue but foure muscles to turne their eyes round about man hath a fifth to pul his eyes vp to heaven-warde Nowe what doth this teach vs surely that how so euer wee seeke for other thinges yet first of all and aboue all wee should seeke for the kingdome of heauen and the righteousnesse thereof and that our whole desire should be set to enioy the blessed estate of Gods children in heauen Secondly it teacheth vs in receiuing Gods creatures to returne thankfulnesse vnto God by lifting vp the heart to heauen for the same These are very needefull and profitable lessons in these daies for most men in deede goe vpright but looke into their liues and they might as vvell goe on all foure for in their conuersation they set their whole hearts vpon the earth as the beast doth and their eyes vpon the thinges of this worlde hereby they doe abase them selues and deface their bodies and beeing men make themselues as beasts we shall see great numbers of men that runne and ride from place to place to prouide for the bodie but to seeke the kingdome of heauen where their soules should dwell after this life in ioy for euer they will not stirre one foote Thirdly mans bodie by creation was made a temple framed by Gods own hands for himselfe to dwell in therefore our dutie is to keepe our bodies pure and cleane and not to suffer them to be instruments whereby to practise the sinne of the heart If a man had a faire house wherein he must entertaine a prince and should make hereof a swinestie or a stable would not all meÌ„ say that he did greatly abuse both the house and the prince euen so mans bodie beeing at the first made a pallace for the euerliuing God if a man shall abuse it by drunkennesse swearing lying fornication or any vncleannesse hee doth make it in stead of a temple for the holy Ghost to be a sâ—ie or stable for the deuill For the more filthie a mans bodie is the more fit it is to be a dwelling place for sinne and Sathan Fourthly man by creation was made a goodly creature in the blessed image of God but by Adams fall men lost the same and are nowe become the deformed children of wrath our dutie therefore is to labour to get againe our first image and endeauour our selues to become new creatures If a noble man should staine his blood by treason after his death the posteritie will neuer be at rest till they haue got away that spot Man by Adams fall is become a limme of the deuill a rebell and traytor against Gods maiestie and this is the state of euery one of vs by nature we are at enmitie with God therefore we ought to labour aboue all things in the world to be restored in Christ to our first estate and perfection that so we may become bone of his bone flesh of his flesh beeing iustified and sanctified by his obedience death and passion Fiftly man was created that there might be a way prepared whereby God might shew his grace and mercie in the saluation of some and his iustice in the deserued damnation of others for their sinnes and in the creation of man Gods eternall counsell begins to come into exequution Hereupon it stands vs in hand to make conscience of euery euill way beeing repentant for all our sinnes past and hauing a constant purpose neuer to sinne more as we haue done that by our good conuersation here in this life wee may haue assurance that we be eternally chosen to saluation by the Lord himselfe Lastly whereas wee haue learned that the soule of man is immortall wee are hereby taught to take more care for the soule then for the bodie For it can not be extinguished When it is condemned euen then it is alwaies in dying and can neuer die But alas in this point the case is â—lat contrarie in the worlde for men will labour all their life long to get for the bodie but for the soule they care little or nothing at all chuse it whether it sinke or swimme goe to heauen or to hell they looke not to it This doth appeare to be true by the practise and behauiour of men on the Lordes day for if the nomber of those which come to heare Gods worde were compared with those which runne about their worldly wealth and pleasure I feare me the better sort would be found to be but a little handfull to a huge heape or as a droppe to the Ocean sea in respect of the other But wilt thou goe an hundred myle for the encrease of thy wealth and delight of thy bodie then think it not much to go ten thousand miles if neede were to take any paines for the good of thy soule and to get foode for the same And thus much for the duties Nowe follow the consolations Although by reason of the fall of man wee can haue but little comfort nowe yet the creation doth conâ—â—rme the vnspeakeable prouidence of
vvoulde neuer rest nor be quiet but seeke unto him for his helpe and crie vvith Dauid O Lorde say unto my soule that thou art my salvation The woman that was diseased with an issue of bloode came behinde our Sauiour Christ and when shee had but touched him shee was healed In the same maner if wee shall seeke to come to Christ and do but touch his pretious body blood by the hand of faith the issues and the bleeding woundes of our soules shalbe dried up When a man that had bene sicke 38. yeres was come to the poole of Bethesda hee was faine to lie there vncured because when the angell troubled the water euermore some stept before him but if we will seeke to Christ for the saluation of our soules no man shall preuent us or step before us And if wee finde our selues to be so laden with the burden of our sinnes that we can not come to him let us then doe as the palsie man did he got 4. men to carry him on their shoulders to the place where Christ was and when they coulde not by reason of the prease of people enter into the house they opened the roofe and let him downe in his bedde by cordes to Christ that he might be healed And so let vs vse the helpe of such as be godly that by their instructions and consolations they may as it were put too their shoulders by their prayers as with cordes bring us to Christ that wee may receiue eternall saluation being otherwise deade in sinne and subiect to damnation Lastly whereas Ioseph and Mary gaue this name not at their owne pleasure but at the appointment of God himselfe this ministers a good instruction to all parents touching the naming of their children when they are baptised that they are with care and deliberation to giue convenient names vnto them which may put them in mind of duties either to God or men This is worthy of our obseruation for many care not how they name their children yea it is at this day euer hath bene that some giue such names to them as that at the verie rehearsing thereof laughter ensueth But this ought not to be so for the name is giuen unto children at the time of their baptisme in the presence of God of his Church and angels euen then vvhen they are to be entred into the Church of God and that in the name of the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost therefore though we do not place religion in titles or names yet neuerthelesse a vvise and godly choise in this matter is to be had that the names imposed may be in stead of instructions and admonitions to the parties named and for this cause in the old testament names were giuen either by propheticall instinct or according to the euent of things which came to passe about the time of the birth of children or they were borowed from the holy auncetours to put the posteritie in mind to follow their steppes And thus much of the duties Now follow the consolations that Gods Church and people reape from this that the sonne of God is our Saviour When as all mankind was included under sinne condemnation then the Lord had mercy upon us and gaue unto man the couenant of grace in vvhich he promised that his owne sonne should be our redeemer This is a great and unspeakable comfort as may appeare in that the angels so greatly reioyced herein when Christ was borne Behold say they I bring you tidings of great ioy that shall be to all the people that is that unto you is borne iâ— the citie of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord. Now if they reioyce thus exceedingly at Christs birth who vvas not their Sauiour because they stand not in neede to be redeemed then much more ought the Church of God to reioyce herein whome it doeth principally concerne and no marvell for if this sauiour had not beene it had bene better to haue beenâ— a bruite beast or any other creature then a man for the death of a beast is the end of his woe but the death of a man without a Sauiour is the beginning of endelesse miserie Satan and his angels are fallen and haue no Sauiour but when man was fallen God of his mercie dealt not so with him but gaue his ovvne sonne to restore him to better estate whereas he might as iustly haue damned all men for the fall of our first parents as hee did the wicked angels for theirs for God is not bound to any creature beholde then a matter of unspeakeable ioy let us therefore receiue and embrace Christ our Saviour flie to him for the pardon of all sinnes Nowe vvee come to the second title of the Sonne of God whereby hee is tearmed Christ vvhich title is as it were the surname of the seconde person as some doe thinke yet according to the opinion of some others it is no name at all but onely a meere appellation as vvhen in the like case a particular man is called a Duke or a King It is all one vvith Messiah in Hebrewe wherwith the redeemer was named in the olde Testament and both signifie annointed Among the Iewes before the comming of Christ three estates or orders of men were annointed with oile First of all kings as Saul Dauid and the rest of the kings of Iuda Secondly the priestes that serued in the tabernacle and temple before rhe Lorde when they were ordained and as it vvere installed into the priesthoode were annointed vvith oyle as first of all Aaron and his sonnes but aftervvard the high priests alone Thirdly prophets were thus annointed as Elisha Now this legall annointing was a tipe and figure of the annointing of Christ which was not with bodily oile but by the spirite and it was more excellent then all other annointings were For David saieth hee was annointed with the oile of gladnesse aboue all his fellowes signifying that neither king priest nor prophet was euer annointed in the same manner as he was Christes annointing is according to both his natures for in what nature hee is a Mediatour in the same hee is annointed but according to both his natures ioyntly hee is a mediatour the godheade is no mediatour without the manhoode nor the manhoode vvithout the godhead and therefore his annointing extendes it selfe both to his godhead and to his manhood Christes annointing hath two partes both of them figured by the annointing of the Iewes The first is his consecration whereby hee was set apart to doe the office of a Mediatour betweene God and man and therefore to be a king a priest a prophet a king to gather and withall to gouerne his Church and people a priest to make satisfaction and intercession for the sinnes of the elect a prophet to reveale and teach his people the will of God his father And though it be true that Christ is set a part to the worke
of mediation as he is mediator or as he is mā yet as he is God he doth designe and set himselfe apart to the same worke For to designe the mediatour is a common action of the 3. persons the father the sonne and the holy ghost and yet cōsidering the father is first in order and therfore hath the beginning of the action for this cause he is saide especially to designe as when S. Iohn saith Him hath God the father sealed The second part of Christes annointing is the pouring out of the fulnesse of the spirit or grace into the manhood of Christ and it was particularly figured by the holy oile For first that oile had no man but God alone to be the authour of it so the most excellent and unspeakeable graces of the manhood of Christ haue their beginning from the godhead of Christ. Againe though the same oyle was most pretious yet was it compounded of myrrhe calamus and Casia and such like earthie matters to signifie that the spirituall oile of grace whereof the manhood of Christ was as it were a vessell or storehouse did not consist of the essentiall properties of the godhead as Eutiches and his followers in these daies imagine but in certaine created gifts and qualities placed in his humane nature otherwise we should not haue any participation of them Thirdly the sweete sauour of the holy oyle figured that the riches of all grace with the effect thereof in the obedience of Christ doeth take away the noisome sent of our loathsome sinnes from the nosthrilles of God and withall doth make our persons and all our actions acceptable unto him as a svveete perfume as Paul saith VVe are unto God the sweete savour of Christ c. And Christes death is for this cause tearmed a sacrifice of sweete smelling sauour And wee must further understand that these giftes of Christes manhood are not conferred in a small scantling or measure for Iohn saith God giveth him the spirite not by measure because the graces which are in Christ are farre more both in number and degree then all men or angels haue or shall haue though the good angels and the saints of God in heauen are verie excellent creatures stored with graces and giftes of God For this cause Christ is called the head of man because he is euerie way the most principall and glorious man that ever was Yet for all this are not the gifts of Christs manhood infinite any way because it is finite being a creature and therfore not capable of that which is infinite By Christes annointing the people of God reape great benefite and comfort because they are partakers thereof For this cause the oile where with he was annointed is called the oyle of gladnesse because the sweet sauour of it gladdeth the heartes of all his members and brings the peace of God which passeth all understanding The holy oyle powred vpon Aarons head came downe to his beard and to the verie skirtes of his garments and it signified that the spirituall oile of grace was first of all powred upon our head Christ Iesus and from thence consequently derived to all his members that by that meanes hee might be not onely annointed himselfe but also our annointer Now the benefites which we receiue by his annointing are two The first is that all the elect when they are called to the profession of the gospell of Christ are in and by him set apart and made spirituall kings priests and prophets as S. Iohn saith He hath made vs kings and priests vnto God his Father And S. Peter out of Ioel I will powre saith the Lord my spirit vpon all flesh and your sonnes and daughters shall prophesie The second benefite is that all the faithfull receiue the same oile that is the same spirite of God in some measure which he receiued aboue measure as S. Iohn saieth The annointing which ye have received of him dvvelleth in you and teacheth you all things where by anointing is ment the holy Ghost And hence it is that men are called Christians of the name of Christ that is annointed with the same oile wherwith Christ was annointed And the holy oile might not be giuen to a stranger to signifie that to haue the spirite of Christ and to be guided by it is peculiar to them that are Christes Now then let vs all lay these things to our hearts and extoll the unspeakeable goodnesse of God that hath advaunced vs to the dignitie of kings priests prophets before him and hath giuen his spirit unto vs to inable us to be so indeed Nowe follow the duties which are to be learned hence And first whereas all Christians receive annointing from the holy one Christ Iesus to become prophets in a sort wee must doe our endeavours that the word of God may dwell plentifully in vs and for that cause we must search the scriptures euen as hunters seeke for the game and as men seeke for golde euen in the mines of the earth There is nothing that is more unbeseeming a man then grosse ignorance a Christian. Therfore the authour of the epistle to the Hebrues reprooues them that whereas for the time they ought to haue beene teachers they had need againe to be taught the first principles of the word of God Againe that portion of knowledge which we haue received of God is further to be applied to the benefit good of others this is that most precious baulme that on our partes should neuer be wanting to the heads of men And here euery man that is set ouer others must remember within the compasse of his calling and charge to instruct those that be under him so farre forth as possibly he can Gouernours of families must teach their children and servants and their whole housholde the doctrine of the true religion that they may know the true God and walke in all his waies in doing righteousnesse iudgement If housholders woulde make conscience of this their dutie and in some sorte and measure prepare their families against they come to the publike congregation the ministers of the Gospell vvith greater comfort and farre more ease should performe their dutie and see farre more fruit of their ministerie then now they doe But whereas they neglect their dutie falsely perswading themselues that it doeth not belong to them at all to instruct others it is the cause of ignorance both in townes and families in masters themselues in seruants and children and all Lastly by this we are admonished to take all occasions that possibly can be offered mutually to edifie each other in knowledge saying among our selues as it was foretold of these times Come let vs goe up to the mountaine of the Lord to the house of the God of Iacob and he vvill teach vs his waies and we will walke in his pathes and withall we shoulde confirme each others as Christ saith to Peter
that euer was Behold say the angel to the shepheards we bring tidirgs of great ioy that shalbe to all people but wherein stands the ioy they adde further vnto you this day is borne in the citie of Dauid a Sauiour which is Christ the Lord. And no maruaile for in that birth is manifested the good will of God to man and by it wee haue peace first with God secondly with our selues in cōscience thirdly with the good angels of God fourthly with our enemies lastly with all the creatures For this cause the angels sang Peace on earth good will towards men In the last place the Creede notes unto us the parent or mother of Christ the virgine Mary And here at the verie first it may be demanded how he could haue either father or mother because he was figured by Melchisedech who had neither father nor mother Ans. Melchisedech is said to be without father mother not because he had none at all For according to the ancient and receiued opinion it is verie likely that he was Sem the son of Noe but because where he is mencioned under this name of Melchisedech in the 14. chapter of Genes there is no mention made either of father or mother and so Christ in some sort is without father or mother as he is man he hath no father as he is God he hath no mother And whereas Christ is called the son of Ioseph it was not because he was begottē of him but because Ioseph was his reputed father or which is more because hee was a legall father namely according to the Iewes laws in that as sundry divines think he was the next of his kin and therfore to succeed him as his lawfull heire Mary became the mother of Christ by a kind of calling thereto which was by an extraordinarie message of an angell concerning the conception and birth of Christ in and by her to which calling and message shee condiscended saying Behold the handmaid of the Lord be it unto me according to thy word And hereupon shee conceiued by the Holy Ghost This being so it is more then sensles folly to turne the salutatiō of the angel Haile freely beloved c. into a praier And she must be held to be the mother of whole Christ God and man and therefore the ancient Church hath called the mother of God yet not the mother of the godhead Furthermore the mother of Christ is described by her qualitie a virgine and by her name Mary Shee was a virgine first that Christ might bee conceiued without sinne and be a perfect Sauiour secondly that the saying of the prophet Esai might be fulfilled Behold a virgin shal cōceiue beare a sonne according as it was foretold by god in the first giuing of the promise the seed of the woman not the seed of the man shall bruise the serpents head Now the Iewes to elude the most pregnant testimonie of the Prophet say that Alma signifieth not a virgin but a young womā which hath knowne a man But this is indeede a forgerie For Esay there speakes of an extraordinarie worke of God aboue nature whereas for a woman hauing knowne man to conceiue is no wonder And the worde Alma through the whole bible is taken for a virgin as by a particular search will appeare As Marie conceiued a virgin so it may be well thought that shee continued a virgin to the end though we make it no article of our faith When Christ was vpon the crosse he commended his mother to the custodie of Iohn which probablie argueth that shee had no child to whose care and keeping shee might be commended And though Christ be called hi◠first borne yet doth it not follow that shee had any child after him for as that is called last after which there is none so that is called the first before which there was none And as for Ioseph when he was espoused to Marie he was a man of eightie yeares old And here we haue occasion to praise the wisdome of God in the forming of man The first man Adam was borne of no man but immediatly created of God the second that is Eue is formed not of a woman but of a man alone the third and all after begotten both of woman and man the fourth that is Christ God and man not of no man as Adam not of no woman as Eue not of man and woman as we but after a new manner of a woman without a man he is conceiued and borne And hereupon our dutie is not to despise but highly to reuerence the virgin Marie as beeing the mother of the sonne of God a prophetisse vpon earth a Saint in heauen And we doe willingly condiscend to giue hir honour three waies 1. by thanksgiuing to God for hir 2. by a reuerent estimation of her 3. by imitation of hir excellent vertues yet farre be it frō vs to adore hir with diuine honour by praier to call vpon hir as though she knew our hearts and heard our requests and to place hir in heauen as a queene aboue the sonne of God The name of the mother of Christ is added to shew that he came of the linage of Dauid and that therefore he was the true Messias before spoken of It may be obiected that both Matthew and Luke set downe the genealogie of Ioseph of whome Christ was not Answer Matthew sets down indeed in Christs genealogie the naturall descent of Ioseph the husband of Marie hauing Iacob for his naturall father but Luke taking an other course propounds the naturall descent of Marie the mother of Christ and when he saith that Ioseph was the sonne of Eli he meanes of a Legall sonne For sonnes and daughters in lawe are called sonnes and daughters to their fathers and mothers in law Marie her selfe and not Ioseph beeing the naturall daughter of Eli. And whereas Luke doth not plainely say that Marie was the daughter of Eli but puts Ioseph the sonne in law in hir roome the reason hereof may be because it was the manner of the Iewes to account and continue their genealogies in the male and not in the female sexe the man beeing the head of the familie and not the woman And though Ruth and Rahab and other women be mentioned by Matthew yet that is onely by the way for they make no degrees herein Againe it may further be demaunded how Christ could comes of Dauid by Salomon as Mathew saith and by Nathan as Luks saith they twaine being two distinct sonnes of Dauid Answer By vertue of the law whereby the brother was bound to raise vp seede to his brother there was a double discent in vse among the Iewes the one was naturall the other legall Natural when one man discended of an other by generation as the child from the naturall father Legall when a man not begotten of an other yet did succeede him in his inheritance thus Salathiel
the end of the world For there the Master of the familie doth signifie God him-selfe and the field the Church militant spread ouer the face of the whole earth by tares is ment not only heritiques but also all those that are forth of the church the seruantes are gods holie Angels and the haruest is the last iudgement Here further it may be demaunded who may use the sworde Answere That man may use the sworde to strike and to kill into whose hands God putteth the sworde Now God putteth it into the hand first and principally of the publicke magistrate who when iust occasion serues may draw it out And againe into a private mans hand sometime A priuate man when he is assailed of his enemie may take the sword in way of his owne defence and may kill his enemie therewith if there be no other helpe not doing it upon malice but because he can not otherwise escape and saue his owne life and so for want of a magistrate he is a magistrate unto himselfe In the flight of the disciples vve may consider 2. things the time and the qualitie of the persons The time was at the apprehension of our Lord and Sauiour And this came to passe not without the speciall providence of God that it might be knowen that Christ had no helper or fellowe in the accomplishment of the worke of our redemption that whereas we for our sinnes deserued to be forsaken of all creatures hee being our pledge and suretie might be forsaken for vs. As for the qualitie of the persons that flie they were the chosen disciples of Christ such as had beleeved in him confessed him and preached in his name And this serueth to teach vs that God will otherwiles forsake his owne children and seruants and leaue them to themselues in some part that they may feele their wants miseries and their weaknes in themselues and by that means be hūbled throughly be touched with an hungering desire after Christ. As a mother sets downe her young child hides her selfe suffering it to crie breake the face not because she hates it but that she may teach it to depend upon her loue her so God giueth grace to his children yet againe somtime he doth in part withdraw it from them then they faile in their duties sundry waies this he doth to make them ashamed of themselues to cause them to put all their cōfidēce out of thēselues in the merits of Christ. The fourth thing to be considered in Christes apprehension is their binding of him In which action of theirs wee are to obserue first of all the circumstance of time when this binding vvas VVhen our Sauiour Christ had saide unto them I am hee they being astonished fell to the ground and vvithall vvhen Peter had smitten off Malchus eare with his sworde Christ healed the same miraculously Yet after all this though they saw his wonderfull povver both in vvorde and deede they proceede in malice against him and lay hands on him and binde him as a malefactour In this wee note what a fearefull sinne hardnesse of heart is the danger whereof appeareth in this that if a man be taken vvith it there is nothing that can stay or daunt him in his wicked proceedings no not the povverfull vvordes and deedes of Christ himselfe And indeed among Gods iudgements there is none more fearefull then this and hovv fearefull soeuer it be it is to be founde amongst us in these daies For it is verie euident by common experience that the more men are taught the doctrine of the lawe and of the Gospell the more hard and senselesse are their hearts like unto the stithie which the more it is beaten upon with the iron hammer the harder it is And againe it is hard to finde men that sorrow for their sinnes and feele the vvant of Christ which argueth the exceeding deadnesse of spirit And let vs be resolued that it is a most terrible iudgement of God the rather to be feared because it is like a pleasant sleepe into which when a man is fallen he feeles neither paine nor griefe And therfore we for our parts must looke unto it with feare trembling lest it take such hold of us that we be past all hope of recoverie Furthermore this binding of Christ was prefigured unto us in the sacrifices of the old testament for the beast that was to be sacrificed vvas tyed vvith cords and bound so brought to the altar And wheras Christ is bound vve must not consider him in his owne person but as he standing in our roome and steade beares the person of all sinners and therefore vvhereas he is thus taken captive by his enemies to be brought before a mortall iudge there to be arraigned for us hence we learne two good instructions First here is a comfort to all the people of god Christ was bound by his enemies that they might be unloosed from the bondage of Satan sinne their owne corruptions under which they lie bound by nature and might have free libertie in by him Secondly all impenitent sinners are taught hereby to reforme and amend their hearts and liues For vvhat exceeding madnesse is this that they by Christs bonds being set at libertie will yet liue and die in their sinnes and take pleasure to lie bound hand and foote vnder the power of sinne sathan And indeed this sheweth unto us the fearefull dangerous estate of all those that goe on still in their sinnes For what can they say for themselues at the day of iudgement when as now they haue freedome offered and will not accept of it Thus much of Christes apprehension Now followeth the inditement For they proceed against him iudicially after the custome of the Iewes Christs inditement was twofold One before Caiphas the high priest in the great councell at Ierusalem the second before the civill Iudge Pontius Pilate as is plainely set forth by all the Euangelistes And Christs arraignement before Caiphas was a preparation to the second before Pontius Pilate that the Iewes might throughly proceed against him In the first we are to consider these points I. The time in which Christ was indited II. the end of his inditement III. the whole tenour proceeding thereof For the first Christ was indited earely in the morning at the breake of the day for he was apprehended in the night with all hast brought into Caiphas his hall there they kept him all night at the breake of the day Caiphas the high priest the Elders with the Scribes Pharises held a solemne councell against him there they had accused him and condemned him before morning sent him then to the common hall as S. Matthew saith When the morning was come all the chiefe Priestes elders of the people tooke counsell against Iesus to put him to death and lead him away bound deliuered him to Pontius Pilate In which
to doe all the Prophet had said Wash and be cleane Now after that the women are come to the disciples and make relation of Christes resurrection the text saieth Their words seemed as fained things unto them neither beleeved they them Hence wee learne two things the first that men of themselues can not beleeue the doctrine of ChristiaÌ„ religion it is a harde matter for a man to beleeue sundrie things in the worke of creation The temporall deliuerance of the children of Israell seemed to them as a dreame and the resurrection of Christ euen to Christes owne disciples seemed a fained thing The second that it is an hard thing truly and vnfainedly to beleeue the points of religion disciples brought up in the schoole of Christ and often catechised in this very point of Christs resurrection yet dull are they to beleeue it This confuâ—eth and condemneth our carnall gospellers that make it the lightest and easiest thing that can be to beleeue in Christ and therefore they say their faith is so strong that they would not for all the world doubt of Gods mercy whereas indeede they are deceiued and haue no faith at all but blind presumption The thirde appearance was on this manner As two of Christes disciples were going from Ierusalem to Emmaus about threescore furlongs and talked togither of all the things that were done Iesus drewe nere and talked with them but their eyes were holden that they could not know him and as they went he communed with them prooued out of the scripture his resurrection expounding unto them all things that were written of him then they made him stay with them and their eyes were opened they knew him by breaking of bread but he was taken out of their sight In this notable appearance wee may obserue these foure points The first that Christ held their eyes that they could not know him they saw a man indeed but who he was they could not tell By this it is more then manifest that the use of our outwarde senses as seeing feeling smelling c. is supplied vnto us continually by the power of Christ and therefore euen in these things we must acknowledge the continuall goodnes of God Now if one man can not so much as discerne another but by the blessing of Christ then shall we neuer be able to discerne the way of life from the way of death without him therfore we must pray unto God that he would giue us his holy spirite to enlighten the eyes of our understanding wherby we may be able to see and know the way that leadeth unto life and also to walke in the same The second that as Christ vvas in expounding the scriptures vnto them their heartes burned within them By this we learne that howsoeuer the ministers of God publish the gospell to the outward eares of men yet is it the proper worke of Christ alone to touch inflame the heart by the fire of his holy spirit to quickeÌ„ raise men up to the life of righteousnes true holines it is he only that baptiseth with the holy ghost with fire it further admonisheth us that we should heare the worde preached froÌ„ the mouth of Gods ministers with burning melting hearts but alas the ordinary practise is flat coÌ„trarie mens eies are drowsie heauie their hearts dead frozen within them that is the cause why after much teaching there followes but litle profit The thirde thing is that Christ did eate with the tvvo disciples and was knowen of them in breaking of breade It is verie like that our Sauiour Christ did in some speciall maner blesse the bread which he brake wherby his disciples discerned him from others And in like maner we must by blessing our meates and drinkes distinguish our selues though not from such as are the seruants of God yet from all ungodly carelesse men Many being silent themselues do make their children to giue thankes and to blesse their meates And indeede it is a coÌ„mendable thing if it be done sometimes to nourture the childe but for men to disburden themselues wholly of this duty is a fault And it is a shame that that mouth which openeth it selfe to receiue the good creatures of God should neuer opeÌ„ it selfe to blesse praise God for the same Therfore in this actioÌ„ of eating and drinâ—king let us shewe our selues followers of Christ that as by blessing the same he was known from all other so we may also hereby distinguish our selues from the profane and wicked of this world Otherwise what difference shal there be betwene us the very hog that eats mast on the grouÌ„d but neuer lookes up to the tree from whence it falles And as Christ reuealed himselfe unto his disciples at that time wheÌ„ they caused him to eate meat with theÌ„ so let us suffer Christ to be our guest and let us entertaine him in his meÌ„bers no doubt he wil blesse us withal reueal himself unto us The fourth thing is that hauing eaten hee is taken out of their sight And this came to passe not because the bodie of Christ became spirituall but because either he helde their eyes as before or he departed with celeritie and speede according to the propertie of a bodie glorified The fourth appearance of Christ was to Peter alone mentioned onely by S. Paul He was seene of â—ephas The fifth appearance was to all the disciples togither saue Thomas In it we must consider three things which are all effectuall arguments to prooue Christes resurrection The first that hee came and stoode in the middest among them the dores being shut Now it may be demanded how this could be Ans. The Papists say his body was glorified and so passed through the dore but as I haue said it is against the nature of a bodie that one should passe through another as heate doeth through a peece of iron both bodies remaining entire and sound therefore we may rather thinke that whereas Christ came in when the dores were shut it was either because by his mightie power hee caused the dores to giue place the disciples not knowing how or else because he altered the verie substance of the dores that his body might passe through as hee thickened the waters to carrie his bodie when he walked upon the sea Now if this be true as very like it is that these dumbe creatures gaue place to Christ and became pliable unto his commandement then much more ought we to carry hearts coÌ„formable and pliant to the will of our Lord Iesus in all his commaundements The second point is that when as the disciples thought Christ to haue bene a spirit he to prooue the truth of his manhood sheweth unto them his handes and his feete and the wound in his side and calles for meat and eates it among them But it may be asked how this could be coÌ„sidering that a glorified body hath
I let them passe Thus much of the appearances of Christ after his resurrection the witnesses thereof are of three sortes I. angels II. women that came to the graue to embalme him III. Christs owne disciples who did publish and preach the same againe according as they had seene and heard of our Sauiour Christ and of these likewise I omit to speake because there is not any speciaâ—l thing mentioned of them by the Evangelistes Now follow the uses which are twofold some respect Christ and some respect ourselues Vses which concerne Christ are three I. whereas Christ Iesus being starke deade rose againe to life by his owne power it serueth to prooue unto us that he was the sonne of God Thus Paul speaking of Christ saieth that he was declared mightily to be the sonne of God touching the spirit of sanctification by the resurrection from the dead And by the mouth of Dauid God saide Thou art my sonne this day I have begot thee Which place must be understood not so much of the eternall generation of Christ before all worlds as of the manifestation therof in time after this maner This day that is at the time of thine incarnation but especially at the day of thy resurrection have I begotten thee that is I haue made manifest that thou art my sonne so is this place expouÌ„ded by S. Paul in the Acts. Secondly Christs resurrection by his own power prooues unto us euidently that he is Lord ouerall things that are this use S. Paul makes hereof for saith he Christ therefore died that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the quicke And indeed wheras he rose againe thus he did hereby shew himselfe most plainely to be a mightie prince ouer the graue ouer death hell condemnation in that he had power to ouercome them Thirdly it proues unto us that he was a perfit priest that his death and passion was a perfit satisfaction to the iustice of God for the sins of mankind For whereas Christ died he died for our sins now if he had not fully satisfied for them all though there had remained but one sin for which he had made no satisfaction he had not risen againe but death which came into the worlde by sinne and is strengthned by it woulde haue helde him in bondage and therefore whereas hee rose againe it is more then manifest that he hath made so full a satisfaction so as the merite thereof doth and shall countervaile the iustice of God for all our offences To this purpose Paul saith If Christ be not risen againe your faith is vaine and you are yet in your sins that is Christ had not satisfied for your sinnes or at least you could not possibly haue knowen that he had made satisfaction for any of them if he had not risen againe The uses which concerne our selues are of two sortes comforts to the children of God and duties that are to be learned and practised of us all The comforts are especially three First Christs resurrrection serueth for the iustification of all that beleeue in him euen before God the father as Paul saith Christ was given to death for our sinnes and is risen againe for our iustification which wordes haue this meaning when Christ died as we haue shewed before we must not consider him as a priuate man but as one that stood in the stead and roome of all the elect in his death he bare our sinnes and suffered all that we should haue suffered in our own persons for euer the guilt of our offences was laid upon him therfore Esai saith he was nuÌ„bred among the wicked Now in his rising againe he freed disburdened himselfe not from any sinnes of his own because he was without sin but from the guilt punishment of our sins imputed unto him And hence it comes to passe that all those which put their trust affiance in the merit of Christ at the very first instant of their beleeuing haue their owne sins not imputed unto them his righteousnes imputed Secondly the resurrection of Christ serueth as a notable meanes to worke inward sanctification as S. Peter saith We are regenerate to a lively hope by the resurrectioÌ„ of Iesus Christ from the dead And S. Paul Wee are then saith hee buried with him by baptisme into his death that like as Christ vvas raised vp from the dead by the glorie of his father so vvee also should walke in newnesse of life For if we be grafted vvith him to the similitude of his death wee shall be also to the similitude of his resurrection Which wordes import thus much that as Christ by the power of his owne godheade freed his manhood from death and from the guilt of our sinnes so doth he free those that are knit unto him by the bond of one spirite from the corruption of their natures in which they are dead that they may liue unto God In the naturall body the head is the fountaine of all the senses and of motion and therefore by sundry nerves dispersed through the body the power of moouing and of sense is deriued euen to the least partes so as the hands and the feete moue by meanes of that power which comes from the head and so it is in the spirituall body of Christ namely the Church he is the head the fountain of life therfore he coÌ„veieth spirituall life to euery one of his members and that very power of his godhead whereby he raised up himselfe when he was dead he conveieth from himselfe to his members thereby raiseth them up from the death of sinne to newnesse of life And looke as in a perfect body when the head hath sence and motion the hand that is of the same bodie hath also sense and motion conuenient for it So likewise Christ beeing the resurrection and the life as there is spirituall life in him so euery member of his shall feele in it selfe spirituall sence and motion whereby it is raised up froÌ„ sinne and liueth unto God For the better conceiuing of this we must consider two things the outward meanes of this spirituall life and the measure of it For the meanes if we will haue common water vve must goe to the well and if wee vvould haue vvater of life we must goe unto Christ who saith If any man thirst let him come unto me and drinke Now this vvell of the water of life is very deepe we haue nothing to draw with therefore we must haue our pipes conduits to convey the same unto us which are the word of God preached and the administration of the sacrameÌ„ts Christ saith The dead shall heare the voice of the sonne of God they that heare it shall live where by dead is meant not the dead in the graue but those that are dead in sinne And againe Christ saith the wordes which I speake are spirite and life because
for the most part one like another and brought up alike euen so it is in Gods familie which is his Church the members thereof are all alike in heart and affection and the reason is because they haue one spirite to guide them all and therefore S. Peter saieth The multitude of them that beleeved were of one heart and of one soule neither any of them said that any thing of that which he possessed was his owne but they had all things common And the Prophet Esai foretelling the unitie which should be in the kingdome of Christ saieth The wolfe shall dwell vvith the lambe and the leopard shall lye with the kidde and the calfe and the lyon and the fatte beast togither and a litle childe shall leade them The covve and the beare shall feede and their yong ones shall lye togither and the lyon shall eate strawe like the bullocke The sucking child shall play vpon the hole of the aspe and the wayned child shall put his hand into the cockatrice hole By these beastes are signified men that be of a wicked brutish nature which when they shall be brought into the kingdome of Christ shall lay aside the same become louing gentle curteous all of one minde And S. Peter requires of the Church the practise of brotherly loue and that is to carrie a tender affection to men not because they are of the same flesh but because they are ioyned in the bond of one spirit with us Furthermore by reason of this that all the children of God are of one heart there followes another duty of this communion whereby they beare one the burdens of another when one mēber of the Church is grieued all are grieued when one reioyceth all reioyce as in the body when one member suffereth all suffer The second braunch of their communion is in the giftes of Gods spirite as loue hope feare c. And this is shewed when one man doth employ the graces of God bestowed on him for the good and saluation of another As a candle spendeth it selfe to giue light to others so must Gods people spend those gifts which God hath giuen them for the benefite of their brethren A christian man howsoeuer hee be the freest man upon earth yet is he seruant to all men especially to the Church of God to doe seruice unto the members of it by loue for the good of all And this good is procured when vvee convey the graces of God bestowed on us to our breethren and that is done fiue waies I. by example II. by admonition III. by exhortation IIII. by consolation V. by prayer The first which is good example wee are inioyned by Christ saying Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good vvorkes and glorifie your Father vvhich is in heauen And that our hartes might be touched with speciall care of this dutie the Lord settes before us his owne blessed example saying Be yee holy as I am holy and Learne of me that I am meeke and lowly And Paul saith Be ye follovvers of me as I follovv Christ and the higher men are exalted the more carefull ought they to be in giuing good example For let a man of note or estimation doe euill and hee shall presently haue many followers Euill example runnes from one to another like a leprosie or infection and this Christ signified when hee said that the figge-tree planted in the vineyarde If it beare no fruite makes all the ground barren The second meanes of communication of the giftes of God vnto others is admonition which is an ordinance of God whereby Christian men are to recouer their breethren from their sinnes A man by occasion fallen into the water is in danger of his life and the reaching of the hande by another is the meanes to saue him Now euerie man when hee sinneth doeth as much as in him lieth cast his soule into the very pit of hell and wholesome admonitions are as the reaching out of the hande to recover him againe But it will peraduenture be saide how must wee proceede in admonishing of others Answer We are to obserue three things The first is to search whether we that are to reprooue be faultie our selues in the same thing or no first we must take ou◠the beame that is in our owne eye and so we shall see clearely to put out the mote in our brothers eye II. before wee reprooue wee must be sure that the fault is committed we must not go upon heare-say or likelihoods and therefore the Holy ghost saith Let us consider or observe one another to provoke vnto love or good workes III. before we reproove wee must in Christian wisdome make choice of time and place for all times and places serue not to this purpose And therefore Salomon saith It is the glory of a man to passe by an offence Furthermore in the act of admonishing two things are to be obserued I. a man must deliuer the words of his admonition so farre foorth as hee can out of the word of God so as the partie which is admonished may in the person of man see God himselfe to reprooue him II. his reproofe must be made with as much compassion and fellow-feeling of other mens wants as may be As Paul saieth If any man be fallen by occasion into any fault ye which are spirituall restore such an one with the spirit of meekenes The third way of communicating good things to others is exhortation and it is a meanes to excite and stirre them on forwarde which doe alreadie walke in the way of godlinesse Therefore the Holy Ghost saith Exhort one another daily least any of you be hardened through the deceitfulnesse of sinne But alas the practise of this dutie as also of the former is hard to be found among men for it is usuall in families that masters and fathers in stead of admonishing their servants and children teach them the practise of sinne in swearing blaspheming slaundering c. and as for exhortation it is not used Let a man that hath the feare of God offend neuer so little in stead of brotherly exhortation hee shall heare his profession cast in his teeth and his hearing of Sermons this practise is so generall that many beginning newly to tread in the steppes of godlinesse are hereby daunted and quite driuen backe The fourth way is consolation which is a meanes appointed by God wherby one man shoulde vvith vvords of heavenly comforte refresh the soules of others afflicted with sicknesse or any other way feeling the hand of God either in body or in mind And this dutie is as little regarded as any of the former In time of mens sicknesse neighbours come in but what say they I am sorie to see you in this case I hope to see you well againe I would be sory else c. Not one of an hundred can speake a worde of comfort to the