portion therein which is due vnto thee If they shall say vnto thee that thy sinnes are forgiuen thee it is all one as if the Lord himselfe had said so much vnto thee For they are the Lords seruants not onely as other men to doe their maisters will but his message also not onely to serue him in doing but with going also not onely to come when they are called but to runne when they are sent For they are as it were the Lords footmen which are sent by him to doe his message and to signifie his minde vnto thee And therefore is it that the Apostle asketh in the tenth to the Romanes how they shall heare without a Preacher and how they shall preach except they be sent So that when the Minister commeth vnto thee to comfort thee to assure thee of the forgiuenes of thy sins thou must know for a certaintie that he is sent vnto thee by the Lord to do this his message vnto thee to tell thee euen from the Lords owne mouth that thy sinnes are forgiuen thee And this thou maiest and must assure thy selfe of whether he come vnto thee either voluntarie without thy procurement as Nathan did vnto Dauid who said vnto him hearing the confession of his sin and the Lord hath taken away thy sinne that thou shalt not die for it and as Christ came voluntarily vnto the Iewes without their sending for him the spirit of God hauing annointed him and sent him to preach the glad tidings of the Gospel euen vnto so many as were a far off or whether hee come vnto thee being sent for by thee as Peter was by Cornelius who although hee came vnto Cornelius being sent for by him yet both was Peter by the vision which hee saw warned by God himselfe to goe also Cornelius commanded to send for him by an Angell but thou by the spirit And therefore when the Minister commeth vnto thee to tell thee that thy sinnes are forgiuen thee assure thy selfe as the truth is in Christ Iesus that whether hee come by thy procurement or without thy procuremeÌ„t he was sent to thee by the Lord to signifie so much of his gracious pleasure vnto thee For euerie faithfull Minister is the seruant of the Lord sent from the Lord himselfe to doe his message yea he is the Embassador of the Lord. For as Paul sheweth 2. Cor. 7.20 we are Christâ— embassadors for you As therefore the embassador representeth the person of the Lord his king that sent him so doth the Minister of the gospel being the Lords embassador represent the person of the Lord his Prince Christ Iesus and so ought to be taken euen as an earthly embassador is with the kings princes of the world As therefore this is true which Paule in the fore-mentioned place saith namely that wee come as Embassadours in the name of Christ as though God himself intreated you by vs so we intreat you in the name of Christ to be reconciled vnto God So likewise this is true namely that wee come as Embassadours in the name of Christ as though God himself spake vnto you so wee say vnto you in the name of Christ that your sins are forgiuen you And therefore when thou seest the embassador of the Lord which is his Minister come vnto thee and tell thee that thy sinnes are forgiuen thee think with thy selfe that the Lord as it were by his owne mouth hath now told thee that he hath pardoned thine offences Yea the Ministers of the lord are the Angels of the Lord and so are called in the third of Malachy and the first verse in the second and third of the Reuelation in diuers other places For there Iohn Baptist the forerunner of Christ is called the Angell of God againe the Minister of Ephesus of Philadelphia of Smyrna of Pargama is called the Angel of the Church of Ephesus Philadelphia Smyrna Pargama â—nd so forth to teach vs that so we should account of the Ministers of the Gospel as of the Angels of God and of their message in the name of Christ as if an Angell of glorie from heauen should haue told vs the same Now if an Angel should haue spoken to thee as he did vnto Manoah or vnto Mary the mother of Christ at his conception or vnto Mary Magdalen at his graue or the Disciples at his ascention or vnto Iohn in the Reuelation or as vnto Christ in his agonie thou wouldest I hope be satisfied and comforted therewith And why then art thou not aswell certified by the testimonie of the Ministers which are in like manner as thou knowest aswel the Angels of god as they although indeed herein they differ the one is an heauenly the other an earthly the one a more glorâ—ous the other a more baser Angell yet they are both the Angels of the Lord both the one and the other And theâ—fore thou oughtest in this message of God to giue as much credite to the one as to the other as much vnto Esay as vnto Gab iel vnto Paul as vnto Michael if we may tâ—uely cal him an Angell as much vnto Moses and the Prophets as to a man rising from the dead as much vnto the earthly Angels as vnto the angels of heauen For thou oughtest not to respect so much the messenger as the Maister the seruant as the Lord the Embassador as the Prince the beautie as the officer of the Messenger except thou wilt be an accepter of persons But if thou wilt needs respect the person regard the person of God which is common to the Ministers with the Angels of glory For aswell doth the Minister of god as the angels of God beare and represent the person of God Thou must not think the grace to be lesse gracious sith the messeÌ„ger is not so graced nor the treasure to be of lesse value beâ—â—se it is brought vnto thee by or in an caâ—â—heÌ„ vessell For the word of the Lord is the same in the mouth of a man of a throne in the earthly in the heauenly Angell Notwithstanding it is more for thy profit to haue this message done vnto thee by a man than by an Angel of glory And that both because such is thâ— excellencie of the glorie of an Angell oâ— light that thou canst not endure thâ— brightnes of his presence and also because thou neither canst bee so familiar with him as thou desirest and shouldest be to deliuer thine estate nor yet canst at al times when thou desirest being oâ— the earth haue conference and recourse vnto the Angels being in heauen The Lord therefore ascending vp on high gaue among other gifts this gift also of great value vnto his Church and vnto thy selfe euen Pastors Doctors thâ—â— is the Ministers of the Gospell of God 〈◊〉 euen the earthly Angels that should bâ— continually and familiarly conuersant 〈◊〉 dwelling with earthly men that mighâ— after a more familiar lesse fearful maner declare vnto theÌ„ the
those lets which yet could not let the performance of his promises they will be little or none at all Why should that God that neuer was found to haue broken his promise be by thee accounted a truce-breaker And how canst thou thinke that that God that will reuenge with flaming fire and eternall reprobation from the face of his glorie brightnes of his presence all deceitfulnesse in man suffer the same to remaine and dwell in his owne person Adde herevnto that these promises of mercy are deliuered vnto thee in the word of God the truth whereof is such as that as Christ testifieth heauen and earth shall passe but not one iot nor title of his word And for this cause hath the spirit giuen vnto the word most glorious titles calling it sometime the immortall seed of God because it neuer dieth sometimes incorruptible because it neuer fadeth sometimes the guiles milke because it neuer deceiueth somtime the word of truth because it neuer lyeth Sometime he compareth it to siluer that hath been tried seuen times in the furnace that is without all drosse sometime to gold and precious stones built vpon the foundation Iesus Christ which when the fire commeth that shall trie euerie mans worke shall abide and shall not perish Sometimes he compareth it with the continuance and firmenesse of the heauens and the earth and preferreth it before all things whatsoeuer in the eternitie truth and constancy therof And therfore doth not the Prophet Dauid speake in vaine or vntruely of the word of God when he frameth as it were a whole Booke I meane the hundreth and nineteene Psalme for the most part in the extolling and magnifiing of the word of God wheâ—e he is not afraid to say and that according to the feeling of the spirit the same spirit bearing him record that the word of God is true yea that it is the truth it selfe For this cause is Esay bold to preach that which the Lord commandeth him to publish concerning the truth of this his way saying all flesh is grasse and all the beautie therof as the flower of the field the grasse withereth the flower fadeth away but the word of God indureth for euer And no maruaile for it commeth not from the chaungeable braine of mortall and corruptible man but froÌ„ the spirit of truth life which is not the author of lyes but the Father of light and of eternitie So that now these promises being contained and made part of the word of God are also immortall incorruptible guiles true yea the truth it selfe firmer than the heauens and the earth more pure than fined gold and vnchaungeable as the holy Ghost iâ— who is the author therof Either therfore thou must embrace and beleeue them or else thou must account that to be immortal that perisheth that which is guiles to bee deceitfull that which is more sure than the heauens the earth to be moueable that which is truth it selfe to be a lie Thou must denie the word of God to be the word of God and in flat and expresse termes tell the Lord and the holy Ghost that he lieth For God himselfe expressely and his spirit auoucheth vnto thee the forgiuenesse of thy sinne in his owne words If theâ—efore thou gaine-saiest either secretly in thy heart or openly in thy mouth thou giuest god the lie for thou deniest his words to be true And therfore is it that Iohn in his first Epistle telleth vs that hee that receiueth not the witnes and testimonie of the Lord hath made God a lier And now do but think what villanie thou offerest vnto God what bâ—asphemy it is to his person to account god to be a lier do but think with thy selfe whether it be more likely that either thou or God should lie Consideâ— with thy selfe that thou maiest erre lie and be deceiued for that is proper vnto man But giue vnto God his glorie beleeue in him as thou protestest that thou doest euen in the entrance of the Creed or els thou shalt be worse thaÌ„ the deuils for the deuils belieue treÌ„ble as the Apostle Iames beareth witnesse Let therfore God be true and euery man a her and therefore assure thy selfe that this is a lie in thee to say in thy heart that the Lord will noâ— foâ—giue thee thy sinnes and thine offeâ—ces For the Lord who lyeth not witâ— whom there is no change nor shadoâ— change hath promised and said that bâ— will forgiue thy sinnes and thy tranâ—gressions And this Lord as the Prophet Dauid telleth thee will not alâ—o that which he hath spoken with his lips neither will he lye against his truth I would willingly know of thee whether thou beleeuest that which thoâ— sayest that thou doest beleeue if thoâ— doest not beleeue it and yet sayest thâ—â— thou doest beleeue it thou proouest thâ— selfe to be a lyer and then what question is it but that thou mayest lye wheâ— thou sayest in thy heart that thy sins arâ— greater than that they can be forgiuen but if thou acknowledg thy selfe to belieue that indeed which thou saiest thou doest beleeue how cast thou say thy Creed wherin thou makest a confession of thy faith professest that thou beleeuest the holy Catholike Church and the forgiuenesse of thy sinnes except withall thou fulâ—y beleeue and bee perswaded that thy sinnes are forgiuen either therfore thou must deny thy faith and shew thy selfe to be a Christian or thou must on the one side acknowledg thy selfe and God himselfe to be a lyer or else on the other side thou must asâ—ure and fully perswade thy selfe that thy sinnes are forgiuen thee by Iesus Christ our Lord. I doubt not but that thou easily beleeuest the threatnings of God and that that is true which Christ sayeth that except thou repent thou shalt bee damned And that also which Paule testifieth who saith that no adulterer no idolater no theefe no murderer nor such like shall enter into the kingdome of God or Iesus Christ If thou beleeuest the threatnings why beleeuest thou not the promises are they not writteÌ„ all in one word by one spirit by one God did not the same God that said except thou repent thou shalt be damned and againe that no adulterer idolater theefe nor murderer shall enter into the Kingdome of God or Christ say also that at what time soeuer a sinner repenteth him of his sinne from the bottome of his hart that the Lord will blot our all his offences out of his remembrance or what is the Lord true when he treatneth arâ— a lyer when hee promiseth doest thoâ— count him iust in the one and false 〈◊〉 the other will he thinkest thou execuâ—â— his iudgements will he not performâ— his promises are not his promises paâ—â— of his word as well as his threatningâ— And then why doest thou beleeue oâ—â— part of the word more than the other 〈◊〉 are they not all alike the word of God is not the one the word of
Lord than to put any confidence in man yea that it is better to trust in the Lord than to put any confidence in Princes With whom did the Lord euer make a couenaÌ„t broke it To whom did the Lord euer make a promise and fulfilled it not Call to mind all the promises of God made in former times in the ages that are past and see if euer he failed in any one iote of his promises He promised to giue vnto Abraham a son and by him a seed that should be multiplyed as the starres as the sand by the sea shore How hard a matter was this and in reason impossible to be performed For if wee consider either the body of Abraham it was dead he being almost an hundred yeares old or rhe deadnes of Saraes womb with whome it ceased to be after the manner of women we shal see the accomplishing hereof to be in the iudgement and opinion of flesh and bloud impossible And therefore howsoeuer Abraham being stronge in faith staggered not through vnbeleefe at the promises of God but laughed for ioy yet Saâ—a laughed them to scorn as things not to be hoped for and thereby might through her vnbeliefe haue depriued her selfe of the blessing of God yet the Lord would rather worke miracles alter the course of nature than he would not accomplish that promised seed that he promised vnto Abraham Insomuch that neither Abrahams dead bodie nor Saraes dead wombe no nor Saraes dead faith for so in this regard I may call it could make the promise of God of none effect Again he promised vnto the same Abraham to giue vnto his seed after him the land of Canaan for their possession Now doe but consider with thy selfe how many lets there might haue seemed to haue hindered this that was promised Abraham himselfe had no possession therin at all as Stephen mentioneth no not the bredth of a foot his seede consisted onely in one Isack Those that should be borne of him must be in bondage foure hundred yeares to a strange nation and there they must be euilly intreated The Aegyptians were more in number than they were and therefore able by violence to keepe them in bondage still Pharaoes hart was hardened so that he would not let them goe The redde sea might haue stopped their passage the long and barren wiâ—dernesse might haue consumed them and beene their graue the fierie Serpents might haue deuoured them the Amalakites might haue ouercome them in battell hunger and thirst might haue pined them away their rebellion against Moses their murmuring against Aaron their idolatrie against God their whoredome with the daughters of Moab might haue razed them out of the face of the earth The townes of the land of Canaan were mightie and walled vp to the heauens The people thereof were of the sonnes of Anaâ—k euen giants and of a tall stature The people of the Iewes were weake vnarmed not exercised in the warres and that which is more full of vnbeleefe and of a hard heart All these might haue mooued the Lord to haue broken his promise if any thing possible could procure him therevnto but none of all these neither the hardnes of Pharaoes heart nor the power of the Aegyptians nor the depth of the sea nor the barrennesse of the wildernesse nor the sting of the Serpents nor the force of the Amalakites nor the strength of the Cities nor the might of the Gyants no nor the sinnes of the seede of Abraham could make the Lord to chaunge his promise or alter that which hee had spoken with his lipps Moreouer the Lord promised to send his sonne into the world made of a woman of the seede of Abraham and of the stocke of Dauid and by him to redeem mankind Now how many things might haue mooued the Lord to haue broked his promise God himselfe must make himselfe voyde and emptie as the Apostle speaketh he must take vpoÌ„ him the shape of a seruant and be made the creature he must be a man that should haue good experience of infirmities bee counted so vile that all his people should hide their faces from him he must be subiect to cold heat hunger thirst nakednesse and pouertie he must be tempted by Sathan despised of men tormented of God he must bee whipped and scorned yea hee must bee hanged vpon the crosse and die a most shamefull death he must be made sinne the curse of God for vs he much descend into hell and haue the portion of the reprobate and damned soule for to redeeme vs. All these might haue moued the father to haue pitied and so to haue spared his onely son especially they might haue moued God not so to haue abased himselfe but to haue continued in his owne glory and blessednes But most especially might that prayer that Christ the sonne of God made to his father in the garden where hee intreated him in the bitternes of his soule to remoue if it were possible that cup away from him that is that he might not indure those tormentes and suffer that death together with the contempt and infidelitie of the Iewes haue caused the father either for his sonnes request or the peoples desert to haue repented him and so to haue changed his promise with his purpose But neither the regard of Gods owne glorie in his son nor the abasing nor the abusing nor the miserie nor the torments nor the curse nor the death no nor the damnation as it were I meane the portion of the damned allotted vnto his son nor yet his intreatie nor mans infidelity could bring that to passe What should I stand in repeating of the promise of God made to Noah which was no more to destroy the world with water although no doubt the sins since the flood haue ouerpassed all that euer went before The promise made to Dauid which was that he would giue him the kingdome of Israell which he brought to passe notwithstanding the might the malice the rage of Saule The promise that he made to the Iewes concerning their returne out of the captiuitie of Babilon which when they saw effected they were as it wete one that dreamed and their mouth was filled with laughter What shall I need to repeat euery one when it is manifest that neuer a one euer failed or came to naught Let these suffice to assure thee that that Lord whose promises haue bin euer euen as himselfe immutable and vnchangeable notwithstanding all lets and hinderances will not now begin with thee either by reason of the monstrousnes or multitude or manner of thy sinnes or weakenesse of thy faith to breake his promises and to retaine thy sinnes which he promised to forgiue I do not denie but that thy sinnes might be monstrous and many yea and malicious also and therfore they might seeme to bee great reasons to stay the accomplishment of these forenamed promises but if thou compare them with those mountaines which the Lord ouerpassed and
into hell and had the portion of the reprobate and damned soule thou hast feet whatsoeuer punishment God in iustice could lay vpon thee And therefore the Lord cannot in iudgement and iustice exact againe the same rigor of the law vpon thee for thy sins So that euen by the iustice of God which dooth not punish I say not with two kinds of punishments but not twise for one sin thou art for euer fully freed and discharged from all sinnes whatsoeuer whether in word in worke or in thought whether of knowledge or of ignoraÌ„ce of weaknes or of wilfulnesse thou hast alreadie beene punished for them in thine owne person and therefore canst not in God iustice againe be condemned for theÌ„ in the day of iudgement in that day I say when the wrath of God shall bee reuealed from heauen vpon all vnrighteousnes disobedience of man Thy punishment therefore and thy paine is alreadie past and therefore feare it not there remaineth for thee no more recompence of sinne nor fearfull looking for of vengeance to come but altogether mercie and glory and grace and life and righteousnes in and by through with Iesus Christ our Lord to whome therefore be all glory and praise and power maiesty might and dominion for euer and euer Amen These reasons are taken from God the Father being considered in his promises and in the natures of his mercie and iustice Herevnto I might adde diuers other reasons taken in part from the glory of his grace mentioned in the Epistle to the Ephesians and the first chapter and from his patience his long suffering and other the natures of God and in part from those titles that are by the spirit giuen vnto God the Father as that he is our father our husbaÌ„d our prince our friend and such like all which notwithstanding I wiâ—l let passe come to other more apparant reasons because it is my purpose to make not a booke but a sermon The 5 Chapter VVherin the forgiuenes of sins is proued by a reason takeÌ„ fâ—om the se oÌ„d person in the Trin tie to wit the woâ—d Incarnate euen Iesus Christ being considered as he is the vine we the bâ—aÌ„ches THE next kinde of reasoniâ—g for the confirmation hereof iâ— taken from the second person in the Trinitie I meane the worde Incarnate euen Iesus Christ who is aboue all things God blessed for euermore who being in like manner as the father was diâ—ersly considered affordeth vnto vs diuers reasons for the proofe hereof Fiâ—st therefore we will consider him as the vine whereof we are branches as the stocke whereof we are gtaftes as the root whereof wee are boughes as the bodie whereof wee are members as the second Adam wherof we are new born For we are baptised into â—hrist and thereby by are borne of the fiâ—st Adam and of the second Adam the sonnes of men and the sonnes of God of the seed of maÌ„ which is mortall and of the immortall seed of God which abideth in vs and maketh vs to crie Abba father So that at one time we haue regeneration and generation we are borne and new born we are born of the children of man who fadeth and withereth aâ— the flower and we are borne againe the sonnes of the eternall and euerliuing God we are begotten of the first Adam who is from the earth earthly and of the second Adam who is the Lord from heauen heauenly And as this is true that as we haue borne the Image of the earthly so we shall beare the image of the heauenly So this also is true that as wee are partakers of the earthly sap and sinne so are wee also partakers of the heauenly seed and righteousnes And as that which is borne of vnclean seed no man can make cleane so that which is borne of cleane seed must needs be cleansed from all corruption And as man that is conceiued in sinne and borne in iniquitie must needs be full of iniquitie and a sinner so man that is new borne of water and the holy Ghost must needs be washed and purged from all his sinnes For euen as the wild Oliue braunch being grafted into the naturall Oliue tree being made partaker of the fatnes and nourishment the eof is purged and purified from his wild and bitter tast and sap so wee being grafted into Christ the true vine are made partakers of the heauenly nature so purged from the guiltines of all our sinnes and offences And this reason is notably vrged by Paule in the fift to the Romanes in these words saying But not as is the offence so likewise is the gift For if by the offence of one many died much more the grace of God the gift which is by the grace of one man euen Iesus Christ hath abounded vnto many Neither is that which entred by one sinning like vnto the gift for the iudgement came by one vnto condemnation but the gift of many offences vnto iustification For if by the sinne of one man death raigned by one much more they which receiue the abundance of the grace and gift of righteousnes shal raigne in life by one euen by Iesus Christ As therfore by one sin sinne came ouer all men vnto condemnation so by one righteousnesse righteousnes came vpon all to the righteousnes of life Therefore as by the disobedience of one man many are made sinners so by the obedience of one man many are made righteous So that hereby the Apostles notably sheweth vnto vs how that Christ was as able to wash vs as Adam to defile vs Christ as able to purge vs as Adam to corrupt vs Christ as able to take away death and sinne as Adam was to b ing both euen death sinne If therfore this be granted which before hath been proued namely that we were borne of Châ—ist as we were of Adam it must also needs bee infeâ—red that by Christ we are purged and pardoned of all those sins which wee drew with and from the sin of Adam So that thus we see how we may proue vnto our selues the forgiuenesse of our sinnes by considering of Christ as the second Adam into whom we are grafted and baptised as the Apostle speaketh The 6. Chapter VVherin the forgiuenesse of sins is prooued by consideâ—ing Iesus Christ as he is our aduocate and intercessor and the mediator of the new Testament 1. SEcondly this is proued vnto vs by setting Christ before vs as that mediator of the new Testament aâ— the Apostle calleth him as that high Priest which was signified by Aaron in the lawe of Moses who entring once into the holy place by his owne blood maketh intercession for the sins of the whole people and as our Aduocate as Iohn in his first Epistle calleth him who liueth for euer to make intercession pray vnto the Father for all that come vnto the Father by him So that we are to consider of Christ as our mediator who when the Father is
to pardon and to procure the forgiuenes of our sinnes at the hands of his father laid downe his owne life much more hauing power in his owne hands to forgiue vs will giue vnto vs the forgiuenesse of our sinnes Being therefore iustified by his bloud much more being now iustified shall wee be saued from wrath by him For if when we were his enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his sonne much more being reconciled shall we be saued by his life As Paul reasoneth in the fift to the Romans And therefore this first reason may perswade vs that Christ that hath power in his hands to forgiue vs our sinnes will easily be mooued to pardon them 2 Secondly this is farther perswaded vnto vs by the consideration of his practise and behauiour being here vpon the earth which alwaies was most ful of mercy of kindnesse of gentlenesse and of meeknesse who euer came vnto him for sight and went away blind for hearing and went away deafe for speech and went away dumbe for legges and went away lame for health and went away sick for comfort and went away sorrowfull for the forgiuenesse of hiâ— sinnes and went away a sinner who euer came to the Lord and went away confounded and ashamed The sicke of the Palsey vnto him but for health of the body and he gaue him also vnsought for the health of soule saying vnto him son thy sins are forgiuen thee The woman that was brought vnto him for iudgement being taken in adulterie found mercy at his hand in stead of iudgement and life in stead of death Woman quoth he where are thine accusers hath no man condemned thee neither do I go thy waies and sin no more The Iewes that crucified him and put him being the Lord of life vnto death beleeuing and being baptised into his name for the remission of their sins were receiued to mercie yea hanging vpon the crosse hee praied for his persecutors saying Father lay not this sinne vnto their charge for they know not what they doe His disciples would as Elias haue commaunded fire to come downe from heauen and consumed his enemies but he reproued them saying Yee know not of what spirit you are Such a one is Christ still hee hath changed his place but not his nature his mercie is rather increased with his honour and his meekenesse with his glory The heauens make him not more churlish which were rather hellish than heauenly but more kinde and louing to all that faithfully call vpon him For we must not thinke the God of all glorie to be like vnto corrupt prophane man whom honor puffeth vp and maketh so much the more proude and scornefull by how much the more glorious he is but we must rather take him measure him by the farthest distance therefrom euen by the cleane contrarie therevnto For therefore is the manner of Christ his life with men described that we may know how hee liueth with God That we knowing his meeknesse on the earth might looke for his mercie froÌ„ the heauens And this iâ— the second consideration that may induce vs thereunto 3 Lastly this his mercie and readinesse to forgiue vs may the rather appeare vnto vs by the promises of mercie made vnto all those that come vnto him As namely theâ—e where he saith come vnto me all yee that are heauie loaden and I will ease you And again standing in the temple in the great day of the feast he cried a loud saying If any man thirst let him come to me and I will satisfie him And again to the woman of Samaria if thou knowest who it were that saith vnto thee giue me water thou worldest haue asked of him and hee would haue giuen vnto thee waters of the well of life of which whosoeuer drinketh shall neuer hunger nor thirst more So that by these promises of Christ both to giue and to forgiue to giue graces and to forgiue our sinnes we are most fully resolued in this point Knowing that that Christ that is able is also wâ— ling that hath power hath also promised that hath full authoritie of himselfe hath also full will as himselfe to forgiue vs our offences So that Christ hauing full power of himselfe to forgiue our sinnes and we being assured of his willingnes therevnto both by his promise his practise and the bloud of his crosse we may be fully hereby perswaded of the forgiuenesse of our sinnes Oh if a theefe had such assurance of his Iudge or a traitour of his king how would it cheâ—â—e his dying soule wee haue this strong assurance of our Iudg of Christ our Lord and King and why doe wee not cheere in the knowledge hereof Oh let no feare of death or sin feare vs so long as the Lord of life and â—ighteousnesse is our King and gouerneth vs it is the Lord that iustifieth and who shall condemne vs it is Christ that dyed yea which is risen from the dead yea which sitteth at the right hand of God the Father who also intreateth for vs. Who shall separate vs from the loue of Christ shall oppression or nakednesse or daunger or sword no we are more than Conquerours by him which hath loued vs as the Apostle teacheth vs in the eight to the Romanes This then is the third consideration of Christ that confirmeth vnto vs the forgiuenesse of our sinnes The 8. Chapter VVherein the forgiuenes of sins is proued by consideâ—ing Christ as hee is our Physitian that with his own blood cureth and healeth all our infirmities both corporall and spirituall FOurthly the forgiuenes of our sins is argued by considering Christ as a sacrifice for sinne sweet smelling holy and acceptable vnto God as a peace-offering Yea a sinne offering yea as that immaculate and Paschall lambe by whose blood we for euer attaine the forgiuenes of our sins and that in a double respect First for that Christ is that good Phisition who not by the roots of China or the trees of America by Paraâ—elsus his minerals or Gallens his simples but by his owne most precious blood helpeth all our infirmities For the blood of Christ is that purgation that clenseth and purgeth away euen from the verie soule and not from the bodie onely which were but small thing in respect of this all the corruption infection and filth thereof For as S. Iohn saith the bloud of Christ purgeth vs from all our sins that therefore is the onely purger of the soule which worketh according to the Dos or gift of Christ the phisition of the soule strongly vpon the corruptions thereof and bringeth them and expelleth them all quite and cleane out of the same Oh if Galle or Hyppoâ—rates or Paracelsus or other doctors of phisicke had been consulted with if they had ben sent for to practise vpon the same if they had ministred either pils or potions or confections or boles or electuaries if they had ministred Rubarbe or Cassia or Tamarnidi or the Greeke pill or any such
secret counsell and hiddeÌ„ mysteries of God Giue therfore credit vnto the Lords ministers anâ— glory vnto God that hath giuen in hiâ— great loue this blessing and grace vnto thee that thou shouldest continuallâ— haue abiding with thee his Prophets his Angels at whose mouth thou maiâ— be certified of the forgiuenesse of thy â—â—ns Yea the Lord hath not giuen onâ—y this name vnto his ministers to conâ—inue vnto thee the forgiuenesse of thy sinnes but hee hath further giuen vnto them power authoritie vs ministers of the word to forgiue thee thine offences For is those keies of the kingdom of God that the Lord gaue in Peter vnto the Church saying Whose sinnes ye remit they are remitted whose sins ye retaine they are retained whatsoeuer ye bind in earth shall be bound in heauen whatsoeuer ye loose on earth shall be loosed in heauen So that if the Ministers of the Gospell of God shal in the spirit of God and power of Christ forgiue thee thy sinnes if they shall say vnâ—o thee as Nathan did vnto Dauid The â—ord hath taken away thy sinne or as Christ vnto the sicke of the palsie Sonne by sinnes are forgiuen thee assure thy â—elfe that insomuch as they haue loosed â—hee from thy sinnes on earth the Lord â—ath loosed thee from thy sinnes in heaâ—en insomuch as they haue remitted and forgiuen thy sinnes they are reâ—â—â—â—ed and forgiuen indeed And taâ—â— heed â—hat thou do not as the most part of tâ—â— world doth that depriue themselues oâ— this comfort and other the like by the contempt and base account of the Ministers of the grace of God beleeue thâ— Lord and his Prophets saith Iehosophat and thou shalt prosper Despise not this gift which God hath giuen thee for it is one of the principall gifts mentioned by Paul in the fourth of the Ephesians that Christ when hee tooke his farewell from the earth gaue thereunto I speak not these things to maintaine the Popes auricular confession or vsurped authoritie but the lawfull power giuen by God to his ministers and theâ—fore herein must meet together I meane in the forgiuenes of thy sinne by the minister his discretion thy contrition his faithfulnes thy faith his wisedome thy repentance hiâ— calling and thy calling his calling must be lawfull thy calling must be true he must be faithfull thou must be penitent he must be faithfull thou must be faithfâ—ll he faithfull in his office thou in thy conuersion vnto the Lord. And then if these things be ioyned 〈◊〉 â—ether in thee and in him thou mai◠〈◊〉 assured that the Lord in heauen â—â—th forgiuen thy sinnes as his ministers on the earth haue pardoned them â—nd that God hath loosed thee in heaâ—en that art loosed in the earth from â—hy sinnes Thus from the testimonie â—itnes of the ministers of the kingdom of God thou maist approue vnto thine own conscience the forgiuenesse of thy â—ins And this shall be the more strongly confirmed vnto thy soule if thou shalt â—erevnto adde the testimonie of Moses Dauid Salomon Esay Ieremy Ezekiel Daâ—iel and all the rest of the Prophets the testimonie of Christ Peter Paul Iames Iohn Mathew Marke Luke and all the other Apostles Euangelists holy men of God who as it were out of the dead being dead speak vnto thee auouching and confirming with one voyce one mouth one spirit that thy sinnes are forgiuen and all in offences clean blotted out so that being compassed about with such a cloud of witnesses and those such as are gâ—eater than all exception wee ought to rest peaceably in the forgiuenes of our sins which these so many and so faithfull witnesses confirme vnto vs. These are the testimonies of men wstich confirme vnto as the forgiuenes of our sinnes The 17 Chapter VVherin is contained the third reason taken from others which is deriued from the Deuill he testifying and in his owne language confirming vnto vs the forgiuenesse of our sinnes THe third reason being taken from others is taken from the testimonie of the deuill who very sufficientlie in his naturall language if we rightly vnderstand the same confirmeth vnto vs the forgiuenesse of our sinnes And therefore for the better vnderstanding of his speech and language I will set thee down but two precepts rules as it were characters by the which thou shalt easily vnderstand the darkest and hardest words in the deuils toong and so shalt in short space become a good languager The first rule shall shew thee when he speaketh the second what he speaketh Concerning the first know for a certain that whensoeuer thou receiuest any answer in thy conscience contrarie to that which is promised or spoken in the word contrary to the forgiuenes of thy sin to the receiuing of the spirit of adoption to the increase of the graces of the holy Ghost to the attaining of the inheritaÌ„ce of the Saints in light or the possession of eternal life or any such like that then the deuill tempteth thee and speaketh that word and maketh that answere in thy soule For this perswasion and this answer and this word that the Lord wil not forgiue thy sin or giue thee his spirit or eternal life saluation commeth not froÌ„ God For the word of God saith the cleane contrarie And we know that the Lord speaketh not one thing in his word and another thing in thy conscience one thing in his scriptures another thing in thy soule Learne therfore this for a true and an infallible precept that whensoeuer thou receiuest an answere in thy self contrary to that which the Lord hath promised that then the deuill speaketh this thou must know to be true althogh the perswasion come from thine owne concupiscence corrupt nature For the Apostle calleth the prick of the flesh which is the motion and worke of original sinne the messenger of Sathan 2. Cor. 12. This then is the first precept by which thou maiest know when he speaketh The second rule which must make thee vnderstand his wordes must make thee first vnderstand his nature which is to lie For it is naturall for the deuill to lie For he is naturally a lyer as appeareth both by the testimonie of Christ in the eight of Iohn wheâ—e he saith the deuil was a murderer from the beginning and abode not in the truth There is no truth in him as ofteÌ„times as he speaketh a lie he speaketh of his own because he is a lier and the father of a lie and also by the practise of the deuil himself who both lied to our mother Eue saying that if shee did eate of the tree of the knowledge of good and euill that shee shuld be like vnto the gods in the knowledge of good and euill and that they should not die and also was a lying spirit in the mouth of the Prophets of Achab and so deceiued Achab and his Prophets Out of this knowledge of the deuils lying nature thou shalt presently picke the meaning of his speeches and