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father_n	eternal_a	ghost_n	holy_a	29,948	5	5.9119	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13010	XI. choice sermons preached upon selected occasions, in Cambridge. Viz. I. The preachers dignity, and duty: in five sermons, upon 2. Corinth. 5. 20. II. Christ crucified, the tree of life: in six sermons, on 1. Corinth. 2. 2. By John Stoughton, Doctor in Divinity, sometimes fellow of Immanuel Colledge in Cambridge, late preacher of Aldermanburie, London. According to the originall copie, which was left perfected by the authour before his death.	Stoughton, John, d. 1639.; Burgess, Anthony, d. 1664.	1640 (1640)	STC 23304; ESTC S100130	130,947	258

And now I hope though this my discourse bee very imperfect yet it will not bee altogether impertinent or unprofitable for this one point that faith in Christ crucified is the summ of al the Scripture well considered must needs give very much light to the reading of every part thereof it will be like a key to unlock the meaning and so make way to the rich treasure therein like a clue of thread to lead us thorow many intricate Labyrinths therof And this makes me call to mind what I forgat even now that the red thread that Rahab hung out of her window when Iericho was beseiged was an Embleme of Christ Crucified by whom all the faithfull must be saved from eternall death as she was then preserved from present destruction much bettet then Leucotheae vitta or Ariadnes filum Let me wind up all that hath beene said Christ is the summe of all Divinity me thinks the Clypeus fidei is like that Clypeus Phidiae the Buckler of faith like the buckler of Phidias that Historians speake of I meane the Buckler of Minerva which Phidias made for as in it he had so curiously intrailed his owne name that it could not be taken out without the dissolution of the whole frame so hath Christ so divinely wrought his name in the worke of salvation the rule of Divinitie that it cannot be taken out but that golden chaine that series causarum will all fall in sunder The Ephesians when Croesus beseiged them chained their City to the Temple of Diana the Tyrians theirs when Alexander to the Statue of Hercules and so all the precepts of Divinitie seem to be chained to the Crosse of Christ he is the umbilicus where all the intrails are knit together the Center where all lines meet and therefore in the Creed of twelve Articles ten of them concern him and beside the other two of God the Father and the Holy Ghost have their dependance on him too for he hath obtained the Spirit for us and by him we have accesse unto the Father as I shewed before And therefore as in the first book we learn the Crosse begins the row as though all the 24. Letters were but Commentaries upon the Crosse so surely this is the summ of all our learning to learn to know Christ Iesus and him Crucified Againe Christ is the Scope of all the Scriptures Me thinks the Scripture is a Ring of Gold which Christ hath given his Spouse the Church as a token of his love and himselfe like the Diamond in the Ring the Scripture is the field mentioned in the Gospell and Christ like the jewell in the field which a wise Merchant knowing of would sell all he hath to purchase the Scripture the box and Christ the ointment preciosum opobalsamum in gemmeo myrothecio and therefore Christ is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Word as though every word sounded of Christ and all the Word of God were nothing else and Christ is the Alpha and Omega thereof as himself sayes Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end for all the Letters without which the Spirit in the Scripture breaths not for so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies or Alpha and Omega the two principall for all the Vowels without which all the Scripture is but a mute Letter a dead Letter I may say a killing Letter and for him the Scripture it selfe is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Bible the booke because it is the only book containing this knowledg which alone is sufficient and which is only necessary to eternall salvation In a word to close up all the knowledge of Christ crucified is the Theme of Theologie the Scope of the Scripture the Pith of all Pietie as Paul excellently layes it downe Ephes 2. 19. For through him we have accesse by one Spirit to the Father being no more strangers and forreiners but fellow-Citizens with the Saints and of the houshold of God and are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Iesus Christ himselfe being the chiefe cornerstone in whom all the building fitly framed together 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 groweth unto an holy Temple in the Lord. c. you see the knot that holds all together And thus much for the explication of this Text. 1 Corinth 2. 2. For I determined to know nothing among you but Christ Jesus and him Crucified THe handling of the Word of God is a divine kinde of husbandry And this portion of Scripture is that parcell of holy ground which I began to till long agoe but have not yet finished I have hitherto broken up the ground only it remaines that I should now breake the clods which might hinder the fruitfulnesse and cast out the stones that so at last I may sowe the blessed seed of exhortation in hope of a blessed harvest Or rather this portion of Scripture is the seed for so saith Christ the seed is the Word and I have hitherto beat this seed out of the eare onely and must now winnow and fanne it out of the chaffe that at the last I may cast it again into the ground of your heart for so saith Saint Paul you are the Lords husbandrie in hope of a fruitfull increase from the blessing of the Lord the Lord of the harvest for Paul may plant and Apollo may water but it is the Lord that gives the increase he that planteth is nothing and he that watereth is nothing but the Lord that giveth the increase for without him the seeds-man is but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 semini verbius a babler according to our translation as the Epicures scoffed at Paul or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seminilegus such an one as they that stood in the Corne-markets and gathered up the Corne that fell beside the Sacks in emptying as Casaubon observes that is a man of no worth an earthen vessell as the Apostle cals Ministers elsewhere and the word will beare it I presume the meanest in this place conceives my meaning yet I will endeavour to speake more plainly that if there be any seeming riddle you may plow with my Heifer as Sampsons companions did and reed the interpretations I have hitherto given you the explication of these words and so as it were threshed the Corne out of the eare with the flaile of the Spirit I come now to the application in two parts 1. For confutation of popish errors and so I will chide away the chaffe out of this stoore with the fanne of Christ 2. For exhortation and so I will cast the seed into your eares and charme it in the phrase of the Spouse in the Canticles Arise ô North and come ô South and blow upon my Garden that the Spices thereof may flow forth In the Explication I have handled alreadie these three points 1. That Christ crucified is a sufficient Saviour 2. That Christ Crucified is the summe of the Scripture 3. That Christ Crucified is the summ of Religion Which may stand as so many

are riotous they are afraid that narrow way will not receive their goodly traine their great retinue fond men that cannot be contented to go to heaven except they goe in state very fooles that will not as the Proverb is leave their bables for the Tower of London their towers of Bable for the Lord that will not shake hands with that folly that they imbrace this felicitie But why will not they goe away as the young man did hee was a young man they thinke and they are grown gray in mischievous devises they meane to try conclusions ere they goe away What doe they then they hire a rascall rout of hungry ditchers to breake up the fence that the word hath made to make the way broader then the merits of Christ and then they eke it out with the forged merits of Saints and being so drunken with superstition that they cannot passe the lake that burnes with fire and brimstone for evermore upon that one planck of Christ as they say the barbarous Turkes doe when they meet a deepe river in the way that interrupts their course they slay their poore vassals and make a bridge of their dead corps so they inlarge that bridg with the rotten boords of Saints mediation but it is to be feared that while they in their Pontificall fancies imagine the bridge by their deceitfull moone-shine wider then it is they find themselves deeper then they would plunged in that Lake that burneth with fire and brimstone for evermore 3. They have made the gatewider They are so cram'd with the sinnes of the people and fed so fat with their follies and so puft up with the winde of pride that they have no hope to get into Heaven if all that get in must do as Christ said Strive to enter into the strait gate beside their great Master would faine have the gate so large that he might goe in with full soope top and top-gallant without vailing his triple crowne or bending his stubborn knees for he is as stiffe as though he had eaten a stake his joynts are like the Elephants they are no joynts and like Nebuchadnezzars Image their leggs are of brasse they cannot bow so much as to him that made them they are like some nice and cold hearers of the word that are willing to heare and make toward the Church perhaps they made a short dinner for haste but when they come there and see a little doore beset with a great throng about it they shrinke their heads into their shell againe they meant to heare but they never meant to croud for the matter the Cat loves fish but will not wet her foot they had rather swell and putrifie and die with sin and ignorance then be so sweezed But what doe they in this case to helpe themselves they have set on worke many skilfull Carpenters perhaps some apprentises of that jolly Carpenter that made a gate of a window by his learned interpretation of a place in the Acts they have furnished them with store of timber out of the Popes storehouse of Saints Reliques and these have promised to give so much scope to the gate that the most profound bellies may step in and not complaine for want of elbow-roome 4. They have made many gates instead of one The Grammer of the Gospell writes it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the gate not the gates and Christ saith Ego sum ostium I am the doore not the doores I am and no other as the Lord speaketh in another place But these foolish Florentines I think Florentines I know foolish these foolish Florentines have a strong conceit upon a weak ground that the more gates go out of their City the more gaine comes in and therefore have made so many Saints as are gone to heaven so many gates to goe to heaven Excellently saith the Spirit of God in the Revelation Revelation 21. and the 21. And the twelve gates were twelve Pearles every severall gate was one Pearle the translation abates something of the worth for those Pearles in English are Margarites in Greek and those Margarites are the best of Pearles and represent Christ himselfe and that most sweetly for those Margarites are begotten of the divine influence of the starres and conceived of the pure dew of Heaven though a poore shell gives them entertainment so was Christ the Sonne of the most High begotten by his eternall father and conceived by the Holy Ghost though he did not abhorre the wombe of the Virgin though the Virgin Mary brought him forth But here seemes to be many gates I pray mark there is a double number and a double unitie there is a number of twelve and a number of three of twelve round about for the twelve tribes of Israel of three on each side for the Gentiles in all quarters of the world three to the East three to the West three to the North three to the South twelve that the fulnesse of the Iewes may come in by those gates three that the fulnesse of the Gentiles may come in and sit with Abraham in the Kingdome of God Againe there is a double unitie an unitie of matter all these gates are made of Margarites an unity of forme they are all made of one Margarite a peece and that Margarite I told you was Christ so that in effect there be many goers but one gate there be many Iewes and Gentiles to enter this gate will receive them all both Iewes and Gentiles that shall be gathered from all the foure winds of the earth This is the gate which the Angell of God hath measured with his golden reed but the leaden meetwand of the Popes Canonization hath laid us our gates made of the rotten wood of Saints if it did but chance to glow a little in a gloomy night of darknesse I will end now this point of Saints in generall We read of some that take the Kingdome of Heaven by force For the Kingdome of Heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force saith Christ and yet these men are commended for it suffers them grata est vis illa We read of some againe that purchase the Kingdome of Heaven for the wise Merchant sold all that he had to purchase the field in which he knew there was a rich Margarite and that Margarite was Christ and that field was Heaven and yet this Merchant is commended but we doe not read of any that crept into the window but thievs and robbers and they are condemned but such thieves and robbers are the Papists that thinke to steale in by the windowes of Saints prayers and that when the gate stands wide open when Christ stands forth and invites all Come unto me all yee that are heavie laden and I will ease you and yet these thievs had rather pray to Saints and neglect Christ But me thinks their prayers without Christ are like the womans Beere when she forgat to put in the Malt they are prayers of their

sixe winges for expedition in the execution of his will they have wings upon their feet a strange thing wings upon their feet no they cannot foot it fast enough but they must speed their race with flight remis velísque the booke they carry is such as the Prophet saw a flying booke and Christ himselfe in their ministery sitteth betweene the Cherubims and rideth upon the wings of the winde and so communicates himselfe to all Nations 2. CORINTH 5. 20. Now then we are Ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs stead be ye reconciled to God YOU may remember that I proceeded thus farre the last time to lay downe the coherence of these words with the former and to lay open the particulars in them contained The first point of Doctrine that we started then was That Ministers of the Word are Gods Ambassadors I touched lightly both the circumstantiall differences which might be objected and the substantiall agreement which must be observed as it was intended in this metaphoricall speech and there we coupled up And though I determined then to have gone overthem more fully yet because I foresee many things to be delivered I will rather passe them over contenting my selfe with that which hath beene spoken and descend to the confirmation of the truth propounded But there is one thing crosses the way and comes betweene me and my purpose For perhaps there are some here who considering the name and nature of this exercise will demand or rather command and challenge the resolution of a question before I goe any farther For what necessity can be imagined that God should send his Ambassadors to us or if that be supposed what conveniency may be conceived that men and meane men should be imployed in so honourable a service To the first part of the question I shall shape an answer briefly Looke as some royall King when his naturall subjects have unnaturally rebelled and taken up armes against him like the churlish Israelites We have no portion in David no inheritance in the sonne of Ishai every man to his tents O Israel that he may curb their insolencie with the bridle of Soveraigne authority is ready to send forth a decree of wrath by the hand of the messengers of death But the young Prince out of his speciall grace and princely compassion stepping betweene them and the blow and interceeding for them is intreated to reverse the sentence and dispatch a Proclamation of pardon to all such of them as within the prefixed period shall return to their obedience So we having committed high treason against the most High in most ungracious manner and lifted up the hand against our Maker like the proud tyrant that belched forththis Who is God that we should obey him or who is the Lord that we should serve him whose hands had but even then fashioned us and the decree of death being gone forth against us Thou shalt dye the death Christ Iesus the eternall Sonne of God the Prince of peace hath interposed himselfe for us and latched the blow that would have sunk us to Hell upon his owne body which he gave for us on the Crosse that so reconciliation being made in his blood the Father might be well pleased in him to speake peace unto us and proclaime a free pardon to all that should believe by the silver Trumpet of the Gospell Returne returne for why will ye die ô house of Israel This is the necessity wherein you may observe on mans part no meritorious excellencies but miserable extremity On Gods part no forcible compulsion but a most feeling and free compassion that caused him to visite us with these comfortable messengers And this I might exemplifie in all if I would run through all kinde of Ambassages As some are to moove and make marriages So is this to espouse the Soule to a noble Bridegroome even Iesus Christ Some are for commerce and traffick and so is this that we might have a secure and sweet entercourse with the Lord as once we had before the league was broken in Paradise in integrity that the Lord might transport us to that aureum vellus the robe of Christs righteousnesse who was the Lambstain from the beginning of the world that Pearle of price that rich Margarite the Kingdome of Heaven and might receive againe of us by way of exchange a poore exchange but very precious in his sight our humble and thankfull obedience But which way soever you please to patterne the materials of the similitude you shall find no other motive but what I said before Gods incomparable mercy beholding with a tender and compassionate eye mans irrecoverable misery This may suffice for a taste of a farther answer to the first point in the question concerning the necessity why God sends Ambassadors for I should but anticipate my following discourse if I should labour to give the full satisfaction The second point comes now to be considered For if there must needs be Ambassadors why are not some of those glorious Cherubims and Seraphims that shine with knowledge and burne with zeale that cry holy holy holy Lord God of Sabbath that like courtiers of the King of Heaven attend upon his Royall person and behold the face of their heavenly Father continually ready to execute his will and pleasure why are not some of these preferred to this honour I am sure such a liturgie might well beseeme the highest Hierarchie such a message the tongue of Angels such supernaturall truths such Angelicall and Seraphicall Doctors And who more fit to dispence the Word of God the heavenly Mannah the food of Angels then the sonnes of God then Angels Who can tell me the mistery of this strange proceeding that they should be neglected and man exalted to this dignity May not every one presume to refuse this office without presumption and disobey such a command without disobedience or will not such presumption be counted humility and such disobedience modestie As Moses when he should have gone in Gods errand What am I that I should goe to Pharaoh or deliver the children of Israel out of Egypt though the Lord removed the scruple when he answered I am with thee as if he should have said count not only the multitude of enemies and the likelyhoods of opposition as Antigonus his Admirall did when he told him that the enemies number farre exceeded his but how many do ye set me against said the King but looke about you and see who is with you Behold I am with thee yet Moses was not satisfied but replyed the second time O my Lord I am not eloquent nor ever was but a man of a heavie mouth and a slow tongue the Lord satisfieth him againe but he is not satisfied for after he had bid him consider who gives the tongue to man or who makes the dumbe and deafe as it not I the Lord As if he should have said it is the grace of

mortification that they may the better taste the sweet mercy of God in their delivery from the bondage of sinne and Sathan shadowed out in the bondage of Egypt so it is unto us a Sacrament of our union to Christ our head then they were to eate it with sweet unleavened bread that they might bee taught to take heed of the sowre leaven of malice so is ours to us a Sacrament of communion with Saints the bodie of Christ The difference betweene ours and theirs is that their Sacraments were not without blood because Christ as then had not shed his blood but ours are because the truth being come the type is needlesse Againe what were the pillar of cloud and fire and the red Sea in which they were baptised as Paul saith but that which the Gospell cals the Baptisme of water and fire even the effusion of the blood of Christ and the infusion of his graces the merit of his passion and the efficacie of his Spirit in our hearts to make it ours by application What was the water that Moses stilled out of the Rocke by striking it with his Rod when the Israelites were like to perish in the wildernesse for want of water but the blood of Christ issuing out of all his body in a bloody sweat in the Garden when the very wrath of God the Rod of God for the chastisements of our sinnes was upon him lay heavie upon him and streaming out of his blessed side when the Souldier pierced it with his speare I say the blood of Christ spilt for our sakes who otherwise had perished And that Mannah that heavenly food with which they were sustained in the wildernesse what was it but Christ as Christ himselfe expounds it Iohn 6. that he was the bread of life that descended from Heaven and Paul accommodates both of them 1 Corinth 10. For they all ate the same spirituall food and they all drank the same spirituall drink even the same with us for they drank of the spirituall Rock and that Rocke was Christ Christ is the onely Rocke on which his Church was built 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not Peter but Christ. The Brasen Serpent tell me what can you see in it but Christ who was lifted up on the Crosse as that was lifted up in the Wildernesse and as that saved all that looked to it from the stinging of the poysonous Serpents so hath Christ saved us from the power of the old Serpent the Divell and all the power of darknesse he hath healed all our infirmities for by his stripes we are cured and by his wounds we are healed You see then how all their Sacraments ordinary and extraordinary receive all their life from Christ and give all their light to him againe All the laborious and teadious paedagogy of their Ceremonies was to no other end then this neither in which this truth was written as it were in great Letters that he that ran might read them because all words of a thing not sinsible but so farre off could not be halfe so legible So the blood of all the Sacrifices propitiatory and gratulatory of Bullocks and Rams Goats and Lambs Sheep and Dove were all but types and copies drawn from Christ and drawing to Christ who was the true sacrifice in which al the other were sanctified which otherwise were of no value and by which Gods justice is satisfied and they were so many in such varietie to seale to them his alsufficiencie So were all their curious ablations and chargable oblations of rost baked sod fryed to teach our perfect washing by his blood and perfect nourishment by his body which suffered the heat of Gods wrath and so was dressed to our appetite and sauced with such diversity that he might take away our satietie Sweet was the figure of the two Goates one of which was offered as a Sacrifice for the sinnes of the people and the other the Scape Goat the Scripture cals it being charged with all their sinnes Aaron laying both his hands upon his head and confessing the sinnes of the congregation over him was let goe into the wildernesse both which expresse Christ in a double respect either because Christ was slaine that we might escape or because Christ the same was dead and is alive as the Revelation speakes because he dyed for our sinnes and rose againe for our justification as the Apostle elsewhere applyes it Much like another in the purgation of the Leper where two Birds or Sparrows were to be brought the one was to be kild the other to be let flie being dipped first in the blood of the former reserved in a vessell for that purpose even as Christ dyed for us and wee being dipped in his blood escape for by him the nets are broken and we are escaped Yea and all their holy persons did but represent unto the people the person of the Messiah all their Priests especially the High Priest they sacrificed and blessed the people in his name who was that Benedictum semen in whom all the nations of the earth were to be blessed even Iesus Christ who is God blessed for ever and who gave himselfe for us a pleasing and acceptable sacrifice to his father And the High Priest many wayes he bare the names of the Tribes of Israel on his shoulder when he appeared before God so did Christ of all his faithfull he entred into the Holy of Holies once a yeare not without blood so did Christ by his owne blood open the way for us into the highest heavens and make a passage into Paradise in which we could not keep our selvs and out of which we were kept by the flaming sword of a Cherubim upon which the Poets harping have hatched a pretty Fable that the aurea Hesperidum mala are kept by the vigilant guard of a fierie Dragon but Hercules overcame him which in sober truth is thus much that the way to the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden is guarded by the glittering blade of a glorious Cherubim but Christ hath removed him Lastly the Holy places themselves were teachers of the same truth so that if those the Priests I meane should hold their tongues these the stones I say would cry thus much 1. The Tabernacle was a visible signe of Gods presence among his people and therefore in it were placed among many other things the Mercy seat even Iesus Christ in whom it hath pleased God to have mercy on whom he will have mercy and the Table of Shew-bread is the same Christ whose body is the true bread by which we are fed to eternall life which as one observes was panis propositionis in the Law but is become panis assumptionis in the Gospell even the bread of the Lords Table So was the Temple and therefore they were to offer their Sacrifices at the Temple and their prayers in or toward the Temple because all were sanctified and accepted in Christ who was the true

afforded which the vertue of the Sun hath since dryed up or driven away Or the Old Testament is like the light created the first day which though it wanted that glorious and resplendent lustre yet it separated betweene night and day Goshen and Egypt the beloved City and the Gentiles and the porportion holds of a day to a thousand yeares for a thousand yeares is as but a day in thy sight saith the Psalmist and so as the Sunne was set in his Tabernacle the fourth day of the world so the Sunne of righteousnesse came in the 4000. yeare of the World in the Tabernacle of his flesh to fulfill all righteousnesse And perhaps the 19. Psalme may have some relation to this comparison for there the Sunne is described tanquam Sponsus as Christ is described tanquam Sponsus Ecclesiae and the Prophet slides there from the Sunne it may be because of this Analogie to the Elogies of the Scripture Now both these were the same light for the Moone receives hers from the Sunne and the light of the Sunne is but the conglobation of the first light Even as both the Testaments teach but one Christ for he only dyed for us and therefore they are both his Testaments The Old Testament containes him in the Hieroglyphicks of Sacrifices and Types and Ceremonies the New in legible and ordinary characters in the old he was like the corne in the eare in the New like the corne shaken out in the Old like the Mannah which was hidden in a pot for he is that hidden Mannah in the Arke in the New like the Shew-bread that was set upon the Table in both of them the same Christ heri hodie in aeternum idem Christus yesterday in the Old Testament under the time of the Law to day in the New Testament under the time of the Gospell yesterday and to day and for ever the same Christ who is God blessed for ever For they both are but one booke but the booke that was shut before by the comming of the Lamb is opened for the Lambe opened the booke that we may fetch a resemblance of this Revelation out of the booke of the Revelation Compare the Ministers of both the covenants and we shall see the same for as it was said once What is Plato or Moses Atticizing so we may say now What is Iesus or Moses Evangelizing Nay it is even the same Moses only the vaile is removed and we see him retectâ facie Divines have said as much that the Old Testament is but Novum involutum and the new but Vetus revelatum as the Stoicks of old said of Rhetorick and Logick comparing them to pugnus palma as though the difference were no more but in contraction and explication obscurity and perspicuitie This shall serve for the proposition of my second generall Reason that the Old and New Testament contain nothing but faith in Christ Iesus But these two are the whole Scripture some have gathered out of those words of Christ Matth. 13. 52. Every Scribe learned to the Kingdome of Heaven is like a certaine houshoulder which brings out of his treasure old and new The consequution is but idle but the conclusion is infallible that there is no more Scripture but the old and new Testament And thus many God would have for the confirmation of our Faith that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word might stand For though Origen do but descant upon those words when he sayes in the mouth of two that is the old and new Testaments and in the mouth of three that is Prophets Evangelists Apostles the truth of the word the word of truth shall stand assured yet this is most certaine that the foretelling and fulfilling of the same thing I say the same thing foretold so long before it was fulfilled and fulfilled so long after it was foretold makes exceedingly for the supporting of our faith as being an invincible argument that this word is the word of the eternall God before whom all times are present The second Testament then like Rachel and Leah build the faith of the elect like two sisters inseparable companions hold hand in hand chained faster together then the invincible Armado for Malachie gives his Lampe to Marke as they did in the games at Athens and Marke takes it where he leaves it the end of Malachie reaches to the beginning of Marke Mark begins and Malachie ends with Iohn Baptist so are they secretly sodered together and holding hands take this by the way they plucke a Crow with the Apocrypha if I may so speake in so grave an argument Upon these premises that the old and new Testament containe nothing but the doctrine of Faith in Christ and salvation by Christ and yet they two make up the intire body of the Scripture and this is my inference that Faith in Christ is the scope of the Scripture I descend now from the generall to the particular declaration of this point And first for the old Testament To let goe all their Types and Ceremonies with the whole ancient state of Religion among the Iewes which all had reference to the comming of Christ the promised Messiah which make a great part of the argument of the booke of the first covenant because I touched them the last time and to let passe whole bookes which have nothing but this as the booke of Ruth a Grand-mother of Christ and the Booke of the Canticles a sweet Epithalamie or spousall of Christ and his Church I will divide it for this time into two portions Historicall and Propheticall and make good the point in either of them and that briefly because I perceive that my entrance hath exceeded already the scantling of time allotted to this exercise and because I resolve to end this at this time that so I may set afresh upon the use of this Doctrine The Historicall part of the old Testament beside the historie of life openly propounded containes the mysterie of faith also sweetly couched therin as will easily appeare if you doe but consider the periods of times the context and continuation of the storie with the remarkable examples here and there dispersed A man would thinke those many Genealogies and many names very harsh and teadious like craggy mountaines full of stones but barren of all fruit but if you will vouchsafe to make but a little inquisition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to digge into the bowels of those mountaines you shall find a golden vaine a golden chaine consisting of many linkes from the first Adam to the second Adam to derive his pedigree and shew his generation of whom Esay sayes Who can tell his generation for hee is the eternall Word of his Father and the ancient of dayes And I pray tell me wherefore is there such a curious context of succession from Adam to Noah from Noah to Abraham from Abraham to David from David to Zorubabell from Zorubabel to Mary but to draw a golden