the meanest among men to be equall with God yet there he is not vnmindfull of vs but sitting on the right hand of God he maketh continuall intercession for vs and sendeth his spirit to comfort vs for though corpus intulit Coelo he hath placed his body in Heauen yet maiestatem non abstulit mundo hee leaues his spirit which filleth all places heere on earth Mat. 28. vlt. for loe saith he I am with you vntill the end of the world that is to deliuer vs from all miseries and to giue vs all those good things that hee seeth good for vs And therefore though Abraham should forget vs or Israell be ignorant of vs or as Mardoceus sayd vnto Queene Hester if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time Hester 4.14 and doest nothing in the world for vs yet shall there inlargement and deliuerance arise vnto the Iewes from another place euen so though we should feare men will forsake vs and forget vs and do nothing for vs either to deliuer vs from any troubles feared or to helpe vs vnto any good desired yet this our good God which neither slumbereth nor sleepeth though he be ascended to heauen yet he will defend vs on earth and hee will lift vs vp out of the mire if we put our trust in him hee will send vs comfort out of some other place Feare you not but stand still Exod. 14 13. and see the saluation of God which he will shew vnto you Secondly the resurrection of Christ is our hope but his ascention is our glorification Si ergo rectè si fideliter si deuotè ascentionem domini celebramus ascendere debemus cum illo and therefore if we doe rightly if we doe faithfully and deuoutly celebrate and make a right vse of the ascention of Christ then must wâ—e labour and striue to ascend with him That in heart and affection we should alwayes ascend to Heauen and if by reason of the infirmitie of our flesh we are so detained and kept backe that we cannot ascend as we would to be where he is yet let vs indeauour to follow after passibus amoris et affectu cordis with the best paces of loue and the most earnest desires of our hearts And indeede it is not the lifting vp of our eyes nor the holding vp of our hands that is the right ascending into Heauen for this may bee as it is many times meere hypocrisie euen as the witch of Endor lifted vp Samuell to deceiue Saule so doth this witch hypocrisie cause many a one to lift vp their hands and eyes to Heauen to deceiue the world and to make vs beleeue they are true Saints whereas in deede they be very Diuells but we must haue sursum corda our hearts lifted vp for this is that chieffest place of man which both God and the Diuell laboreth most of all to attaine Prouerb 23.26 for God saith Sonne giue mee thy heart and lift vp the same to Heauen and so the Diuell seekes but the heart if riches increase set your hearts vpon them and therefore the heart of man is called by Macarius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Throne of God or els 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Throne of Satan for if we lift vp the same to God and set our affections on the things that are aboue then is our hearts the Throne of God but if our loue and affections bee on the things of this world then is our hearts the seat of the scornefull and the habitation of Diuells Psal 1.1 And therefore that we may the better learne how to ascend and to lift vp our hearts to God I will desire you to consider these three things first terminum secondly modum thirdly signum Three things to be considered touching our spirituall ascention vnto Heauen 1. The place from whence and vnto what we must ascend 2. By what meanes we shall raise vp our selues vnto God 3. The signe whereby wee may know whether wee haue ascended any way towards Heauen or not First the place from whence we must ascend is this world behold saith Christ I leaue the world and I goe to the Father so if we would goe to Christ we must leaue the world and neuer enuie at the prosperity of them quorum tectorum gloria attenditur labes autem animorum non attenditur whose outward glorie we doe see but whos inward miseries wee doe not see And the place where we must ascend is in altum vnto the Kingdome of Heauen where the eye hath not seene 1 Cor. 2.9 and the eare hath not heard the things which God hath prepared for them that loue him Secondly the meanes how to raise our selues from this valley of miseries vnto the height of Heauen is by casting from vs all the things that may presse vs downe and assuming the things that may helpe vs vp And you knowe that whatsoeuer is heauie presseth downe Nothing is so heauie as sin and we know that there is nothing so heauie vpon the soule as sinne this is like a Talent of lead it makes the whole world to reele to and fro like a drunken man Atlas en ipse laborat and it was so heauie vpon Christ his shoulders Mat. 27.46 that in the Garden it made him to sweate the drops of blood and vpon the Crosse it made him to crie out my God my God why hast thou forsaken mee and therefore if wee would ascend to Heauen then as Elias did throwe downe his mantle 2. Kings 2.13 and as the blinde man in the Gospell did cast offe his beggars cloake when hee would runne to Christ so must we cast offe the mantle of hypocrisie and disrobe our selues of all the beggarly ragges of sinne or els they will presse vs downe to Hell And as wee know sinne is that weight which keepes vs downe so we knowe wings are the best meanes to helpe vs vp and therefore Dauid prayes that hee had wings like a doue Psal 55.6 that hee might flie away and be at rest and Christ himselfe is said to haue fledde super pennas ventorum vpon the wings of the winde so must wee wee must get vs wings if wee will ascend to Heauen But what are those wings that will carrie vs thither Bern. in Ser. de asc they must not bee like Icarus his waxen wings the wings of pride and ambition but as Saint Bernard sayth they must bee What are the wings whereby we ascend to Heauen 1. Meditatio Consideration 2. Oratio Prayer for Meditatio quid desit docet oratio ne desit obtinet Meditation sheweth vs what wee want and prayer obtayneth whatsoeuer we want but we neuer knowe our estate because wee neuer consider in what estate wee are and wee haue not grace nor goodnesse because we aske not Saint Augustine saith these wings must be 1. The loue of God 2. The loue of our neighbours And it is not vnlikely that loue
soules Now after the holy Ghost bestoweth vpon the Saints faith to beleeue in him hope to expect all happinesse from him and charity most feruently to loue him and all men for his sake then hee worketh many other graces in the hearts of his Elect to preserue them blamelesse in the sight of God and to defend them from the malice of that roaring Lion as a filiall feare neuer to offend him and a speciall care alwaies to please him and beside and aboue all the rest he infuseth into their soules these two excellent gifts viz. 1. Prouidence to fore-see 2. Patience to indure all things First Moses in his last speech and best song that hee made vnto the children of Israel saith O that they were wise Deut. 31. that they vnderstood this that they would consider their latter end that is that they would remember things past vnderstand things present and consider things to come for this is the onely difference betwixt man and beast the one craues for the present time the other fore-seeth and prouideth for the times to come and the want or neglect of this consideratiue fore-sight is the cause of many miseries for as hee that fore-seeth euill either preuenteth it or prepareth himselfe for it and so it is more easily borne of him because it doth not suddenly apprehend him so he that neuer seeth it till it strikes him is the more amazed with it because hee feeleth that which hee neuer feared and therefore as Iob saith that he was surprised with that which he feared so the Saints of God haue this grace giuen them by God to expect and fore see miseries before they come that they may be the more tollerable vnto them if they come And as they haue one eye open to feare and fore-see euill before it commeth so they haue the other eye open to fore-see and to hope for good that when it comes it may be the more welcome to them and that vsing all lawfull meanes to compasse it they may the sooner attaine vnto it But here it may be some wil obiect say as it was said of old Ob. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Scire si liceret quae debes subire non subire pulchrum sit scire Sed si subire oportet quae licet scire quorsum scire nam debes subire That is Doctor Euerard in his Aâ—rere han p. 76. as Doctor Euerard doth as wittily translate them as they were prettily composed If a man might know the ill that hee must vndergoe and shunne it so then were it good to know But if he vndergoe it though he know it what bootes him know it he must vndergoe it And so of good things if he might the sooner obtaine them by fore-seeing them it were worth our paines to looke after them but seeing no care no prouidence can either helpe vs vnto the good we desire or preuent the euill we feare because as one truly saith What shall be shall be sure there is no chance For the eye eterne all things fore-sees And all must come to passe as he decrees And therefore to what end should wee trouble our selues in vaine to fore-see that which we cannot forbid Sol. To this I answere briefly that although God worketh all things according to his will yet it is his wil ordinarily to work by ordinary meanes and secondary causes as we may see in the second of Osee 21. Osee 2.21 I will heare the Heauens and they shall heare the Earth and the Earth shall heare the Corne and the Wine and the Oyle and they shall heare Israel And therefore whom God hath decreed shall escape euill or attaine vnto any good God decreeth the meanes as well as the end of any thing he hath also decreed that they should by their care and diligence the one to preuent it and the other to vse all lawfull meanes to procure it and they that will not vse all possible care to obtaine these ends doe most apparantly shew an infallible argument against themselues they shall neuer attaine vnto their desired end because it is a sure rule that whatsoeuer end God hath decreed hee hath also decreed the meanes to bring to passe that end And therefore as he hath decreed the saluation of his Saints so he hath decreed to giue them his grace to fore-see all things that are necessary for them to know that they may the better vse all diligence to eschew the euill and to obtaine the good Secondly seeing our estate in this life is a state full of miseries and that we are long expecting good before we can inioy it therefore wee haue neede of patience Heb. 10.36 that after wee haue done the will of God wee might receiue the promise and therefore God seeing how needfull patience is for his seruants hee giueth this gift vnto vs and it is indeed a most excellent gift without which I know not how the Saints could well subsist that we might patiently and contentedly suffer whatsoeuer happeneth vnto vs and as Iob saith quietly to waite all our dayes Iob. vntill our change shall come It is recorded in the books of the Gentiles that in the Olympian combates that Champion wan the Garland that bestowed most blowes vpon his Antagonist but in the warres of the Lord where God himselfe is our rewarder wee finde that hee beares away the Crowne which beareth patiently the most blowes from his aduersaries and in lieu thereof returneth nothing but good words But here we must vnderstand patience is vsed either Patience is taken two waies 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 abusiuely and improperly 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rightly and properly and In the first sence wee finde the word vsed foure manner of wayes First for a sinnefull carelesnesse when men per patientiam asininam will suffer themselues like lazie asses to bee drawne and compelled by lewd companie to drinking swaggering or any other sinne whatsoeuer Secondly for a stoicall apathie when men will locke vp all naturall passions and striue to bee insensible of any thing that shall befall them Thirdly for a customarie induring of all stormes when like children in the Schoole which doe so much the lesse care for whipping the oftner they are whipped we grow insensible of all crosses by a continuall custome of bearing crosses Fourthly for a naturall fortitude when through the strength of nature and the courage of a heroick minde men will vndergoe whatsoeuer aduersities shall betide them and will seeme to beare the same as if their strength were the strength of stones Iob. 6.12 and their flesh of brasse as Iob speaketh In the second sence we doe likewise finde the word vsed many wayes as Rom. 2.4 First for a contayning of our selues from the reuenging of any iniuries done vnto vs. Secondly for a contented waiting and a most quiet expecting of what we desire Rom. 2.7 Heb. 10.36 Psal 9.18 without muttering
meaner Schollers cannot doe so profoundly as the grauer Diuines can doe and the older men cannot doe it so often as the yonger sort can doe and yet neither must be contemned for if the young men had had the time of the aged no doubt but they would doe as well as the aged Aristotle Et si senex haberet oculum inuenis videret vt iuuenis And if the ancient men had the strength bodies of yong men it is not vnlikely but that they would still take paines as young men Neither doe I say this to vphold sloath or negligence in any Age for to our vttermost ability as I said before we must all continue constant vnto death but to reproue our partiall Age that adoreth the Sunne rising in the East and applaudeth the quicke wits and many Sermons of youth but make none account of aged Paul and the best labours of declining age Philemon v. 9. vnlesse with the Israelites they can make vp the same tale of Brickes as they did in youth though they haue neither Straw nor Stubble neither sight of eyes nor strength of bodies to performe it and to shew how euery man should doe his best Iuxta mensuram Donationis Christi according to that measure of grace which he hath receiued from Christ And so much for the filling of the Apostles with the gifts and graces of the Holy Ghost CHAP. V. Of the effects and fruits of their filling with the Holy Ghost and how this Spirit sealeth them and sheweth them to be the true seruants of Iesus Chist THirdly For the effects of their filling it is said The fruits and effects of the holy Ghost that they began to speake with other tongues as the Spirit gaue them vtterance First They began to speake because the Spirit of God is neuer idle but where it sees cause will speake though it should cost the speakers life Secondly They spake with other tongues i. e. not as carnall men talking of fleshly or worldly matters nor as wicked prophane wretches belching forth Blasphemia in deum Blasphemies against God but as regenerate and sanctified men they shew forth magnalia dei the wonderfull workes of God And hereby all men might know whether they were the seruants of Christ by this Spirit of Christ for as our Sauiour saith of the false Apostles the same is true of all Apostles Matth. 7.16 by their fruits you shall know them for as in whomsoeuer the spirit of Satan is you shall see that he will reueale them by their lewd words and by their wicked works which are the workes of darkenesse so in whomsoeuer the Spirit of God is hee will seale them and marke them with a foure-fold marke saith Bonauenture that is signo 1. Veritatis credendorum 2. Honestatatis morum 3. Contemptus mundanorum 4. Charitatis Dei et proximorū 1. With true Religion The holy Ghost sealeth vs with a four-fold seale 2. With an vpright conuersation 3. With contempt of vanity 4. With perfect charity First It worketh Faith in their hearts for this is the fundamentall root of all other graces and therfore the Apostle well obserueth out of the Prophet that a man first beleeueth Faith is the root of all graces and then speaketh for we haue beleeued saith he and therefore haue wee spoken whereas if they had not beleeued they would neuer haue spoken of the wonderfull workes of God and therefore the holy Ghost did first worke faith in their hearts and then it caused the same to speake and to expresse it selfe by this preaching of the works of God And Secondly of good workes which are Secondly because the verity of our faith is euer knowne by the sinceritie of our life therefore these signes shall follow them that beleeue Gregor de 7. pec Magdal First to suppresse sinne First They shall cast out Deuils i. e. vitia voluptatis they shall suppresse all sinnes as Saint Gregory expounds it because euery sinne is as bad as the Deuill Secondly They shall speake with new tongues i. e. vtter forth verba vtilitatis Secondly to praise God holy and heauenly words and because our naturall tongues were like the poison of Aspes these may well be called new tongues when they doe sing a new song Thirdly to bridle their lusts Thirdly They shall take vp serpents i. e. concupiscentias sensualitatis the biting and poisonous concupiscences of our sensuall flesh shall be though not quite taken away from them yet they shall bee taken vp in their hands as Hercules is said to haue held the two serpents which Iuno sent to deuoure him in both his hands while hee was but a childe in his cradle and they shall be so restrayned and held fast that they shall not be able to doe them violence Fourthly to beare all iniuries Fourthly If they drinke any deadly poison it shall not hurt them i. e. iniurias aduersitatis if they must swallow downe lies and slanders yet for all the malice and the mischiefe of the wicked non inflammantur per superbiam non suffocantur per maliciam non disrumpuntur per inuidiam they shall neither swell with enuy nor burst with malice nor any wayes perish through their indignity Luke 21.19 but in their patience they shall possesse their soules And Fiftly to doe good vnto all men Fiftly They shall lay hands on the sicke and they shall recouer them i. e. adiutoria charitatis remedia iniquitatis they shall exercise such deeds of charity that by their good counsels and admonitions they shall recouer many a languishing dying soule Thirdly of contempt of vanities and bring them backe againe to sauing health And Thirdly because these things cannot be practised vnlesse the pompe and pride of worldly vanities be quite contemned and troden vnder feet therefore the Spirit of God worketh in them a minde to forsake all worldly things And Fourthly Fourthly of charity Rom. 5.5 because no worke is good vnlesse it proceedeth from the root of charity therefore the Spirit of God diffuseth this loue into the hearts of his seruants that they wish no euill to any man but are ready to doe good euen to them that hate them And these foure seales and signes of Gods Spirit are expressed in the twelfth chapter of the Reuelation where Saint Iohn saw a woman clothed with the Sunne Apoc. 12.1 and the Moone vnder her feet and vpon her head a crowne of twelue Starres and she being with childe cryed trauelling in birth and paine to be deliuered For this woman signifieth the Church of Christ or euery faithfull Christian soule And first her Sun-like shining is the brightnesse of her good workes and heauenly conuersation which doth so shine before men Matth. 5.16 that they glorifie God which is in heauen Secondly the Moone vnder her feet signifieth her contemning and trampling vnder feet all the vaine and variable things of this sublunary world Thirdly her crowne
of sinne Lanch de operibus dei p. 1. l. 4. c. 11. and so liable to the iust punishment that is due for such a sinne And therefore in the iudgement of the very heathen the will of sinning doth most iustly deserue the punishment of the sinne For It is obserued by Diuines that although Satans power be verie great to corrupt all other faculties of the soule of man as to darken the vnderstanding to dazle the fancie to delude the sences and to prouoke the appetite That Satan hath no power to compell the will yet that hee hath no power to remoue or to turne the will he may tempt and perswade but he cannot compell the same for seeing this is the primum mobile the highest wheele in the frame of our soule that moueth and guideth all our actions and according to which they shall be discerned and iudged therefore in the middest of mans greatest assaults God would not suffer Satan to preuaile and to command the will but hee hath left the same in our owne libertie so that Satan cannot destroy vs vnlesse wee bee willing to destroy our selues and therefore Saint Ambrose sayth Ambros de vita beata habetur 15. q. 1. can Non est Non est quod cuiquam nostram ad scribamus arâ—â—mnam nisi nostra voluntati qui nemo tenetur ad culpam nisi voluntate propria deflexerit There is no reason why any man should ascribe the cause of his miseries to any thing in the world saue onely to his owne will for we perish because we will perish perditio tua ex te Our owne will is the cause of all our woe our destruction is from our selues and from no where else for no man is drawne to sinne neither can it be a sinne vnlesse the agent doth some way yeeld some consent of will for if Satan had power to force the will aliquis iustorum non remaneret then not a righteous man should remaine vpon the face of the earth and therefore are all his temptations called perswasions or suggestions and not compulsions because they are all vsed to make vs voluntary agents to make vs yeeld consent of will for that as I sayd before Non est peccatum nisi sit voluntarium No act can be a sinne any way vnlesse it bee voluntarie some way And therefore as Apollodorus the tyrant dreamed that hee was fleaâ—d by the Scythians and boyled in a seething Caldron and that his owne heart should say vnto him I am the cause of this thy fearefull torments so it is most certaine that there is no damned soule in hell but he may iustly say his owne heart and his owne will sent him thither for let Sathan doe what hee will and let him striue what he can yet if man were true to himselfe The gates of Hell should neuer preuaile against him because no created power is able to compell the will of man And yet such is the power of sinne that although reason should shew vs what is good Video meliora proboque deteriora sequor yet it maketh vs to will onely that which is euill to leaue the incommutable and infallible good and to follow after base and vile affections and then God seeing vs nilling the good and willing the euill he giues vs ouer to a reprobate minde Aug. de l. arbit Vt cum vult homo recte agere non potest quia quando potuit noluit ideo per malum velle perdidit bonum pesse That if we would will well wee cannot because when we could will well we would not and therefore as our first Father Adam so all we that are the sonnes of Adam by willing euill haue and doe loose the power of willing good For Rom. 1.21.24 That our sinne hath depriued vs of all will to doe good As because the Gentiles when they knew God glorified him not as God neither were thankfull therefore God gaue them ouer to vile affections to doe those things that were not conuenient So because when we had our will free and none could command it wee willed euill and not good therefore God in Iustice giues vs ouer to such wilfull greedinesse of sinning that now of our selues we haue not the least will to doe good for if any man willeth good it is from infused grace and not from our inbred will Philip. 1.13 for God worketh in vs both the will and the deed sayth the Apostle but our naturall will is dead from good for sinne hath so defiled the same that it willeth and affecteth nothing but vile and vaine things and so it compelleth euery part and facultie of the soule to long and lust after euill for the vis irascibilis the irascible distasting and angry faculty which should be as a dogge to keepe away sinne doth now waxe angry at euery vertue and that which should detest euill in his brother doth rage and swell at the reproofe of his Father and the vis concupiscibilis the concupiscible faculty or desiring appetite which should desire nothing but goodnesse and what were iust and honest doth now affect nothing but lewdnesse and what is most vile and abhominable and it cannot doe any otherwise Max. l 1. de charitate Nomquemadmodum passerculus pede alligatus c. For as a little bird tyed by the leg when he beginneth to flie is presently drawne downe againe by the string So the mind of man tyed by base affections if it seeke to mount vp to heauenly thoughts it is presently plucked downe againe by sinne saith Maximus And so you see that Quam non mille ferae quam non steneleius hostis Nec potuit quicquam vincere vincit Adam This will of man which neither mortall enemies nor yet infernall spirits nor any other created thing could subdue is now defiled polluted and wholly corrupted by sinne That no outward enemy can compell our will And therefore I can freely yeeld vnto our aduersaries that wee haue free-will in regard of any outward compulsion for that Satan himselfe cannot compell it for if he could we could not iustly be condemned for doing that vnwillingly which we are wholly and forcibly compelled to doe Our inward naturall corruption is that which draweth our will to sinne but we haue not the least free-will in regard of our naturall corruption for as a stone tumbling downe the hill needes no man to driue it so the will of it selfe is so inclined to euill that of it selfe it can no more affect goodnesse then a stone of it selfe to runne vpwards and therefore Saint Iohn saith of the regenerate Iohn 2.13 that they are not borne of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God Secondly as no action can be good vnlesse the will be right and the will can neuer be right vnlesse the vnderstanding be right as Seneca saith for though the will be the Mistresse and the Commander of
be one peny to make vs richer for an oath of our mouth to shew our selues Gallants and for such like other things of nothing will not be afraid to offend our God to lose his fauour and to cast him off for euer I remember that when God sheweth how little hee respecteth wicked sinners Psal 44 13. the Prophet saith Thou sellest thy people for naught and takest no money for them as if they were worth nothing in the world euen so doe these men deale with God they sell him for naught and esteeme him worth nothing in the world for putting God on the one hand and the least pleasure or profit of sinne on the other hand they will imbrace that sinne and forsake their God and this they will not onely doe once or twice and then leaue but they will doe it daily and hourely and euery moment neuer leauing to sinne vntill we be compelled to leaue the world for euery one of vs may say with Manasses Vt februm recidiuarum maiora pericula vt vulnerum post cicatrices c. Bosquierus de passione Dom conc 3. p. 692. Peccaui super numerum arenae maris My sinnes are more in number then the sands of the Sea And therefore as often wounding the same scarres doth increase the danger saith Bosquierus So the continuall committing of the same sinnes doth euery way much increase and aggrauate the offences for if we did it but once it might be thought we did it precipitately of inconsideration but when we doe it continually it is apparant that we doe it wilfully with delight and deliberation and therefore must be left euery way without excuse Ansel in l. de casu diaboli Anselmus comparing the sinne of Satan with his owne sin saith Diabolus nulla praecedentis vindicta superbiens peccauit ego visa eius paena non continens ad peccatum properaui ille in innocentia constitutus ego vero restitutus ille perstitit in malitia deo reprobante ego vero deo reuocante ille obduratur ad punientem ego vera ad blandientem sic vterque contra deum ille contra non requirentem se ego vero contra morientem pro me ecce cuius imaginem horrebam in multis aspicio me horribiliorem The Diuell not seeing any vengeance vpon any former sinner by waxing proud did sinne but I though I saw his punishment for sinne did notwithstanding hasten vnto sinne He sinned in his innocency wherein he was first created I after I was againe restored hee persisted in his malice God forsaking him I persist in my sinne God still seeking to reclaime me from sinne he was hardned against God punishing him I against my God that gently and mildly intreated me and so both of vs did sinne against God he against him that after he sinned sought him not but I against him that after I had sinned sought me and dyed for mee and therefore behold I find my selfe in many things more vile and horrible then him whom for his obstinacy against God I doe so much hate and detest So infinitely great Man is not able to comprehend the infinite deformitie of sinne and so transcendently horrible is the sinne of man insomuch that Diuines conclude that as God is infinite Propter summam formositatem In regard of his excellent beauty so is sinne infinite in respect of vs Propter summam deformitatem By reason of its vnspeakeable deformitie and therefore that it can deserue no lesse then infinite punishment Well then beloued Brethren seeing the person offended All punishment ought to be answerable to the offence is so great and so excellent the offenders so base and so beggerly and the offence so haynous and so intollerable and that the punishment of a sinne Vt nec maior crimine ita nec minor esse debet As it ought not to be more so it should not be lesse then the offence deserueth what man can imagine a punishment great enough for such and so great offences as wee daily commit against our God Hence it is that Saint Paul willing to shew the equity of this inflicted punishment calleth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 stipendia The stipend or the wages of sinne Now stipendium Dr a stipe A stipend is an hirelings reward and was wont to be called the wages that was appointed to be paide the Souldiers to make prouision for their daily meate and drinke to sustaine themselues vntill they receiued their full pay this was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their stipend and none can say but the poore Souldier which aduentureth his life and his limbes euery moment for the defence of his Prince Peeres and Countrey is iustly worthy of this small measure of meate Now Death saith the Apostle is the stipend of the Sinner and therefore Death is as due to him Aretius in Rom. c. 6. 25. Vti militi stipendium suum as is the stipend vnto the Souldier saith Aretius And so you see the Worke Sinne the Wages Death and the Equity of it as iustly due to him as the stipend is to the Souldier For the wages of Sinne is Death CHAP. VI. Of the especiall application of each one of these three parts of the whole Text. ANd now to presse each one of these to make impression in our hearts let vs euer learne and remember that First seeing sinne is so various so ambiguous so horrible and so odious in its meandrian windings we should be very carefull to looke into the secret corners and tortuous labyrinths of the same for it comes as I shewed you creeping by degrees and it comes vayled with shadowes As the Serpent crept into Paradice so the Diuel creepeth into our harts and draweth vs into the height of sinne by little and little Looke into all the Ecclesiasticall Stories and you shall see that neither Idolatry nor Superstition stept into its height at first but rather crept on by little and little Saint Peters Successor was long before he could come to weare a triple Crowne so Satan seekes to bring in sinne and therefore seeing that Serò medicina paratur Cum mala per longas conualuere moras It is hard to cure an old festered disease we should obstare principijs withstand the very first beginnings of sinne and hate the very garment Jude verse 23. that is any wayes spotted or stained with iniquity That is the very least thing that may occasionate euill How we may withstand and hinder the groweth of sinne But you will say how shall this be done you tell vs what we should doe but you shew vs not the way to doe it I answere that I finde two especiall meanes whereby Satan sought to inlarge the Kingdome of Sinne and by which he had almost ouerthrowne the Kingdome of Israel The one was the aduice of Baalam Numb 24 14. the sonne of Beor a great Prophet that taught Balak King of Moab 1 Cor. 10.8 to intangle
an haire of their head so absolute is his Power that what he will and as he will he can easily bring to passe Secondly his Power is said to be absolute Quia est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Secondly he can hinder what he will not Gen. 11.8 because hee is subiect to no hinderance he can easily hinder whatsoeuer is intended against his will as he did to build the Tower of Babel and Saul to persecute his poore Church but none can hinder him to doe whatsoeuer he will for as the Prophet Esay saith There is none that can deliuer out of his hands Esay 43.13 and if hee will worke who shall hinder it no counsell no strength no indeuour of any created thing can any thing preuaile against God and therefore Daniel saith that the Throne of God was like a fiery flame and his wheeles like burning fire to shew that against God there is no resistance saith Amandus Polanus Polan tom 1. p. 513. And Saint Augustine saith that in this respect God is said to be omnipotent Quod faciat quae vult non patiatur quae non vult Because he doth what he will and suffereth nothing to be done that he will not None can hinder him to doe what he will but he can hinder any thing that he will not and therefore Salomon saith Many deuices are in a mans heart Prou. 19.21 but the counsell of the Lord shall stand that is let men plot what they will nothing shall be effected that God will not Gods Power to bâ— considered two wayes Thirdly his Power is said to be absolute because he can dâ—e more then either he doth or will doe for we must vnderstand that the Power of God is to be considered either 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 absolutely or 2. Ex hypothesi relatiuely as it hath respect and relation vnto the will and Wisedome of God Goclen disquit Plot os p. 133. In the first sence the absolute Power of God is that whereby God can simply doe whatsoeuer hath the possibility of being and therefore by this Power God could and can doe many infinite things more then he doth and more then he hath reueiled vnto vs that he wil do as by and by I shal declare vnto you That the will and decree of God is the rule and measure of the ordinary Power of God In the second sence the hypotheticall or conditionall Power of God which is called the Actuall Power of God and vnto which pertaineth the ordinary Power of God whereof Scaliger speaketh Exercitatione 365. Sect. 8. is that whereby God can doe onely what he will and not those things which he will not and so his Power extenâ—s it selfe no further then his will nor his will any further then his Power but as Saint Ambrose saith Voluntas eius potestas cius his will and his Power are both alike And therefore it is apparant that God by his absolute Power can doe a great deale more then he doth or can doe by his ordinary Power because by that hee can doe all things that are possible to be done but by this he can doe but onely those things which he willeth and hath decreed to bee done To make it more plaine God could of these stones raise vp children vnto Abraham Matth. 3.9 saith Iohn Baptist that is by his absolute Power but hee could not doe it by his ordinary Power because he would not So the Father could haue beene incarnate and made man by his absolute Power because this doth neither destroy his nature nor imply a contradiction but he could not doe this by his hypotheticall or conditionall Power because it repugneth with the decree of Gods will so he could and can create a thousand worlds by his absolute Power but he cannot doe it by his ordinary Power because he willeth no more and to say all in a word God can doe onely these things which out of his goodnesse and wiseddme which is the rule by which the ordinary Power of God is guided he hath from all eternity decreed that he would doe by his limited and ordinary actuall Power but hee can doe not onely this but also all things else that he can will and many thousand times more then either he doth or willeth to be done by his absolute and illimited power This is the truth you shall heare the proofe For First Our Sauiour Christ himselfe saith vnto Peter That God by his absolute power can doe more then he doth or euer did Matth. 26.53 Put vp thy sword into his place Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father and he shall presently giue me more then twelue legions of Angels And therefore it is apparant that both he could haue asked his Father that his Father could haue supplyed him yet neither of them would do that which they were able to doe Secondly the Fathers doe thus explaine this Truth for Saint Augustine saith Consequens est vt quod est esse potuerit c. Aug in Enchirid ad Laurent c. 95. in l. de nat grat c. 7. It is consequent that that which is might be but it is not consequent that that which might be is for because the Lord raised Lazarus from the graue it is without doubt that hee could doe it and because he did not raise Iudas i. e. spiritually from sinne shall we say that he could not doe it therefore he could but hee would not for if hee would haue done it hee might with the same power haue raised him from sinne as hee did the other from his graue because Iohn 5.21 the Sonne quickneth whom he will So Tertullian in his booke against Praxeas saith Tertul. contra Prax. Non quia non potest facere ideo credendum est illum non fecisse etiam quod non fecerit sed an fecerit requirendum We must not therefore beleeue that God hath not done those things which hee hath not nor will not doe because he cannot doe them but we must enquire what he hath done or will doe for assuredly he could if he would haue giuen vnto man wings to flie withall as he did vnto the birds of the ayre he could presently destroy Praxeas and all other Heretickes whatsoeuer and yet he doth not doe it because he can doe it 1 Cor. 11.19 Luk. 24.46 for there must be Heretickes and it behooued Christ to haue suffered In this respect may any thing be said to be hard for God to doe that is whatsoeuer hee will not doe not because hee cannot doe it but because hee is not willing to doe it Quia Dei posse velle est non posse nolle est because that to bee able with GOD is to be willing and not to be able is to be vnwilling because hee can doe whatsoeuer hee will doe Damasc ad Calcem l. 1. And so Damascen saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He can doe whatsoeuer
truth of God wee can in no wayes beleeue them not because we know no reason how they may be done for so we beleeue many things as all the mysteries of our Faith but because we haue many reasons euen out of the Word of God to assure vs that these things cannot be done And so much for the chiefest obiections that are vsually made against the truth of this Doctrine of Gods Power CHAP. IV. Of the vsefull application of this Doctrine of Gods Power YOu haue seene the truth of this Doctrine of the Power of God it may serue for many especiall ends As first for the confutation of a world of errors and the cutting downe of many infinite heresies especially those whereof I haue already spoken and therefore I neede not say any more of them in this place Secondly this Doctrine of Gods Power A great comfort to the godly that God is able to deliuer them Math. 10.16 Dan. 3.17 may serue for the consolation of the godly for they are inuironed with many enemies they are sent as Sheepe into the middest of Wolues and they are hated of all-men for Christ his sake but as the three Children said We know that God is able to deliuer vs from the burning fiery Furnace and from the hands of all that hate vs and to preserue vs blamelesse vntill the day of the comming of Christ And therefore though we be beset with enemies on euery side Bosquier de incruent victor Christi p. 567. especially the World Tanquam Syrena dulcis Like the alluring Mermaides The flesh Tanquam Dalila blandiens Like a false flattering Dalila and the Diuell Tanquam Leo rugiens Like a roaring Lyon that doe seeke by all meanes to destroy vs Presentemque viris intendunt omnia mortem Virgil. Aeneid l. 1. Reuel 2.10 Yet we neede not feare any of those things that we shall suffer Quia non plus valet ad deijciendum terrena paena quam ad erigendum diuina tutela Because all the power of darkenesse is not so able to suppresse vs as our gracious God is to support vs for otherwise Si Diabolus nocere posset quantum vellet aliquis iustorum non remaneret If either Satans malice or the hatred of wicked men or the furie of bloud-thirsty Tyrants might preuaile against the godly seruants of Christ so much as they would then not a righteous man could remaine vpon the face of the Earth but God can put a hooke in their nostrils and say vnto them as he sayes vnto the Seas Hitherto shalt thou goo and no further Rom. 8.31 And therefore If God be with vs we neede not feare who be against vs Quia maior est qui est in nobis quam qui est in mundo 1 Iohn 4.4 Because as Saint Iohn saith He is greater and stronger which is in vs then he that is in the W rld Euen so we haue the lusts of our owne flesh the messengers of Satan 1 Pet. 2.11 that doe buffet vs and fight against our soules and make vs many times when it compells vs to doe the euill that we would not doe â—nd to leaue vndone the good that we would doe to crie out with the Apostle Rom. 7.19 O wretched men that we are who shall deliuer vs from this body of death or who shall preserue vs vnto eternall life And to say with the Poet O terque quaterque beati queis ante ora patrum contigit oppetere O happy had wee beene had wee died before wee had sinned but if we cast our eyes to looke vpon Gods Power we may be presently comforted because the Saints of God though they be shaken and sifted and winnowed like wheate yet are they kept not by their owne strength for so they should soone faile 1 Pet. 1.5 but by the Power of God saith Saint Peter through faith vnto saluation And this indeed is the sole comfort of all Christians that we shall neuer perish Iohn 10.28.29 because our Father which gaue vs vnto Christ is greater then all and none is able to take vs out of his Fathers hands This is that Foundation which remaineth sure and therefore happy is that man which buildes vpon this Foundation Thirdly this Doctrine of Gods Power may serue for the reprehension of the wicked for he can destroy all the workers of iniquitie Math. 10.28 and cast both body and soule into Hell fire And therefore will ye not feare to offend so great a God Remember I beseech you what he hath done to the old World to Sodome That the wicked should feare to offend thiâ— powerfull God Deut 29.19 and Gomorrah to Cora Dathan and Abiram to Pharaoh Iudas and many more remember that he can doe whatsoeuer hee will doe and remember what he saith Hee will doe vnto them that heare the words of the curse of the Law and yet will blesse themselues in their hearts saying We shall haue peace And let these things moue you to be humbled before the mighty â—and of God and to cause you here to feare his power 1 Pet. 5.6 that hereaâ—ter you may not feele his anger For Heb. 10.31 it is a fearefull thing to fall into the hands of the liuing God and they that now goe on in sinne and make but a sport of iniquitie without either beleeuing his truth that he will punish sinne or fearing his power that he can punish them shall then finde and feele that it had beene better for them neuer to haue beene borne or to haue had a milstone hanged about their neckes and to haue beene cast into the middest of the Sea then to haue broken the least Commandement oâ— this powerfull and Almighty God And so much for the first attribute of God here expressed that is his Power and now followeth the second attribute which is Gods Goodnesse CHAP. V. Of the Mercy of GOD and wherein the same chiefly consisteth YOu haue heard of the Power of God 2. Attribute i. e Gods goodnesse we are now to see how God proclaimeth his Goodnesse according as he had promised before I will make all my goodnesse to passe before thy face Exod. 33.9 A Doctrine farre more comfortable then the former for not hee that can but he that will helpe vs is best vnto vs and hee that is willing to doe what he can though it be but little is farre more deere vnto vs then he that can do much but will do nothing but the power of God sheweth that he is able and this goodnesse of God proueth that he is willing to releeue vs and therefore the goodnesse of God is the anchor of our hope and the foundation of all our comfort and it is well coupled with the former attribute for in vaine were his willingnesse to helpe vs vnlesse he were able and in vaine were his ability to helpe vs vnlesse hee were willing the former being but a fruitlesse wish and the latter but a gracelesse
vnwillingnesse in them to serue him but because hee denieth his grace vnto them whereby they might be inabled to serue him and this deniall of his grace is no iniustice in God because their owne sinnes haue made this separation betwixt GOD and them God is not bound to giue the wicked power to serue him and makes euery man like vnto Turnus soule Fugit indignata per vmbras To hide himselfe from this shining light And God is a debtor to no man that hee should inlighten any but whom it pleaseth him Secondly I say that this extending of his speciall goodnesse vnto some and not to others is no accepting of persons in that sence which the Scripture saith God is no accepter of persons For First Saint Augustine tels vs that Ibi est acceptio personarum vbi quae aequalibus ex aquo debentur inaequaliter distribuuntur There is the acception of persons What it is to be an accepter of persons where those things which are equally due to all men are vnequally distributed to some men but where those things which are due to none are freely giuen vnto some and vnequally distributed vnto those yet herein is neither partiality nor iniquity because as our Sauiour saith God may doe with his owne what he will Math. 20.15 and giue the same to whom he please And thereby Huic facit misericordia tibi non fit iniuria He doth but shew mercy vnto the one and he doth no iniustice to the other Secondly the meaning of the holy Ghost in saying that God is no accepter of persons is not that he chooseth not one man rather then another for so hee chose Iacob and hated Esau Mal. 1.2 but that he chooseth not any man in regard of the outward indowments or naturall gifts or any other thing that is in that man rather then in other men as not Achitophel for his wisedome not Absolon for his beauty not Sampson for his strength God chooseth no man for the loue of any thing that is in man not Diues for riches nor Iacob for any thing that was in Iacob more then in Esau for whom he chooseth he chooseth meerely out of his meere grace and goodnesse towards the one rather then the other as he himselfe plainely sheweth I will haue mercy on whom I will haue mercy Exod. 33.19 And so you see how abundantly God is good eternally in himselfe generally vnto all and more especially vnto his Saints Oh then let vs not be like the Aegyptians that found out the streames of the Riuer Nilus but knew not the springs from whence they issued Let vs not be ignorant of that spring and Fountaine from whence wee receiue so many benefits That we should acknowledge all our goodnesse to proceede from God and so many streames of goodnesse for this were but like the Swine to eate the Acornes that fall on the ground and neuer to behold the Tree from whence they fall or to beare the name of God written in our hearts by the Pen of Nature and yet to be like the Athenian Altar wherein was ingrauen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the vnknowne God but rather in all things whatsoeuer wee haue or inioy health wealth or prosperity spirituall or temporall grace let vs with Saint Iames acknowledge the same to descend from aboue and to proceede vnto vs from this abundant goodnesse of God And for the same Iames 1.17 let vs ascribe vnto God the honour due vnto his name to worship him with holy worship And so much for the fourth particle Of the abundant goodnesse of God CHAP. IX Of the superabundant truth of God THe fift particle of Gods goodnesse is that hee is abundant in truth Now truth saith Anselmus is as Time or as Light which though but one yet is it diuersly distinguished So Truth saith the Phylosopher is variously considered and that either Arist aethic l. 4. c. 7. Moral l. 1. c 33. What morall Truth is 1. Morally 2. Physically In the first sence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Truth is a vertue euenly placed betwixt arrogancy and simulation or as Cicero defines it and which Saint Augustine holds to be the best definition of it Veritas est per quam immutata quae sunt quae fuerunt quae futura sunt dicuntur Truth is that i. e. that vertue whereby things past things present and things to come are immutably related as they are And this Truth though it be in God or rather from God because he alwayes saith and relateth things immutably as they be yet is it not in him as in vs because in vs truth is a morall vertue whereby as by an habite we are propense and inclined to shew forth the things as they be but in God it is not as a quality but an essentiall property whereby he is what he is and can no more leaue to be or to relate Truth then he can leaue to be a God What Physical Truth is In the second sence Veritas cuiuslibet rei est proprietas sui esse quod stabilitum est ei The truth of euery thing is the propriety of his being or as Saint Augustine saith Verum est id quod est That is true which is Illud enim omnes verum dicunt esse quod tale reuera est Aâ—gust Soliâ—â—que l. 2. c. 5. quale esse videtur c. For all men saith he â—ffirme that to be true which is indeede as it seemes to be and that to be false which is not as it seemes to be as the Image of a man in a glasse seemes to be a man and is not and therefore though it be a true image of a man yet is it a false man And so hee is a false friend which seemes to be a true frâ—end and is not A most heauy sentence against them which say They are Iewes Reuel 2.9 and are not but are of the Synagogue of Satan which say they are Christians but serue not God and which seeme to be iust and honest men but inwardly are rauening Wolues because they being not what they seeme to be doe deceiue themselues and the truth is not in them And therefore 1 Iohn 1.6 Nihil prodest illis nomen vsurpare alienum vocari quod non sunt It will auaile them nothing to vsurpe a wrong name and to be called what they are not for though they may deceiue the World yet Christ which is truth it selfe and knoweth all truth will tell them at the last day that he neuer knew them that is Math 25.12 to be true Christians which they seemed to be but were not And thus God is truth and that two wayes 1. Essentially in himselfe 2. Causally in all things First God is essentially true yea trueth it selfe as Moses and as our Sauiour sayth quia est quod est Deut. 32.4 because he is that which he is and that which he seemes to be and thus properly
things which for the present seeme harsh and bitter vnto vs will in the end proue to our great aduantage Thirdly For the manner of Christ his birth it is recorded Of the manner of Christs birth how meane it was in many respects that it was very poore and meane meaner then ordinary or extraordinary base for he was borne of poore Parents they trauelled on foote they had not an Asse to ride on in a poore Towne little Bethlehem which is by interpretation An House of Bread but such a poore House of Bread that there was scarce any bread in the House And then being come from darkenesse into light Non poterat verbum fari verbum This word could not speake a word but hee was wrapped in poore swadling cloutes it may be his Mothers ragges and then laid in a poore lodging euen in the Manger and so he was indeed made lower then the Angels for he was consorted and laid among the Beasts that perish Quia non erat locus in diuersorio Because there was no roome in the Inne for these poore innocent people among the drunken swaggering companions for these will be sure to haue roome Et pauper vbique iacet And the poore shall bee thrust out of doores And yet Christ was well contented he desired no better Why Christ would be born so meanely Psal 22.6 but chose indeede to come after this meanest manner First To fulfill the Scriptures for the Prophet Dauid said in the person of Christ I am a worme and no man a very scorne of men and the outcast of the people And the Prophet Esay saith He should grow vp as a roote out of a dry ground i. e. wrinckled and almost withered for want of radicall moysture He hath neither forme nor comelinesse and when wee shall see him there is no beauty Esay 53.2.3 that we should desire him he is despised and reiected of men Secondly To teach vs true humility Descendit quo inferius non decuit vt ascenderet quo superius non poterat For he made himselfe of no reputation that he might be exalted Phil. 2.9 and haue a name giuen him about all other names to shew vnto vs Luke 18.14 that Whosoeuer humbleth himselfe shall be exalted Thirdly To condemne the courses and desires of worldly men for they desire nothing so much as wealth honours and promotions and yet all the Monarchs of this World with all their pompe and power with all their riches and greatnesse cannot reconcile one soule to God They must let that alone for euer But Christ poore stript and naked hath so pleased God that through him God cannot be displeased with vs for it is goodnesse and not greatnesse to be void of sinne and not to be full of riches that our God respecteth Fourthly To procure true riches vnto vs for so the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 8.9 that Christ though he was rich yet for our sake he became poore that we through his pouerty might be made rich Fiftly To shew the difference betwixt his first and his second comming for now he came in pouerty but then hee shall come in maiesty Math. 16.27 He shall come on the glory of his Father with his Angels The Earth shall burne the Heauens shall melt and all the powers of the same shall be shaken And therefore seeing as Emyssenus saith Talis tantus sit horror venientis quis poterit terrorem sustinere iudicantis That comming of his shall be so terrible as that all the wicked crue of damned sort shall exceedingly howle and cry and pray the mountaines to fall vpon them and to hide them from that fearefull day let vs make the right vse of this his first comming that wee may escape the terror of his second comming And so you see the manner of his birth weakely poorely and meanely That we should be well contented with any state And this should teach vs to be euer contented with our poore and meane estate for if the Sonne of God who made all things and whose all things are All the Cattle vpon a thousand hilles was well contented and made choyce of this low estate why should we be discontented with the same for wee are vnworthy of the very Bread wee eate and of the very Light of Heauen wherewith we are illuminated we are very base and miserable beggars begging of God the very crummes that wee eate Math. 6.11 saying Giue vs this day our daily bread and yet such is our pride and haughtinesse that wee are ready to snatch it out of his hands and not to stay while he giues it vs Such is our disdaine and discontentednesse that the daintiest fare will scarce please vs and such is our desire and ambition that euery man still cryeth with the Daughters of the Horse-leech More more Our eyes are neuer satisfied with seeing nor our eares with hearing nor our hearts with enioying the vanities of this World But alas Beloued Beware of murmuring Wisedome 1. 11. which is nothing worth and let the same minde be in you herein as was in Christ Iesus If you would be happy remember how he came Phil. 2.5 Math. 8.20 poore and meane remember how he liued meane and miserable for He had not an House wherein to put his head We haue more then that and remember how hee was entertained cold and comfortlesse Math. 10.24.25 for He came amongst his owne and his owne receiued him not And therefore seeing he found such cold entertainement in the world why should wee looke for any better or be any wayes discontented at the like for The Seruant is not aboue his Master but it is enough for the seruant to be as his Master is CHAP. III. Of the testimonies which proue that Christ the Messias is borne THirdly Of the witnesses that testifie the birth and comming of the Messias For the testimony and witnesse whereby he was approued and confirmed vnto the world to be incarnate and made Flesh for to be the Sauiour and Redeemer of the World I finde the same especially to be two-fold 1. The Creatures 2. The Creator First The testimony of the Creature is three-fold 1. The Angels of Heauen 2. The Starres in the Skies 3. Men on Earth First An Angell said vnto the Shepheards Luke 2.11 Vnto you is borne this day in the City of Dauid a Sauiour which is Christ the Lord And immediately there were not sixe Cherubims as Esayas saw nor foure and twenty Elders Esay 6.2 as Saint Iohn saw but a multitude of heauenly Angels that by their heauenly Halelu-iah did confirme the same And therefore the truth hereof is infallible because the Angels though they bee mutable by nature yet they be now cōfirmed by grace Isidorus l. 1. c. 12. de summo bono Ne à veritate voluntatem auerterent That they cannot lye nor fall away from truth as Isidorus saith Secondly The gentile Prophet Baalam prophesied that there
they could whereof two whipped him with rods of thornes and when they had wearied themselues another two whipped him with ropes Costerus med 24. or whip-cords tyed and knotted like a Carters whip and when they were tyred the other twaine scourged off his very skinne with wyres How grieuously Christ was scourged or little chaines of iron and the number of his stripes as some report it amount to 5400. or as others say to 5370. or at the least according to the number of the Band of Souldiers to 660. a scourging able to kill any man and would haue killed him How he was Crowned with thornes but that he was preserued by the Godhead to indure and to suffer a more shamefull death and when hee was thus scourged the Souldiers platted a Crowne of thornes and put it vpon his head a goodly Crowne for the King of Kings for I read of many sorts of Crownes as of the Triumphall Laurall Nauall Murall and such like but neuer till this did I reade of a Crowne of thornes for this shamefull and this dolefull Diademe was made like a Crowne to delude him Osorius de Passione domini and it was made of thornes to torment him for it bored his head with two and seauenty wounds as Osorius saith and then they put vpon him a purple robe and scoffingly sâ—iâ— Haile King of the Iewes Squallentem barbam concretos anguine crines vulnâ—raque illa gerens quae circum plurima muros accepit patrios Virgil. l. 2. Aeneid and spitefully smote him with their hands And after they had thus lashed him almost vnto death and most cruelly diuided those Azure channels of his guiltlesse bloud they bring him out it may be by the haire of the head expose him to the publike view of the scornefull company and Pilate saith vnto them Ecce homo Behold the man Behold I say not your King to prouoke you the more against him nor yet the Sonne of God which you say hee maketh himselfe to be for if he were so he might haue easily rescued himselfe out of his enemies hands But behold a poore silly miserable distressed man and see how hee lieth disfigured with wounds weltring and panting in a crimson Riuer of his owne bloud and let this sufficient yea more then sufficient punishment suffice to satisfie your rage against him Quia homo qui in homine calamitoso est misericors meminit sui Because a man pittying an afflicted distressed man doth thereby shew hee is mindfull of himselfe who may fall into the same case that another man is fallen into That we should euer contemplate how Christ stood before the people in his Robes and Crowne of thornes And therefore let vs behold in contemplation the countenance of this man Behold the fairest among men being both white and ruddie the chiefest among tenne thousand his head being as the most fine gold his eyes as the eyes of Doues by the Riuers of waters his cheekes as a bedde of spices and his lippes like Lillies dropping sweete smelling Myrhe And see how lauish and prodigall are these prophane and sacrilegious Cannibals of his most diuine and sacred bloud and how hee stands here before these wicked Iudges to be iudged for vs wicked men his strength fainting his heart panting and his hands bound that he could by no meanes wipe off those flouds of teares and bloud that trickled downe his cheekes and flowed from all the pores and passages of his precious Body And let this consideration moue vs to compassionate him to condemne them that did it and especially to detest that that is our sinne which was the onely cause of all this his dolefull sorrowes Parcere prostratis scit nobilis ira leonis at lupus turpes instant morientibus vrsi quaecunque minor nobilitate fera est Ouid. They vrge a three-fold argument to moue Pilate to crucifie Christ 1. Their Law Leuit. 24. But to returne vnto the Iewes that most enuious and malicious people the more Pilate did to appease them the more they were inraged against him for seeing how Pilate sought to loose him they had taught that vnstable multitude of vngratefull people for all the good workes that hee did vnto them healing their sicke restoring their dead and feeding their soules with the foode of life to cry out with one consent Away with him away with him crucifie him crucifie him And the chiefest of them doe with a three-fold argument vrge Pilate to condemne our Sauiour Christ First That they had a Law and by their Law hee must die because he maketh himselfe the Sonne of God so the ignorant and the arrogant Pharises and the Doctors of their Law doe accuse the Author and the Publisher of the Law not knowing that ancient rule Eius est absoluere cuius est condere legem He may lawfully abolish which hath the power to establish any Law Secondly They threaten him that if he let him loose 2. The friendship of Caesar he is no friend to Caesar a most forcible though not infallible reason for who would not then as the case stood haue almost condemned any man rather then to be accused by so many audacious impudent men of high Treason against Caesar Thirdly They doe engage themselues for him saying 3. Their ingaging for him Let his bloud be vpon vs and vpon our Children Doe thou the deede let him be condemned and if thou fearest any thing we are willing to vndergoe the danger let the vengeance of his bloud light on vs and on our Children for euer Then Pilate hauing attentiuely heard did most diligently consider all these things And First Musing whether he was the Sonne of God or not He beganne to feare both for what he had already done in scourging and deluding him and what hee was presently to doe Discite iustitiam moniti non temnere diuos To passe sentence vpon the Sonne of God for he assured himselfe the Gods would reuenge all wrongs especially done against themselues Mezentius felt it for a lesser fault then this Flectere si nequeo superos Acharonta mouebo for he was thrust to Hell for saying The damned spirits should helpe him if that the Gods would not assist him And therefore he desires Christ to tell him Quo sanguine cretus From whence he was But to this our Sauiour giues him none answere for to what end should he answere because hee had already made knowne vnto them that he was the Sonne of God and that his Father and he were all one And this was the chiefest motiue that moued them to conuent him and perswaded them so earnestly to seeke for to condemne him Neither would he answere saith Athanasius Athanas de passione cruce Ne si respondisset timiditate formidine mortis id fecisse videretur Least if hee had done so hee might be thought to haue done it for feare of death and to preserue his
life Why Christ would not answere Pilate whence he was Or as others thinke he would not answere least by his eloquence he should haue escaped death insomuch that Pilate who vniustly condemned him iustly admired this that he which was wont to open his mouth in Parables and to teach others the way vnto eternall life would not at this time open his mouth to speake one word for himselfe to saue his life Secondly Pilate being much affraide to be thought an enemie vnto Caesar Marke 15.15 and being most willing to please the people as the Euangelist noteth he determined to deliuer him to be crucified And these were the motiues that caused Pilate to condemne our Sauiour Christ and these cause many a man to sinne when we feare man more then God What moued Pilate to deliuer Christ to be crucified and are desirous rather to please the people then to discharge our consciences from which two fearefull things good Lord deliuer euery faithfull soule Thirdly Because Pilate knew that for enuie the Iewes deliuered him to be crucified and his owne conscience by many arguments testified vnto him how vniustly hee condemned that iust man Math 27.24 The poor shift of Pilate to excuse himselfe therefore that it might happen vnto the Iewes according as they had concluded themselues His bloud be vpon vs and vpon our Children He taketh water and washeth his hands saying I am innocent from the bloud of this iust person See ye to it And then he gaue sentence that it should be as they required that IESVS CHRIST should be presently CRVCIFIED The sentence of Christs condemnation Ah sencelesse sinnefull man a man voide of wisedome to commit such an horrible sinne against thy God and to condemne life to death Alas what auaileth it thee to wash thy hands in water and to defile thy heart with bloud for how shalt thou answere this not onely to condemne an innocent Sed ijsdem labijs illum condemnare quibus pronuntiaueras innocentem But also with the same lippes to condemne him as guilty which euen now had pronounced him guiltlesse Surely God may say to thee as to all those Iudges that follow thy steppes to make a long speech to iustifie themselues Luke 19.22 and in few words to condemne the innocent Out of thine owne mouth will I condemne thee O thou euill seruant and I will iustly condemne thee to eternall death because thou hast vniustly condemned an innocent man to death O consider this ye that forget God and ye that be called Gods on Earth cleanse your hearts from all euill and let not your hands deale with wickednesse so shall you be innocent from the great offence And so you see what the Iudge of all the World suffered before these petty Iudges of this World CHAP. VI. What Christ suffered in Golgotha the place where he was crucified PIlate hauing passed sentence vpon Christ to be crucified the Souldiers take him and laying his Crosse a heauy Crosse vpon his shoulders as Isaac carried the wood wherewith himselfe should be sacrificed Gen. 22.6 2 Sam. 11.14 or as Vrias carried the Letters of his owne death they compelled him to carrie it so long as he was able to stand vnder it then meeting Simon of Cyrene comming from his perambulation in the fields they make him carrie that Crosse of Christ vnto the place of execution and placing the same in Golgotha which was the place where Adam was buried Ambros l. 5. Ep. 1â— as Saint Ambrose thinketh they nayled and fastened Christ vnto it vpon that very day of the weeke that Adam was created Two things considered vpon the Crosse and as is thought he was hanged vpon this Tree vpon the very same houre of the day as Adam did eate of the forbidden Tree And here wee must consider two especiall things 1. The grieuous things that he suffered Tantum distentus sum vt corpore nudo in modum tympanica pellis distento facile possint omnia ossa mea dinumerari Bern. de pass c. 7. 2. The gracious words that he vttered For the first they stretched his body as Saint Bernard saith and then they nayled him to the Crosse which was a grieuous torment vnto any but especially vnto him because his body of all other men was the most tender as being onely shaped of a Virgins substance without any commixture of the male nature and yet the most sensible parts of this tender body must be bored and mangled by his cruell enemies for his feete that afore were washed with Maries teares must now be teared with iron nayles and those blessed hands Bosquier de passione Domini p. 847. in fol. that had wrought so many wonderous workes must now be fastened Vnto this wooden Crosse and there he must hang vntill he die Horrendum dictu A most odious and a most grieuous death and that in foure respects First Because it was an accursed death so esteemed by man 1. An accursed death and so denounced by God himselfe where he saith Cursed is euery one that hangeth vpon a Tree Deut. 21. Gal. 3.13 Tripartit hist l. 1. c. 9. 2. A shamefull death And therefore Constantine the Great and good made a Law that no Christian should be crucified vpon a Crosse Secondly Because it was an ignominious and a shamefull death inflictâ—d chiefly vpon those slaues and seruants that either falsly accused or treacherously conspired their Masters death and it was neuer imposed vpon free men vnlesse it were for some haynous and notorious crimes as robberie murther sedition rebellion or such like 3. A painefull death Thirdly Because it was a most painefull death for that they were fastened to the Crosse not with any little nayles but with bigge purposely made nayles that might hold them sure and fast enough vnto the Crosse so bigge were the nayles that pierced Christ his hands and feete that being found they were found sufficient to make a bridle and a Helmet Socrates Hist l. 1. c. 17. as Socrates saith and then the whole waight of their bodies hanging by these parts made their paine intollerable and killed them at length without any deadly wound And therefore Cicero that most eloquent man which wanted no words to expresse any thing else when hee came to consider of this accursed death was brought to that passe Cicero Orat. 7. in ver to that non-plus as to say Quid dicam in crucem tollere What shall I say of that cruell and most painefull shamefull death of the Crosse 4. A slow and a lingring death Fourthly Because it was a slow and a lingering death for that as the Poet truly saith Morsque minus penae quam mora mortis habet To be long in paine is worse then death a soone dispatched riddance out of paine being a great fauour vnto a languishing life and although in other deaths they should be quickly dispatched and soone rid out of all their paine
miser homo non compatitur pro quo solo deus patitur Hiron in Mat. and therefore how can we behold his head resting vpon a pillow of thornes his hands pierced with iron nayles and his heart bleeding for our sinnes and not to bee moued to a godly sorrow for those our horrible sinnes that caused all his sorrowes It is reported in the Gospell that when our Sauiour suffered the Sun withdrew his light as being ashamed to see so wofull a spectacle the earth quaked and trembled as it were for feare to see her Creator put to death and the stones did cleaue in sunder yea wicked Iudas that betrayed and sold our Sauiour when he saw the indignities that were offered vnto him did repent and grieue that he had betrayed that innocent bloud and therefore what strange hearts haue wee worse then Iudas and harder then stones if we can behold the torments of his Passion and not be touched with compassion The naturalist telleth vs that the Adamant stone is of an impenetrable hardnesse Plinius l. 37. c. 4. and yet he saith that if it be steeped in the warme bloud of a Goate it will be mollified and therefore if the bloud of Christ which is farre more excellent then the bloud of Buls or of Goates cannot intenerate our hard hearts wee are worse then the Adamants and no better then the Diuels That Christ should bleed for vs and we not weepe for our owne sinnes Secondly To make vs thankefull For the second Our Sauiour hauing suffered all this for sin to saue sinfull men and to eternize mortall men He hath broken the head of the Serpent he hath wounded the great Leuiathan and by the merit of his Passion he hath subdued Hell conquered the graue rebated the sting of death taken away the force and guilt of sinne and remoued those Cherubims and that flaming sword which was placed to afright vs and to keepe the way of the tree of life Gen. 2.2 and he hath blotted out the hand-writing of ordinances that was against vs and laid open vnto vs the gates of eternall life and therefore now we should all say with the Psalmist What shall we render vnto the Lord for all his benefits that hee hath done vnto vs Psal 116 11. for we must not thinke it inough to weepe in commiseration of Christ his paine but we must be also thankefull for Christ his suffering The whole world knoweth what great loue hee hath shewed to vs and what bitter Passion he hath suffered for vs and therefore vae tacentibus de te domine Woe be vnto them whose ingratitude hath silenced them from praising thee Sed faelix lingua quae non nouit nisi de te Sermonem texere but most happy is that tongue which can praise thee O Lord though it should be able to speake of nothing else because not onely nothing can be carried better in our mindes nothing can be sweeter in our mouthes nothing more melodious to our eares as Saint Augustine saith then deo gratias to ascribe all praise and to render thankes vnto the Lord our God but especially because as Saint Bernard saith no sacrifice can be more acceptable vnto God for who so offereth me thankes and praise hee honoureth mee and nothing can be more offensiue vnto Satan then to praise the Lord for though thou watchest he careth not because himselfe neuer sleepeth though thou fastest hee regards it not because himselfe neuer eateth any thing but if thou beest thankefull vnto God for his great loue to thee then is Satan grieued because thou being a silly worme on earth dost performe that here in the vally of misery which he being a glorious Angell in Heauen could not performe in that seat of Maiestie and therefore as the Prophet Dauid saith Psal 107.15 that he would rise at midnight to praise the Lord for his righteous iudgements so with the Prophet Dauid I wish to God that men would praise the Lord for his goodnesse especially for this great goodnesse and declare the wonders that he hath done and especially this suffering this great suffering that he vnderwent for the children of men and that they would praise him from the ground of the heart And because virtus nisi cum re vilior alga That we should shew our thankfulnesse to Christ by our workes Luke 2. Matth. 2. thankefulnesse consisteth more in workes then in words therefore let vs not onely with the Angels sing Glory be to God on high but let vs with the wise men present our gifts vnto him gold to clothe the naked and to feede the hungry soule Frankinsence to maintaine the preaching of Gods Word and Myrrhe to be prepared for our death Macrob. Saturnal l. 2. c. 4. that we may liue for euer with him Macrobius tels vs that a certaine souldiour of Augustus Band that had often aduentured his life in Caesars cause being to appeare before those Iudges whom he feared he desired Augustus for to assist him and the Emperour presently wished him to choose whom he would and he would appoint him for his aduocate but the Souldier replyed O Caesar I appointed no Deputy when your life was in danger to be lost but I hazarded mine owne life and receiued all these scarres which he then shewed in his body to preserue you from all hurt and doe you now appoint another to pleade for me what haue I done so much for you and will you refuse to do so small a kindnes for me euen so beloued brethren Christ did not onely hazard his life but gaue himselfe to death and suffered scarres and wounds and the shedding of all his bloud of his dearest bloud for vs and shall wee doe nothing for him Matth. 25 40. O yes beloued let vs euer doe what lyeth in vs for the poore members of Iesus Christ for whatsoeuer you doe to any one of them you doe it vnto me saith our Sauiour Thirdly to teach vs how dearely and how truely we ought to loue our Sauiour Christ For the third as Christ hath so dearely loued vs as to suffer all these things for vs so we should truely loue Christ againe and we should the rather loue him not onely because hee hath done all these things for vs but also because he requireth nothing for all these things but loue he exacts no tribute hee requires no homage he expects no requitall but loue O then let vs not say with the vncleane spirits in the Gospell What haue wee to doe with thee Marke 1.24 O Iesus thou Sonne of God but let vs rather say with the Church Cantic 2.5 in the Canticles Stay me with flagons and comfort mee with apples Bern. in Ser. de pass dom for I am sicke of loue and as thy loue to me Erat talis tantus vt nesciret habere modum was such and so great that it could not containe it selfe within the compasse of any bounds so my
How the want of loue is the cause of many mischiefes in the world I onely pray it may neuer be so with any Christian soule that we make not the truth of God with all reuerence be it spoken as a Packe-horse to support our vile desires I am sure if there were more loue and charity among Christians lesse faults lesse errours would appeare to bee in the Church of God then now there seemes to be 1 Cor. 13. for charity suffereth all things beleeueth all things and is euer willing to make faults and errours lesser then they be whereas the want of loue will make the worst of euery thing euery errour to be an Heresie and euery infirmity to be hainous impiety nay want of loue will make sinnes where God made none We ought to loue all men and to hate all vices in whomsoeuer they be and make vertues to be vices whereas perfect charity will neuer hate the man though he be full of iniquity and therefore my conclusion of this point is that as Christ hath loued vs and gaue himselfe for vs so let vs loue Christ and loue one another for Christ his sake and he that doth these things shall neuer fall Part. 4 PART IIII. CHAP. Of the manner of Christs suffering how he suffered all that I haue shewed so as the Prophets fore-told and as the Apostles had seene the same with their eyes The incomprehensible manner of Christ his sufferings FOurthly Hauing heard of the person suffering Christ of the chiefest things that he suffered which are recorded by the Euangelists and of the necessity of that suffering in respect of those causes which did necessitate the same wee are now to cōsider the maner how he suffered expressed in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so to suffer that is so humbly so louingly so meekely so patiently and so euery way in respect of himselfe as that neither the tongues of men nor Angels are neuer able by any like to expresse it by any words to declare it That all predictions touching the Messias were all accomplished in Iesus Christ or by any apprehensions or thoughts of man to conceiue it And so in regard of men as the Prophets had foretold and the Apostles had already seene for so it pleased Almighty God before the comming of the Messias to fore-tell almost euery thing that should happen throughout all the whole life of the Messias euen from the first moment of his conception vnto the very last act of his Ascention that so all men might beleeue in him in whom they saw all those predictions fulfilled none other for the Prophet Esay had said that a Virgin should conceiue and beare a sonne Esay 7.14 Mich. 5.2 Hos 11.1 Esay 9.1 Micheas said that hee should be borne in Bethlehem-Iuda Hoseas foretold of his flight into Egypt and to be briefe the place of his dwelling in the borders of Nepthali the manner of his liuing Healing all manner of infirmities Cap. 53.4 and preaching the glad tydings of saluation and almost euery one of the least particulars that should happen vnto him at his death Zach. 2.9 as how he should be sold and betrayed by his owne Disciple Psal 41 2. how all his followers should flie from him how craftily and maliciously he should be apprehended Esay 53.10 how falsly he should be accused how basely he should be handled buffeted whipped and spitted vpon how vniustly hee should bee condemned and how cruelly he should be fastned vnto the Crosse to die an accursed death and as most accursed betwixt the wicked and how he should be generally mocked his garments taken from him and haue Gall to eate and Vinegar to drinke and what not all was fore-shewed that should happen vnto the Messias and therefore it behoued Christ so to suffer because it was prophesied that he should so suffer And as the Prophets did fore-shew how the Messias should suffer so the Euangelists and Apostles testifie how Christ did suffer all and euery one of those things that were written of him for they were eye-witnesses of the same 1 Iohn 1.1 and soth ey testifie vnto vs that which was from the beginning which we haue heard and seene and our hands haue handled of the Word of life that testifie wee vnto you i. e. that all the things that were written of him which was promised from the beginning wee haue seene them fully accomplished fulfilled in him which liued and conuersed amongst vs and which we preach vnto you Iesus Christ S. Mathew recollects 32. seuerall Prophesies that he saw fulfilled in our Sauiour Christ Saint Iohn addes many other and so doe the rest diuers more So that whosoeuer would with the men of Berea search the Scriptures from the first Booke of Moses vnto the last Prophet Malachy and marke out all the things that were spoken of the Messias that was for to come we shall if we doe but looke finde them all recorded in the writings of the Apostles and Euangelists to be most fully fulfilled in the person of Iesus Christ A sufficient condemnation to all Iewes that still looke for another Christ for why should not they beleeue their owne Prophets they said the Messiah should suffer these things Christ suffered them so as they were prophesied who then can be the Messias but he in whom all these prophecies were fulfilled but Saint Paul tels vs why they will not beleeue in him Why the Iewes beleeue not in Christ Rom. 11. because partly blindnesse is come vpon them vntill the fulnesse of the Gentiles be come in And now Lord if it be thy will open their eyes that they may see this truth and circumcise all infidelity from their hearts that they may beleeue thy Sonne Iesus Christ to be the Sauiour of the world And as this condemneth all vnbeleeuing Iewes so it confirmeth all true Christians in the faith of Christ and I wish to God that as the seeing of all these things fulfilled in Christ makes vs all to beleeue in Christ so the suffering of all these things for vs would make vs all to praise this our Lord Iesus Christ for his goodnesse to feare him in all our wayes to loue him with all our hearts and to serue him truly and faithfully all the dayes of our life O blessed God grant this vnto vs for Iesus Christ his sake To whom with thee O Father and the Holy Spirit three distinct persons of that one indiuided essence be ascribed all praise and glory both now and for euermore Amen A Prayer O Most blessed God that hast giuen thy dearest and thine onely Sonne not onely to be made man subiect to all infirmities but also to suffer all miseries throughout his whole life and in the end to be put vnto a most shamefull painefull and accursed death by wicked men for sinnefull men that hee suffering what wee deserued wee might be deliuered from thy wrath we most humbly beseech
beget Ecclesiam resurgentium a Congregation of beleeuers that through him might liue to God and with God for euer Christ rose the third day to be a patterne of our condition Fourthly Christ by his example was to set downe a patterne and a sampler of our state and condition and we are all to learne of him and to doe as he did if we desire to be happy where hee is but here we see Christ had his three dayes and no more and therefore we must haue the same three dayes and the same like to his if we would be Christians like to him Now these three dayes of Christ were thus distinguished the first day was called the day of preparation and this was the day of his Passion the second day was called the Sabbaoth and this was the day of his rest and the third day was called the first day of the weeke and this was the day of his resurrection and so must our three dayes beare equipage and proue to be like his if we would be his The first day is a day of Passion The first is a day of preparation a day of Passion a day of cloudes and darkenesse wherein with strong cries and teares and prayers we must commend our selues vnto the tuition and protection of God for in this day we must striue and struggle against sinne and Satan wee must suffer all their bitter darts against vs and we must fight till we die against them and though this bee a day of sorrow yet wee haue some comfort in this day for as this his first day was the shortest of all his three dayes so is our life but a day giue vs this day our daily bread and this day is but a span long the shortest time that may be like vnto a dreame or a tale that is told and therefore we should be the more ready and willing to beare our crosse Our suffering is but short because the time of our suffering is but very short The second is a day of rest in our graues The second day is a day of rest The third day is a day of resurrection where our flesh shall rest in hope to be raised vp at the last day And The third is a day of resurrection vnto glory the first day of the weeke and the first beginning of a neuer-ending world But as Christ could not haue risen in glory had he not rested in hope neither could he haue rested in hope had he not suffered and dyed in faith so cannot we attaine vnto a ioyfull resurrection vpon our third day vnlesse we rest in hope in our second day neither can we rest in hope in our graues the second day vnlesse we doe valiantly fight and suffer vnto death on the first day for this is the order that Christ tooke and the Disciple is not aboue his Master and therefore if any bid vs come downe from the Crosse let vs stoppe our eares like the Cockatrice and let vs bide on still with Iesus that so we may rest and rise with Iesus And so you see how and why our Sauiour Christ was to rise againe the third day But here it may be some will say as they qui disputare mallent quam credere Ob. which had rather dispute about his resurrection then beleeue in his resurrection that he was not only to rise the third day but also to remaine three dayes How Christ remained three dayes in his graue and three nights in the heart of the earth and yet we finde that he was buried by Ioseph and Nicodemus about three houres before Sunne-set on Good friday and rose againe about foure or fiue a clocke on Sunday morning which maketh not in all aboue thirty sixe or thirty eight houres or not aboue forty houres if wee cast it to the highest account and therefore how could hee bee three dayes and three nights in the heart of the earth To this Leo answereth that Christ Sol. Leo Ser. 1. de resur lest his long absence should too much perplexe the afflicted mindes of his Disciples Denuntiatam tridui moram tum mira celeritate breuiauit c. Did so exceedingly shorten the fore-spoken three dayes space that while the last part of the first day and the first part of the last day is numbred with the second day the time is onely shortned but the number of the dayes is not diminished and so Saint Augustine saith that the last part of the first day is taken for the whole day and so likewise the first part of the last day is taken for the whole day Ob. But then though this taking of part for the whole might bee sufficient to proue his being three dayes in the earth yet this is deficâ—ent to shew how he was three nights as well as three dayes in his graue Matth. 12 40. for our Sauiour saith Hee must be three dayes and three nights in the heart of the earth whereas by this reckoning wee finde but two nights in all and therefore to say what I thinke Sol. I answere that twelue houres was the Iewes perfect day according to that saying of Christ Iohn 11.9 How Christ remained three dayes three nights in his graue Are there not twelue houres in the day and the very same twelue houres in the opposite Region of the Heauens is a perfect night and wee finde that Christ remained in his graue three whole twelue houres cast it how you will and therefore thus he may be truly said to be three dayes and three nights in the heart of the earth Or else I say secondly that if wee measure the time according to Gods measure of a day in the beginning i. e. from the beginning of the Euening vntill the Euening returned againe as the Euening and the Morning was the first day i. e. the Euening of the night and the Morning of the day was the first day then I say that vnder these parts of the first and last day must be as there in Moses it is vnderstood the nights also Gen. 1.5 for as Moses reckoneth the Euening and the Morning of the day for the day and night so must we here vnderstand these three dayes for three dayes and three nights and so Christ remained three dayes and three nights in the heart of the earth And thus wee see both by types and the predictions of the Prophets and by the assertion of Christ himselfe that the Messias and Sauiour of the world should be slaine and must rise againe the third day CHAP. V. Of the Iewes reasons why they beleeue not Iesus the Sonne of Mary to be the Messiah and why they thinke he raysed not himselfe from the graue SEcondly For the confirmation of this point The question betwixt vs and the Iewes à posteriori From the apparant proofe of the fulfilling of the same truth in the person of any one that was slaine and did rise againe the third day
The question is betwixt vs and the Iewes whether Iesus the Sonne of Mary whom they crucified and buried and whom we preach and beleeue in be the true Messias or not and whether he raysed himselfe from his graue yea or no. To both these the Iewes answere no Not the Messias not raysed from the dead First Not the Messias because hee came not downe from the Crosse when he was fast nayled vnto the same for If he be the King of Israel said the chiefe of them their high Priests and Elders of the people Let him now come downe frrom the Crosse Math. 27.42 and we will beleeue in him Ah foolish Nation a Nation voide of vnderstanding and Children of your Father the Diuell Namque haud tibi vultus humanus nec vox hominum sonat For here you sing the same song Math. 4.6 and you harpe vpon the same string as he did If thou beest the Sonne of God cast thy selfe downeward saith the Diuell and if he be the King of Israel let him come downe from the Crosse say these Children of the Diuell Chrysost hom de cruce So you see the one would haue him to descend from the Temple the other from the Crosse the one from seruing God the other from suffering for man and both to descend whereas God made man to ascend Os homini sublime dedit caelumque tueri inssit And of all his Creatures he made him onely straight God made man to ascend to looke vp towards Heauen and bids men alwayes to haue Sursum corda Their hearts like their heads lifted vp their thoughts in Heauen and their conuersations in Heauen Phil. 3.20 And therefore whensoeuer we are inticed to descend from the height of Gods seruice or suffering vpon our Crosse and to settle our affections here vpon the base things of this World let vs know it is the voyce of Satan not of God Math. 27.42 I but let him come downe and we will beleeue in him saith this people and let vs enioy the pleasures and the vanities of the Earth and we will serue him saith the generation of this World Luke 16.31 But as our Sauiour saith vnto them in another case If you will not beleeue Moses and the Prophets neither will you beleeue though one should arise from the dead So Saint Bernard saith in this case If now you will not beleeue in him that raysed himselfe from the graue you would neuer haue beleeued in him if he had then descended from the Crosse Greg. Hom. 21. in Euang. Quia plus erat de sepulchro surgere quam de cruce descendere plus mortem resurgendo destruere That it was a greater matter to rise from the dead then to come downe from the Crosse quam vitam descendendo seruare Because it was a greater matter to raise himselfe from the graue then to descend from the Crosse and a farre more excellent argument of inuincible omnipotency being dead to destroy death by rising againe from the dead then being aliue to saue his life by descending from the Crosse And so I say to the base descending worldlings if they will not stay vpon the Crosse to suffer with Christ here they are not worthy to be exalted to raigne with Christ hereafter and if they will not beleeue in him and serue him for the hope of the ioyes of Heauen they are not worthy to be receiued into the number of his seruants because such men loue the World more then God and will not loue God but for the Worlds sake August de ver Dom. Serm. Like vnto the Woman Quae non maritum amat sed aurum mariti Which loues her Husbands wealth more then her Husband or not her Husband but for his wealths sake Secondly They say he raysed not himselfe from the graue but his Disciples came by night and stole him away and if this be true he could not be the true Messias Whether the Disciples stole away Christ from his graue or not But what his Disciples that forsooke him and forsware him while he was yet aliue and could if he had would haue rescued himselfe out of the hands of all his enemies Alas poore men durst they now silly Fishermen thrust themselues among the pikes of armed Souldiers to steale away a dead carkasse that could neither helpe himselfe nor them No no they were readier to hide themselues in graues then to aduenture to take him out of the graue And therefore Mary Magdalen that knew his Disciples did not nor durst not take him away thought rather when shee found him not in his Tombe that they which left him no rest in his life did also take him and tosse him now out of his graue Sic multum terris iactatus alto And so left him not neither in life nor death Dementia insanabilis So implacable was their rage against him But though shee was in the right that his Disciples did not meddle with him yet herein shee was deceiued Ambros in hunc locum lucae Putando Christum sublatum esse de monumento When shee thought that the Souldiers had remoued him saith Saint Ambrose because this victorious Lyon did Sampson-like carrie away the gates of Gaza Iudg. 16.3 and burst open the doores of his Sepulcher that his glorious Body might come forth yet the Womans weakenesse may be excused Quia cum pietate societus est Because her error proceeded of ignorance and was accompanied with an vpright conscience but who can extenuate or who will not aggrauate that extreame folly and horrible impiety of this wretched and malicious people How the High Priests did what possibly they could to hinder the Resurrection of Christ For they not onely refused to receiue him for their Sauiour and said Nolumus hunc regnare super nos Wee will haue none of this man we will haue none other man but Caesar to be our King But they did also persecute him as a seducer and crucified him as a false vsurper and then buried him without honor There were no Widowes to make lamentation nor any of his friends that durst shew it and being buried they locked fast his Sepulcher Molemque montes insuper altos imposuere They prest him downe with a mighty stone and they hired a band of armed Souldiers to watch him that he should neither rise himselfe nor his Disciples come and take him away And therefore his Disciples that were so lately amazed at his passion were now so stupified at this obsignation this sealing and watching and warding of him that they durst not once passe out of doores to looke after his Resurrection vntill these three Women which esteemed themselues more free from violence and thereupon presumed first to see the Sepulcher had informed them that this one had chaste a thousand and had put all that band of men to flight Or if their hearts had serued them to aduenture so great a danger and
beleeue the testimonies of the Apostles to moue and perswade men to giue credit vnto their testimony yet me thinkes the plainenesse of their declaration and the smalnesse of their expectation of any manner of profit or reward in the World for the testifying of these things should be sufficient to make all men beleeue them For First All the World may see First Their plainenesse they sought not with any tricks of wit to set a faire die vpon a bad cloth nor with any glozing speeches fine sentences subtile arguments or any such like sophisticall wayes to procure credit vnto themselues and to draw men to beleeue fabulous inuentions but their proceeding is plaine carrying nothing with it but a declaration of simple truth nakedly reported without any manner of humane subtilty to confirme it And Secondly All the World may see Secondly their desire what they aimed at by their testimony they looked for no gaine in the World but the gaine of Soules no credit by their writing no profit by their preaching but onely that men would beleeue the truth to saue their owne soules If the man whom they had affirmed to be dead and to haue risen againe to life had still continued with them and had beene in expectation to be some great Monarch of the world it might be said they auouched his rising from the dead in hope to be raised by him to some eminent place in the world but you see they looke for no such thing neither by their testimony to raise him to any humane honour nor by him to be raised or to be any wayes rewarded in this life themselues vnlesse it be to be afflicted and persecuted vnto death for this testimony of Iesus Christ This was the best that they could expect and therefore the testimony of these men must needs be faithfull and true to proue more then abundantly sufficient that Iesus is the true Messias and that being dead he raised himselfe to life againe the third day And yet CHAP. VII Of many other circumstances that doe infallibly prooue the Resurrection of Christ and so consequently this Iesus Christ to be the true Messias and Sauiour of the world The circumstantiall proofes of the Resurrection of Christ THirdly Besides all this there be many other circumstantiall proofes and declarations of this same truth God not desirous to make men beleeue so great a matter as is the eternall saluation of all the world without more then abundantly sufficient witnesse And therefore First the great earth-quake First At the very instance of his Resurrection and descending of the Angels as Caietan saith there was a very great earth-quake Caietan in Math. 28. the earth either dancing for ioy that Christ was risen or trembling for feare that men would not beleeue this Resurrection of Christ Secondly the sudden courage of the Apostles Secondly The Apostles and Disciples hearts were presently changed for whereas a little before they durst not peepe out of doores because they did but waueringly thinke that this was hee which should haue redeemed Israel they doe now couragiously compasse the whole world and confidently teach and auouch there is no other name giuen vnder heauen whereby men may be saued but the name of Iesus Thirdly Many that were dead rose from their graues Thirdly the apparitions of the raised bodies and appeared vnto many of their acquantance in Ierusalem to testifie vnto them and to assure them of the Resurrection of Christ Diues thought if one was sent from the dead his brethren would beleeue him and behold here are many sent and yet the Iewes the brethren of Christ will not beleeue them Fourthly Pilate himselfe that condemned him to death Fourthly the testimony of Pilate did testifie of his Resurrection vnto life in a letter that he wrote vnto Tiberius Caesar and therefore Tiberius desired the Senate to admit Christ into the number of their gods for it was their custome saith Tertullian Vt nisi homini deus placeret Tertull. l. cont gentes c. 5. deus non esset That God should be no God vnlesse he were approued of men and because they refused to receiue him God not suffering the Arke and Dagon to stand together vpon the same Altar nor Christ and Beliall to be worshipped together in the same Temple Tiberius was incensed against the Romans God working all things together for the best for them that loue him that he gaue free leaue and liberty vnto all Christians to beleeue and professe the Name of Iesus Christ Fiftly Iosephus the most learned among the latter Iewes saith Fiftly the testimony of Iosephus Iosephus antiq l. 8 c. 9. Sixtly the sufferings of the Martyres that cum Pilatus eum in crucem agendum decreuisset c. After Pilate had crucified him he appeared vnto his followers the third day according as the Prophets had fore-shewed Sixtly All Martyres haue most boldly confessed this truth and haue most constantly suffered in defence of this truth Tertullian doth most excellently shew the difference betwixt the Martyres and Malefactors saying Mali apparere deuitant deprehensi trepidant accusati negant condemnati maerent Euill doers are loth to be seene being taken they tremble being accused they deny it being condemned they deplore themselues but with the Martyres there is no such matter for they are neither ashamed of their profession neither doe they grieue at their apprehension but if they be noted for Christians they reioyce at it if they be accused they confesse it if adiudged to die they deeme it better then life and therefore saith he Quid hoc mali est cuius reus gaudet cuius accusatio votum est cuius paena felicitas What euill is this when the guiltie of the fact reioyceth in his accusation and is made happy in his condemnation Zephan 2.11 Seauenthly the confession of Christ his enemies Seauenthly The very enemies of Christ yea and his greatest aduersaries did confesse and iustifie this truth of Christ for as the Prophet said that the Messias should famish all the gods of the earth so Christ did spoyle them all and stopped the mouthes of all infernall spirits that by their lying oracles they could speake no more but against their wils to confesse that hee was the Holy One of God and that this Galilean had ouercome them all as Iulian that great Apostata to his great cost at last confessed saith Nicephorus Eightly the heauy punishments of Christs persecutors Eightly The great plagues and punishments that were presently inflicted and haue still to this very day continued vpon all the persecuters and denyers of Christ doe sufficiently proue the Resurrection of Christ and that Christ to be the true Messias for Pilate being accused by the Iewes was inforced to appeale from Vitellius the chiefe Gouernour of Syria Ioseph antiq l. 18. c. 11. and to goe to Rome to defend himselfe before Caesar who before Pilate came there was dead and
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and descended alone into Hell and brake downe that Rampier wall which had stood from the beginning of the world Athanasius in that Creede which wee doe professe saith that Christ suffered for our saluation descended into Hell and rose againe the third day from the dead this is the Catholicke faith which except a man beleeue faithfully he cannot be saued Saint Augustine saith Aug. ep 99. that Christ in soule was in Hell the Scripture doth sufficieÌ„tly declare so prophesied by the Prophet so vnderstood by the Apostle and so expounded vnto vs and therefore Quis nisi Infidelis nâ—gauerit fuisse apud infâ—ros Christum Who saith hee but an Infidell will deny Christ to haue beene in Hell Saint Hillary saith Hilarius de trinit l. 2 in Psal 138. that because the Law of humane necessity was such that when our bodies were buried our soules were to descend to Hell Ideo istam descentionem dominus ad consummationem veri hominis non recusauit Christ himselfe did not refuse to descend into the same place Pope Leo saith as much and Fulgentius is as plaine as any of them all Fulgent ad Tras l. 3 â—e resurrect dom I might reckon many more but my purpose is not to say what I could in this point onely I say that he descended into Hell not to suffer for that was finished on the Crosse but for the subiection of Satan and the deliuerance of men not of those that were in Hell but of vs that we should not goe to Hell for how can we be deliuered if Satan be not destroyed how is he destroyed if hell be not vanquished Zach. 9.11 for that is the Pallace of his pleasure and the horrour of our soules the pit wherein there is no water but for as much as this is the condemnation of man and the Law of humane necessity that the body should to the graue and the soule to hell for sinne it remained for the full effecting of our Redemption that Christ should thither descend whither man fell by desart of sinne that is into Hell where the soule of the sinner was wont to be tormented and to the graue where the flesh was wont to be corrupted that by the death of the iust temporally dying Fulgen. quo supra Athanas de incar hath the like saying eternall life might be giuen to our flesh and by the soule of the lust descending into Hell the torments of Hell might be abolished saith Fulgentius And so I beleeue this for mine exceeding comfort that now I need not feare any enemy because Christ suffered for my sins destroyed all mine enemies descended into Hell vanquished the Diuels and rose againe the third day to make an open shew of this his most victorious conquest and blessed bee his name for the same CHAP. IX Of the manner how Christ rose and of the particular application thereof vnto our selues SEcondly we are to consider the manner how our Sauiour rose and many other particulars concerning his resurrection but chiefly we should obserue that his resurrection was 1. in respect of the place from the dead 2. in respect of the time earely 3. in respect of his person it was 1. true 2. perfect 3. glorious I will not stand vpon these particulars The application of the resurrection vnto our selues Rom. 10.9 but to apply all vnto our selues that we may reape some fruit by all I must intreat you to remember what the Apostle saith If thou shalt confâ—sse with thy mouth the Lord Iesus and shalt beleeue in thine heart that God raised him from the dead thou shalt be saued for as I told you before that the resurrection of Christ is the only maine vnanswerable argument to proue Christ to be the true Messias and the Sauiour of the world so heere you see the Apostle putteth the true beliefe in our Sauiours resurrection as the onely chiefest point that is necessary and sufficient for our saluation and therefore it is not without cause that the doctrine of the resurrection should be insisted vpon to be preached and manifested by vs and to be learned and beleeued by you That it is not the Theoricke but the applicatiue knowledge of Christs resurrection that will helpe vs. But here wee must know that it is not the bare Theoricke and intellectuall knowledge that Christ is raised from the dead at that time from that place and in that manner as I haue shewed vnto you before is sufficient for our saluation for so the deuils know it and beleeue it too and yet they receiue no fruit nor benefit thereby but it is the practicke experimentall and applicatiue knowledge and beliefe in the resurrection of the sonne of God that is effectuall for the saluation of man Philip. 3.10 11 And therefore Saint Paul prayes that Hee may know Christ and finde in himselfe the vertue and power of the resurrection of Christ for as the rising of the head doth euer cause the rising of all the parts of the body which is vnited vnto the the head so the resurrection of Christ doth euer worke a resurrection of all the members of Christ for so the Apostle teacheth vs Rom. 8 11. If the spirit of him that raised vp Iesus dwell in you he that raised vp Christ from the dead shall also quicken and so raise vp your mortall bodies by that spirit which dwelleth in you That the resurrection of Christians is twofold And we finde this resurrection of vs that are his members to be two fold 1. from sinne and from all the vanities of this world 2. from death and from the corruption of the graue First if wee be the members of Christ then certainely wee are risen with Christ risen I say from the death of sinne vnto the life of righteousnesse and if wee bee risen with Christ then doth our hearts wish and desire those things that are aboue where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God Coloss 3. saith the Apostle and therefore whosoeuer walloweth in sinne and delighteth in the things of this world it is certaine that hee hath not as yet any part or portion in the resurrection of Iesus Christ for if wee bee the members of Christ wee must also rise with Christ and wee must rise as Christ hath risen for otherwise we would all rise That the resurrection of Christ is a patterne to teach vs how we should rise from sinne and from the company of sinners and many doe rise but not as Christ rose and therefore such risers tolluntur in altum vt lapsu grauiore ruant the higher they rise the greater is their fall But we must rise as Christ hath risen and that is as I told you before First in respect of the place from the dead First from the society of the wicked so must we rise from the dead workes of sinne and from all those that are dead in sinne Christ left the dead in their
a gift that we haue receiued from God All that wee haue is from God because as Saint Iames saith Euery good thing and euery perfect gift is from aboue and commeth downe from the Father of lights Secondly the Spirituall gifts of God are of two sorts 1. To edifie the Church 2. To sanctifie our soules First Those gifts which he gaue to edifie the Church Ephes 4.11 the Apostle setteth downe in the eleuenth verse saying Hee gaue some Apostles and some Prophets and some Euangelists The gifts that Christ bestoweth to edifie his Church and some Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the same for the worke of the Ministery for the edifying of the body of Christ wherein we see that by the gifts whereof the Apostle speaketh in these words are vnderstood either 1. The Ministers of the Church or 2. The gifts wherewith the Ministers are indued or rather as I take it 3. Ministers indued and qualified with such gifts as are necessary for the gathering together of his Church which are specially The gifts 1. Of Tongues Gifts requisite for Preachers 2. Of Knowledge 3. Of Charitie 4. Of Constancy and Perseuerance 5. Of Contempt of all worldly vanities 6. Of perfect power First The gift of tongues First languages and readinesse of speech i. e. that as by the confusion of tongues the world was diuided at the building of Babell so by the helpe of the Preachers tongues the world might bee revnited and made one sheepe-fold in the building of Gods Church Secondly that these men might not offend in their tongues Thirdly that they might be the better able to teach profound and heauenly doctrine which they that want the tongues or languages cannot so easily attaine vnto And fourthly that none might bee able to resist the words of their mouthes Luke 12.11 as our Sauiour saith I will giue vnto you a mouth or tongue which your aduersaries shall not be able to withstand Secondly Knowledge Iohn 16.13 Perfecta virtus non est sine cognitione veritatis Bernard Secondly the gift of Knowledge whereby they might know all truth not of politicke and state matters but of all truth necessary for this office to edifie the Church which is the chiefest knowledge that wee should aime at or else all truth euery way because they should know him which is all truth i. e. Iesus Christ and I desire to know nothing else I will bee contented to be accounted a foole in all things else so he will giue me this gift only to know him alone Thirdly Charity 1 Cor. 8.1 Hugo de S. Vict. misc l. 1. tit 73. Thirdly the gift of Charity Quia quaerentes verum non bonum non inuenient summum bonum because knowledge without charity puffeth vp and the seeking to know the truth and not labouring to be good will neuer bring vs to the chiefest good and because of all men wee are most hated and standered and haue all occasions offered vs to make vs hate all wicked men therefore God diffuseth this gift of loue and charity into our hearts that notwithstanding all our indignity we doe still loue them better then they doe loue themselues and doe spend our whole time to doe them good and are ready to lay downe our liues for the brethren Fourthly Constancy Fourthly the gift of constancy and perseuerance because as knowledge and euery other gift without charity is nothing worth so charity and all other workes without perseuerance will auaile vs nothing Reuel 2.10 because wee must bee faithfull vnto death if wee would haue the crowne of life and therefore God doth giue vs this gift of Constancy to continue so in our vocation that neither want Rom. 8.39 nor contempt nor life nor death nor any other thing shall separate vs from the loue of God which is in Christ Iesus Fiftly contempt of vanities Fiftly the gift of contemning worldly vanities for seeing it is the property of the world to esteeme of vs no better then of the scumme and off-scouring of the world euery one of vs except hee be great in wealth and honours is contemned of his owne kinred of his owne people in his owne house where hee dwelleth and of those very men whom he teacheth and for whom as a burning light he consumeth himselfe that they should not bee consumed with sinne therefore the Lord giueth vs this gift and spirit contemnere contemni to despise all contempts and to regard none of the vaine and variable things of this wicked world Sixtly the gift of perfect power Sixtly Perfect power that to the penitent and deiected to the humble and contrite hearts they might open the gates of heauen and let them in in despight of all the deuils of hell and that against the obstinate and rebellious sinners Matth. 16.19 they might close and shut the same that notwithstanding all their wealth and wit their strength and power they may be excluded out of the ioyes of heauen And so these are the gifts Ministers indued with these gifts which God giueth vnto his Church for the gathering together of his Saints And indeed What a great gift it is to bestow able ministers vpon this Church howsoeuer the world vilipendeth them and as the Prophet saith doth make but a iesting song of them yet if we truly obserue it wee shall easily finde it that among all the gifts of God which he now giueth vnto men from heauen the sending of faithfull and able Ministers indued with these gifts to discharge their duties is the chiefest gift and doth obtaine the chiefest place for alas without them what were we vnbaptized still wallowing in our sins and filthinesse vntaught still inuolued in ignorance vnvnited to Christ still chained in the hands of Satan without profession without religion without God And therefore it was not without cause Matth. 9.38 that our Sauiour exhorteth vs to pray vnto God that he would send forth labourers into his vineyard for otherwise hee knew that in a very short time it would grow wilde and in stead of grapes to bring forth wilde grapes in stead of mercy and iudgement to bring forth cruelty and oppession and in stead of piety and religion to bring forth nothing else but idolatry and superstition It is reported of Phillip King of Macedon that he sent vnto the Athenians to send him all their Orators of Athens and he would euer liue in league and peace with them and the wise Senators being ready to deliuer those learned men into the hands of their mortall enemy Demosthenes said vnto them that on a time the Wolues said vnto the Sheepe that they conceiued no ill thought against them but only for retaining those dogs which were their deadly enemies and oftentimes barked against themselues which were their feeders and therefore if they would deliuer vp their dogs into their hands they should free themselues from their barking and they would
therefore the Holy Ghost descended on Christ like a Doue Matth. 3.16 to shew these Doue-like qualities of this Lambe of God and to teach that we must be thus qualified like Doues if we would haue this heauenly Doue this Holy Spirit of God to remaine within vs for on them that are otherwise this Doue hath not yet descended Fourthly like a mighty winde Fourthly He appeared like the rushng of a mighty winde for a true winde it was not saith Oecumenius but the Spirit of God Qui à spirando flando dicitur which from blowing or breathing is called spirit is said to appeare First Like the winde and that for these fiue reasons Iohn 9. â— First As the winde bloweth where it listeth so the graces and gifts of Gods Spirit are giuen to whomsoeuer it pleaseth him for he will haue mercy on whom he will haue mercy Exod. 33.19 In what respect the Holy Ghost is like vnto winde Secondly As the winde scattereth the dust and driueth away the chaffe from the corne so the graces of Gods Spirit doth winnow the consciences of the Saints and driue away all wicked thoughts and cogitations from their hearts Thirdly As the winde carrieth away the ship against the maine streame so will the grace of Gods Spirit carry a man against the current of his naturall inclination for if Socrates by the sole helpe of morall instructions was able to bridle his loose disposition how much more shall those men bee restrained from all lewdnesse which are led by diuine inspiration Fourthly As the winde cooleth and recreateth all those that are scorched with the heate of the Sunne so doth the grace of Gods Spirit recreate all those distressed people that are scorched with the heate of afflictions or burned with the concupiscence of their sinnes Fiftly As the winde will passe vnresistably so will the grace of Gods Spirit worke it owne â—ffect and all the power of darknesse is not able to resist it and therefore Secondly It is said 1 Kings 10.11 that he appeared like the rushing of a mighty winde because that as the mighty winde in the first booke of Kings the 10. and the 11. did rend the mountaines and brake the rockes before the Lord so the grace of Gods Spirit and the Word of God is mighty in operation Why the Holy Ghost is compared to a mighty winde able to shake the stoutest and the proudest man and to breake in pieces the stoniest heart Indeed our people do esteeme our words none otherwise then winde which makes vs spend so much winde to little purpose to weary our selues and scarce to waken them but here let them know that the Spirit of God like Aeolus which shutteth vp the windes in his bagges can when he pleases let out the same in a mighty manner to amaze the consciences of the stoutest Peeres and either to driue away their sinnes Exod 10.19 Psal 1.5 as it droue away the Grashoppers and Locusts that ouerspread the land of Egypt or else to driue them away like the Chaffe from off the face of earth Fiftly He appeared like clouen tongues of fire First Like tongues for though the tongue Fiftly like clouen tongues of fire i. e. such a tongue as is set on fire from Hell as Saint Iames saith is many times the instrument of the Diuell to doe much mischiefe to blaspheme God and to abuse men yet Vt non debent oues odere pelles suas quia induunt eas lupi As the sheepe should not hate their skins because the Wolues doe many times put them on so ought none that is wise reiect that which is good because it is often abused by the bad therefore seeing as Pittacus saith the tongue as it is the worst member in a wicked man so it is one of the best members in a godly man Iames 5.6 Why the Holy Ghost appeared like tongues the Holy Ghost did appeare like tongues First Because as a Father saith Symbolum est lingua spiritus sancti à patris verbo procedentis The tongue is a symbole of the Holy Ghost proceeding from the Word of the Father for as the tongue hath the greatest cognation and the neerest affinity with the Word and is moued by the Word of the heart to expresse the same by the sound of the voyce saith Saint Gregory Iohn 16.14 so the Holy Ghost hath the neerest affinity that may be with the word God and is the expressor of his voyce and the speaker of his will that receiueth of him and reueileth all vnto vs. Secondly Because as the tongues are the sole instruments of knowledge which conuayes the same from man to man for though the soule be the fountaine from whence all wisedome springeth yet the tongue is the channell and the conduite pipe whereby this wisedome this knowledge is communicated and transferred from man to man so the Holy Ghost is the sole Author and Teacher of all truth Christ is the wisedome of God but the Holy Ghost is the Teacher of this wisedome vnto men 1 Cor. 1.21 and it pleased him by this onely way to conuay this wisedome of God vnto men for seeing the world by their wisedome knew not God in the wisedome of God it pleased God through the foolishnesse of Preaching to saue those that beleeue Why he appeared like clouen tongues Secondly He appeared like clouen tongues because all tongues and all languages are alike knowne and vnderstood of God and because this Spirit can teach all men all languages and the gift of tongues is a gift of God Why he appeared like clouen tongues Thirdly He appeared like clouen tongues of fire they were ignitae non politae fiery tongues and not fine polished tongues because the Spirit of God delighteth rather in the zealous and the feruent tongues of Saint Paul and Apollos that warme the heart then in those eloquent tongues of Cicero and Demosthenes that delight the eares for this is the desire of Gods Spirit to kindle the hearts of men and to set them on fire with the loue of God and our brethren So when our Sauiour preached vnto the two Disciples that trauelled towards Emaus they said Did not our hearts burne within vs Luke 24. while hee talked with vs by the way This is the effect of the tongue of the Holy Ghost to worke zeale and feruency in the hearers And so you see the thing wherewith they were said to be filled that is the gifts and graces of the Holy Ghost CHAP. IIII. Of the filling of the Apostles with those gifts of the Holy Ghost and the signes of their fulnesse SEcondly They are said to be filled with these gifts and Dydimus saith that wee cannot be filled with any creature Quia deus solus implet creaturas Because nothing but God can replenish and satisfie his creatures Vnus pellaeo Iuueni non sufficit orbis The whole world is not able to content vs so large
belongeth not to any wicked man so long as he remaineth wicked and therefore lest as the men of Bethshemesh were slaine fiftie thousand and threescore and ten men in one day 1 Sam. 6.19 because they looked into the arke which belonged onely vnto the Priests wee be found guiltie of the body and bloud of Christ and so pull vpon our selues swift damnation if we snatch the childrens bread that belongeth not to vs or receiue these blessed Sacraments vnworthily let vs with blinde Bartimaeus cast off our mantles the old raggs of Adam the lusts of the flesh and let vs put on our wedding garment the new man which chiefely consisteth of Faith towards God and loue towards men if Mark 10.50 when we come to receiue these Sacraments wee would receiue the grace of Christ But Mat. 22.11 Secondly though such a hearing of the Word as I haue aboue shewed be a speciall meanes to obtaine grace yet we must know that this meanes is not sufficient vnlesse as God opened the heart of Lydia when Saint Paul Preached vnto her eares so he doth worke faith in your hearts when we doe Preach expound the Word vnto your eares Quia inanis est sermo docentis nisi spiritus adsit cordi audientis because as the Preaching of the Word is the gift of God in vs so the beleeuing of the same is the operation of the same God in you And so likewise though the receiuing of the blessed Sacraments be a singular meanes to worke Faith and all other graces in the right receiuers of the same yet wee must vnderstand that it is not opus operatum the doing of the worke that begetteth grace in any man but the spirit of God onely conuayeth grace through the conduit pipes of these outward meanes and therefore wee should alwayes pray to God not onely for the graces of attention vnto our eares and illumination vnto our eyes but also of sanctification vnto our hearts that what wee doe attentiuely heare with our eares and doe most perfectly see with our eyes Wee may most faithfully beleeue with our hearts and so attaine vnto these gifts and graces of Gods spirit CHAP. VIII On whom God bestoweth these gifts and graces of his spirit FOr the third i e To whom God bestoweth these gifts we must know that he bestoweth neither the graces of edifiying the Church nor the other graces to sanctifie and to saue our soules vpon all men but onely vpon those whom it pleaseth him for as when he was to choose his Apostles it is said that he chose whom he pleased so of the graces of preseruation sanctification and such like he giueth them to whom he pleaseth Mar. 3.13 and though hee giueth liberally vnto all men Iames 1.51 yet he giueth not all of these nor any of them all inconsiderately vnto any man for he lets not his graces drop through his fingers as if he cared not what became of them and so suffer all men to gather them Mat. 10.29 who will but as a sparrow lights not vpon the ground without his prouidence so not one grace falls to any man without his speciall guidance and direction And this the Apostle sheweth when he saith Rom. 9.16 non est currentis neque volentis sed miserentis Dei it is not in him that runneth nor in him that willeth but in God that sheweth mercie and this Christ himselfe declareth when he saith no man commeth vnto me except the Father draw him Iohn so no man can receiue these gifts and graces but they to whom they are giuen and as we finde a gradation of the loue and fauour of God As First he loueth all the things that he hath made and That there is a gradation in Gods loue Secondly he loueth man in a more speciall manner aboue all the things that he made And Thirdly among men he loueth some better then others yea Fourthly among those that he loueth best hee loueth some better then the rest As wee see hee loued Noah and Abraham among the Patriarks Moses among the Prophets and Iohn among the Apostles Why God loueth some men better then others so hee loues these best not because these were in themselues better then any others but because it pleased him to loue them better then others for as if he had made a toad a man and the man a toad the toad had bin the better of the twaine so if hee had bestowed more grace vpon the wicked and with-held the same from the now best men in all respects then no doubt but the wicked had bin the best but he loueth them best because it pleaseth him so to doe and therfore he bestoweth more graces and tokens of his loue vpon them to make them better then all others whatsoeuer for the gifts of God make vs good and our goodnesse maketh not him to bestow his gifts on vs. And this I say What this doctrine teacheth vs. not to accuse God of any niggardlinesse or close-handednesse because he giueth not these gifts vnto all God forbid for he is a debter to no man but may freely without censure doe with his owne what he list But I say this First to shew his exceeding great bountie and fauour First to behold the great goodnesse of God to his elect towards vs that deseruing no more good at Gods hands then all the rest of the race of mankind should notwithstanding when we iustly deserued so much euill it may be as much or more then the rest of men receiue so many great gifts and graces aboue and before all the rest of the world Secondly Secondly to be truely thankfull vnto God and specially to moue vs to all thankefulnesse to this our good and gratious God that with-holding his graces from many thousand others he would notwithstanding so graciously bestow them vpon vs for had not he giuen vs the grace to beleeue in Christ to hate our sinnes and to loue all righteousnesse I see not how the best of vs could doe any of these no more then the wickedest men in the world and therefore I would to God that we would euer praise the Lord for his goodnesse and declare the wonders that hee doth as generally for all men so specially for these chosen children of men Thirdly and lastly to teach vs Thirdly to pray for what we want and to praise our God for euermore that when wee feele our owne wants wee should pray to him for helpe to supply our need and when we see any of our neighbours voyd of grace we should rather piously pittie them and pray for them then proudly to contemne them and to spurne against them for as if God would hee might haue made thee a beast and the beast a man so if it had pleased him hee might haue filled them with that grace which he bestowed on thee and he might haue iustly left thee in that fullnesse of sinne wherein they doe
our inward mindes but also outwardly with our bodies and as I said before meekely kneeling vpon our knees Secondly In faith Quia iuxta mensuram fidei erit mensura impetrandi because the more faith we haue the more grace we shall receiue and this is proued vnto vs out of the examples of them that came to Christ for the ruler of the Synagogue beleeued that if Christ came and layd his hands vpon his daughter shee should be healed the woman with the bloodie fluxe beleeued that if she might but touch the hemme of his garments she should bee healed but the Centurion said dic verbum doe but speake the word and my seruant shall be whole and so we finde that euery one of them receiued according as hee beleeued and therefore euery man that prayes to God should be like the Leper in the 8. of Mat. who though hee was weake in body yet was he strong in Faith for in regard of the Law hee ought not to haue come and in regard of his sicknesse hee was scarce able to come and yet venit hee came vnto Christ though non tam passibus corporis quam fide cordis not so much with the feete of his body as by the faith of his heart for had his heart bin no better then his legges Aug. hom 23. and his faith no better then his feete he would neuer haue troubled himselfe to come vnto Christ so ought euery man to draw neere vnto God in the assurance of faith quia irrisio dei est si quid illum ores quod exoraturum te non certe confidas because it is a mocking of God Pellic. in Math. saith Pellican to pray vnto him and to doubt that we shall not haue our requests therefore Christ teacheth vs to say Our Father to make vs confident of obtaining and concludeth with Amen significare indubitanter à domino conferri quod petitur to signifie that we shall vndoubtedly receiue what wee faithfully desire Aug. de temp ser 182. saith S. Augustine And therefore when we pray to God let vs draw neere vnto him with a true heart in assurance of Faith that we shall be sure to haue either what we desire of him or what he seeth good for vs. Thirdly In zeale and affection because the Lord respecteth not much babling sed ad cordis potius vocem quam ad corporis aures eius apertae sunt because he lookes rather into the desire of the heart then he doth to the voice of the tongue saith Saint Bernard for he heareth the desire of the poore when he stoppeth his cares against the prayers of the hypocrite and therefore we finde that the outward voice without the inward attention and deuotion of the heart will auaile vs nothing at all God neuer regarding the voice of the tongue talking with him when the thoughts of the heart are wandring in the world where-as many times wee finde that an earnest seeking with the heart That we ought to pray in zeal hath preuailed without any words vttered by the tongue as Moses when hee cried to God with his heart Exod. 14.15 and yet opened not his mouth for that is most true which Saint Gregorie saith tanto minus quis clamat quanto minus desiderat tanto fortius coelos penetrat quanto fortius desiderat the more earnestly we desire any thing the more loudly we doe crie vnto God and the colder is our desire the flower is our calling on him and the harder to obtaine it of him and therefore when wee pray to God O let vs not be like the Iewes Esay 29.14 who drew neere vnto him with their mouthes and their hearts were farre from him but as the Apostle saith that he will pray with his mouth 1 Cor. 14.15 and hee will pray with his vnderstanding so let vs pray with our hearts and affections and not suffer our wandring thoughts to walke about worldly vanities when our tongues are talking about heauenly things Fourthly with perseuerance because that good is done in vaine which is not continued vnto the end Resolution of Pilate page 145 c. and so I shewed at large in my Treatise of the resolution of Pilate and therefore our zeale herein should be like the fire that the Vestall Virgins kept in Rome Leuit. 6.13 or rather like the Sacrificing fire vpon the Altar that euer burnt and neuer went out Fiftly In charitie because God will not forgiue vs That we should pray in charitie nor giue vs any thing except we forgiue one another Sixtly In piety because God heareth not sinners but if any man be a worshipper of God and doth his will him hee heareth Iohn 9.31 and so Saint Iohn saith if our hearts condemne vs not That when we pray we should clense our selues from all sinne Gregor in moral then haue wee confidence towards God and whatsoeuer we aske we receiue of him because we keepe his Commandements and doe those things that are pleasing in his sight et tum cor nostrum fiduciam in oratione accepit cum sibi vitae prauitas nulla contradicit and our hearts haue then onely confidence towards God when there is no prauitie of our life nor any wickednesse of our conuersation to contradict it saith Saint Gregory and therefore Saint Basil saith that a prayer should be filled vp non tam syllabis quam operibus not so much with words as with workes because it is the prayer of a righteous man as the Apostle saith which auaileth much with God and not the prayer of sinners which as the Prophet saith shall be turned into sinne Psal 109.6 because hee taketh the name of God in vaine when hee vseth the same in his mouth and yet hateth to be reformed And therefore seeing the Lord himselfe saith Esay 1.15 that although wee should multiply our prayers vnto him at all times and in euery corner yet he will not heare vs if our hands be full of bloud or our hearts full of malice and enuie towards our neighbours let vs pray euery where 1 Tim. 2.8 lifting vp pure hands as the Apostle saith and let vs wash our selues from all sinnes and be readie to doe all good if we would obtaine any thing at the hands of God And so you see to whom when how and for what wee ought to pray CHAP. IIII. Of the motiues that should perswade and moue euery man to pray Psal 27.8 NOw there be many reasons that should moue vs to pray continually but especially the charge of God seeke yee my face and that in a double respect 1. Of God 2. Of our selues Prayer an essentiall part of Gods worship First because it is an essentiall part of Gods worship whereby we doe most chiefely honour God by acknowledging and professing him first to be euery where secondly to be the giuer of all goodnesse thirdly to be full of pittie fourthly to be almighty fiftly