as when a thing is to make it at the same time to be and not to be as when the Sunne doth shine to make it at the same instant to shine and not to shine And therefore false is the doctrine of the church which in their transubstaÌ„tiation make the bodie of Christ whose essentiall propertie is to bee onely in one place at once to be circumscribed and not to be circumscribed to be in one place and not to be in one place And thus much for the meaning Nowe follow the duties whereunto wee are mooued by this doctrine of Gods omnipotencie First whereas God the father is said to be almightie we are taught true humiliation Humble your selues vnder the mightie hand of God saith Peter where he giueth an exhortation to humilitie and alleadgeth the cause because God is almightie To make this more plaine Euery one of vs was borne in sinne by nature we are most wretched in our selues now what an one is God Surely he is able to doe whatsoeuer he will yea and more then he will and is able to destroy such as rebell against him euery moment Therefore our dutie is to cast downe our selues for our sinnes in his presence This true humiliation was that which our Sauiour Christ would haue brought the younge man in the Gospell vnto when hee bade him goe sell all that he had and giue to the poore Therefore whosoeuer thou art take heed thou must for if thou runne on in thy wickednesse and still rebell against God it is a thousand to one at length he will destroy thee For he is an almightie God and able to doe whatsoeuer hee will his hand is mightie it boots not a man to striue with him for hee was neuer yet ouermastered and for this cause wee must needs â—ast down our selues vnder his hand It is a fearefull thing saith the holy Ghost to fall into the hands of the liuing God therefore if wee would eâ—cape his heauie and terrible displeasure the best way for vs is to abase our selues and be ashamed to followe our sinnes Christ biddeth vs not to feare him that is able to kill the body and can goe no further but wee must feare him that is able to cast both bodie and soule into hell fire Example of this we haue in Dauid who when he was persecuted by his owne sonne Absolon he said vnto the Lord If he thus say I haue no delight in thee behold here I am let him doe to me as seemeth good in his eies But some will say I will liue a little longer in my sinnes in lying pride Sabbath breaking in swearing dicing gaming and wantonnesse for God is mercifull and in my old age I will repent Ans. Well soothe not thy selfe but marke vsually when God holds backe his hand for a season he doth as it were fetch a more mightie blowe for the greater confusion of a rebellious sinner therefore humble submit and cast downe thy selfe before God and doe not striue against him his hand is mightie and will ouerthrow thee Though thou hadst all learning wisdome might riches c. yet as Christ said to the younge man one thing is wanting that thou shouldest bee humbled and vntill thou bee humbled nothing is to bee looked for but Gods iudgement for sinne Secondly seeing God is almightie we must tremble and feare at all his iudgements we must stand in awe quake and quiuer at them as the poore childe doth when he seeth his father come with the rod. Example of this we haue often in Gods word as when the sonnes of Aaron offered straunge fire before the Lord he sent fire from heauen and burned them vp And though Aaron was very sorry for his sonnes yet when Moses told him that the Lord would be glorified in all that came neere him then the text saith Aaron helde his peace So also we read that the Apostles reprooued Peter for preaching vnto the Gentiles but when Peter had expounded the things in order which he had seene then they held their peace and glorified God As also Dauid saith I held my tongue O Lord because thou didst it Isaiah saieth In hope silence is true fortitude If a man be in trouble he must hope for deliuerance and be quiet and patient at Gods iudgements But the practise of the world is flat contrarie For men are so farre from trembling at them that they vse to pray to god that plagues curses and vengeance may light vpon them and vpon their seruants and childreÌ„ Nowe the Lord being a mighty God often doth answerably bring his iudgements vpon them Againe many caried with impatiencie wish themselues hanged or drowned which euils they thinke shal neuer befall them yet at the length God doth in his iustice bring such punishments vpon them according as they wished And which is more in all ages there haue bene some which haue scorned and mocked at Gods iudgements Hereof we had not far hence a most fearefull example One beeing with his companion in a house drinking on the Lords day when he was readie to depart thence there was great lightening and thunder whereupon his fellow requested him to stay but the man mocking and iesting at the thunder and lightning said as report was it was nothing but a knaue cooper knocking on his tubbes come what woulde hee would goe and so went on his iourney but before hee came halfe a mile from the house the same hand of the Lord which before he had mocked in a crack of thunder stroke him about the girdlestead that he fell downe starke deade Which example is worthy our remembrance to put vs in mind of Gods heauy wrath against those which scorne his iudgements for our dutie is to tremble and feare and it were greatly to be wished that wee coulde with open eye beholde the terriblenesse and fearefulnesse of Gods iudgements it would make a man to quake and to leaue off sinne If a man passe by some high and daungerous place in the night when hee cannot see hee is not affraide but if yee bring him backe againe in the day and let him see what a steepe and dangerous way hee came hee will not be perswaded to passe the same way againe for any thing so it is in sinning for men liuing in ignorance and blindenesse practise any wickednesse and doe not care for Gods iudgements but when God of his goodnesse bringeth them backe and openeth their eies to see the downfall to the pit of hell and the iudgements of God due to their sinnes then they say they will neuer sinne as they haue done but become new men and walke in the way to eternall life Thirdly we are taught by the Apostle Paul that if wee be to doe any duty to our brethren as to releeue them wee must doe it with chearfulnesse for he laboureth to perswade the Corinthians to cheerefull liberalitie and the reason of his perswasion is because God is able
is a creatour of heauen and earth of both which wee will speake in order and first of the creation of heauen Heauen in Gods worde signifieth all that is aboue the earth for the ayre wherein we breath is called heauen And according to this acceptation of the word there are three heauens as Paul saith He was taken vp into the third heauen The first of these heauens is that space which is from the earth vpwarde vnto the firmament where the starrs are Thus the birds which flie in the aire betweene the earth and the starres are called the foules of the heauen and when God sent the flood to drowne the olde world Moses saith the windows of heauen were opened meaning that God powred downe raine from the cloudes aboundantly for the making of a flood to drowne the world The second heauen is that which containeth the Sunne the Moone and the starres so Moses saith that God in the beginning created the Sunne the Moone and the starrs and placed them in the firmament of heauen Besides these two heauens there is a third which is inuisible and yet it is the worke of Gods handes and it is that glorious place where Christ euen in his manhoode sitteth at the right hand of the father and whither the soules of the faithfull departed are carried and placed and in which at the ende of the world shall all the elect both in body and soule haue perfect ioy and blisse in the glorious sight and presence of God for euer But for the better conceiuing the trueth wee are to skanne and consider diligently three questions First whether this third heauen be a creature for many haue thought it was neuer created but was eternall with God himselfe but it is a grosse errour contrarie to Gods word For the Scripture saith Abraham looked for a cittie meaning the heauenly Ierusalem this third heauen hauing a foundation whose builder and maker is God Further if it be eternall it must either be Creator or a creature but it is no creator for then it should be God and therefore it must needs be a creature But some will say the Lord is eternall and this third heauen hath alwaies beene the place of the Lordes aboade and therefore it is also eternall Answer True it is indeede that God doth shewe his glorie and maiestie in the third heauen but yet that cannot possibly containe his Godhead as Salomon saith Beholde the heauens and the heauens of heauens are not able to containe thee Wherefore though God doth manifest his eternall glorie in this third heauen yet doth it not followe that therefore this place should bee eternall for hee needes no habitation to dwell in hee is euery where filling all things with his presence excluded from no place The second question is where this third heauen is Aâ—â—were There are some protestants say it is euery where and they holde this opinion to maintaine the reall presence of the Lordes bodie in or about the Sacrament But if it were euery where then hell should be in heauen which no man will say but heauen indeede is aboue these visible heauens which wee see with our eies so the Apostle saith Christ ascended on high farre aboue all heauens c. And againe it is said of Steuen that beeing full of the holy Ghost Hee looked vp steadfastly into the heauens and sawe them open and the sonne of man standing at the right hand of God Thirdly it may bee demaunded why God created this third heauen Answer God made it for this cause that there might bee a certaine place wherein he might make manifest his glorie and maiestie to his elect angels and men for the which cause it was created a thousand fold more glorious then the two former heauens are and in this respect it is called Paradise by reason of the ioy and pleasure arising from Gods glorious presence And our Sauiour Christ calleth it the house of God his father because into it must be gathered all gods children It is called the kingdome of heauen because God is the king thereof and ruleth there in perfect glorie True it is God hath his kingdome here on earth but he ruleth not so fully and gloriouslie here as he â—hall in heauen for this is the kingdome of grace but that is the kingdome of his glorie where he so raigneth that he will be all in all first in Christ then in the elect both angels and men Nowe followe the duties whereunto we are mooued principally in consideration of the making of the third heauen First if God created it especially for the manifestion of his glory vnto men that at the ende of this worlde by the fruition of Gods most glorious presence there they might haue perfect ioy and felicitie we haue occasion here to consider the wonderfull madnesse and forgetfulnesse that raigneth euery where among men which onely haue regard to the estate of this life and cast all their care on this worlde and neuer so much as once dreame of the ioyfull and blessed estate which is prepared for Gods children in the highest heauen If a man hauing two housesâ— one but a homely cottage and the other a princely pallace should leaue the better and take all the care and paines for the dressing vp of the first would not euery man say he were a madde man yes vndoubtedly And yet this is the spirituall madnesse that takes place euery where among men for God hath prepared for vs two houses one is this our bodie which we beare about vs which is an house of clay as Iob saith We dwell in houses of clay whose foundation is dust which shal be destroyed before the moth as Peter saith a tabernacle or tent which we must shortly take downe and wherein we abide but as pilgrimes and straungers Againe the same God of his wonderfull goodnesse hath prouided for vs a second house in the third heauen wherein wee must not abide for a time and so depart but for euermore enioy the blessed felicitie of his glorious presence For all this marke a spirituall phrensie possessing the mindes of men for they imploy all their care and industrie for the maintaining of this house of clay whose foundation is but dust but for the blessed estate of the second house which is prepared for them in the kingdom of heauen they haue little regard or care They will both runne and ride from place to place day and night both by sea and land but for what Is it for the preparing of a mansion place in the heauenly Ierusalem Nothing lesse for they will scarse goe forth of the doore to vse any meanes whereby they may come vnto it but all their studie is to patch vp the ruines and breaches of their earthly cabbine Now let all men iudge in their owne consciences whether as I haue said this be not more then senselesse madnesse Againe the bodie is but a tabernacle
and businesses among men to which they were by God appointed And the bodies of men which they assumed were no parts of their natures vnited to them as our bodies are to vs but rather they were as garments are to vs which they might put off and on at their pleasure If any shall aske whence they had these bodies the answer is that either they were created of nothing by the power of God or framed of some other matter subsisting before If againe it be asked what became of these bodies when they laid them downe because they vsed them but for a time the answer may be that if they were made of nothing they were againe resolued into nothing if made of other creatures that then they were resolued into the same bodies of which they were first made though indeede we can define nothing certenly in this point III. Angels are reasonable creatures of excellent knowledge and vnderstanding farre surpassing all men saue Christ. Their knowledge is threefold naturall reuealed experimentall Naturall which they receiued from God in the creation Reuealed which God makes manifest to them in processe of time whereas before they knew it not Thus God reuealed to Gabriel the mysterie of the 70. weekes Dan. 8 and 9. And in the Apocalyps many things are reuealed to the Angels that they might reueale theÌ„ to vs. Experimentall knowledge is that which they get by obseruing the dealings of God in the whole world but specially in the Church And thus Paul saith that to principalities and powers in heauenly places is knowne the manifolde wisedome of God by the Church IV. And as the knowledge so also the power of the good Angels is exceeding great They are able to doe more then all men can Therefore Paul calls them mightie Angels 2. Thess. 1.7 Yea their power is farre superiour to the power of the wicked angels who since the fall are vnder them and can not preuaile against them V. The place of the aboad of Angels is the highest heauen vnlesse they be sent thence by the Lord to doe some thing appointed by him This our Saâ—iour Christ teacheth when he saith that the angels of litle ones doe alreadie behold the face of their father in heauen And the wicked angels before their fall were placed in heauen because they were cast thence VI. That there be certaine distinctions and diuersities of angels it is very likely because they are called thrones and principalities and powers Châ—rubim and Seraphim But what be the distinct degrees and orders of Angels and whether they are to be distinguished by their natures gifts or offices no man by scripture can determine VII The ministerie of angels to which the Lord hath set them apart is threefold and it respecteth either God himselfe or his church or his enemies The ministerie which they performe to God it first of al to adore praise and glorifie him continually Thus the Cherubims in Esaies vision crie one to another Holy holy holy is the Lord God of hosts the world is full of his glory And when they were to publish the birth of the Messias they begin on this maner Glory to God in the highest heauens peace on earth And Iohn in his vision heard the angels about the throne crying with a loud voice Worthy is the Lambe c. to receiue power riches and strength wisdome and honour and glory and praise And indeede the highest ende of the ministerie of Angels is the manifestatioÌ„ of the glory of God The second is to stand in Gods presence euermore readie to doe his commandements as Dauid saith Praise the Lord yee his Angels that excell in strength that doe his commandements in obeying the voice of his word And here is a good lesson for vs. Wee pray daily that we may doe the will of God as the Angels in heauen doe it let vs therefore be followers of the holy Angels in praising God and in doing his commandements as they doe The ministerie of Angels concerning the Church standes in this that they are ministering sprits for the good of them which shall be heires of saluation The good is threefold in this life in the ende of this life and in the last iudgemeÌ„t again the good which they procure to the people of god in this life is either in respect of body or soule In respect of the body in that they doe most carefully performe al maner of duties which do necessarily tend to preserue the temporall life of Gods children euen from the beginning of their daies to the ende Dauid saith that they pitch their tents about them that feare the Lord. When Agar was cast forth of Abrahams family and wandered in the wildernesse an angell comes vnto her and giues her counsell to returne to her mistresse and humble her selfe When Elias fled from Iesabel he was both comforted directed and fed by an angel And an angel bidds the same Eliaâ— be of good courage and without feare to goe to King Achazias reproouâ— him Angels bring Lot and his family out of Sodom and Gomorrha before they burne the citties with fire and brimstone When Iacob feared his brother Esau hee sawe angels comming vnto him and he plainely acknowledgeth that they were sent to be his protectours his guides in his iourney Abraham beeing perswaded of the assistance of Gods angels in al his waies said to his seruant The Lord God of heauen who tooke me from my fathers house c. will send his angels before thee The wise men that came to see Christ are admonished by angels to returne another way and Ioseph by the directioÌ„ of an angel fled into Egypt that he might preserue Christ from the hands of the cruel tyrant The tents of the Israelites was garded by angels The three children are deliuered from the fierie furnace and Daniel out of the Lyons denne by angels When Christ was in heauinesse they ministred vnto him and comforted him and they brought Peter out of prison and set him at libertie Againe the angels procure good vnto the soules of the godly in that they are maintainers and furtherers of the true worshippe of God and of all good meanes whereby we attaine to saluation The lawe was deliuered in Mount Sina by angels and a great part of the Reuelation of Iohn They expound to Daniel the seuenty weekes They instruct the Apostles touching the returne of Christ to the last iudgement An angel forbids Iohn to worship him but to worship God the creatour of heauen and earth They fetch the Apostles out of prison and bidde them teach in the temple An angel bringes Philip to the Eunuch that he may expound the Scriptures to him Lastly they reueale the misteries and the will of God as to Abraham that he should not kill his sonne Isaac to Mary and Elizabeth the natiuity of Iohn Baptist of Christ our Sauiour and all this they
parts his foreknowledge and his counsell The foreknowledge of God is that by which he most assuredly foreseeth all things that are to come Act. 2.23 Him haue ye taken by the hands of the wicked beeing deliuered by the determinate counsell and foreknowledge of God and haue crucified and slaine Rom. 8. Those things which he knew before he also predestinated to be made like to the image of his sonne This is not properly spoken of God but by reason of men to whome things are past or to come The counsell of God is that by the which he doth most straightly perceiue the best reason of all things that are Prov. 8. 14. I haue counsell and wisdome I am vnderstanding and I haue strength The will of God is that by the which he both most freely and iustly with one act willeth all things Rom. 9. 18. He hath mercie on whom he will and whom he will hardeneth Eph. 1.5 Who hath predestinate vs to be adopted through Iesus Christ vnto himselfe according to the good pleasure of his will Iam. 4. 15. For that which you should say if the Lord will and we liue we will doe this or that God willeth that which is good by approouing it that which is euill in as much as it is euill by disallowing and forsaking it And yet he voluntarily doth permit euill because it is good that there should be euill Act. 14.16 Who in time past suffered all the Gentiles to walke in their owne waies Psal. 81.12 So I gaue them vp to the hardnes of their heart and they haue walked in their owne counsels The will of God by reason of diuers obiects hath diuers Names and is either called Loue and Hatred or Grace and Iustice. The Loue of God is that by the which God approoueth first himselfe and then all his creatures without their desert and theÌ„ doth take delight 1 Ioh. 4. 16. God is loue and who so remaineth in loue remaineth in God and God in him Ioh. 3.16 So God loued the world that he gaue his onely begotten Sonne c. Rom. 5.8 God setteth out his loue towards vs seeing that while we were yet sinners Christ died for vs. The Hatred of God is that by the which he disliketh and detesteth his creature offending for his fault 1. Cor. 10.5 But many of them the Lord misliked for they perished in the wildernes Psal. 5. 5. Thou hatest all the workers of iniquitie Psal. 44.8 Thou hast loued iustice and hated iniquitie The Grace of God is that by which he freely declareth his fauour to his creatures Rom 11.6 If it be of grace it is no more of workes otherwise grace is not grace but if it be of workes it is no more grace Tit. 2. 11. The sauing grace of God shined to all men teaching vs to denie impietie c. The Grace of God is either his Goodnes or his Mercie The Goodnes of God is that by which he beeing in himselfe absolutely good doth freely exercise his liberalitie vpon his creatures Matth. 19.17 Why callest thou me good there is none good but one euen God Math. 5. 45. He maketh his sunne to shine vpon the good and bad and he raineth vpon the iust and vniust Gods mercie is that by which he freely assisteth all his creatures in their miseries Esai 30. 18. Yet will the Lord waite that he may haue mercie vpon you Lament 3.22 It is the Lords mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions faile not Exod. 39.19 I take pitie on whome I take pitie and am mercifull on whome I am mercifull Gods Iustice is that by which he in all things willeth that which is iust Psal. 10. The iust Lord loueth iustice Psalm 5.4 For thou art not a God that loueth wickednesse Gods iustice is in word or deede Iustice in word is that truth by which he constantly and indeede willeth that which he hath â—aid Rom. 3.4 Let God be true and euery man a lyar Matth. 24.25 Heauen and earth shall passe away but my word shall not passe away Hence it is that God is iust in keeping his promise 1. Ioh. 1.9 If we confesse our sinnes God is faithfull and iust to forgiue our sinnes 2. Tim. 4. 8. Henceforth is laid vp for me the crowne of righteousnes which the Lord the righteous Iudge shall giue me at that day Iustice indeede is that by which he either disposeth or rewardeth Gods disposing iustice is that by which he as a most free Lord ordereth rightly all things in his actions Psal. 45.17 The Lord is righteous in al his waies Gods rewarding iustice is that by which he rendreth to his creature according to his worke 2. Thess. 1.6 It is iustice with God to render affliction to such â—â— afflict you but to you which are afflicted releasing with vs. 1. Pet. 1.17 Therefore if you call him Father which without respect of person iudgeth according to euery worke passe the time of your dwelling here in feare Ierem. 51. 56. The Lord that recompenseth shall surely recompence The Iustice of God is either his Gentlenes or Anger Gods Gentlenes is that by which he freely bestoweth vpon his creature a reward 2. Thess. 1. 5. Which is a token of the righteous iudgement of God that ye may be counted worthie the kingdome of God for the which yee also suffer Matth. 10. 41 42. He that receiueth a Prophet in the name of a Prophet shall haue a Prophets reward and he that receiueth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receiue the reward of a righteous man And whosoeuer shall giue vnto one of these little ones to drinke a cup of cold water onely in the name of a Disciple verely I say vnto you he shall not loose his reward Gods Anger is that by which he punisheth the transgression of his creature Rom. 1.18 For the wrath of God is reuealed from heauen against all vngodlines and vnrighteousnes of men which withhold the truth in vnrighteousnes Ioh. 3.36 He that obeyeth not the Sonne shal not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him Thus much concerning the will of GOD. Now followeth his omnipotencie Gods omnipotencie is that by which he is most able to performe euery worke Math. 19.29 With men this is impossible with God all things are possible Some things notwithstanding are here to be excepted First those things whose action argueth an impotencie as to lie to denie his word Titus 1. 2. which God that cannot lie hath promised 2. Tim. 2. 13. He cannot denie himselfe Secondly such things as are contrarie to the Nature of God as to destroy himselfe and not to beget his Sonne from eternitie Thirdly such things as imploy contradiction For God cannot make a trueth false or that which is when it is not to be Gods power may be distinguished into an absolute and actuall power Gods absolute power is that by which he can doe more then he either doth or will doe Matth. 3.9 I say vnto
you God is able of these stones to raise vp children to Abraham Philip. 3. 21. According to the working whereby he is able to subdue euen all things vnto himselfe Gods actuall power is that by which he causeth all things to be which he freely will Psal. 135. 6. All things which God will those he doth in heauen and in earth and in all depths CHAP. 5. Of Gods glorie and blessednesse OVt of the former attributes by which the true Iehouah is distinguished from a fained god and from idols arise the glorie of God and his blessednesse Gods glorie or maiestie is the infinite excellencie of his most simple and most holy diuine Nature Hebr. 1.3 Who beeing the brightnesse of his glorie and the ingraued forme of his person c. Dan. 3. Thou art onely God and glorious vpon the earth By this we see that God onely can know himselfe perfectly Ioh. 6.46 Not that any maÌ„ hath seene the Father saue he which is of God he hath seen the Father 1. Tim. 6. 16. Who onely hath immortalitie and dwelleth in the light that none can attaine vnto whom neuer man saw neither can see Exod. 33.18 Thou canst not see my face Notwithstanding there is a certaine manifestation of gods glorie partly more obscure partly more apparant The more obscure manifestation is the vision of Gods maiestie in this life by the eies of the mind through the help of things perceiued by the outward senses Esa. 6.1 I saw the Lord sitting vppon an high throne and lifted vp and the lower parts thereof filled the temple Exod. â—3 22 And while my glorie passeth by I will put thee in a cleft of the rocke and will couer thee with my hand whiles I passe by after I will take away mine hand and thou shalt see my backe parts but my face shall not be seene 1. Cor. 13. 12. Nowe we se as through a glasse darkely The more apparant manifestation of God is the contemplation of him in heauen face to face 1. Corinth 13. 12. But then shall we see face to face Dan. 7. 9 10. I beheld till the thrones were set vp and the ancient of daies did fit whose garment was white as snow c. Matth. 19.16 Gods blessednes is that by which God is in himselfe and of himselfe all sufficient Gen. 17.1 I am God all sufficient walke before me and be thou vpright Col. 2.2.9 For in him dwelleth all the fulnesse of the godhead bodily 1. Tim. 6.5 Which in due time he shall shew that is blessed and Prince onely c. CHAP. 5. Concerning the persons of the Godhead THe persons are they which subsisting in one Godhead are distinguished by incommunicable properties 1. Ioh. 5.7 There are three that beare record in heauen the Father the Word and the holy Ghost and these three are one Gen. 19.24 Then Iehouah raigned vpon Sodom and vpon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from Iehouah in heauen Ioh. 1.1 In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and that Word was God They therefore are coequall and are distinguished not by degree but by order The Constitution of a person is when as a personall proprietie or the proper manner of subsisting is adioyned to the Dietie or one diuine nature Distinction of persons is that which albeit euery person is one and the same perfect God yet the Father is not the Sonne or the holy Ghost but the Father alone and the holy Ghost is not the Father or the Sonne but the holy Ghost alone neither can they be deuided by reason of the infinitnesse of their most simple essence which is all one in number and the same in the Father the same in the Sonne and the same in the holy Ghost so that in these there is diuersitie of persons but vnitie in essence The communion of the persons or rather vnion is that by which each one is in the rest and with the rest by reason of the vnitie of the Godhead therfore euerie each one doth possesse loue and glorifie another and worke the same thing Ioh. 4.10 Beleeuest thou not that I am in the Father and the Father is in me the wordes that I spake vnto you I speake not of my selfe but the father that dwelleth in me he doth the workes Prov. 8.22 The Lord hath possessed me in the beginning of his way I was before the works of old And vers 20. Them was I with him as a nourisher and I was daily his delight reioicing alwaie before him Ioh. 1. 1. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and that Word was God and chap. 5.19 The Sonne can doe nothing of himselfe saue that he seeth the Father do for whatsoeuer things he doth the same doth the Sonne also There be three persons the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost Matth. 3.16.17 And Iesus when hee was baptized came straight out of the water and lo the heauens were opened vnto him and Iohn saw the Spirit of God descending like a doue and lighting vpon him and loe a voyce came from heauen saying This is my belooued sonne in whome I am well pleased The father is a person without beginning who from all eternitie begate the Sonne Heb. 1.3 Who being the brightnes of the glorie and the ingraued forme of his person Psal. 2.7 Thou art my Sonne this day haue I begotten thee In the generation of the Sonne these properties must be noted I. Hee that begetteth and he that is begotten are togither and not one before another in time II. He that begetteth doth communicate with him that is begotten not some one part but his whole essence III. The Father begot the Sonne not out of himselfe but within in himselfe The incommunicable propertie of the Father is to be vnbegotten to be a Father and to beget He is the beginning of actions because he beginneth euery action of himselfe effecting it by the Sonne and the holy Ghost 1. Cor. 8.6 Yet vnto vs there is but one God which is the Father of whome are all things and we in him and one Lord Iesus Christ by whome are all things and wee by him Rom. 11. â—6 For of him and through him and for him are all things The other two persons haue the Godhead or the whole diuine essence of the Father by communication namely the Sonne and the holy Ghost The Sonne is the second person begotten of the Father from all eternitie Heb. 1.5 For vnto which of the Angels said be at any time Thou art my Sonne this day begat I thee Col. 1.15 Who is the image of the inuisible God the first borne of euery creaturâ— Ioh. 1.14 And we saw the glory thereof as the glory of the only begotten sonne of the father Rom. 8.32 He who spared not his owne sonne For this cause he is said to be sent from the father Ioh. 8.42 I proceeded forth and came from God neither came I of my selfe but he sent me This sending taketh not
Sonne of God By this we may see that Christ is one onely Sonne of God not two yet in two respects is he one As he is the eternall Word hee is by nature the Son of the Father As he is man the same Sonne also yet not by nature or by adoption but only by personal vnion Luk. 1.35 Matth. 3.17 This is my beloued Son c. The phrase in Scripture agreeing to this Vnion is the communion of properties concerning which obserue two rules I. Of those things which are spoken or attributed to Christ some are only vnderstood of his diuine nature As that Ioh. 8.58 Before Abraham was I am And that Coloss. 1.15 Who is the image of the inuisible God the first borne of euery creature Some againe agree only to his humanitie as borne suffered dead buried c. Luk. 2.52 And Iesus increased in wisdome and stature and in fauour with God and man Lastly other things are vnderstood only of both natures vnited togither As Matth. 17.5 This is my beloued Son in whome onely I am well pleased heare him Eph. 1.22 He hath made subiect all things vnder his feete and hath appointed him ouer all things to be the head to the Church II. Some things are spoken of Christ as he is God which must be interpreted according to his humane nature Act. 20.28 To feed the Church of God that is Christ which he according to his manhood hath purchased with his own blood 1. Cor. 2.8 If they had knowne this they would neuer haue crucified the Lord of glory Contrarily some things are mentioned of Christ as he is man which onely are vnderstood of his diuine nature Ioh. 3.13 No man ascended vp to heauen but he that hath descended from heauen the sonne of man which is in heauen This is spoken of his manhood whereas we must vnderstand that onely his Deitie came downe from heauen Ioh. 6.62 What if ye should see the sonne of man vz. Christs humane nature ascend vp where hee vz. his Deitie was before Lastlie by reason of this Vnion Christ as he is man is exalted aboue euery name yea he is adored and hath such a great though not infinite measure of gifts as farre surpasse the gifts of all Saints and Angels Eph. 1.21 And set him at his right hand in heauenly places â—â—â—re aboue all principalitie and power and might and domination and euery name that is named not in this world onely but in that also that is to come Heb. 1.6 When he bringeth his first begotten Sonne into the world he saith And let all the Angels of God worship him Col. 2.3 In whome all the treasures of wisdome and knowledge are hidden Phil. 2.9 10. Therefore god exalted him on hie gaue him a name aboue all names that at the name of Iesus euery knee should bow namely worship and be subiect to him both of things in heauen and things in earth and things vnder the earth CHAP. 17. Of the distinction of both Natures THe distinction of both Natures is that whereby they with their properties and effects remaine without composition mingling or conuersion distinct Ioh. 10.17,18 Therefore doth my Father loue me because I lay downe my life that I may take it againe No man taketh it from me but I lay it downe of my selfe I haue power to lay it downe and haue power to take it againe Ioh. 13.31 32. Now is the Son of man glorified God is glorified in him If God be glorified in him God shall also glorifie him in himselfe Here we may obserue that there is one will in Christ as God another as man Matth. 26.39 Not as I will but as thou wilt This also approoueth that sentence of the Chalcedon Creede Wee confesse that one and the same Christ Iesus both Sonne Lord only begotteÌ„ is known and preached to be in two natures without confusion mutation distinction or separation Lastly hereby it is manifest that Christ when he became that which he was not namely man continued still that which he was very God CHAP. 18. Of Christs Natiuitie and Office THus much concerning Christs incarnation the cleere declaration thereof was by his natiuitie The natiuity of Christ is that wherby Mary a Virgin did after the course of nature and the custome of women bring forth Christ that Word of the father and the Son of Dauid so that those are much deceiued which are of opinion that Christ after a miraculous maner came into the world the wombe of the Virgin beeing shut Luk. 2.23 Euery man child which first openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord. The which place of scripture is applyed to Mary our Sauiour Christ. Hence is it that the Virgin Marie is said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to bring forth god albeit she is not any way mother of the Godhead For Christ as hee is God is without mother and as man without Father It is conuenient to be thought that Mary continued a Virgin vntill her dying day albeit we make not this opinion any article of our beleefe I. Christ beeing now to depart the world committed his mother to the tuition and custodie of his disciple Iohn which it is like he would not haue done if shee had had any children by whom as custome was shee might haue beene prouided for Ioh. 19. 26. II. It is likely that shee who was with childe by the holy Ghost would not after know any man III. It is agreed of by the Church in all ages Christ beeing now borne was circumcised the eight day that he might fulfill all the righteousnes of the law and bâ—â—â—g thirtie yeares of age he was baptized that he beeing publiquely and solemnly inuested into the office of his Mediatorship might take vpon him the guilt of our sinnes He was both circumcised and baptized that we might learne I. That the whole efficacie of the Sacraments depend alone and wholly vpon him II. That he was Mediatour of mankind both before and after the Law as also vnder grace III. That he is the knot and bond of both couenants His Office followeth to the perfect accomplishing whereof he was annointed of his Father that is he was sufficiently furnished both with gifts and authoritie Hebr. 1.9 Therefore God euen thy God annointed thee with the oyle of gladnesse aboue thy fellowes Esa. 61.1 The Spirit of the Lord was vpon me therfore be annointed me Ioh. 3.34 God giueth him not the Spirit by measure If any man inforce this as a reason that Christ could not performe the Office of a Mediatour beeing not the meane or middle betwixt God and man but the partie offended so one of the extreames we must know that Christ is two waies said to be the middle or meane I. Betwixt God and all men for being both God and man he doth participate with both extreames II. Betwixt God and the faithfull onely first according to his humanitie whereby he receiued the Spirit without measure Secondly according to his diuine
before the hoorehead and honour the person of the old man and dread thy God I am the Lord. To meete him that commeth towards vs. Gen. 18.2 And he lifted vp his eies and looked and loe three men stood by him and when he saw them hee ranne to meete them from the tent doore 1. King 2. 19. When Bethsheba came to speake to king Solomon the king rose to meete her and bowed himselfe vnto her To bowe the knee Mark 10.17 And when he was gone out of the waie there came one running and kneeled to him Gen. 18.2 He ran to meete them and bowed himselfe to the ground To stand by those that sit downe Gen. 18.8 And he tooke butter and milke and the calfe that he had prepared and set before them and stoode himselfe by them vnder the tree and they did eate Exod. 18.13 Now on the morrowe when Moses sate to iudge the people the people stoode about Moses from morning vnto euen To giue the cheife seate 1. King 2.19 And he sate downe on his throne and he caused a seate to be set for the kings mother and shee sate downe at his right hand Luk. 14. 7,8,9 He spake also a parable vnto the guests when he marked how they chose out the chiefe roomes and said vnto them When thou shalt be bidden of any man to a wedding set not thy selfe downe in the chiefest place least a more honourable man then thou be bidden of him and he that bade both him and thee come and say to thee Giue this man roome and thou then beginne with shame to take the lowest roome Gen. 43.33 So they sate before him the eldest according to his age and the youngest according to his youth and the men marueiled among themselues To let our Superiours speake before vs. Iob. 32.6,7 17. To keepe silence in courts and iudgement places vntill we be bidden to speake Act. 24. 10. Then Paul after that the Gouernour had beckened vnto him that he should speake answered To giue them such their right and iust titles as declare our reuerence when we speake vnto them 1. Pet. 3.6 As Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him Lord whose daughters ye are whiles ye doe well Mar. 10. 17. Good Master what shall I doe that I may possesse eternall life 20. Then he answered and said vnto him Master all these things haue I obserued from my youth 1. Sam. 1.14 15. And Eli said vnto her How long wilt thou be drūken Put away thy drunkennes from thee then Hannah answered and said Nay my Lord but I am a woman troubled in spirit I haue drunke neither wine nor strong drinke Secondly towards those that are our superiours in authoritie and first obedience to their commandements Rom. 13.1 Let euery soule be subiect to the higher power VVe are to be admonished to obedience because euery higher power is the ordinance of God and the obedience which we performe to him God accepteth it as though it were done to himselfe and to Christ◠Rom. 13.2 Whosoeuer therfore resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God and they that resist shall receiue to themselues iudgement Col. 3.23 And whatsoeuer ye doe doe it hartilie as vnto the Lord not vnto them 24. Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receiue the reward of the inheritance for ye serue the Lord Christ. Obedience is to be performed to our superiours with diligence and faithfulnes Gen. 24.2 Abraham said vnto his eldest seruant of his house which had the rule ouer all that he had put now thy hand vnder my thigh and I will make thee sweare by the Lord God of heauen and God of the earth that thou shalt not take a wife vnto my sonne of the daughters of the Canaanites amongst whome I dwell 10. So the seruant tooke ten Camels of his master and departed 12. And he said O Lord God of my master Abraham I beseech thee send me good speede this day and shew mercie vnto my master Abraham 33. Afterward the meate was set before him but he said I will not eate vntill I haue said my message And Laban said Speake on 56. But he saide Hinder me not seeing the Lord hath prospered my iourney send me away that I may goe to my master Gen. 31.38 This twentie yeares haue I beene with thee thine ewes and thy goates haue not cast their young and the rammes of thy flocke haue I not eaten 39. Whatsoeuer was torne of beasts I brought it not vnto thee but made it good my selfe of mine hand diddest thou require it were it stollen by day or stollen by night 40. I was in the day consumed with heat and with frost in the night and my sleepe departed from mine eyes Furthermore we must yeelde obedience to our Superiours yea although they be cruell and wicked but not in wickednesse 1. Pet. 2.18 Seruants be subiect to your masters with all feare not onely to the good and courteous but also to the froward Act. 4.19 Whether it be right in the sight of God to obey you rather then God iudge ye Subiection in suffering the punishments inflicted by our Superiours Gen. 16.6 Then Abraham saide to Sarai Behold thy maide is in thine hand doe with her as it pleaseth thee then Sarai dealt roughly with her wherefore shee fledde from her 9. Then the Angel of the Lord said vnto her Returne vnto thy dame and humble thy selfe vnder her hands And although the punishment should be vniust yet must we suffer it vntill we can get some lawfull remedie for the same 1. Pet. 2.19 For it is thanke-worthie if a man for conscience toward God endure griefe suffering wrongfully 20. For what praise is it if when ye be buffeted for your faults ye take it patiently but and if when ye doe well ye suffer wrong and take it patiently this is acceptable to God III. Thankfulnes in our praiers 1. Tim. 2.1 2. I exhort you therefore that first of all supplications prayers intercessions and giuing of thankes be made for all men for kings for all that be in authoritie that we may lead a quiet a peaceable life in all godlines and honestie 1. Tim. 5.17 Elders that rule well are worthie of double honour Gen. 45.9 Haste you and goe vp to my Father and tell him Thus saith thy sonne Ioseph God hath made me lord ouer all Egypt come downe to me tarie not 10. And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen 11. Also I will nourish thee there for yet remaine fiue yeares of famine least thou perish through pouertie thou and thy houshold and all that thou hast Thirdly towards those that excell vs in gifts our dutie is to acknowledge the same gifts and speake of them to their praise 1. Cor. 8.22,23 Fourthly toward all our equals to thinke reuerently of them Phil. 2.3 Let nothing be done through contention or vaineglorie but in meeknes of minde let euery man esteeme other better then himselfe In giuing honour to goe one before an
In whome ye are also built togither to be the habitation of God by the spirit This albeit it be a most neere and reall vnion yet we must not thinke that it by touching mixture or as it were by souldring of one soule with another neither by a bare agreement of the soules among themselues but by the communion and operation of the same spirit which beeing by nature infinite is of sufficient abilitie to conioyne those things togither which are of themselues farre distant from each other the like we see in the soule of man which conioyneth the head with the foote Eph. 2.22 2. Pet. 1.4 Whereby most great and precious promises are giuen vnto vs that by them ye should be partakers of the godly nature in that ye flie the corruption which is in the world through lust Phil. 2.1 If there be any consolation in Christ if any comfort of loue if any fellowship of the spirit c. The things vnited In this vnion not our soule alone is vnited with Christs soule or our â—lesh with his flesh but the whole person of euery faithfull man is â—erely conioyned with the whol person of our Sauiour Christ God man The manner of their vnion is this A faithfull man first of all and immediatly is vnited to the flesh or humane nature of Christ afterward by reason of the humanitie to the Word it selfe or diuine nature For saluation and life dependeth on that fulnesse of the godhead which is in Christ yet it is not coÌ„municated vnto vs but in the flesh and by the flesh of Christ. Ioh. 6 5â— Except ye eate the flesh and drinke the blood of the Sonne of man ye haue no life in you 56. He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I in him The bond of this vnion This vnion is made by the spirit of God applying Christ vnto vs and on our parts by faith receiuing Christ Iesus offered vnto vs. And for this cause is it tearmed a spirituall vnion Christ because he is the head of the faithfull is to be considered as a publike man sustaining the person of all the elect Hence is it that the faithfull are â—aid to be crucified with Christ and with him to die to be buried Rom. 6.4 5,6 to be quickened Eph. 2.5 to be raised vp and placed in heauen v. 6. Col. 3.1 the which is not onely in regard of the hope of the faithful but because they are accepted of God certainely to haue done all these things in Christ euen as in Adams first sinne all his posteritie afterward was tainted of sinne A member of Christ is diuersly distinguished and is so either before men or God Before meÌ„ they are the members of Christ who outwardly professing the faith are charitably reputed by the Church as true members But such deceiuing at length both themselues and the Church may be reprobates therefore in Gods presence they are no more true members then are the noxious humours in mans bodie or a woodden legge or other ioynt cunningly fastened to another part of the bodie Againe members before God they are such as either are decreed to be so or actually are so already Such as are decreed to be so are they who being elect from all eternitie are either as yet not borne or not called Ioh. 10. 16. Other sheepe haue I which are not of this fold them also must I bring Actuall members of Christ are either liuing or dying members An actuall liuing member of Christ is euery one elected which being engraffed by faith and the spirit into Christ doth feele and shewe forth the power of Christ in him An actuall dying or decaying member is euery one truely engraffed into Christ and yet hath no feeling of the power and efficacie of the quickening spirit in him He is like vnto a benummed legge without sense which indeede is a part of mans body and yet receiueth no nourishment such are those faithfull ones who for a time doe faint and are ouercome vnder the heauie burtheÌ„ of tentations and their sinnes such are also those excommunicate persons who in regard of their engraffing are true members howesoeuer in regard of the externall communion with the Church and efficacie of the spirit they are not members till such time as they being touched with repentance doe begin as it were to liue againe God executeth this effectuall calling by certaine meanes The first is the sauing hearing of the word of God which is when the said word outwardly is preached to such an one as is both dead in his sinnes and doth not so much as dreame of his saluation And first of all the Law shewing a man his sinne and the punishment thereof which is eternall death afterward the Gospel shewing saluation by Christ Iesus to such as beleeue And inwardly the eyes of the minde are enlightened the heart and eares opened that he may see heare and vnderstand the preaching of the word of God The second is the mollifying of the heart the which must be bruised in pieces that it may be fit to receiue Gods sauing grace offered vnto it Ezech. 11. 19. I will giue them one heart and I will put a new spirit within their bowels And I will take the stonie heart out of their bodies and will giue them an heart of flesh There are for the brusing of this stonie heart foure principal hammers The first is the knowledge of the law of God The second is the knowledge of sinne both originall and actuall and what punishment is due vnto them The third is compunction or pricking of the heart namely a sense and feeling of the wrath of God for the same sinnes The fourth is an holy desperation of a mans owne power in the obtaining of eternall life Act. 2.37 When they heard these things they were pricked in heart and said vnto Peter and the rest of the Apostles Men and brethren what shall we doe 38. Peter said vnto them Repent and be baptized euery one of you in the name of Iesus into the remission of sinnes and ye shall receiue the gift of the holy Ghost Luk. 15.17 Then he came to himselfe and said How many hired seruants at my fathers haue bread ynough and I die for hunger 18. I will rise and goe to my father and say vnto him Father I haue sinned against heauen and before thee 19. And am no more worthie to be called thy sonne make me as one of thy hired seruants c. Matth. 15. 24. He answered and said I am not sent but to the lost sheepe of Israel The third is faith which is a miraculous and supernaturall facultie of the heart apprehending Christ Iesus being applied by the operation of the holy Ghost and receiuing him to it selfe Ioh. 1.1,2,6.35 Iesus said vnto them I am the bread of life he that commeth vnto me shall neuer hunger and he that beleeueth in me shall neuer thirst Rom. 9.30 What shall we
say then the Gentiles which followed not righteousnesse haue attained vnto righteousnesse euen the righteousnes which is of faith Christ is receiued when euery seuerall person doth particularly apply vnto himselfe Christ with his merits by an inward perswasioÌ„ of the heart which commeth none other way but by the effectuall certificate by the holy Ghost concerning the mercy of God in Christ Iesus 1. Cor. 2.12 Wee haue receiued not the spirit of the world but the spirit which is of GOD that we might knowe the things that are giuen to vs of GOD. Ezech. 12.10 I will poure the spirit of grace vpon the house of Dauid and vpon the inhabitants of Ierusalem and they shall looke vnto me whome they haue wounded Rom. 8.16 His spirit beareth witnesse to our spirit that we are the sonnes of God Eph. 1.13 In whom also ye haue trust after that ye heard the word of truth euen the Gospell of your saluation wherein also after that ye beleeued ye were sealed with the holy spirit of promise 2. Cor. 1.22 In the worke of faith there are foure degrees or motions of the heart linked and vnited togither and are worthy the consideration of euery Christian. The first is knowledge of the Gospell by the illumination of gods spirit Esay 53.11 By his knowledge shall my seruant iustifie many Ioh. 7.3 This is life eternall that they knowe thee to be the onely very God and whome thou hast sent Iesus Christ. To this in such as are truely humbled is annexed a serious meditation of the promises in the Gospell stirred vp by the sensible feeling of their owne beggerie And after the forsaid knowledge in all such as are enlightened commeth a generall faith whereby they subscribe to the trueth of the Gospell Heb. 4.2 Vnto vs was the Gospell preached as also vnto them but the word that they heard profited not them because it was not mixed with faith in those that heard it 1. Tim. 1.19 Hauing faith and a good conscience which some haue put away and as concerning the faith haue made shipwracke 1. Tim. 2.4 Who will that all men should bee saued and come vnto the knowledge of the trueth This knowledge if it be more full and perfect is called in Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the full assuraÌ„ce of vnderstâ—Ì„ding Col. 2.2 That their hearts might be comforted and they knit togither in loue and in all riches of the full assurance of vnderstanding to knowe the mysterie of God euen the father and of Christ. Rom. 14.14 I knowe and am perswaded through the Lord Iesus that there is nothing vncleane of it selfe Luk. 1.1 For as much as many haue taken in hand to set forth the storie of those things whereof we are fully perswaded 1. Thes. 1.5 Our gospell was vnto you not in word onely but also in power and in the holy Ghost and in much assurance The second is hope of pardon whereby a sinner albeit he yet feeleth not that his sinnes are certainly pardoned yet he be beleeueth that they are pardonable Luk. 15.18 I will goe vnto him father and say Father I haue sinned against heâ—uen and against thee and am no more worthie to be called thy sonne make me as one of thy hired seruants The third is an hungring and thirsting after that grace which is offered to him in Christ Iesus as a man hungreth and thirsteth after meate and drinke Ioh. 6.35 and 7.37 Reu. 21.6 And he said vnto me It is done I am A and Ω the beginning and the ende I will giue to him that is a thirst of the well of the water of life freely Matth. 5.6 Blessed are they which hunger and thirst after righteousnes for they shall be satisfied The fourth is the approching to the throne of Grace that there flying from the terror of the Law he may take hold of Christ and finde fauour with God Heb. 4.16 Let vs therefore goe boldly to the throne of grace that we may receiue mercie and finde grace to helpe in time of neede This approching hath two parts The first is an humble confession of our sinnes before God particularly if they be knowne sinnes and generally if vnknowne this done the Lord forthwith remitteth all our sinnes Psalm 32.5 I thought I will confesse against my selfe my wickednesse vnto the Lord and thou forgauest the punishment of my sinne Selah 2. Sam. 12. 13. Dauid said to Nathan I haue sinned against the Lord wherefore Nathan said to Dauid The Lord hath taken away thy sinne thou shalt not die Luk. 15.19 The secoÌ„d is the crauing pardon of some sinnes with vnspeakable sighes and in perseuerance Luk. 15.21 Act. 8.22 Repent of this wickednesse and pray God that if it be possible the thought of thine heart may be forgiuen thee Rom. 8. 26. The spirit helpeth our infirmities for we knowe not what to pray as we ought but the spirit it selfe maketh request for vs with sighes which cannot be expressed Hos. 14.2,3 O Israel returne vnto the Lord thy God for thou hast fallen by thine iniquitie Take vnto you wordes and turne to the Lord and say to him take away al iniquitie and receiue vs gratiously The fift arising of the former is an especiall perswasion imprinted in the heart by the holy Ghost whereby euery faithful man doth particularly apply vnto himselfe those promises which are made in the Gospell Matth. 9.2 They brought vnto him a man sicke of the palsie and when Iesus saw their faith he saide vnto the sicke of the palsie Sonne be of good comfort thy sinnes are forgiuen thee Mat. 15.28 O woman great is thy faith bee it vnto thee as thou desirest Gal. 2.20 I liue yet not I nowe but Christ liueth in me and in that I nowe liue in the flesh I liue by the faith of the sonne of God who hath loued me and giuen himselfe for me This perswasioÌ„ is ought to be in euery one eueÌ„ before he haue any experieÌ„ce of Gods mercies Mat. 15.22 A womaÌ„ a Canaanite came out of the same coasts and cried saying vnto him Haue mercie on me O Lord the sonne of Dauid my daughter is miserably vexed with a deuill c. 23,24,25,26,27 Ioh. 20.29 Iesus said vnto him Thomas because thou hast seene me thou beleeuest blessed are they which haue not seene and haue beleeued Hebr. 11. 1. Faith is the ground of things hoped for and the euidence of things which are not seene In philosophy wee first see a thing true by experience and afterward giue our assent vnto it as in naturall philosophy I am perswaded that such a water is hot because when I put mine hand into it I perceiue by experience an hot qualitie But in the practise of faith it is quite contrarie For first we must consent to the word of God resisting all doubt and diffidence and afterward will an experience and feeling of comfort followe 2. Chron. 20.20 Put your trust in the Lord your God and ye shall be assured beleeue his
noise like to that of charriot wheeles suddenly passe away and the elements with the earth and all therein shall be dissolued with fire 2. Pet. 3. 12. Lâ—â—king for and hâ—â—sting vnto the comming of the day of God by which the heauens beeing 〈◊〉 shall be dissolued and the elements shall melt with heate 13. 〈…〉 new heauens and a new earth according to his promise wherein d 〈…〉 ousness At the same time when as all these things shall come to passe 〈◊〉 sound of the last trumpet shall be heard sounded by the Archangâ—â—â— And Christ shall come suddenly in the cloudes with power and glorie and a great traine of Angels III. Now at the sound of the trumpet the Elect which were dead shal arise with their bodies and those very bodies which were turned to dust and one part rent from another shall by the omnipotent power of God be restored and the soules of them shall descend from heauen and be brought againe into those bodies As for them which then shall be aliue they shall be changed in the twinckling of an eye and this mutation shall be in stead of death And at that time the bodies shall receiue their full redemption and all the bodies of the Elect shall be made like the glorious bodie of Christ Iesus and therefore shall be spirituall immortall glorious and free from all infirmitie IV. Last of all when they are all conuented before the tribunall seate of Christ he will forthwith place the Elect seuered from the reprobate and taken vp into the aire at his right hand and to them being written in the booke of life will he pronounce this sentence Come ye blessed of my father possesse the kingdome prepared for you from the foundations of the world Matth. 25.33 He shall set the sheepe on his right hand and the goates on the left 1. Thess. 4. 17. Reu. 20. 12. whosoeuer was not found written in the booke of life was cast into the lake of fire CHAP. 50. Of the estate of the Elect after iudgement THe last iudgement beeing once finished the Elect shall enioy immediatly blessednes in the kingdome of heauen Blessednes is that whereby God himselfe is all in all his Elect. 1. Cor. 15. 28. When all things shall be subdued to him then shall the Sonne also himselfe be subiect vnto him that did subdue all things vnder him that God may be all in all And it is the reward of good workes not because workes can merit but by reason of Gods fauour who thus accepteth workes and that in respect of the merit of Christs righteousnes imputed to the Elect. Rom. 6.23 The wages of sinne is death but eternall life is the gift of God through Iesus Christ our Lord. 2. Tim. 4. 8. Reu. 22. 12. Behold I come shortly and my reward is with me to giue euery man according as his worke shall be Blessednesse hath two parts Eternall life and perfect glorie Eternall life is that fellowship with God whereby God himselfe is thorough the Lambe Christ life vnto the Elect. For in the kingdome of heauen the Elect shall not neede meat drinke sleepe aire heat cold phisicke apparell or the light of the Sunne and moone b but in place of all these shall they haue in them Gods spirit by which immediatly they shall be quickned for euer Perfect glorie is that wonderfull excellencie of the Elect wherby they shal be in a farre better estate then any heart can wish This glorie consisteth in three points I. In that they shall still behold the face of God which is his glory and maiestie Reuel 22.4 And they shall see his face and his name shall be in their forheads Psal. 17.15 I will behold thy face in righteousnes and when I awake I shall be satisfied with thine anger II. In that they shall be most like to Christ namely iust holy incorruptible glorious honorable excellent beautifull strong mightie and nimble 1. Ioh. 3.2 Dearely beloued now are we the sonnes of God but yet it doth not appeare what we shall be and we knowe that when he shall appeare we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is Phil. 3.21 Who shall change our vile bodie that it may be fashioned like vnto his glorious bodie according to the working whereby he is able euen to subdue all things to himselfe III. They shall inherit the kingdome of heauen yea the newe heauens and newe earth shal be their inheritance 1. Pet. 1.4 God hath begotten you to an inheritance immortall vndefiled and that fadeth not away reserued in heauen for you Mat. 25.34 Then shall the king say to them on his right hand Come ye blessed of my Father possesse a kingdome prepared for you before the foundations of the world were laid Reu. 5.10 Thou hast made vs vnto our God kings and priests and we shall raigne on the earth Reuel 21.7 Hee that ouercommeth shall inherite all things and I will be his God he shall be my sonne The fruit that commeth from both these parts of blessednes is of two sorts Eternall ioy and the perfect seruice of God Psal. 16.11 Thou wilt shewe me the path of life in thy presence is the fulnesse of ioy and at thy right hand there are pleasures for euermore Psal. 36.8 They shall be satisfied with the fatnes of thine house and thou shalt giue them drinke out of the riuer of thy pleasures 9. For with thee is the well of life and in thy light shall we see light The parts of Gods seruice are Praise and Thanksgiuing Reuel 21.3 And I heard a great voice out of heauen saying behold the Tabernacle of God is with men and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people and God himselfe shall be their God with them Chap. 5.12 Saying with a loud voice Worthy is the Lambe that was killed to receiue power and riches and wisdome and strength and honour and glory and praise c. 13. Chap. 11.17 The foure and twentie Elders which sate before God on their seates fell vpon their faces and worshipped God saying Wee giue thee thanks Lord God Almightie which art and Which wa st and Which art to come for thou hast receiued thy great might and hast obtained thy kingdome The manner of performing this seruice is to worship God by God himselfe immediately In heauen there shall neither be temple ceremonie nor Sacrament but all these wants shal God himselfe supply togither with the LaÌ„be that is Christ. Reuel 21.22 I sawe no temple therein for the Lord God Almightie and the Lambe are the Temple of it This seruice shall be daily and without intermission Reuel 7.15 They are in the presence of the throne of God and serue him day and night in his temple A Corollarie or the last conclusion THus God in sauing the Elect doeth clearely set forth his iustice and mercy His iustice in that he punished the sinnes of the elect in his Sonnes owne person His
Matth. 11.28 No man knoweth the Father but the Sonne and he to whoâ—â— the Sonne will reueale him Luke 8. To you it is giuen to know the mysteries of the kingdome of God Philip. 2. It is God which worketh in you to will and to doe 1. Cor. 12. 13. No man can say that Iesus is the Lord but by the holy Ghost Briefly he who according to God is to be created to righteousnes and holiness Eph. 4.24 cannot any waies dispose himselfe to iustification or new creation For it is impossible that a thing not yet created should dispose it selfe to his creation The IX errour That preparation to grace which is caused by the power of free-will may by the merit of congruitie deserue iustification The Confutation These things smell of more then Satanicall arrogancie For what man but such an one as were not in his right mind would beleeue that he vnto whom so many millions of condemnations are due could once merit the least dramme of grace The prodigall sonne he was not receiued into fauour by reason of his deserts but by fauour Luk. 15.21 His sonne said vnto him I haue sinned against heauen and against thee and am no more worthie to be called thy sonne The X. errour The faith of the godly or that which iustifieth is that whereby a man doth in generall beleeue the promised blessednes of God and by which also he giueth his assent to other mysteries reuealed of God concerning the same The Confutation Faith is not onely a generall knowledge and assent to the historie of the Gospel but further also a certaine power both apprehending and seuerally applying the promises of God in Christ whereby a man doth assuredly set downe that his sinnes are forgiuen him and that he is reconciled vnto God Reasons I. A particular assuraÌ„ce of the fauour of god is of the nature of faith Eph. 3.12 By whom we haue boldnes and entrance with confidence by faith in him Rom. 4.20 Neither did he doubt of the promise of God through vnbeleefe but was strengthened in the faith and gaue glorie vnto God 21. Beeing fully assured that he which had promised was also able to do it Heb. 10.22 Let vs draw nere with a true heart in assurance of faith II. Particular doubtings is reprehended Mat. 14. â—â— O thou of litle faith why didst thou doubt Luk. 12.29 Hang ye not in suspence III. That which a maÌ„ praieth for to god that must he assuredly beleeue to receiue Math. 11.24 But the faithfull in their praiers make request for adoption iustification and life eternall And therefore they must certainely beleeue that they shall receiue these benefits IV. Rom. 5.1 We beeing thâ—refore iustified we haue peace with God But there can be no peace where there is not a paâ—ticuâ—ar assurance of Gods fauour V. That which the spirit of God doth testifie vnto vs particularly that must also be beleeued particularly But the spirit of God doth giue a particular testimonie of the adoption of the faithfull Rom. 8.16 Gal. 4.6 This therefore is in like sort to be beleeued Whereas they say that no man hath a particular assurance but by especiall reuelation as was that which Abraham and Paul had it is false For the faith of these two is set downe in Scripture as an example which we should all follow For this cause Abraham is called the Father of the faithfull and Paul testifieth the very fame of himselfe 1. Tim. 1.16 For this cause saith he was I receiued to mercie that Iesus Christ should first shew on me all long suffering vnto the example of them which shall in time to come beleeue in him vnto eternall life Againe whereas they say that we haue a morall assurance but not the assurance of faith it is a popish deuise For Rom. 8.16 The spirit of adoption 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 together beareth witnesse to our spirits Where we see two witnesses of our adoption our owne spirit and the spirit of God Our spirit doth testifie morally of our adoption by sanctification and the fruits thereof and therefore also the spirit of God witnesseth after another manner namely by the certaintie of faith declaring and applying the promises of God Obiect I. We are commanded to worke our saluation with feare trembling Ans. This feare is not in regard of Gods mercie forgiuing our sinnes but in respect of vs and our nature which is euer prone to slide away and starting from God Obiect II. In respect of Gods mercie we must hope for saluation but in respect of our vnworthines we must doubt Ans. I. We may not at all lawfully doubt of Gods mercie because doubtfulnes is not of the nature of faith but rather a naturall corruption II. If we consider our owne vnworthines it is out of all doubt that we must be out of all hope and despaire of our saluation Obiect III. There be many sinnes vnknowne vnto vs and so also vncertaine whether they be pardoned vnto vs. Answer He that certenly and truly knoweth that but one sinne is pardoned him he hath before God all his sinnes remitted whether they be knowne or vnknowne Obiect IV. No man dare sweare or die in the defence of this proposition I am the child of God or in Gods fauour and iustified Answ. They which haue an vnfained faith will if they be lawfully called not onely testifie their adoption by an oath but seale it also by their blood Obiect V. A man may haue this faith which the Protestants talke of and lie in a mortall sinne and haue also a purpose to perseuere in a mortall sinne Ans. It is farre otherwise for Act. 15.9 True faith purifieth the heart These Sophisters doe further affirme that this faith which to them is nothing but a knowledge and illumination of the mind concerning the truth of Gods word is the roote and foundation of iustification The which if it be true why should not the deuill be iust for he hath both a knowledge of Gods word and thereunto by beleeuing doth giue his assent who notwithstanding he haue such a faith yet can he not be called one of the faithfull Here they except and say The deuils faith is void of charitie which is the forme of faith But this is a doting surmise of their owne braine For charitie is the effect of faith 1. Tim. 1.5 But the effect cannot informe the cause The XI errour Mans loue of God doth in order and time goe before his iâ—stification and reconciliation with God The Confutation Nay contrarily vnlesse we be first perswaded of Gods loue towards vs we neuer loue him For we loue him because he loued vs first 1. Ioh. 4.19 Againe it is impossible that Gods enemie should loue him but he which is not as yet iustified or reconciled to God he is Gods enemie Rom. 5.9,10 Neither is any man before the act of iustification made of Gods enemie his friend The XII errour Iufused or inherent iustice is the formall cause of iâ—stification
present vnto you an Exposition of another part of the Catechisme namely the Symbole or Creede of the Apostles which is indeede the very pith and substance of Christian religion taught by the Apostles imbraced by the ancient fathers sealed by the blood of martyrs vsed by Theodosius the Emperour as a meanes to ende the controuersies of his time and hereupon hath beene called the rule of faith the keye of faith And furthermore I hope that your Lordship will accept the same in good part the rather because you vouchsafed when you were in Cambridge to be an hearer thereof when it was taught and deliuered Thus crauing pardon for my boldnes I take my leaue commending your L. and yours to the protection of the Almightie Ann. 1595. Apr. 2. Your L. to command William Perkins The Contents of the booke The Creede pag. 185 Faith 187 God 198 The three persons 202 The Father 205 Gods omnipotencie 212 The Creation 217,221 Gods counsel 218 The creation of heauen 228 The creation of Angels 231 The creation of man 236 Gods prouidence 242 Adams fall and originall sinne 252 The couenant of grace 259 The title Iesus 262 The title Christ. 266 The title Sonne 271 The title Lord. 278 The Incarnation of Christ. 279 Christs humiliation 295 Christs passion 297 Christs arraignment 300 Christs execution 328 Christs sacrifice 350 Christs triumph 356 Christs buriall 367 The descension of Christ. 372 Christs exaltation 378 Christs Resurrection 380 Christs ascension 396 Christs sitting at c. 407 Christs intercession 409 Christs kingdome 417 The last iudgement 420 Of the holy Ghost 436 The Church 451,488 Predestination 453 The mysticall vnion 483 The communion of Saints 500 The forgiuenesse of sinnes 506 The resurrection of the bodie 509 Life euerlasting 516 In handling of the foresaid points for orders sake is considered 1. The meaning or such points of doctrine as are necessarie to bee knowne thereof 2. The duties to be learned thereby 3. The comforts that Gods pleople may gather thence AN EXPOSITION OF THE CREED I beleeue in God c. NO man iustly can be offended at this that I begin to treat of the doctrine of faith without a text though some be of mind that in Catechising the minister is to proceed as in the ordinary course of preaching onely by handling a set portion of scripture therefore that the handling of the Creede beeing no scripture is not conuenient Indeede I graunt that other course to bee commendable yet I doubt not but in Catechising the minister hath his libertie to followe or not to followe a certaine text of scripture as we doe in the vsuall course of preaching My reason is taken from the practise of the Primitiue Church whose Catechisme as the author of the Epistle to the Hebrues sheweth was contained in sixe principles or grounds of religion which were not taken out of any set text in the old Testament but rather was a forme of teaching gathered out of the most cleare places thereof Hence I reason thus That which in this point was the vse and manner of the Primitiue Church is lawfull to be vsed of vs now but in the Primitiue church it was the manner to catechize without handling any set text of scripture and therefore the ministers of the Gospell at this time may with like libertie do the same so be it they doe confirme the doctrine which they teach with places of scripture afterward Nowe to come to the Creede let vs begin with the name or title thereof That which in English we call the Apostles Creed in other tongues is called Symbolum that is a shot or a badge It is called a shot because as in a feast or banquet euery man payeth his part which beeing all gathered the whole which we call the shot amounteth and so out of the seuerall writings of the Apostles ariseth this creed or briefe confession of faith It is a badge because as a souldier in the field by his badge and liuerie is knowne of what band he is and to what captaine he doth belong euen so by this beleefe a christian man may be distinguished and knowne from all Iewes Turkes Atheists and all false professours and for this cause it is called a badge Againe it is called the creed of the Apostles not because they were the peÌ„ners of it conferring to it besides the matter the very style frame of words as we haue theÌ„ now set down Reason I. there are in this creed certen words phrases which are not to be found in the writings of the Apostles and namely these He descended into hell the Catholike Church The latter whereof no doubt first began to be in vse when after the Apostles daies the Church was dispersed into all quarters of the earth Secondly if both matter and wordes hâ—d beene from the Apostles why is not the creede Canonicall Scripture as well as any other of their writings III. The Apostles had a summarie collecollection of the points of Christian religion which they taught and also deliuered to others to teach by consisting of two heads faith and loue as may appeare by Pauls exhortation to Timothie wishing him to keepe the patterne of wholesome wordes which he had heard of him in faith and loue which is in Christ Iesus Nowe the Creed consists not of two heads but of one namely of faith only not of loue also Wherfore I rather think that it is called the Apostles Creede because it doth summarily conteine the cheife and principall points of religion handled and propounded in the doctrine of the Apostles and because the points of the Creede are conformable and agreeable to their doctrine and writings And thus much of the title Now let vs heare what the creed is It is a summe of things to be beleeued concerning God and concerning the Church gathered forth of the scriptures For the opening of this description First I say it is a summe of things to be beleeued or an abridgement It hath beene the practise of teachers both in the newe and olde Testament to abridge and contract summarily the religion of their time This the Prophets vsed For when they had made their sermons to the people they did abridge them and penned theÌ„ briefly setting them in some open place that all the people might reade the same So the Lord bad Habakuk to write the vision which he sawe and to make it plaine vpon tables that he may runne that readeth it And in the newe testament the Apostles did abridge those doctrines which otherwise they did handle at large â—s as may appeare in the place of Timothie afore named Nowe the reason â—hy both in the old and newe Testament the doctrine of religion was abridged is that the vnderstandings of the simple as also their memories might be hereby helped and they better inabled to iudge of the trueth and to discerne the same from falshood And for this ende the Apostles
three They are all coequal and coeternall all most wise iust mercifull omnipotent by one and the same wisdome iustice mercie power And because they haue all one godhead therefore they are not onely one with another but also ech in other the Father in the Sonne and the Sonne in the Father and the holy Ghost in them both And we must not imagine that these three are one God as though the Father had one part of the Godhead the Sonne another part and the holy Ghost a third For that is most false because the infinite and the most simple godhead is not subiect to composition or diuision but euery person is whole god subsisting not in a part but in the whole godhead and the whole entire godhead is communicateâ— from the father to the sonneâ— from both father and sonne to the holy Ghost But some may yet say that this doctrine seemes to bee impossible because three creatures as for example Peter Paul Timothy beeing three persons and so remaining cannot haue one and the same nature that is the same body the same soule Answ. Three or moe men may haue the same nature in kind but the truth is they cannot possibly haue a nature which shal be one and the same in number in them all three For a man is a substance created and finite and the bodies of men are quantities and therefore diuisible and separable one from another Hereupon it comes that the persons of men are not only distinguished by proprieties but also diuided and sundered one from another And though Peter Paul Timothy haue all one common and vniuersall forme yet they three are not one man but three men Nowe it is otherwise with the diuine nature or godhead which is vncreated and infinite and therefore admits neither composition nor diuision but a distinction without any seperatioÌ„ so as the three persons subsisting in it shal not be three gods but one and the same God Yet further some wil obiect that it is truely said of the father that he is god but the same godhead is not in the sonne nor in the holy ghost for the sonne and the holy ghost haue their beginning from the father Ans. The sonne and the holy ghost haue not a beginning of their nature or of their godhead from the Father but of their person onely the person of the Sonne is from the Father and the person of the holy ghost is both from the father and from the Sonne but the godhead of all three persons is vncreate and vnbegotten and proceeding from none Yet some may say both the sonne and the holy ghost haue receiued from the Father al their attributes as wisdome knowledge power c. Nowe he that receiueth any thing from another is in that respect inferiour to him that giueth it and therefore the Sonne and the holy Ghost are not God as he is Ans. We must knowe that which the Sonne receiueth of the Father he receiueth it by nature and not by grace and he receiueth not a part but all that the father hath sauing the persoâ—all proprietie And the holy ghost receiueth from the Father and the Sonne by nature and not by grace and therefore though both the sonne and the holy Ghost receiue from the Father yet they are not inferiour to him but equall with him And thus much is both necessary and profitable to be learned of the vnion betweene the three persons in Trinitie whereby they beeing three haue all one and the same godhead The second point to be considered is that that though these three haue but one godhead and all make but one God yet they are distinguished one from another for the father is the father and not the sonne or the holy Ghost the sonne is the sonne and not the father nor the holy Ghost and the holy ghost is the holy ghost not the father nor the sonne This distinction of the persons is notably set forth vnto vs in the baptisme of our Sauiour Christ where it is said that vvhen Iesus was baptized he came out of the water there is the second person and the holy Ghost descended vpon him in the forme of a doue there is the third person and the father the first person pronounced from heauen that he was his onely beloued sonne in whome he was well pleased And wee must conceiue this distinction in such manner as though these three Father Sonne and holy Ghost were three names of one God For the three persons doe not in name or word but really in trueth distinctly subsist in the same diuine nature Neither must we imagine that the three persons are three formes or differences of one God as some hereticks haue dreamed who taught that the father alone is God and that he is called a father in one respect the sonne in another and the holy Ghost in a third For this were nothing els but to make the personall proprieties to be nothing but imaginarie accidents which indeede or at the least in mans conceit might come and goe and be either in the persons or forth of them For the personall râ—lations though in minde they may be distinguished from the diuine essence yet indeede they are one with it But some will say if they make this distinction there is rather a quaternitie then a trinitie for the godhead is one the father an other the sonne a third and the holy Ghost a fourth Thus some heretikes haue obiected against the distinction of the trinitie but it is vntrue which they say For the godhead must not be seuered from the Father nor from the Sonne nor from the holy Ghost for the father is God or the whole godhead so also is the sonne and the holy Ghost and the godhead likewise is in euery one of these three persons and euery one of them subsisting in the godhead and the godhead must be conceiued to be in them all and not as a fourth thing out of them And therefore we must still mâ—intaine that these three persons are distinguished and not deuided as three men are deuided in beeing and substance for this diuision can not be in them because all three haue one drâ—ine nature and one godhead This is the mysterie of all mysteries to be receiued of vs all namely the trinitie of the persons in the vnitie of the godhead This forme of doctrine must be retained and holden for these causes I. because by it we are able to distinguish this true God from all false gods and idols II. because among all other points of religion this is one of the chiefest beeing the very foundation thereof For it is not sufficient for vs to know God as we can conceiue of him in our owne imagination but we must know him as he hath reuealed himselfe in his word And it is not sufficient to saluation to beleeue in God confusedly but we must beleeue in one God distinct into three persons the Father the Sonne the holy
Ghost yea and more then this we must hold and beleeue that God the father is our father the Sonne our redeemer the holy Ghost our sanctifier and comforter Well then if we must in this manner beleeue in God then we must also know him for we can haue no faith in the thing which is vtterly vnknowne Wherefore if we would beleeue in the father sonne or holy Ghost we must know them in part Ioh. 17. This is life eternall to know thee the onely God and whome thou hast sent Iesus Christ. Ioh. 14. 17. The world can not receiue the spirit of truth because it hath neither seene him nor knowne him 1. Ioh. 2.23 Whosoeuer denieth the sonne hath not the father Thirdly this doctrine directs vs in worshipping God aright for vnitie in trinitie and trinitie in vnitie is to be worshipped one God must be worshipped in the Father in the Sonne and in the holy Ghost and if wee worship God the father without the Sonne and the holy Ghost or if we worship the Sonne without the father and the holy Ghost and the holy Ghost without the father and the Sonne we worship nothing but an Idol Againe if we worship the three persons not as one God but as three Gods then likewise we make three Idols Note further that of all the three persons the first person the Father is set in the first place and described to vs by three things I. by his title that hee is a Father II. by his attribute that he is Almightie III. by his effect that he is maker of heauen and earth of these in order as they lie in the Creed And first of the title Father It may seeme that he hath some prerogatiue ouer the Sonne and the holy Ghost because he is set before them but wee must knowe that hee is set before them neither in regard of timeâ— nor of dignitie for therein all three are equall but in regard of order onely The Father is the first the Sonne the second and the holy Ghost the third as may appeare by this similitude If three Emperours equall in dignitie should meete all in one place beeing equall also in power and maiestie if all three should sit downe though one be no better then an other yet one of them must needes sit downe the first and an other in the second place and then the third but yet we cannot say that he which sate downe first is the chiefest And so it is in the Trinitie though none be greater or aboue another yet the Father is in the first place not because he is before the Sonne or the holy Ghost in dignitie or honour but because he is the fountaine of the Deitie the Sonne beeing from him and the holy Ghost from them both Now let vs come to the title of the first person The name Father in Scriptures is ascribed either to God taken indefinitely and so by consequent to all the three persons in Trinitie or particularly to the first person alone For the first God is a father properly and principally according to the saying of Christ Call no man father vpon earth for there is but one your father which is in heauen that is principally whereas earthly parents whome we are commaunded to worship and honour are but certaine images or resemblances of our heauenly Father hauing this blessing that they are fathers from him And hereupon this title agrees to men not simply but so farre forth as God honoureth them with fatherhoode in calling them to be fathers whereas God himselfe receiues this honour from none God is tearmed a Father in respect both of nature and grace He is a father in regarde of natureâ— because he created and gouerneth all things In this regard he is called the father of spirits and Adam is called the Sonne of God He is a father in respect of grace because we are regenerate by him and accepted to be his sonnâ—s by adoption thorough the merite of Christ. And in this respect the second person as well as the first is called a Father and saide to haue an offspring or seede and children But when the name of Father is giuen to the first person it is done vpon a speciall consideration because he is a father by nature to the fe 〈◊〉 â—erson begetting him of his owne substance before all worldes By thâ—◠〈◊〉 â—â—peares that out of the title of the first person we may fetch a â—â—â—cription thereof on this manner The Father is the first person in Trinitie begetting the sonne Nowe to beget is the personall proprietie whereby he is distinguished from the other two If it be saide that creatures doe beget and that therefore to beget is not proper to the father the answer is that in this point there are many differences betweene God the father and all creatures First the father begets the sonne before all eternitie and therefore God the father begetting and the sonne begotten are equall in tâ—me whereas in earthly generation the father is before the sonne in time Secondly God the father begets his Sonne by communicating to him his whole essence or godhead which can not be in earthly parents vnlesse they should be abolished and come to nothing Whereas neuerthelesse God the Father giuing his whole nature to his sonne retaines the same still because it is infinite Thirdly the father begets the sonne in himselfe and not forth of himselfe but in earthly generation the father begetting is forth of the child and the child forth of the father And that must not trouble vs which heretiques alleadge against this doctrine namely that if the father who is of one nature with the sonne did beget the sonne then he did beget himselfe for the godhead of the father doth not beget either the godhead or the person of the sonne but the person of the father begets the person of the sonne both which in one godhead are really distinct Thus we see what the Father is Now to beleeue in the father is to be perswaded that the first person in Trinitie is the father of Christ and in him my father particularly that for this cause I intend and desire for euer to put my truâ—t in him The duties which we may learne hence are manifold And here we haue occasion offered first of all to consider who is our father by nature I shall say to corruption saith Iob thou art my father and to the worme thou art my mother seeing God vouchsafeth this great prerogatiue to them that loue him that he will be their father therefore Iob in consideration hereof would haue euery man to haue recourse to his owne naturall condition to see who is his father by natureâ— Iob saith corruption is his father but if we marke well the condition of our nature we shall further see euery man to be the childe of wrath and that Sathan is his father for so long as a man walkes in his sinnes which euery
man doth by nature so long doth he shewe himselfe to be the liuely childe of the deuill And thus Christ reasoneth against the Scribes and Pharises Ye are of your father the deuill and the lusts of your father ye will doe And true it is that no child is so like his father that begat him as euery man by nature is like the deuill and the whole tenour and course of his naturall life without grace is a liuely resemblance of the disposition of Satan Secondly euery one that beleeues God to be a Father and in Christ his father must as a good child be obedient to his fathers will So Salomon saith A wise sonne maketh a glad father How by doing his will and therefore when one told our Sauiour Christ that his mother and brethren stoode without desiring to speake with him he said Whosoeuer shall doe my fathers will which is in heauen the same is my father my sister and mother where we may note that he that will haue God the father to be his father and Christ Iesus his brother must doe the wil of God the father And hence God saith If I be a master where is my feare if I be a father where is my honour Where is plainely taught this second dutie that if God be our father then as good children we must shew obedience vnto him but if we disobey him then we must know that that former saying of Christ will be verefied vpon vs that because men doe the lusts of the deuill therefore they are the children of the deuill But least this fearefull sentence be verefied of vs it is the dutie of euery man that maketh this confession that he beleeues God to be his father first to labour to know Gods will and secondly to performe continuall obedience vnto the same like vnto a good child that would fain please his father and therefore is alwaies readie to doe the best he can And without doubt that man which vnfainedly takes God for his father is then most grieued when as by any sinne he displeaseth him and no other crosse or calamitie is so grieuous vnto him The greatest griefe that the prodigall sonne vpon his repentance had was that he had offended his father by sinning against heauen and against him the same also must be our griefe and all our care must be set on this to consider how we may be obedient children to this our louing father Thirdly that man that beleeues God to be his father must imitate and follow him for it is the will of God that his children should be like vnto himselfe Now we follow God especially in two things I. In doing good to them that persecute vs so saith our Sauiour Christ Pray for them that hurt you that you may be the children of you father which is in heauen for he maketh the sunne to rise on the euill and on the good and sendeth raine on the iust and vniust II. Our heauenly father is mercifull for he is a father of the fatherlesse and therefore he that will be a sonne of this father must be mercifull to his poore brethren as Iob saith of himselfe I was the eyes to the blinde and I was the feete vnto the lame I was a father vnto the poore Fourthly seeing we beleeue god to be our father we are hereby taught to vse moderate care for the things of this life for if a man know himselfe to be the childe of God then he also knowes that God will prouide for him as we know in a familie the father prouideth for all Now God is a father and his Church is his familie therefore if thou wilt be a member of Gods Church and a child of God thou must cast thy care on God and follow the counsell of Christ. Be not too carefull for your life what ye shall eate or what ye shall drinke And marke his reason drawne from the point which we haue in hand The fowles of the heauen saith he they neither sow nor reape nor carrie into barnes and yet your heauenly father feedeth them are ye not much better then they But alas the practise of the world is contrarie for men haue no care for the knowledge of Gods word nor the means of their saluation all their mindes are set on the things of this life when as Christ saith First seeke the kingdome of heauen and the righteousnes thereof and all these things shall be ministred vnto you If you should see a yong man prouide for himselfe and no man else for him we would presently say surely his father is dead euen so when a mans care is set wholly both day and night for the things of this life it argues that God hath either cast him off or else that he takes him for no father of his Fifthly if God be our father then we must learne to beare any crosse patiently that he shall lay vpon vs either in bodie or in minde and alwaies looke for deliuerance from him for whome the Lord loueth them he chastiseth and if ye endure chastising saith the Apostle God offereth himselfe vnto you as vnto children which may appeare more plainly by this comparison If two children should fight and a man comming by should part them and after beate the one and let the other goe free euery man that seeth this will say that that child which he beates is his owne sonne Euen so when God chastiseth vs he sheweth himselfe vnto vs as a father if we submit our selues Now if our earthly fathers corrected vs and we gaue them reuerence taking it patiently should we not much rather be in subiection to the father of spirits that we may liue Therefore the conclusion is this if we displease God be ye sure he will correct vs and when his hand is vpon vs we must not murmure against him but beare it with a milde spirit and furthermore when we are vnder the crosse we must alwaies looke for deliuerance from this our father onely If a sonne when he is beaten should flee to his fathers enemies for helpe and counsell it would argue that he were but a gracelesse childe Sundrie and diuers calamities and crosses befall men in this life which they can not brooke and therefore it is a common practise of many among vs in thâ—se daies when Gods hand is vpon them to goe for helpe to the deuill they seeke for counsell at witches and wise men as I haue said but let them looke vnto it for that is the right way to double their miserie and to shew themselues lewde children Lastly if we confesse and beleeue God to be the father of Christ and in him our father also then in regard of our conuersation we must not frame our selues like vnto the worlde but the course of our liues must be in righteousnesse and true holinesse Paul exhorteth the Corinthians to separate themselues from Idolaters alledging the place out of the old
and made a shew of them openly and hath triumphed ouer them in the crosse he ouercame the deuill and all his angels by the power of his almightie father and by his owne power as he is God And euen so must Christian men labour to finde the same power in themselues of this almightie father by which Christ did triumph ouer Satan that by it they may tread him vnder their feete which men can neuer doe by any power in themselues Againe Christ praieth that that cup might passe from him and yet hee saith Not my will but thy will be fulfilled For it was necessary that Christ should suffer And this request was heard not because he was freed from death but because God his father Almightie gaue him power and strength in his manhood to beare the brunt of his indignation Nowe looke as this power was effectuall in Christ Iesus the head to make him able and sufficient to beare the pangs of hell so the same power of God is in some measure effectuall in al the members of Christ to make them both patient of sufficient strength to beare any affliction as Saint Paul saith beeing strengthened with all might through his glorious power vnto all patience and long suffering with ioifulnesse And this is a notable point which euery one ought to learne that whereas they confesse God to be their Almightie father they should herewithall labour to feele and haue experience in themselues that hee is almightie in the beginning and continuing of grace vnto them and in giuing them power and patience to suffer afflictions Further Christ Iesus when the worke of our redemption was accomplished was lifted vp into heauen and set at the right hand of God in heauenly places farre aboue all principalities and powers c. euen by the power of his father well as this power was made manifest in the head so must it bee in the members thereof Euery childe of God shall hereafter see and feele in himselfe the same power to translate him from this vale of misery in this life to the kingdome of heauen Wherefore to conclude we haue great cause to bee thankefull and to praise God for this priuiledge that hee sheweth his power in his childrē in regenerating thē in making them die vnto sin and to stand against the gates of hel and to suffer afflictions patiently as also that he translates them from death to life And euery one should shew his thankefulnesse in labouring to haue experience of this power in himselfe as Paul exhorteth vs in his Epistles to the Colossians and Ephesians yea read all his epistles and we shal find he mentioneth no point so often as this namely the mighty power of God manifested first in Christ and secondly in his members and he accounteth all things losse that he might knowe Christ and the vertue of his resurrection This point is the rather to be marked because his power in the matter of grace is not to be seene with eye and fewe there be in respect that haue felt the vertue thereof in themselues for the diuell doth mightily shewe his contrary power in the greatest part of the world in carrying them to sinne and wickednesse Secondly hence we learne that which Paul teacheth namely to knowe that all thinges worke togither for the best vnto them that loue God God is almightie and therefore able to doe whatsoeuer he will he is also a father and therefore is willing to doe that which is for our good But some will say we are subiect to many crosses yea to sinne what can our sinnes turne to our good Ans. If God almightie be thy father he will turne thine afflictions yea thy sinnes which by nature are euil beyond all expectation vnto thy saluation And thus much God will doe to all such as be obedient vnto him yet no man must hereupon presume to sinne Thirdly whereas we beleeue that God is a mightie father it serues to confirme gods children in the promises of mercy reuealed in his word The chiefest whereof is that if men will turne from their sinnes and beleeue in Christ they shall not perish but haue life euerlasting I knowe some men will make it an easie thing to beleeue especially those which neuer knewe what faith meant But such persons neede no meanes of confirmation of faith therefore let all those which haue tasted of the hardnes of attaining vnto it learne howe to establish their wauering hearts in the promises of God by the consideration of these two points God is a father and therefore he is willing he is also almightie and therefore he is able to performe his promises He that will bee truely resolued of Gods promises must haue both these setled in his heart and build on them as on two foundations It followeth Creatour of heauen earth We haue spoken of the title of the first person and of his attributes nowe we come to speake of his effect namely the creation but before we come to it we are to answer a certaine obiection which may be made At the first it may seeme strange to some that the worke of creation is ascribed to the first person in Trinitie the father whereas in the Scripture it is common to them all three equally And first that the father is Creatour it was neuer doubted as for the second person the Sonne that hee is Creatour it is euident All things are made by it that is by the Sonne who is the substantiall worde of the father and without it was made nothing that was made And againe it is saide that God by his sonne made the worlde As for the holy Ghost the worke of creation is also ascribed vnto him and therefore Moses saith The spirit mooued vpon the waters and Iob saieth His spirit hath garnished the heauens Howe then is this peculiar to the father beeing common to all the three persons in trinitie I answer The actions of God are twofold either inward or outward The inwarde actions are those which one person doth exercise towards another as the father doth beget the sonne and this is an inward action peculiar to the father and all inward actions are proper to the persons from whome they are So the Sonne doth receiue the Godhead by communication from the Father and the holy Ghost from them both and these are inward actions peculiar to these persons So likewise for the father to send his sonne it is an inward action proper to the father and cannot be communicated to the holy ghost and the sonne to bee sent by the father onely is a thing proper to the Sonne and not common to the father or to the holy Ghost Now outward actions are the actions of the persons in the Trinitie to the creatures as the worke of creation the worke of preseruation and of redemption These and all such actions are common to al the three persons the father createth the sonne createth and the holy
wherein we must rest as it were for a night as a straunger doth in an Inne and so away but the second house is eternall in the heauens an euerlasting seate of all felicitie and happinesse And therefore our dutie is aboue al things to seeke the kingdome of God and his righteousnesse as Christ himselfe biddeth vs. And if the Lord haue there prepared such a place for vs theÌ„ we must in this world vse all good meanes whereby we may be made worthie the fruition of it and also fitte and readie at the day of death to enter into it which at the day of iudgement we shall fully possesse both in soule and bodie and there raigne eternally in all happinesse with God Almightie our creatour the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost But some may say how shall a man so prepare himselfe that hee may bee fitte for that place Answere This the holy Ghost teacheth vs for speaking of this heauenly Ierusalem he saith There shall enter into it none vncleane thing neither whatsoeuer worketh abomination or lies The meanes then to make our selues fitte is to seeke to bee reconciled to God in Christ for our sinnes past and withall to endeauour to haue an assurance of the free remission and pardon of them all in the blood of Christ. And as touching that part of life which is to come we must remember what Saint Iohn saith Euery one that hath this hope purifieth himselfe meaning that he which hath hope to raigne with Christ in heauen vseth the meanes whereby he may purifie and keepe himselfe from sinne as also he saith after that he which is borne of God keepeth himselfe and the wicked one toucheth him not Signifying that all such persons as are truely iustified and sanctified carrie such a narrowe and straite watch ouer the whole course of their liues and conuersations that the deuill can neuer giue them deadly woundes and wholly ouercome them Nowe the man that iâ— resolued in his conscience of the pardon of his sinne for the time past and hath a steadfast purpose in his heart to keepe himselfe vpright continually to walke in righteousnesse and true holinesse all the daies of his life this man I say is prepared and made fit to enter into the heauenly Ierusalem come death when it will he is readie And howesoeuer he must not looke for heauen here vpon earth yet he is as it were in the suburbes of this heauenly cittie and at the end of this life the king thereof the Lord Iesus will open the gates and receiue him into his kingdome for he is alreadie entred into the kingdome of grace To conclude this point let euery man in the feare of god be mooued hereby to set his heart to prepare himselfe that when God shall call him hence he may be fitte to enter into that glorie Secondly seeing God hath prepared the third heauen for vs it teacheth euery man in this worlde to be content with the estate wherein God hath placed him whether it bee high or lowe rich or poore why so because here he is but a pilgrime and liues in a cottage of clay and in a tent wherein he must abide but a while as a pilgrime doth oftentimes carrying his house about with him and we shall in better sort accept the afflictions which God sendes vs in this life if we remember that there is prepared for vs a place of ioy which must bee our resting place and perfect felicitie for euermore This was the practise of the chidren of God especially of Abraham for when the Lord called him out of his own country he obeyed and by faith abode in the promised land as in a straunge countrie as one that dwelt in tents with Isaac and Iaakob heires with him in the same promise and the reason followeth for he looked for a cittie hauing a foundation whose builder and maker is God They beleeued that these things which the Lord promised were shaddowes of better things and hereon staied themselues beeing well content with that estate whereto God had called them So Paul was coÌ„tented to beare the afflictions which God had laid vpon him and his reason was Because saith he we looke not on things which are seene but on things which are not seene for the things which are seene are temporall but the things which are not seene are eternall And in the next chapter We knowe saith he that if our earthly house of this Tabernacle be destroyed we haue a dwelling giuen vs of God that is an house not made with hands but eternall in the heauens And for this cause his desire was rather to remooue out of this body and to be with the Lord. And thus much concerning heauen Nowe followeth the second part of Gods creation in these wordes And earth Earth signifieth the huge masse or body standing of sea and land on which we liue and all things that be in or vpon the earth whatsoeuer as Paul saith For by him were created all things that are in heauen or in earth c. In other Creeds which were made since this of the Apostles beeing expositioÌ„s of that there is added maker of all things visible and invisible Here we haue occasion to speake of all creatures but that were infinite therefore I will make choice of these two good Angels and Men. I. That Angels had a beginning it is no question for Paul saith that by God all things were created in heauen and earth things visible and inuisible whether thrones principalities or powers And in respect of the creation angels are called the sonnes of God But the time day of their creatioÌ„ cannot be set down further theÌ„ this that they were created in the coÌ„passe of the sixe daies For Moses saith Thus namely in the compasse of the first sixe daies the heauens and the earth were fashioned and all the hâ—ast of them that is all varietie of creatures in heauen and earth seruing for the beauty and glory thereof whereof no doubt the Angels are the principall II. Touching the nature of Angels some haue thought that they are nothing but qualities and motions in the mindes of men as the Sadduces and the Libertines of this time but the truth is that they are spirits that is spirituall and inuisible substances created by God and really subsisting for the Scripture ascribes vnto them such kinde of actions which can not be performed by the creatures saue onely such as be substances as to stande before the throne of God to behold the face of the Father to carie mens soules to heauen c. yet must we not imagine that they are bodily substances consisting of flesh and bone And though they tooke vpon them visible shapes and formes and did eate and drinke in the companie of men and thereupon are called Men in Scripture yet they did this by diuine dispensation for a time that they might the better performe the actions
If any further alleadge that such as walke according to the commandements of God though their obedience be imperfect yet they haue the promises of this life and of the life to come The answer is that they haue so indeede yet not for their works but according to their works which are the fruites of their faith wherby they are ioyned to Christ for whose merits onely they stand righteous and are acceptable before God And whereas it is said by Peter that baptisme saueth vs his meaning is not to signifie that there is any vertue in the water to wash away our sinnes and to sanctifie vs but that it serues visibly to represent and confirme vnto vs the inward washing of our soules by the blood of Christ. It may further be said that others haue beene Sauiours beside Christ as Iosuah the sonne of Nun who for that cause is called by the same name with Christ. Ans. Iosua after the death of Moses was appointed by God to be a guide to the children of Israel which might defend them from their enemies and bring them to the land of Canaan but this deliuerance was onely temporal and that onely of one people Nowe the Sonne of God is called Iesus not because hee deliuereth the people of the Iewes onely or because he saueth the bodies of men onely but because he saueth both body and soule not onely of the Iewes but also of the Gentiles from hell death and damnation And whereas Prophets and ministers of the word are called Sauiours it is because they are the instruments of God to publish the doctrine of saluation which is powerfull in mens hearts not by any vertue of theirs but onely by the operation of the spirit of Christ. Lastly it may bee obiected that the father and the holy Ghost are Sauiours and therefore not onely the sonne Ans. True it is that in the worke of saluation all the three persons must bee ioyned together and in no wise to bee seuered the Father saueth the Sonne saueth the holy Ghost saueth yet must we distinguish them in the manner of sauing the father saueth by the Sonne the Sonne saueth by paying the ransome and price of our saluation the holy Ghost saueth by a particular applying of the ransome vnto men Nowe therefore whereas the sonne paies the price of our redemption and not the Father or the Holy Ghost therefore in this speciall respect he is called in Scriptures and intituled by the name of Iesus and none but he By this which hath beene saide the Papists are faultie two waies First that they giue too much to the name of Iesus for they write in plaine tearmes that the bare name it selfe beeing vsed hath great power and doth driue away deuils though the parties that vse it be void of good affection whereas indeed it hath no more vertue then other titles of God or Christ. Secondly they are faultie that they giue too little to the thing signified For Christ must either be our alone and whole Sauiour or no Sauiour Now they make him but halfe a Sauiour and they ioyne others with him as partners in the worke of saluation when they teach that with Christs merits must be ioyned our workes of grace in the matter of iustification and with Christs satisfaction for the wrath of God our satisfaction for the temporall punishment and when they adde to Christs intercession the intercession and patronage of Saints especially of the Virgin Marie whome they call the Queene of heauen the mother of mercie withall requesting her that by the authoritie of a mother she would commaund her sonne If this doctrine of theirs may stand Christ can not be the onely Sauiour of mankinde but euery man in part shall be Iesus to himselfe But let vs goe on yet further to search the special reason of the name which is notably set downe by the Angel Thou shalt saith he call his name Iesus for he shall saue his people from their sinnes In which words we may consider three points I. Whome the Sonne of God shall saue II. By what III. From what For the first he shall saue his people that is the elect of the Iewes and Gentiles and therefore he is called the Sauiour of his bodie We must not here imagine that Christ is a Sauiour of all and euery man For if that were true then Christ should make satisfaction to Gods iustice for all and euery mans sinnes and Gods iustice beeing fully satisfied he could not in iustice condemne any man nay all men should be blessed because satisfaction for sinne and the pardon of sinne depende one vpon an other inseparably Againe if Christ be an effectuall Sauiour of all and euery particular man why is any man condemned It will be saide because they will not beleeue belike then mans will must ouerrule Gods will whereas the common rule of diuines is that the first cause ordereth the second The meanes of saluation by Christ are two his merit and his efficacie His merit in that by his obedience to the law and by his passion he made a satisfaction for our sinnes freed vs from death and reconciled vs vnto God Some may obiect that the obedience and the passion of Christ beeing long agoe ended can not be able to saue vs now because that which he did 1500. yeares agoe may seeme to be vanished and come to nothing at this day Ans. If Christs obedience be considered as an action and his passion as a bare suffering they are both ended long agoe yet the value and price of thē before God is euerlasting as in Adams fall the action of eating the forbidden fruit is ended but the guilt of his transgression goes ouer all mankind and continues still euen to this houre and shall doe to the end of the world in those which shall be borne hereafter The efficacie of Christ is in that he giues his spirit to mortifie the corruption of our natures that we may die vnto sinne and liue to righteousnesse and haue true comfort in terrours of conscience and in the pangs of death The euils from which we are saued are our owne sinnes in that Christ freeth vs from the guilt and the punishment and fault of them all when wee beleeue Thus much for the meaning of this title Iesus Nowe follow the vses which arise of it First of all whereas we are taught to make confession that the sonn◠of God is Iesus that is a Sauiour hence it must needes followe that wee are lost in our selues And indeed before we can truly acknowledge that Christ is our Sauiour this confession must needes goe before that we are in truth and therewithall doe feele our selues to bee miserable sinners vnder the wrath of God vtterly lost in regard of our selues for Christ came to saue that which was lost And when he talked with the woman of Cannan he checked her said he was not sent but to the lost
To him is giuen a name at which euery knee doth bow of things in heauen and things in earth and things vnder the earth As for the reasons which be alleadged to the contrarie they are of no moment I. Obiect The word of God can not be God the sonne is the word of the father therefore he is not God Answ. The word is taken two waies first for a sounding word standing of letters and syllables vttered either by God or by the creatures now on this manner Christ is not the word of God Secondly there is a substantiall word which is of the substance of him whose word it is And thus Christ is the word of God the father And he is so tearmed I. in respect of the father for as reason and speach hath his beginning from the mind without any passion in the minde so hath he beginning from the father And as the speach is in the minde and the minde in the speach so the father is in the sonne and the sonne in the father II. In respect of all creatures The father doth all things by the sonne by whose powerfull word the world was made is now preserued and shall be abolished III. In respect of the Church For the father by him speakes vnto vs both in the outward ministerie of the word and by the inward operation of the spirit and againe we by him speake to the father II. It may be obiected thus God hath no beginning from any other Christ hath beginning from the father therefore he is not God Answ. Christ must be considered both in regard of his godhead and in regard of his person in regard of his godhead he came not of any but is of himselfe as well as the father is yet in regard of his person he is from the father who is a beginning to the rest of the persons both in respect of order for the Scripture saith not the holy Ghost the Sonne the Father but the Father the Sonne the holy Ghost as also in respect of the communication of the Godhead And whereas it is said that God is of himselfe if the name of God be taken for the Godhead it selfe absolutely considered it is true but if it be taken for any particular person in the godhead it is false III. Ob. None is greater then God but the father is greater then Christ for so he saith the father is greater then I. Ans. Christ there speakes of himselfe as he was a man abased in the forme of a seruant in which respect he is lesse then the father who neuer was incarnate and abased in our nature And though Christ in respect of his nature assumed be inferiour to the father yet doth it not hinder but that he may be equall to him as he is the second person in trinitie or as he is God by one and the same Godhead with the father IV. Obiect He that is made of God this or that is not God but Christ is made God as Paul saith Christ is made vnto vs wisdome righteousnes c. Answ. Christ is said to be made not because there was any beginning of his godhead or any change or alteration in his person but because in the eternall counsell of the father he was set apart before all times to execute the office of a Mediatour and was withall in time called and as it were consecrated and ordained thereunto in his baptisme he is made therefore in respect of his office but not in respect of his person or nature V. Obiect God hath no head Christ hath an head as Paul saith God is Christs head Answ. God that is the father is head of Christ not as he is God simply but as he is God incarnate or made manifest in the flesh and in respect of the office to which he willingly abased himselfe VI. Obiect He which giues vp his kingdome is not God Christ giues vp his kingdome Then saith Paul shall be the ende when he hath deliuered vp the kingdome to God euen the father Answ. Christ is king two waies as he is God and as he is Mediatour as he is God he raignes eternally with the Father and the holy Ghost but as he is Mediatour in the ende of the world when all the companie of the Elect are gathered his kingdome shall cease not simply but in respect of the outward manner of administration for the execution of ciuill and ecclesiasticall functions shall cease And whereas in the same place it is saide that Christ shall be subiect vnto God eternally after the ende it must be vnderstoode partly in regard of the assumed manhoode partly in respect of his mysticall bodie the Church most neerely ioyned vnto him in heauen VII Obiect The first borne of euery creature and of many brethren is a creature and not God but Christ is the first borne of euery creature and of many brethren Answ. He is called the first borne by resemblance or allusion to the first borne in the old testament for as they were principall heires hauing double portions allowed them and the chiefe or gouernours of the familie so Christ is made heire of the world and the head of Gods familie which is his church elected and adopted in him And againe he is called the first borne of euery creature because he was begotten of the substance of his father before any creature was made and therefore it is not here saide that he was first created but first begotten By the reasons which haue bin alleadged as also by the insufficiencie of the contrarie arguments it is more then manifest against all heretikes that Christ is very God Yet to stoppe the mouths of all Atheists and to satisfie all wauering and doubting minds I will adde one reason further The Gospel of Saint Iohn was chiefly penned for this end to prooue the deitie of Christ among other arguments alleadged this is one that Christ gaue a resolute and a constant testimonie of himselfe that he was the sonne of God and very God Now if any man shall say that sundrie persons since the beginning of the world haue taken vpon them and that falsly to be gods I answer that neuer any creature tooke this title and honour vpon him to be called God but the fearefull iudgements of God were vpon him for it In the estate of mans innocencie the deuill told our first parents that by eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and euill they should be as gods knowing good and euill now they beleeued him and affected diuine honour but what came of it surely Adam with all his posteritie is shut vp for this very cause vnder eternall damnation Herod likewise araied in royall apparell and sitting on the iudgement seat made an oration to the men of Tyre and Sidon who gaue a shout saying the voyce of God and not of man Now because he tooke the glorie of God to himselfe and did not returne it to
nothing regarded A blinde man neuer seeing the sunne is not brought to wonder at it and earthly minded men neither seeing nor feeling what an excellent thing it is to bee the childe of God cannot bee brought to seeke after it But let all such as feare God enter into a serious consideration of the vnspeakeable goodnesse of God comforting themselues in this that God the father hath vouchsafed by his owne sonne to make them of the vassals of satan to be his owne deere children Nowe followe the duties which are two First we beleeue that Iesus Christ who was to be the Sauiour of mankinde must needs be God what is the reason hereof surely because no creature no not all the creatures in heauen and earth were able to saue one man so vile wretched and miserable is our estate by Adams fall And therefore the sonne of God himselfe pitied our estate and beeing king of heauen and earth was faine to come from heauen and lay downe his crowne and become a seruant and taking vpon him our nature was also faine to take vpon him our case and condition and suffer death for our sinnes which otherwise euery one of vs should haue suffered both in bodie and soule world without ende To make this more plaine let vs suppose that some one hath committed an offence against a prince and the trespasse to be so grieuous that no man can appease the kings wrath saue only the kings onely sonne and which is more the kings sonne himselfe cannot release him vnlesse hee suffer the punishment for him in his owne person which is due vnto the malefactour Nowe what is to be thought of this mans estate surely all men will say that he is in a most miserable taking and that his trespasse is notorious and so it is with euery one of vs by nature whatsoeuer we are No man could saue our soules no not all the angels in heauen vnlesse the king of heauen and earth the onely sonne of God had come down from heauen and suffered for vs bearing our punishment Nowe the consideration of this must humble vs and make vs to cast downe our selues vnder the hand of God for our sinnes and pray continually that the Lord would send some Moses or other which might smite the rockes of our hearts that some teares of sorrowe and repentance might gush out for this our wofull miserie Secondly whereas God the Father of Christ gaue his onley sonne to be our Sauiour as we must be thankefull to God for all things so especially for this great and vnspeakable benefit Common blessings of God as meat drinke health wealth and libertie must at all times mooue vs to be thankeful but this that Christ Iesus the onely sonne of God redeemed vs beeing vtterly lost this I say must be the maine point of all our thankfulnes but alas mens hearts are so frozen in the dreggs of their sinnes that this dutie comes little in practise nowe adaies When our Sauiour Christ clensed ten lepers there was but one of them that returned to giue him thankes and this is as true in the leprosie of the soule for though saluation by Christ be offered vnto vs daily by Gods ministers yet not one of tenne nay scarse one of a thousand giues praise and thankes to God for it because men take no delight in things which concerne the kingdome of heauen they thinke not that they haue neede of saluation neither do they feele any want of a Sauiour But we for our parts must learne to say with Dauid What shall I render vnto the Lord for all his benefits yea we are to practise that which Salomon saith My sonne giue me thy heart for we should giue vnto God both bodie and soule in token of our thankefulnesse for this wonderful blessing that he hath giuen his onely sonne to bee our Sauiour and we are to hold this for trueth that they which are not thankfull for it let them say what they will they haue no soundnes of grace or power of religion at the heart And thus much of the third title The fourth and last title is in these wordes our Lord. Christ Iesus the onely sonne of God is our Lord three waies first by creation in that he made vs of nothing when we were not secondly he is our Lord in the right of redemption In former times the custome hath bin when one is taken prisoner in the field he that paies his raunsome shall becom alwaies after his Lord so Christ when we were bondslaues vnder hell death and condemnation paide the ransome of our redemption and freed vs from the bondage of sinne and satan and therfore in that respect he is our Lord. Thirdly he is the head of the Church as the husband is the wiues head to rule and gouerne the same by his word and spirit And therefore in that respect also Christ is our Lord. And thus much for the meaning Nowe followe the duties And first of al if Christ be our Soueraigne Lord we must performe absolute obedience vnto him that is whatsoeuer he commandes vs that must we doe And I say absolute obedience because Magistrates Masters Rulers and fathers may command and must bee obeyed yet not simply but so farre foorth as that which they command doth agree with the word and commandement of God but Christs will and word is righteousnesse it selfe and therfore it is a rule and direction of all our actions whatsoeuer and for this cause he must be absolutely obeyed Thus he requires the obedience of the morall lawe but why because he is the Lord our god And in Malachie he saith If I be your Lord where is my feare And againe we must resigne both bodie and soule heart mind wil affections and the course of our whole liues to be ruled by the will of Christ. He is Lord not onely of the bodie but of the spirit and soule of man he must therefore haue homage of both As wee adore him by the knee of the bodie so must the thoughts and the affections of our hearts haue their knees also to worship him and to shewe their subiection to his commandements As for such as doe hold him for their Lord in word but in the meane season will not indeauour to shewe their loyaltie in all manner of obedience they are indeede no better then starke rebels Secondly when by the hande of Christ straunge iudgements shall come to passe as it is vsuall in all places continually we must stay ourselues without murmuring or finding fault because he is an absolute Lorde ouer all his creatures all things are in his handes and hee may doe with his owne whatsoeuer he will and therefore wee must rather feare and tremble whensoeuer we see or heare of them so Dauid saith I was dumbe and opened not my mouth because thou didst it And againe My flesh trembleth for feare of thee and I am afraid of thy iudgements Thirdly before wee vse
the Iewes and all nations vnder his dominions to signifie that Christ was borne at the very time foretold by Iaacob when the crowne and scepter was taken from Iuda and withall to shew that his kingdome was not of this world And it was the good pleasure of God that Christ should not be borne either later or sooner but so many ages from the beginning of the world And this consideration of the very time it selfe serues greatly for the confirmation of our faith For thus may we reason with our selues If God who in the beginning made a promise to our first parents concerning the seede of the woman deferred it almost 4000 yeares and yet at length accomplished the same to the very full then no doubt God hauing promised the resurrection of the dead and life euerlasting will in his good time bring them to passe though as yet we see them not And thus by the accomplishment of all things past should we confirme our hope concerning things to come The place was not at Ierusalem nor Nazareth nor any other citie but onely a village of Iuda called Bethleem that the prophesie of Micheas might be fulfilled Thou Bethleem Ephrata art little to be among the thousands of Iuda yet out of thee shall he come forth vnto me that shal be the ruler in Israel And here we may obserue a memorable example of Gods prouidence which ouerruleth the proceedings of cruell tyrants to the accomplishing of his owne will they themselues for their parts intending nothing lesse Augustus not so much as dreaming of the birth of the Messias gaue commandement that euery man should goe to his owne citie to be taxed and hereupon Ioseph and Marie take their iourney from Nazareth to Bethleem which iourney God himselfe appointed and disposed to this ende that the Messias might be borne in the place which he preordained and foretold by his Prophet The manner of Christs birth was very base and poore for the place where he was borne was a stable and the cradle where he lay was a cratch And he willingly tooke vpon him this pouertie for sundrie causes I. That the Scripture might be fulfilled which saith that he should be the shame and contempt of the people and that he shall grow vp as a roote out of a drie ground and haue neither forme nor beautie II. That he might afterward from this base condition be exalted euen in his manhoode to that rich and glorious estate in which he should manifest himselfe to be Lord of heauen and earth III. He was borne in exceeding pouertie that he might shame the wise men of this world who exceedingly esteeme of their riches power and glorie perswading themselues that without such meanes no good thing can be done And yet for all this they can not so much as reconcile one man to God by all their might wealth wheras Christ himselfe hath done the same both in pouertie and weaknesse and can enlarge and preserue his kingdome without earthly helps When he hung vpon the crosse the souldiers stript him of his garments and beeing naked he brought that to passe which all the Monarchs of the earth in all their royalties could neuer haue performed And whether Christ lie in the manger betweene the Oxe and the Asse or in the pallace of the King it matters not in regard of our saluation IV. He came in this maner that there might be a difference betweene his first comming in the flesh and his last oomming to iudgement In the first he came onely for this ende not to make any outward alterations in the world but to chaunge the conscience and to put in execution the worke of our spirituall redemption and therefore he hath reserued the ouerturning of all earthly estates with the manifestation of his owne glorie to the latter V. Lastly he was borne in a poore estate that he might procure true riches for vs in heauen and withall sanctifie vnto vs our pouertie vpon earth As Paul saith Ye know the grace of our Lord Iesus Christ that he beeing rich for your sakes became poore that ye thorough his pouertie might be made rich He was content to lie in the manger that we might rest in heauen This serues to teach vs to be content to beare any meane condition that the Lord shall send vpon vs for this is the very estate of the sonne of God himselfe And if for our cause he did not refuse the basest condition that euer was why should we murmure at the same for what is the best of vs but miserable sinners and therfore vtterly vnworthie either to go or lie vpon the bare earth and though we fare and lie better then our Lord himselfe yet such is our daintinesse we are not pleased therewith whereas he for his part disdained not the manger of the Oxe And if the Lord of heauen and earth comming into the world finde so little entertainment or fauour we for our parts beeing his members should willingly prepare our selues to take as hard measure at the hands of men The last point is the manifestation of Christs birth that it might be known to the world Where consider two circumstances the first to whome namely to poore shepheards tending their flockes by night and not to great or mightie men louers of this world nor to the priests at Ierusalem contemners of Gods grace and that for two causes one because the shepheards were the fittest persons to publish the same at Bethlehem the other it was Gods pleasure to manifest that in the birth of Christ which Paul saith Not many wise men after the flesh not many mightie not many noble are called but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise The second is by whome by the angels of the Lord appearing in great glorie vnto the shepheards For the priests of Ierusalem and the rulers of the Synagogues to whome this oâ—fice did belong held their peace beeing blinded in their manifold errours wicked waies The duties to be learned of the birth of Christ are these First we are admonished hereby to magnifie and praise the name of God saying with Mary My soule doth magnifie the Lord and my spirit reioyceth in God my Sauiour And with Zacharie Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for he hath visited and redeemed his people And with the Angels of heauen Glorie to God in the highest heauens For in this birth is made manifest the wisdome the truth the iustice and mercy and goodnesse of God towards vs more then euer it was before yea as Christ God and man is more excellent then the first Adam created according to Gods owne image and as the spirituall life is better then the naturall life and as the eternall and most holy marriage of Christ the husband and his spouse the Church arising as it were out of the bloode that trickled out of his side is more wonderfull then the creation of Eve of the rib of
And though Christ be called her first born yet doth it not followe that shee had any child after him for as that is called last after which there is none so that is called the first before which there was none And as for Ioseph when he was espoused to Marie he was a man of eightie yeares old And here we haue occasion to praise the wisdome of God in the forming of man The first man Adam was borne of no man but immediately created of God the second that is Eve is formed not of a woman but of a man alone the third all after begotten both of womā man the fourth that is Christ God and man not of no man as Adam not of no woman as Eve not of man and woman as we but after a newe manner of a woman without a man hee is conceiued and borne And hereupon our dutie is not to despise but highly to reuerence the virgin Marie as being the mother of the sonne God a prophetisse vpon earth a Saint in heauen And we do willingly condescend to giue her honour three waies first by thanksgiuing to God for her secondly by a reuerent estimation of her thirdly by imitation of her excellent vertues yet farre be it from vs to adore her with diuine honour by praier to cal vpon her as though shee knew our hearts and heard our requests and to place her in heauen as a queene aboue the sonne of God The name of the mother of Christ is added to shewe that he came of the linage of Dauid and that therefore he was the true Messias before spoken of It may be obiected that both Mathew and Luke sets downe the genealogie of Ioseph of whom Christ was not Ans. Mathew sets downe indeede in Christs genealogie the natural descent of Ioseph the husband of Marie hauing Iaacob for his naturall father but Luke taking another course propounds the natural descent of Marie the mother of Christ and when he saith that Ioseph was the sonne of Eli he meanes of a legall sonne For sonnes and daughters in law are called sonnes and daughters to their fathers and mothers in law Mary her selfe and not Ioseph being the naturall daughter of Eli. And whereas Luke doth not plainely say that Marie was the daughter of Eli but puts Ioseph the sonne in lawe in her roome the reason hereof may bee because it was the maner of the Iewes to account and continue their genealogies in the male and not in the female sexe the man beeing the head of the familie and not the woman And though Ruth and Rahab and other women be mentioned by Matthew yet that is onely by the way for they make no degrees herein Againe it may be further demanded howe Christ could come of Dauid by Salomon as Mathew saith and by Nathan as Luke saith they twaine being two distinct sonnes of Dauid Ans. By vertue of the lawe whereby the brother was bound to raise vp seed to his brother there was a double descent in vse among the Iewes the one was naturall the other legall Naturall when one man descended of another by generation as the child from the naturall father Legall when a man not begotten of another yet did succeede him in his inheritance and thus Salathiel is the naturall sonne of Neri and the legall sonne of Iechonias Nowe Saint Luke setts downe the naturall descent of Christ from Dauid by Nathan and Saint Mathewe the other descent which is legall by Salomon whome Christ succeeded in the right of the kingdome beeing borne the King of the Iewes none that could possibly be named hauing more right to it then he By this descent of Christ wee haue occasion to consider that Christ was euen in his birth the most excellent and noble man that euer was descending o◠the eternall father as he is the sonne of God and as he is man descending of the Patriarks and of the renowmed kings of Iudah And this his nobilitie hee conuaies in part to his members in that he makes them the sonnes of God a royall priesthood and a peculiar people to himselfe inriching them also with the reuenewes of the whole worlde and with title and right to the kingdome of glorie in heauen as their inheritance And withall Christ beeing the liuely patterne of true nobilitie by his example men of blood are taught not to stand so much on their pedigree and their ancetours as though nobilitie stood in this that man descends of man but to labour with all that they may be the sonnes and daughters of God by regeneration in Christ. This indeede is the ornament of the blood the best part in the noble mans skutchin and the finest flowre in his garland And though a man bee neuer so noble or great an estate yet if he be not a repentant sinner he is base and vile and his nobilitie stinkes in the nosthrils of god Christ in his genealogie doth not so much as vouchsafe to name those his ancetours that ruled wickedly and hereupon Saint Mathewe omitteth three kings of Iudah Achaziah Ioas and Amaziah whereas neuerthelesse hainous offendours that repented are mentioned as Ruth Thamar and Bathshabe Thus much of the incarnation of Christ nowe followeth the third and last point which is to be considered in the description of Christ namely the estate of Christ after his birth which is two-fold the estate of humiliation and the estate of exaltation The estate of humiliation is the condition of Christ the Mediatour in which he abased himselfe euen to the death of the crosse that by that meanes he might performe the office of a priest in making satisfaction to the iustice of his father This estate agrees to the whole person of Christ according to both natures For first of al his manhood was abased and humbled in that it was made subiect to the infirmities of mans nature as also to the miseries and punishments which were due vnto man for sinne Secondly his Godhead was abased not as it is considered in it selfe For so it admits no alteration or chaunge But in respect of the flesh or manhood assumed vnder the which as vnder a vaile the Godhead lay hid from the first moment of the incarnation to the time of his resurrection without any great manifestation of his power maiestie therein The order of these two estates must be marked First is the estate of humiliation and then in the second place followes the estate of exaltatiō As Christ saith of himselfe O fooles slow of heart to beleeue c. ought not Christ to haue suffered these things and to enter into his glorie And here we for our parts must learne a lesson The same which was true in Christ the head must be verified in all his members they must all haue their two-fold estate first in this life the estate of humiliation secondly after this life the estate of glorie And as Christ first entred into the state of his
of death that theÌ„ we may be found readie of the Lord. What shall the Sonne of God himselfe make preparation to his owne death and shall not we most miserable sinners doe the same who stand in need of a thousand preparations more then he wherefore let vs continually thinke with our selues that euery present day is the last day of our life that so we may addresse our selues to death againe the next day The first thing which Christ doth in this preparation is to make â—hoice of the place in which he was to be apprehended as will appeare by conferring the Euangelists together S. Matthew saith he went to the place called Gethsemane S. Luke saith he went to the mount of Oliues as he was accustomed And that we might not imagine that Christ did this that he might escape and hide himselfe from the Iewes S. Iohn saith that Iudas which betraied him knew the place because oftentimes he resorted thither with his Disciples whereas if he had feared apprehension he would haue rather gone aside to some other secret and vnwonted place This then is the first point to be considered that Christ knowing the time of his owne death to be at hand doth willingly of his owne accord resort to such a place in which his enemies in all likelihood might easily finde him and haue fit opportunitie to attach him For if he should haue still remained in Ierusalem the Scribes and Pharises durst not haue enterprised his apprehension because of the people whome they feared but out of the citie in the garden all occasion of feare is cut off By this it is manifest that Christ yeelded himselfe to death willingly and not of constraint and vnlesse his sufferings had bin voluntarie on his part they could neuer haue bin a satisfaction to Gods iustice for our sinnes Here a question offereth it selfe to be considered whether a man may lawfully flie in danger and persequution seeing Christ himselfe doth not Answ. When good meanes of flying and iust occasion is offered it is lawfull to flie When the Iewes sought to kill Paul at Damascus the Disciples tooke him by night and put him through the wall and let him downe in a basket to escape their hands When Moses was called by God to deliuer the Israelites after he had slaine the Egyptian and the fact was knowne and Pharao sought to kill him for it he fledde to the land of Madian And our Sauiour Christ sundrie times when he was to be stoned and otherwaies hurt by the Iewes withdrew himselfe from among them It is lawfull then to flie in persecution these caueats obserued First if a man finde not himselfe sufficiently strengthened to beare the crosse Secondly his departure must be agreeable to the generall calling of a Christian seruing to the glorie of God and the good of his brethren and the hurt of none Thirdly there must be freedome at the least for a time from the bond of a mans particular calling If he be a Magistrate he must be freed from ruling if a Minister from preaching and teaching otherwaies he may not flie And in this respect Christ who did withdraw himselfe at other times would not flie at this time because the houre of his suffering was come wherein he intended most willingly to submit himselfe to the good pleasure and will of his father The second part of the preparation is the praier which Christ made vnto his father in the garden And herein his example doth teach vs earnestly to pray vnto God against the danger of imminent death and the temptations which are to come And if Christ who was without sinne and had the spirit aboue measure had need to pray then much more haue we need to be watchfull in all kinde of praiers who are laden with the burden of sinne and compassed about with manifold impediments and dangerous enemies In this prayer sundrie points worthie our marking are to be considered The first who praied Answ. Christ the Sonne of God but still we must remember the distinction of natures of their operations in one and the same Christ he praieth not in his Godhead but according to his manhood The second is for whome he praieth Ans. Some haue thought that this and all other his prayers were made for his mysticall bodie the Church but the truth is he now praies for himselfe yet not as he was God for the Godhead feeles no want but as he was a man abased in the forme of a seruant and that for two causes First in that he was a man he was a creature and in that respect was to performe homage to God the creator Secondly as he was man he put on the infirmities of our nature and thereupon praied that he might haue strength and power in his manhoode to support him in bearing the whole brunt of the passion to come The third point is to whome he praied Answ. To the father neither must this trouble vs as though Christ in praying to the father should pray to himselfe because he is one and the same God with him For though in essence they admit no distinction yet in person or in the proper manner of subsisting they doe The Father is one person the Sonne an other therefore as the father saying from heauen This is my welbeloued Sonne spake not to himselfe but to the Sonne so againe the Sonne when he praieth he praies not to himselfe but to the Father The fourth point what was the particular cause of his prayer Ans. His agonie in which his soule was heauie vnto death not because he feared bodily death but because the malediction of the law euen the very heate of the furie and indignation of God was poured forth vpon him wherewith he was affected and troubled as if it had beene defiled with the sinnes of the whol world And this appeares first by the words whereby the Euangelists expresse the agonie of Christ which signifie exceeding great sorrow and griefe secondly by his dolefull complaint to his Disciples in the garden My soule is heauie vnto the death thirdly by his feruent praier thrise repeated full of dolefull passions fourthly by the comming of an Angel to comfort him fifthly by his bloodie sweat the like whereof was neuer heard And herein lies the difference betweene Christs agonie and the death of Martyrs he put on the guilt of all our sinnes they in death are freed from the same he was left to himselfe void of comfort they in the middest of their afflictions feele the vnspeakable comfort of the holy Ghost and therefore we neede not meruaile why Christ should pray against death which neuerthelesse his members haue receiued and borne most ioyfully Againe this most bitter agonie of Christ is the ground of all our reioycing and the cause why Paul biddes all the faithfull in the person of the Philippians to reioyce alwaies in the Lord and againe to reioyce And here we are further taught that when we are
plunged into a sea of most grieuous afflictions and ouerwhelmed with the gulfes of most dreadfull temptations euen then then I say we should not be discouraged but lift vp our hearts by feruent praier to God Thus did Christ when in the garden he was about to drinke the cuppe of the wrath of God and to sucke vp the very dregges of it and Dauid saith that out of the deepes he called of the name of the Lord and was heard The fifth point what is the matter and forme of this prayer Answ. Christ praies to be deliuered from the death and passion which was to come saying on this manner Father let this cuppe passe from me yet with two clauses added thereto If it be possible and Not my will but thy will be done But it may be demanded how it could be that Christ knowing that it was his Fathers will and counsell that he should suffer death for man and also comming into the world for that ende should make such a request to his Father without sinne Answ. The request proceedes onely of a weaknes or infirmitie in Christs manhood without sinne which appeareth thus We must still consider that when he made this prayer to his father the whole wrath of God and the very dolours and pangs of hell seazed vpon him whereby the senses and powers of his minde were astonished and wholly bent to releeue nature in this agonie For as when the heart is smitten with griefe all the blood in the bodie flowes thither to comfort it so when Christ was in this astonishment the vnderstanding and memorie and all the parts of his humane nature as it were for a time suspending their owne proper actions concurred to sustaine and support the spirit and life of Christ as much as possibly might be Now Christ beeing in the middest of this perplexed estate prayeth on this manner Father if it be possible let this cuppe passe And these words proceede not from any sinne or disobedience to his Fathers will but onely from a meere perturbation of minde caused onely by an outward meanes namly the apprehension of Gods anger which neither blinded his vnderstanding nor tooke away his memorie so as he forgot his fathers will but onely stopped and staied the act of reasoning and remembring for a little time euen as in the most perfect clocke that is the motion may be staied by the ayre or by mans hand or by some outward cause without any defect or breach made in any part of it It may be obiected that Christs will is flatte contrarie to the wil of his father Ans. Christs will as he is man and the will of his father in this agonie were not contrarie but onely diuers and that without any contradiction or contrarietie Now a man may will a diuers thing from that which God willeth and that without sinne Paul desired to preach the word of God in Asia and Bithynia but he was hindred by the spirit For all this there is no contrarietie betweene Paul and the spirit of God but in the shew of discord great consent For that which Paul willeth well the spirit of God willeth not by a better will though the reason hereof be secret and the reason of Pauls will manifest Againe the minister in charitie reputing the whole congregation to be elect in holy manner seeketh and willeth the saluation of euery one which neuerthelesse the Lord in his eternall counsell willeth not Now betweene both these wills there may be and is a difference without contrarietie For one good thing as it is good may differ from another but it cannot be contrarie vnto it It may further be alleadged that in this praier there seemes to be a combate and fight in the minde will and affections of Christ and therefore sinne Ans. There are three kind of combates the one betweene reason and appetite and this fight is alwaies sinnefull and was not in Christ the second is betweene the flesh and the spirit and this may be in Gods child who is but in part regenerate but it did not befall Christ who was perfectly holy The third is a combate of diuers desires vpon sundrie respects drawing a man to and fro This may be in mans nature without fault and was in Christ in whome the desire of doing his Fathers will striuing and struggling with another desire whereby nature seekes to preserue it selfe caused him to pray in this manner The sixth point is in what manner Christ prayed Answ. He praied to his Father partly kneeling partly lying on his face and that with strong cries and teares sweating water and blood and all this he did for our sinnes Here then behold the agonie of Christ as a cleare chrystall in which we may fully see the exceeding greatnes of our sinnes as also the hardnes of our hearts We goe vaunting with our heads to heauen as though it were nothing to sinne against God whereas the horrour of the wrath of God for our rebellions brought downe euen the sonne of God himselfe and laide him groueling vpon the earth And we cānot so much almost as shed one teare for our iniquities wheras he sweates blood for vs. Oh let vs therefore learne to abase our selues and to carrie about vs contrite and bleeding hearts and be confounded in our selues for our sinnes past The last point is the euent of the prayer which is to be heard as the author of the Hebrewes saith Christ Iesus in the daies of the flesh did offer vp vnto his father prayers and supplications with strong cries and teares vnto him that was able to saue him and was also heard in that thing which he feared But some will say how was Christ heard seeing he suffered death and bare the pangs of hel and the full wrath of God if he had beene heard he should haue beene deliuered from all this Answ. We must know that God heares our praiers two waies I. when he directly graunts our request II. when knowing what is good for vs he giues not vs our requests directly but a thing answerable thereunto And thus was Christ heard for he was not deliuered from suffering but yet he had strength and power giuen him whereby his manhood was made able to beare the brunt of Gods wrath And in the same manner God heareth the praiers of his seruants vpon earth Paul praied to be deliuered from the angel Satan that buffeted him but the Lord answered that it should not so be because his grace whereby he was inabled to resist his temptation was sufficient and Paul finding the fruit of his prayers on this manner protests hereupon that he will reioyce in his infirmities Others pray for temporall blessings as health life libertie c. which notwithstanding God holds backe and giues in stead thereof spirituall graces patience faith contentation of minde Augustine saith God heares not our prayers alwaies according to our wills and desires but according as the things asked shall be
euen in the very heauens is turned vpside downe The fourth signe is the rending of the vaile of the temple from the top to the bottome The temple was deuided into two parts the one more inward into which no man might come but the high priest and that once a yeare and it was called the holy of holies the other was that where the people came and offered sacrifices vnto the Lord. Nowe that which parted the temple into these two parts was called the vaile at the time of Christs passion it was rent from the toppe to the very bottome This hath diuers vses I. The holy of holies signified the third heauen where God sheweth himselfe in glory and maiestie vnto his Saints and the rending of the vaile sigureth vnto vs that by the death of Christ heauen which was otherwise shut by our sinnes is now set open and a way made to enter thereto II. It signifieth that by the death of Christ we haue without impediment free accesse to come vnto God the father by earnest praier in the name of Christ which is a most vnspeakable benefit III. It signifieth that by Christs death an end is put to all ceremonies to ceremoniall worship and the sacrifices of the old testament and that therefore in the newe testament there remaineth one onely reall and outward sacrifice that is Christ crucified on the crosse and the whole seruice and worship of God for outward ceremonies most simple and plaine IV. The temple was the chiefe and one of the most principal prerogatiues that the Iewes had it was their glorie that they had such a place wherein they might worship and doe seruice to the true God and for the temples sake God often spared them and therefore Daniel praieth O Lord heare the praier of thy seruant and his supplication and cause thy face to shine vpon the sanctuarie that lieth wast for the Lords sake Yet for all this when they began to crucifie the Lord of life their prerogatiues helpes them not nay they are depriued thereof and God euen with his owne hand rendes the vaile of the temple in sunder signifying vnto them that if they forsake him he will also forsake them And so may we say of the church of England No doubt for the gospels sake we haue outward peace and safetie and many other blessings and are in account with other nations yet if we make no conscience to obey the word of God if we haue no loue of Christ and his members God wil at length remooue his candlesticke from vs and vtterly depriue vs of this ornament of the Gospell and make our land as odious vnto all the world as the land of the Iewes is at this day Let vs therfore with all care and diligence shewe forth our loue both to Christ himselfe and to his members and adorne the gospell which wee professe by bringing forth fruits worthy of it The fifth signe is the earthquake whereby hard rockes were clouen a sunder And it serues very fitly to signifie further vnto vs that the sinne of the Iewes in putting Christ to death was so heauie a burden that the earth could not beare it but treÌ„bled thereat though the Iewes themselues made no bones of it And it is a thing to be wondred at that the earth doeth not often in these daies tremble and quake at the monstrous blasphemies and feareful othes by the wounds and blood and heart of Christ whereby his members are rent asunder and he traiterously crucified againe Secondly the earthquake shewes vnto vs the exceeding and wonderfull hardnes of the hearts of the Iewes and ours also they crucified Christ and were not touched with any remorse and wee can talke and heare of his death yea we can say hee was crucified for our sinnes and yet are we nothing affected therewith our hearts will not rende when as hard rockes cleaue asunder Thirdly the moouing of the eaâ—th and the rending of the rockes asunder may be a signe vnto vs of the vertue of the doctrine of the gospel of Christ which is nothing els but the publishing of the passion of his death which being preached shall shake heauen and earth sea and land It shall mooue the earthen hard and rockie hearts of men and raise vp of meere stones and rockes children vnto Abraham But the maine vse and ende of this point is to prooue that he that was crucified was the true Messias the sonne of God and therefore had the power of heauen and earth and could mooue all things at his pleasure The sixt signe of the power of Christ is that graues did open many bodies of the Saints which slept arose and came out of their graues after his resurrectioÌ„ and went into the holy citie and appeared vnto many The vse of this signe is this it signifies vnto vs that Christ by his death vpon the crosse did vanquish death in the graue and opened itâ— and thereby testified that hee was the resurrection and the life so that it shall not haue euerlasting dominion ouer vs but that he will raise vs vp from death to life and to euerlasting glorie The seuenth signe is the testimonie of the Centurion with his souldiours which stood by to see Christ executed S. Marke saith when he sawe that Christ thus crying gaue vp the ghost he said truely this was the sonne of God Thus wee see it is an easie matter for Christ to defend his owne cause let Iudas betray him Peter denie him and all the rest forsake him yet he can if it so please him make the Centurion that standeth by to see him executed to testify of his innocency But what was the occasion that mooued him to giue so worthie a testimonie S. Matthew saith it was feare and that feare was caused by hearing the loud crie of Christ and by seeing the earthquake things which were done And this must put vs in minde not to passe by Gods iudgements which daily fall out in the world but take knowledge of them and as it were to fixe both our eyes on them For they are notable meanes to strike and astonish the rebellious heart of man and to bring it in awe and subiection to God After that the two first captaines with their fifties commanding the Prophet Elias to come downe to king Achaziah were consumed with fire from heauen the king sent his third captain ouer fiftie with his fiftie to fetch him down but what doth he it is said he fell on his knee before Eliah and besought him saying O man of God I pray thee let my life and the liues of these fiftie seruants be pretious in thine eyes But what was the cause why he praied thus Surely he obserued what iudgements of God fell vpon his two former fellow captaines Behold saith he there came downe fire from heauen and deuoured the two former captaines with their fifties therefore let my life be pretious now in
it containeth three points The first that Christ beeing now to ascend lifts vp his hands and blessed his disciples In the Scripture are mentioned diuers kinds of blessings The first when one man praieth to God for a blessing vpon an other and this blessing doe Kings and princes bestow vpon their subiects and parents on their children and for this cause children are well taught to aske their fathers and mothers blessing that they may pray to God to blesse them There is an other kinde of blessing when a man doth not onely pray for a blessing but also pronounceth it This did the priests in the old Testament and thus Melchisedeck when he met Abraham blessed him saying Blessed art thou Abraham of God the most high possessour of heauen earth And this was the ordinarie duty of the priests prescribed by God himselfe therefore the very forme of words which they vsed is set downe after this maner The Lord blesse thee and keepe thee the Lord make his face to shine vpon thee c. The third kind of blessing is when a man doth not onely pray to God pronounce blessing but by the spirit of prophecie doth foretell a particular blessing vpon any Thus Isaac blessed Iaacob and Esau particularly foretelling both their estates And Iaacob blessed the twelue Patriarks by the same spirit foretelling them what should befall them many hundred yeares after Now our Sauiour Christ did not blesse his disciples any of these three waies and therefore there remaineth a fourth kinde of blessing which he vsed that was after this manner Christ in blessing his disciples did not onely pronounce or foretell a blessing that should come to his disciples but did conferre giue the same vnto them For he is the fountaine and author of all blessings And therefore Paul saith that God the father hath blessed vs in all spiritual blessings in Christ. Hence we learne first that al those which denie themselues flie to Christ and put their affiance in him shall be freed from the curse of the law from the wrath of God due vnto them for their sinns whatsoeuer they are Secondly that the curses of men must not discourage vs from doing well For though men curse yet Christ blesseth and for this cause he saith Woe be vnto you when all men speake well of you as if he should say then you want the blessing of God And we must remember that when men shall curse vs for doing our dutie euen then the blessing of God shall be vpon vs the curse causeles shall not hurt And God saith to Abraham he will curse them that curs◠him Thirdly we learne that no witchcraft nor sorcerie which often are done with cursing shall be able to hurt vs. For looke where Christ will blesse there all the deuills in hell can neuer fasten a curse This is found true by experiēce For when Balaam the wizzard should haue cursed the people of Israel had assaied to doe it many waies but could not at length he said there is no sorcerie against Iacob nor soothsaying against Israel This is a notable comfort to the people of God that witches and sorcerers doe what they can shall neuer be able to hurt them It may be that their badde practises may annoy mens bodies and goods yet the Lord will turne all to a blessing vpon his seruants either in this life or the life to come The second point is that Christ went apart from his disciples and ascended vpward toward heauen in their sight For the right vnderstanding of this sundrie speciall points must be obserued The first that the lifting vp of his bodie was principally by the mightie power of his godhead and partly by the supernaturall propertie of a glorified bodie which is to mooue as well vpward as downward without constraint or violence The second that Christ did goe from earth to heauen really and actually and not in appearance onely The third that he went visibly in the sight of his disciples The fourth that he went locally by chaunging his place and going from earth to heauen so as he is no more on earth bodily as we are now on earth It may be obiected that Christ made a promise that hee would bee with his Church to the ende of the world Answ. That promise is to be vnderstood of the presence of his spirit or godhead not of the presence of his manhood Againe it may further be alleadged that if the godhead be on earth then must the manhood be there also because they are both vnited together Answ. It is not true that of two things conioined where the one is there must the other be also For the sunne it selfe and the sunne-beames are both ioyned together yet they are not both in all places together For the bodie of the sunne is onely in the heauens but the sunne-beames are also vpon the earth The argument therefore followes not Christs manhood subsists in that person which is euery where ergo his manhood is euery where And the reason is because the Sonne of God subsists not onely in his diuine nature but also by it whereas he doth not subsist at all by the manhoode but onely in it for he subsisted before all eternitie when the manhood was not Nay rather because the manhood doth subsist by the person of the Sonne therefore the person extends it selfe further then the manhood which is assumed and sustained by it and hath his existing thence For that very thing whereby any other thing either essentially or accidentally is extends it selfe further then the thing whereby it is As the humane nature whereby Peter is a man extends it selfe further then to Peter namely to all other men and the whitenesse whereby the snow is white extends it selfe further then to that snow which a man holds in his hand The third point is that in the ascension a cloud tooke Christ from the fight of his disciples And whereas he caused a cloud to come betweene their sight and himselfe it signified vnto them that they must now be contented with that which they had seene and not seeke to know further what became of him afterward and the same thing is taught vnto vs also we must content our selues with that which God hath reuealed in his word and seeke no further specially in things which concerne God For the like ende in the giuing of the law in Sinai God appeared in a cloud and when he did manifest his glorie in the temple which Salomon made a thicke cloud filled the same The fourth point to be considered is concerning the witnesses of his ascension which were his owne disciples in the mount of Oliues at Bethanie and none but they Now it may be demanded why he would not haue all the whol natiō of the Iewes to see him ascend that so they might know that he was risen againe and beleeue in him
heauens the extraordinarie change of the whole world The second opinion is that the ende of the world shall be three yeares and an halfe after the reuealing of Antichrist And it is gathered out of places in Daniel and the Reuelation abused Where a time and halfe a time signifie not three yeares and a halfe but a short time And therefore to take the wordes properly is farre from the meaning of the holy Ghost For marke if the ende shall be three yeares and a halfe after the reuealing of Antichrist then may any man knowe before hand the particular moneth wherein the ende of the world should be which is not possible Nowe the trueth which may be auouched against all is this that no man can know or set down or coniecture the day the weeke the moneth the yere or the age wherin the second comming of Christ and the last day of iudgement shall be For Christ himselfe saith of that daie and houre knoweth no man no not the angels in heauen but God onely may Christ himselfe as he is man knew it not And when the disciples asked Christ at his ascension whether he would restore the kingdome vnto Israel he answered It is not for you to knowe the times and seasons which the father hath put in his owne power And Paul saith Of the times and seasons brethren you haue no neede that I write vnto you For you your selues knowe perfectly that the daie of the Lord shall come euen as a thiefe in the night Nowe wee knowe that a man that keepeth his house can not coniecture or imagine when a thiefe will come and therefore no man can set downe the particular time or age when Christ shall come to iudgement This must we hold steadfastly and if we read the contrarie in the writings of men we are not to beleeue their sayings but account of them as the deuices of men which haue no ground in Gods word To come to the third point namely the signes of the last iudgement they are of two sorts some goe before the comming of Christ and some are ioyned with it The signes that goe before are in number seuen recorded distinctly by the holy Ghost The first is the preaching of the Gospel through the whole world So our Sauiour Christ saith this Gospell of the kingdome must bee preached through the whole world for a witnesse vnto all nations and then shall the ende come Which place must thus be vnderstood not that the Gospell must be preached to the whole world at any one time for that as I take it was neuer yet seene neither shall be but that it shall bee published distinctly and successiuely at seuerall times and thus vnderstanding the words of Christ if wee consider the time since the Apostles daies wee shall finde this to be true that the Gospel hath beene preached to all the world and therefore this first signe of Christs comming is alreadie past and accomplished The second signe of his comming is the reuealing of Antichrist as Paul saith The daie of Christ shall not come before there be a departure first and that mā of sinne he disclosed euen the sonne of perdition which is Antichrist Concerning this signe in the yeare of our Lord 602. Gregory the eight pope of Rome auouched this solemnly as a manifest trueth that whosoeuer did take to himselfe the name of Vniuersall Bishop the same was Antichrist Now fiue yeres after Boniface succeeding him was by Phocas and Emperour entituled Vniuersall Bishop pastour of the Catholike Church in the yeare of our Lord 607. and of all Popes he was the first knowne Antichrist and since him all his successours haue taken vnto thē the same title of Vniuersal and Catholike Bishop whereby it doeth plainely appeare that at Rome hath bin and is the Antichrist And this signe is also past The third is a generall departing of most men from the faith For it is saide in the place before named let no man deceiue you for the day of Christ shall not come except there be a departing first Generall departure hath bin in former ages When Arius spread his heresie it tooke such place that the whole worlde almost became an Arian And during the space of 900. yeares from the time of Boniface the popish heresie spread it selfe ouer the whole earth and the faithfull seruants of God were but as an handfull of wheat in a mountaine of chaffe which can scarse be discerned This signe is in part already past neuertheles it shall continue to the ende because men shall continually depart from the faith And the nearer the end of the world is the more Satā rageth seeks to bring mē into his kingdō Therefore it standeth vs in hād to labour for the knowledge of true religiō hauing learned it most hartily to loue the same The fourth signe is a generall corruption in manners This point the Apostle sets downe at large saying Toward the latter daies shall come perilous times wherein men shall be louers of themselues couetous boasters proud cursed speakers disobedient to parents vnthankefull vnholy and without naturall affection truce-breakers false accusers intemperate fierce despisers of them which are good◠traytours headie high minded louers of pleasures more then louers of god c. This generall corruption in the manners of men is noted by our Sauiour Christ when he saith When he commeth he shall scarse sinde faith vpon the earth This signe hath bin in former ages and is no doubt at this day in the world For it is hard to finde a man that walketh iustly soberly and faithfully doing the duties of his calling to God and man The fifth signe of Christs comming stands in terrible and grieuous calamities For Christs disciples asking him a signe of his comming and of the ende of the world he saith There shall be warres and rumours of warres nation shall rise against nation and realme against realme and there shall be pestilence and famine and earthquakes in diuers places and men shall be at their wittes endes These haue bin in former ages In the first three hundred yeares after Christ were tenne most fearefull persecutions and since in Europe the Church of God hath bin wonderfully persecuted by the Antichrist of Rome in the hundred yeares last past The sixth signe is an exceeding deadnes of heart so as neither iudgements from heauen nor the preaching of the word shall mooue the hearts of men So Christ saith It shall be in the comming of the sonne of man as it was in the daies of Noe and in the daies of Sodom they knew nothing till the flood came and fire from heauen destroied them all This signe vndoubtedly is manifest in these our daies howsoeuer it hath beene also in former times For where are any almost that are mooued with Gods iudgements or touched at the preaching of the word nay rather men harden their hearts and become secure and careles The small
as a closed booke but then it shall be so touched and as it were opened that he shall plainely see and remember all the particular offences which at any time he hath committed and his very conscience shall be as good as a thousand witnesses whereupon he shall accuse and vtterly condemne himselfe The consideration of this ought to terrifie all those that liue in their sins for howsoeuer they may hide couer them from the world yet at the last day God will be sure to reueale them all Now after that mens workes are made manifest they must further be tried whether they be good or euill And that shall be done on this manner They that neuer heard of Christ must be tried by the law of nature which serues to make them inexcusable before God As for those that liue in the Church they shall be tried by the Law and the Gospel as Paul saith As many as haue liued by the law shall be iudged by the law And againe At the day of iudgement God shall iudge the secrets of our hearts according to his Gospell And By faith Noah builded an arke whereby he condemned the old world If this be true then we must in the feare of God heare his word preached and taught with all reuerence make conscience to profit by it For otherwise in the day of iudgement when all our works shall be tried by it the same word of God shall be a bill of inditement and the fearefull sentence of condemnation against vs. Therefore let vs be humbled by the doctrine of the law willingly embrace the sweete promises of the Gospel considering it is the onely touchstone whereby all our words thoughts and works must be examined The sixth point in the proceeding of the last iudgement is the giuing of sentence which is twofold the sentence of absolution and the sentence of condemnation both which are to be obserued diligeÌ„tly that we may receiue profit thereby And first of all Christ shall begin his iudgement with the sentence of absolution which shewes that he is readie to shew mercie slow to wrath In this sentence we are to consider foure points I. a calling of the Elect to the kingdome of heauen II. the reason thereof III. a replie of the Elect IV. the answer of Christ to them againe The calling of the Elect is set downe in these wordes Come yee blessed of my father inherit the kingdome prepared for you from the beginning of the world And the words are to be obserued one by one Come ye blessed Though Christ nowe sit in glorie and maiestie in iudgement yet he ceaseth not to shew his tender aâ—fection of loue vnto his chosen And this ouerthroweth the opinion of the Church of Rome which would haue vs rather to come vnto Christ by the intercession of saints then by our selues immediatly because he is now exalted in glorie and maiestie But marke when he was here on earth he said Come vnto me all ye that are heauie laden and I will ease you And when he shall be most glorious in maiestie and power at the day of iudgement he will then also say Come ye blessed of my father and therefore we may resolue our selues that it is his will now that we should come vnto him without any intercession of Saints Ye blessed of my father The Elect are here called the blessed of God because their righteousnes saluation and all that they haue springs of the meere blessing of God Nothing therefore must be ascribed to the worke of man Inherit that is receiue as your inheritance therefore the kingdome of heauen is Gods meere gift A father giueth no inheritance vnto his sonne of merit but of his free gift wherupon it followes that no man can merit the kingdom of heauen by his works The kingdome that is the eternall estate of glorie and happines in heauen therefore in this life we must so vse this world as though we vsed it not all that we haue here is but vaine and transitorie and all our studie and endeauour must be to come to the kingdome of heauen Prepared Here note the vnspeakable care of God for the faithful Had he such care to prouide a kingdome for his children before they were then we may assure our selues he wil haue greater care ouer them now when they haue a beeing For you that is for the elect and faithfull Hence it appeares that there is no vniuersall election whereby as some suppose God decrees that all and euery man shall be saued Indeede if he had said Come ye blessed of my father inherit the kingdome prepared for all but receiued of you it had bin something but he saith onely prepared for you and therefore all were not chosen to saluation The reason of this calling is taken from workes as from signes in these words For I was hungrie and ye gaue me meate c. When he saith for I was hungrie he meanes his poore and distressed members vpon earth and thereby he signifies vnto vs that the miseries of his seruants are his owne miseries Thus the Lord saith in Zacharie He which toucheth you toucheth the apple of mine eye And when Saul was going to persecute them in Damasco and else where that called on the name of Christ he cried from heauen Saul Saul why persecutest thou me And this is a notable comfort to Gods Church and people that they haue an high priest who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities and if he account our miseries his owne miseries then no doubt he will pitie our estate and make vs able to beare the worst And ye gaue me meate Here we note that the principall works of men are those which are done to the poore members of Christ. We are indeede to helpe all in as much as they are our very flesh and the creatures of God but the rule of S. Paul must be remembred Doe good to all but especially to those that are of the houshold of faith Many are of mind that the best works are to build Churches and Monasteries but Christ tells vs here that the best worke of all is to releeue those that be the liuing members of his mysticall bodie The third point is the replie of the Saints to Christ againe in these words Lord when saw we thee an hungred and fedde thee c. They doe not denie that which Christ auouched but doe as I take it standing before the tribunall seat of God humble themselues hauing still an after-consideration of the infirmities and offences of their liues past Here note then that it is a Satanicall practise for a man to bragge of workes and to stand vpon them in the matter of iustification before God And we must rather doe as the Saints of God doe abase our selues in regard of our sinnes past The last point is the answer of Christ to them againe in these words Verily I say vnto you in as much as
Ghost is nothing els but the action or operation of God obiect out of the Scriptures to the contrarie I. God knoweth the sonne the holy Ghost knoweth not the sonne for none knoweth the sonne but the father ergo the holy Ghost is not God Ans. That place excludeth no person in Trinitie but onely creatures and false gods and the meaning is this None that is no creature or idol god knoweth the sonne of God but the father And the opposition is made to exclude creatures not to exclude the holy Ghost Againe they obiect that the holy Ghost maketh request for vs with grones and sighes that can not be vttered therefore say they the Holy ghost is not God but rather a gift of God For he that is true God can not pray grone or sigh Ans. Pauls meaning is thereby to signifie that the Holy Ghost causeth vs to make requests and stirreth vp our hearts to grone and sigh to God for he said before we haue receiued the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba father Yet further they obiect the words of the Angel Gabriel to the virgin Marie saying The vertue of the most high hath ouershadowed thee and hence they gather that if the holy Ghost be the vertue of God then he is not God indeede Ans. As Christ is called the Word of God not a worde made of letters or syllables but a substantial word that is beeing for euer of the same substance with the father so in this place the holy ghost is called the vertue of the most highest not because he is a created qualitie but because he is the substantiall vertue of the Father and the sonne and therefore God equall with them both Furthermore they alleadge that neither the scriptures nor the practise of the Primitiue Church doth warrant vs to pray to the holy Ghost Ans. It is not true For whēsoeuer we direct our praier to any of the three persons in him we pray to them all Besides we haue example of praier made to the holy Ghost in the word of God For Paul saith to the Corinthians The grace of our Lord Iesus the loue of god the father the fellowship of the holy ghost be with you all And the words are as if S. Paul had said thus O Father let thy loue O Sonne let thy grace O holy Ghost let thy fellowship bee with them all And therefore this first doctrine is true and as well to bee beleeued as any other that the Holy Ghost is God The second point is that the Holy Ghost is a distinct person from the father and the sonne Hereupon the articles touching the three persons are thus distinguished I beleeue in the father I beleeue in the sonne I beleeue in the holy Ghost This point also is consonant to the Scriptures which make the same distinction In the baptisme of Christ the father vttereth a voice from heauen saying This is my beloued Sonne in whome I am well pleased and not the sonne or the holy ghost Secondly the sonne stood in the water and was baptized by Iohn and not the father or the holy Ghost Thirdly the holy Ghost descended from heauen vpon Christ in the forme of a doue and not the father or the sonne but the holy Ghost alone Christ in his commission vnto his disciples saith Goe teach all nations baptizing them into the name of the father the sonne and the Holy Ghost Now if the Holy Ghost had beene the same person either with the father or with the sonne then it had bene sufficient to haue named the father and the sonne onely And the distinction of the third person from the rest may be conceiued by this that the Holy Ghost is the Holy Ghost and not the father or the sonne The third point to bee beleeued is that the holy Ghost proceedeth from the father and the sonne For a further proofe hereof consider these places Paul saith Ye are not in the flesh but in the spirit for the spirit of God dwelleth in you But if any man haue not the spirit of Christ hee is not his And againe Because ye are sonnes God hath sent forth the spirit of the sonne into your hearts where we may obserue that the holy Ghost is the spirit both of the father and of the sonne Now the holy Ghost is called the spirit of the father not only because he is sent of him but because hee proceedeth from the father as Christ saith to his disciples When the comforter will come whome I shall send vnto you from the father euen the spirit of trueth vvhich proceedeth of the father hee shall testifie of me And therefore likewise he is the spirit of the sonne not onely because he is sent of the sonne but also because hee proceedeth from him Againe in the Trinitie the person sending doth communicate his whole essence and substance to the person sent As the father sending the sonne doeth communicate his essence and substance to the sonne For sending doth presuppose a communication of essence Nowe the father and the sonne send the holy Ghost therefore both of them communicate their substance and essence vnto the same person Thirdly Christ saith The holy Ghost hath receiued of mine which he shall shewe vnto you namely knowledge and trueth to be reuealed vnto his Church Whence we may reason thus the person receiuing knowledge from another receiues essence also the holy Ghost receiues truth and knowledge from Christ to be reuealed vnto the Church and therefore first of all he hath receiued substance and essence from the sonne But some peraduenture will say where is it written in all the bible in expresse wordes that the holv Ghost proceedes from the sonne as he proceedes from the father Answer The scripture saith not so much in plaine tearmes yet we must know that that which is gathered forth thence by iust cōsequence is no lesse the truth of god then that which is expressed in words Hereupon all Churches saue those in Greece with one confent acknowledge the trueth of this point The fourth and last point is that the holy Ghost is equall to the father and the sonne And this we are taught to acknowledge in the Creede in that wee doe as well beleeue in the Holy Ghost as in the father and the sonne And though the holy Ghost be sent of the father and the sonne yet as I haue said before that argues no inequalitie for one equall may send another by consent but order onely whereby the Holy Ghost is last of all the three persons Againe in that the holy Ghost receiueth from the sonne it prooues no inferiority Because he receiues frō the sonne whatsoeuer he receiues by nature and not by grace And he receiues not a part but all that the sonne hath sauing the proprietie of his person Nowe followe the benefits which are giuen by the holy Ghost and they are of two sorts some are common to all
God but without that is forth of the Church are dogs enâ—hanters whoremongers adulterers c. And the Arke out of which all perished figured the Church out of which al are condemned And for this cause Saint Luke saith that the Lord added to the Church from day to day such as should be saued And the reason hereof is plaine for without Christ there is no saluation but out of the militant church there is no Christ nor faith in Christ and therefore no saluation Againe forth of the militant church there are no meanes of saluation no preaching of the word no inuocation of Gods name no Sacraments and therefore no saluation For this cause euery man must be admonished euermore to ioyne himselfe to some particular church beeing a sound member of the Catholike church The third rule is that the church which here we beleeue is onely one As Christ himselfe speaketh My doue is alone and my vndefiled is the onely daughter of her mother And as there is onely one God and one Redeemer one faith one baptisme and one way of saluation by Christ onely so there is but one church alone The Catholike church hath two parts the church Triumphant in heauen and the church Militant on earth The Triumphant church may thus be described It is a companie of the spirits of iust men triumphing ouer the flesh the deuill and the world praising God First I say it is a companie of the spirits of men as the holy Ghost expressely tearmeth it because the soules onely of the godly departed as of Abraham Isaac Iacob Dauid c. are as yet ascended into heauen and not their bodies Furthermore the properties of this companie are two The first is to make triumph ouer their spirituall enemies the flesh the deuill the world for the righteous man so long as he liues in this world is in continuall combate without truce with al the enemies of his saluation and by constant faith obtaining victorie in the ende of his life he is translated in glorious and triumphant maner into the kingdome of glorie This was signified to Iohn in a vision in which he saw an innumerable companie of all sorts of nations kinreds people and tongues stand before the Lambe clothed in long white robes with palmes in their handes in token that they had beene warriours but now by Christ haue gotten the victorie and are made conquerours Their second propertie is to praise and magnifie the name of God as it followeth in the former place saying Amen praise and glorie and wisdome and thankes honour power and might be vnto our God for euermore Hence it may be demanded whether Angels be of this Triumphant church or no Ans. The blessed Angels be in heauen in the presence of God the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost but they are not of the mysticall bodie of Christ because they are not vnder him as he is their redeemer considering they can not be redeemed which neuer fell and it can not be prooued that they now stand by the vertue of Christs redemption but they are vnder him as he is their Lord and King and by the power of Christ as he is God and their God are they confirmed And therfore as I take it we can not say that Angels are members of the mysticall bodie of Christ or of the triumphaÌ„t church though indeed they be of the coÌ„pany of the blessed The church Militant may be thus described It is the companie of the elect or faithfull liuing vnder the crosse desiring to be remooued and to be with Christ. I say not that the Militant church is the whole bodie of the elect but onely that part thereof which liueth vpon earth and the infallible marke thereof is that faith in Christ which is taught and deliuered in the writings of the Prophets and Apostles and this faith againe may be discerned by two markes The first is that the members of this companie liue vnder the crosse and profit by it in all spirituall grace And therefore it is said that we must through many afflictions enter into the kingdome of heauen And our Sauiour Christ saith If any man will come after me let him denie himselfe and take vp his crosse euery day and follow me The second marke is a desire to depart hence and to be with Christ as Paul saith We loue rather to be remooued out of this bodie and to be with Christ. And againe I desire to be loosed and to be with Christ which is best of all Where yet we must remember that the members of Christ doe not desire death simply and absolutely but in two respects I. that they might leaue off to sinne and by sinning leaue to displease God II. That they might come to enioy happines in heauen and to be with Christ. Touching the generall estate of the Militant church two questions are to be considered The first how farre forth God is present with it assisting it by his grace Ans. God giues his spirit vnto it in such a measure that although the gates of hell can not preuaile against it yet neuerthelesse it remaines still subiect to errour both in doctrine and manners For that which is true in euery member of the church is also true in the whole but euery member of the Militant church is subiect to errour both in doctrine and manners because men in this life are but in part enlightened and sanctified and therefore still remaine subiect to blindnesse of minde and ignorance and to the rebellion of their wills and affections whereby it comes to passe that they may easily faile either in iudgement or in practise Againe that which may befall one or two particular churches may likewise befall all the particular churches vpon earth all beeing in one and the same condition but this may befall one or two particular churches to faile either in doctrine or manners The church of Ephesus failed in leauing her first loue whereupon Christ threatneth to remooue from her the candlesticke And the church of Galatia was remooued to an other Gospell from him that had called them in the grace of Christ now why may not the same things befall twentie yea an hundred churches which befell these twaine Lastly experience sheweth this to be true in that generall Councels haue erred The Councell of Nice beeing to reforme sundrie behauiours among the Bishops and Elders would with common consent haue forbidden marriage vnto them thinking it profitable to be so vnlesse Paphnutius had better informed them out of the Scriptures In the third Councell at Carthage certaine bookes Apocrypha as the booke of Syrach Tobie and the Macchabees are numbred in the Canon and yet were excluded by the Councell of Laodicea And the saying of a Diuine is receiued that former Councels are to be reformed and amended by the latter But Papists maintaining that the Church can not erre alleadge the promise of Christ Howbeit
benefits which God bestoweth on it which are in number foure The first is expressed in these words The communion of Saints Where communion signifieth that fellowship or societie that one hath with an other and by Saints we vnderstand not dead men inrolled in the Popes calender but all that are sanctified by the blood of Christ whether they be liuing or dead as Paul saith Vnto the Church of God which is at Corinthus to them that are sanctified in Iesus Christ Saints by calling And God is the God of peace in all the Churches of the Saints Now if we adde the clause I beleeue vnto these words the meaning is this I confesse and acknowledge that there is a spiritual fellowship societie among all the mēbers of Christ beeing the faithfull seruants and children of God and withall I beleeue that I am partaker of the same with the rest This communion hath two parts fellowshippe of the members with the head and of the members with themselues The communion of the members with their head is not outward but altogether spirituall in the conscience and for the opening of it we must consider what the Church receiueth of Christ and what he receiues of it The Church receiues of Christ foure most worthy benefits The first that Christ our Mediatour God and man hath truely giuen himselfe vnto vs and is become our lot and portion and withall God the father and the holy spirit in him as Dauid saith Iehoua is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup thou shalt maintaine my lot the lines are fallen vnto me in pleasant places yea I haue a faire heritage And My flesh faileth and my heart also but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for euer The second is the Right of adoption whereby all the faithfull whether in heauen or earth are actually made the children of God The benefit is wonderfull howsoeuer carnall men esteeme not of it If a mā should either by election or birth or any waie else be made the sonne and heire of an earthly prince he would thinke himselfe highly aduanced how highly then are they extolled which are made the sonnes of God himselfe The third benefit is a title and right to the righteousnes of Christ in his sufferings and his fulfilling of the lawe The excellencie of it is vnspeakable because it serues to award the greatest temptations of the deuill When the deuill replieth thus thou art a transgressour of the lawe of God therefore thou shalt be damned by means of that communion which wee haue with Christ wee answere againe that Christ suffered the curse of the lawe to free vs from due and deserued damnation and when he further replies that seeing we neuer fulfilled the lawe we can not therefore enter into heauen we answer againe that Christs obedience is a fulfilling of the law for vs and his whole righteousnesse is ours to make vs stand righteous before God The fourth benefit is a right to the kingdome of heauen as Christ comforting his disciples saith Feare not little flocke it is your fathers pleasure to giue you a kingdome and hence it is sundrie times called the inheritance and the lot of the Saints Furthermore for the conueiance of these benefits vnto vs God hath ordained the preaching of the word and the administration of the Sacraments specially the Lords supper and hath commanded the solemne and ordinarie vse of them in the Church And hereupon the Lordes supper is called the Communion The cuppe of blessing saith Paul which wee blesse is it not the communion of the blood of Christ and the bread which we breake is it not the communion of the bodie of Christ that is a signe and seale of the communion Againe the things which Christ receiueth of vs are two our sinnes with the punishment thereof made his by application or imputation and our afflictions with all the miseries of this life which he accounts his owne and therefore doth as it were put vnder his shoulders to beare the burden of them And this communion betweene Christ and vs is expressed in the scriptures by that blessed and heauenly bargaine in which there is mutuall exchange betweene Christ and vs he imparts vnto vs milke and wine without siluer or money to refresh vs and gold tried by the fire that we may become rich and white raiment that we may be cloathed and eye-salue to annoint our eies that wee may see and we for our parts returne vnto him nothing but blindenes and nakednes and pouertie and the loathsome burden of our filthy sinnes The second part of the communion is that which the Saints haue one with an other And it is either of the liuing with the liuing or of the liuing with the dead Nowe the communion of the liuing standes in three things I. the like affection II. in the gifts of the spirit III. in the vse of temporall riches For the first communion in affection is whereby all the seruants of God are like affected to God to Christ to their owne sinnes and each to other They are all of one nature and heart alike disposed though they bee not acquainted nor haue any externall fellowship in the flesh As in a familie children are for the most part one like another brought vp alike euen so it is in Gods familie which is his Church the members thereof are all alike in heart and affection and the reason is because they haue one spirit to guide them all and therefore Saint Peter saith The multitude of them that beleeued were of one heart and of one soule neither any of them said that any thing of that which he possessed was his own but they had al things cōmon And the Prophet Esay foretelling the vnity which should be in the kingdome of Christ saith The woolfe shall dwell with the lamb and the leopard shall lie with the kidde and the calfe and the lyon aud the fat beast togither and a little childe shall leade them The cowe and the beare shall feede and their young ones shall lie togither and the lyon shall eate strawe like the bullocke The sucking child shall plaie vpon the hole of the aspe and the weaned child shall put his hand into the cockatrice hole By these beasts are signified men that be of a wicked and brutish nature which when they shall be brought into the kingdom of Christ shall lay aside the same and become louing gentle curteous and all of one minde And S. Peter requires of the Church the practise of brothely loue and that is to carrie a tender affection to men not becanse they are of the same flesh but because they are ioyned in the bond of one spirit with vs. Furthermore by reason of this that all the children of God are of one heart there follows another dutie of this communion whereby they beare one the burdens of another and when one member is grieued
as it were swallowed vp with a sea of his loue and wholly rauished therewith for which cause as farre as creatures can they shall loue him againe Againe the loue of a thing is according to the knowledge thereof but in this life God is knowne of man onely in part and therefore is loued onely but in part but after this life when the Elect shall knowe God fully they shall loue him without measure in this respect loue hath a prerogatiue aboue faith or hope howesoeuer in some respects againe they goe beyond loue The fourth prerogatiue is that the Saints of God keepe a perpetuall Sabbath in heauen In this life it is kept but euery seuenth daie and when it is best of all sanctified it is done but in part but in heauen euery day is a Sabbath as the Lord saith by the Prophet Esay From moneth to moneth and from Sabbath to Sabbath all flesh shall come and worship before me therefore the life to come shall be spent in the perpetuall seruice of God Fifthly the bodies of the elect after this life in the kingdome of heauen shal be like the glorious bodie of Christ so Paul saith Christ Iesus our Lord shall chaÌ„ge our vile bodies that they may be like his glorious bodie Now the resemblaÌ„ce betweene Christs bodie and ours standeth in these things as Christs bodie is incorruptible so shall our bodies be void of all corruption as Christs bodie is immortal so ours in the kingdom of heauen shal neuer die as Christs bodie is spirituall so shall ours be made spirituall as the Apostle saith It is sowen a naturall bodie it is raised a spirituall bodie not because the bodie shall be changed into a spirit for it shall remaine the same in substance and that for euer but because it shall be preserued by a spirituall and diuine manner For in this life it is preserued by meate drinke cloathing sleepe physicke rest and diet but afterwarde without all these meanes the life of the bodie shall be continued and bodie and soule keepe togither by the immediate power of Gods spirit for euer and euer Thus the bodie of Christ is nowe preserued in heauen and so shall the bodies of all the elect be after the day of iudgement Furthermore as Christs bodie is nowe a shining bodie as doth appeare by his transfiguration in the mount so in all likelihood after the resurrection the bodies of the elect shall be shining and bright alwaies remaining the same for substance Lastly as Christs bodie after it rose againe from the graue had this propertie of agilitie beside swiftnes to passe from the earth to the third heauen beeing in distance many thousand miles froÌ„ vs and that without violence so shall the bodies of the Saints For beeing glorified they shall be able as well to ascend vpwarde as to goe downewarde and to mooue without violence and that very swiftly The sixth and last prerogatiue is an vnspeakable and eternall ioy â—â— Dauid saith In thy presence is fulnesse of ioy at thy right hand there are pâ—â—â—ares for euermore It is said that when Salomon was crowned king the people reioiced exceedingly If there were such great ioy at his coronation whiâ—h was but an earthly prince what ioy then shall there be when the Elect shall see the true Salomon crowned with glorie in the kingdome of heauen It is said that the wise men which came from the East to worship Christ when they sawe the starre standing ouer the place where the babe was were exceedingly glad howe much more shall the elect reioice when they shall see Christ not lying in a manger but crowned with immortall glorie in the kingdome of heauen Wherefore this ioy of the elect after this life is most wonderfull and cannot be vttered The propertie of life eternall is to be an inheritance which God bestoweth on them which are made his sonnes in Christ who is the only begotten sonne of the father Hence it followes necessarily that in the Scriptures it is called a reward not because it is deserued by our workes as the Church of Rome erroniously teacheth but for two other causes First because life eternall is due to all that beleeue by vertue of Christs merit For his righteousnesse is made ours by imputation so conâ—equently the merit thereof is also ours and by it all personall merits in our selues vtterly excluded we deserue or merit eternall happines as a reward which neuerthelesse in respect of our selues is the free and meere gift of God The second is because there is a resemblance betweene eternall life and a reward For as a reward is giuen to a workeman after his worke is done so euerlasting life is giuen vnto men after the trauailes and miseries of this life are ended The degrees of life are three The first is in this life when men beeing iustified and sanctified haue peace with God Many imagine that there is no eternall life till after death but they are deceiued for it beginnes in this world as our Sauiour Christ testifieth saying Verily verily I say vnto you he that heareth my wordes and beleeueth him that sent me hath euerlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but hath passed from death to life This being so we are hence to learne a good lesson Considering we looke for life euerlasting after this life we must not deceiue our selues lingring and deferring the time till the last gaspe but we must lay the foundation of life eternall in our selues in this world and haue the earnest thereof laide vp in our hearts against the day of death But how is that done we must repent vs heartily of all our sinnes and seeke to be assured in conscience that God the father of Christ is our father God the sonne our redeemer and God the holy Ghost our comforter For as Christ saith this is life eternall to know thee the onely God and whome thou hast sent Iesus Christ. And we must goe further yet endeauouring to say with Paul that we liue not but that Christ liueth in vs which when we can say we haue in vs the very seede of eternall life The second degree is in the ende of this life when the bodie freed from all diseases paines and miseries is laid to rest in the earth and the soule is receiued into heauen The third is after the day of iudgement when bodie and soule reunited shall both be aduanced to eternall glorie Againe in this third degree of life there be in all likelihood sundrie degrees of glory Daniel speaking of the estate of the elect after this life saith They that be wise shall shine as the brightnesse of the firmament and they that turne many to righteousnes shall shine as the starres for euermore Now we know there is difference betweene the brightnesse of the firmament and the brightnesse of the starres Againe there be degrees of torments in hell as appeares by the saying
swallowed vp of ouermuch heauines And further he giueth an other reason which followeth least Sathan should circumuent vs for we are not ignorant of his enterprises And indeede common experience sheweth the same that when any man is most weake then Sathan most of all bestirreth himselfe to worke his confusion The third is that all men which are humbled haue not like measure of sorrowe but some more some lesse Iob felt the hand of God in exceeding great measure when he cried O that my griefe were well weyed and my miseries were laide together in the ballance for it would he now heauier then the sand of the sea therefore my wordes are now swallowed vp for the arrowes of the Almightie are in me and the venome thereof doth drinke vp my spirit and the terrours of God fight against me The same did Ezechias when on his death-bed he said He brake all my bones like a Lyon and like a crane or a swallow so did I chatter I did mourne like a doue c. Contrariwise the theefe vpon the crosse and Lydia in her conuersion neuer felt any such measure of griefe for it is said of her that God opened her heart to be attentiue to that which Paul spake and presently after shee intertained Paul and Silas chearefully in her house which shee could not haue done if shee had beene pressed downe with any great measure of sorrowe neither are any to dislike themselues because they are not so much humbled as they see some others for God in great wisdome giueth to euery one which are to be saued that which is conuenient for their estate And it is often seene in a festered sore that the corruption is let out as well with the pricking of a small pinne as with the wide lance of a raser XII The fourth thing in true humiliation is an holy desperation which is when a man is wholly out of all hope euer to attaine saluation by any strength or goodnesse of his owne speaking and thinking more vily of himselfe then any other can doe and heartily acknowledging himselfe to haue deserued not one onely but euen tenne thousand damnations in hell fire with the deuill and his angels This was in Paul when he said of himselfe that he was the chiefe of all sinners This was in Daniel when in the name of the people of Israel he praied and said O Lord righteousnesse belongeth vnto thee and to vs open shame as appeareth this day c. The same was in the prodigall childe who saide Father I haue sinned against heauen and against thee and I am no more worthie to be called thy sonne Lastly it was in Ezra who saide O my God I am confounded and ashamed to lift vp mine eyes vnto thee my God for our iniquities are increased ouer our head and our trespasse is growne vp vnto the heauen XIII Many are of opinion that this sorrow for sinne is nothing else but a melancholike passion but in trueth the thing is farre otherwise as may appeare in the example of Dauid who by all coniectures was least troubled with melancholie and yet neuer any tasted more deepely of the sorrnw and feeling of Gods anger for sinne then he did as the booke of Psalmes declareth And if any desire to knowe the difference they are to be discerned thus Sorrowe for sinne may be where health reason senses memorie and all are sound but Melancholike passions are where the bodie is vnsound and the reason senses memorie dulled and troubled Secondly sorrow for sinne is not cured by any phisicke but onely by the sprinkling of the blood of Iesus Christ Melancholike passions are remooued by Phisicke diet musicke and such like Thirdly sorrow for sinne riseth of the anger of God that woundeth and pierceth the conscience but Melancholike passions rise only of meere imaginations strōgly conceiued in the braine Lastly these passions are long in breeding and come by litle and little but the sorrow for sinne vsually commeth on a sudden as lightening into a house And yet howesoeuer they are differing it must bee acknowledged that they may both concurre together so that the same man which is troubled with Melancholie may feele also the anger of God for sinne XIIII Thus it appeareth howe God maketh the heart fit to receiue faith in the next place it is to be considered howe the Lord causeth faith to spring and to breede in the humbled heart For the effecting of this so blessed a worke God worketh foure things in the heart First when a man is seriously humbled vnder the burden of his sinne the Lord by his spirit makes him lift vp himselfe to consider and to ponder most diligently the great mercie of God offered vnto him in Christ Iesus After the consideration of gods mercie in Christ he comes in the second place to see feele and from his heart to acknowledge himselfe to stand in neede of Christ and to stand in neede of euery drop of his most precious blood Thirdly the Lord stirreth vp in his heart a vehemēt desire and longing after Christ and his merits this desire is compared to thirst which is not onely the feeling of the drinesse of the stomacke but also a vehement appetite after drinke and Dauid fitly expresseth it when he saith I stretched forth my handes vnto thee my soule desireth after thee as the thirstie land Lastly◠after this desire he beginnes to pray not for any worldly benefit but onely for the forgiuenesse of his sinnes crying with the poore Publican O God be mercifull to me a sinner Nowe this praier it is made not for one day onely but continually from day to day not with the lippes but with greater sighes grones of the heart then that they can be expressed with the tongue Now after these desires and praiers for Gods mercie ariseth in the heart a liuely assurance of the forgiuenesse of sinne For God who cannot lie hath made his promise Knocke it shall be opened and againe Before they call I will answere and while they speake I will heare Therefore when an humbled sinner comes crying and knocking at his mercie gate for the forgiuenesse of sinne either then or shortly after the Lord worketh in his heart a liuely assurance thereof And whereas he thirsted in his heart beeing scorched with the heat of Gods displeasure beating vpon his conscience Christ Iesus giueth him to drinke of the well of the water of life freely and hauing drunken thereof hee shall neuer be more a thirst but shall haue in him a fountaine of water springing vp into euerlasting life XV. For the better vnderstanding of this that God worketh sauing faith in the heart of man after this manner it must be obserued that a sinner is compared to a sick man oft in the Scriptures And therefore the curing of a disease fitly resembleth the curing of sinne A man that
vpon the land againe then his will was free and he had power to goe whither God sent him and to what God commanded him his owne imagination laid apart for he had beene at a new schoole and in a furnace where he was purged of much refuse drosse of fleshly wisdom which resisted the wisdome of God For as farre as we be blind in Adam we cannot but seeke and will our owne profit pleasure and glorie and as farre as we be taught in the spirit we cannot but seeke and will the pleasure of God onely Then Ionas preached to Niniue and they repented then Ionas shewed again his corrupt nature for all his trying in the Whales bellie He was so displeased because the Niniuites perished not that he was wearie of his life and wished death for very sorrow that he had lost the glorie of his prophecying in that his prophecy came not to passe but he was rebuked of God as in his prophecie you may read The Apostles Christ taught them euer to be meeke and to humble themselues yet oft they striued among themselues who should be greatest the sons of Zebede would fit one on the right hand of Christ the other on the left They would pray that fire might descend from heauen and consume the Samaritans When Christ asked Who say men that I am Peter answered Thou art the sonne of the liuing God as though Peter had bin as perfect as an angel But immediatly after when Christ preached vnto them of his death and passion Peter was angrie and rebuked Christ thought earnestly that he had raued and not wist what he had saide as at another time in which Christ was so feruently busied in healing the people that he had no leasure to eate they went out to hold him supposing that he had bin beside himselfe And one that cast forth diuels in Christs name they forbad because he waited not on them so glorious were they yet And though Christ taught alway to forgiue yet Peter after long going to schoole asked whether men should forgiue seuen times thinking that eight times had beene too much And at the last supper Peter would haue died with Christ but yet within few houres after he denied him both cowardly and shamefully And after the same manner though he had so long heard that no man must auenge himselfe but rather turne the other cheeke to the smiter againe yet when Christ was in taking Peter asked whether it were lawfull to smite with the sword and taried no answer but laide on rashly So that although we be once reconciled to God yet at the first we be but children and young schollers weake and feeble and must haue leisure to grow in the spirit in knowledge loue and deedes thereof as yong children must haue time to grow in their bodies and so in like manner the sting of the serpeâ—â— is not pulled out at once but the poison of our nature is minished by little and little and cannot before the houre of death be wholly taken away Timoth. I perceiue by your godly discourse the manifold conflicts between the flesh and the spirit and that the flesh is like to a mightie gyant such a one as was Goliah strong lustie stirring enemie to God confederate with the deuill the spirit like to a little child such a one as was little Dauid new borne weake and feeble not alwaies stirring now then what meanes doe you vse to weaken the flesh and strengthen the spirit Euseb. I vse to tame my flesh with praier and fasting watching deedes of mercie holy meditations and reading the Scriptures and in bodily labour and in withdrawing all manner of pleasures from the flesh and with exercises contrarie to the vices which I finde my bodie most inclined to and with abstaining from all things that encourage the flesh against the spirit as reading of toyes and wanton bookes seeing of playes and enterludes wanton communication foolish iesting and effeminate thoughts and talking of couetousnesse which Paul forbiddeth Eph. 5. magnifying of worldly promotions If these will not mortifie my flesh then God sendeth me some troubles and so maketh me to grow and waxe perfect and fineth and trieth me as golde in the fire of tentations and tribulations Thus very often he maketh me to take vp my crosse and nayleth my flesh vnto it for the mortifying thereof Marke this if God send thee to the sea and promise to go with thee he wil raise vp a tempest against thee to prooue whether thou wilt abide his word and that thou maist feele thy faith and weaknesse and perceiue his goodnes for if it were alwaies faire weather and thou neuer brought into such ieopardie whence his mercie onely deliuereth thee thy faith should be onely a presumption thou shouldest be euer vnthankfull to God and mercilesse vnto thy neighbour If God promise riches the way thereupon is pouertie whome he loueth him he chasteneth whome he exalteth he casteth downe whome he saueth he first damneth he bringeth no man to heauen except he send him to hell first if he promise life he slayeth first when he buildeth he casteth downe all first he is no patcher he cannot abide another mans foundation he will not worke till all be past remedie and brought to such a case that men may see how that his hand his power his mercie his goodnes his truth hath wrought altogether he will let no man be partaker with him of his praise and glorie his works are wonderfull and contrarie to mans workes who euer saue he deliuered his owne son his onely sonne his deere sonne his darling vnto the death and for his enemies to win his enemies to ouercome them with loue that they might see loue and loue again and of loue likewise to doe to other men and to ouercome them with well doing Ioseph saw the sunne and the moone and seuen starres worshipping him neuerthelesse ere that came to passe God laide him where he could see neither sunne nor moone neither any starre of the skie and that many yeares and also vndeserued to nurture him to make him humble and meeke and to teach him Gods waies and to make him apt and meete for the roome and honour againe he came to it that he might be strong in the spirit to minister it well God promised the children of Israel a land with riuers of milke and honie yet he brought them forth the space of fourtie yeares into a land wherein no riuers of milke and honie were but where so mâ—ch as a drop of water was not to nurture and teach them as a father doth his sonne and to doe them good at the latter ende to subdue their cankred nature to make them strong in the spirit to vse his benefits aright Lastly God promised Dauid a kingdome and immediatly stirred vp Saul against him to persecute him and to hunt him as men doe hares with gray-hounds and to ferret him out of euery hole and that for the space of
a gap to all licentiousnes therefore they agree to mans corrupt nature for who almost will not sinne when he may get a pardon for his sinnes for a little peece of money as twentie shillings or foure nobles And what is it but cosonage to sell pardons which shall be in force many yeares after the ende of the world as the Pope doth It is naturall to a man to serue God in certaine ceremonies without the power of godlines and this seruice is prescribed by the religion of the Church of Rome which standeth only in outward and corporall ceremonies as the outward succession of Bishops garments vestures gestures coloures choice of meat difference of daies times and places hearing seeing saying touching tasting numbring of beads gilding and worshipping of images building Monasteries rising at midnight silence in cloysters abstaining from flesh and white meat Fasting in Lent keeping Imber daies hearing Masse and diuine seruice seeing and adoring the bodie in forme of bread receiuing holy water and holy bread creeping to the crosse carrying Palmes taking ashes bearing Candles Pilgrimages going censing kneeling knocking altars superaltars candlestickes pardons In orders crossing annointing shauing forswearing marriage In baptisme salting crossing spatling exorcising washing of hands At Easter confession penance dirge satisfaction and in receiuing with beards new shauen to imagine a bodie where they see none and though he were there present to be seene yet the outward seeing and touching of him of it selfe without faith conduceth no more then it did the Iewes At Rogation daies to carrie banners to followe the Crosse to walke about the fieldes After Pentecost to goe about with Corpus Christi plaie At Hollowmasse to watch in the Church to say Dirge or commendation and to ring for all soules to pay tithes truly to giue to the hie Altar And if a man will be a priest to say Masse and Mattens to serue the Saint of that daie and to lift well ouer the head In sickenes to be anneled to take his rites after his death to haue funerall and Obites said for him and to be rung for at his Funerall moneths minde and yeare minde This is the summe of the catholike religion standing in bodily actions not in any motions or worke of the holy Ghost working in the heart The morall law containing perfect righteousnes is flat opposite to manâ— corrupt nature therfore whatsoeuer Religion shall repeale and make of none effect the commandements of the morall lawe that same religion must needs ioyne hands with the corruption of nature and stand for the maintenance of it This doth the religion of the Church of Rome it may be it doth not plainly repeale them yet in effect it doth if it shall frustrate but any one point of any one commandement yea the whole lawe thereby is made in vaine 1. The first commandement requireth that we haue the true Iehoua for our only God Church of Rome maketh other gods beside this true God it maketh the body of Christ to be god because they hold it may bee in many places in heauen in earth at the same time which thing is only proper to God It maketh euery Saint departed to bee God because it holdeth that Saints doe heare vs now being vpon the earth that they know our thoughts when we pray to them which none but the true God can doe It maketh the Pope to be God and that in plaine words Pope Nicholas saith Constat summum Pontificem à pio principe Constantino Deum appellari It is well known that the Pope of the godly prince Constantine was called God Againe in the extraâ—agants of the same Cannon law it is written Dominus Deus noster Papa Our Lord God the Pope And againe Christopher Marcellus said to the Pope Tu es alter Deus in terris Thou art another God vpon earth and the Pope tooke it to himselfe As the Pope in plaine wordes is made God so the power giuen to him declareth the same He can make holy that which is vnholy and iustifie the wicked and pardon sinnes hee may dispense contrarie to the saying of â—n Apostle he can change the nature of things and of nothing make somewhat What is all this but to place the Pope in Gods roome and to robbe the Lord of his Maiestie Againe the Church of Rome maketh Marie the mother of Iesus to bee as God In the Breuiary reformed and published at the commandement of Pius the V. shee is called a Goddesse in expresse words and she is further tearmed the Queene of heauen the Queene of the world the gate of heauen the mother of grace and mercy Yea shee is farre exalted aboue Christ and he in regard of her is made but a poore vnderling in heauen for papists in their seruice vnto her pray on this manner saying Shew thy selfe to be a mother and cause thy sonne to receiue our praiers set free the captiues and giue light to the blind Lastly the very crosse is made as a God For they salute it by the name of their only hope and pray it to increase iustice to the godly and to giue sinners pardon Wherfore the Church of Rome beside the one true God distinguished into three persons the father the sonne and the holy ghost maketh also many other and so in trueth hath repealed his first commandement And they haue very plainely repealed the second commandement in that they teach it lawfull to make images of the true God and to worship him in them For the flat contrarie is the very scope of this commandement namely that no image must be made of the true Iehoua nor any worship be performed vnto him in an image which appeareth thus In Deutronomie Moses maketh a large Commentarie of this commandement and this very point he sets down expressely saying take heed to your selues for ye sawe no image in the day that the Lord spake vnto you in Horeb out of the middest of the fire that ye corrupt not your selues and make you a grauen image or representation of any figure c. His argument I set downe thus As God appeared in mount Horeb so he is to be conceiued and represented but hee appeared in no image in mount Horeb only his voice was heard therefore he is not to be conceiued or represented in any image but men are to be content if they may heare his voice Againe that sin to which the people of Israel were specially giuen euen that doth the Lord specially forbid but to this were the people of Israel specially giuen not so much to make images of false gods as to make images of the true God and to worship him in them which I prooue thus In the booke of Iudges it is said that the children of Israel did wickedly in the sight of the Lord and serued Baalim Now these Baalims what are they Surely Idols resembling the true God as the Prophet Hosea declareth
euill Feelest thou that thy rebellious flesh carrieth thee captiue vnto sinne Looke now onely vpon the lawe of God applie it to thy selfe examine thy thoughts thy words thy deeds by it pray vnto God that he would giue thee the spirit of feare that the lawe may in some measure humble and terrifie thee for as Salomon saith blessed is the man that feareth alwaies but cursed is he that hardneth his heart IV. In the Law these are most effectuall meditations to humble and bridle the flesh which follow First meditate on the greatnes of thy sinnes and of their infinite number and if it may be gather them into a catalogue set it before thee and looke vnto it that thou thinke no sinne to be a small sinne no not the bare thoughts and motions of thy heart Often with diligence consider the strange iudgements of God vpon men for their sinnes which thou shalt find partly in the Scriptures partly by daily experience Doubtlesse thou must thinke that euery iudgement of God is a sermon of repentance Thinke oft on the fearefull curse of the law due vnto thee if thou shouldest sinne neuer but once in all thy life and that neuer so little Remember that whensoeuer thou committest a sinne God is present and his holy Angels and that he is an eye-witnes that he taketh a note of thy sinne and registreth it in a booke Thinke daily of thy ende and know that God may strike thee with sodaine death euery moment and that if then thou haue not repented before that time there is no hope of saluation Thinke on the sodaine comming of our Sauiour Christ to iudgement let it mooue thee continually to watch pray If these will not mooue thee thinke on this that no creature in heauen or in earth was able to pacifie the wrath of God for thy sinnes but his owne Sonne must come downe from heauen out of his Fathers bosome and must beare the curse of the law euen the full wrath of his Father for thee V. When by these meanes thou art feared and thy minde is disquieted in respect of Gods iudgement for thy sinne haue recourse to the promises of mercie contained in the olde and new Testament Is thy conscience stung with sinne And doth the law make thee feele it With all speede runne to the brasen serpent Christ Iesus looke on him with the eie of faith and presently thou shalt be healed of thy sting or wound VI. When thou doest meditate on the promises of the Gospel diligently consider these benefits which thou enioyest by Christ. Through Adam thou art condemned to hel by Christ thou art deliuered from it Through Adam thou hast transgressed the whole law in Christ thou hast fulfilled it Through Adam thou art before God a vile and a lothsome sinner through Christ thou doest appeare glorious in his eyes By Adam euery little crosse is the punishment of thy sinne and a token of Gods wrath by Christ the greatest crosses are easie profitable and tokens of Gods mercie By Adam thou diddest leese all things in Christ all things are restored to thee againe By Adam thou art dead by Christ thou art quickned and made aliue again By Adam thou art a slaue of the deuill and the child of wrath but by Christ thou art the child of God In Adam thou art worse then a toad and more detestable before God but by Christ thou art aboue the Angels For thou art ioyned vnto him and made bone of his bone mystically Through Adam sinne and Sathan haue ruled in thee and led thee captiue by Christ the spirit of god dwelleth in thee plenteouslie By Adam came death to thee and it is an entrance to hell by Christ though death remaine yet it is only a passage vnto life Lastly in Adā thou art poore and blind and miserable in Christ thou art rich and glorious thou art a king of heauen an earth fellow heire with him and shalt as sure bee partaker of it as he is euen now Adam when hee must needs tast of the fruit which God had forbidden him he hath made vs all to rue it euen til this daie but here thou seest the fruits that grow not in the earthly paradise but on the tree of life which is within the heauenly Ierusalem Feare no danger be bolde in Christ to eate of the fruite as God hath commaunded thee it will quicken thee and reuiue thee beeing dead thou canst not doe Satan a worse displeasure then to feede on the godly fruite of this tree and to smell on the sweete leaues which it beareth continually that giue such a refreshing sauour VII Most men now a daies are secure and cold in the profession of the gospell though they haue the plentifull preaching of it And the reason is because they feele not in themselues the vertue and mightie operation of Gods word to renue them and they can not feele it because they doe not applie the word aright vnto their owne soules Plaisters except they be applied in order and time and be laid vpon the wound though they be neuer so good yet they can not heale and so it is with the worde of God and the parts of it which except they be vsed in order and time conuenient will not humble and reuiue vs as their vertue is VIII The common Christian euery where is faultie in this thing Whereas he loueth himselfe and wisheth all good that may bee to himselfe hee doth vsually apply vnto his owne soule the gospel alone neuer regarding the law or searching out his sinnes by it Tell him what ye will his song is this God is mercifull God is mercifull By this meanes it commeth to passe that he leadeth a secure life and maketh no conscience of couetousnes of vsurie of deceit in his trade of lying of swearing of fornication wantonnesse intemperancie in bibbing and quaffing c. But he plaieth the vnskilfull Chirurgian he vseth healing plaisters before his poisoned and cankered nature haue felt the power and paine of a Corasiue And it will neuer be well with him vntil hee take a newe course IX On the contrarie part many good Christians leaue to apply the comfort of the gospel to themselues and onely haue regard to their owne sinnes and Gods infinite vengeance And euen when Satan accuseth them they will not sticke to giue eare to Sathan also accuse themselues so they are brought into fearefull terrors and often draw neere to desperation X. There is a third sort called Sectaries who addict themselues to the opinion of some man These commonly neuer apply the law or the Gospell to themselues but their whole meditation is chiefly in the opinions of him whome they followe As they that followe Luther fewe of them followe his Christian life they regard not that but about consubstantiation and vbiquitie about Images and such like trumperie they infinitely trouble themselues and all Europe too And in England there is a schismatical
our loue should be a signe of Gods dwelling in vs Ioh. God is loue and therefore he that dwelleth in loue dwelleth in God God in him Ch. God is loue we grant but how may we know that God is loue to vs Ioh. Hereby is that loue perfect i. fully made manifest in vs that we may haue boldnesse to stand before him without feare in the day of iudgement for euen as he is euen so are we in the world not in equalitie but in conformitie of holinesse As may appeare by the contrarie there is no feare in loue i. when a man is assured of Gods loue to him he doth not distrust nor seruilely feare him in respect of his sinnes but perfect loue casteth out feare for feare hath painfulnes checkings and torments of conscience and he that feareth is not perfect in loue Ch. What other signe is there that God is loue to vs Ioh. We loue him because he loued vs first as when a man warmes him the heat of his bodie is because the fire is first hote Ch. If this be so then they which loue not their brethren are loued of God in Christ seeing all generally say they loue God Ioh. If any man say I loue God and hate his brother he is a lyar for how can he that loueth not his brother whom he hath seene loue God whome he hath not seene And this commandement haue we of him that he that loueth God should loue his brother also CHAP. V. VVHosoeuer beleeueth that Iesus is that Christ true Messias is borne of God and euery one that loueth him which did beget i. God the father loueth him also which is begotten of him the child of God a true Christian Ch. This being manifest that they are hypocrites which say they loue god yet shew no loue to their brethren teach vs how we may know that we loue our brethren Ioh. In this we know that we loue the children of God when we loue God and keepe his commandements that is endeauour to keepe the beginning of the action beeing put for the whole For this is the loue of God the dutie of loue to God that we keepe his commandements Ch. But no man can keepe the Law Ioh. His commandements are not burdenous to them that are in Christ and are freed from the curse of the law which makes the law grieuous and are also guided by his holy spirit And this is apparant for all that is borne of God ouercommeth the world Sathan with all corruptions and workes of darknes Ch. By what meanes Ioh. And this is the victory which hath ouercome the world euen our faith which is the instrument and hand whereby we lay hold on him that he in vs and so we by him might ouercome the world Who is that ouercommeth this world but he which beleeueth that Iesus is that Sonne of God Ch. How may we be resolued that Iesus of Nazareth the sonne of Mary was the sonne of God and the Messias he came but basely into the world Ioh. This is that Iesus Christ which came by water sanctificatiō signified by the legal washings blood imputation of Christs righteousnes or the sprinkling of his bloode not by water onely but by water and blood because Christ worketh both iustification and sanctification togither and it is that spirit a mans owne conscience inwardly purified that beareth witnesse for that spirit is truth that is that the testimonie of the Spirit of adoption certifying vs that we are the sonnes of God is true For that I may speake yet more plainly there are three which beare record in heauen the Father the Word the Sonne and the holy Ghost and these three are one namely in testimonie And there are three which beare record in earth the Spirit and the water and blood and these three agree in one Ch. How shew you that these witnesses be authenticall and to be beleeued Ioh. If we receiue the witnes of men the witnes of God is greater for this is the witnes of God i. that was said to come from heauen which he testifieth of his Sonne Againe he that beleeueth in that Sonne of God hath the witnes in himselfe the peace of conscience which he may feele in himselfe And further he that beleeueth not God maketh him a lyar because he beleeued not the record that God witnessed of his Sonne Ch. What is the effect of that which these witnesses testifie Ioh. And this is that record to wit that God hath giuen vnto vs eternal life and this life is in his Sonne He which hath the Sonne hath life and he which hath not the sonne of God hath not life And to conclude these things haue I written vnto you that beleeue in the name of the sonne of God that ye may know that ye haue life eternal and that ye may beleeue i. increase in faith in the name of that sonne of God Ch. How can we haue life eternal now that are so miserable and so ful of wants Ioh. And this is that assurance that we haue in him that if we aske any thing according to his will he heareth vs. Ch. How may we know that God graunteth our prayers made according to his will Ioh. If we know that he heareth that is as it were to giue an eare to our prayers whatsoeuer we aske we know that we haue the petitions which we haue desired of him though the things which we asked be not giuen vs in that measure and manner and time in which we asked them Ch. Let vs heare an example of those things which God will graunt when we pray Ioh. If a man see his brother sinne a sinne that is not vnto death that is which may be pardoned let him aske pardon in his behalfe and he shall giue him life for them that sinne not vnto death there is a sinne vnto death after which necessarily damnation followeth as the sinne against the holy Ghost I say not that thou shouldest pray for it Ch. But is not euery sinne a sinne to death Ioh. All vnrighteousnes is sinne and therefore deserueth death but there is a sinne not vnto death namely that which is pardoned in Christ. Ch. We feare least we haue committed this sinne which is to death Ioh. We know that whosoeuer is borne of God sinneth not but he that is begotten of God keepeth himselfe and that wicked one Sathan toucheth him not i. doth him no violence or he can not giue him a deadly wound We know that we are of God and this whole world lieth in euill that is in seruitude vnder Sathan and sinne Ch. How shew you that we are of God Ioh. We know that the sonne of God is come and hath giuen vs a minde to know him that is true and we are in him that is true that is in his Sonne Iesus Christ this same is that
though the bodie rotte in the graue or be eaten of wormes or of fishes in the sea or burnt to ashes yet that will not be vnto vs a matter of discomfort if we doe well consider the ground of all grace namely our coniunction with Christ. It is indeede a spirituall and yet a most reall coniunction And we must not imagine that our soules alone are ioyned to the bodie or soule of Christ but the whole person of man both in bodie and soule is ioyned and vnited to whole Christ. And when we are once ioyned to Christ in this mortall life by the bond of the spirit we shall remaine and continue eternally ioyned with him and this vnion once truly made shall neuer be dissolued Hence it followes that although the bodie be seuered from the soule in death yet neither bodie nor soule are seuered from Christ but the very body rotting in the graue drowned in the sea burned to ashes abides still vnited to him and is as truly a member of Christ then as before This point we must remember as the foundation of all our comfort and hold it for euer as a truth For looke what was the condition of Christ in death the same or the like is the condition of al his mēbers Now the cōditiō of Christ was this though his body soule were seuered each frō other as far as heauen the graue yet neither of them were seuered frō the godhead of the Sonne but both did in death subsist in his person And therefore though our bodies and soules be pulled asunder by naturall or violent death yet neither of them no not the bodie it selfe shall be seuered and disioyned from Christ. It will be alleadged that if the bodie were then vnited to Christ it should liue and be quickned in the graue Ans. Not so when a mans arme or legge is taken with the dead palsie it receiues litle or no heat life sense or motion from the bodie and yet notwithstanding it remaines still a membrr of the bodie because the flesh and the bone of it remain ioined to the flesh and the bone of the bodie euen so may the body remaine a member of Christ though for some space of time it receiue neither sense nor motion nor life from the soule or from the spirit of Christ. Furthermore wee must remember that by the vertue of this coniunction shall the dead bodie be it rotten burned deuoured or howsoeuer consumed at the day of iudgement rise to eternal glorie In the winter season trees remain without fruit or leaues and beeing beaten with winde and weather appeare to the eye as if they were rotten trees yet when the spring time comes again they bring forth as before buddes and blossomes leaues and fruit the reason is because the bodie graines and armes of trees are all ioyned to the roote where lies the sappe in the winter season and whence by meanes of this coniunction it is deriued to all the parts of the tree in the spring time Euen so the bodies of men haue their winter also in which they are turned to dust and so remaine for the space of many thousand yeares yet in the day of iudgement by meanes of that mysticall coniunction with Christ shall diuine and quickning vertue streame thence to all the bodies of the Elect to cause them to liue againe and that to life eternall But some will say that the wicked also rise againe Answ. They doe so indeede but not by the same cause for they rise by the power of Christ as he is a iudge to condemne them whereas the godly rise againe by the vertue of Christs resurrection whereof they are partakers by meanes of that blessed and indissoluble coniunction which they haue with Christ. And the bodies of the Elect though they putrifie and consume neuer so much in the graue yet are they still in the fauour of God and in the couenant of grace to which because they haue right and title beeing dead they shall not remaine so for euer but shall rise to glorie at the last iudgement Therefore the rotting of the bodie is nothing in respect and the death of the bodie is no death And therefore also death in the olde and new Testament is made but a sleepe and the graue a bed whereof the like was neuer seene wherein a man may rest nothing at all troubled with dreames or fantasies and whence he shall rise no more subiect to weaknesse or sicknesse but presently be translated to eternall glorie By this then which hath bin said it appeares that the death of the righteous is a second degree to euerlasting happines Now then considering our coniunction with Christ is the foundation of all our ioy and comfort in life and death we are in the feare of God to learne this one lesson namely that while we haue time in this world we must labour to be vnited vnto Christ that we may be bone of his bone flesh of his flesh This very point is as it were a flaggon of wine to reuiue our soules when they be in a sowne at any instant And that we may be assured that we are certenly ioyned to Christ we must shew our selues to be members of his mystical bodie by the daily fruits of righteousnes and true repentance And beeing once certenly assured in conscience of our beeing in Christ let death come when it will and let it cruelly part asunder both bodie and soule yet shall they both remaine in the couenant and by meanes thereof be reunited and taken vp to life eternall Whereas on the contrarie if men be out of the couenant and die out of Christ their soules goe to hell and their bodies rotte for a time in the graue but afterwards they rise to endlesse perdition Wherefore I say againe and againe labour that your consciences by the holy Ghost may testifie that ye are huing stones in the Temple of God and braunches bearing fruit in the true vine and then ye shall feele by experience that the pangs of death shall be a further degree of happines then euer ye found in your liues euen then when ye are gasping and panting for breath Thus much of the meaning of the text now followes the vses and they are manifold The first and principall is this In that Salomon preferres the day of death before the day of birth he doth therein giue vs to vnderstand that there is a direct and certen way whereby a man may die well if it had beene otherwise he could not haue said that the day of death is better And whereas he auoucheth this he shewes withall that there is an infallible way whereby a man may make a blessed ende Therefore let vs now come to search out this way the knowledge and true vnderstanding whereof must not be fetched from the writings of men but from the word of God who hath the power of life and death in his owne hand Now that a man may die well Gods
followed of all though it may be the applying of it as Iob well perceiued is mixed with follie Here it may be alleadged that in the pangs of death men want their senses and conuenient vtterance and that therefore they are vnable to pray Ans. The very sighes sobbes and gâ—ones of a repentant and beleeuing heart are praiers before God euen as effectuall as if they were vttered by the best voice in the world Prayer stands in the affection of the heart the voice is but an outward messenger therof God looks not vpon the speach but vpon the heart Dauid saith God heares the desires of the poore againe that he will fulfill the desires of theÌ„ that feare him yea their very teares are loud and sounding praiers in his eares Againe faith may otherwise be expressed by the Last words which for the most part in theÌ„ that haue truly serued God are very excellent coÌ„fortable and full of grace some choise examples whereof I will rehearse for instructions sake and for imitation The last wordes of Iacob were those whereby as a prophet he foretold blessings and curses vpon his children and the principall among the rest were these The scepter shall not depart from Iudah and the lawgiuer from betweene his feete till Shilo come and O Lord I haue waited for thy saluation The last words of Moses are his most excellent song set downe Deut. 32. and the last words of Dauid were these The spirit of the Lord spake by me and his word was in my tongue the God of Israel spake to me the strength of Israel said Beare rule ouer men c. The wordes of Zacharias the sonne of Iehoida when he was stoned were The Lord looke vpon it and require it The last words of our Sauiour Christ when he was dying vpon the crosse are most admirable and stored with abundance of spirituall grace 1. To his father he saith Father forgiue them they know not what they doe 2. to the thiefe Verily I say vnto thee this night shalt thou be with me in Paradise 3. to his mother Mother behold thy son to Iohn behold thy mother 4. and in his agonie My God my God why hast thou forsaken me 5. and earnestly desiring our saluation I thirst 6. and when he had made perfect satisfaction It is finished 7. and when bodie and soule were parting Father into thy hands I commend my spirit The last words of Steuen were 1. Behold I see the heauens open and the Sonne of man standing at the right hand of God 2. Lord Iesu receiue my spirit 3. Lord lay not this sinâ—e to their charge Of Polycarpe Thou art a true God without lying therefore in all things I praise thee and blesse thee and glorifie thee by the eternall God and high Priest Iesus Christ thine onely beloued sonne by whome and with whome to thee and the holy Spirit be all glorie now and for euer Of Ignatius I care not what kinde of death I die I am the bread of the Lord and must be ground with the teeth of lyons that I may be cleane bread for Christ who is the bread of life for me Of Ambrose I haue not so led my life amoÌ„g you as if I were ashamed to liue neither doe I feare death because we haue a good Lord. Of Augustine 1. He is no great maÌ„ that thinks it a great matter that trees and stones fall and mortall men die 2. Iust art thou O Lord and righteous is thy iudgement Of Bernard 1. An admonitioÌ„ to his brethren that they would ground the anchor of their faith and hope in the safe and sure port of Gods mercie 2. Because saith he as I suppose I can not leaue vnto you any choise example of religion I commend three things to be imitated of you which I remember that I haue obserued in the race which I haue runne as much as possibly I could 1. I gaue lâ—sse heede to mine owne sense and reason then to the sense and reason of other men 2. When I was hurt I sought not reuenge on him that did the hurt 3. I had care to giue offence to no man and if it fell out otherwise I tooke it away as I could Of Zuinglius when in the fielde he was wounded vnder the chinne with a speare O what happe is this goe to they may kill my bodie but my soule they cannot Of Oecolampadius 1. An exhortation to the ministers of the Church to maintaine the puritie of doctrine to shewe forth an example of honest and godly conuersation to bee constant and patient vnder the crosse 2. Of himselfe Whereas I am charged to bee a corrupter of the trueth I weigh it not now I am going to the tribunall of Christ and that with good conscience by the grace of god there it shall be manifest that I haue not seduced the Church Of this my saying and contestation I leaue you as witnesses and I confirme it with this my last breath 3. To his children loue God the father and turning himselfe to his kinsfolkes I haue bound you saith he with this contestation you which they heare and I haue desired shall doe your indeauour that these my childreÌ„ may be godly and peaceable and true 4. To his friend comming vnto him What shall I say vnto you Newes I shal be shortly with Christ my Lord. 5. being asked whether the light did not trouble him touching his breast there is light enough saith hee 6. he rehearsed the whole 51. psalme with deepe sighes from the bottome of his breast 7. a little after Saue me Lord Iesus Of Luther My heauenly father God and father of our Lord Iesus Christ and God of all comfort I giue thee thankâ—s that thou hast reuealed vnto me thy sonne Iesus Christ whome I haue beleeued whome I haue professed whome I haue loued whome I haue praised whome the Bishoppe of Rome and the whole companie of the wicked persecuteth and reuileth I praie thee my Lord Iesus Christ receiue my poore soule my heauenly father though I bee taken from this life and this bodie of mine is to he laid downe yet I knowe certainely that I shall remaine with thee for euer neither shall any be able to pull me out of thy hand Of Hooper O Lord Iesus sonne of Dauid haue mercie on me receiue my soule Of Annas Burgius Forsake me not O Lord least I forsake thee Of MelaÌ„cthon If it be the will of God I am willing to die and I beseech him that he will graunt me a ioyfull departure Of Caluine 1. I held my tongue because thou Lord hast done it 2. I mourned as a doue 3. Lord thou grindest me to powder but 〈◊〉 sufficeth me because it is thine hand Of Peter Martyr that his bodie was weake but his mind was well that he acknowledged no life or saluation but onely in Christ who was giuen of the father to be a redeemer of mankind and
offering saith he thou wouldest not but eares thou hast pierced vnto men then said loe I come I desire to doe thy will O God yea thy lawe is within my heart Psal. 40. 7. The second is conformitie in the crosse two waies For first as he bare his own crosse to the place of exequution so must we as good disciples of Christ denie our selues take vp all the crosses and afflictions that the hand of God shall lay vpon vs. Againe we must become like vnto him in the crucifying and mortifying the masse and bodie of sinne which wee carrie about vs Gal. 5.24 They which are Christs haue crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts thereof Wee must doe as the Iewes did wee must set vp the crosses and gybbets whereon we are to fasten and hang this flesh of ours that is the sinne and corruption that cleaues and stickes vnto vs and by the sword of the spirit wound it euen to death This beeing done wee must yet goe further and labour by experience to see and feele the very death of it and to lay it as it were in a graue neuer to rise againe and therefore we should daiely cast newe moulds vpon it The third is a spirituall resurrection whereby we should by Gods grace vse meanes that we may euery daie more and more come out of our sinnes as out of a loathfome graue to liue vnto God in newenes of life as Christ rose from his graue And because it is an hard matter for a man to come out of the graue or rather dungeon of his sinnes this worke can not be done at once but by degrees as God shall giue grace Considering we lie by nature dead in our sinnes and stinke in them as loathsome carrion first wee must begin to stirre our selues as a man that comes out of a swowne awakened by the worde and voice of Christ founding in our deafe eares secondly we must raise vp our mindes to a better state and condition as we vse to raise vp our bodies after this we must put out of the graue first one hand then the other This done we must doe our indeauour as it were vpon our knees at the least to put one foote out of this sepulchre of sinne the rather when wee see our selues to haue one foote of the bodie in the graue of the earth that in the day of iudgement we may be wholly deliuered from all bonds of corruption The fourth part is a spirituall ascention into heauen by a continuall eleuation of the heart and mind to Christ sitting at the right hand of the father as Paul saith Haue your conuersation in heauen and If ye be risenwith Christ seekè things that are aboue Conformitie in morall duties is either generall or speciall Generall is to be holy as he is holy Rom. 8.29 Those whome he knewe before he hath predestinate to be like the image of his sonne that is not only in the crosse but also in holines and glorie 1. Ioh. 3. He which hath this hope purifieth himself euen as he is pure Speciall conformitie is chiefly in foure vertues Faith Loue Meekenes Humilitie We must be like him in faith For as he when he apprehended the wrath of God and the very pangs of hell were vpon him wholly staied himselfe vpon the ayde helpe protection and good pleasure of his father euen to the last so must we by a true liuely faith depend wholly on Gods mercie in Christ as it were with both our hands in peace in trouble in life in the very pang of death and we must not in any wise let our hold goe no though we should feele our selues descend to hell We must be like him in meekenesse Matth. 11. v. 28. Learne of me that I am meeke and lowly His meekenesse shewed it selfe in the patient bearing of all iniuries and abuses offered by the hands of sinnefull and wretched men and in the suffering of the curse of the law without grudging or repining and with submission to his fathers will in all things Now the more we follow him herein the more shall we be conformable to him in his death and passion Philip 3. 10. Thirdly he must be our example in Loue he loued his enemies more then himselfe Eph. 5.4 Walke in loue euen as Christ loued vs and hath giuen himselfe for vs an oblation and sacrifice of sweete smelling sauour vnto God The like loue ought we to shew by doing seruice to all men in the compasse of our callings and by beeing all things to all men as Paul was that we might doe them all the good we can both for bodie and soule 1. Cor. 9.19 Lastly we must follow Christ in humilitie whereof he is a wonderfull spectacle in that beeing God he became man for vs of a man became a worme that is troden vnder foote that he might saue man Phil. 2.5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Iesus Christ who beeing in the forme of God humbled himselfe and became obedient to the death euen to the death of the crosse And here we must obserue that the example of Christ hath something more in it then any other example hath or can haue for it doth not onely shew vs what we ought to doe as the examples of other men doe but it is a remedie against many vices and a motiue to many good duties First of all the serious consideration of this that the very sonne of God himselfe suffered all the paines and torments of hell on the crosse for our sinnes is the proper most effectuall meanes to stirre vp our hearts to a godly sorrow for them And that this thing may come to passe euery man must be setled without doubt that he was the man that crucified Christ that he is to be blamed as well as Iudas Herod Pontius Pilate and the Iewes and that his sinnes should be the nailes the speares and the thornes that pearced him When this meditation beginnes to take place bitternesse of spirit with wayling and mourning takes place in like manner Zach. 12. 10. And they shall looke vpon him whome they haue pearced and they shall lamem for him as one lamenteth for his onely sonne Peter in his first sermon strooke the Iewes as with a thunder clappe from heauen when he said vnto them Ye haue crucified the Lord of glorie so as the same time three thousand men were pricked in their hearts and said Men and brethren what shall we doe to be saued Againe if Christ for our sinnes shedde his heart blood and if our sinnes mad◠him sweat water and blood oh then why should not we our selues shedde bitter teares why would not our hearts bleede for thē He that findes himselfe so dull aud hardened that the passion of Christ doeth not humble him is in a lamentable case for there is no faith in the death of Christ effectuall in him as yet Secondly the meditation of the passion of Christ is a
debt due vnto him And so soone as any man beginnes to know Christ crucified he knowes his owne debt and thinks of the paiment of it Thus we see howe Christ is to be knowne nowe wee shall not neede to make much examination whether this manner of knowing and acknowledging of Christ take any place in the world or no for fewe there be that knowe him as they ought The Turke euen at this verie daie knowes him not but as he was a prophet The Iewe scorneth his crosse and passion The Popish Churches though in word they confesse him yet doe they not knowe him as they ought The Friers and Iesuits in their sermons at this daie commonly vse the Passion as a meanes to stirre vp pietie and compassion towards Christ who beeing so righteous a man was so hardly intreated and to inflame their hearts to an hatred of the Iewes and Iudas and Pontius Pilate that put our blessed Sauiour to death but all this may be done in any other historie And the seruice of God which in that Church stands nowe in force by the Canons of the Councill of Trent defaceth Christ crucified in that the passions of martyrs are made meritorious and the very wood of the crosse their only help and the virgin Marie the Queene of heauen and a mother of mercie who in remission of â—innes may command her sonne and they giue religious adoration to dumme crucifixes made by the hand and art of man The common protestant likewise commeth short herein for three causes First whereas in word they acknowledge him to bee their Sauiour that hath redeemed them from their euill conuersation yet indeede they make him a patrone of their sinnes The thiefe makes him the receiuer the murderer makes him his refuge the adulterer be it spoken with reuerence vnto his maiestie makes him the baud For generally men walke on in their euill waies some liuing in this sinne some in that and yet for all this they perswade themselues that God is mercifull and that Christ hath freed them froÌ„ death and damnation Thus Christ that came to abolish sinne is made a maintainer thereof and the common pack-horse of the worlde to beare euery mans burden Secondly men are content to take knowledge of the merit of Christs passion for the remission of their sinnes but in the meane season the vertue of Christs death in the mortifying of sin and the blessed example of his passion which ought to be followed and expressed in our liues conuersations is little or nothing regarded Thirdly men vsually content themselues generally and confusedly to know Christ to be their redeemer neuer once seeking in euery particular estate and condition of life and in euery particular blessing of God to feele the benefit of his passion What is the cause that almost all the world liue in securitie neuer almost touched for their horrible sinnes surely the reason is because they did neuer yet seriously consider that Christ in the garden lay groueling vpon the earth sweating water blood for their offences Againe all such a by fraud and oppression or any kind of hard dealing sucke the blood of poore men neuer yet knewe that their sinnes drewe out the heart blood of Christ. And proud men and women that are puffed vp by reason of their attire which is the badge of their shame and neuer cease hunting after strange fashions doe not consider that Christ was not crucified in gay attire but naked that he might beare the whole shame and curse of the lawe for vs. These and such like whatsoeuer they say in word if we respect the tenour of their liues are flat enemies of the crosse of Christ and tread his pretious blood vnder their feete Now then considering this so weightie and speciall a point of religion is so much neglected O man or woman high or lowe young or olde if thou haue beene wanting this waie begin for verie shame to learne and learning truly to knowe Christ crucified And that thou maiest attaine to this behold him often not in the wooden crucifix after the Popish manner but in the preaching of the word and in the Sacraments in which thou shalt see him crucified before thine eies Gal. 3.1 Desire not here vpon earth to beholde him with the bodily eie but looke vpon him with the eie of true and liuely faith applying him and his merits to thy selfe as thine owne and that with broken and bruised heart as the poore Israelites stung with fierie serpents euen to death behelde the brasen serpent Againe thou must looke vpon him first of all as a glasse or spectacle in which thou shalt see Gods glorie greater in thy redemption then in thy creation In the creation appeared Gods infinite wisdome power and goodnesse in thy redemption by the passion of Christ his endlesse iustice mercie In the creation thou art a member of the first Adam and bearest his image in thy redemption thou art a member of the second Adam In the first thou art indued with naturall life in the second with spirituall In the first thou hast in the person of Eve thy beginning of the rib of Adam in the secoÌ„d thou hast thy beginning as thou art borne of God out of the blood of Christ. Lastly in the first god gaue life in commanding that to be which was not in the second he giues life not by life but by death euen of his owne forme This is the mysterie vnto which the angels themselues desire to looke into 1. Pet. 1.12 Secondly thou must behold him as the full price of thy redemption and perfect reconciliation with God and pray earnestly to God that hee would seale vp the same in thy verie conscience by his holy spirit Thirdly thon must behold Christ as an example to whome thou must conforme thy selfe by regeneration For this cause giue diligence that thou maist by experience say that thou art dead and crucified and buried with Christ and that thou risest againe with him to newnesse of life that he enlightens thy minde and by degrees reforms thy will and affections and giue thee both the wil and the deed in euery good thing And that thou maist not faile in this thy knowledge read the historie of Christs passion obserue all the parts and circumstances thereof apply them to thy selfe for thy full conuersion When thou readest that Christ went to the garden as his custome was where the Iewes might soonest attach him consider that he went to the death of the crosse for thy sinnes willingly and not of constraint and that therefore thou for thy part shouldst doe him all seruice freely and frankely Psal. 110. 3. When thou hearest that in his agonie his foule was heauie vnto death know it was for thy sinnes and that thou shouldest much more conceiue heauines of heart for the same againe that this sorrow of his is ioy and reioycing vnto thee if thou wilt beleeue in him therefore Paul saith I say againe reioyce
commaundement we are taught what opinion to carrie of the present church of Rome It is often demaunded whether it be a church or no and the answer may hence be formed on this manner If by this church be vnderstood a state or regiment of the people whereof the Pope is head and the members are all such as doe acknowledge him to be their head and doe beleeue the doctrine established in the Councell of Trent we take it to be no church of God Because Babylon which I haue prooued to be the church of Rome is here opposed to the church or people of God and because we are commanded to come out of it whereas we may not wholly forsake any people till they forsake Christ. Some will happily say the church of Rome hath the Scriptures and the Sacrament of baptisme I answer first of all they haue indeede the bookes of holy Scripture among them but by the rest of their doctrine they ouerthrow the true sense thereof in the foundation as I haue prooued before And though they haue the outward forme of baptisme yet they ouerturne the inward baptisme which is the substance of all standing in the iustification and sanctification of a sinner Againe I answer that they haue the word and baptisme not for themselues but for the true church of God among them like as the lanterne holdeth the candle not for it selfe but for others Secondly it may be and is alleadged that if the Pope be Antichrist he then sittes in the temple that is the church of God and by this meanes the Romane church shall be the true church Ans. He sittes in the temple of God but marke further how as God that is not as a member but as a manifest vsurper like as the theefe sittes in the true mans house For the popish church and Gods church are mingled like chaffe and corne in one heape and the church of Rome may be saide to be in the church of God and the church of God in the church of Rome as we say the wheat is among the chaffe and the chaffe in the wheat Againe he is said to sit in the temple of God because the Romane church though falsly takes vnto it selfe the title of the true catholike church Some goe about to delay and qualifie the matter by comparing this church to a man lying sicke full of â—oares hauing also his throat cut yet so as bodie and soule are ioyned together and life is remaining still But all things well considered it is rather like a dead carkasse and is void of all spirituall life as the popish errours in the foundation doe manifest Indeede a knowne harlot may afterward remaine a wife and be so tearmed yet after the bill of diuorcement is giuen shee ceaseth to be a wife though shee can shew her marriage ring now the church hath receiued the bill of her diuorcement in the written word namely 2. Thess. 2. and Reu. 13.11,12 c. Furthermore in this commandement we may see a liuely portraiture of the state of all mankind Here we see two sorts of men some are pertaining to Babylon a people running on to their destruction some againe are a people of God seuered from Babylon and reserued to life euerlasting If any aske the cause of this distinction I answer it is the very will of God vouchsafing mercy to some forsaking others by withdrawing his mercy from them for the better declaration of his iustice Thus saith the Lord Rom. 11.4 I haue reserued seuen thousand that neuer bowed the knee to Baal the prophet Esai saith Vnles the Lord had reserued a remnant we had bin as Sodome and Gomorrha By this distinction we are taught aboue al things to seeke to be of the number of Gods people and to labour for assurance of this in our owne consciences For if all should be saued lesse care would snffice but this mercie is not common to all and therefore the more to be thought vpon Lastly here I notâ— the speciall care that God hath ouer his own children He first giueth theÌ„ warning to depart before he begin to execute his iudgement vpon his enemies with whome they liue that they might not be partakers of their sinnes or punishments Thus before God would punish Hierusalem an angel is sent to marke them in the forehead that mourned for the abominatious of the people And in the destructioÌ„ of the first borne of Egypt the angel passed ouer the houses of the Iewes that had their posts sprinkled with the blood of the paschal lamb this passing ouer betokeneth safety preseruation in the coÌ„mon destruction to those that haue their hearts sprinkled with the blood of Christ. This blessing of protectioÌ„ should mooue vs all to become true hearty seruants of God Men vsually become members of those societies corporations where they may inioy many freedoÌ„es priuiledgesâ— Wel behold in the societie of the Saints of god which is the true Church there is the freedom from danger in all coÌ„mon destructions from eternall vengeance at the last day When Hester had procured safetie for the Iewes and libertie to reuenge themselues vpon their enemies it is said that many of the people of the land became Iewes EueÌ„ so considering Christ hath procured freedom froÌ„ hell death and damnation for all that beleeue in him we should labour aboue all things to becom new creatures ioyning our selues alwaies to the true church of God Hitherto I haue spoken of the commandement now followeth the reason thereof drawne from the end that they be not partakers of her sins and that they receiue not of her plagues Here I might stand long to shew what be the sins of the church of Rome but I wil only name the principal The first sin is Atheisme and that I prooue on this manner Atheisme is twofold open coloured Open Atheisme is when men both in word and deed denie God and his word Coloured Atheisme is not so manifest and it hath two degrees The first is when men acknowledge God the creator and gouernour of heauen and earth and yet deny the father sonne and holy Ghost Thus the EphesiaÌ„s before they receiued the gospell are said to bee without God whome in their naturall iudgement they acknowledged because they denied Christ and coÌ„sequently worshipped an idol of their owne braine in that they worshipped God out of Christ. And in this respect though the Samaritans worshipped the God of Abraham yet our Sauiour Christ saith they worshipped they knewe not what And the Psalmist saith of all the Gentiles that their Gods are Idols In this degree of Atheisme are placed Turkes and Iewes at this day the Anti-Trinitaries and Arians and all that conceiue and worship God out of the Trinitie The 2. degree is wheÌ„ men do rightly acknowledge the vnitie of the godhead in the Trinitie of persons yet so as by other necessarie consequents partly of their doctrine and partly of the seruice of
all things were cheape 20 That drinking and bezeling in the alehouse or tauerne is good felowship and shewes a good kind nature and maintaines neighbourhoode 21 That a man may sweare by the Masse because it is nothing now and by r Ladie because shee is gone out of the countrie 22 That euery man must be for himselfe and God for vs all 23 That a man may make of his owne whatsoeuer he can 24 That if a man remember to say his praiers in the morning though hâ— neuer vnderstand them he hath blessed himselfe for all the day following 25 That a man praieth when he saith the ten Commandâ—ments 26 That a man eates his maker in the Sacrament 27 That if a man be no adulterer no thiefe nor murderer and doe no man harme he is a right honest man 28 That a man neede not haue any knowledge of Religion because he is not booke-learned 29 That one may haue a good meaning when he saith and doth that which is euill 30 That a man may goe to wizards called wisemen for counsell because God hath prouided a salue for euery sore 31 That ye are to be excused in all your doings because the best men are sinners 32 That ye haue so strong a faith in Christ that no euill companie can hurt you These and such like sayings what argue they but your grosse ignorance Now where ignorance raigneth there raignes sinne and where sinne raignes there the deuill rules and where he rules man are in a damnable case Ye will replie vnto me thus that ye are not so bad I would make you if neede be you can say the Creede the Lords prayer and the ten Commandements and therefore ye will be of Gods beleefe say all men what they will and you defie the deuill from yours hearts I answer againe that it is not sufficient to say all these without booke vnlesse ye can vnderstand the meaning of the words and be able to make a right vse of the Commandements of the Creede of the Lords prayer by applying them inwardly to your hearts and consciences and outwardly to your liues and conuersations This is the very point in which ye faile And for an helpe in this your ignorance to bring you to true knowledge vnfained faith and sound repentance here I haue set downe the principall point of Christian religion in sixe plaine and easie rules euen such as the simplest may easily learne and hereunto is adioyned an exposition of them word by word If ye doe want other good direction then vse this my labour for your instruction In reading of it first learne the sixe principles and when ye haue them without the booke and the meaning of them withall then learne the exposition also which beeing well conceiued and in some measure felt in the heart ye shall be able to profit by Sermons whereas now ye cannot and the ordinarie parts of the Catechisme namely the ten Commaundements the Creede the Lords prayer and the institution of the two Sacraments shall more easily be vnderstood Thine in Christ Iesus William Perkins The foundation of Christian religion gathered into sixe Principles The first Principle Question VVHat doest thou beleeue concerning God A. There is one God creator and gouernour of all things distinguished into the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost Prooues out of the word of God 1. There is a God For the invisible things of him that is his eternall power and Godhead are seene by the creation of the world beeing considered in his workes to the intent that they should be without excuse Neuerthelesse he left not himselfe without witnesse in that he did good and gaue vs raine from heauen and fruitful seasons filling our hearts with food and gladnes 2. This God one Concerning therefore meat sacrificed to idols we knowe that an idol is nothing in the worlde and that there is none other God but one 3. He is creatour of all things In the beginning God created the heauen and the earth Through faith wee vnderstand that the world was ordained by the word of God so that the things which we see are not made of things which did appeare 4. He is gouernour of all things The eies of the Lord in euery place behold the euill and the good Yea and all the haires of your head are numbred 5. Distinguished into the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost And Iesus when he was baptized came straight out of the water and loe the heauens were opened vnto him and Iohn sawe the spirit of God descending like a Doue and lighting vpon him And loe a voice came from heauen saying This is my beloued sonne in whome I am well pleased For there are three which beare record in heauen the Father the word and the holy Ghost and these three are one The second Principle Q. What dost thou beleeue coÌ„cerning man coÌ„cerning thine own selfe A. All men are wholly corrupted with sinne through Adams fall and so are become slaues of Sathan and guiltie of eternall damnation 1. All men are corrupted with sinne As it is written there is none righteous no not one 2. They are wholly corrupted Nowe the very God of peace sanctifie you throughout and I pray God that your whole spirit and soule and bodie may be kept blamelesse vnto the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ. This I say therefore and testifie in the Lord that ye henceforth walke not as other Gentiles walke in vanitie of their minde Hauing their cogitation darkened and beeing strangers from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the hardnesse of their heart When the Lord sawe that the wickednesse of man was great in the earth and all the imaginations of the thoughts of his heart were onely euill continually 3. Through Adams fall Wherefore as by one man sinne entred into the worlde and death by sinne and so death went went ouer all men for so much as all men haue sinned 4. And so are become slaues of Sathan Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of the worlde and after the prince that ruleth in the aire euen the spirit that nowe worketh in the children of disobedience For as much then as the children were partakers of flesh and blood he also himselfe likewise tooke part with them that hee might destroy through death him that had the power of death that is the deuill In whome the God of this world hath blinded the mindes that is of Infidels that the light of the glorious Gospell of Christ which is the image of God should not shine vnto them 5. And guiltie of eternall damnation For as many as are of the workes of the Lawe are vnder the curse for it is written Cursed is euery man that continueth not in all things which are written in the booke of the Lawe to doe them Likewise then as by the offence of
in them which are chosen to saluation but vnto them that perish it is by reason of their corruption an occasion of their further damnation Q. How must we heare Gods word that it may be effectuall to saluation A. We must come vnto it with hunger-bitten hearts hauing an appetite to the word we must marke it with attention receiue it by faith submit our selues vnto it with feare and trembling euen then when our faults are reprooued lastly we must hide it in the corners of our hearts that we may frame our liues and conuersations by it Q. What is a Sacrament A. A signe to represent a seale to confirme an instrument to conuey Christ and all his benefits to them that doe beleeue in him Q. Why must a Sacrament represent the mercies of God before our eies A. Because we are dull to conceiue and to remember them Q. Why doth the Sacrament seale vnto vs the mercies of God A. Because we are full of vnbeleefe and doubting of them Q. Why is the Sacrament the instrument of the Spirit to conuey the mercies of God into our hearts A. Because we are like Thomas we will not beleeue till we feele them in some measure in our hearts Q. How many Sacraments are there A. Two and no more Baptisme by which we haue our admission into the true Church of God and the Lords Supper by which we are nourished and preserued in the Church after our admission Q. What is done in Baptisme A. In the assemblie of the Church the couenant of grace betweene God and the partie baptized is solemnly confirmed and sealed Q. In this couenant what doth God promise to the partie baptized A. Christ with all blessings that come by him Q. To what condition is the partie baptized bound A. To receiue Christ and to repent of his sinne Q. What meaneth the sprinkling or dipping in water A. It seales vnto vs remission of sinnes and sanctification by the obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Christ. Q. How commeth it to passe that many after their Baptisme for a long time feele not the effect and fruit of it and some neuer A. The fault is not in God who keepes his couenants but the fault is in themselues in that they doe not keepe the condition of the couenant to receiue Christ by faith and to repent of all their sinnes Q. When shall a man then see the effect of his baptisme A. At what time soeuer he doth receiue Christ by faith though it be many yeares after he shall then feele the power of God to regenerate him and to worke all things in him which he offered in baptisme Q. How if a man neuer keepe the condition to which he bound himselfe in baptisme A. His damnation shall be the greater because he breaketh his vowe made to God Q. What is done in the Lords Supper A. The former couenant solemnly ratified in Baptisme is renued in the Lords supper betweene the Lord himselfe and the receiuer Q. What is the receiuer A. Euery one that hath beene baptized and after his baptisme hath truly beleeued in Christ and repented of his sinnes from his heart Q. What meaneth the bread and wine the eating of the bread and drinking of the wine A. These outward actions are a second seale set by the Lords owne hand vnto his couenant And they doe giue euery receiuer to vnderstand that as God doth blesse the bread and wine to preserue and strengthen the bodie of the receiuer so Christ apprehended and receiued by faith shall nourish him and preserue both bodie and soule vnto eternall life Q. What shall a true receiuer feele in himselfe after the receiuing of the Sacrament A. The increase of his faith in Christ the increase of sanctification a greater measure of dying to sinne a greater care to liue in newnesse of life Q. What if a man after the receiuing of the Sacrament neuer finde any such thing in himselfe A. He may well suspect himselfe whether he did euer repent or not and thereupon to vse meanes to come to sound faith and repentance Q. VVhat is an other meaues of increasing faith A. Prayer Q. What is praier A. A familiar speech with God in the name of Christ in which either we craue things needfull or giue thankes for things receiued Q. In asking things needfull what is required A. Two things an earnest desire and faith Q. What things must a Christian mans heart desire A. Sixe things especially Q. What are they A. 1. That he may glorifie God 2. That God may raigne in his heart and not sinne 3. That he may doe Gods will and not his lusts of the flesh 4. That he may relie himselfe on Gods prouidence for all the meanes of this temporall life 5. That he may be iustified and be at peace with God 6. That by the power of God he may be strengthened against all temptations Q. What is faith A. A perswasion that these things which we truly desire God will grant them for Christs sake The sixth Principle expounded Q. After that a man hath led a short life in this world what followeth thē A. Death which is the parting asunder of bodie and soule Q. Why doe wicked men and vnbeleeuers die A. That their bodies may goe to the earth and their soules may be cast into hell fire Q. Why doe the godly die seeing Christ by death hath ouercome death A. They die for this ende that their bodies may rest for a while in the earth and their soules may enter into heauen immediatly Q. What followeth after death A. The day of iudgement Q. What signe is there to know this day from other daies A. Heauen and earth shall be consumed with fire immediatly before the comming of the iudge Q. Who shall be the iudge A. Iesus Christ the Sonne of God Q. What shall be the comming to iudgement A. He shall come in the cloudes in great maiestie and glorie with infinite companie of Angels Q. How shall all men be cited to iudgement A. At the sound of a trumpet the liuing shall be changed in the twinckling of an eye and the dead shall rise againe euery one with his owne bodie and all shall be gathered together before Christ and after this the good shall be seuered from the bad these standing on the left hand of Christ the other on the right Q. How will Christ trie and examine euery mans cause A. The bookes of all mens doings shall be laide open mens consciences shall be made either to accuse them or excuse them and euery man shall be tried by the workes which he did in his life time because they are open and manifest signes of faith or vnbeleefe Q. What sentence will he giue A. He will giue sentence of saluation to the elect and godly but he will pronounce
Act. 1. 13. a Ezech 16.6 When I passed by thee I saw thee polluted in thine owne blood and I said vnto thee when thou wast in thy blood thou shalt liue Esai 55.1 Hâ— euery one that thirsteth come ye to the waters and ye that haue no siluer come buie and eate comeâ— I say and buie wine and milke without siluer and without money Ioh. 1.12 As many as receiued him to them he gaue this priuiledge that they should become the sonnes of God namely to them which beleeued in his name b Rom. 7.7 I knew not sinne but by the Law for I had not knowne lust except the Law had said Thou shalt not lust c 1. Ioh. 2.27 But the annointing which ye receiued of him dwelleth in you and ye neede not that any man teach you but as the same annointing teacheth you of all things and is true and is not lying and as it is taught you ye shall abide in him d Act. 16.14 A certaine woman named Lydia a seller of purple of the citie of the Tâ—yatirians a worshipper of God heard vs whose heart God opened that shee attended to the things that Paul spake Psalâ— 40. v. 6. Thou art not delighted with sacrifice and burnt offerings but mine eares hast thou opened Ioh. 6.44 No man can come vnto me except the Father which hath sent me draw him and I will raise him vp at the last day Esai 54.6 The Lord hath called thee beeing as a woman forsaken and as a young wife when thou wast refused saith the Lord. a 1. Cor. 15.18 If Christ be not raised they which are asleepe in Christ are perished Act. 7.60 When he had thus spoken he slept b 1. Cor. 15 3â— O foole that which thou sowest is not quickned except it die c Reu. 21.27 There shal enter into it none vnclean thing neither whatsoeuer worketh abomination or lies but they which are written in the Lambs book of life Rom. 7.25 I my selfe in my mind serue the law of God but in my flesh the law of sinne d Luk. 23.42 He saide to Iesus Lord remember me when thou commest into thy kingdome 43. Then Iesus said to him This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise Reu. 14.13 Then I heard a voice from heauen saying vnto me Write Blessed are the dead which hereafter die in the Lord. Euen so saith the Spirit for they rest from their labours and their workes follow them a Matth. 24. 29. Immediately after the tribulation of those daies shall the Sunne be darkened and the Moone shall not giue her light the starres shall fall from heauen and the powers of heauen shall be shaken 30. And then shall appeare the signe of the Sonne of man in heauen and then shall all the kinreds of the earth mourne and they shal see the Son of man come in the cloudes of heauen with power and great glorie b Luk. 21. 26. Mens hearts shall faile them for feare and for looking after those things which shall come on the world 28. And when these things beginne to come to passe then looke vp and lift vp your heads for your redemption draweth neare 2. Tim. 4.8 Henceforth is laide vp for me the crowne of righteousnes which the Lord the righteous iudge shall give me at that day and not to me onely but vnto them also that loue his appearing a Matth. chap. 24. vers 31. And he shall sende his Angels with a great sound of a trumpet 1. Thess. chap. 4. vers 16. The Lord himselfe shall descend from heauen with a shout euen with the voice of the Archangel and with the trumpet of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first b Matth. 24. 30. 1. Thess. 4. 17. Then shall we vvhich liue and remaine be caught vp vvith them also in the cloudes to meete the Lord in the ayre and so shall we euer be with the Lord. a 1. Cor. 15. 52. We shall not all sleepe but we shall be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet 43. b It is sowne in dishonour it is raised in honour it is sowne in weakenes it is raised in power 44. It is sowne a naturall bodie it is raised â— spirituall bodie c. a Ioh. 14. 23. If any man loue me he will keepe my word and my Father will loue him and we will come vnto him and dwell with him 1. Ioh. 4. 15. Whosoeuer confesseth that Iesus Christ is the Sonne of God God dwelleth in him and he in God Reuel 21.3 And I heard a voyce saying Behold the Tabernacle of God is with men and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people and God himselfe shall be their God with them 23. And that citie hath no neede of sunne or moone to shine in it for the glorie of God did light it and the Lambe is the light of it Reuel 22.2 In the middes of the streete of it and of either side of the riuer was the tree of life which bare twelue manner of fruits and gaue fruit euery moneth and the leaues of the tree serued to heale the nations with 5. And there shall be no night there and they neede no candle nor light of the sunne for the Lord giueth them light and they shall reigne for euermore 1. Cor. 15.45 Rom. 8.11 If the spirit of him that raised vp Iesus from the dead dwell in you he that raised vp Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortall bodies because that his spirit dwelleth in you Tit. 1.15 Act. 15.10 2. Tim. 4.3 1. Sam. â— 22.26 Psal. 2.12 Prov. 3.9,10 Luk. 2.25 a Socrat. hist. eccl l. 5. c. 10. b August de Temp. ser. 119. d Ambr. ser. 38. Heb. 6. â— 2â—â—â— a â—uâ—fâ—n in expos Symb â—â—erony ad â—am a Paciâ—nâ—s epiâ—t 1. ad Symâ—ro â— Tim. 1.13 Hab. 1â—1 â— Tim. 1.13 b Aug. seâ—m 119. de temp Caâ—sian li. 6. de incâ—râ—t domini a Cyril Catec 1. Mystag Tertull. de resurrect Origen hom 5. in Num. Act. 8.38 Hâ—b â—◠◠〈◊〉 â—1 〈…〉 Luk. 8.23 Act. 8.19 Math. 7.22 2. Cor. 13. â— 1 pâ—â— 3.12 Gal. 5.6 Math. 7.7 Math. 16 16â— Math. 8.10 and 16. â— Ioh. 4.33 â— 2 Rom. 10.10 â— Pet. 3.21 Heb. â— 4 â—ides estâ—oâ—a copulatiua Exod. 3â— Exo. 3.6.14 1. Tim. 1.17 a Psal. 82.6 b Exod. 4.16 c â— Cor. 4.4 â— Cor. 8.4 â—oâ— 17.3 Mark 9.24 â—sal 42.12 2. Chr. 16.12 Rom. 10. â—â— â— Tim. 1.12 â— Pet. 4.19 â— Chr. 34.27 â— Chr. 3â— â— Chr. 20.20 Hebr. 5.7 Psal. â—â— Dan. 6 2â— Psal. 78 21,2â— a Hebr. 1.3 Gal. 4.8 b Specie c Numero Math. 3. 16,17 a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The meaning Math. 23.9 a Heb. 12.9 b Luk. 3.38 c Esa. 9.6 d Esa. 53.10 e Esa. 8.18 Ier. 3.4,19 Matth. 6.4 Iob 17.14 Ioh. 8.44 Prov. 10.1 Math. 12.50 Mal. 1.6 Math. 5.45 Psal. 68.5 Iob 29 1â— â—6 Math. 6.26 Heb. 12â—â— 2.
this order touching man that what euill or defect soeuer he brought vpon himselfe he should deriue the same to euery one of his posteritie begotten of him and hereupon when any father begets his childe he is in the roome of Adam and conueies vnto it beside the nature of man the very guilt and corruption of nature Now for the preuenting of this euill in Christ God in great wisdome appointed that he should be conceiued by the holy Ghost without any manner of generation by man And by this meanes he takes substance from the Virgin without the guilt and corruption of the substance But it may further be obiected thus All that be in Adam haue sinned in him but Christ was in Adam as he is man therefore he sinned in him Ans. The proposition is false vnlesse it be expounded on this manner All that were in Adam haue sinned in him so be it they come of him by generation Paul saith not out of one man but by one man sinne entred into the world to shew that man propagates his corruption to no more then he begets Againe Christ is in Adam not simply as other men are but in some part namely in respect of substance which he took from him and not in respect of the propagation of the substance by ordinarie generation other men are both from Adam and by Adam but Christ is from him alone and not by him as a begetter or procreant cause The second part of sanctification is the infusion of all purenesse and holinesse into the manhoode of Christ so farre forth as was meete for the nature of a redeemer The duties to be learned hence are these First whereas Christ was sanctified in the wombe of the virgin Marie we likewise must labour to be sanctified in our selues following the commandement of God Be ye holy as I am holy S. Iohn saith that he which hath hope to be with Christ in glorie in heauen purifieth himselfe euen as he is pure no doubt setting before himselfe the example of Christ as a patterne to follow in all his waies And because our hearts are as it were seas of corruptions we must daily cleanse our selues of them by little little following the practise of the poore begger that is alwaies peecing and mending and day by day pulls away some ragges and puts better cloath in the roome And if we shall continually indeauour our selues to cast off the remnants of corruption that hang so fast on and make a supplie thereof by some new portions of Gods heauenly grace we shall be vessells of honour sanctified and meete for the Lord and prepared vnto euery good worke Christ could not haue beene a fit Sauiour for vs vnlesse he had first of all bin sanctified neither can we be fit members vnto him vnlesse we be purged of our sinnes and in some measure truly sanctified The comfort which Gods people may reape of the sanctification of Christs manhood is great For why was he sanctified Surely if we marke it well we shall finde it was for the good and benefit of his Elect. For Adam and Christ be two rootes as hath beene shewed Adam by creation first receiued Gods image and after lost the same for himselfe and his posteritie Now Christ to remooue the sinne of man is made the second Adam and the roote and very head of all the Elect. His manhood was filled with holinesse aboue measure that from thence as from a storehouse it might be deriued to all his members And therefore by his most holy conception our sinnefull birth and conception is sanctified and his holinesse serues as a couer to hide our manifolde corruptions from the eyes of God Yea it serues as a buckler to award the temptations of the deuill for when he shall say to our hearts on this manner no vncleane thing can enter into the kingdome of heauen but thou by reason of the remnants of originall sinne art vncleane therefore thou canst not enter into the kingdome of heauen we returne our answer saying that Christs righteousnesse is our righteousnesse seruing to make vs stand without blame or spot before God And as Iacob put on Esaus garments that he might get his fathers blessing so if by faith we doe put on the white garment of righteousnes of our elder brother Christ Iesus and present our selues in it vnto our heauenly father we shall obtaine his blessing which is eternall happines Now remaines the third and last part of the conception which is the Vnion of the godhead and the manhood cōcerning which many points are particularly to be handled The first is what kinde of Vnion this is Ans. In the Trinitie there be two sorts of vnions vnion in nature and vnion in person Vnion in nature is when two or moe things are ioyned and vnited into one nature as the Father the Sonne the holy Ghost beeing and remaining three distinct persons are one and the same in nature or Godhead Vnion in person is when two things are in that maner vnited that they make but one person or subsistance as a bodie created by God and a reasonable soule ioyned both togither make one particular man as Peter Paul Iohn c. And this second is the vnion whereof we intreat in this place by which the second person in Trinitie the sonne of God did vnite vnto himselfe the humane nature that is the bodie and soule of man so as the Godhead of the Sonne and the manhood concurring togither made but one person The second point is in what thing this vnion doth consist Answ. It consists in this that the second person the Sonne of God doth assume vnto it a manhood in such order that it beeing voide of all personall being in it selfe doth wholly and onely subsist in the same person As the plant called Missell or Misselto hauing no roote of his owne both growes and liues in the stocke or bodie of the Oke or some other tree so the humane nature hauing no proper substance is as it were ingrafted into the person of the sonne and is wholly supported and sustained by it so as it should not be at all if it were not sustained in that manner And for the better vnderstanding of this point we must consider that there be foure degrees of the presence of God in his creatures The first is his generall presence and it may be called the presence of his prouidence whereby he preserueth the substances of all creatures and giueth vnto them to liue mooue and haue beeing and this extendeth it selfe to all creatures good and bad The second degree is the presence of grace wherby he doth not onely preserue the substāces of all his creatures but also giueth grace vnto it this agreeth to the Church people of God vpon earth The third degree is the presence of glorie peculiar to the Saints and angels in heauen and this stands in three things for God not onely preserues their substances and giues
them plentie of his grace but also admits them into his glorious presence so as they may behold his maiestie face to face The fourth and last is that whereby the Godhead of the sonne is present and dwells with and in the manhood giuing vnto it in some part his owne subsistance Wherby it comes to passe that this manhood assumed is proper to the sonne and can not be the manhood of the Father or of the holy Ghost or of any creature whatsoeuer And this is a thing so admirable and so vnspeakable that among all the works of God there can not be found an other example hereof in all the world Hence it follows necessarily that the manhood of Christ consisting of bodie and reasonable soule is a nature onely and not a person because it doth not subsist alone as other men Peter Paul Iohn doe but wholly depends on the person of the word into the vnitie whereof it is receiued The third point is in what order the diuine and humane nature of Christ are vnited togither Ans. The common consent of Diuines is that albeit all the parts of the manhood and the godhead of Christ be vnited at one instant yet in respect of order he vnites vnto himselfe first and immediately the soule and by the soule the bodie And it seemes vnmeete that God beeing a most simple essence should immediately be ioyned to a compound bodie and therefore it may well be saide that he is vnited vnto it by the more simple part of man which is the soule Againe the manhood of Christ is first and immediately ioyned to the person of the sonne himselfe and by the person to the godhead of the sonne The fourth point is whether there remaine any difference or diuersitie of the two natures after that the vnion is made Answ. The two natures concurring make not the person of the sonne to be compounded properly but onely by analogie for as bodie and soule make one man so God and man make one Christ neither are they turned one into an other the godhead into the manhood or the manhood into the godhead as water was turned into wine at Cana in Galile neither are they confused and mingled togither as meates in the stomacke but they now are and so remaine without composition conuersion or confusion really distinct and that in three respects First in regard of essence For the godhead of Christ is the godhead and can not be the manhood and againe the manhood of Christ is the manhood and not the godhead Secondly they are distinguished in proprieties the godhead is most wise iust mercifull omnipotent yea wisdom iustice mercie and power it selfe and so is not the manhood neither can it be Againe Christ as he is God hath his will eternall and vncreated which is all one with the will of the father and the holy Ghost And as he is man he hath another will created in time placed in his reasonable soule this Christ signifieth when he saith Not my will but thy will be done Thirdly they are distinct in their actions or operations which though they goe togither inseparably in the worke of redemption yet they must in no wise be confounded but distinguished as the natures themselues are Christ saith of himselfe I haue power to lay downe my life and I haue power to take it vp againe and hereby he shewes the distinction of operations in his two natures For to lay downe his life is an action of the manhood because the Godhead can not die and to take it vp againe is the worke of the Godhead alone which reunites the soule to the bodie after death The fifth and last point is what ariseth of this vnion Ans. By reason of this hypostatical vnion though the godhead receiue nothing from the manhood yet the manhood it selfe which is assumed is thereby perfected and enriched with vnspeakable dignitie For first of all it is exalted aboue all creatures whatsoeuer euen angels themselues in that it hath subsistance in the second person in Trinitie Secondly togither with the godhead of the Sonne it is adored and worshipped with diuine honour as in like case the honour done to the King himselfe redoundes to the crowne on his head Thirdly by reason of this vnion the godhead of Christ workes all things in the matter of our redemption in and by the manhoode And hereupon the flesh of Christ though it profit nothing of it selfe yet by the vertue which it receiueth from that person to which it is ioyned it is quickning flesh and the bread of life Againe from this vnion of two natures into one person ariseth a kinde of speech or phrase peculiar to the Scriptures called the communication of proprieties when the propertie of one nature is attributed to the whole person or to the other nature as when Paul saith that God shed his blood that the Lord of glorie was crucified And when Christ saith that he talking with Nichodemus was then in heauen The vse of the personall vnion is threefold First it serues to shew the hainousnesse of our sinnes and the greatnesse of our miserie For it had not bene possible to make a satisfaction to Gods iustice in mans nature for the least offence vnlesse the same nature had first of all beene neerely ioyned to the godhead of the sonne that thereby it might be so farre forth supported and sustained that it might ouercome the wrath of God Secondly it sets forth vnto vs the endlesse loue of God to man For whereas by reason of Adams fall we were become the vilest of all creatures except the deuill and his angels by his mysticall coniunction our nature is exalted to such an estate and condition as is farre aboue all creatures euen the angels themselues Thirdly it is as it were the keye of all our comfort for all sound comfort stands in happines all happines is in fellowship with God all fellowship with God is by Christ who for this cause beeing very God became very man that he might reconcile man to God and God to man Thus much of the conception of Christ now followes his birth whereby in the ordinarie time of trauell according to the course of nature he was brought forth into the world by the virgin Marie And it was the will of God that Christ should not onely be conceiued but also borne and that after the manner of men that he might be knowne to be very man indeede In the birth we may consider foure things the time the place the manner the manifestation of it The time was in the last daies toward the end of the 70. weekes of Daniel which are to be accounted from the ende of the captiuitie of Babylon and make in all 490 yeares or more plainly 3900 yeares and more from the beginning of the world and as Paul saith in the fulnesse of time And the Euangelists haue noted of purpose the time to haue beene when Augustus Caesar taxed