he offered up himselfe as there followes verse 27. see also the ninth Chapter of the same Booke to the same purpose vers 24 25. c. And thirdly a Prophet to teach and instruct us in the way of godlinesse and salvation for of him was it said I will raise them up a Prophet among their brethren like unto thee and I will put my words into his mouth and unto him shall they hearken Deut. 18.15 18. Yea the Spirit of the Lord is upon mee saith the Prophet Esay of him because he hath anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek to bind up the broken hearted Esay 61.1 And therefore it is likewise said of him This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased heare yee him Matth. 17.5 And therefore seeing he is thus anointed to become all these things unto us let us faithfully beleeve and put our trust in him in this anointed one and we also in an inlarged sense shall be made with him and by him spirituall Kings Priests and Prophets our selves for he being Prince of the Kings of the earth and loving us and washing us from our sins in his bloud hath made us also Kings and Priests unto God his Father Revel 1.5 6 verses First Kings to beare rule over our owne hearts and to master our owne rebellious thoughts wils and affections that so sin may not reigne in our mortall bodies nor we obey it in the lusts thereof as Saint Paul speaketh Rom. 6.12 but as kings and conquerours may fight a good fight and overcome the corruptions of our owne hearts that without resistance will in the end destroy our soules Secondly Priests to offer up to God many spirituall sacrifices As first of Prayer for so saith David Let my prayer be directed in thy sight as incense and the lifting up of mine hands as an evening sacrifice Psal 141.2 Secondly of thanksgiving as the Apostle Let us therefore by him offer the sacrifice of praise alwayes to God that is the fruit of the lips Hebr. 13.15 Thirdly of Almes which is an acceptable sacrifice and pleasing unto God as the same Apostle affirmeth in the very next verse viz. 16. And therefore S. Paul else-where calleth an offering and contribution of the Saints an odour that smelleth sweet and a pleasant and acceptable sacrifice unto God also Phil. 4.18 Fourthly of broken and contrite hearts and soules unto the Lord which as David saith are sacrifices unto God such as he will not despise Psal 51.17 And lastly to offer up our whole soules and bodies to the service of God as S. Paul exhorteth saying I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that you give up your bodies a living sacrifice holy and acceptable unto God which is your reasonable serving of God Rom. 12.1 And after we have thus beene Priests in offering up all these pleasing and acceptable sacrifices unto God we shall in the last place become Prophets also in applying that knowledge wee have to the benefit and good of others as S. Peter was commanded when hee was converted himselfe to strengthen his brethren Luk. 22.32 And therefore seeing wee have all these great and speciall benefits and blessings by this anoynted one Christ Jesus let us comfort our selves and rejoyce in this name too accounting it the greatest honour unto us that could befall us to be called and stiled Christians according to it for what is that else but anoynted ones that is men set apart and consecrated to these high and honourable offices in the Church of God before expressed And therefore let us be sure to carrie our selves in our lives and conversations answerable to this name by our carefull performance of the former duties lest otherwise it be said of us as of the Church of Sardis Thou hast a name that thou livest but thou art dead Revel 3.1 But if wee walke worthy of this name which we have taken upon us why then we have great cause to comfort our selves and rejoyce in it as Theodosius the Emperour did who thanked God more for that hee was a Christian than fâ—r that hee was an Emperour because as he said the glorie which he had by the one would vanish but the benefits he enjoyed by the other hee knew would continue for ever and this sufficeth for the two names as they are distinguished first Jesus then Christ One observation more from them as they are conjoyned and then I have done and that shall be this that Jesus is an Hebrew and Christ a Greeke name which may intimate unto vs that hee came into the world as well to be a light unto the Gentiles as to be the glorie of his people Israel as old Simeon prophesied of him in his Nunc dimittis Luk. 2.32 The Greeke name Christ belonging to the Gentiles and the Hebrew name Jesus to the Jewes so that now all nations may challenge an interest in the worlds Messias none excluded none exempted for the whole world of people were anciently divided but into these two names and nations of Jewes and Gentiles They only being termed Jewes which were of the seed of Abraham and all nations else that derived not their pedigree from this line were called and accounted by a more generall name Gentiles as might be plentifully proved out of many passages of the holy Scriptures if it were a thing to be doubted or questioned Now then I say in that the Messias being borne of Jewish parents and kindred according to the flesh had yet a Gentile name conferred and bestowed upon him it shewes plainly his verie names significantly speaking so much that hee is come to be a Saviour and Redeemer unto all nations even to the one as well as to the other to the Gentile as well as to the Jew bringing salvation with him unto all men as S. Paul speaketh Tit. 2.11 which was verie happie and welcome newes brought into the world at the incarnation and birth of Christ for before this time the golden scepter of grace was not stretched forth to all nations nor to all countries nor the Chancerie Court of mercie holden generally in all the world but in a corner as it were and in one family or kindred of the Jewes alone till the fulnesse of time came in which this Jesus Christ was conceived of the Holy Ghost and borne of the Virgine Marie for from the calling of Abraham out of Urre of the Caldees it was onely in that one family increasing sometimes in Canaan sometimes in Aegypt sometimes in the wildernesse travelling and last of all in Canaan againe settled where it grew till it had filled indeed that whole land but yet still it was confined within that nation and people of the Jewes and within that little Kingdome of Canaan which was scarce an handfull in respect of the whole world whose Metropolitan Citie was Jerusalem the glorie and joy for the time of the whole earth for there it pleased the great King of heaven and earth to
God by a Christian conversation but that he did beleeve trust in God what makes the difference between Saints and sinners between the reprobate and the righteous between Iudas Peter but only trust want of trust in God wherfore was the world all that therein is at the the first created but only to make men trust in God How came it by the fall of men and Angels to be corrupted but onely because they forsooke their trust in God and wherefore was it againe redeemed at the last but onely to renew mens trust in God wherefore are all those many and manifold blessings soli poli as well of earth as heaven conferred and bestowed upon the children of God but onely because they trust in God and wherefore are all Gods curses and heavie judgements both of this world and that which is to come inflicted upon the wicked and enemies of God but onely because they have refused to trust in God would wee then avoyd and decline the heavie wrath and vengeance of God prepared for the Devill and his angels let us trust in God or would wee be invested with the glorious liberty of the sons of God and made partakers of the plentious redemption that is in Christ Jesus why then let us trust in God Credere Deum to beleeve that there is a God cannot doe it for this the devils doe beleeve and yet they tremble Credere Deo to beleeve that God is just and true comes likewise short of it for this the wicked may doe nay they shall doe not onely beleeve but finde and feele too the truâ—h of Gods judgements and threatnings against them for their sins to their greater terror and confusion But Credere in Deum This little Monosyllable In added to it only shall and can effect it Loe here then is the little cloud that arose out of the sea no bigger than a mans hand out of which notwithstanding did fall a great raine 1 Reg. 18.44 45 verses Loe here is the little well that grew into a great river and flowed over with great waters Esther 10.6 in the Apocripha Loe here not only the Iliades but the Odisses too of Homer nay the workes and writings of the whole world as well sacred as prophane within the shell of a nut For what good use is to be made of them all but only to cause men to trust in God which service if they doe not in some sort or other promote and advance forward They shall burne in the end like stubble and vanish like chaffe before the face of the winde as being lighter than smoak or vanitie it selfe If then the Gospell of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ may fitly be counted and called the Compendium of the whole Bible and this the Apostles Creed the abridgement of the Gospell then likewise our little In here may not unfitly be stiled the epitome of the Creed For whereas there may be said to be two parts of the Creed viz. A dutie required and rewards proposed for the faithfull dispatch and performance of the said dutie This In doth fully performe the dutie in beleeving in the Father in the Son and in the Holy Ghost and so consequently not only intitle us to but invest us with the rewards and they are rich rewards too by making us members of the holy Catholike Church and partakers of the Communion of Saints forgivenesse of sins resurrection of the body and life everlasting And therefore if wee were wont to wonder when wee were children and schoole-boyes at the dexteritie of him that could write the Pater noster within the compasse of a penny pardon the lownesse of the comparison then much more may we now admire the infinite wisdome of God that could contrive the whole substance of his owne will our worship into so small a volume as two small letters and yet this as you have seene is fully and at large pâ—rformed And this may serve to checke and condemne our dulnesse and backwardnesse in Gods service that having so small a lesson to learne and to take forth we are so long in learning it and so hardly brought to put it in practice and execution For who it there that truly beleeveth and putteth his trust in God as it behoveth a Christian man to doe But some put their trust in chariots and some in horses as the Scripture speaketh Some in the strength of their owne armes and others in the invention of their own braines some in the fatnesse of their owne fields and fertilitie of their owne soyles and others in their owne policies in their owne paines in so much as they offer sacrifice to their nets and burne incense to their yarne as the Prophet complaineth of them Habacuk 1.16 So that we may justly take up Davids complaint and say Loe these are the men that take not God for their strength but trust to the multitude of their riches c. Psal 52. But these are but vaine things for vaine men to put their trust in which made Job to protest against such vain confidence saying If I have made gold my hope or said to the wedge of gold Thou art my confidence Job 31.24 As knowing that Sperando pereunt qui sic sperant such hypocrites hope shall perish as himselfe may be said to translate it Iob 8.13 Yea their confidence shall be cut off and their trust shall be but as the house of a Spider They may well leane upon their house but it shall not stand yea though they hold fast by it yet shall it not indure as there followes verses 14 15. For cursed is that man that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arme and with-draweth his heart from the Lord Ierem. 17.5 And therefore Salomon adviseth us to trust in the Lord with all our heart and not leane so much as to our owne wisdome Prov. 3.5 For blessed are all they said David that trust in him Psal 2.12 Which if it be so saith S. Austen that they are blessed that trust in the Lord Tunc miseri sunt qui confidunt in se They must needs be wretched and miserable that trust only to themselves as the justiciaries and all that boast of their owne righteousnesse doe But S. Paul saith Qui gloriatur in Domino glorietur He that boasteth let him boast in the Lord 1 Cor. 1. vltimò For as S. Augustine goes on Nihil in te placet Deo nisi quod habes ex Deo c. There is nothing in man that can be or is acceptable unto God but that which he hath received from God and therefore seeing there is no good thing in man but what he hath received from God Why doth he glory as though he had not received it 1 Cor. 4.7 Seeing then there is nothing in man whether our selves or others worthy of our trust or dependance on him let us be perswaded as well for the salvation of our soules as the preservation of our bodies to take
birth of Christ of this blessed Virgin Rubus Mosaicus virga Aaronica vellus Gedeonis clausa Ezechielis porta Virginem parituram sine detrimento virginitati suae designant saith one Moses bush that burned and was not consumed Exod. 3.2 Aarons rod that budded and blossomed and bare ripe Almonds when it was withered and drie Numb 17.8 Gedeons fleece that was full of dew that one might wring it when all the earth was drie besides Iudg. 6.38 And Ezekiels gate which was shut so that none should enter by it because the Lord God of Israel had entred by it Ezech. 44.2 doe all in some sort or other expresse the conception and birth of the Sonne of God without any detriment to the virginitie of his Mother and indeed the last of these Ezekiels shut gate is nearly applied by S. Augustine himselfe in his eighteenth Sermon De tempore to this purpose where hee saith Quid est porta in domo Domini clausa nisi quod Maria semper erit intacta c. What is meant by the gate in the house of the Lord which is alwayes shut but only this that the Virgin Mary shall ever remaine untouch't and undefiled Et quid est quod homo non transit per eam nisi quia Ioseph non cognovit eam And what is meant by that that no man shall enter by it but this that her husband Ioseph shall not carnally know her Et quid est quod Dominus solus intrat egredietur per eam nisi quia Spiritus Sanctus impregnavit eam And what by that that the Lord God of Israel only shall goe in and out thereat but this that shee hath conceived by the Holy Ghost Et quid est clausa erit in aeternum nisi quia erit Maria virgo ante partum in partu post partum And what by this that it shall be shut for ever but this that Mary shall be a Virgin before in and after her delivery of her said Son Christ Jesus as I said before in so much as she may say of her selfe as he goes on Porta facta sum coeli janua facta sum filio Dei I am made the gate of heaven and am become a doore to the Sonne of God because hee vouchsafes to goe in and out by mee and that without either opening or shutting of my sanctified womb whereby my virginitie should be impaired in the least degree as after his resurrection hee entred in among the midst of his Disciples when the doores were fast shut Joh. 20.19 And therefore we need not feare to beleeve him borne of the Virgin Marie And thus you see Beloved how Christ the Sonne of God tooke our humane nature and shape perfectly and entirely upon him and so became also the Sonne of man first by being conceived and then borne of the Virgin Marie which howsoever it may seeme strange and almost miraculous unto us yet to God that did worke it it was both facile and easie for that God that hath written wondrous things in his Law is able also to worke wondrous things for us in his Gospell Quid autem sunt mirabilia nisi quae hominibus sunt impossibilia Augustine And what I pray you is wonderfull but that which seemes to us impossible As for example the verie writing of the Law in Tables of stone without fitting instruments is it selfe a verie wonder of the Law Againe the earths yeelding bread in the wildernesse without either plowing or sowing as Exod. 16.15 is another wonder of the same And thirdly Aarons rod spoken of before which having beene withered many yeares as S. Augustine sayes beginning to revive without water to flourish in the Tabernacle and to bring forth nuts or almonds when it was inclosed under the drie roofe of an house is a third wonder also of the Law of God Now then as S. Augustine applyes it if wee have read these things in Gods Law why doe wee not understand them and beleeve them when we see them or the verie like to them acted and performed even to our comfort and consolation in these dayes and times of the Gospell for hee that writ the stony Tables without an iron pen by the same power and skill could cause the Virgin Marie to conceive with childe by the Holy Ghost without the help of man And he that brought forth bread in the wildernesse without breaking and plowing up the earth was able also to bring a Sonne from the wombe of the Virgin without violating or wronging her virginitie And hee that caused the drie rod to bud and blossome and the like without moysture Ipse fecit filiam David sine semine generare He made this daughter of the house of David to bring forth this blessed fruit of her wombe even without seed And therefore doubt not but stedfastly beleeve that Christ was an entire and perfect man howsoever he was not conceived nor borne after the usuall and ordinarie manner of bringing mankinde into the world but conceived of the Holy Ghost and borne of the Virgin Marie for this birth of his after this manner shewes him to be what indeed hee was and what hee ought to be seeing hee came to be a Mediatour betwixt God and us viz. it shewes him to be both God and man for in that he was borne and took flesh of a woman it shewes him to be true man but in that he was borne of a Virgin Se Deum docet qui partus Deum decet as S. Ambrose speakes It shewes him to be likewise God for such a birth becomes none but the Sonne of God And indeed there are many reasons why Christ should be borne of a pure Virgin as first for the greater honour and dignitie of God the Father that sent him that so hee onely might be his Father on earth that was his Father in heaven and therefore saith S. Augustine Non quaesivit quidem nisi matrem in terra quod jam patrem habebat in coelo He sought but onely for a mother on earth because he had a Father before in heaven Secondly for the honour also of the Son himselfe that was sent who as he was the Word of God from the beginning so he might be the Sonne of God to the end Now as the Word is conceived without any corruption of the heart from whence it doth proceed so ought he to be without any corruption of his mother Thirdly for the greater credit of his humane nature in which there ought not to be the least staine of sinne seeing hee came to satisfie Gods wrath for mans sinne which could not have beene effected by any other birth than onely of a pure Virgin Fourthly and lastly for the end of his incarnation which was to regenerate and beget men anew unto the Lord that so as many as would receive him might have power given them to become also the sonnes of God but how not by being borne of bloud nor of the will of the flesh nor of the
will of man but of God Ioh. 1.12 13. And therefore much more hee to the intent hee might beget virgin members to be of the same body whereof hee was the head that is a pure and glorious Church or Congregation not having spot or wrinkle was himselfe to be borne of a Virgin-mother and therefore wee may safely say and beleeve that Christ howsoever hee were the onely Sonne of God begotten before all time yet that also in time hee was borne man of the Virgin Marie in so much as S. Augustine speakes De creatura sua Creator omnium procreatur de rivulo suo â—â—ns magnus exoritur radix omnium de virgulto suo nascitur vitis vera palmitis sui fructus efficitur that is The true Vine is become the fruit of its owne branch and the root of all things is sprung from its owne sprig or sien the great fountaine is risen from its owne rivulet and the Creator of all things is borne of his owne creature and Maria is become Theotocos Deipara or Dei genetrix that is the Mother of God as Vincentius Lirinensis stiles her according also to certaine old English verses which I have read to that purpose A virgin and a mother beares a Sonne The creature her Creator on her knee From all beginnings yet but now begun Servant to time Lord of eternitie Earths weaknesse and heav'ns pow'r in him doe dwell Which is both God and man Emanuel And againe Qui regit sydera sugit ubera Who sits in heav'n upon his Throne of State Sucks here on earth the milke of infancie Who rules the stars and guides the sterne of fate Sustaines the yoake of humane miserie Eats drinks wakes sleepes and weepes as mortall man In whom immortall happinesse began For as in the first creation of mankinde man was created after the image and similitude of God so in the restitution and repairing of the same mankinde againe after his fall it was requisite that God should be made after the image and similitude of man that so he might be a fit Mediatour unto God for man not as God for so hee is able by his owne authoritie to take away and forgive sins according to that Who can forgive sins but God onely but as man that so hee might satisfie for mans offences in the same nature in which the breach and offence began as the Apostle speaketh God sent forth his Sonne made of a woman and made under the Law that so he might redeeme those that were under the Law Gal. 4.4 5. which hee could not have done if hee had not taken the verie nature of man upon him and therefore was he in no wise to take the Angels nature upon him but onely the seed of Abraham as I told you before out of Heb. 2.16 Quia Angelus nullum habuit consortium cum homine qui peccaverat Because the Angels had no societie or fellowship with that nature of man which had transgressed neither was the whole Angelicall nature lapsed and fallen as mans was but onely in part for though some fell yet others abode stedfast and are so established for ever Thirdly because the Angels fell of themselves by their owne proper pride and malice without any inticement or externall provocation of another but man fell through infirmitie and by the subtill suggestion and allurement of the serpent the instrument of Satan therefore was it meet that the Sonne of God should be made the Sonne of man that so hee might be a perfect Mediarour betwixt God and man God that hee might satisfie man that he might suffer Nam si bomo non vicisset inimicum hominis non juste victus esset inimicus saith Irenaeus For unlesse man had overcome the enemie of man he had not beene justly vanquished Nam posterius debet reduci ad perfectionem per id quod prius est in eodem genere as say the Logicians That which is latter cannot be reduced to perfection but onely by that which was before in the same kinde And therefore that God may redeeme man God must become man that so we may be made the adopted sonnes of God Per eum qui naturalis est by him that is his sonne by nature and as by a man came our death so by a man also might come our resurrection from the dead as S. Paul saith 1 Cor. 15. And thus have you at large heard related and dilated unto you how in the incarnation and birth of Christ God is become man by being conceived of the Holy Ghost and borne of the Virgin Marie who although he be God and man yet he is not two but one Christ one not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh but by taking of the manhood into God one altogether not by confusion of substance but by unitie of person as Athanasius Which is likewise well expressed by Vincentius Lirinensis when he sayes that in Trinitate there is alius atque alius non aliud atque aliud but in Christ there is aliud aliud non alius alius that is as there is in the blessed Trinitie a diversitie of persons as God the Father God the Sonne God the Holy Ghost but not a diversitie of things natures substances because they are all but one God so in Christ on the other side there is a diversitie of things natures substances as Deitie and humanitie but not of persons because these two natures are become but one person in him Sicut in homine aliud caro aliud anima sed unus idemque homo anima caro as hee goes on Which our Liturgie shall translate As the reasonable soule and flesh is one man so God and man is one Christ which example of two distinct natures substances spirituall and corporeall soule and body concurring to the composition of one whole and entire person Man doth so fully expresse to my understanding the manner of the union of the two natures God-head and manhood in one Christ that the weakest and shallowest capacitie being able to consider of the one may conceive the other And therefore I will proceed no further in proofe and declaration of it but onely desire God for conclusion of this Article that we may so firmly and stedfastly beleeve in this blessed seed and Sonne of the blessed Virgin that as hee of her hath taken our nature upon him and is become the sonne of man so we by him may be so renewed in soule and spirit as that wee may become the sonnes of God and as members of that body whereof he is the head may ascend with him our elder brother into the land of the living whither hee is ascended with our flesh and humane nature before us to provide places and eternall mansions for us Which the Lord of his infinite goodnesse vouchsafe to grant us even for the same Jesus his sake Amen FINIS