embrace this benefite which redoundes vnto vs by Christs ascension Secondly in that Christ is ascended to heauen to leade captiue sinne and satan here is a good consolation for all those that are afflicted in conscience for their sinnes There is no man in this case but he hath great cause to feare yet must he not be discouraged For Christ by his ascension like a noble captaine hath taken sinne and satan prisoners and hath pinnioned them fast so as all the power that they haue is in Christs hand and therefore though they doe exercise and afflict vs yet by his grace they shall neuer be able to preuaile against vs. Therfore we may safely cast our care vpon God and not feare ouermuch Hence also we may learne a third dutie There is no man that knoweth what sinne meaneth and what the bloode of Christ meaneth but in regard of the corruption of his owne nature he will say with Paul that he is sold vnder sinne and in regard thereof will cry out with him also O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from this bodie of death yea it will make his heart to bleede within him Now what shall he doe in this case Surely let him remember the ende of Christs ascension which is to vanquish and subdue the rebellion of his nature and labour to feele the benefit thereof then he shall no doubt finde that Christ will dissolue in him the workes of the deuill as Saint Iohn saith and treade satan vnder his feete And thus all those that feele in themselues the law of the members rebelling against the law of the minde must come to Christ and he will helpe and free them The second benefit of Christs ascension is that he ascended vp to heauen to bestow gifts vpon his Church as it is said in the place before mentioned He ascended vp on high c. he gaue gifts vnto men that is the gift of the knowledge of Gods word the gift of preaching and prophecie and all other gifts needefull for the good of his Church The consideration of this that Christ who is the fountaine of grace and in whome are hidde all the treasures of wisedome and knowledge should be mindefull of vs and vouchsafe such speciall fauour to his Church must cause euery one of vs who haue receiued any gift of God as there is no man but he hath receiued his portion to be humbled in his owne eyes for the same There is no cause why we should be proude of our gifts seeing we haue nothing but that which we haue receiued For to this ende Christ ascended to giue gifts vnto men and therefore our gifts whatsoeuer they be are not our owne but wee had them from Christ and we are stewards of them a while for the good of others The more the Lord giueth to a man the more he requireth at his handes and therefore those vvhich haue good gifts and doe abuse the same their sinne is the more grieuous and their daunger the greater Men of great gifts vnlesse they vse them aright with humbled heartes shall want Gods blessing vpon theirs For he giueth grace to the humble The high hills after much tillage are often barren whereas the lowe valleis by the streames of vvaters passing through them are very fruitefull and the gifts of God ioyned vvith a swelling heart are fruitelesse but ioyned with loue and the grace of humilitie they edifie Secondly if Christ ascend vp to heauen to giue gifts vnto men here we may see how many a man and woman in these our daies are ouerseene in that they pleade ignorance and say that they hope God will haue them excused for it seeing they are not learned they haue dull wittes and it is not possible to teach them nowe they are past learning hereupon they presume they may liue in grosse ignorance as blinde almost in religion as when they were first borne But marke I pray you who it is that is ascended vp to heauen namely Christ Iesus our Lord who made thee of nothing Now was he able to giue thee a beeing when thou was not and is he not likewise able to put knowledge into thy soule if so be thou wilt vse the meanes which he hath appointed and the rather seeing he is ascended for that ende but if thou wilt not vse the meanes to come to knowledge thy case is desperate and thou art the cause of thine owne condemnation and thou bringest confusion vpon thine owne heade Therefore let ignorant men labour for knowledge of Gods worde Ignorance shall excuse none it will not stand for payment at the day of iudgement Christ is ascended to this ende to teach the ignorant to giue knowledge and wisedome vnto the simple and to giue gifts of prophecie vnto his ministers that they may teach his people Therfore I say againe let such as be ignorant vse the meanes diligently and God will giue the blessing Thirdly whereas it is thought to be a thing not possible to furnish a whole Church with preaching ministers it seemes to be otherwise For wherefore did Christ ascend to heauen was it not to giue gifts vnto his Church what is Christs hand now shortned vndoubtedly we may resolue our selues that Christ bestowed gifts sufficient vpon men in the Church but it is for our sinnes that they are not imploied The fountaines of learning the Vniversities though they are not dammed vp yet they streame not abroad as they might Many there be in them indewed with worthie gifts for the building of the Church but the couetousnes of men hinders the cōfortable entrance which otherwise might be Lastly seeing Christ ascended to giue gifts needefull for his Church as the gift of teaching the gift of prophecie the gift of tongues of wisedome and knowledge the duetie of euery man is especially of those which liue in the schooles of learning to labour by all meanes to increase cherish and preserue their gifts and as Paul exhorteth Timothie to stirre vp the gift of God As men preserue the fire by blowing it so by our diligence we must kindle and reuiue the gifts of God bestowed on vs. Christ hath done his part and there is nothing required but our paines and fidelitie The third benefite that comes by Christs ascension is that he ascended to prepare a place for all that should beleeue in him In my fathers house saith Christ are many dwelling places if it were not so I would haue told you J goe to prepare a place for you For by the sinne of Adam our entrance into heauen was taken away If Adam by his fall did exclude himselfe from the earthly paradise then how much more did hee exclude himselfe from heauen And therefore all mankinde sinning in him was likewise depriued of heauen The people of Israel beeing in woe and miserie cried out that they had sinned and therefore the Lord had couered himselfe with a cloud that their praiers could not
proceede at large to open the substance of the couenant we are in the next place to come to that part of the Creed which cōcerns the second person in trinitie set down in these words And in Iesus Christ his onely Sonne c. from which words to the very end of the Creede such points onely are laid down as doe notably vnfold the benefits the matter of the couenant Now the second person is described to vs by three things 1. his titles 2. his incarnatiō 3. his twofold estate his titles are in nūber foure I. Iesus II. Christ. III. his only sonne IV. our Lord. His incarnatiō his twofold estate are set down afterward To come to his titles the first is Jesus to which if we adde the clause I beleeue on this maner I beleeue in Iesus c. the article which we now haue in hand will appeare to be most excellent because it hath most notable promises annexed to it VVhen Peter cōfessed Christ to be the sonne of the liuing God he answered vpon this rocke will I build my Church and the gates of hell shall not preuaile against it And again He that confesseth that Christ is the sonne of God God dwelleth in him he in God And again To him giue all the Prophets witnes that through his name all that beleeue in him shall receiue remission of sinnes Paul saith Beleeue in the Lord Iesus and thou shalt be saued and all thy houshold Thus then the confession in which we acknowledge that we beleeue in Iesus Christ hath a promise of fellowship with God of life euerlasting But it may be obiected that euery spirit as S. Iohn saith which confesseth that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God Now the deuil al his angels vnbeleeuers do thus much therfore why may not they also haue the benefit of this cōfessiō Ans. By spirit in that place is neither mēt angels nor mē nor any creature but the doctrine which teacheth that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh it is of God because it is holy diuine hath God to be the autor of it As for the deuil his angels they can indeed confesse that Christ the sonne of God was made man and a wicked man may teach the same but vnto the confession whereunto is annexed a promise of eternall life is required true faith whereby we doe not onely know and acknowledge this or that to be true in Christ but also rest vpon him which neither Satan nor wicked men can doe And therefore by this confession the Church of God is distinguished from all other companies of men in the worlde which beleeue not as Panyms heretikes Atheists Turkes Iewes and all other infidells This name Iesus was giuen to the sonne of God by the Father and brought from heauen by an angell vnto Ioseph and Marie and on the day when he was to be circumcised as the manner was this name was giuen vnto him by his parents as they were commanded from the Lord by the angell Gabriel And therefore the name was not giuen by chance or by the alone will of the parents but by the most wise appointment of God himselfe The name in Hebrue is Iehoschua and it is changed by the Grecians into Iesus which signifieth a Sauiour And it may be called the proper name of Christ signifying his office and both his natures because he is both a perfect and absolute Sauiour as also the alone Sauiour of man because the worke of saluation is wholly and onely wrought by him and no part thereof is reserued to any creature in heauen or in earth As Peter saith For among men there is no other name giuen vnder heauen whereby we may be saued but by the name of Iesus And the author to the Hebrues saith That he is able perfectly to saue them that come vnto God by him seeing he euer liueth to make intercession for them If any shall obiect that the promises of saluation are made to them which keepe the commaundements the answere is that the law of God doth exact most absolute and perfect obedience which can be found in no man but in Christ who neuer sinned and therefore it is not giuen vnto vs nowe that we might by our selues fulfill it and worke out our own saluation but that beeing condemned by it we might wholly depend on Christ for eternall life If any further alledge that such as walke according to the commandemēts 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 indeed yet not for their works but according to their workes which are the fruits of their faith whereby they are ioyned to Christ for whose merites onely they stand righteous and are acceptable before god And vvhereas it is saide by Peter that baptisme saveth vs. his meaning is not to signifie that there is any vertue in the water to wash away our sinnes and to sanctifie us but that it serues visibly to represent and confirme unto us the inward washing of our soules by the blood of Christ. It may further be said that others haue bene Sauiours beside Christ as Iosuah the sonne of Nun who for that cause is called by the same name with Christ. Answ. 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 deliverance was onely temporall and that onely of one people Now the sonne of God is called Iesus not because he deliuereth the people of the Iewes onely or because he saueth the bodies of men only 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 worde are called Saviours 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 be obiected that the father and the holy ghost are Sauiours and therefore not onely the Sonne Ansvver True it is that in the worke of saluation all the three persons must be ioyned together in no wise severed the Father saveth the Sonne saueth the holy ghost saueth yet must we distinguish them in the maner of sauing the Father saveth 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 unto 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 vvhich hath beene said
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 IIII. He came in this maner that there might be a difference betweene his first comming in the flesh and his last comming to iudgement In the first he came onely for this end not to make any outward alterations in the worlde but to change the conscience and to put in execution the worke of our spirituall redemption and therfore he hath reserued the ouerturning of all earthly estates with the manifestation of his owne glorie to the latter V. Lastly hee was borne in a poore estate that hee might procure true riches for vs in heauen and withall sanctifie vnto us our pouertie upon earth As Paul saith Ye know the grace of our Lord Iesus Christ that he being rich for your sakes became poore that ye through his povertie might be made rich Hee was content to lie in the manger that wee might rest in heauen This serues to teach us to be content to beare any mean condition that the Lorde shall sende upon vs for this is the verie estate of the sonne of God him-selfe 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 therefore utterly unworthy either to goe or lie upon the bare earth and though wee fare and lie better then our Lorde himselfe yet such is our daintinesse we are not pleased therewith whereas hee for his part disdained not the manger of the Oxe And if the Lord of heauen and earth comming into the worlde finde so little entertainment or fauour we for our parts being his members should willingly prepare our selues to take as hard measure at the hands of men The last point is the manifestation of Christes birth that it might be knowen to the worlde 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 worlde nor to the priests of Ierusalem contemners of Gods grace and that for two causes one because the shepheards were the fittest persons to publish the same at Bethleem 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 angell of the Lorde appearing in great glorie unto the shepheardes For the priests of Ierusalem and the rulers of the synagogues to whome this office did belong helde their peace beeing blinded in their manifolde errours and wicked waies The duties to be learned of the birth of Christ are these First wee are admonished hereby to magnifie and praise the name of God saying with Mary My soule doth magnifie the Lord and my spirite reioyceth in God my saviour And with Zacharie Blessed be the Lorde God of Israel for he hath visited and redeemed his people And with the angell of the Lord Glory to God in the highest heavens For in this birth is made manifest the wisedome the truth the iustice and mercie and goodnes of God towards us more then euer it was before yea as Christ God and man is more excellent then the first Adam created according to Gods own image and as the spirituall life is better then the naturall life and as the eternall and most holy mariage of Christ the husband and his spouse the Church rising as it were out of the bloode that trickled out of his side is more wonderfull then the creation of Eue of the rib of Adam Lastly as it is a far greater matter by death to overcome death and to turne it into eternall life then to command that to exist and be which was not before so is the worke of redemption begun in the birth of Christ more unspeakeable and admirable then the first creation of man Hereupon not 6. cherubims as in the vision of Isaiah not 24. elders as in the Apocalyps but a great multitude of Angels like armies were heard to praise God at the birth of Christ and no doubt the like sight was not seene since the beginning of the world And the angels by their example put vs in minde to consider aright of this benefite and to praise God for it But alas this practise is verie rare in this fruitlesse and barren age of the worlde where sinne and iniquitie abounds as may be seene by experience for by an old custom we reteine still in the Church the feast of the nativity of Christ so commonly called which neuerthelesse is not spent in praising the name of God that he hath sent his sonne from his owne bosome to be our redeemer but contrariwise in rifling dicing carding masking mumming in all licentious libertie for the most part as though it were some heathen feast of Ceres or Bacchus Secondly Christ was conceiued and borne in bodily maner that there might be a spirituall conception and birth of him in our hearts as Paul saith My litle children of whome I travell till Christ be formed in you and that is when we are made new creatures by Christ and performe obedience to our creatour When the people said to Christ that his mother and his brethren sought him he answered He that doth the will of God is my brother my sister and mother Therefore let us go with the shepheards to Bethleem and finding our blessed sauiour swadled and lying in the cratch let us bring him thence and make our owne heartes to be his cradle that we may he able to say that we liue not but Christ liues in vs and let vs present unto him ourselues our bodies and soules as the best gold myrrhe and frankincense that may be and thus conceiuing him by faith he remaining without change we shalbe changed into him and made bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh The world I know neuer so much as dreameth of this kind of conception and birth for as Dauid saith Men travell with wickednesse conceive mischiefe bring forth a lye And S. Iames saith Men are drawn away by their owne concupiscense which when it hath conceived bringeth forth sinne And these are the ougly and monstrous birthes of these daies But let us I pray you contrariwise waile and mourne for the barrennesse of our heartes that doe so little conceiue the grace of Christ in heart and bring it foorth in action The mother of Christ vndoubtedly was a blessed woman but if shee had not as well conceiued Christ in her heart as shee did in her womb shee had not beene saved and no more can wee unlesse we doe the same The birth of Christ to them that haue touched hearts is the comfort of comforts and the sweetest balme or confection
passe through And Esay saith that our sinnes are a wall betwixt God and vs that we cannot enter into heauen And Saint Iohn that no vncleane thing must enter into the heauenly Hierusalem Nowe seeing we haue shut our selues out of heauen by our sinnes it was requisite that Christ Iesus our Sauiour should goe before vs to prepare a place and to make readie a way for vs. For he is king ouerall he hath the keies of heauen he openeth and no man shutteth and therefore it is in his power to let vs in though we haue shut our selues out But some may say if this be the end of his ascension to prepare a place in heauen then belike such as died before the comming of Christ were not in heauen Answer As there are two degrees of glorie one incomplete and the other complete or perfect for the faithfull departed are in glorie but in part and there remaineth fulnes of glorie for them at the day of iudgement when soule and bodie shall be both glorified together so answearably there are two degrees of preparation of places in heauen The places of glorie were in part prepared for the faithful frō the beginning of the world but the full preparation is made by Christs ascension And of this last preparation is the place of Iohn to be vnderstood The vse of this doctrine is very profitable First it ouerthroweth the fond doctrine of the Church of Rome which teacheth that Christ by his death did merit our iustification and that we beeing once iustified doe further merit saluation and purchase for our selues a place in heauen But this is as it were to make a partition betweene Christ and vs in the worke of our redemption whereas in truth not onely the beginning and continuance of our saluation but also the accomplishment thereof in our vocation iustification sanctification glorification is wholly and onely to be ascribed to the meere merit of Christ and therefore hauing redeemed vs on earth he also ascends to prepare a place in heauen for vs. Secondly this serueth to condemne the fearefull lamentable and desperate securitie of these our daies Great is the loue of Christ in that he was content to suffer the pangs of hell to bring vs out of hell and withall to goe to heauen to prepare a place for vs there and yet who is it that careth for this place or maketh any account thereof who forsaketh this world and seekes vnto Christ for it Nowe least any man should say alas I knowe not the way therefore Christ before he ascended made a new and liuing way with his owne blood as the Apostle speaketh And to take away all excuses from men he hath set markes and bounds in this way and hath placed guides in it namely his ministers to shew all the passengers a straight readie course into the kingdom of heauen And though Christ haue done all this for vs yet the blindnes and securitie of men is such that none almost walketh in this way nor careth to come to this mansion place but in stead of this they walke in by-waies according to the lusts of their owne flesh When they are commaunded to goe eastward to Ierusalem they turne westward an other way when they are commanded to goe on forward to heauen they turne againe backward and goe straight to hell Men runne on all the daies of their liues in the broad way that leadeth to destruction and neuer so much as once make inquirie for a resting place in heauen but when the houre of death commeth then they call for the guide whereas all their liues before they haue run out of the way many thousand miles but then alas it is too late vnlesse it be the vnspeakeable mercie of God For they haue wandred so farre astray that in so short a space they cannot be able to come into the right way againe Yet generally this is the state of most among vs whose securitie is so much the more grieuous fearefull because Christ hath done al that heart can wish There is nothing else required but onely that by his grace we should walk in the way There was neuer any that knew the state of the people in these daies but he will say that this is most true which I say Besides as by this we are brought to a sight of the desperate securitie of this age so we may further learne our owne dueties Is Christ gone to heauen beforehand to prepare a place for thee thē practise that which Paul teacheth Haue thy conuersation in heauen The wordes which he vseth are very significant and the meaning of them is this Ye are free denizens of the citie of God and therefore as freemen in Gods house let all your cares and studies all your affaires and doings be in heauen In the world if a man make purchase of an house his heart is alwaies there there he pulls downe and builds againe there he makes him orchards and gardens there hee meanes to liue and die Christ Iesus hath bought the kingdome of heauen for vs the most blessed purchase that euer was hath paid the dearest price for it that euer was paid euen his owne pretious blood and in this citie he hath prepared for vs a dwelling place and made vs free denizens of it therefore all our ioy and all our affaires ought to be there But how shall a man vpon earth haue his conuersation in heauen Answ. We must converse in heauen not in bodie but in heart therfore though our bodies be on earth yet our hearts ioy and comfort and all our meditation must be in heauen Thus must we behaue our selues like good freemen in Gods house It must be farre from vs to haue our ioy and our hearts set on the things of this world Thirdly the consideration of this that Christ Iesus hath prepared a place for vs in heauen also hath trayned the way with his own blood must make euery one of vs to striue to enter in at the straight gate as our Sauiour Christ counselleth vs and that as wrastlers doe which striue for life and death Within this gate is a dwelling place of happines readie for vs. If a man were assured that there were made for him a great purchase in Spaine or Turkie so as if hee would but come thither he might inioy it would he not aduenture the daungers of the sea and of his enemies also if neede were that he might come to his owne Wel behold Christ Iesus hath made a purchase for vs in heauen there is nothing required of vs but that we will come and enioy it Why then should men refuse any paines or feare in the way nay we must striue to get in It may be we shalbe pinched in the entrance for the gate is both straight and low and we must be faine to leaue our wealth behinde vs the pleasures of this life and enter we must though we should be constrained
cunning men cunning women is that is of charmers inchanters figure casters a bad practise Christ at his ascensiō sēt his holy spirit vnto his Church people to be their guide comforter in their calamities and miseries and therefore when any man is in distresse he should haue recourse to the right meanes of comfort namely the word sacraments there he shall finde the assistance of the holy ghost Thus the prophet Isai informeth the Iewes when they shall say unto you inquire at them which haue a spirit of divination at the soothsayers which whisper and murmure Should not a people inquire at their God from the living to the dead to the law and to the testimony Rebecca when the two twinnes stroue in her womb what did she the text saith she sent to aske the Lorde Yet commonly the men of these daies leaue God seeke to the instruments of the deuill To goe yet further God useth for sundrie causes most of all to afflict his deerest children Iudgement saieth Peter beginnes at Gods house S. Luke saieth that a certaine woman was bound of satan eighteene yeeres but what was shee a daughter of Abraham that is a child of God When the like condition shall befall any of vs let us remember the end why Christ ascended up to heauen and pray unto God that hee will giue us his spirit that therby we may be eased deliuered or els inabled to perseuere and continue in patience and this is the true way and meanes to lighten and ease the burden of all afflictions And for this cause Paul prayeth that the Colossians might be strengthened with all might through his glorious power unto all patience and long suffering with ioyfulnesse For to whomsoeuer God giueth grace to beleeue to them also he giues power to suffer affliction by the inward worke of his spirite Secondly if Christ haue sent unto his church the holy spirite to be our comforter our duty is to prepare our bodies and soules to be fitte temples and houses for so worthy a guest If a man were certified that a prince would come to his house he would dresse it up haue all things in as good order as might be and shall not we much more endeauour to purifie and clense our soules and bodies from all sinne that they may be fitte temples for the entertainment of the holy ghost whom Christ Iesus hath sent to be our comforter The Shunamite was carefull to entertaine the man of God Elisha for shee saide to her husbande Let vs make him a litle chamber I pray thee with vvalles and let vs set him there a bed and a stoole a table and a candlesticke Now how much more carefull ought we be to entertaine God himselfe who is content to come and dwell with us and therefore we must adorne our bodies and soules with grace that he may lodge and suppe and dine with us as he hath promised but on the contrarie if we defile our bodies with sinne wee banish the holy ghost out of our hearts and suffer the diuell to dwell in us For the more a man defileth his bodie the fitter and cleaner it is for him And to conclude this point let us remember that saying which is used of some that Christ when hee went hence gaue us his pawne namely his spirit to assure us that hee woulde come to us againe and also hee tooke with him our pawne namely his flesh to assure us further that wee should ascend up to him Thus much for the benefites of Christes ascension Now follow the duties whereunto we are mooued and they are two First we must be here admonished to renounce the ubiquitie and the errour of the reall and essentiall presence of the bodie of Christ in the Sacrament of the Lordes supper as flatly oppugning this article of Christs ascension into heauen For it is flat against the nature of a true body to subsist in many places at once Secondly as the Apostles then did whē they saw Christ ascending up into heauen so must we do also while he was present with them they gaue him honour but when they saw him ascending they adored him with farre greater reuerence and so must we now for the same cause bow the knees of our hearts unto him Thus much of the second degree of the exaltation of Christ Now follow the third in these wordes And sitteth at the right hand of God the father almightie In the handling whereof we are first to shewe the meaning of the wordes secondly the comforts and benefits that redound to Gods Church thirdly the duties that we are mooued unto For the meaning of the wordes if we speake properly God hath neither right hand nor left neither can he be saide to sit or stand for God is not a bodie but a spirite the words therefore containe a borrowed speech from earthly kings potentates whose manner and custome hath beene to place such persons at their right hands whome they purposed to advance to any speciall office or dignitie So king Salomon when his mother came to speake with him rose up from his throne and mette her and caused a seate to be set at his owne right hand and set her upon it in token no doubt of honour which he gaue unto her To the same purpose Dauid saith Vpon thy right hand did stand the Queene in a vesture of golde And the sonnes of Zebedeus made sute to Christ that one of them might sit at his right hand and the other at his left in his kingdome Now their request was to haue the two speciall and principall dignities of his kingdome Thus we see it is manifest that the sitting at the right hand of an earthly prince signifieth aduancement into authority and honour and therefore the same phrase of speech applied to Christ signifieth two things First his full and manifest exaltation in dignitie honour and glorie and in this sense it is saide that to him is given a name that is above all names that at the name of Iesus every knee should bovve Secondly it signifieth his full and manifest exaltation into the authoritie and gouernment of his kingdome which spreadeth it selfe ouer heauen and earth So Dauid saieth The Lorde saide vnto my Lorde Sit thou at my right hand untill I make thine enimies thy footstoole Which place beeing alledged by Saint Paul repeating the wordes but changing the phrase is thus set downe He shall raigne till he have put all his enemies under his feete And to speake in breefe the scope of the wordes is to shewe that Christ God and man after his ascension is advanced to such an estate in which hee hath fulnesse of glorie power maiestie and authoritie in the presence of his father and all the saintes and holy angels Furthermore in the words three circumstances must be obserued The first is the place where Christ is thus aduāced noted in
turne betime from our sinnes and become the friends of Christ that so we may escape these fearefull iudgements And whereas Christ in this manner gouernes all things in heauen and earth we are bound to performe vnto him three duties reuerence obedience thankfulnes For the first Paul saith God hath exalted him and giuen him a name aboue all names that at the name of Iesus which name is his exaltation in heauen in full power and glorie should euery knee bowe We dare not so much as speake of an earthly king vnreuerently what reuerence then doe we owe vnto Christ the king of heauen and earth Dauids heart was touched in that he had cut off but the lappe of Sauls garment when he might haue slaine him because he was the Lords annointed Oh then howe much more ought our hearts to be touched if we shall in the least measure dishonour Christ Iesus our Lord and king Secondly we are here taught to performe obedience to him and to do him all the homage we can The master of the familie in all his lawfull commaundements must be obeied now the Church of Christ is a familie therfore we must yeild obedience to him in al things for al his coÌ„mandemeÌ„ts are iust WheÌ„ Saul was chosen king ouer Israel certain men which feared God whose hearts God had touched followed him to Gibea brought him presents but the wicked despised him the same is much more to be verified in vs towarde Christ our Lord. We must haue our hearts touched with desire to performe obedience vnto him if not we are men of Belial that despise him and refuse to bring our presents vnto him If this obedience were put in practise the Gospell would haue better successe in the hearts of the people and the Lords sabbath would be better kept and men would beare greater loue both to God and to their neighbours then now they doe The third dutie which we owe vnto him is thankfulnes for the endlesse care which he sheweth in the gouerning and preseruing of vs. VVhen Dauid waxed old and had made Salomon his sonne king in his stead all the people shouted and cried God saue king Salomon God saue king Salomon so as the earth rang againe Shall the people of Israel thus reioyce at the crowning of Salomon shal not we much more reioyce when as Christ Iesus is placed in heauen at the right hand of his father and hath the euerlasting scepter of his kingdome put into his hand And we are to shew this thankfulnes vnto him by doing any thing in this world that may tend to his honour and glorie though it be with the aduenture of our liues VVhen Dauid desired to drinke of the water of the well of Bethlem three of his mightie men went and brake into the host of the Philistims and brought him water Thus they ventured their liues for Dauids sake and shall not we much more willingly venture our liues to doe Christ seruice in token of thankfulnes for his continuall preseruing of vs Thus much of the highest degree of Christs exaltation in his kingdome now followeth the last point to be beleeued concerning Christ in these words From thenâ—e he shall come to iudge the quicke and the deade And they containe a proofe or a particular declaration of the former article For as on earth those that are set at the right hand of kings doe execute iustice in courts or assises for the maintenance of the state and peace of the kingdome so Christ Iesus sitting at the right hande of his father that is being made soueraigne Lord of all things both in heauen earth is to hold a court or assise in which he shall come to iudge both the quicke and the dead Now in handling the last iudgement we are to consider these points I. whether there shall be a iudgement or not II. the time of it III. the signes therof IV. the manner of it V. the vse which is to be made thereof Of these in order For the first point whether there shall be a iudgement or not the question is needefull for as Saint Peter saith There shall come in the last daies mockers which shall walke after their lusts and say Where is the promise of his comming which daies are now The answeare is set downe in this article in which we professe that the coÌ„ming of Christ to the last iudgement is a point of religion specially to be held and auouched The reasons to prooue it are principally two first the testimonie of God himselfe in the books of the old and new testament which affoard vnto vs plentifull testimonies touching the last iudgement so as he which will but lightly reade the same shall not neede to doubt thereof The second reason is taken from the iustice and goodnes of God the propertie wherof is to punish wicked and vngodly men and to honour and reward the godly but in this world the godly maÌ„ is most of al in misery for iudgement beginneth at Gods house and the vngodly haue their hearts ease Wicked Diues hath the world at will but pore Lazarus is hunger bitten full of soares miserable euery way This being so it remaineth that after this life there must needes be a iudgement and a second comming of Christ when the godly must receiue fulnes of ioy glorie and the vngodly fulnes of woe and miserie This second reason may stoppe the mouthes of all gainesayers in the worlde whatsoeuer But it may be obiected that the whole world stands either of beleeuers or vnbeleeuers and that there is no last iudgement for either of these for the beleeuer as Christ saith hath euerlasting life shal not come into iudgement and the vnbeleeuer is condemned alreadie and therefore needeth no further iudgement Answ. Where it is said he that beleeueth shall not come into iudgement it must be vnderstood of the iudgement of condemnation not the iudgement of absolution he that beleeueth not is condemned alreadie in effect substance three waies I. in the counsel of God who did foresee appoint his condemnation as it is a punishment of sinne and an execution of his iustice II. in the word of God where he hath his condemnation set down III. he is condemned in his own conscience for euery vngodly mans conscience is a iudge vnto himselfe which doth euery houre condemne him and it is a forerunner of the last iudgement And notwithstaÌ„ding all this there may remain a second iudgement which is a manifestatioÌ„ finishing of that which was beguÌ„ in this world therefore the meaning of that place is this he that beleeueth not is alreadie iudged in part but so as the full manifestation thereof shall be at the second comming of Christ. The second circumstance is the time of his iudgement in handling whereof I. we will see what is the iudgement of men II. what is the truth For the first two opinions touching this
sundred one from another And though Peter Paul Timothy haue all one common universall forme yet they three are not one man but 3. men Now it is otherwise with the divine nature or godhead which is uncreated and infinite and therefore admittes neither composition nor division but a distinction without any separation so as the three persons subsisting in it shall not be three gods but one and the same god Yet further some will obiect that it is truly said of the father that hee 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 Ansvver The sonne and the holy ghost haue not a beginning of their nature or of their godhead from the Father but of their person only 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 all their attributes as wisedome knowledge power c. Now 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 know that which the Sōne receiueth of the Father he receiueth it by nature and not by grace he receiueth not a part but all that the Father hath saving the personall 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 necessarie to be learned of the vnion betweene the three persons in Trinitie whereby they being three haue all one and the same godheade The second point to be considered is 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 nor 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 baptism of our Saviour Christ where it is said that vvhen Iesus was baptized hee came out of the vvater there is the second person and the Holy ghost descended upon him in the forme of a dove there is the thirde person and the Father the first person pronounced from heauen that hee was his beloved Sonne in whome hee was well pleased And we must not 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 truth distinctly subsist in the same divine nature Neither must we imagine that the three persons are three formes or differences of one god as some heretikes 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 thirde For this were nothing else 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 foorth of them For the personall relations though in minde they may be distinguished from the divine 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 untrue which they say for the godhead must not be severed from the father nor frō the sonne nor frō 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 conceived to be in them all and not as a fourth thing out of them And therefore we must still maintaine that these 3. persons are distinguished and not deuided as three men are deuided in being and substance for this division can not be in them because all three haue one divine nature and one godhead This is the misterie of all misteries to be receiued of us all namely the trinitie of the persons in the vnitie of the godhead This doctrine must be reteined 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 pointes of religion this is one of the chiefest being the verie foundation thereof For it is not sufficient for us to know God as we can conceiue of him in our owne imagination but we must know him as he hath revealed him selfe in his worde 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 more then this we must hold beleeue that God the father is our father the sonne our redeemer the holy ghost our sanctifier comforter Well then if we must in this maner beleeue in god then we must also know him for vve can haue no faith in the thing which is utterly unknown wherfore if we would beleeue in the father son or holy ghost we must know them in part Ioh. 17. This is life eternall to know thee the only God and whome thou hast sent Iesus Christ. Ioh. 14.17 The world can not receiue the spirite of truth because it hath neither seene him nor knowen him 1. Ioh. 2.23 Whosoever denieth the sonne hath not the father Thirdly this doctrine directs us in worshipping God aright for vnitie in trinitie trinitie in vnitie is to be worshipped one God must be worshipped in the father in the sonne and in the holy ghost if we worship God the father without the sonne the holy ghost or if we worshippe the sonne without the father and the holy ghost and the holy ghost without the father the sonne we worship nothing but an Idol Againe if we worship the 3. 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 is described to us by three things I. by his title that he is a father II. by his attribute that hee is Almightie III. by his effect that hee is maker of heaven and earth
of the deuill But least this fearefull sentence be verefied of vs it is the duety of euerie man that maketh this confession that hee beleeues God to be his father first to labour to knovve Gods will and secondly to perfourme continuall obedience unto the same Like unto a good childe that would faine please his father and therefore is alwaies ready to do the best he can And without doubt that man which unfainedly takes God for his father is then most grieued when as by any sinne he displeaseth him no other crosse or calamity is so grieuous unto him The greatest grief that the prodigall sonne had was that he had offēded his father by sinning against heauē against him the same also must be our griefe and all our care set on this how we may be obedient children to this our louing father Thirdly that mā 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 2. 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 your father which is in heaven for hee maketh the sunne to rise on the evill and on the good and sendeth raine on the iust and uniust II. Our heavenly 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 breethren as Iob saith of himselfe I vvas the eyes to the blind I vvas the feete unto the lame I vvas a father unto the poore Fourthly seeing wee beleeue God to be our father we are hereby taught onely to vse moderate care for the things of this life for if a man know himselfe to be the child of God then he also knowes that God will provide for him as wee know in a family the father provideth for all Now God is a father and his Church is his family therefore if thou wilt be a mēber of Gods Church a child of God thou must cast thy care on god follow the counsell of Christ Be not to carefull for your life what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink And mark his reason drawen 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 heavenly father feedeth them are not ye much better then they But alas the practise of the worlde is contrarie for men haue no care for the knowledge of Gods worde nor the meanes of their salvation all their mindes are set on the things of this life when as Christ saith First seeke the kingdome of heaven and the righteousnesse thereof and all these things shall be ministred vnto you If you shoulde see a young man provide for himselfe and no man else for him wee woulde say surely his father is deade 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 Fiftly if God he our father then wee must learne to beare any crosse patiently that he shall lay upon us either in bodie or in minde and alwaies looke for deliverance from him for whome the Lorde loueth them hee chastiseth and if yee endure chastising saith the Apostle God offereth himselfe unto you as vnto children which may appeare more plainly by this comparison If two children shoulde fight and a man comming by shoulde parte them and after beate the one and let the other goe free euerie man that seeth this will say that that childe which hee beates is his owne sonne Euen so when God chastiseth vs he shevveth himselfe unto us as a father if we submit our selues Nowe if our earthly fathers corrected us and we gaue them reverence taking it patiently should vve not much rather be in subiection to the father of spirits that wee may liue Therefore the conclusion is this if we displease God be ye sure he will correct us when his hand is upon us we must not murmure against him but beare it with a milde spirite and furthermore when vvee are under the crosse we must alwaies looke for deliverance from this our father onely If a sonne vvhen hee is beaten should flee to his fathers enemies for helpe and counsell it woulde argue that hee were but a gracelesse childe Sundry and divers calamities and crosses befall men in this life which they can not brooke and therefore it is a common practise of many among us in these dayes vvhen Gods hande is upon them to goe for helpe to the deuill they seeke for counsell at witches and vvise men as I haue said but let them looke unto it for that is the right vvay to double their miserie and to shewe themselues levvde children Lastly if wee confesse and beleeue god to be the father of Christ and in him our father also then in regarde of our conuersation wee must not frame our selves like unto the world 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 olde Testament where the Lorde biddeth the Israelites to come out from Idolaters and to touch no vncleane thing and the reason followeth out of Ieremie that if they doe so then God vvill be their father and they shall be his children even his sonnes and daughters which reason Paul vrgeth in the next chapter to this effect considering wee haue these promises that therefore wee shoulde cleanse our selues from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirite and growe up unto holines in the feare of the Lorde where if wee marke the place diligently wee shall finde this lesson that euerie man who takes God for his father must not onely in this sinne of Idolatrie but in all other sinnes separate himselfe that men by his godly life may knowe whose childe he is But some will say this exhortation is needlesse amongst vs for wee haue no cause to separate our selues from others because all amongst vs are Christians all beleeve in God and are baptised and hope to be saved by Christ. Ansvver In outvvard profession I confesse wee carrie the shewe of Christians but in deede and trueth by our lives and conversations very many among vs denie Christ for in euerie place the common practise is to spende the time in drunkennesse and surfetting in chambering and wantonnesse yea great is the companie of those that make a trade of it take this conversation from many men and take away their liues And on the Lordes day it may bee seene both publiquely and priuately in houses and in the open streetes there is such reuell as though there were no
especially of such as are olde in yeares and yet remaine ignorant without knowledge they must turne to the Lorde by repentance otherwise if they continue still profane and wicked they must knowe this that their damnation comes post hast to meete them and they to it And thus much for the dueties Nowe followe the consolations which Gods Church reape from this that God the father is omnipotent First the wonderfull power of God serueth to strengthen vs in prayer vnto God for he that will pray truly must onely pray for those things for which he hath warrant in Gods word all our prayers must be made in faith and for a man to pray in faith it is harde therefore a speciall meanes to strengthen vs herein is the mightie power of God This was the ground and stay of the leaper whome our Sauiour Christ clensed Lord saith he if thou wilt thou canst make me cleane And in the Lords prayer when our Sauiour Christ hath taught vs to make sixe petitions in the ende he giueth vs a reason or motiue to induce vs to stand vpon and to wait for the benefits before craved in these words Thine is the kingdome thine is the power c. Secondly hence we learne this comfort that all the gates of hell shal neuer be able to preuaile against the least mēber of Christ. I doe not say they shal neuer be able to assault or tempt them for that may be but they shall neuer ouercome them How will some say may we be resolued of this I answer By reason of faith for if a Christian man do beleeue that God the father and in Christ his father is almightie no enemie shall euer be able to preuaile against him So S. Iohn reasoneth Little children yee are of God and haue ouercome them that is all false teachers because greater is he that is in you that is Christ Iesus by his holy spirite who is God and therefore almightie then he that is in the worlde that is the spirit of Sathan therefore you neede not to feare So Dauid compareth him selfe to a sillie sheepe and saith Though I should walke through the valley of the shadow of death that is as it were in the mouth of the lyō yet I will feare none evill why so because the Lord is with him thy rodde saith he and thy staffe comfort me Thus much for the benefits Now whereas it is saide the first person is a father as also almightie ioyne these two together and hence will arise singular benefits and instructions First whereas we are taught to confesse that the first person is a father almightie we and euery man must learne to haue experience in himselfe of the mightie power of this almightie father Why will some say that is nothing for the deuil and all the damned soules feele the power of the Almightie True in deede they feele the power of God namely as he is an almightie Iudge condemning them but they feele not the power of an almightie father this is the point whereof we must learne to haue experience in our selues Paul prayeth that the God of our Lord Iesus Christ the father of glorie would giue vnto the Ephesians the spirite of wisdome to see what is the exceeding greatnes of his power in them which beleeue according to the working of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ. Which place must be cōsidered for here the Apostle would haue vs haue such a speciall manifestation of Gods power in our selues like to that which he did once shew forth in Christ. But how did Christ see and find the power of God as he was man Answ. Diuers waies I. On the crosse he died the first death which is the separation of bodie and soule and he suffered the sorrowes of the second death For in his soule he bare the whole wrath of God and all the panges of hell and after was buried and laide in the graue where death triumphed ouer him for the space of three daies Now in this extremitie God did shew his power in that he raised Christ from death to life And looke as his power was manifested in Christ the head so must it be manifested in all his members for euery man hath his graue which is naturall sinne and corruption which we draw from our first parents and looke as a man lies dead in the graue and can mooue neither hand nor foote so euery man by nature lieth dead in sinne Now as God did shewe his power in raising Christ from death so euery one must labour to haue this knowledge and experience in him selfe of the mightie power of God in raising him from the graue of sinne to newnes of life For thus Paul makes a speciall request that he might knowe Christ and the vertue of his resurrection that is that he might feele in him selfe that power whereby Christ was raised from death to life to raise him also from the bondage of his sinnes to a new life more more Furthermore whē Christ was vpon the crosse and all the gates of hell were open against him then did hee vanquish Sathan he bruised the serpents head and as Paul saith he spoiled principalities and powers 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 sathan◠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 cuppe might passe from him and yet he saith Not my will but thy will be fulfilled For it was necessarie 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 manhoode to beare the brunt of his indignation Nowe looke as this power was effectual in Christ Iesus the head to make him able and sufficient to beare the panges of hell so the same power of God is in some measure effectuall in all the members of Christ to make them both patient and 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 ioyfulnes And this is a notable point which euery one ought to learne that wheras they confesse God to be their almightie father they should here withall labour to feele and haue experience in themselues that he is almightie in the beginning and continuing of grace vnto them and in giuing thē 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 hande of God in
Lorde is eternall and this thirde heauen hath alwaies beene the place of the Lords abode and therefore it is also eternall Ansvver True it is that God doeth shewe his glorie and maiestie in the thirde heauen but yet that cannot obtaine his godhead as Salomon saith Beholde the heavens and the heavens of heavens are not able to containe thee Wherefore though God doeth manifest his eternall glorie in this thirde heauen yet it doeth not follow that therefore it shoulde be eternall for he needes no place to dvvell in for hee is every where filling all things with his presence excluded from no place The seconde question where this thirde heauen is Ansvvere There are some protestants say it is euery where and they hold this opinion to maintaine the reall presence of the Lordes body in or about the Sacrament But if it vvere euery where then hell shoulde be in heauen which no man will say but heauen indeed is aboue these visible heauens which we see with our eyes so the Apostle saith Christ ascended on high farre above all heauens c. And againe it is saide of Steven that beeing full of the holy ghost He looked up steadfastly into the heauens and sawe them open and the sonne of man standing at the right hand of God Thirdly it may be demanded why God created this thirde heauen Ansvver God made it for this cause that there might be 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 folde more glorious then the two former heavens are in which 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 heaven 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 gloriously here as hee shall in heauen for this is the kingdome of grace but that is the kingdome of his glorie where he so reigneth that he will be all in all first in Christ and then in the elect both Angels and men Now followes the duties wherunto we are moved principally in consideration of the making of the third heauen First if God created it especially for the manifestation of his glorie unto men that at the ende of this world by the fruition of Gods most glorious presence there they might haue perfect ioye and felicitie wee haue occasion here to consider the wonderfull madnesse of the vvorlde that reigneth euery where among men which onely haue regarde to the state of this life and cast all their care on this world and neuer so much as dreame of the ioyfull and blessed estate which is prepared for Gods children in the highest heauen If a man hauing two houses 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 up of the first would not euerie man say he were a mad man yes undoubtedly And yet this is the spirituall madnesse that reigneth euery where among men for God hath prepared for us two houses one is this our bodie which we beare about us which is an house of clay as Iob saith VVee dvvell in houses of clay whose foundation is dust which shall be destroyed before the moth and as Peter saith a Tabernacle or tent which wee must shortly take downe and wherein we abide but as pilgrimes and strangers Againe the same God of his wonderfull goodnesse hath provided for us a second house in the third heauen wherein we 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 claye whose foundation is but dust but for the blessed estate of the second house which is prepared for them in the kingdome of heauen they haue no regarde or care They vvill both runne and ride from place to place day and night both by Sea and lande but for vvhat 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 use any meanes whereby they may come unto 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 saide this be not more then senselesse madnesse Againe the body is but a tabernacle wherein we must rest as it were for a night as a stranger doeth in an Inne and so away but the second house is eternall in the heavens an everlasting seate of all felicitie And therefore our dutie is aboue all things to seeke the kingdome of heauen and the righteousnesse thereof as Christ himselfe biddeth us And if the Lorde haue there prepared such a place for vs then wee must in this worlde use all good meanes whereby we may be made worthy the fruition of it also fitte and ready at the day of death to enter into it which at the day of iudgement we shall fully possesse both in soule and body and there reigne 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 he may be fitte for that place Ansvver This the holy ghost teacheth us for speaking of this heauenly Ierusalem hee saith There shall enter into it none uncleane thing neither whatsoever vvorketh abomination or lyes The meanes then to make our selues fitte is to seeke to be reconciled to God in Christ for our sinnes past and withall to indeauour 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 wee must remember what S. Iohn saith Euery one that hath this hope purifieth himselfe meaning that he which hath hope to reigne 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 truly 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 deadlie wounds and wholly ouercome them Now the man that is 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 upright and continually to walke in righteousnesse and true holinesse all the daies
Christ teacheth when he saith that the angels of little ones doe alreadie behold the face of the father in heauen And the wicked angels before their fall were placed in heauen for 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 Cherubim 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 three-fold and it respecteth either God himselfe or his Church or his enemies The ministery which they performe to God is first of all to adore praise and glorifie him continually Thus the Cherubims in Esaies vision cry one to another Holy holy holy is the Lord God of hosts the world is full of his glorie And when they were to publish the birth of the Messias they begin on this manner Glorie to God in the highest heauens peace on earth And Iohn in his vision heard the angels about the throne crying with a loud voyce Worthie is the Lambe c. to receiue power riches and strength wisedome and honour and glorie and praise And indeed the heighest ende of the ministerie of angels is the glorie of God The second is to stand in Gods presence euermore readie to do 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. VVe 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 ministring spirits for the good of them which shall be heyres of saluation The good is three-fold in this life in the ende of this life and in the last iudgement againe the good which they procure to the people of God in this life is either in respect of bodie or soule In respect of the bodie in that they doe most carefully performe all manner of duties which doe 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 foorth of Abrahams familie and wandred in the wildernes an angell comes vnto hir and giues hir counsell to returne to hir mistres and humble hir selfe VVhen Elias fled from Iesabel he was both comforted directed and fedde by an angell And an angel bids the same Elias be of good courage and without feare to go to King Achazias reprooue him Angels bring Lot and his familie out of Sodom and Gomorrha before they burne the cities with fire brimstone VVhen Iacob feared his brother Esau he saw angels comming vnto him and he plainly acknowledgeth that they were sent to be his protectours and his guides in his iournie Abraham beeing perswaded of the assistance of Gods angels in all his waies said to his seruant The Lord God of heauen who tooke me from my fathers house c. will send his angell before thee The wise men that came to see Christ are admonished by Angels to returne another way Ioseph by the directiō of an angel fled into Egypt that he might preserue Christ frō the hāds of the cruel tyrāt the tēts of the Israelites was garded by angels The 3. children are deliuered frō the fierie furnace Daniel out of the lyōs den by angels Whē Christ was in heauines they ministred vnto him cōforted him they brought Peter out of prisō set him at liberty Againe the Angels procure good vnto the soules of the godly in that they are maintainers and furtherers of the true worship of God and of all good meanes whereby we attaine to saluation The law was deliuered in mount Sina by angels and a great part of the Reuelation of Iohn They expound to Daniel the 70. weekes They instruct the Apostles touching the returne of Christ to the last iudgement Angels forbid Iohn to worship them but to worship God the creatour of heauen and earth They set the Apostles out of prison and bid them teach in the temple An angel brings Philip to the Eunuch that he may expound the scriptures to him Lastly they reueale the mysteries and the will of God as to Abraham that he should not kil his sonne Isaac to Marie and Elizabeth the natiuitie of Iohn Baptist and of Christ our Sauiour al this they do according vnto the wil of God Gal. 1.8 Beside all this angels reioyce at the conuersion of sinners by the ministerie of the Gospell And for the Churches sake they protect not onely particular men but euen whole nations and kingdomes The ministerie of Angels in the ende of this life is to carie the soules of the godly into Abrahams bosome as they did the soule of Lazarus And in the day of iudgement to gather all the Elect that they may come before Christ and enter into eternall fruition of glorie both in bodie soule The third last part of the minsterie of angels concerns Gods enemies it is to execute iudgements on all wicked persons and impenitent sinners Thus all the first borne of Egypt are slain by an angel VVhen Iosua was about to sack Ierico an angel appeared vnto him as a captaine with a drawn sword to fight for Israel When the host of Senacherib came against Israel the angel of the Lord in one night slue an hundred eightie and fiue thousand Because Herod gaue not glorie vnto God the angel of the Lord smote him so as he was eaten vp of lice and died And thus we see what points we are to marke touching the good Angels Now followeth the vse which we are to make in regard of their creation First whereas they are Gods ministers to inflict punishments vpon the wicked here is a speciall point to be learned of vs that euery man in the feare of God take heede how he liueth and continueth in his sinnes for the case is dangerous considering that God hath armies of angels which stand readie euery where to execute Gods heauie iudgements vpon them that liue thus Whē the people of Israel had sinned against the Lord Moses saith they were naked that is open to all the iudgements of God euen destitute of the guard of his good Angels VVretched Balaam that wizard went to Balaac to curse the children of Israel and as he went it is said the angel of the Lord stood in his way with a drawne sword and if the asse had not beene wiser then his master the
by meate drinke yet so as he can doth most freely order all things by meanes either aboue nature or against nature as it shall seeme good unto him As when hee caused the sunne to stand in the firmament to go back in Achas diall when he caused the fire not to burne the three children when he kept backe devve and raine three yere in Israel when hee made waters to flovve out of the rocke when hee caused Elias cloake to deuide the waters of Iorden when he caused iron to swimme when he preserued Ionas aliue three daies and three nightes in the whales belly when he cured diseases by the strength of nature incurable as the leprosie of Naaman the issue of blood and blindnesse c. Among all the meanes vvhich God useth the speciall are the reasonable creatures which are no passiue instruments as the toole in the hande of the workeman but actiue because as they are mooued by God so againe beeing induâ—d with will and reason they mooue themselues And such instruments are either good or euill Euill as wicked men and angels And these he useth to doe his good vvill and pleasure euen then when they doe least of all obey him And considering that the â—inning instrument which is mooued by God doeth also mooue it selfe freely without any constraint on Gods part God himselfe is free from all blame when the instrument is blame-worthy In directing the instrument God sinneth not the action indeede is of him but the defect of the action from the instrument which being corrupt can it selfe do nothing but that vvhich is corrupt God in the meane season by it bringing that to passe which is uerie good The whole cause of sinne is in Satan and in us as for god he puts no vvickednes into vs but the evill vvhich he finds in us he mooues orders and gouernes and bends it by his infinite vvisdome vvhen and in vvhat maner it pleaseth him to the glorie of his name the euill instrument not knowing so much nay intending a farre other ende As in the mill the horse blind-folded goes forward and perceiues nothing but that he is in the ordinarie way vvhereas the miller himselfe vvhippes him and stirres him forward for another end namely for the grinding of corne And this is that which we must holde touching Gods providence ouer vvicked men and angels and is standes vvith the tenour of the whole bible Iosephs breethren sold him into Egypt verie wickedly euen in the testimonie of their owne consciences yet Ioseph having respect to the counsell and vvorke of god vvhich he performed by his brethren saith that the Lorde sent him thither And the Church of Ierusalem saith that Herode and Pontius Pilate did nothing in the death of Christ but that which the hand and counsell of God had determined to be done because though they wickedly intended nothing but to shevve their mallice and hatred in the death of Christ yet God propounding a further matter by them then euer they dreamed of shewed forth his endles mercie to man in the worke of redemption On this maner must all the places of scripture be understood in which it is said that god gaue the vviues of Dauid to Absolon that God mooved David to number the people that he commanded Shemi to raile on David that the Medes and Persians are his sanctified ones that the revolt of the ten tribes was done by God c. By all these examples it appeares that we must not sever gods permission from his will or decree and that wee must put difference betweene the euill worke of man and the good worke of God which he doth by man and the whole matter may yet be more clerely perceiued by this comparison A thiefe at the day of assise is condemned and the magistrate appointes him to be executed the hangman owing a grudge to the malefactour useth him hardly and prolongeth his punishment longer then he should Nowe the magistrate and the hangman doe both one and the same worke yet the hangman for his part is a murderer the magistrate in the meane season no murderer but a iust iudge putting iustice in execution by the hangmaÌ„ So God though he use euill instruments yet is he free from the euill of the instruments And further we must here marke the difference vvhich must be made in gods using of all kinds of instruments WheÌ„ he useth good creatures as angels hee worketh his will not onely by them but also in them because hee inspires them and guides them by his spirite so as they shall will doe that which hee vvilleth and intendeth As for evill instruments he worketh by them only and not in them because he holdes backe his grace from them and leaues them to themselves to put in practise the corruption of their owne hearts Thus much of the partes of Gods prouidence now follow the kinds thereof Gods prouidence is either generall or speciall Generall is that which extendes it selfe to the whole world and all things indifferently euen to the deuils themselues By this providence God continues and mainetaines the order which he set in nature in the creation and he preserues the life substance and the being of all and euery creature in his kinde The especiall prouidence is that which God sheweth and exerciseth towards his Church and chosen people in gathering and guiding them and in preserving them by his mightie power against the gates of hell And therefore Gods Church here upon earth is called the kingdome of grace in which he shewes not onely a generall power ouer his creatures but withall the special operation of his spirite in bowing bending the hearts of men to his will Thus much concerning the doctrine of Gods prouidence Now followes the duties First seeing there is a providence of God ouer euerie thing that is wee are hereby taught to take good heede of the transgression of the least of Gods commaundements If men were persvvaded that the prince had an eie every where doubtles many subiects in England would walke more obediently to the lawes of the land then they doe and durst in no wise worke such vilanies as are daily practised VVell howsoeuer it is with earthly princes yet this is least wanting in God he hath an eye euerie where wheresoeuer thou art there god beholdeth thee as Dauid saith God looked downe from heauen upon the children of men to see if there were any that woulde vnderstand and seeke God Therefore except thou be brutish and past shame take heed of sinne If men had but a sparke of grace the consideration of this would make them loath the practise of wickednes Eliah saith to Ahab As the Lord God of Israell liveth before whom I stand there shall be neither dew nor raine these 3. yeres VVhere the Prophet confirmeth his speech with an oth saying As the Lord of hosts liueth it shall be so least Ahab should thinke he
but he which is very God IV. It was the pleasure of God to shewe his incomprehensible goodnes in this that his grace should not onely be equall to our sinne but also by many degrees goe beyond it And therefore the first Adam beeing but a meere man the second Adam must be both God man that as the second was more excellent then the first so our comfort might be greater in our redemption by the second then our miserie and discomfort was by the fall of the first Hitherto wee haue shewed howe Christ is the sonne of God Now let vs come to the second point namely that he is the onely sonne of God And he is so tearmed because he is the sonne of the father in that manner as nothing else can be but he Angels indeede are tearmed the sonnes of God but that is onely in respect of their creation and all that beleeue in Christ are the sonnes of God by adoption being receiued into the familie of God which is his Church by the merit of Christ whereas by nature they were the children of wrath Christ also as he is man I say not his manhood which is a nature and no person is the sonne of God by the grace of personall vnion and not by nature or by adoption Lastly Christ as he is the second person in trinitie the eternall worde of the father coeternall and consubstanciall with him is also the sonne of God But how neither by creation nor adoption nor by the vertue of personall vnion but by nature as he was begotten of the very substance of the father before all worlds and therefore he is called the proper and onely begotten sonne of God It may be obiected on this manner If the father beget the sonne he doth it either willingly or against his will if willingly then the sonne is begotten by the freewill of the father and no sonne by nature Answer The father did communicate to the sonne his whole Godhead willingly without constraint yet not by his will and therefore he is the sonne of the father by nature not by will It may be further said that if Christ be the sonne of God by nature as he is the essentiall word of the father by personall vnion as he is mā then is he not one but two sonnes Answ. As he is but one person so is he but one sonne yet not in one but in two respects two respects make not two things whereas one and the same thing and so remaining may admit sundrie respects Thus much of the meaning of the third title Now follow the comforts which may be gathered hence Whereas Christ Iesus is the sonne of God it serues as a meanes to make miserable and wretched sinners that are by nature the children of wrath and damnation to be the sonnes of God by adoption as Saint Iohn testifieth Now what a benefit is this to be the child of God no tongue can expresse Christ saith Blessed are the peacemakers but why are they blessed for saith he they shalbe called the sonnes of God Whereby he testifieth that the right of adoption is a most excellent priuiledge and not without cause For he which is the childe of God is spiritually allyed to Christ and to all the saints and seruants of God both in heauen and earth hauing him for his elder brother and all his members as his brethren and sisters yea if we be Gods adopted children we are also heires euen heires of God and heires annexed with Christ. Well how great soeuer this prerogatiue is yet few there be that rightly waigh it and consider of it Children of noble men and princes heires are had in account and reputation of all men they are the very speach and wonder of the world But it is a matter of no account to be the sonne of God and fellow-heire with Christ. The dearest seruants of God haue beene esteemed but as the offscouring of the world And no meruaile for they which are after the flesh sauour the things of the flesh Fewe men haue their vnderstandings inlightned to discerne of such spirituall things as these are and therefore are they little or nothing regarded A blinde man neuer seeing the sonne is not brought to wonder at it and earthly minded men neither seeing nor feeling what an excellent thing it is to be the child of God cannot be brought to seeke after it But let all such as feare God enter into a serious consideration of the vnspeakeable goodnes of God comforting thēselues in this that God the father hath vouchsafed by his own sōne to make thē of the vassals of Satā to be his own deere childrē Now follow the duties which are two First we beleeue that Iesus Christ who was to be the Sauiour of mākind must needs be God what is the reason hereof surely because no creature no not all creatures in heauen and earth were able to saue one man so vyle 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 suffer death for our sinnes which otherwaies euery one of vs should haue suffered both in bodie and soule world without end To make this more plaine let vs suppose that some one hath cōmitted an offence against a prince now the trespasse is so grieuous that no man can appease the kings wrath saue onely the kings onely sonne and which is more the kings sonne cannot release him vnlesse he suffer the punishment for him in his owne person which is due vnto the malefactour Now 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 earth the only sonne of God had come down from heauē suffered for vs bearing our punishment Now the cōsideratiō of this must humble vs and make vs to cast down our selues vnder the hād of God for our sinnes pray continually that the Lord would send some Moses or other which might smite the rocks of our hearts that some tears of sorow repentāce might gush out for our woful miserie Secondly whereas God the father of Christ gaue his only sonne to be our sauiour as we must be thankfull to God for all things so especially for this great vnspeakeable benefite Cōmon blessings of God as meat drink health wealth liberty must at all times mooue vs to be thankful but this that Christ Iesus the onely sonne of God redeemed vs beeing vtterly lost this I say must be the mayne point of al our
vnderstood with two caveats The first is that infirmities be either certaine vnblameable passions or else such defects as are sinnes in themselues nowe Christ takes the first onely and not the second Secondly infirmities be either generall or personall generall which appertaine to the whole nature of man and are to be found in euery man that comes of Adam as to be borne vnlearned and subiect to naturall affections as sorrowe anger c. Personall are such as appertaine to some particular men and not to all and arise of some priuate causes and particular iudgements of God as to be borne a foole to be sicke of an ague consumption dropsie pleuresie and such like diseases Now the first sort be in Christ and not the second for as he tooke not the person of any man but onely mans nature so was it sufficient for him to take vnto him the infirmities of mans nature though hee tooke not the priuate infirmities of any mans person And the reason why Christ would put on not onely the substance and faculties of a true man but also his infirmities was that hee might shewe him selfe to be very man indeed also that he might suffer for vs both in bodie and soule and that he might giue vs an example of patience in bearing all manner of euill for Gods glorie and the good of our neighbour Now the things which may be alleadged to the contrarie for the infringing of the truth of Christs manhood are of no moment As first because Christ appeared in the forme of a man in the old testament beeing no man therefore he did so at his comming in the newe testament but the reason is not like For Christ in the old testament as the angell of his father in some speciall affaires tooke vnto him the bodie of a man for some space of time but he did not receiue it into the vnitie of his person but laid it downe when the busines which he enterprised with men was ended Now in the fulnes of time he came from heauen as the angell of the covenant and for that cause he was to vnite into his owne person the nature of man And when as Paul saith that Christ came in the similitude of sinnefull flesh his meaning is not to signifie that he was a man onely in resemblance and shewe but to testifie that beeing a true man indeede void of sinne was content to abase himselfe to that condition in which he became like to a miserable sinner in bearing the punishment for our sinne For Paul doth not say that he tooke vpon him the similitude of flesh simply as it is flesh but of the flesh of sinne or sinnefull flesh The third question is why the sonne of God must become man Answer There be sundrie reasons of this point and the most principall are these First of all it is a thing that greatly standes with the iustice of God that in that nature in which God was offended in the same should be a made satisfaction to God for sinne nowe sinne was committed in mans nature Adam sinned first and in him all his posteritie therefore it is very necessarie that in mans nature there should be a satisfaction made to Gods iustice and therefore the sonne of God must needes abase himselfe and become man for our sakes Secondly by the right of creation euery man is bounde in conscience to fulfull euen the very rigour and extremitie of the morall lawe But considering man is nowe fallen from his first estate and condition therefore it was requisite that the sonne of God should become man that in mans nature hee might fulfill all righteousnes which the law doth exact at our handes Thirdly hee that is our redeemer must die for our sinnes for their is no remission of sinnes without shedding of bloode but Christ as he is God can not die For no passion can befall the Godhead Therefore it was needefull that hee should become man that in mans nature hee might die and fully satisfie Gods iustice for mans offence Lastly hee that must make reconciliation betweene God and man must be such an one as may make request or speake both to God and man For a Mediatour is as it were a middle person making intercession betweene two other persons the one offended the other offending Therefore it is necessarie that Christ should not onely be God to speake vnto the father for vs and to present our praiers vnto him but also man that God might speake to vs and we to God by Christ. For howsoeuer before the fal man could speake to God euen face to face yet since the fall such feare possesseth mans corrupt nature that he cannot abide the presence of God but flieth from it Nowe whereas I say that it was necessarie that the sonne of God for the causes before alleadged must become man the necessitie must be vnderstood in respect of Gods will and not in respect of his power For if it had so pleased God hee was able to haue laide downe an other kinde of way of mans redemption then by the incarnation of the sonne of God and he appointed no other way because he would not Thus much of the Incarnation in generall Now followe the duties vvhich arise of it And first vvee are taught hereby to come to Christ by faith and vvith all our heartes to cleaue unto him Great is the deadnesse and sluggishnesse of mans nature for scarse one of a thousande cares for him or seekes unto him for righteousnesse and life euerlasting But wee shoulde excite our selues euerie vvay to dravve neare to him as much as possibly vvee may for when hee was incarnate hee came neare unto us by taking our nature upon him that wee againe whatsoeuer wee are might come neare unto him by taking unto us his divine nature Againe when Christ was incarnate he was made bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh therfore proportionally we must labour to become bone of his bone flesh of his flesh which we shall be when we are mistically united unto him by faith born anew by his spirit Moreouer Christ by his incarnation came down frō heauen to vs that we being partakers of his grace might ascend vp to heauen by him And thus we see how the meditation of Christs incarnation should be a spurre to pricke vs forwarde still more and more to come to Christ. Secondly Christs incarnation must be a patterne vnto vs of a most wonderfull and straunge humilitie For as Paul saith Beeing in the forme of God and thinking it no robberie to be equall with God made himselfe of no reputation and tooke on him the forme of a seruant and humbled himselfe and became obedient to death euen to the death of the crosse Yea so farrefoorth abased hee himselfe that as David saith he was a worme and no man And this teacheth vs to lay aside all selfe-loue and pride of heart and to practise the dueties of
For thus much the words in meaning import that Pontius Pilate sate as iudge on Christ to examine him to arraigne him and giue sentence against him Wherefore before we come to speake of the degrees of the passion of Christ we must needes intreat of his arraignement vpon earth In handling whereof wee must generally consider these points First that when hee was arraigned before Pilate he was not as a priuate man but as a pledge and suretie that stood in the place and steade of vs miserable sinners as the Prophet Jsaiah saith He bare our infirmities and carried our sorrowes and withall in him was mankinde arraigned before God Secondly this arraignment was made not priuately in a corner but openly in the publique court and that in a great feast of the Iewes as it were in the hearing of the whole worlde Thirdly though Pilate in citing examinig and condemning Christ intended not to worke any part of mans redemption yet was this wholly set downe in the counsell good pleasure of God in whose roome Pilate sate and whose iudgement he exercised The generall vse of Christs arraignement is two-fold First it is a terrour to all impenitent sinners for there is no freedome or protection from the iudgement of God but by the arraignment of Christ and therefore such as in this life receiue him not by faith must at the ende of this worlde be brought out to the most terrible barre of â—he last iudgement there to be arraigned before the King of heauen and earth And marke the equitie hereof Christ himselfe could not haue beene our Sauiour and redeemer vnlesse he had beene brought out to the barre of an earthly iudge and arraigned as a guiltie malefactour and therefore there is no man vpon earth that liues and dies out of Christ but hee must whether hee will or no holde vp his hande at the barre of the great iudge of all mankinde where he shall see hell vnderneath him burning red hotte and opening it selfe wide to swallow him vp and on the right hand of God standing all the Prophets Apostles and Saints of God giuing iudgement against him on the left hand the deuill and all his angels accusing him and within him a guiltie conscience condemning him And thus shall be one day the arraignment of all those persons that with full purpose of heart cleaue not to Christ and yet alas huge and infinite is the number of those which make more account of transitorie and earthly matters euen of their pigges with the Gaderens then of him and his benefits but such should rather be pitied then despised of vs considering their estate is such that euery day they are going as traytours pinnioned to their owne iudgement that they may goe thence to eternall exequution Secondly Christs arraignment is a comfort to the godly For he was arraigned before Pilate that all such as truly beleeue in him might not be arraigned before God at the day of the last iudgement he was accused before an earthly iudge that they might be cleared and excused before the heauenly iudge lastly he was here condemned on earth that we might receiue the sentence of absolution and be eternally saued in heauen The arraignment of Christ hath three parts his apprehension his accusation his condemnation In the apprehension wee must consider two things the dealing of Christ and the dealing of Iudas and the Iewes The dealing and proceeding of Christ was this when he saw that the time of his apprehension and death was neere he solemnly prepared himselfe thereto And his example must teach euery one of vs who knowe not the shortnes of our daies euery houre to prepare our selues against the day 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 stande in neede 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 choice of the place in which he was to be apprehended as will appeare by conferring the Evangelists 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 wee 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 knewe 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 theÌ„ is the first point to be coÌ„sidered 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 Pharisies durst not haue enterprized 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 yeilded 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 daunger and persequution seeing Christ him selfe doth not Answ. When good means 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 handes 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 fled to the land of Madian And our Sauiour Christ sundrie times when he was to be stoned and otherwaies hurt by the Iewes withdrewe himselfe from among them It is lawfull then to flie in persequution 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 hee intended most
the Angell of God came to destroy the first borne both of man and beast and saw the blood upon their houses might passe ouer them that the plague should not be upon them to destruction So likewise if thou doest feede on the lambe of God and by a liuely faith sprinkle the dore of thine heart with his blood the iudgements of god in this life and the terrible curse of death vvith the fearefull sentence of condemnation at the day of iudgement all punishments due unto thy sinnes shall passe ouer thee and not so much as touch thee And whereas the legges of our Sauiour Christ were not broken by the souldiers who sought by all meanes possible to worke against him all the mischiefe they could wee may note that the enemies of Christ and his Church let them intende to shewe neuer so much malice against him they can not goe beyonde that libertie which God giueth them then Gods will is they can doe no more for their liues The Medes and Persians are called the Lords sanctified ones Cyrus is called the man of Gods counsell because whatsoeuer they intended against the people of God yet in all their proceedings they did nothing but that which God had determined before to be done And whē Senacherib came against the Iewes as a wild beast out of his denne the Lord telleth Hezekiah cōcerning Ashur that he will put his hooke in his nostrills his bridle in his lippes and bring him back againe the same way he came that is he will so rule him that he shall not do the lest hurt unto the Iewes more thē god will This is a matter of great cōfort to Gods Church oppressed with manifold enimies Papists Iewes Turkes all infidels maliciously bent against it for Christs sake Now they may intend practise mischiefe but more then Gods will and counsell is they cā not doe for he hath his ring in their nostrills and his bridle in their lips to rule them as he listeth The second thing which fell out immediatly upon the death of Christ is that the soldiers pearced his side with a speare thence issued water blood The use which ariseth of this point is twofolde First it serves to prooue that Christ died truly not in shew or a fained death for there is about the heart a filme or skin like unto a purse wherein is contained cleare water to coole the heate of the heart and therefore when water blood issued out after the pearcing of the side it is very likely that that very skin was pearced for els in reason we can not coniecture whence this water should come S. Iohn an eye-witnesse of this thing being about to proue that Iesus the sonne of Mary was the true Messias bringeth in sixe witnesses three in heauē the Father the Worde and the Holy Ghost and three in earth the Water the Spirite and the bloode where no doubt hee alludeth to the water and blood that issued out of the side of Christ by spirit wee may vnderstand the efficacie and operation of Gods spirite making men to bring foorth the fruits of the same as loue peace ioy c. And the second witnes namely water hath relation to the water that came forth of Christs side which signifieth the inward washing away of sinne the purging of the heart by Christs blood which also is and was signified by the outwarde washing of the bodie with water in baptisme The thirde witnesse hee calles blood alluding to the blood that issued out of Christs side vvhereby is signified the expiation or satisfaction made to Gods iustice for mans sinne The same use had the ceremoniall sprinkling with blood in the old testament typically signifying the sprinkling of Christs blood Now these three witnesses are not to be sought for in heauen but euerie Christian man must search for them in his owne heart and conscience there shall hee finde them in some measure And this water and blood flowing out of the side of Christ being now deade signifieth that he is our iustification and sanctification euen after his death that out of his death springs our life and therefore as Eve was made of a ribbe taken out of the side of the first Adam so springs the Church of the blood that flowes out of the side of the second Adam Hauing thus intreated of Christs execution let us nowe come to the last point namely the excellencie of Christes passion consisting in these two points I. a sacrifice II. a triumph For the first whē Christ died he offered a propitiatorie reall sacrifice to his father herein his death passiō differeth frō the sufferings deaths of all men whatsoeuer In this sacrifice we must consider 4. things I. who was the priest II. what was the sacrifice III. what vvas the altar IV. the time wherein this sacrifice was offered The priest was Christ himselfe as the author of the Epistle to the Hebrues prooues at large from the third chap. to the 9. and of him we are to consider these 4. points The first what is the office of Christs priesthood Ansvver The office of Christs priesthood stands in 3. things I. to teach doctrine therefore he is called the high priest of our profession that is of the Gospell which we professe because he is the authour and doctour of the same II. to offer up himselfe unto his father in the behalfe of man for the appeasing of his wrath for sinne III. to make request or intercession to God the father that he would accept the sacrifice which hee offered on the crosse for us The secōd is according to which nature he was a priest whether in his manhood or in his godhead or both togither Ans. The office of his priesthood is performed by him according to both his natures therfore he is a priest not as the papists would haue him according to his manhood only but as he is both God man for as he is a mediatour so is he a priest but Christ is a mediatour according to both natures ech nature doing that which is peculiar to it conferring somthing to the worke of redemptiō therfore he is a priest as he is both God mā The third point after what order is he a priest Ans. The scripture mētioneth 2. orders of priests the order of Levi the order of Melchisedeck Christ was not a priest after the order of Aarō yet notwithstāding in that priesthood were many notable rites wherby the priesthood of our Sauiour Christ was resembled we may note 5. especially First in the anointing of the high priests as of Aaron his sonnes after him oile was powred on his head it ran down to the verie edge of his garments wherby was signified that Christ the true high priest was annointed with the oile of gladnesse above his fellowes that his manhood was filled with the giftes and graces of
obiected that Christ made a promise that hee would be with his Church to the ende of the worlde Answer That promise is to be vnderstoode of the presence of his spirite or Godheade not of the presence of his manhoode Againe it may further be alleadged that if the Godheade be on earth then must the manhoode be there also because they are both vnited together Answer It is not true that of two things conioyned 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 manhoode subsibsts in that person which is euery where ergo his manhoode is euery where And the reason is because the Sonne of God subsists not onely in his diuine nature but also by it wheras he doth not subsist at al by the manhood but onely in it for he subsisted before all eternitie when the manhoode was not Nay rather because the manhoode doth subsist by the person of the Sonne therefore the person extendes it selfe further then the manhoode 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 extendes it selfe further then to Peter namely to all other men and the whitenesse whereby the snow is white extendes it selfe further then to that snowe which a man holds in his hande The third point is that in the ascension a cloud tooke Christ from the sight of his Disciples And whereas hee caused a cloud to come betweene their sight and himselfe it signified vnto them that they must novve 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 them Now it may be demaunded why he would not haue all the whole nation of the Iewes to see him ascend that so they might know that he was risen againe and beleeue in him Answ. The reason may be this â—t was his good pleasure that the points of faith and religion whereof this article is one should rather be learned by hearing then by seeing Indeed Christs owne disciples were taught the same by sight that they might the better teach others which should not see whereas nowe the ordinarie meanes to come by faith is hearing The vses to be made of Christs ascension are of two sorts some are comforts to Gods Church and people and some are duties The coÌ„forts are especially foure The first is this Christ Iesus did asceÌ„d vp into heaueÌ„ to lead captiuity captive a most worthy benefit By captiuitie is meant 1. sinne and satan which did and doe lead men captiue into perdition 2. death and the graue which held him captiue and in bondage for the space of three daies And he leads them all captiue two waies First in himselfe in that he began his triumph vpon the crosse as I haue shewed and continued the same till his very ascension secondly in all his members because by his mightie power being now ascended he doth subdue and weaken the power of sinne and satan which he manifesteth euery day by killing the corruption of their natures and the rebellion of their flesh But it may be demaunded how Christ doth lead his enemies captiue considering the deuill raignes euery where and the world and death and hell Answer Christs victorie ouer his and our enemies hath fiue degrees First it is ordained by God secondly it is foretold thirdly it is wrought fourthly it is applied lastly it is accomplished The ordaining of it was before all worlds the foretelling of it was in all the ages of the old testament the working of it was vpon the crosse and afterward the applying hath bin since the beginning of the worlde more or lesse and it is onely in part in this life that while Christ is in bruising of the heade of satan he againe may bruise his heele the accomplishment shall not be before the last iudgement From this great benefite bestowed on Gods Church there are many dueties to be learned First here is an instruction for all ignorant persons and impenitent sinners which abound among vs in euery place Whosoeuer they be that liue in the blindnes of their mindes and hardnes of their hearts they must knowe this that they are captiues and bondeslaues of sinne and Satan of hell death and condemnation and let no man flatter himselfe of what state or degree soeuer he be for it is Gods truth if he haue not repented of all his sinnes he as yet is no better then a captiue and vassall yea a very drudge of the deuill Nowe then what wilt thou doe in this case the best thing is to lay to thy heart this benefite of Christ. He is ascended vp to heauen to leade captiue and to vanquish the deuill and all his angels vnder whome thou liest bound and that not onely in himselfe but in his members Now then if thou wilt become a true member of Christ he will free thee from this bondage Therefore take heede how thou continuest longer in thy old sinnes and in thy grosse ignorance and seeing Christ hath made a way to libertie let vs come out of this spirituall bondage he is ascended for this ende and purpose to free vs from it therefore if we refuse this benefite our state will be the more damnable Any man that lies bound hand and foote in a darke dungeon and the keeper comes and sets open the prison dore and takes off his boults and biddes him come out if he refuse and say that he is well will not all men thinke that he is a madde man and will any be sorie for his case No surely Well this is the state of all impenitent sinners They lie fast fettered and bound vnder the power of sinne satan And Christ it is who is ascended into heauen to vnloose them of this bondage he hath set opeÌ„ the prison dore and hath vnlocked our fetters if we refuse to come out and lie still in our sinnes there remaineth nothing for vs but euerlasting thraldome Let vs therefore in the feare of God if wee haue a care of our owne soules receiue and
to leaue our flesh behinde vs. For the purchase that is made is worth tenne thousand worlds And besides if we loose it by fainting in the way our purchase shalbe the blacknes of darknes for euer with the deuill and all his angels who therfore would not striue though he lost his life in the gate The vrging of this point is needefull in these daies There is striuing ynough for worldly preferment but a man almost may goe alone in the straight way that leadeth to heauen he shall haue none to beare him companie And where are they that striue to enter in where is the violence offered to the kingdome of heauen where be the violent which should take it to themselues as in the daies of Iohn Baptist. Fourthly if Christ haue prepared a place for vs in heauen then we are in this world as pilgrimes and straungers and therefore must learne the counsell of Saint Peter As straÌ„gers pilgrimes abstain froÌ„ fleshly lusts which fight against the soule He that doth esteem him self as a pilgrime is not to intangle himselfe with the affaires of this world nor put in practise the behauiour thereof but to behaue himselfe as a freeman of heauen as straungers vse to liue in forraine countries according to the fashion of their owne And therefore in thought word and deede in life conuersatioÌ„ he must so carrie himselfe as thereby he may appeare to all the world of what cuntry he is An ancient divine speaking of such as had curled and embrodered haire biddeth them consider whether they must goe to heauen with such haire or no and wheras they adorned themselues with winkles made of other womens haire he asks them whether it may not be the haire of a damned person or no. If it may be he further demaundeth how it may beseeme them to weare it which professe themselues to be the sonnes and daughters of God The like may be saide of all other sinnes they that be of gods house must behaue themselues as free men there And when god hath made us free it doth not beseeme us to make our selues bondmen of sin satan and of this world Fiftly seeing Christ went to heauen to prepare a place for all that beleeue in him here is a good duetie for parentes Many of them are verie carefull to preferre their children to great places and noble mens houses and they are not to be blamed therefore but if they would indeede be good parents to their children they should first endeauour them-selues to get roomes for them in heauen they that doe this are good parents indeede Some will say how shall wee get this preferrement for them Ansvver God hath two houses his Church and the kingdome of heauen The Church is his house of grace heauen is his house of glorie Now if thou wouldst haue thy child to haue a place in the house of glorie then thou art first of all to get him a place in the house of grace bringing him up so in the feare of God that both in life and conuersation he may shewe himselfe to be a member of the Church and then assure thy selfe that after this life he shall be remooued to the second house of God which is the house of glorie and there be free-man for euer in the kingdome of heauen Add if thou shalt thus prouide for thy childe thou shalt not leaue him as an orphan but he shall haue God for his father Christ for his brother and the holy ghost his comforter And therefore first of all and aboue all remember to make thy childe a member of Gods Church Let the example of Dauid excite all parents hereunto I had rather saieth hee be a dore keeper in the house of God then to dwell in the tabernacles of wickednesse For a day in thy courtes is better then a thousand else where Lastly hence we may finde remedie against the tediousnesse of sickenesse and the feare of death Thou which fearest death remember that Christ is gone to heauen to prepare a place for thy bodie where it must be glorified and liue for euer with the blessed trinitie and all the saintes and angels though for a while it lie dead and rotte in the graue Remember this also thou which continuest in any lingring sicknes Christ Iesus hath prepared a place for thee wherin thou shalt rest in ioy blisse without all paine or faintnes The fourth benefiâ—e is that Christ ascended vp to heaueÌ„ to send the comforter vnto his Church This was a speciall end of his ascension as appeares by Christs own words It is saith he expedient that I go away for if I goe not the comforter will not come but if I depart I will send him unto you And againe I will pray unto the father hee shall give you another comforter which shall abide with you for euer even the spirite of truth But some will say how can Christ send his spirit unto his Church for the person sending the person sent are unequall whereas all three persons in trinitie are equall none greater or lesser then another none inferiour or superiour to other Ans. It is true indeed but we must know that the action of sending in the trinitie makes not the persons unequall but only shewes distinction and order among equals The father sendes the sonne the father and the sonne both send the holy ghost yet the father is not aboue the sonne neither the father or the sonne aboue the holy ghost but all are equall in degree though in regarde of order one is before another and it standeth with reason For two men that are equall in degree may upon mutuall consent one send another But it may be further demanded how the holy ghost can be sent which is euery where Ans. The holy ghost indeed is euery where therfore he is sent not so much in regard of the presence of his essence or substance as of his operation whereby he renueth guideth the members of Christ. Now here first we haue occasion to consider the miserie of the world When a man is troubled in his minde as no ungodly man but sometime he feeleth the terrour of conscience for his sinnes then he labours to remoue it by mery company pleasant bookes whereas Christ at his ascension sent his holy spirite to be the comforter of his Church therefore when we are troubled in conscience for our sins we should not seek ease by such slender means but rather seeke for the helpe comfort of the holy ghost and labour to haue our sinnes washed away and our hartes purified and clensed by the blâ—od of Christ. As for wine and mirth such like meanes of comfort neither at the day of death nor at the day of iudgement shall they stande us in stead or be able to comfort us Again when crosses calamities fall the counsell of the minister is not sought for but the help of such as are called
the former article he ascended into heaven sittes namely in heauen at the right hand of God The place then where Christ Iesus in both his natures as he is God and also man doth rule in full glory power and maiestie is heauen it selfe To which effect Paul saith God raised Christ from the dead and put him at his right hand in the heavenly places And in the Epistle to the Hebrewes it is said He sitteth at the right hand of the maiestie in highest places This point well considered serueth to discouer the ouersight of sundrie Divines which hold and teach that to sit at the right hand of God is to be euery where in all places and not in heauen onely that they might hereby lay a foundation for the ubiquitie of Christs manhood which neuerthelesse the heauens must containe till the time that all thinges be restored The second circumstance is the time when Christ began to sit at the right hand of God the father which is to be gathered by the order of the articles For first Christ died and was buried then he rose againe and ascended into heauen and after his ascension he is saide to sit at the right hand of his father This order is also noted unto us by S. Paul Who shall condemne saith he it is Christ which is dead yea or rather which is risen againe who is also at the right hand of God And S. Marke saith when Christ vvas risen againe hee appeared to his disciples and after he had spoken unto them he was received into heaven and sate at the right hande of God But it may be demanded how this can stand with trueth that Christ should not begin to sit at the right hand of his father before the ascension considering he is one God with the father and therefore an absolute and soueraigne king from all eternitie Ansvver As Christ is God or the word of the father hee is coequall and coeternall with him in the regiment of his kingdome and hath neither beginning middle or ending thereof yet as Christ is God incarnate and in one person God-man or Man-god he beganne after his ascension and not before to sit at the right hand of his father and as S. Peter saith was made Lord partly because as hee was God hee did then manifest himselfe to be that which indeed he was before namely God and Lorde of heauen and earth and partly because as he was man he receiued dominion or Lordship frō the father which he had not before thereby was euen in his manhood exalted to be king of heauen and earth in this sense Christ saith of himselfe all power is given to me in heaven and earth The third circumstance is concerning the person at whose right hand Christ sits noted in the words of the article of God the father almightie wherby is signified that he receiues all the honour power glory of his kingdom frō his father as he that is set at the right hand of a prince receiues the honour authority which he hath frō the prince Now if it be alledged that by this means Christ shalbe inferiour to his father because he which receiueth honor of another is inferiour to him of whome he receiueth it the answer is that in Christ we must consider his person his office in respect of his person as he is the eternall sonne of God he is equal to the father is not here said to sit at his right hād yet in respect of the office vvhich he beares namely as he is mediatour as he is man he is inferiour to the father receiues his kingdom frō him As he is god he is our king head hath no head more then the father as he is mediatour he is also our head yet so as he is under the father as being his head And we must not think it strāge that one the same thing should be both equall and inferiour to another divers respects considered Now in that Christes placing at the right hand of his father argues inferioritie betweene the father and him hence wee learne that they are deceiued which from this article gather that in the glorification of Christ there is a transfusion of the proprieties of the godhead as omnipotencie omniscience omnipresence c. into his manhoode For this is to abolish all inferioritie and to make an equality betweene the creature and the creatour And whereas againe the word Almightie is repeated it is done upon speciall reason because Christes sitting at the right hand of God doth presuppose omnipotencie For in vaine were all power in heauen and earth giuen to him vnlesse he were omnipotent as the father to execute the same And therefore the song of the Elders was on this maner Worthy is the lambe that was killed to receive power and riches and wisdome strength and honour and glory and praise The benefites which redounde unto us by Christes sitting at the right hand of God are two one concernes his priesthood the other his kingly office The benefit rising from his priesthood is his Intercession for us for this is one of the endes why Christ is now exalted in glorie sittes at the right hand of his father namely to make request in the behalfe of all that come unto him as Paul saieth Christ is risen againe and sitteth at the right hand of God and maketh request for vs. Now that we may rightly vnderstand what his intercession is we are to consider these pointes First to whome it is made secondly in what maner thirdly whether it be made by Christ alone or no fourthly what be the fruites and benefites thereof fiftly the duties whereunto wee are mooued thereby For the first Intertercession is to make suite request or intreatie in some ones behalfe to another and this is done by Christ for vs unto God as Paul saith There is one God one mediatour betwene God and man which is the man Christ Iesus Here at the verie first ariseth a difficultie for in euery intercession there be three parties the person offended the person offending the intercessour distinct from them both Now if Christ the sonne of God make intercession to God for man then he makes intercession to himselfe because hee is true God which cā not be how then shall Christ be mediatour Ans. This point hath so troubled the Church of Rome that for the resoluing of it they haue deuised an errour avouching that Christ is mediatour onely as hee is man not as hee is God which is untrue For as both natures did concurre in the worke of satisfaction so likewise they doe both concurre in the worke of intercession and therefore a more meete convenient answer is this Christ Iesus God-man in both natures is directly our mediatour to the first person the father as S. Iohn saith If any man sinne we haue an advocate with the father
Iesus Christ the iust And thus we haue three persons in the worke of intercession really distinguished The partie offended is God the father the partie offending is man and thirdly the intercessour distinct from them both is Christ the second person in trinitie For howsoeuer in Godhead he and the father be one yet in person they are really distinguished he is as it were in the middle betweene the father us for the father is God not mā we that beleeue in Christ are men not God Christ himselfe both man God It may be further replied that this answer will not stand because not only the father is offended but also the sonne the H. ghost therefore there must be a mediatour to them also Ans. The intercessiō of Christ is directed to the father the first person immediatly now the father the sonne and the H. ghost haue all one in diuisible essence by consequent one and the same will wherupō the father being appeased by Christs intercessiō the sonne the holy ghost are also appeased in him Thus then intercession is made to the whole trinitie but yet immediatly directly to the first person and in him to the rest The second point to be considered is the manner of his intercession vnto his father Wee must not imagine that Christ now in heauen kneeles downe on his knees vtters words and puts up a supplication for all the faithfull to God the father for that is not beseeming the maiesty of him that sits at the right hand of God But the maner of his intercessiō is thus to be conceiued When one is to speake to an earthly prince in the behalf of another first of all he must come into the presence of the king and secondly make his request and both these Christ perfourmeth for us unto god For the first after his ascension he entred into heauē where he did present vnto his father first of all his owne person in two natures and secondly the invaluable merits of his death and passion in which he is well pleased And we must further understand that as on the crosse hee stoode in our roome so in heauen he now appeares as a publicke person in our stead representing all the elect that shall beleeue in him as the holy ghost saith Christ Iesus ascended up into heaven to appeare in the sight of God for us And for the second Christ makes request for us in that he willeth according to both his natures and desireth as he is man that the father woulde accept his satisfaction in the behalfe of all that are giuen unto him And that he makes request on this maner I prooue it thus Looke what was his request in our behalfe when he was here upon earth the same for substance it cōtinues still in heauen but here on earth the substance of his requests was that he willed and desired that his father would be well pleased with us for his merites as appeares by his praier in S. Iohn Father I will that those which thou hast given me be with me even where I am that they may beholde my glorie which thou hast given me for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the worlde Therefore hee still continues to make request for us by willing and desiring that his father woulde accept his merites in our behalfe If it be alledged that Christ in this solemne praier vsed speech and prostration of his bodie the answere is that these actions were no essentiall partes of his praier The prostrating of his bodie serued onely as a token of his submission to God as hee was a creature and the speech which he used serued onely to utter and expresse his request Furthermore a difference here must be marked betweene Christs passion and his intercession The passion serues for the working and causing of a satisfaction to Gods iustice for us and it is as it were the tempering of the plaister the intercession goes further for it applies the satisfaction made layes the salue to the verie sore And therefore Christ makes request not onely for the elect generally but for particular men as Paul Iames Iohn and that particularly as he testifieth of himselfe saying I have prayed for thee Peter that thy faith faile not If any shall say that Christs vvilling and desiring of a thing can not be a request or intercession the answere is that in vertue and efficacie it countervailes all the praiers in the world For whatsoeuer Christ willeth the same also the father being well pleased with him willeth and therefore whatsoeuer Christ as Mediatour willeth for us at the handes of his father in effect or substance is a request or praier The third point is that Christ alone and none with him makes intercession for us And this I prooue by induction of particulars First of all this office appertaines not to the angels They are indeed ministring spirits for the good of gods chosen they reioice when a sinner is conuerted when he dieth they are ready to cary his soule into Abrahams bosome God otherwhiles useth them as messengers to reveale his will thus the angell Gabriel brings a message to Zacharie the priest that God had heard his prayer but it is not once said in all the scriptures that they make intercession to God for us As for the saints departed they can not make intercession for us because they know not our particular estates here on earth neither cā they heare our requests And therefore if we should pray to them to pray for vs wee should substitute them into the roome of God because we ascribe that to them which is proper to him namely the searching of the heart the knowledge of all things done upon earth though withall we should say that they do this not by themselues but of God As for the faithfull heare on earth indeede they haue warrant yea commaundement to pray one for another yet cā they not make intercessiō for us For first he that makes intercessiō must bring somthing of his own that may be of value price with God to procure the grant of his request secōdly he must do it in his own name but the faithfull on earth make request to god one for another not in their owne names nor for their own merits but in the name and for the merits of Christ. It is a prerogatiue belonging to Christ alone to make a request in his owne name and for his owne merits we therefore conclude that the worke of intercession is the sole worke of Christ God man not belonging to any creature beside in heauen or in earth And whereas the papists can not content themselves with his intercession alone as being most sufficient it argues plainly that they doubt either of his power or of his will whereupon their praiers turne to sinne The fruites and benefites of Christes intercession are these First by meanes of it we are assured that
those which are repentant sinners shall stand and appeare righteous before God for euer at what time soeuer Christ being now in heauen and there presenting himselfe and his merits before his father shewes himselfe desirous and willing that they whosoeuer they are beeing sinners should be accepted of God for the same euen then immediatly at that very instant this his will is done and they are accepted as righteous before God indeed When a man lookes vpon things directly through the aire they appeare in their proper formes and colours as they are but if they be looked upon through a greene glasse they all appeare greene so likewise if God behold us as wee are in our selues we appeare as vile and damnable sinners but if hee looke upon us as we are presented before his throne in heauen in the person of our mediatour Christ Iesus willing that wee should be approoued for his merits then we appeare without all spot wrinkle before him And this is the use Paul makes hereof It is god saith he that iustifieth the reason is rendred For it is Christ that is deade yea or rather which is risen againe who is also at the right hand of God and makes request for vs. Secondly Christes intercession serues to preserue all repentant sinners in the estate of grace that beeing once iustified and sanctified they may so continue to the ende For when any seruant of God is ouertaken by the corruption of his owne nature and falls into any particular sinne then Christs intercession is made as a blessed hande to apply the salue of his death to that particular sore For he continually appeares before God and shewes himselfe to bee willing that God the father should accept his one only sacrifice for the daily and particular sinnes of this or that particular man and this is done that a man being iustified before God may not fall away quite from grace but for euery particular sinne may bee humbled and receiue pardon If this were not so our estate should be most miserable considering that for euery sin committed by us after our repentance we deserue to be cast out of the fauour of God Thirdly Christes intercession serueth to make our good workes acceptable to God For euen in the best works that a man can doe there are two wants First they are good onely in part secondly they are mingled with sinne For as a man is partly grace and partly flesh so are his vvorkes partly gratious and partly fleshly And because grace is only begun in this life therefore all the workes of grace in this life are sinnefull and imperfit Now by Christes intercession his satisfaction is applied to our persons by consequent the defect of our works is couered and remooued they are approoued of God the father In a vision S. Iohn saw an angell standing before the altar with a golden censure full of sweete odours to offer up with the praiers of the saintes upon the same And this signifies that Christ presentes our workes before the throne of God and by his intercession sanctifies them that they may be acceptable to God And therefore we must remember that when we doe any thing that is accepted of God it is not for our sakes but by reason of the value and vigour of Christ his merit Fourthly the intercession of Christ made in heauen breedeth and causeth in the heartes of men upon earth that beleeue another intercession of the spirit as Paul saith He giveth vs his spirit which helpeth our infirmities maketh request for us with sighes which can not be expressed but he which searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the meaning of the spirit for he maketh request for the saints according to the will of god Now the spirit is said to make request in that it stirres and mooues euery contrite heart to pray with sighes and grones unspeakable to God for things needfull this grace is a fruite deriued from the intercession of Christ in heaven by the operation of the spirit For as the Sunne though the bodie of it abide in the heauens yet the beames of it descende to us that are on earth So the intercession of Christ made in heauen is tyed as it were to his person alone yet the grones desires of the touched heart as the beames thereof are here on earth among the faithfull And therfore if we desire to know whether Christ make intercession for us or no we need not to ascend up into the heauens to learne the truth but we must descend into our owne hearts looke whether Christ haue giuen vs his spirite which makes us crie unto God make request to him with grones and sighes that can not be expressed and if we find this in our hearts it is an euident and infallible signe that Christ continually makes intercession for us in heauen He that would know whether the Sunne shine in the firmament must not clime up into the cloudes to looke but search for the beames thereof upon the earth which when he sees he may conclude that the Sunne shines in the firmament and if wee would know whether Christ in heauen makes intercession for us let us ransack our owne consciences and there make search whether we feele the spirit of Christ crying in us Abba Father As for those that neuer feele this worke of Gods spirit in them their case is miserable whatsoeuer they be For Christ as yet makes no intercession for them considering these two alwaies go togither his intercession in heauen the worke of his spirit in the hearts of men moouing them to bewaile their owne sinnes with sighes and grones that can not be expressed and to cry and pray unto God for grace therfore all such whether they be yong or old that neuer could pray but mūble up a few words for fashion sake can not assure themselues to haue any parte in Christs intercessiō in heauē The duties to be learned hence are these First whereas Christ maketh intercession for us it teacheth all men to be most carefull to loue and like this blessed mediatour and to be ready willing to become his seruants disciples that not for forme fashion sake only but in all trueth and sincerity of heart For he is ascēded to heauen there sits at the right hand of his father to make request for us that we might be deliuered frō hell come to eternall life Wicked Haman procured letters frō the king Ahashuerosh for the destructiō of all the Iewes men women childrē in his dominions this done Hester the Queene makes request to the king that her people might be saued and the letters of Haman reuoked shee obtaines her request freedom was giuen contrary letters of ioyfull deliuerance were sent in post hast to al provinces where the Iewes were Whereupō arose a wonderfull ioy gladnes among the Iewes it is said that therupon many of the
people of the land became Iewes Well now behold there is a greater matter among us then this for there is the handwriting of condēnation the law therin the sentēce of a double death of body soule satan as wicked Haman accuseth us seekes by all meanes our condēnatiō but yet behold not any earthly Hester but Christ Iesus the sonne of God is come downe frō heauen hath taken away this handwriting of condemnation cācelled it upon the crosse is now ascended into heauen their sits at the right hand of his father makes request for us in him his father is well pleased yeeldes to his request in our behalfe Now then what must we doe in this case Surely looke as the Persians became Iewes whē they heard of their safety so we in life and conversation must become Christians turne to Christ embrace his doctrine and practise the same unfainedly And we must not content our selues with a formall profession of religion but search into our own harts flie unto Christ for the pardō of our sins that earnestly as for life death as the thief doth at the bar whē the iudge is giuing sentēce against him Whē we shall thus hūble our selues thē Christ Iesus that sits at the right hād of god wil plead our cause be our atturny unto his father his father againe wil accept of his request in our behalfe Thē shall we of Persians become Iewes of the childrē of this world become the sōnes of god Secōdly when we pray to God we must not doe as the blind world doth as it were rush upō God in praying to him without cōsideratiō had to the Mediatour betweene us and him but we alwaies must direct our praiers to God in the name of Christ for hee is aduanced to power and glory in heauen that he might be a fitte patrone for us who might preferre and present our praiers to God the father that thereby they might be accepted and we might obtaine our request So likewise wee must giue thankes to God in the name of Christ for in him and for his sake God doth bestowe on us his blessings Thus much of Christes intercession the other benefite which concernes Christs kingly office is that he sitts at the right hand of his father for the administration of that speciall kingdome which is committed to him I say speciall because he is our king not onely by the right of creation gouerning all things created togither with the father and the holy ghost but also more specially by the right of redemption in respect of another kingdome not of this world but eternall and spiritual respecting the very conscience of man In the administration wherof he hath absolute power to command forbid to condemne absolue and therefore hath the keies of heauen hell to open shutt which power no creature beside no not the angels in heauē can haue For the better understanding of this which I say wee are to consider first the dealing of Christ toward his own Church secondly his dealing in respect of his enimies And his dealing toward his own church stands in 4. things The first is the collecting or gathering of it this is a speciall end of his sitting at the right hand of his father Christ said to his disciples I haue chosen you out of this world the same may truly be saide of all the elect that Christ in his good time will gather them all to himselfe that they may be a peculiar people to God And this action of his in collecting the Church is nothing els but a translation of those whom he hath ordained to life euerlasting out of the kingdome of darknes in which they haue serued sinne satan into his owne kingdome of grace that they may be ruled and guided by him eternally And this hee doth two waies first by the preaching of the word for it is a powerfull outwarde meanes whereby hee singleth and sorteth his owne seruants from the blinde and wicked vvorlde as Paul saith He gaue some to be Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some pastors and teachers for the gathering together of Saints And hence we learne two things The first that euery minister of Gods word and euery one that intendeth to take vpon him that calling must propound vnto himselfe principally this end to single out man from man and gather out of this world such as belong to the Church of Christ and as Ieremie saith to separate the pretious from the vile The second that all those which will be good hearers of Gods worde must shew themselues so farre forth conformable vnto it that it may gather them out of the world and that it may worke a chaunge in them and make them the seruants of Christ and if the preaching of the worde doe not worke this good worke in our hearts then the end will be a separation from the presence of God Christ when he came neere Ierusalem and considered their rebellion whereby they refused to be gathered vnto him wept ouer it and said O Ierusalem Ierusalem thou which stonest the Prophets and killest them that are sent vnto thee how often would I haue gathered thy children together as the henne gathereth her chickins vnder her wings and thou wouldest not And by this he teacheth that if the preaching of the worde turne not vs to Christ it turnes to our destruction The other meanes of gathering the Church and that the more principall is the inward operation of the spirit whereby the minde is inlightened the heart is mollified and the whole man is conuerted to God And this ordinarily is ioyned with the ministerie or preaching of the word as appeares by the example of Lydia Saint Luke saith God opened her heart to be attentiue to the doctrine of the Apostle And by the example of Paul when Christ saith Saul Saul why persecutest thou me at this very speach he is conuerted and said Who art thou Lord what wilt thou that I doe And this is manifest also by experience There is nothing in the world more contrarie to the nature of man then the preaching of the word for it is the wisdome of God to which the flesh is enimitie Here then it may be demaunded how it can be in force to turne any man to God Answer The word preached is the scepter of Christs kingdome which against the nature of man by the operation of the H. Ghost ioyned therewith doth bend and bowe the heart will and affections of man to the will of Christ. The second worke of Christ is after the Church is gathered to guide it in the way to life euerlasting He is the shepheard of his Church which guideth his flocke in and out and therefore Paul saith They that are Christs are guided by his spirit And by Esay the Lord saith those his seruants which are turned from idolatrie he
alwaies For looke as the day and night doe one follow another so likewise in the administration of the Church here vpon earth Christ suffereth a continuall intercourse betweene peace and persecution Thus he hath done from the beginning hitherto and we may resolue our selues that so it will continue till the end and therefore it shall be good for vs in these daies of our peace to prepare our selues for troubles and afflictions and when troubles come we must still remember the fourth worke of Christ in the gouernment of his Church namely that in all daungers he will defend vs against the â—age of our enemies as well by giuing vs power streÌ„gth to beare with patience and ioy whatsoeuer shall be laide vpon vs as also bridle the rage of the world the flesh and the deuill so as they shall not be able to exercise their power and malice to the full against vs. Thus much of the dealing of Christ toward his owne Church and people Nowe followeth the second point namely his dealing toward his enemies and here by enemies I vnderaÌ„std al creatures but especially meÌ„ that as they are by nature enemies to Christ and his kingdome so they perseuere in the same enimitie vnto the end Now his dealing towards them is in his good time to work their confusion as he himselfe saith Those mine enemies that would not that I should raigne ouer them bring them hither and slay them before me And Dauid saith The Lord will bruise his enemies with a rodde of iron and breake them in pieces like a potters veâ—sell And againe I will make thine enemies thy footestoole As Iosuah dealt with the fiue kings that were hidde in the cave he first makes a slaughter of their armies then he brings them foorth and makes the people to set their feete on their neckes and to hang them on fiue trees So Christ deales with his enemies he treads them vnder his feete and makes a slaughter not so much of their bodies as of their soules And this the Church of God findes to be true by experience as wel as it findes the loue of Christ towards it selfe Now he confounds his enemies two waies The first is by hardnes of heart which ariseth when God withdraweth his grace from man and leaueth him to himself so as he goeth on forward from sinne to sinne and neuer repenteth to the last gaspe And we must esteeme of it as a most fearefull and terrible iudgement of God for when the heart is possessed there with it becomes so flintie and rebellious that a man will neuer relent and turne to God This is manifest in Pharao for though god sent most grieuous plagues both vpon him and all the land of Egypt yet would he not submit himself saue only for a fit while the haÌ„d of God was vpon him but after he returned to the former obstinacie in which he continued till he was drowned in the sea And this iudgement of God is the more fearefull because when a man is in the middest of all his miserie he feeles no miserie And as in some kinde of sicknes a man may die languishing so where hardnes of heart raignes wholly and finally a man may descend to the pit of hell triumphing and reioycing And to come neere to our selues it is to be feared least this iudgement of all iudgements be among vs in these our daies For where is any turning to God by repentance Still men goe forward in sinne without remorse We haue had the word preached among vs a long time but it taketh no place in mens hearts They are not softned with the haÌ„mer of Gods word nay they are like the smithes stithie or anvil which the more it is beate with the hammer the harder it is But in the feare of God let vs seeke to be changed and take heede the deceitfulnes of sinne is wonderfull Let vs not be caried away with an ouerweening of our selues a man may haue good gifts of God as the gift of knowledge the gift of prophecie the gift of conceiuing a praier I say not of praying truly and hereupon think himselfe in good case and yet for all this haue nothing but an impenitent flintie heart For this cause it standes euery man vpon to looke vnto it least this iudgement of God take hold on him And that we may auoide the same we must labour for two things I. to feele the heauie burden of our sinnes and be touched in conscience for them euen as we are troubled in our bodies with the aches and paines thereof this is a token of grace II. We must labour to feele in our owne soules the want of Christ we say indeede that we feele it but it is a very great matter to haue an heart that doth open it selfe and as it were gape after Christ as the drie thirstie lande where no water is Though we haue knowledge and learning neuer so much and many other gifts of God yet if we haue not broken hearts that feele the burden of our sinnes and the want of Christ and that we stand in neede of euery droppe of his blood for the washing away of all these our sinnes our case is miserable And the rather we must preueÌ„t this hardnes of heart because Christ Iesus in heauen sits at the right hand of his father in full power and authoritie to kill confound all those that be his enemies will not submit theÌ„selues to beare his yoke The second way is by finall desperation I say finall because all kinde of desperation is not euill For when a man despaireth of himselfe and of his owne power in the matter of his saluation it tends to his eternall comfort But finall desperation is when a man vtterly despaires of the pardon of his owne sinnes and of life euerlasting Examples hereof we haue in Saul that slue himselfe and in Achitophel and Iudas that hanged themselues This sinne is caused thus So many sinnes as a man committeth without repentance so many most bloodie woundes he giueth vnto his owne soule and either in death or life God makes him feele the smart and the huge weight of them all whereby the soule sinkes downe into the gulfe of despaire withou recouerie God said to Caine If thou doe amisse sinne lieth at thy dore Where he vseth a borrowed speach from wilde beasts who so long as they are sleeping stirre not but beeing awaked they flie in a mans face rend out his throat In like manner the sinnes which thou committest lie at the dore of thine heart though thou feele them not and if thou doe not preuent the daunger by speedie repentance God will make thee to feele them once before thou die and raise vp such terrours in thy conscience that thou shalt thinke thy selfe to be in hell before thou art in hell and therefore it is good for euery man to take heede howe he continues an enemie to Christ. The best course is to
God were but as an handfull of wheat in a mountaine of chaffe which can scarce be discerned This signe is in part alreadie past neuerthelesse it shall continue to the ende because men shall continually depart from the faith And the nearer the ende of the world is the more satan rageth and seekes to bring men into his kingdome Therefore it standeth vs in hand to labour for the knowledge of true religion and hauing learned it most heartily to loue the same The fourth signe is a generall corruption in maners This point the Apostle sets downe at large saying Toward the latter daies shall come perilous times wherein men shalbe louers of themselues couetous boasters proud cursed speakers disobedieÌ„t 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 scarce finde 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 grieuous calamities For Christs disciples asking him a signe of his coÌ„ming of the end of the world he saith There shal be warres rumours of warres nation shall rise against nation realme against realme and there shalbe pâ—stilence and famine earthquakes in diuers places meÌ„ shalbe at their wits ends These haue bin in former ages In the first 3. hundred yeres after Christ were ten most fearefull persecutions and since in Europe the Church of God hath bin woÌ„derfully persecuted by the Antichrist of Rome in the huÌ„dred yeres 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 shal be in the coÌ„ming of the sonne of maÌ„ as it was in the daies of Noe in the daies of SodoÌ„ they knew nothing til the flood came fire froÌ„ heaueÌ„ destroied theÌ„ all This signe undoubtedly is manifest in these our daies howsoeuer it hath bin also in former times For where are any almost that are moued with Gods iudgements or touched at the preaching of the word nay rather men hardeÌ„ their hearts become secure and careles The small fruit that the word of God bringeth foorth in the liues of men shews this to be most true The seuenth last signe set down by the Apostle Paul is that there shall be a calling of the Iewes before the Lord come to iudgemeÌ„t but of the time wheÌ„ this calling shal be of the maner how or the number of them that shalbe called there is no mention made in the word of God Now it is likely that this signe is yet to come These are the signes that go before the coÌ„ming of Christ all which are almost past and therefore the end can not be farre off Now follows the signe that is ioyned with the coÌ„ming of Christ called the signe of the sonne of man What this signe is we find not in the Scriptures Some thinke it to be the signe of the crosse but that is friuolous some the glorie maiestie of Christ which shal be made manifest in his appearance which seemes to be otherwise by the very words of Christ. Then saith he shall appeare the signe of the sonne of man c. and then they shall see him come in the cloudes of heauen vvith povver and great glorie distinguishing the one from the other But I rather coniecture it to be the burning of heauen and earth with fire at the very instant of Christs comming mentioned by Peter VVe must not here dispute whence this fire shal come or how it shall be kindled for that the word of God hath concealed and where God hath not a mouth to speake there we must not haue an eare to heare The vses to be made hereof are these VVhen S. Peter had set downe the change that shall be at the comming of Christ and that heauen and earth must be purged with fire he makes this vse thereof Seeing all things must be dissolued what manner of men ought we to be in holy conuersation godlines and the reason is good For if heauen earth must be changed and purged at Christs comming then much more ought we to be changed to put off the old man of sinne to become new creatures created after the image of God in righteousnes and true holines If the bruit creatures must be renewed by fire then much more are we to labour that the fire of Gods spirite may burne vp sinne corruption in vs so change vs that we may be ready for him against his coÌ„ming els heaueÌ„ earth it selfe shal stand vp in iudgemeÌ„t against vs to our condemnation Secondly the consideration of this that the world shall be consumed with fire teacheth vs moderation and sobrietie in the vse of Gods creatures as in costly buildings gorgeous attire and such like VVhat madnes is this to bestow all that we haue on such things as at the day of iudgement shall be consumed with fire For looke whatsoeuer abuse shall come to Gods creatures by our follie the same shal then be abolished Thirdly we must consider that the cause why heauen earth must be consumed with fire is mans sinne by means wherof they are made subiect to vanitie corruption Here theÌ„ we haue iust occasion to acknowledge the greatnes wretchednes of our sinnes If any of vs had but seene the Iewes leprosie it would haue made vs to woÌ„der for the contagion thereof did infect not only the whole maÌ„ but his garmeÌ„ts also that were about him somtime the walls of his house but howsoeuer we caÌ„not now see that leprosie amoÌ„g vs yet we may see a worse For the leprosie of our sins doth not onely infect our garmeÌ„ts the things about us with our bodies but euen the high heaueÌ„s the earth are slained with the contagion thereof and are made subiect to vanitie and corruption yea by sinne in us the most glorious creatures in them as the Sunne Moone and Starres are become subiect to vanitie Oh then how wretched is the heart of man that makes no bones of sinne which is the most noisome thing in all the worlde the stinke whereof hath infected both heauen and earth If we could consider this we would not be so slacke in humbling our selues for the same as wee are Wee can not abide to looke on a poore lazar full of blanes and sores but if wee could see our sinnes in their right colours they would make us seem unto our selues ten thousaÌ„d times more
point should moue us all to repent us of our sins past to reforme our selues throughout to be plentifull in all good works And undoubtedly if wee seriously thinke upon it it will holde us more straitly to all good duties then if with the Papistes we held iustification by workes Furthermore in this triall tvvo things must be skanned I. how all mens workes shall be made manifest II. by what meanes they shall be examined Of the manifestation of euery mans vvork S. Iohn speaketh And I saw saith he the deade both great and small stande before God and the bookes were opened and another booke was opened which is the booke of life and the dead were iudged of these things which vvere written in the bookes according to their workes God is saide to haue books not properly but because al things are as certen and manifest to him as if he had his Registers in heauen to keepe rolles and recordes of them His bookes are three the book of Prouidence the book of Iudgement the book of Life The book of his providence is the knowledge of all particular things past present to come Of this the Psalmist speaketh Thine eyes did see me when I vvas vvithout forme for in thy booke vvere all things vvritten vvhich in continuance vvere fashioned vvhen there was none of them before The booke of iudgement is that whereby he giues iudgement and it is two-folde The first is Gods knowledge or prescience in which all the affaires of men their thoughts wordes and deedes are as certenly knowen and set downe as if they were put in bookes of record Wee may forget our sinnes but God keepes them in a register he knovves them euery one The seconde booke is euery mans particular conscience which also brings to remembrence and testifies what men haue done and what they haue not done The booke of life is nothing els but the decree of Gods election in which God hath set downe who be ordained to life eternall Now the opening of these bookes is a thing wherin the endlesse power of God shall most notably shewe it selfe For when we shall stand before the iudgement seate of Christ he then knowing all things in his eternall counsell shall reueale unto euery man his owne particular sinnes whether they were in thought worde or deede and then also by his mightie power hee shall so touch mens consciences that they shall a fresh remember what they haue done Now indeede the wicked mans conscience is shut up as a closed booke but then it shall be so touched and as it were opened that he shall plainly see and remember all the particular offences which at any time he hath committed his very coÌ„science shall be as good as a thousand witnesses whereupon hee shall accuse and utterly condemne himselfe The consideration of this ought to terrifie all those that liue in their sinnes For howsoeuer they may hide them from the worlde yet at the last day God will be sure to reveale 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 maner 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 Gospell as Paul saith As many as have lived in 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 olde world If this be true then we must in the feare of God heare his word preached taught with all reuerence make coÌ„science to profit by it For otherwise in the day of iudgement when all our workes shalbe tried by it the same word of God shall be a bill of indiâ—ement and the fearefull sentence of condemnation against us Therefore let us be humbled by the doctrine of the lawe and willingly embrace the sweete promises of the gospell considering it is the onely touchstone whereby all our wordes thoughts workes must be examined The sixt pointe in the proceeding of the last iudgement is the giuing of sentence which is twofolde the sentence of absolution and the sentence of condemnation both which are to be obserued diligently that we may receiue profit therby And first of al Christ shal begin his iudgemeÌ„t with the seÌ„teÌ„ce of absolutioÌ„ which shews that he is ready to shew mercy slow to wrath In this sentence wee are to consider foure pointes I. a calling of the elect to the kingdome of heauen II. the reason thereof III. a reply of the elect IV. the answere 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 wordes are to be obserued one by one Come ye blessed Though Christ now sit in glorie and maiestie in iudgement yet hee ceaseth not to shew his tender affection of loue unto his chosen And this ouerthroweth the opinion of the Church of Rome which would haue us 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 mark when he was heare on earth hee saide Come vnto me all yee that are heavy laden and I vvill ease you And when hee shall be most glorious in maiestie and power at the day of iudgement hee will then also say Come ye blessed of my father and therfore we may resolue our selues that it is his will now that we should come unto him without any intercessioÌ„ of saints Yee 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 workes of man Inherit that is receiue as your inheritance therefore the kingdome of heauen is Gods meere gifte A father giueth no inheritance unto his sonne of merite but of his free gifte whereupon it followes that no man can merit the kingdome of heauen by his workes The kingdome that is the eternall estate of glorie and happinesse in heauen therfore in this life we must so use this worlde as though we used 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 unspeakeable care of God for the faithfull Had he such care to prouide a kingdome for his children before they were then wee may assure our selues he will haue greater care ouer them now when they haue a being For you that is for the elect and faithfull Hence it appeares that there is no uniuersall election whereby God decrees
shall heare the sentence pronounced Away fâ—om me ye cursed shall be seuered as farre from Christ as hell from heauen Therefore let us not content our selues with formall profession but open the dores of our heartes that the king of glory may come in Yee cursed They are cursed who are borne in sinne and liue in their sinnes and all the daies of their liues so perseuere to the last gaspe without seeking recouerie Whosoeuer he be that is in this estate the curse of God hangeth ouer his head and will so do till hee get reconciliation with God in Christ. This being so aboue all things in this world we must labor to be at peace with God and neuer cease nor be quiet with our selues till we haue the same wrought and sealed in our hearts For before such time as we be in Gods fauour his fearfull curse hangs ouer our heads if we so perseuere without repentance the day will come when we shall heare this fearefull sentence pronounced against us Away from me ye cursed into hell fire What hell fire is we must not curiously search but rather giue our whole endeauour to learne how we may auoid it as when a mans house is on fire his care must be not to search how it came but rather how to quench it yet we are to know thus much that by hell fire is not meant any bodily flame but it signifies the seazing of the fearful terrible wrath of God both on body and soule for euer For howsoeuer the body be subiect to burning with fire yet the soule being spiritual can not burn therfore hell fire is not a materiall fire but a grieuous tormeÌ„t fit resembled therby Prepared for the divell and his angels There is in euery maÌ„s heart by nature this corruption whereby when he sinneth he thinkes that there is no daunger but all is well having as Esai saieth made a covenat with hell But here consider that although the deuill was once an angell of light yet when he had sinned he could not escape hell it was prepared euen for him Now then shall ungodly men which are not halfe so wily thinke to escape Nowe followeth the reason of their reiection in these wordes For I was an hungred and ye gave me no meate c. Hence we learne these two points I. that all mans religioÌ„ seruing of God is in vaine if so be we shew no coÌ„passion towarde the poore members of Christ in feeding clothing lodging visiting of them For we must thinke that many of those against whom this reason shalbe brought did know religioÌ„ professe the same yea they prophesied in the name of Christ called on him saying Lord Lord yet the sentence of condemnation goeth against them because they shewed no coÌ„passion toward the meÌ„bers of Christ therfore it is a principall vertue a speciall note of a christian to shew the bowels of coÌ„passion towardes his needy breethren Here againe we note that it is not sufficient for us to abstaine froÌ„ euil but we must also do good For it is not said I was an hungred and ye tooke meate from me but When I was huÌ„gry ye gave me no meat They are not charged with doing euill but for not doing good S. Iohn saith The axe is laid to the root of the tree the reason followes not because the tree bare euil fruite but because it bare not good fruit therfore it must be cast into the fire This condemnes a bad opinion of all worldly men who thinke that all is well that God will be mercifull unto them because they do no man harme Thus we see how the deuill blindes the eyes of men for it will not stand for paiment at the day of iudgement to say I haue hurt no man unlesse we further doe all the good we can The third point is the defence which impenitent sinners make for themselues in these wordes Lorde when saw we thee an hungred or thirstie or naked or in prison or sicke and did not minister unto thee Thus in their owne defence that which Christ saith they gainsay iustifie themselues Here mark the nature of all impenitent sinners which is to sooth flatter theÌ„selues in sinne to maintaine their own righteousnes like to the proude Pharisie in his praier who bragged of his goodnes said Lord I thanke thee that I am not as other men are extortioners c. and in the very same manner ignorant persons of all sortes among us iustifie themselues in their strong faith and bragge of their zeale of gods glory and of their loue to their brethren and yet indeede shew no signes thereof And truly wee are not to maruell when we se such persons to iustifie themselues before men whereas they shall not be ashamed to doe it at the day of iudgement before the Lord Iesus himselfe The last point is Christes answere to them againe in these wordes Verily I say vnto you in as much as yee did it not to one of the least of these yee did it not to me This sentence beeing repeated againe doeth teach us the lesson which wee learned before that when wee are to shewe compassion to any man especially if hee be a member of Gods Church we must not coÌ„sider his outward estate or his basenesse in that he vvantes foode or raiment but beholde Christ in him not respecting him as a man but as a member of Christ. This it is that must mooue us to compassion and cause us to make a supply of his wants more theÌ„ any respect in the worlde besides And surely when Christ in his members comes to our doâ—es and complaines that he is hungry and sicke and naked if our bowels came not towardes him there is not so much as a dramine of the loue of God in vs. The seventh point in the proceeding of the last iudgement is the retribution or reward in these words and they shall goe into everlasting paine and the righteous into life eternall How doe the wicked enter into hell and the godly into heaven Answ. By the powerfull commaunding voice of Christ which is of that force that neither the greatest rebell that euer was among men nor all the diuels in hell shal be able to withstand it And seeing that after the day of iudgement we must remaine for euer either in heauen or in hell we are to looke about us and to take heede unto our hearts Indeed if the time vvere but a thousand or two thousand yeres then with more reason men might take libertie to themselues but seeing it is without end we must be most carefull through the whole course of our lives so to liue behaue our selues that when the day of iudgement shall come we may auoid that fearful senteÌ„ce of euerlasting woe condeÌ„nation which shalbe pronounced against the wicked And wheras all wicked men shall go to hell at Christs commandement it teacheth us willingly
is the gift of God through Iesus Christ Now they of the Church of Rome teach the flatte contrarie they make two iustifications the first whereby a man of an euill man is made a good man the second whereby of a good man hee is made better The first they ascribe to grace but so as the seconde is by workes Secondly hence wee learne that the arte of Iudiciall astrologie is vaine and frivolous They that practise it doe professe themselues to tell of thinges to come almost whatsoeuer and this they doe by casting of figures and the speciall point of their art is to iudge of mens nativities For if they may know but the time of a mans byrth they take vpon them to tell the whole course of his life from yeare to yeare from weeke to weeke and from day to day from the day of his birth to the houre of his death yea that which is more they professe themselues to tell all things that shall befall men either in bodie goods or good name and what kinde of death they shall die But that this their practise is not of God but indeede vnlawfull it may appeare by this because it stands not with the doctrine of Gods predestination Two twinnes begotten of the same parents and borne both at one and the same time by the iudgement of Astrologians must haue both the same life and the same death and be euery way alike both in goods and in good name yet we see the contrarie to be true in Iacob and Esau who were borne both at one time of the same parents For Iacob tooke Esau by the heele so as there could not be much difference betweene them in time yet for all this Esau was a fierce man and wilde giuen to hunting but Iaacob was milde of nature and liued at home the one had fauour at Gods hand and was in the couenant but God kept backe that mercie froÌ„ the other Againe in a pitcht field are slaine a thousand men at one and the same time now if we consider the time of their births it may be they were borne at a thousand sundrie times and therefore vnder so many diuerse positions of the heauens and so by the iudgement of all Astrologers should haue all diuers and sundrie liues and ends but we see according to the determination of the counsell of God they haue all one and the same ende and therefore this must admonish all those that are brought vp in schooles of learning to haue care to spend there times in better studies and it teacheth those that are fallen into any manner of distresse not to haue recourse to these fond figure-casters For their astrologicall iudgements are false and foolish as we may see by the two former examples Thirdly the knowledge of God is one of the most speciall points in Christian religion and therefore the Lord saith Let him that reioyce reioyce in this that he vnderstandeth and knoweth me For I am the Lord which shew mercie and iudgement in the earth And our Sauiour Christ saith This is life eternall to know thee the onely very God and whome thou hast sent Jesus Christ. Nowe Gods predestination is a glasse wherein we may behold his maiestie For first by it we see the wonderfull wisdome of God who in his eternall counsell did foresee and most wisely set downe the state of euery man secondly his omnipotencie in that he hath power to saue and power to refuse whome he will thirdly his iustice and mercie hoth ioyned together in the exequution of election his mercie in that he saueth those which were vtterly lost his iustice in that he ordained Christ to be a mediatour to suffer the curse of the law and to satisfie his iustice for the Elect. Fourthly his iustice in the exequution of the decree of Reprobation for though he decreed to hold back his mercie from some men because it so pleased him yet he condemneth no man but for his sinnes Now the coÌ„sideration of these the like points bring vs to the knowledge of the true God The vses which concerne our affections are these First the doctrine of predestination ministers to all the people of God matter of endlesse consolation For because Gods election in vnchangeable therefore they which are predestinate to saluation can not perish though the gates of hell preuaile against them so as they be hardly saued yet shall they certenly be saued therefore our Sauiour Christ saith that in the latter daies shall arise false Christs and false prophets which shall shew great signes and wonders so that if it were possible they should deceiue the very elect In which words he takes it for graunted that the elect of God can neuer finally fall away And hereupon he saith to his disciples when they reioyced that the deuils were subiect to them rather reioyce that your names are written in heauen And S. Paul speaking of Hymeneus Alexander which had falne away from the faith least the Church would be discouraged by their fall because they were thought to be worthie men pillars of the Church he doth comfort theÌ„ from the very ground of election saying The foundation of God remaineth sure and hath this seale The Lord knoweth who are his Where Gods election is compared to the foundatioÌ„ of an house the building whereof may be shaken but the ground-work standeth fast therefore Paul saith further Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect Nowe then that we may haue comfort in distresse some thing to stay vpon in al our troubles we in this world are as strangers in a farre countrie our passage homeward is ouer the sea of this world the ship wherin we saile is the Church satan stirres vp many blasts of troubles teÌ„ptations his purpose is to sink the ship or to driue it on the rock but we must take the anchor of hope fasten it in heauen vpon the foundation of Gods Election which being done we shal passe in safetie reioyce in the midst of all stormes tempests Secondly whereas God refuseth some men and leaues them to themselues it serues to strike a feare into â—uery one of vs whatsoeuer as Saint Paul in the like case saith the Iewes being the naturall braunches are broken off through vnbeliefe and thou standest by faith be not high minded but feare This indeed was spoken to the Romanes but we must also lay it vnto our hearts For what is the best of vs but a lump of clay how soeuer in Gods counsell we are chosen to saluation yet in our selues we are all shut vp vnder vnbeliefe and are fit to make vessels of wrath Our Sauiour Christ calleth Iudas a deuil we know his leud life fearful end now what are we better then Iudas by nature If we had bin in his steade without the special blessing of God we should haue don as he did he betraied Christ
the resurrection of the dead should be both of the iust vniust Now what did this mooue him vnto Marke herein saith he that is in this respect I endeauour my self to haue alwaies a cleare coÌ„science towards God and towards man And let vs for our parts likewise remember the last iudgement that it may be a meanes to mooue vs so to behaue our selues in all our actions that we may keep a good conscience before God and before men and let it also be a bridle vnto vs to keepe vs backe from all manner of sinne For what is the cause why men daily defile their bodies soules with so many damnable practises without any remorse of conscience Surely they neuer seriously remember the day of the resurrection after this life wherin they must stand before Christ to giue an account of that which they haue done in this life whether it be good or badde Thus much of the duties now marke it is further said The resurrection of the bodie If the bodie rise it must first fal Here then this point is wrapped vp as a confessed truth that all men must die the first death And yet considering that the members of the Church haue the pardon of their sinnes which are the cause of death it may be demaunded why they must die Ansvveâ—re VVee are to know that when they die death doth not seaze vpon theÌ„ as it is in his own nature a curse for in that respect it was borne of Christ vpon the crosse and that for vs but for two other causes which wee must thinke vpon as beeing speciall meanes to make a man willing to die I. They must die that originall corruption may be vtterly abolished for no man liuing on earth is perfectly sanctified and originall sinne is remaining for speciall causes to the last moment of this life then it is abolished and not before II. The godly die that by death as by a straight gate they may passe from this vale of miserie to eternall life And thus Christ by his death makes death to be no death and turnes a curse into a blessing And to proceede It is not here said the resurrection of the soule but of the bodie onely what then will some say becommeth of the soule Diuers haue thought that the soules then though they doe not die yet are still kept within the bodie beeing as it were a sleepe till the last day But Gods word saith to the contrarie For in the Revelation it is said The soules of the godly lie vnder the altar and cry How long Lord Iesus And in the Gospel of Luke Dives in soule did suffer woe and torments in hell and Lazarus had ioy in AbrahaÌ„s bosom Againe some others think that mens soules after this life doe passe from one mans bodie to another and Herod may seeme to haue beene of this opinion for when newes was brought him of Christ he said that Iohn Baptist beeing beheaded was risen againe thinking that the soule of Iohn Baptist was put into the bodie of some other man And for proofe herof some alledge the example of Nebuchadnezzar who forsaking the societie of man liued as a beast and did eate grasse like a beast and they imagine that his owne soule went out of him and that the soule of a beast entred in the roome thereof But this indeede is a fonde conceit for euen then he had the soule of a man when he liued as a beast being only strickeÌ„ by the hand of God with an exceeding madnes whereby he was bereft of common reason as doth appeare by that clause in the text where it is saide that his vnderstanding or knowledge returned to him againe Againe some other thinke that the soule neither dieth nor sleepeth nor passeth out of one bodie into an other but wandereth here on earth amoÌ„g men ofteÌ„times appeareth to this or that maÌ„ this is the opinion of some hereticks of the common people which thinke that dead men walke and for proofe hereof some alleadge the practise of the witch of Endor who is said to make Samuel to appeare before Saul but the truth is it was not Samuel in deede but onely a counterfait of him For not all the witches in the world nor all the deuils in hell are able to disquiet the soules of the faithfull departed which are in the keeping of the Lord without wandring from place to place For when men die in the faith their soules are immediatly translated into heauen there abide till the last iudgement and contrariwise if men die in their sinnes their soules goe straight to the place of eternall condemnation and there abide as in a prison as Peter saith In a word when the breath goeth out of the bodie the soule of euery man goeth straight either to heaueÌ„ or hel and there is no third place of aboad meÌ„tioned in scripture To conclude the resurrection of the bodie is expressely mentioned in the Creede to shew that there is no resurrection of the soule which neither dieth nor sleepeth but is a spirituall and inuisible substance liuing and abiding for euer as well forth of the bodie as in the same Thus much of the third prerogatiue or benefit now followeth the fourth last in these words And life euerlasting To handle this point to the full and to open the nature of it as it deserueth is not in the power of man For both the Prophet Esai and Saint Paul say that the eye hath not seene and the eare hath not heard neither came it into mans heart to thinke of those things which God hath prepared for those that loue him Again Paul when he was wrapt into the third heauen saith that he saw things not to be vttered Neuerthelesse we may in some part describe the same so farre forth as God in this case hath reuealed his wil vnto vs. Wherefore in this last prerogatiue I consider two things the first is life it selfe the second is the continuance of life noted in the word euerlasting Life it selfe is that whereby any thing acteth liueth moueth it selfe it is twofold vncreated or created Vncreated life is the very godhead it selfe wherby God liueth absolutely in himselfe from himselfe by himselfe giuing life and being to all things that liue and haue beeing this life is not meant here because it is not communicable to any creature Created life is a qualitie in the creature and its againe twofold natural spiritual Natural life is that wherby men in this world liue by meat drinke al such means as are ministred by Gods prouidence Spirituall life is that most blessed and happie estate in which all the Elect shall raigne with Christ their head in the heauens after this life after the day of iudgemeÌ„t for euer and euer And this alone is the life which in the Creed we confesse and beleeue it consisteth in an immediate coniunctioÌ„ and communion
then by them that haue knowledge and oftentimes it is tossed in the mouthes of them that haue little religion in their hearts and therefore I answeare first men should rather haue care to seeke howe they may come to heauen then to dispute what they shall doe when they are there the common prouerb is true it is not good counting of chickins before they be hatched Secondly I say that men in heauen shall know each other yea they shall know them which were neuer knowne or seene of them before in this life which may be gathered by proportion out of Gods word Adam in his innocencie knew Eue whome he had neuer seene before and gaue her a fit name so soone as shee was created And when our Sauiour Christ was transfigured in the mount Peter knew Moses and Elias whome before he had neuer seene and therefore it is like that the Elect shall know each other in heauen where their knowledge their whol estate shalbe fully perfited But whither they shall know one an other after an earthly manner as to say this man was my father this was mine vncle this my teacher c. the worde of God saith nothing and therefore I will be silent and must be content a while to be ignorant in this point The third prerogatiue of euerlasting blessednes is that the Elect shall loue God with as perfect loue as a creature possiblie can The manner of louing God is to loue him for himselfe and the measure is to loue him without measure and both shall be found in heauen for the Saints of God shall haue an actuall fruition of God himselfe and be 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 â—s knowne of man onely in part and therefore is loued onely but in part but after this life wheÌ„ the Elect shal know God fully they shall loue him without measure and in this respect loue hath a prerogatiue aboue faith or hope howsoeuer 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 day 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 Isai From moneth to moneth and from sabbath to sabbath all flesh shall come and worship before me and therefore the life to come shalbe spent in the perpetuall seruice of God Fifthly the bodies of all the Elect after this life in the kingdome of heauen shall 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 resemblance betweene Christs bodie and ours standeth in these things as Christs bodie is vncorruptible so shall our bodies be void of all corruption as Christs bodie is immortall so ours in the kingdome of heauen shall neuer die as Christs bodie is spirituall so shal 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 divine manner For in this life it is preserued by meat drinke cloathing sleepe physicke rest and diet but afterward without all these meanes the life of the bodie shalbe continued and bodie and soule keepe together by the immediate power of Gods spirit for euer and euer thus the bodie of Christ is now preserued in heauen and so shall the bodies of all the Elect be after the day of iudgement Furthermore as Christs bodie is now 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 being in distance many thousand miles from vs and that without violence so shal the bodies of the saints For beeing glorified they shall be able as well to ascende 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 as Dauid saith In thy presence is fulnes of ioy at thy right haÌ„d there are pleasures for euermore It is said that when Salomon was crowned King the people reioyced exceedingly if there were such great ioy at his coronation which 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 saide that the wise men which came from the East to worshippe Christ when they saw the starre standing ouer the place where the babe was were exceeding glad how much more shall the Elect reioyce 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 can not 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 onely 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 2. other causes First because life eternall is due to all that beleue by vertue of Christs merit For as his righteousnes is made ours by imputation so consequently 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 workman 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 eternal life till after death but they are deceiued for it begins 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 beeing 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 wee must lay the foundation of life eternall in our selues in this worlde and haue the earnest thereof laide vp in our hearts against the day of death But how is that done wee 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 knowe thee the onely God and whome thou hast sent Iesus Christ. And wee must goe further yet endeauouring to say with Paul that we liue not but that Christ liueth in vs which when wee can say wee 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 aftâ—r the day of iudgement when bodie and soule revnited shall both be aduanced to eternall glorie Againe in this thirde degree of life there be in all likelihood sundrie degrees of glorie Daniel speaking of the estate of the elect after this life saieth They that be wise shall shine as the brightnesse of the firmament and they that turne many to righteousnesse shall shine as the starres for evermore Now wee knowe there is difference betweene the brightnesse of the firmament and the brightnesse of the starres Agane there be degrees of torments in hell as aâ—peares by the saying of Christ It shall be easier for Tyrus and Sydon in that day then for this generation and therefore there be proportionall degrees of glorie And Paul saieth There is one glory of the Sunne another glory of the moone another glory of the Stars for one starre differeth from another in glory so is the resurrection of the dead In which words he applies the differences of excellencie that be in the creatures to set forth the differences of glorie that shall be in mens bodies after the resurrection Furthermore if we may coniecture it may be the degrees of glorie shall be answerable to the diuers measures of giftes and graces bestowed on men in this life and according to the imployance of them to the glorie of God and edification of the Church And therefore the twelue Apostles who were exceedingly enriched with the giftes of the spirite and were master-builders of the Church of the new Testament shall sit on 12. thrones and iudge the twelue tribes of Israel But it may be obiected that if there be degrees of glorie in heauen some shall want glory Ansvvere Not so though some haue more and some lesse yet all shall haue sufficient Take sundry vessels whereof some are bigger and some lesse and cast them all into the sea some will receiue more water and some lesse and yet all shall be full and no want in any and so likewise among the saintes of God in heauen some shall haue more glorie some lesse and yet all without exception full of glorie And whereas it is alledged that all the labourers in the vineyarde receiue each of them a pennie equallie for their hire the answere is that our Sauiour Christ in that parable intendes not to set foorth the equalitie of celestiall glorie and what shall be the estate of the godly after this life but the verie drifte of the parable is to shew that they which are called first haue no cause to bragge or insulte ouer others which as yet are uncalled considering they may be made equall or be preferred before them Thus much of life it selfe now followes the continuance thereof which the scriptures haue noted in calling it eternall or euerlasting And to this ende Paul saieth that Christ hath abolished death and brought not onely life but also immortalitie to light by the gospell And this verie circumstance serues greatly to commende the happinesse of the godly in that after they haue made an entrance into it they shal neuer see terme of time or end Suppose the whol world were a sea and that euery thousand yeeres expired a bird must carrie away or drinke up one onely drop of it in processe of time it will come to passe that this sea though verie huge shall be dried up but yet many thousand millions of yeres must be passed before this can be done Now if a man should enioy happinesse in heauen onely for the space of time in which the sea is in drying up he woulde thinke his case most happie and blessed but behold the elect shall enioy the kingdome of heauen not only for that time but when it is ended they shall enioy it as long againe and when all is done they shall be as farre from the ending of this their ioy as they were at the beginning Hauing thus seene what life euerlasting is let us now come to the use of the article And first of all if wee beleeue that there is an eternall happinesse and that the same belonges unto us then wee must use this present world and all the things therin as though we used them not and whatsoeuer wee doe in this worlde yet the eyes of our mindes must be alwaies cast toward the blessed estate prepared for us in heauen As a pilgrime in a straunge lande hath alwaies his eyes towarde his iourneyes ende and is then grieued when by any meanes hee is out of the way so much wee alwaies haue our mindes and heartes set on euerlasting life and be grieued when wee are by any way hindred in the strait way that leadeth thereunto wee haue a notable patterne of this dutie set out unto us in the patriarke Abraham who beeing called of God obeyed to goe out into a place which hee shoulde afterward receiue for inheritance and hee went out not knowing whither hee went and by faith aboade in the lande of Canaan as in a straunge cuntrey and as one that dvvelt in tentes Now the cause that mooued him was life euerlasting for the text saith Hee looked for a citie having a foundation whose builder and maker is God And wee ought euerie one of us for our partes to be like affected to all the things of this life neuer setting our hearts upon them but using them as a pilgrime doth his staffe in the way so long as it is an helpe and stay for him in his iourney hee is content to carrie it in his hande but so soone as it beginneth to trouble him he casteth it away Secondly all that professe the Gospell of Christ may hence learne to beare the crosses and afflictions which God shall lay on them in this worlde It is Gods usuall manner to begin corrections in his owne family upon his owne children and as Peter saieth Iudgement beginneth at Gods house Looke as a mother that waines her
childe layeth wormewoode or some other bitter thing vpon her brest to make the childe loathe the milke so likewise God makes vs often feele the miseries and crosses of this life that our loue and liking might be turned from this worlde and fixed in heauen As raw flesh is loathsome to the stomacke so is euerie sinner and unmortified man loathsome unto God till the Lorde by afflictions mortifie in him the corruptions of his nature and specially the loue of this worlde But when a man is afflicted how shall hee be able to endure the crosse Surely by resoluing himselfe that the Lorde hath prepared life euerlasting for him Thus wee reade that Moses by faith when he was come to age refused to be called the sonne of Pharaohs ' daughter and choosed rather to suffer adversitie vvith the people of God then to enioy the pleasures of sinne for a season esteeming the rebuke of Christ greater riches then the treasures of Egypt But I pray you what mooued Moses to be of this minde The reason is added Because he had respect to the recompence of reward that is he had alwaies a speciall regard to life euerlasting that was it that made him content and willing to suffer affliction with Gods people in the land of Goshen Here then behold a notable president for us to follow In which wee are taught that the best way to indure afflictions with patience is to haue an eye to the recompence of reward this is it that makes the yoke of Christ easie and lightsome When it shall please God to bring unto us a cup of affliction and bid us drinke a draught thereof to the verie bottom the meditation of life eternall must be as sugar in our pockets to sweeten the cup withall Lastly if this be true that God of his goodnesse endlesse mercie towardes mankind hath prepared life euerlasting yet not for all men but for the elect whose names are written in the booke of life we must aboue all thinges in this world seeke to be partakers of the same Let us receiue this as from the Lorde and lay it to our hearts whatsoeuer we doe euening or morning day or night whether we be young or old rich or poore first we must seeke for the kingdome of heauen and his righteousnesse If this benefit were common to all and not proper to the Church lesse care might be had but seeing it is proper to some alone for this verie cause let all our studies be to obtaine the beginnings of life euerlasting euen in this life For if we haue it not whosoeuer wee be it had bene better for us that we had neuer bene borne or that we had bene borne dogges and toades then men for when they die there is an end of their miserie but man if hee loose everlasting happinesse hath ten thousand millions of yeeres to liue in miserie and in the torments of hell and when that time is ended hee is as farre from the ende of his miserie as hee was at the beginning Wherefore I pray you let not the deuill steale this meditation out of your hearts but be carefull to repent of all your sinnes and to beleeue in Christ for the pardon of them all that by this meanes yee may come to haue the pawne and earnest of the spirite concerning life euerlasting euen in this world What a miserable thing is it that men should liue long in this world and not so much as dreame of another life till the last gaspe But we must not suffer satan thus to abuse and bewitch vs for if we haue not eternall life in this world we shall neuer haue it Hitherto by Gods goodnesse I haue shewed the meaning of the Creede now to drawe to a conclusion the generall vses which are to be made of it follow And first of all we learne by it that the Church of Rome hath no cause to condemne us for heretikes for we doe truly hold and beleeue the whole Apostolicall Symbole or Creed which is an epitome of the scriptures and the verie keie of faith It will be said that we denie the Popes supremacie iustification by workes purgatorie the sacrifice of the Masse for the sinnes of the quicke and the dead the invocation and intercession of saintes c. which are the greatest pointes of religion It is true indeed we denie and renounce them as doctrines of deuils perswading our selues that if they indeed had beene Apostolicall and the verie grounds and pillars of religion as they are now auouched to be they should in no wise haue bin left forth of the Creed For it is an ouersight in making a confession of faith to omit the principall points and rules of faith It will be further saide that in the Creed we beleeue the Church so consequētly are to beleeue all these former points which are taught and avouched by the Church but this defence is foolish For it takes this for graunted that the Church of Rome is the Church here ment which we denie unlesse they can proue a particular Church to be vniversall or Catholicke Nay I adde further that the principall grounds of popish faith for which they contend with us as for life and death are not mentioned in any other Creedes which were made by the Churches councels for many hundred yeres after Christ. Secondly the Creed serues as a storehouse of remedies against all troubles temptations whatsoeuer I. If a man be grieued for the losse of earthly riches let him consider that he beleeues God to be his Creatour who will therfore guide and preserue his owne workemanship by his prouidēce minister all things needfull unto it And that he hath not lost the principall blessing of all in that he hath God to be his father Christ to be his redeemer the H. ghost to be his comforter and that considering he lookes for life eternall he is not to be ouermuch carefull for this life that Christ being our Lord will not forsake us being the seruāts in his own house but will prouide things needfull for us II. If any man be grieued in respect of outward disgrace and contempt let him remember that he beleeues in Christ crucified and that therefore hee is to reioyce in contempt for righteousnesse sake III. They which are troubled for the decease of friends are to comfort themselues in the cōmunion of saints and that they haue God the father Christ and the holy ghost for their friends IIII. Against bodily captivitie let men consider that they beleeue in Christ their Lord whose seruice is perfect libertie V. Against the feare of bodily diseases we must remember the resurrection of the bodie in which all diseases and infirmities shalbe abolished VI. If a man feare the death of the body let him consider that hee beleeues in Christ which died vpon the crosse who by death hath vanquished death VII The feare of persecution is restrained if we call to remembrance