ioineth these 4 together 1. to edifie our selues in our most holy faith 2. to pray in the holy Ghost 3. to keepe our selues in the loue of God 4. to looke for the mercy of our Lord Iesus Christ to eternall life Iud. 20. and 21. The first 3 pertaine to the purging of our selues the last is a plaine description of this hope Finally for conclusion of all let vs remember that the Apostle Paul hauing plentifully proued the doctrine of the resurrection no lesse eloquently laid forth the maner thereof and the future similitude likenes of our bodies to the body of Christ doth from the expectation thereof shut vp all with this graâ—e exhortation tending to this purging of our selues Therefore my beloued brethren be stedfast and vnmoueable abounding alwaies in the worke of the Lord knowing that your labour is not in vaine in the Lord. 1. Cor. 15. 58. Here the first word therefore secretly insinuateth and the last sentence added for confirmation plainly expresseth this hope that hither to we haue spoken of and the exhortation it selfe betwixt both inserted doth as euidently intimate this purging of our selues in regard of that hope which here also the Apostle commendeth I shall not neede to enlarge this point any further Onely let vs consider thereof by this familiar similitude that euery one prepareth himselfe and house and all according to the person whom he looketh for What seruant that is in continuall expectation of his masters returne home but will prepare himselfe and all things belonging vnto him accordingly what meane man looketh for the comming of a Noble man especialle what subiect looketh for the comming of his Prince but that hee will prepare himselfe for apparell and for all other things beseeming the entertainement of such a person Shall wee then looke for the appearing of our Lord Iesus Christ and at his appearing to be made like vnto him and so to see him in all his glory and maiestie and shall we not purge our selues and cast away al filthines of the flesh of the spirit and put on the robes of he lines and righteousnes that so we may be the fitter to intertain him and to be intertained of him into his glory Let no man deceiue vs with vaine words neither let vs deceiue our selues It is not possible for vs to haue this hope and to looke for these things but that wee will thus purge our selues If we do not thus purge our selues then certainly wee haue not this hope neither do we look to be made like vnto Christ Iesus at his appearing and to see him as he is Would we be like vnto him in glory and will we not be like vnto him in holinesse Would we see him as he is now in heauen with our bodily eies and will we not see him as he offereth himselfe to be seene in earth in his word and sacraments with the eies of our mind and by faith Let vs remember and let vs not forget what the Apostle saith follow peace and holinesse without which no man shall see the Lord Heb. 12. 14. Yea let vs consider what our Sauiour saith Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God Mat. 5. 8. For doe not these sentences plainly shew that without the former holinesse and purity of heart none shall see the Lord But sith many things before spoken may be referred to this argument I will therefore insist no longer thereupon If we doe thus purge our selues as heere the Apostle speaketh then let vs assure our selues that our hope of being made like vnto him and seeing him as he is shall not by any thing whatsoeuer be frustrated Earthly Princes may shake vs out of their Courts as Mordecai might not enter within King Ahashuerosâ— his gates because hee was clothed with sackcloth Ester 4 2. but Iehouah the Lord of Lords and King of heauen and earth will receiue vs into his euerlasting palace of heauen there to behold all his glory and riches Heauen and earth shall rather perish then Gods word in this behalfe shall fall to the ground But if we doe not so purge our selues our hopeâ—s altogether a vaine hope and shall deceiue vs in the end The diuels themselues shall as soone be made like to Christ and see him as he is as that man or woman that is not here purged But in what measure must euery one that hath this hope in him purge himselfe First according to his measure of the said hope For this purging being an effect of that hope it cannot bee but that the more the hope is the more he that hath that hope will purge himselfe Secondly according to the meanes before mentioned of purging himselfe viz. according to his hearing reading of the word meditation company of the godly praiers c. For all these meanes being the ordinances of God for a maÌ„ to purge himselfe it cannot bee but that the more any man doth in truth vse the said meanes the more blessing God will giue vnto them for effecting this purging Thirdly according to other meanes that God himselfe doth vse towards them that haue the said hope for the purging of them viz. according to the mercies which he bestoweth vpon them and according to the chastisements wherwith he doth exercise them For these doth the Lord vse as before hath beene mentioned to kill the weedes of sinne in men and to make them the more plentifull in the fruits of righteousnes What is this but to purge them as here the Apostle speaketh and as our Sauiour himself speaketh in the very same case Ioh. 15. 2. Gods mercies are as it were the marling and manuring or to speake more plainely as the mucking and dunging of our barren hearts and Gods chastisements and corrections are as it were the ploughing of them after they are so marled manured mucked and dunged or as the harrowing of them to breake their hard clods and both are to make them the more fruitfull in all goodnes As men therefore doe looke that their grounds should bee the more freed from weedes and bring forth the better crops of good corne the more they dung plough and harrow them so the more that God doth multiply his mercies vpon his children and exercise them with his corrections the more he looketh they should be purged of sinne and bring forth the fruits of righteousnes Vnder this 〈◊〉 comprehend the purging of our selues according to any dignity whereunto God hath aduanced vs. As wee doe more wash our face then the inferiour parts of our body so the more eminent that any is in Church or common wealth the more he ought to be purged from all vice and the more also to shine in all vertue Moreouer â—uery child of God is to purge himselfe and to be so much the more holy by how much the more impure filthy vnholy he seeth other to be Therfore the holy ghost by the examples of such as haue been idolaters fornicators tempters of
thereby ye haue attained to that true and vnfeined loue of the brethreÌ„ whereby ye know your selues to bee translated from death to life and that already ye are of the truth and hereafter shall before him assure your hearts 1. Ioh. 3. 14. and 18. and 19. by which things also ye haue felt vnspeakable and incomprehensible ioy and comfort then minse not the matter neither clippe ye the Lords goodnesse towards you by saying that indeede ye haue by our ministerie atteined vnto some knowledge euen to a verball knowledge so to my griefe I heare some to haue scoffingly said but whether yee haue receiued also the spirit of adoption that ye cannot tell yea some of you do vtterly deny But alas if ye haue euer felt the things before spoken of how ingratefull impietie and how impious ingratitude is this against God For what is this but for the excuse of your wauering mind to lie of the holy ghost And how much lesse sinne is this lying of the holy Ghost then that of Ananias and Sapphira of lying to the holie ghost Acts. 5. 3. I may amplifie this point by that which is written in the law against him that sinned against the Lord in denying vnto his neighbour that which was taken him to keepe or that which was put to him of trust Leuit. 6. 2. For if it be so great a sinne against the Lord for a man to deny vnto his neighbour that which was taken him to keepe or that which was put to him of trust to be restored againe to the owner without any benefit to the keeper oh then how heinous a sinne is it against the Lord to deny the free gift of God himselfe bestowed vpon wretched man neuer to be restored but to continue to euerlasting life Concerning such as are already separated from amongst you and do so continue if they haue made separation onely in zeale which is not according to knowledge without pride disdaine and contempt against all other such I wish well and seriously to consider the words and counsell of the angell which found out Hagar being fled from her mistris Sara for her hard dealing with her For as the Angell first asked her whence she came and whither she would goe and secondly vpon her answere that she fled from her dame Sara commanded her to returne to her dame and to humble her selfe vnder her hands Genes 16. 7. so and much more let the separatists among you consider the more whence they came and whither they are going as also to make the more hast of returning and humbling themselues to them whom without sufficient cause they haue for saken because their regeneration if they be regenerated receiued amongst them and wrought by some of them whom they haue for saken is a farre greater benefit then all that euer Hagar had had at the hands of her mistris Sara Touching both the that are separated and also that are not I do iointly intreat them with iudgement to consider first the speedy growth of them that decline that way like to the gourd of Iona Iona. 4. 6. not like to the graine of mustard seede whereunto the kingdome of heauen is compared Mat. 13. 31. which at the first being the least of all seedes afterward groweth not of the sudden but by degrees to be a great tree For may not this make them to suspect their course to be rather according to nature then according to grace Is it not more easie to goe downe the hill then vp the hill The rather may this sudden growth be suspected because it is more without meanes in one day or at least by small and simple meanes onely by priuate talking c. then before they did grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Iesus Christ in many moneths Great indeede was the suddaine successe of the sermon of Peter Acts. 2. 41. and of the preaching of Paul to the keeper of the prison Acts. 16. 33. But alas the extraordinary and strange meanes before mentioned in either place doe shew not onely the said suddaine and great successe to haue beene extraordinary but also that the like extraordinary successe requireth more extra ordinary means then in these dais we haue warrant to expect Secondly let both sorts before mentioned further consider the scoffing gibing and contemptuous spirit I speake this with griefe of most of them that are separated against all other especially not inclining towards them most of all against them that haue done them most good if euer they haue at all tasted in truth how good the Lord is 1. Pet. 2. 2. Is the spirit of God the spirit of scoffing gibing and contempt No but of sobrietie of grauitie of meekenesse and of reuerence teaching them in whom it is not to be high minded but to make themselues though of high place equall to them of the lower sort Rom. 12. 16. and in meekenes of minde to esteem other better then themselues Philip. 2. 3. Lastly let both sorts before spoken vnto further yet obserue the ignorance of many that are most prone to separation in the things of greatest moment and of most necessity and also what little conscience they make of sactifying the Lords day not only not spending the time of their absence from our asseblies in priuate exercises of religion at home but also in walking vp and downe idlely in the fields woods c and finally how they neglect their callings and misspend their time in running vp and down to talke one with another of separation and so wast that little stocke which before through the good blessing of God they had gotten whiles they did diligently follow their calling In the largenes of my loue towards you I could write much more largely of these points But beeing loth to trouble other readers and too long to deâ—cine them from the treatise following I do forbeare The Father of our Lord Iesus Christ of whom is named the whole familie in heauen and in earth graunt to all you to whom now I do write that ye may be strength ned by his spirit in the inner man Ephes 3. 14. c. and that none of you may euer fall away vtterly from the grace of God The same God also so print all good things in all your harts both which are in this whole booke printed in paper and also which ye do daily read in other good bookes which ye heare or may heare in the publike preaching of the word that neither the loue of the world nor any other power of hell may euer be able to race them out that so God may haue the glory of them and your selues may inioy the fruit euen righteousnes peace ioy and comfort in this life and euerlasting glory in the life to come From Much Totham Aprill 20. 1610. Your most vnfained and faithfull in the Lord Thomas Stoughton THE CONTENTS OF THE SEVERALL CHAPTERS OF THIS TREAtise of the Dignity of Gods children with a note of
is in them Ierem. 8. 9. So when Saul had made more haste then good speed in offering sacrifice before Samuels comming and that contrary to Samuels direction in that behalfe Samuel feared not to tell him that he had done foolishly because hee had not kept the commandement of God and that the Lord would haue stablished his kingdome for euer but that now his kingdome should not continue c. 1. Sam. 13. 13. 14. Because also Asa though otherwise a worthy king had made a couenant with Benbadad king of Syria to aide him against Baasha King of Israel Hanani the Seer did rebuke him in the very same termes telling him that hee had done foolishly c. as Samuel had reproued Saul 2. Chro. 16. 9. If therefore they were iustly charged to haue done foolishly because they had done that which they did against the commandement of God then by the same reason all naturall men be no better then fooles for asmuch as they doe all neglect and contemne the commandements of God The same is further manifest because Moses exhorteth the Israelites to the keeping of Gods commandements by this argument that they should be their wisedome and their vnderstanding in the sight of the people which hearing all those ordinances should say Onely this people is wise and of vnderstanding Deut. 4. 6. Moreouer Christ Iesus is called the wisedome of his father Luk. 11. 49. he is said to haue all the treasures of wisedome and of knowledge hid in him Coloss 2. 3. Vpon him the spirit of wisedome and vnderstanding the spirit of counsell and strength the spirit of knowledge and of the feare of the Lord doth rest Isai 11. 2. Where the vniting the spirit of wisedome vnderstanding Note counsell and knowledge with the spirit of feare doth teach that where there is not the spirit of feare but the spirit of boldnesse security presumption and other impiety there is not the spirit of wisedome of vnderstanding of counsell or of any true knowledge according to that before said in that behalfe He hath the seuen spirits of God in his hand Reuel â— 2. that is all the gifts of the spirit of God which though he be but one in his essence 1. Cor. 12. 11. Eph. 4. 4. yet is called seuen in respect of the diuersity of his gifts and more specially because of the seuen Churches to which he writeth those seuen Epistles and yet all that variety of gifts is called by the name of spirits because one and the selfe same spirit worketh them all or distributeth them all as the former place to the Corinthians witnesseth As therefore none could haue any corne in Egypt but by the hands of Ioseph so Christ Iesus is the high Lord Treasurer of heauen for the dispensing of all the gifts of the spirit in respect where of none can haue any but such only as come to his gates and giue attendance at the posts of his dores Pro. 8. 33. To comprehend all the arguments hitherto vsed in one thus I argue against all naturall and wicked men They that haue not the vnderstanding of Gods will reuealed in his written word They that feare not the Lord in keeping his commandements They that are without Christ Iesus are vtterly voide of true wisedome and therefore be starke fooles All naturall and wicked men are without vnderstanding of Gods will reuealed in his written word They feare not God in keeping his commandements and they are without Christ Therfore they are vtterly void of true wisedom and be stark fooles If any shall reply and ask how it can be that all before mentioned naturall and wicked men may be said to be without knowledge or vnderstanding I answer as before with addition notwithstanding of Iohns words He that saith I know him and keepeth not his commandements is a lyar and the truth is not in him 1. Ioh. 2. 4. For indeed how can any man say that hee knoweth God to be most iust almighty and able to be reuenged of euery sinne against him and yet dareth to breake his commandements And how can any man say that he knoweth God to be most wise most gratious most kind most mercifull and long suffering and yet doth not loue him Or how can he say he loueth him and keepeth not his commandements Ioh. 14. 15. It is therefore most certaine that no man doth truly know God that doth not loue and obey him But let vs shew the former point all naturall men to be vnwise and foolish by some other reasons Thus therefore I proceed True wisedome maketh them that haue it the better All naturall and wicked men are no whit the better for all the learning and other knowledge they haue They lose all that they do according to such learning and knowledge They get nothing thereby but onely heape vp the more iudgement and condemnation to themselues Luk. 12. 47. Therefore consequently they are vnwise and fooles Doe we not so account of men in the world viz. that they are very simple men and of no vnderstanding yea starke fooles that shall altogether busie themselues and spend their time their strength and their wits and their mony about matters of no profit or that shall toile and moile early and late for trifles and neglect matters of moment great worth The best we say of such is that they are penny wise and pound foolish Why then may we not so iudge and speak of naturall men of all continuing in their natural condition which as was said before by Isaiah lay out siluer and not for bread and labor and be not satisfied Isai 55. 2. and which follow altogether vaine things as Samuel speaketh which shall not profit them 1. Sa. 12. 21. For certainly when they haue done al that they can yet it may be said to them as Paul speaketh to the Romanes What fruit haue you in those things Rom. 621. Yea though they should get neuer so much honour and wealth in the world yea though they should winne the whole world yet what profit shall they haue if they lose their owne soules Mark 8 36. May not God say vnto such for all their reputation for wisedome c. as he said to the rich man that hauing great increase of corne took care only for building his barnes greater and liuing after in pleasures and neuer thought of any thankfulnesse to God or of doing any good with his abundance vnto men O foole c. Luk. 12. 20. Moreouer as the word before translated vnwise Eph. 5. 17. Tit. 3. 3. and foolish Galat. 3. 1. signifieth mad men so in truth naturall men are no better then those whom for distraction or losse of their naturall wits we account mad men yea many distracted in their wits or bereaued of their vnderstanding either by abundance of melancholy or by feares or by some accident or by age c. are in a far better state for the life to come then meere naturall men so long as they doe
and also benefits and commodities of regeneration depend vpon the communion of the new borne children of God with Christ Iesus therefore although I haue before spoken somewhat of their said communion Christ Iesus being shewed to bee the chiefe matter wherein their new birth and being the children of God doth consist and all other points thereof before handled beeing effects of the former yet I will now returne againe thereunto and lay the same more largely forth then before I haue done Touching therfore this communion that we may yet better see what other benefits the children of God haue and what fruits they bring forth thereby let vs further vnderstand that it is in the Scriptures expressed by diuers most significant metaphors and excellent similitudes For first it is compared to the communion betwixt our bodies and our garments in which respect we are bid to put on the Lord Iesus Christ Rom. 13. 14. Secondly it is compared to the communion betwixt vs and our daily meate and drinke In which respect Christ calleth himselfe the meat that abideth to eternall life Ioh. 6. 27. and the bread of God which came downe from heauen verse 33. and the liuing bread which whosoeuer eateth shall liue for euer and also saith that his flesh is bread c. verse 51. and that except we eate his flesh and drinke his blood we haue no life in vs verse 53. because his flesh is meat indeed and his blood is drinke indeed And that he that eateth his flesh and drinketh his blood dwelleth in him and he in him verse 55. Thirdly it is compared to the communion betwixt the vine and the branches In which respect Christ calleth himselfe the vine and vs the branches Ioh. 15. 5. and Paul expresly saith that we are branches c. Rom. 11. 17. Fourthly it is compared to the communion betwixt the chiefe corner stone and the rest of the building Mat. 21. 42. Ephe. 2. 20. Fiftly it is compared to the communion betwixt a man and the house wherein he dwelleth In which resoect Christ said before that he dwelleth in them that eate his flesh and drinke his blood so Paul saith as before also hath beene shewed that Christ dwelleth in our hearts Ephes 3. 17. Sixtly it is compared to the communion betwixt the head and the members For he is said to be the head of his Church and the Church is said to be his body Ephes 2. 20. and wee are called his members Ephes 5. 30. Seuenthly it is compared to the communion betwixt the man and the wife in marriage Therefore he is often called the husband and the Church is often called his spouse And that which the Lord saith and promiseth of marrying the Israelites vnto himsefe for euer in righteousnes in indgement in mercy in coÌ„passion and in faith fulnes c. Hosea 2. 19. 20. is to be vnderstood as of all other the elect as well as of Israel on the one part so also of the second person in the Deity to be after that prophesie incarnate and made man on the other part For it cannot be vnderstood of the father or of the holy ghost because they were neuer to assume our nature whereby to be a fit husband for vs. Therefore also as the man and the wife being before marriage or at least before contract two are after marriage and contract called one flesh Gen. 2. 24. Mat. 19. 5. 6. so the Apostle vsing the same similitude of Christ and vs saith wee are of his flâ—sh and of his bones Ephes 5. 30. To shut vp this point such is the communion betwixt Christ and the children of God that the Apostle doth not only account them compleat in him Colos 2. 10. but saith also that they are the fulnes of him that filleth all in all things Ephes 1. 23. and so he insinuateth generally that Christ is in some sort vnperfect without the children of God as the husband is vnperfect without the wife the head without the other members a man without an house the rest of the building without the chiefe corner stone the vine without the branches the meate and drinke without some to receiue them and the garments without some to weare the same Now to returne to the former metaphors and similitudes so many as the communion betwixt Christ the naturall sonne of God and vs the adopted children of God is in Scripture expressed by by so many waies is our dignity by thi communion amplified and encreased For touching the first was it not a great honour for Daniel as the commandement of Belshazzar to be clothed with purple and to haue a chaine of gold put about his necke Dan. 5. 29. Was it not more for poore Mordecay before appointed to the sword and who had before and who had before sit at the gate of Ahashuerosh in sackeloth and ashes to be cloathed with the kings royall apparell Ester 6. 8. 9. 10. 11. How honourable then is it for such beggerly persons as we were that were not onely starke naked and vtterly without any good apparell but that also were clothed before with most polluted garments of all sinne c. to be clothed with so rich a garment as Christ Iesus is Verily neither Herod himselfe when hee clothed himselfe In his royall apparell Acts 12. 21. not all the Princes in the world that had not Christ Iesus were euer so glorious in apparell as the poorest child of God is that hath put on the Lord Iesus Christ It was an honourable thing to the Israelites that the Lord led them so through the wildernes that for forty yeeres their clothes waxed not old vpon them c. Deuteronomie 29. 5. How honourable a thing then is it for all the children of God both yong and old great and small to be clothed with that garment which as it is called the new man so it will alwaies bee new neuer worne neuer threed-bare or waxing old but remaining as fresh for euer as it was the first day euen the same yesterdaie to day and for euer Hebrewes 13. 8. for euer I say not onely in this world but also in the world to come Touching the second Metaphor was it not an honourable thing for the brethren of Ioseph at their second comming into Egypt to dine with Ioseph and to haue meates set before them from Iosephs owne table Genesis 43. 16. and 34. So also for Mephibosheth though Ionathans owne sonne and therefore of the blood roiall of Saul to be fed with meate from Dauids owne table aâ— one of Dauids own sonnes 2. Sam. 9. 7. and likewise for Chinham the sonne of Barzillai not onely to eate of Dauids meate 2. Sam. 19. 38. but also to be among them that should eate at Salomons table 1. King 2. 7. Was it not a great honour also for the Israelites to be miraculously fed in the wildernes with Manna from heauen which is therefore called angels foode and with quailes and with water out of the rocke How
vs all things also yea this phrase how shall he not noteth it to be impossible not to giue vs all things All things I say not only for the life to come but also for this For the generall all things comprehendeth both the particular sorts of things And if we may assure our selues the more of all things for the life to come how can we doubt of any thing for this life Feare not little flocke saith our Sauiour speaking in this very argument for it is your fathers pleasure to giue you a kingdome Luk. 12. 32. Is it our fathers pleasure for Iesus Christs sake to giue vs a kingdome and shall he stick at giuing vs the trifles of this life The supper of the Lord therefore assuring vs that the Father hath giuen vs Christ and that by Christ and with Christ and for Christs sake he will giue vs a kingdome doth likewise much more assure vs that he will giue vs all other things which in respect of Christ himselfe and of that kingdome are but trifles As the supper of the Lord doth thus make for confirmation of our faith so doth it also for our instruction in godlinesse and for our prouocation to the loue of him that hath so loued vs. For did he so loue vs altogether voide of goodnesse and therefore vnworthy to be loued and shall not we much more loue him that is free from all euill the fountaine of all goodnesse and most worthy of our loue Verily though he had neuer so loued vs yet he was and is worthy of our loue because of his perfect and infinit goodnesse How much more then is he worthy of our loue that hath so loued vs and that in such exceeding manner that as Dauid speaketh of the loue of Ionathan Thy loue to mee was wonderfull passing the loue of women 2. Sam. 1. 26. so euery child of God may much more say of the loue of Christ Thy loue to me was wonderfull passing the loue of women yea of any mother towards her child or of any woman towards her husband yea of any Virgin or new married yong woman towards the husband of her youth So likewise the supper of the Lord doth serue to prouoke vs to the loue one of another First by representing so vnto vs the loue of Christ as we haue heard Secondly by teaching vs that we are all of the same family yea members of the same body by sitting at the same table by eating all of the same bread and drinking all of the same wine For hath Christ so high and excellent and so far aboue vs so loued vs his seruants and shall not we loue one another Hath he so loued vs that neuer deserued any loue at his hands and who neuer can be any waies beneficiall vnto him and shall not wee much more loue one another that either are beholding one to another or that may bee beneficiall one towards another if not any other way yet at least by praying one for another Shall wee also by sitting by eating and drinking together in one house euen in the house of the Lord and at one table euen at the Table of the Lord testifie ourselues to bee seruants to the same Lord children of the same Father and members of the same body and shall we not prouoke one another thereby to the mutuall loue one of another I might applie to this purpose the exhortation of the Apostle in that behalfe Ephes 5. 1. 2. and 1. Ioh 4 11. and other the like But in a case so plaine such labour may well be spared Let vs only remember that here by loue towards God and men we must not only vnderstand the affection of loue but all such duties and works of loue as whereby we may the better declare our loue to God to Christ Iesus and one to another and so shew our selues the more thankfull for his vnspeakable and incomprehensible loue towards vs Heb. 6. 10. and 10. 24. To conclude therefore this point and this Chapter by these things thus written of the two Sacraments who seeth not the great prerogatiue of all the children of God If a man be weake and sicke not able to goe without a staffe and yet hauing no staffe to goe with doth not he a great pleasure vnto him that shall giue him a staffe the better to stay him in his walking Is it not especially both a great helpe and also a great grace if a Prince shall giue a staffe to some poore man that is sicke and weake yea not onely one staffe but two for each hand as it were one and both according to the magnificence of a Prince of beaten gold All the children of God are sicke they are weake they cannot walke without staues they are so poore that they haue not a staffe of their owne neither can they buy one neither can they make one Christ Iesus therefore the Prince of Princes of his Princely grace and magnificence hath giuen two for each hand one both of beaten gold yea much more precious then the finest gold for such as the word is such are the Sacraments These two golden staues more pretious then gold hath Christ Iesus giuen to the children of God first the one and then as they grow better able to guide two another to walke with in this slippery and stumbling world the better to stay and support them Great therefore and very great is the dignity of the children of God by the two Sacraments as it were by two most pretious staues giuen vnto them by Iesus Christ the Lord of heauen and earth Thus much of the word and also of the Sacraments CHAP. XXI Of the prerogatiue of Gods children by their liberty and free accesse to the throne of Gods grace to aske any thing euery one for himselfe and also for other with much assurance of obtaining that which they aske THe next benefit of the children of God by their communion with Christ Iesus seemeth to be that thereby they haue boldnesse and liberty to come freely without any interruption let or disturbance to the throne of Gods grace there without doubting euen confidently and in full assurance of speeding to aske what they will This the Apostle expresly testifieth saying In whom that is in Christ we haue boldnesse and entrance with confidence or full assurance by faith in him Eph. 3. 12. To this another Apostle exhorteth Let vs draw neere with a true heart in assurance of faith Heb. 10. 22. This assurance our Sauiour himselfe also maketh vnto vs saying Aske and ye shall haue seeke and yee shall finde knocke and it shall bee opened vnto you Matth. 7. 7. Yea hee addeth that If wee that are euill can giue good things to our children when they aske vs much more shall our heauenlie father giue good things to vs that aske them verse 11. so he maketh God much more ready to giue any good thing to his children by grace asking the same then any earthly father is to
and body and of euery power of the one and of euery member of the other All is comprehended in the word himselfe Hither belong the places before alledged 2. Cor. 7. 1. 1. Thess 4. 23. Heb. 10. 22. Iames 4. 8. and many other Neither must this purging be of some things onely but of euery euill 2. Cor. 7. 1. Tit. 2. 12. Iames. 1. 21. 1. Pet. 2. 1. The like may be said of conforming our selues to euery good worke and to all that God requireth of euery one either as he is a Christian or is of any speciall calling God wil not haue some sinnes onely purged but all God wil not haue some good dueties performed but all These things are common and haue beene partly handled before Therefore I doe but name them This also as hath beene noted before must be a daily work 1. Because there is alwaies some sinne remaining of the old store which needeth daily purging 2. Because as the nailes of our hands though neuer so well clensed one day doe yet gather such new filth that they haue neede of new clensing the next day so it is with vs we daily so gather corruption that we haue need daily to purge ourselues Our whole hands and face also need daily washing yea the more they are vsed in any busines the oftener they neede to be washed So is it with our linnen for often washing and with our woollen apparell for often brushing according to our often wearing of one or of the other Our houses likewise must be the oftner swept not in the weeke only but also euery day the more that they are vsed The like is to bee said of any vessell that wee occupy touching scouring and other clensing thereof As it is with these things so is it with vs touching the cleansing and purging of our whole man from spirituall vncleannesse As also our bodies for the better preseruation of our bodily health need the oftener to be purged the corrupter the aire is where we doe liue likewise our soules and whole man for the better preseruing of spirituall health are the oftner to be purged because generally the aire of this neather world where we do liue is very corrupt and infectious sithence the first fall of mankind whereby not onely the breath as it were of all men is putrified and made infectious but also all other creatures likewise are in some sort defiled and made the more dangerous and pernicious vnto vs. The more likewise that men liue with sicke persons sicke especially of some infectious and contagious disease the more needfull it is for them not onely to take daily preseruatiues but also some daily purge mithridate or such like to expell whatsoeuer noisome breath they haue receiued from them with whom they do liue The like is necessary in this worke of purging for all men according to the company with who they haue to deale namely that the more they conuerse with the wicked the more carefull they bee not onely to carry about them continually the better preseruatiues against all spirituall infections viz. the more knowledge of the word which as a precious sauour they may often smell vnto and the more watchfull eie ouer all their behauiour and alwaies be the more in all priuate meditation and in priuate praier c but also to take daily some spirituall purge by examining their daily conuersation by the word by praying both forgiuenesse and also reformation of whatsoeuer where with they haue beene ouertaken contrary to the word that so they may the better expell whatsoeuer spirituall infection they haue any waies taken This world generally is like a flax-dressers shop or some other such house where it cannot be but any man shall receiue some soile In this respect therefore the children of God need daily the more carefully to brush as it were the garments of their Christian profession the more that they are conuersant in the world and deale with worldly affaires Though I spake briefly before of this point in my fourth obseruation vpon this verse viz. vpon the word purgeth especially vpon the present tence thereof yet considering the great necessity of this matter in this secure and carelesse age I thought it not amisse to take occasion to adde thus much for the better application of it But let the Christian reader with patience giue me lcaue to returne a little more backe To that therefore that euery one that hath this hope in him puâ—geth himselfe that onely doth not belong that before we heard out of Paul to Titus chap. 2. 11. 12. 13. but aâ—so diuers other scriptures The Apostle hauing commended the goodnes of God 2. Cor. 6. in promising to dwell with men and to be their God and their father and to make them his people and his sonnes and daughters he beginneth the seuenth Chapter with an exhortation to this purging of our selues saying Seing then we haue these promises deerly beloued let vs clense our selues from all filthnesse of the flesh and of the spirit and finish our saluation in the feare of God So he teacheth all that hope for the performance of the former promises with the appurtenances of them to purge themselues in that manner euen from all filthinesse of the flesh and of the spirit c. To the Philippians also he ioineth these two together viz. to haue our conuersation in heauen that is to purge our selues as here the Apostle speaketh from all earthly corruption and to liue after an heauenly manner and from heauen to looke likewise for the Sauiour euen our Lord Iesus Christ Philip. 3. 20. 21. So he teacheth vs that whosoeuer doe looke for the Lord Iesus Christ from heauen to change their vile body and to make it like to his glorious body according to that which our Apostle hath before written do also behaue themselues here in earth after the foresaid heauenly manner To the Colossians likewise hauing said when Christ which is our life shall appeare then shall wee also appeare with him in glory here is the hope in this plaâ—â— mentioned presently he inferreth an exhortation of mortifying therefore our earthly members c. that is of purging our selues Must not all therefore that haue that hope in them so purge themselues and mortifie their earthly members The Apostle Peter also vpon the like premises maketh the like conclusion Wherefore beloued saith he seeing that yee lookâ— for such things be diligent that yee may be found of him in peace without spot and blamelesse 2. Pet. 3. 14. What is that to looke for such things but to haue this hope that heere the Apostle speaketh of what is this to be found in peace without spot and blamelesse but to purge our selues in that sort that here the Apostle commendeth yea the same Apostle in the same place and in the verses immediatly before had ioined holy conuersation and godlinesse with looking for and hasting vnto the comming of that day of God c. Iude. like wise
THE DIGNITIE of Gods children OR AN EXPOSITION OF 1. IOHN 3. 1. 2. 3. Plentifully shewing the comfortable happie and most blessed state of all Gods children and also on the contrarie the base fearefull and most wofull condition of all other that are not the children of GOD. PROV 12. 26. The righteous is more excellent then his neighbor but the way of the wicked will deceiue them IOHN 1. 12. 13. As manie as receiued him to them he gaue prerogatiue to be the sonnes of God euen to them that beleeue in his name Which are borne not of blood nor of the will of flesh nor of the will of man but of God LONDON Printed by Thomas Haueland for Thomas Man and are to be sold at his shop in Paternoster Row at the signe of the Talbot 1610. TO THE NOBILITY AND GENTRY OF GREAT BRITAINE Grace and Peace RIGHT Honorable and right Worshipfull to you all and to euery one of you am I bold to present and dedicate this my treatise of the dignity of Gods children not so much searing the same to be offensiue to any of you either by the meannesse obscurity of my person or by the plaine and homely manner of writing thereof as hoping it will be acceptable to you all for the argument and subiect matter therein handled For to whom more fitly appertaineth the dedication of a treatise of the dignitie of the sonnes of the Psal 29. 1. Almighty in heauen then to those who are called the sonnes of the mighty in earth Although also it behooueth all well to consider and to make good vse of the whole treatise yet the same especially belongeth to all that are of highest honor and dignity in the world For to whomsoeuer much is giuen of Luk. 12. 48. him shall be much required And the more eminent that any are in place the more excellent ought the same to shew themselues in grace Our dread Soueraigne writing to his most princely Sonne by many golden sentences teacheth that as any 1. 〈◊〉 pag. 4. in dignity be erected aboue other so they ought in thankefulnesse towards God that hath aduanced them goe as far beyond all other and that the highnesse of any dignity doth not diminâ—sh but rather much increase the faults of such as are in such dignity The same also is grounded vpon the commandement of the Soueraign of all soueraignes euen of the mighty God and Lord of heauen and earth touching a greater sacrifice for the ruler of the people offending of ignorance then for a priuate person in like manner transgressing 〈◊〉 4. 22. â— â—7 Is not the same much more to be said of the ruler of the people that offendeth of knowledge As in these respects I was the bolder to dedicate these my labors to your Honors and Worships so not fearing any imputation of presumption I thought it more fit to dedicat the same to you all generally then to any one or to some few particularly that so none might think himselfe excluded and that euery one might accept them as dedicated to himselfe and so vouchsafe to read them the more diligently and to make the better vse of them according to his place The rather also did I take incouragement so to doe that yee especially might by these my labors the more cleerly see that without this dignity in this treatise set sorth and the right vse of the same all nobility honor and dignity in this world is of no value of no price of no account As age is a crowne of glory being found in the way of righteousnesse Prov. 16. 31. and no otherwise so may it be said of nobility and of all other dignities of the world The description of the sonnes of Nobles by eating in time for strength and not for drunkennesse this sobriety in eating and drinking for Eccles 10. 17. the rarenesse of it in great persons of the world being synecdochically put for all vertues This description I say of the sonnes of nobles doth plainly teach them only to be truly worthy of the said honorable title which by the foresaid vertue and all other accompanying the same do shew themselues to be the children of God Doth not the same Salomon also say without exception of any degree in the world that the righteous is more Prov. 12. 26. excellent then his neighbor Elsewhere also he preferreth not a great name but a good name aboue great riches and Prov. 22. 1. Ecces 7. 3. before precious ointment both which commonly are apurtenances and ornaments of nobility and other worldly dignity What is a good name but such a name as is gotten by doing of those things which belong to the children of God The former point is further euident by diuers reasons For all honor and dignity according to this world is only in this world But the dignity of being the sennes of the most High is also in heauen For ye shal afterward see in the treatise that the children of God doe sit with Christ Iesus in the heavenly places euen while they are here in the earth All worldly honors and dignities doe end with this life For as in the resurrection men shall neither marry wiues nor women shall be giuen in mariage so then Mat. 22. 30. there shall be neither Gentlemen nor Esquires nor Knights nor Barons nor any such degree of men but all shall be as one in Christ Iesus But the dignity of the children of God after this life is inlarged and in the resurrection shall be made greater then it was Euen then I say shall the dignity of adoption be increased when all worldly dignity shall be vtterly ceased As men are noble honorable or worshipfull in this world they are but in fauor with men but as they be the children of God they are in grace with God himselfe Worldly dignity doth but giue accesse to worldlie Princes but the dignity of adoption hath accesse with assurance of preuailing to the throne of him that is Lord of heauen and earth As here men are Dukes Marquesses Earles Vicounts Barons c. they haue but men to attend vpon them but the treatise following will shew that as any bee the children of God the glorious Angels of heauen do wait vpon them and continually guard them for their safety and further good As here men be in great place they haue but earthlie inheritances whereof they or theirs may be dispossessed and cleane disinherited But as they bee the children of God they haue an inheritance in heauen far passing all the kingdomes of the world and the which all the power of hell shall neuer take away Many other the like prerogatiues shall ye find in this treatise of the children of the Almighty in heauen far excelling the honors of the sons of the mighty in earth Of the which prerogatiues I do here giue you but this tast thereby the more to quicken your appetite and the better to incourage you to
vouchsafe the reading of those more largely handled and of many other contained in the treatise it selfe Pleaseth it your Honors and worships further to see the former point in the glasse of a few examples Behold then I beseech you Moses Ioshua Othniel Ehud Deborah Gideon I phtah Sampson and all the other good Iudges of Israel before the kingdome of Israel established For were they so honourable by being kings fellowes and hauing kingly authority as they were by doing those things which testified their adoption Behold Dauid and Salomon two mighty kings of al Israel with Asa Iehoshaphat Hezekiah and Iosiah all good Kings of Iuda For were these so honorable by being great and mighty princes as they were by being the children of God Behold Ester Mordecai Shadrach Meshach Abednego and Daniel For were they so honorable the one by being a Queene and the wife of a most mighty monarch that had 127. prouinces vnder him the other by beeing in great grace fauor with the like mighty monarchs as they were by shewing themselues the children of God Yea behold Cyrus Artashasht Darius and Ahasbuerosh all heathen Emperors For were they so honorable by being such Emperors though some of them had 127. pro. uinces vnder their gouernment as they were by doing some things for the Church and people of God whereby they did only resemble Gods children and were not so indeed May not the like be said of Iehu King of Israel For was he so honorable by being King of Israel extraordinarily annointed so to bee by the appointment of God as he was by his zeale though only temporary against Baal and his Priests and seruants Behold further Ioseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus For were they so honorable in that the one was a rich man and an honerable Mat. 27. 17. Mark 15. 45. Ioh. 3. 1. 10. counsellor and the other a great Pharisee a ruler of the Iewes and a teacher in Israel as they were in that the one went to Pilat and begged the body of Iesus and the other ioined with him in the honorable buriall thereof Behold the Eunuch of Ethtopia For was he so honorable Actâ— 8. 27. by being the Queen of the Ethiopians chiefe gouernor and her Lord treasurer as hee was by comming out of his owne country a long a chargeable and a dangerous iourny to worship the Lord at Ierusalem by reading the scriptures as hee rode in his chariot whereas such great men for the most part spend such times in vaine sports or in some idle discourses and by his meeke acknowlegement of his ignorance of the Scripture which he did read by his courteous speech to Philip a poore trauelling footman neuer before nor after seen of him and by his like kind taking him vp into his chariot to himselfe to be further instructed by him and by his humble submitting himselfe to bee examined of his faith and to be baptized of him The like may bee said of many Christian Emperors Constantine and other of our late most noble King Edward the sixt and of our more late Queen Elizabeth of most happy and blessed memory To produce the examples of any Princes or nobles liuing would not perhaps bee so well approued as suspected of flatterie or some other sinister meaning What now right Honorable and right Worshipfull shall I say more As Noah said God perswade Iaphet that he may dwell in the tents of Shem so say I If any of Gâ—â—es 9. 27. you to whom I doe in all humilitie present and dedicate these my labours haue not yet receiued the spirit of adoption God perswade such to dwell in the tents of his such children as whose dignitie I doe in this treatise lay foorth as likewise to thinke it a woe vnto them to vemaine in Meshech and to dwell in the tents of Kedar Psal 120 5. The same God also of power maiestie and glory who hath the hearts of all Kings and Nobles and of all other great persons in his hand as the riuers of waters to turne the same whither it pleaseth him euen this God that Father of our Lord Iesus Christ so incline all your hearts Prov. â—1 1. both to consider of the reasons whereby the dignitie of his children is here declared and also to apply the vses of the doctrine thereof to your selues according to your seuerall states and places in this world that as some of you doe sometimes here in earth sit in Parliament with our most gratious Soueraigne King IAMES so yee may all at the last sit with Christ Iesus in heauen euen in his throne as himselfe sitteth Rev. 3. 21. in the throne of his Father and that for euer and euer Much Totham in Essex Aprill 16. 16 10. Your Honors and Worships Most humble in the Lord to be commanded THOMAS STOVGHTON To the inhabitants of those places where at any time especially last of all I haue had a setled MINISTERIE AS in this treatise I speake generally to euery Christian reader so now my deere brethren in the Lord that haue sometimes heard me preach these things which now I haue printed let me more particularly intreate you to vouchsafe the buying and reading of them because in the printing of them I haue had a speciall respect vnto your good I am not able to beslow vpon euery one of you one of these bookes of as small price as they be The most of you do know how truely I amy say with Naomi I was full but the Lord hath made mee emptie and the Almightie hath brought me vnto aduersitie Ruth 1. 21. euen in my latter age requiring most comfort I suppose also that my willing minde for a greater kindnesse is not doubted of by you if my ability were according If I were as I haue beene yet were it easier for the least of many of you to buy one then for me to giue many I shall not neede to tell you for further perswasion in this behalfe that the fruit of well and aduised reading this Treatise will abundantly recompence your cost Ye haue not so learned Christ in whom all of vs haue our adoption as so lightly to esteeme a treatise setting forth the excellencie of the said adoption neither I am sure haue yee forgotten that Esau is pronounced a prophane person for making more account of one portion of meate euen in his extremity of hunger then of his birthright Heb. 12. 17. a pledge and a kinde of Sacrament of this adoption For me also first to gather all these things together then to write afterwards to correct them and last of all to write them againe for the presse is much more then for to lay out a little money and to spend a few howers in reading of them In your loue therefore towards me accept them as a testimony of my vnseined loue towards you and of my like desire of your welfare in the Lord. Such of you as are best able I desire to buy and to
vnto Christ Iesus by adoption and incorporation into him Furthermore concerning these children of God let vs remember that before said touching their regeneration by God himselfe It is the worke of God only to make a child of God in this maner In the time of the law to speake according to the phrase of those times men might beget children to other and raise vp seed vnto other For we know that a man after mariage dying without issue Note the next of that kindred not maried before was bound to take the wife of him deceased and so to raise seed vnto him and this seed so raised was accounted the seed of the dead not of the liuing Deut. 25. 5. 6. By adultery also in these daies the children of some are accounted the children of other But certainly to raise vp such children to God as here I intreate of is the worke only of God himselfe Men and Angels cannot beget such a sonne or daughter vnto God This hath been proued by testimonies of Scripture before Notwithstanding I will now further prooue the same by the greatnesse of the sayd worke of regeneration For indeed it is the greatest of all other the personall vnion of the diuine and humane nature in the person of Christ only excepted because it containeth almost all miracles mentioned in the Gospell to haue been wrought vpon men What be those miracles The giuing sight to the blind hearing to the deafe speech to the dumb health to the sicke strength to the lame cleannesse to the leapers life to the dead and release and liberty to them that were possessed of diuels All these are wrought at once in the worke of our regeneration Wheras we were by nature spiritually blind the eyes of our mind are lightned to see the great things of God and the deepe secrets of his kingdome Whereas by nature we are spiritually deafe our hearts are opened that our eares do attend to the word of God Whereas by nature we are spiritually dumb not able to speake a good word our lips are so opened that our mouth doth shew foorth the praise of God and is able to speak of righteousnesse Whereas by nature we were spiritually sicke heart sicke sicke vnto death we are in regeneration restored to spirituall health in part and certainly assured of perfect recouery of all our spirituall infirmities at the last Whereas by nature we were spiritually lame and impotent not able to stirre hand or foot toward any thing that good is we are in regeneration made strong in time to walke about and to doe the workes of God in some measure Whereas by nature we were wholly defiled from the crowne of the head to the sole of the foot with a most noysome spirituall leprosie ten thousand times more infectious and dangerous then any bodily leprosie we are in regeneration clensed thereof and made as whole as we say as a roch yea wheras by nature we were dead in our sinnes we are in regeneration raised vp to the life of God Finally whereas by nature wee were possessed spiritually of the diuell yea touching both our soules and bodies in his thraldome not able to doe any thing but what he would haue vs to doe and doing that with all delight we are in regeneration released of this bondage and made the freemen of God himselfe Are not all these great things How did men admire the least such miracle wrought vpon the bodies of men Since the world began saith the blind man restored to bodily sight it was not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was borne blind Ioh. 9. 32. How great then and how wonderfull is the worke of all the former miracles at one instant wrought Verily farre greater vpon the inner man and being spiritually wrought then all the former outwardly wrought vpon the outward man yea all the former are the greater because by working of them in our regeneration we are in a moment aduanced from hell to heauen it selfe The disciples which Iohn sent vnto Christ to know whether he were the Messias or no or whether they should looke for another were returned by Christ to Iohn with this message Goe and shew Iohn what things ye heare and see The blind receiue sight the halt doe goe and the leapers are cleansed and the deafe heare the dead are raised vp and lastly he addeth as the greatest of all the poore receiue the Gospell Mat. 11. 4. 5. How did the poore receiue the Gospell viz. to their regeneration of being the children of God And that the meaning of our Sauiour by setting this in the last place was to commend it as the greatest it appeareth because in the place next before that he had mentioned the greatest of all the former For who will deny the raising vp of the dead to be greater then making the blind to see the halt to goe the leapers to be cleane or the deafe to heare The proofe of all these particular miracles to be wrought in our regeneration wee shall heare afterward In the meane time hereby it is most euident that the worke of our regeneration is the worke only of God For God only worketh all miracles Blessed be the Lord God euen the God of Israel which only doth wondrous things Psal 72. 18. Thou artgreat and dost wondrous things thou art God alone Psa 86. 10. So the Prophet proueth God to be God alone by the effect of doing wondrous things Praise ye the Lord of Lords for his mercy endureth for euer which only doth great wonders Psal 136. 3. 4. Darius an Heathen could acknowledge the working of signes and wonders in heauen and in earth as a thing belonging to God only Dan. 6. 27. And indeed if the working of miracles did not belong to God only it had beene no good argument of our Sauiour to returne the messengers of Iohn with report of his miracles for demonstration of himselfe to be the Messias which should come and no other to be looked for If any that is learned desire further handling of this generall point I referre him to Beza against Holderus in pages 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. c. To returne to the former matter the worke of our regeneration is not only a miracle and the greatest miracle of all other except only before excepted but it is also as great as the creation of man at the first For therefore it is called by the very name of a creation If any man be in Christ let him bee a new creature 2. Cor. 5. 17. In Christ Iesus neither circumcision auaileth any thing nor vncircumcision but a new creature Galat. 6. 15. We are his workmanship created in Christ Iesus Ephes 2. 10. Our new man also is said to be created in Christ Iesus Ephes 4. 24. Neither is our regeneration as great only as the first creation of man but also greater yea then the first creation of all things This is manifest by these reasons 1. Because
therefore these things are so who seeth not but that the state of Gods children is much dignified thereby For who doth not highly account of nobility what striuing what labouring sometime also what offering and paying is there for it For it For what Euen for names and titles of nobility which earthly Princes haue in their power to bestow what striuing then what laboring and what praying in stead of paying ought there to be for that nobility which only commeth from the God of heauen and earth Nobles here of the world sit with Princes of the world in their Parliaments to make lawes for the gouernment of other But it is better to receiue lawes from God then to make lawes for men and it is much better for a man to gouerne himselfe then without that to prescribe and giue lawes for the gouernment of other Last of all we shall heare afterward that the least of Gods children shall sit in greater place with Christ Iesus euen to iudge the world in his heauenly Parliament then the greatest nobles that euer were in the earth did euer sit with any earthly Prince in their earthly parliaments Thus much for this point CHAP. VII Of the excellent instruments that God vseth in the work of our regeneration viz. the minister of the word and the word it selfe HAuing hitherto spoken of the excellency of the authors of our regeneration and of the principall motiues of them thereunto c. let vs in the next place consider what instruments the sayd authours haue vsed to effect our regeneration This point I will dispatch very briefly that I may the more hasten to other things Touching this therefore though God himselfe I meane Father Sonne and holy ghost bee the onely authors of our regeneration yet we heard before that men are the instruments of God whereby the immortall seed of our new birth is conueied vnto vs for the effecting of our sayd new birth These are chiefly the ministers of the word touching whome as wee haue heard the Apostle saith that some plant and other water but that God giueth increase so hee also saith of himselfe and all other that they are labourers together with God Now touching the ministers of the word especially of the gospell it is said for their commendation and honour How beautiful are the feete of them that bring glad tidings of peace c. Rom. 10. 15. out of Isa 52. 7. Where the word of admiration how is to be noted as teaching as before hath beene insinuated chap. 2. that indeede the calling of the ministers is more honorable then well can be expressed The synecdoche also of their feete put for their whole man importeth that if the feete of them that bring glad tidings bee so beautifull how much more beautifull should their faces be For what doth the glad tidings of peace there meane but the preaching of the Gospell which is the doctrine of our reconciliation to God and of our peace made with God by Iesus Christ by whom it pleased the Father to reconcile all things vnto himselfe and to set at peace through the bloud of his Crosse both the things in earth and the things in heauen Col. 1. 20. that is both the elect liuing stil vpon the earth and also elect whose soules before that time had beene translated into heauen For as touching the Angels of heauen what neede they any reconciliation or how could they be reconciled that neuer had offended God or were alienated from him Therefore the gospell is called the ministerie of reconciliation 2. Cor. 5. 18 and the word of reconciliation verse 19. It is also called the Gospell of peace Ephes 2. 15. As the ministery of the Law may be called the ministery of wrath because it discouereth our sinnes whereby we deserue the wrath of God and so it testifieth the wrath of God in which respect Iosias at the finding of the book of the Law that had bin long hid is sayd to haue rent his clothes 2. Kings 22. 11. as perceiuing thereby the transgressions of the people and the wrath of God hanging ouer their heads for the same as I say the Law in that respect may ie called the ministery of wrath because it testifieth and sheweth the wrath of God prouoked by mens sinnes against the Law so the gospell may be and is called the gospell or the glad tidings of peace not only because it maketh peace here below betwixt man and man betwixt man and other creatures Isa 11. 6. c. and in man Note likewise towards God making them as meeke as lambes that were before as fierce as Lions Tigers but also because it testifieth God to be at peace by Iesus Christ with mē In this respect therfore wel might the Apostle wel might the Prophet say in commendation of the ministers of the gospell How beautifull are the feet of them that bring glad tidings of saluation And if their feet are to be thought so beautifull much more their faces The face of Moses hauing receiued that law that is as wee heard the ministery of wrath was so beautiful and did so shine that the people could not indure the sight thereof Exod. 34. 30. Wherefore did the Lord put such glory vpon the very face of Moses was it not to make him in respect of his ministery the more honorable with the people What then is to be said of the ministers of the Gospell in the former respect Before the comming of Christ prophets that were sent to call men to repentance the first step of the children of God and the beginning of their regeneration prophets I say so sent to call men to repentance by denouncing the iudgments of God against them were so honorable that both God himselfe ioyned the regard of them with the regard of kings saying Touch not mine anointed and doe my prophets no harme Psal 105. 15. and also that kings were glad of their company for the honoring of them before their people 1. Sam. 15. 3. And therfore they accounted them as their fathers 2. Kings 6. 21. and 13. 14. yea wicked kings did so account of them as appeareth by the two former places speaking of the kings of Israel who after the falling away of the ten tribes from the house of Dauid were all euill In the time of our Sauiour such Prophets beeing in some sort ceassed Iohn Baptist raysed vp betwixt such prophets and Euangelicall ministers is commended by our Sauiour in this manner What went ye out into the wildernes to see A reed shaken with the wind but what went ye out to see a man clothed in soft raiment Behold they that we are soft clothing that is such as flant ruffle it out in silkes veluets and be georgeously aparrelled are in Kings houses But what went ye out to see A Prophet yea I say vnto you and more then a Prophet c. So our Sauiour magnifieth Iohn Baptist not onely aboue gallant and gorgeous
vpon him that he though he were God and man was in such an agony that his sweat was like drops of bloud yet doe all men remaining in their naturall state and not being born againe go vnder their own inherent sinnes originall and actuall how long so euer they haue continued in them and howsoeuer they haue multiplied and aggrauated them they goe vnder them I say as lightly without any sense or feeling of the waight and burden of them as though indeed they had none at all Is not this an euident argument of extreme deadnesse For what do they that are once dead feele whatsoeuer is laid vpon them To speake all in a word and not to stand any longer vpon particulars the Apostle from other scriptures doth not only say that we are dead vnto all goodnesse but also that in euery part member of our whole man we are aliue vnto all euill For thus he describeth the naturall state of all men There is none righteous no not one There is none that doth vnderstand there is none that seeketh God They haue all gone out of the way they haue been made altogether vnprofitable there is none that doth good no not one their throat is an open sepulchre they haue vsed their tongues to deceit the poison of Aspes is vnder their lips Their mouth is full of cursing and bitternesse Their feet are swift to shed bloud c. Rom. 3. 10. By these things we see that though naturall men do liue yet as it is said of the widdow that liueth in pleasures that she is dead whiles she liueth 1. Tim. 5. 6. so it may be said of all naturall men liuing in the pleasures of sinne that they are dead whiles they so liue This our liuing vnto sinne and in sinne being dead to all goodnesse may in some sort be called a spirituall life not as spirituall is opposed to carnall but in two other respects first because it is from that vncleane spirit Mark 1. 23. 7. 25. 26 who is not only the father of lies Ioh. 8. 44. but also of all other euill secondly because all the workes of a sinfull life are performed to the same vncleane spirit Therefore the Apostle saith not only that we are naturally dead in trespasses but also that wee walked in them after the Prince that ruleth in the aire that is according to his commaundement and prescription Ephes 2. 2 Our Sauiour also saith that such sinnes are the workes and lusts of the diuell Ioh. 8. 41. 44. And as Idolaters are said to sacrifice to diuels 1. Cor. 10. 20. so all wicked men may be said to do all that they doe vnto diuels Thus we see in part the miserable and wofull state of all naturall men For what is more fearefull then death when Saul did but heare only by the father of lyes in the likenesse of Samuel and therefore the rather speaking the truth that he might the more confirme Saul in his error touching the raising of Samuel when I say Saul did but heare that the next day hee should be deliuered into the hands of the Philistines and bee slaine how did it affect him How did it strike him with feare verily so that he fell straightway all along vpon the earth and there was no strength in him yea so that neither the woman the witch that had raised vp the diuell in the likenesse of Samuel nor any of his own seruants with him could scarce fasten any comfort vpon him 1. Sam. 28. 20. c. If the very tidings of this naturall death be so fearefull how much more fearefull is that spirituall death before spoken of Hauing thus in part shewed our naturall misery by these things spoken of our spirituall deadnesse let vs now see the change that is made in vs by our incorporation into Christ in our adoption and regeneration Let vs therefore vnderstand that in our said regeneration and new birth by Iesus Christ we are deliuered from that our foresaid miserable state As before we did beare the image of the earthly man so now we beare the image of him that is from heauen heauenly that is of the Lord Christ As Christ in his diuine essence is the brightnesse of the glory of the father and the ingraued forme of his person Heb. 1. 3. so we in quality being made partaker of the diuine nature and being in Christ made new creatures and being also the workmanship of God in Christ Iesus created vnto good workes that wee should walke in them as hath been before shewed by seuerall scriptures we are by this meanes made like to Christ Iesus and consequently also to God himselfe As therefore the Apostle saith that naturally we are dead in sinnes and trespasses so hee saith in the same place that God which is rich in mercy through his great loue wherewith he loued vs euen when we were so dead by sinnes or in sinnes hath quickned vs or made vs aliue in Christ Ephe. 2. 4. 5. Where let it be obserued that the word quickned is only expressed originally in that Note fift verse and that although it be interposed by translators in the first verse for perspicuities sake as they thought yet it is rather there to be omitted and that that first verse is rather to be read with the last verse of the first chapter of Christs filling all things in all things or with all things that is with all gifts fit for euery one so that the verb filled is rather to be vnderstood in the first verse then the verb quickned and that first verse to be vnderstood as an amplification of the generall handled in the end of the former Chapter by the particular instance of the Ephesians as if he should haue said As Christ hath generally filled all things giuen vnto him by the father with all gifts fit for them so particularly he hath filled you that were by nature dead in your trespasses and sinnes and so he describeth by that occasion their naturall state vers 1. 2. 3. and then he describeth our new and spirituall state in the 4. and 5. verses by Iesus Christ But to leaue this place and to returne to the former point of Christs freeing vs from spirituall death and quickning vs and making vs aliue againe Paul saith further that Christ hath abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospell 2. Tim. 1. 10. which Gospell is therefore called the word of life Ioh. 6. 68. Philip. 2. 16. Our Sauiour likewise saith Verely verely I say vnto you the houre shall come and now is when the dead shall heare the voice of the sonne of God and they that heare it shall liue For as the father hath life in himselfe so likewise hath he giuen to the sonne to haue life in himselfe Ioh. 5. 25. 26. viz. to bestow life vpon all that the father hath giuen vnto him Ioh. 10. 28. 29. Euery where saith Paul againe we beare about in our bodies the
mouth is full of eursing and deceit and fraude Vnder his tongue is mischiefe and iniquity he heth in wait in the villages in the secret places hee doth murther the innocent his eies are bent against the poore He lieth in wait secretly euen as a lion in denne Hee lieth in wait to spotle the poore when he draweth him into his net Psal 10 56. 7. 8. 9. c. Yea he had said before in the same Psalme verse 2. The wicked doth persecnte the poore c. he hath made boast of his owne hearts desire and contemneth the Lord. No maruell then though such contemne men especially their inferious And thus indeed wee daylie see how the wicked abuse all the mercies of God either by all in temperancy as if they were absolute Lords of all that they haue and were not to giue any account to any or by extreme pride and cruelty carrying themselues like Lords and Kings ouer other scorning them contemning them and oppressing them at their pleasure But the children of God on the contrary knowing that they are but for a time the Lords ftewards of all that they haue vse this world and all things they haue in this world honors riches authority friends c as though they had them not that is they so possesse them and so dispose them that they be no hinderances vnto them but rather furtherances of them concerning the life to come Therefore if they be rich in this world they put not their trust in vncertaine riches but in the liuing God and they be rich in good workes distributing and communicating vnto other according to need and so laying vp a sure foundation to themselues against the time to come towards eternall life 1. Tim. 6. 18. c. They eat not their bread alone but the fatherlesse eat thereofwith them They see not any to perish for want of clothing nor the poore to goe without a couering but doe cause their loines to blesse them They lift not vp their hand against the fatherlesse when they see they may helpe them in the gate c. Iob 31. 17. c. They make not their gold their hope neither say they to the wedge of gold thou art my confidence vers 24. Thus did Iob. Thus did other that haue receiued the same spirit of adoption that Iob had Is not this excellent wisedome so to prouide towards eternall life as before we heard and so to make themselues friends with the riches of iniquity that when they shall want they may be receiued into euer lasting habitations Luk. 16. 9. Let the world account of this as they will All they that vse it shall find it a principall part of wisedome The like may be said of their vsing authority and honours not to the vexing or oppressing of any but to the good and comfort of all They open their mouth for the dumbe in the cause of the children of destruction they open their mouth and iudge righteously and iudge the afflicted and the poore Pro. 31. 8. 9. They deliuer the poore that crâ—e and the father lesse and him that hath none to helpe him The blessing of them that are ready to perish are vpon them and they cause the widdowes heart to reioice They put on iustice and couer themselues Their iudgement is as a robe and a crowne They are eyes to the blind and seet to the lame They are fathers to the poore and when they know not their cause they seeke it out diligently They breake the iawes of vnrighteous men and plucke the prey out of their teeth Iob 29. 12 c. Thus the children of God goe vpright in their prosperity they reele not neither stagger either to the right hand or to the left hand as drunke with their riches and honours but walke on right in the way that God hath laid out before them towalke in But what doe they in aduersity The braines as I may so speake of their mindes are no more distempered neither are the affections of their hearts any more disordered therewith then before with prosperity For they carry not themselues as men without hope but cheerfully and comfortably they looke to the cause in themselues to the hand from heauen that sendeth the same to the loue from which it doth proceed to the end why it is sent they remember what a blessed end other haue had of the like afflictions and they forget not what comfort themselues haue had in former times in the like perhaps also in greater dangers According to these things they make such vse of all their afflictions that they shall be able truly to say It is good for vs that we haue been afflicted that we may learne thy statutes Psal 119. 71. So they neither be too much cast down with that which the righteous Lord laieth vpon theÌ„ neither do they make too light account thereof If they lose all that euer they had wealth and honor and friends in one day they murmur not against God but humble themselues and say Naked came we out of our mothers wombes naked shall we returne thither The Lord hath giuen The Lord hath taken Blessed be the name of the Lord. Iob 1. 21. This sober cheerful cariage of themselues in such a state is the greater point of wisedom if we shal cosider how the wicked are either hardned like brawne that they make no reckoning of it yea that they scarce feele it as Belshazaer in the midst of his cups hearing that he was found too light and that the Medes and Persians should come and take from him his kingdome and his life was not a whit moued with it but in a brauery for all that commanded Daniel to be clothed with purple and to haue a chaiue of gold put about his necke c. Dan. 5. 29 or else they are moued with it only for a time as Ahab 1. Kings 21. 27. returning afterward to their former sinnes that procured it or els they fret and rage like mad men as they are not only being most impatient towards all about them but also blaspheming the God of heauen himselfe But I will not stand vpon these things being especially more particularly handled by M. Rogers in his sixt treatise viz. of the priuiledges of Christians and hauing my selfe some occasion to speake of them afterward in this treatise In the meane time we see the wicked in euery condition of life to reele and stagger like drunken men in either of both conditions falling most dangerously and as Salomon speaketh of drunkards Pro. 23. 29. euery where meeting with woe with sorrow with strife c. with wounds without cause The like may be said of the children of God touching the moderation and sobriety of all their affections anger ioy greefe loue feare c. in other matters as also of the distemper of the affections of the wicked As the children of God are sober according to that before spoken so likewise they are alwaies in such sort watchfull that
honourable then is it for the poorest children of God to eate of Christs owne flesh and to drinke Christs owne blood Verily neither the meate of Dauid nor the dainty fare vpon Salomons table in his greatest glory nor the dointiest fare of any other Princes in the world in their greatest solemnities nor the Manna and quailes and water out of the rocke before mentioned to be giuen to the Israelites was euer comparable in any respect to this diet of the meanest sonnes and daughters of God Touching the third former metaphor what a strange thing is it that such siences as we were though indeede compared to wilde oliue branches yet ten times worse should be grafted into so precious and pleasant a stocke as Christ is and thereby bring forth fruits agreeable to Christ himselfe Iohn 15. 5. Philippians 1. 11. Though in our grafting Iouis omnia plena the siences which we graft bee nourished by the vertue of that stocke whereinto they are grafted yet they bring forth fruit according to their owne nature not according to the nature of the thâ—cke whereinto they are grafted But wee beeing grafted into Christ not the better into the worse but starke naught into the best are both nourished by vertue from him and also doe bring forth fruits agreeable to his nature not to our owne Touching the fourth former metaphor how great a grace is it for vs that were so rough and vnhewen stones as we were to be hewen smooth and made fit to bee coupled to such a precious corner stone as Christ is The same is much more to be vnderstood of the dignitie of Gods children in respect of the first former metaphor For if it bee an honour to bee wrought and carued and euery way made fitte to be coupled to such a precious corner stone as Christ Iesus is how much greater honour is it to bee made an house for Christ himselfe to dwell in yea for him not onely as man but also as God and man Hauing beene before habitations of Satan and houses of vncleane spirits Mat. 12. 43. c. Is it not an honourable change of such to be made houses houses yea more then houses For God filleth all things and all things in some sort as touching the essence of GOD euen the wicked themselues are full of God Is it not I say an honourable change of such as we were to bee made houses yea more then houses euen holy houses tabernacles and temples of the liuing God 1. Cor. 3. 16. and 2. Cor. 6. 16. verily touching this matter this second Scripture before alledged is the more to be obserued because with the former point of men to be houses and tabernacles and temples for God himselfe and of Gods dwelling among men and familiar walking or conuersing with them the Apostle ioineth also another ancient promise of God viz. that be would be a father vnto them and that they should be sonnes and daughters vnto him 2. Cor. 6. 18. Leuit. 26. 11. 12. For by this conioining of these two together the Apostle doth most plainly teach that the former honour of being Tabernacles and Temples for God is proper onely to them that are the sonnes daughters of God The dignity of the children of God in respect of this metaphor is yet the greater because as the whole world in all the beautie of it was at the first made a palace for man to dwell in so man himselfe in this second creation is made a palace for God to dwell in Touching the sixt former metaphor is it not more then meruailous that such vile persons as we naturally are euen little better then limmes of the diuell at least his children and bondslaues as hath beene before shewed should haue so honourable and glorious an head as Christ Iesus is that sitteth at the right hand of God in the heauen and hath the Angels good and bad in subiection vnto him 1. Pet. 3. 22. Besides all before spoken of the excellency of Christ in speaking of him as of one of the efficient causes of our regeneration is he not most excellently also described to bee clothed with a garment downe to the feete and girded about his pappes with a golden girdle to haue his head also and haires white as white wooll and snow and his eies as a flame of fire yea to haue his feete like vnto fine brasse burning as in a fornace and a voice as the sound of many waters yea to haue further in his right hand seuen starres a sharp two edged sword going out of his mouth and his face shining as the sunne shineth in his strength Reuelation 1. 13. c. Neither is the dignity of the children of God thus amplified in respect that they haue so excellent a head excellent for power for wisedome for iustice for meeknes for goodnes for all things that are excellent but also because as Christ hath no other body then his Church so the Church hath no other head but Christ Iesus and as none doth or can giue life to other either to quicken them from the death of sinne here or to raise them at the latter day when before that by the doctrine of the Papists themselues the Pope shall be suppressed as none I say can thus giue life to men but onely Christ Iesus for who dareth say that the Pope can raise vp a man either from his sinne or from the graue especially when the Pope himselfe shall be dead so none is or can be the head of the Church but only Christ Sith therefore Christ is not onely so excellent an head but also the sole and onely head of the children of God in this respect also it must bee granted that their state is so much the more honourable Yea this honour of the children of God by Christ Iesus his being their head is the more because as he hath not taken the nature of angels vpon him but onely the nature of man so hee is not the head of Angels as he is of elect men For as it is a monstrous bodie that hath two heads so is it no lesse monstrous for the bodie to bee of one nature and the head of another And as the Angels cannot be neither euer are called the members of Christ so Christ cannot bee called the head of the Angels All the members also of the body of Christ are said to grow to a perfect man in Christ and euery part and member of the body of Christ is said to receiue daily encrease as it were by nerues c. Ephesians 4. 13. 15. 16. Let no man here mistake me As kings are called heads that is chiefe gouernours of their people so Christ not onely as GOD but also as God and man is the head and chiefe gouernour and that absolutely without any such limitation as kings haue of the Angels as well as of all other creatures But in that speciall maner that he is head of men borne anew vnto God hee is not the
they can defend themselues by the 7. commandement by many precepts of Salomon against such sins Pro. 5. 3. to the 15. Pro 6. 25 c. 7. 22. 22. 14. 23. 26 c. 29. 3. and of Agur Pro. 30. 18. 20. and by many rebukes thereof in the Prophets Iere. 5. 8. Hose 4 10. Amos 2. 7. Mica 3. 5. and in the new testament Eph. 5. 3. Colos 3. 5. Heb. 13. 4. So likewise by the example of a chast mind in Ioseph Gen. 39. 9. and in Iob Chap. 31. 1. 9. and lastly by the iudgements of God not only vpon the Gibeonites for their horrible abusing the Leuites wife but also first vpon the Israelites for being so forward to punish Note the Gibeonites and yet not thinking vpon the Leuit both for hauing a concubine and also for hauing an harlot to his concubine and seeking her vp againe as though she had been an honest and graue matrone when she had most whorishly and wickedly run away from him Iudg. 20. and by exclusion of such out of the kingdom of heauen 1. Cor. 6. 9. Ephe. 5. 5. Reuel 21. 8. and 22. 15. The worldly allurements to theft couetousnesse and to other vniust hard dealing with men concerning their goods and prouocations to withhold their owne when necessity requireth the bestowing of them vpon other they can resist and ouercome by the eight commandement and by many other precepts to the same purpose and by Zech. 5. 2. 3. as also by the great oath of the Lord by his owne excellency against them that swallowed vp the poore and that thought so long for the end of euery new month day and of the Sabbath for setting forth wheat and making the Epha small Amos 8 4 c. and by the iudgements of God vpon Achan Nabal Gehezi Ahab Iudas Isâ—ariot other If any motions be to beare false witnesse to ly c. they haue at hand the ninth commandement with Exod. 23. 1. Leuit. 19. 11. Psal 5. 〈◊〉 and 15 2. 52. 6. Pro. 6. 19. 12. 18. and 22. and 19. 5. 21. 18. and â—4 28. and 25. 18. and that our Sauiour saith The diuell is a lyar and the father thereof Ioh. 8. 44. and the iudgements of God vpon Gehazi as well for his lying as for his greedy couetousnesse and that lyars are reckoned vp among the fearefull and the vnbeleeuing c. which shall haue their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone Reuel 21. 8. and that whosoeuer loueth or maketh lies shall be without with dogs c. Reuel 22. 15. Against all concupiscence and first motions against our neighbor they haue the tenth commandement and that such concupiscence is the fountaine of actuall sinnes which bring death Iames 1. 14. 15. and the complaint of the Apostle against the same with earnest desire to be released disburdened thereof Rom. 7. 24. That that hath been said of the priuiledge of the children of God by the sword of the Spirit the word of God for their defence against the former tentations may be said touching other tentations also vnto other sinnes The like may be said concerning errors and heresies Let vs take a short view of some of the popish heresies whereunto so many Iesuits and other Romish croaking frogs in euery citie towne village and almost family doe now so busily perswade all states and degrees of men women children and whereof great multitudes of euery state sex age are as apprehensiue because they haue not beleeued the truth of the Gospell thus long preached vnto them but haue had pleasure in vnrighteousnesse 2. Thes 2. 12 as the Iewes were mad vpon sacrificing to the host of heauen Ierem. 7. 18. and as any children are to see plaies goodly shewes and other such vanities Do such frogs therefore and Romish serpents perswade that none can know the scriptures to be of God but by the authority of the Church Against this the children of God may defend themselues by these arguments out of the word First that the Church hath no authority aboue the scriptures and that the scriptures take no authority from the Church First because the Church being a company of men therefore as Christ himselfe receiueth not the record of man though as good as Iohn Baptist Iohn 5. 34. so neither doth the Scripture Secondly because the word being without error and teaching that all men are subiect to error it cannot therefore receiue authority from them much lesse be subiect vnto them Thirdly because the Scripture is the testimonie of God and the testimony of God is greater then the testimonie of man 1. Iohn 5. 9. Fourthly because the Church hauing all her authority from the word for how shall the Church proue that she hath any authority but by the word the word cannot haue any from the Church Fiftlie because the Church is none of the witnesses reckoned 1. Ioh. 5. 7. 8. Sixtly because they that will not beleeue the scriptures will neither beleeue one raised from the dead Luk 16. 31. nor Christ himselfe if hee were here to speake personallie vnto them Iohn 5. 47. How then will they beleeue the Church that will not belieue the scriptures Secondly the children of God haue this to plead against the former heresie viz. that many other things doe witnesse the scriptures to be of God though the Church should not only be silent in that behalfe but also vtterly deny the same Namely first of all the spirit of God whereby they are sealed and crie Abba father which searcheth all things euen the deepe things of God so that as no man knoweth the things of a man but the spirit of a man which is in him so no man knoweth the things of God but the spirit of God 1. Cor. 2. 10. 11. If no man know the things of God but the spirit of God how can any man know the scriptures themselues but by the spirit of God For where are the things of God but in the Scripture How also can any man not know the Scriptures to be of God that hath the spirit of God Secondly the children of God know the scriptures to be of God by the pure and holy matter of the scriptures agreeable to the nature of God himselfe Thirdly by the disagreement of the scriptures to the nature of man condemning whatsoeuer commeth from the same the children of God vnderstand the scriptures not to be of man and therefore consequently of God Fourthly by the excellent harmony of all the scripture and by the perpetuall euen threed of truth spunne thorowout them without any knot of vntruth from the beginning to the ending Fiftly they know the same by the diuine stile and phrase of the scripture sauoring altogether of God himselfe Sixtly by the iust accomplishment of all things foretold in the scripture and that in the manner and time therein also mentioned Seuenthly by the mighty effects of the word at the preaching
moment either all is taken from them or they be taken from all That which is said of riches that they take themselues to their wings and as an Eagle doe flie into the heauen Pro. 23. 5 that is they are quickly out of sight and out of reach as also oftentimes that they be vncertaine 1. Tim. 6. 17. may likewise be said of all prosperity especially in the possession of the wicked The same further is manifest as by diuers other testimonies so especially by that which before was alledged out of Iob 15. 29. c. Touching the taking away of the wicked from their wealth and other prosperity doth not our Sauiour teach it by the parable of the rich man that like many rich men in these daies was altogether carefull for enlarging his barnes to keepe the great abundance of corne that his land had brought foorth and to eat and drinke and take his pleasure for many yeeres as thinking he had enough and that he should liue long neuer thinking of any thankfulnesse to God neither taking any care how to imploy and bestow it well to Gods glory and the comfort of other that were in want Doth not I say our Sauiour by this parable teach that the wicked are oft times taken away from their wealth and other prosperity in as much as when the said rich man was occupied in those former thoughts of enlarging his barnes and taking his ease c. our Sauiour telleth vs that it was presently said vnto him by the Lord O foole this night will they fetch away thy soule from thee and then whose shall all those things be which thou hast prouided Luk 12 20. To the same purpose Zophar saith The reioicing of the wicked is short and the ioy of the hypocrite is but a moment Though his excellency mount vp to the heauens his head reach vnto the clouds yet he shall perish for euer like his dung and they which haue seene him shall say where is he He shall flie away as a dreame and they shall not find him and shall passe away as a vision of the night So that the eie which had seene him shall see him no more and his place shall see him no more Iob 20. 5. Dauid testifieth the very same I haue seene saith hee the wicked strong and spreading himselfe like a Bay tree yet he passed away and loe he was gone and I sought him but he could not be found Psal 37. 35. 36. Doth any man require examples of these two points For the first let him consider his owne experience of many daily that are left great portions and yet liuing wickedly come to extreme beggery For the second that many of the wicked hauing great states are themselues taken from all how soone were Nabal 1. Samuel 25. 38. Ahab 1. Kings 22. 37. Saneherib 2. Kings 19. 37. Nebuchadnezer Dan. 4. 28. and Herod Acts 12. 23. how soone I say were all these taken from all their wealth from all their honor from all their worldly prosperity Touching both the former points iointly how soone did Haman and Belshazzer lose both riches and honors withall their other earthly prosperity and life it selfe Neither only is the prosperity of the wicked taken from them or they from it but sometime also themselues are so burthened therewith that howsouer they got it with great paine and yet perhaps also with some pleasure yet they are neuer well till they be disburdened of it againe It is with them as it is with drunkards and gluttons who drinke largely and eat greedily but hauing ouer much charged their stomacks they are sicke and very sicke till they haue vngorged themselues Let no man bee offended with this similitude as thinking the same too rude and homely for so diuine an argument as now I am occupied in It is the same that Zophar vseth in the same case and whereby he doth most elegantly and excellently set foorth the condition of the wicked in this behalfe For thus he writeth He hath deuoured substance and he shall vomit it for God shall draw it out of his belly Iob 20. 15. and againe he shall restore the labor that is that which he got with much labor and shall deuoure no more c. vers 18. and againe Surely he shall feele no quietnesse in his body as it is with drunkards and gluttons that being more then cropfull are also cropsick and tormented in their bodies till they haue emptied themselues neither shall he reserue of that which hee desired There shall none of his meat be left Therefore none shall hope for his goods When he shall be filled with abundance he shall be in pain c. vers 20. 21. 22. This is somwhat manifest by the example of Achan who contrary to the commandement of God hauing taken a goodly Babylonish garment two hundred shekels of siluer and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels waight in the sacking of Iericho was forced himselfe to bring all forth and so he with all his family were burnt with fire Iosh 7. 20. It is more manifest by the example of Iudas who hauing greedily taken thirthy pieces of siluer for the betraying of his Lord and Master made as much hast to be rid of it as euer he did to get it and he came vnsent for and brought it with his own hands to the Priests and threw it downe c. and then went and hanged himselfe c. Mat. 27. 5. 2. If the wicked do not thus with their wealth and other prosperity for there is the same reason of all their prosperity that there is of their wealth yet they meet with such other calamities that they were better to be in aduersity with the children of God then in their prosperity to inoy the pleasures of sinne for a season For what gained Gehezi by the two talents of siluer and the two changes of garments which by lying and falshood he got of Naaman the Syrian Did not the leprosie of Naaman cleaue vnto him and to his seede for euer 2. Kings 5. 27. Whether then had he been better to haue beene without the wealth or without Naamans leprosie If it were so with him that perhaps was not altogether to be accounted wicked though in that particular he were very faulty what is to be thought of them that cannot be denied to be wicked Last of all the wicked in gathering the blessings of this life together are sometimes the instruments of God for the future good of his children that they may enioy that with ease which the wicked haue scraped and raked together with much paine So saith Salomon The riches of the sinner is laid vp for the iust Pro. 13. 22. So also saith Iob Though he should heape vp siluer as the dust and prepare raiment as the clay he may prepare it but the iust shall put it on and the innocent shall diuide his siluer Iob 27. 16. Hereof Haman is a most pregnant example For was not his house giuen
of apparell to couer his nakednesse as of meat to nourish him so â—n the resurrection the children of God shall liue without either of both without meat and without apparell As concerning mariage it is said that In the resurrection they neither marry wiues nor wiues are bestowed in mariage but that they shal be as the Angels of God in heauen Mat. 22. 30. so shall it be for meat and apparell The children of God shall liue foreuer without both There shall be neither cold nor hunger nor thirst Their bodies that are sowen naturall bodies shal be raised spirituall bodies They shall stil be bodies the same bodies in substance that they were before otherwise how could it be said that they are raised againe but touching their qualities as they shall be changed many other waies so also this way that they shall be spirituall bodies that is such as shall not liue by naturall meats as vpon the earth they did but altogether by the immediat vertue of the spirit euen as the Angels do now liue in heauen This then in the life to come shall be the perfection of the children of God that they shall need no outward meanes for their euerlasting maintenance and preseruation as here they did for their maintenance and preseruation for a time yea for a short time which for the shortnesse thereof is not worthy to be called halfe a time So hauing nothing they shall be ten thousand times more happy then they were here hauing many things Men are not so happy here by hauing many things as they shall be in the world to come by needing nothing I meane no such outward things as without which before they could not liue To illustrate this by a familiar similitude As a man being in poore state and in a meane calling here in this world as a shoemaker a tailer a husbandman or such like caÌ„not liue without such things as appertain to such trades as the shoemaker cannot liue without his last cutting-knife awle the tailer without his sheers and pressing yron the husbandman without his spade mattock flaile plough hedging bill c. but yet the same man being aduanced to welth higher calling amongst men hath none of the former things and yet is not the worse but the better because he needeth no such things now as without which before he could not liue so the children of God in the life to come being in full possession of their inheritance shall be neuer a whit the worse because they shall haue no meat nor apparell nor any other such outward thing for maintenance and preseruation of their state as here they had but they shall be so much the more happy and blessed because they shall need no such thing Besides all hitherto spoken of the happy and blessed inheritance of the children of God in the world and life to come whereas here they had the company of men yea oft times of wretched wicked men such as of whom they might cry out as we heare Dauid did Woe is to vs that we haue them in our company Our soules haue too long dwelt with them in the life to come in stead of such company they shall haue the society fellowship of the blessed Angels the least wherof is more glorious then euer was Salomon in al his roialty or then are al the kings Princes in the world when they shew themselues most in al their kingly and princely robes glory yea then as before we heard they shall haue perfect communion with God himselfe Father Son and holy ghost and they shall see Christ Iesus God and man in all his glory be also themselues in their own persons partaker therof as we shal hear more at large vpon the second verse following they shal I say see Christ Iesus in al his glory be themselues partaker therof according to the praier of Christ himself for them in that behalfe Ioh. 17. 22. 23 24. How sweet happy comfortable a thing is this when Peter Iames and Iohn saw Christ but a little transfigured in the mountain and Moses Elias in some glory talking with him how were they affected how were they rauished How did Peter say in the name of the rest Master it is good for vs to be here If thou wilt let vs make here three tabernacles c Mat. 17. 4. were they thus affected were they so rauished did they so desire stil to dwell in the mountain and to enioy the sight only of Christ and of two of his Saints themselues being yet clogged with their sins and cloathed with corruption mortality Oh how happy then shall that day be when the children of God shall see Christ Iesus in his perfect glory accompanied and attended vpon with millions and many millions of most glorious Angels and when themselues also shall haue put on incorruption and immortality and according to their degree and measure be also crowned with a crowne of the same glory The Prophet amongst diuers other arguments wherby he prouoketh all the seruants of the Lord to praise the name of the Lord setteth downe this for one that The Lord raiseth the needy out of the dust and lifteth vp the poore out of the dung that hee may set him with the Princes euen with the princes of the people Psal 113. 1. c. Was it and is it so great a dignity so great an honour so great an aduancement to make poore men to sit with Princes in this world What then is the dignity honor and aduancement of the children of God to sit with God and with Christ Iesus and with all the holy Angels in the heauens It is here also to be considered that this inheritance is so ample and so excellent that how few soeuer shall enioy the same they shall haue neuer a whit the more and how many soeuer Note shall be admitted thereunto none shall haue any whit the lesse In all earthly inheritances it is far otherwise yea cleane contrary The fewer they are amongst whom any inheritance is diuided the greater is the portion of euery one And the more the heires of any inheritance are how ample soeuer the same be the lesse is the portion of euery one All hitherto said or which can be said yea more then any tongue can speake or then any heart can conceiue is the more in respect of the certainty thereof Nothing in this world though it be in present possession is so certaine as all spoken before of this inheritance For the certainty of faith is much greater then the certainty of sense and humane reason This certainty of this inheritance and of the things before spoken thereof doth not only depend vpon that before written of the safety both of the inheritance it selfe and of the children of God to whom the same inheritance belongeth but also vpon diuers expresse scriptures and vpon diuers other reasons Touching scriptures consider these that follow and many other the
both in respect of the person that did bid them 〈◊〉 the same being a blessed Angell and also in respect of the message it selse and that she had found fauour with God and should conceiue and beare a sonne which should beâ— called lesus because he should saue and hath saued his people from their sinnes Matth. 1. 21. and that when the Angels did so appeare vnto the shepheards the same Sonne was then borne into the world How much more then may all the children of God now throw away all seare and reioice euen with ioy vnspeakable and glorious â—ith not only Christ Iesus is borne but hath also suffied is risen againe and hath ascended into heauen hath accomplished all things for our saluation that were written of him and doth sit at the right hand of God the Father in all power and glory to protect vs from all our cnemies and to make intercession for vs sith I say Christ Iesus hath not onely done all this for vs but is also conceined and formed spiritually in vs Gal. 4. 9. and sith we haue put him on as a garment Rom. 13. 14. and sith he dwelleth in vs as in a temple and hath made himselfe one with vs and vs with him Ioh. 17. 22. as before hath beene shewed and sith by all these things he doth assure vs of the perfection of the whole worke of our saluation and of neuer leauing vs till hee haue brought vs where himselfe is there to behold his glory and to bee partakers thereof and that our ioy may indeed be full neuer againe mixt with any drop of heauinesse neither euer any whit obscured or ouercast with any mist of sinne or affliction Verily there is no question but that euery one of Gods children in respect of all things pertaining to their saluation already wrought by our Sauiour and in respect of their assurance of that which remaines for themselues in particular hath more cause to reioice then either Marie or the shepheards had by vnderstanding onely of Christ to bee conceiued and borne or to bee alreadie borne but not hauing accomplished it for which hee was borne As there can be no greater indignity offered to an honest man promising any thing which he is able to performe and giuing earnest vpon his promise and further also binding of himselfe to performe all that he hath promised then to doubt of his promise earnest and further assurance so yea ten thousand times greater indignity is it to God for vs to doubt of the things before mentioned God hauing not only promised them but also made vs far better assurance of them then all the Princes in the world can make of any thing they promise So far is the full perswasion of these things and ioy according from all presumption against God as the Papists doe most boldly and wickedly affirme Thus therefore I conclude this part that euery one of Gods children being the seed which the Lord hath blessed yea being that seed only may say as the Prophet saith they should say I will greatly reioice or reioicing I will reioice in the Lord and my soule shall bee ioifull in my God for he hath clothed me with the garments of saluation and couered me with the robes of righteousnesse he hath decked me like a bridegroome and as a bride tâ—reâ—h her selfe with her iewels Isai 61. 9. In respect of this ioy of the children of God euen of the meanest of them the ioy of the wicked is nothing but sorrow griefe anguish and vexation of spirit Thus much of the peace and ioy of the children of God CHAP. XXVIII Of the benefits that other doe enioy by Gods children HAuing thus spoken of the exceeding great benefits which the children of God enioy themselues for the further declaration of their dignity let vs also take a view of those benefits which other doe enioy by them Here let vs vnderstand first that they hurt no body but suffer euery one with whom they doe liue or with whom they haue any dealings to liue in peace and quietly to enioy their owne Secondly that they are many waies helpfull and do much good vnto other The first is no small matter if we consider how harmfull the wicked are continually vnto all with whom they dwell as to some by their prophanenesse and impiety either animating them to the like or discouraging them from the contrary so also to other by their vnreuerend behauiour towards their superiors by their pride and violence against their inferiors by their contempt of their equals by their cruelty and vnmercifulnesse in word and deed by their vnchast speech gesture and other actions by vniust dealings touching the goods of their neighbors and by their backbitings slandering and false accusing and otherwise defaming of them They that haue daily experience or haue heard of these things would thinke it a great benefit to liue where they might be without feare of such dammage And that this is a benefit and so to be accounted appeareth by the words of Nabals seruants to Abigail after that Nabal had so wickedly and churlishly sent away the messengers of Dauid empty For they doe amplifie the churlish and wicked answer of Nabal to Dauids messengers as by some kindnesse of Dauid towards them in the wildernesse so also by pleading that they had no displeasure neither had missed any thing so long as they were conuersant with them when they were in the fields 1. Sam. 25 15. But are these things all No verily but as themselues do no hurt to other so likewise they are great meanes to keep other from doing that euill against God against their neighbors and against themselues which otherwise they would commit for who seeth not that the wicked conuersing daily with the godly and being especially in their company do refrain from many sinnes many othes many blasphemies many curses from much vaine talke filthy speech much foolish iesting from other outrages also which they would freely commit if they were by themselues alone Many times also the Lord keepeth the reprobate themselues from some hainous sinnes for the godlies sake which otherwise they would greedily commit Did not God keep Abimelech king of Gerar from defiling Sara for Abrahams sake Gen. 206. and may not the like be said of many other Doubtlesse this is partly the meaning of that which is written of Herods feare and reuerencing of Iohn Baptist that is of the fearing to commit some euils for his sake from which otherwise he would not haue refrained Mark 6. 20. So that Esau hoped of the death of Isaac and then purposed to haue killed Iacob what doth it else import but that in the meane time he feared the committing of that fearefull murder for Isaac his sake Gen. 27. 41. But not to stand vpon this let vs come to the good they doe to other Heere at the first let it be considered that as God made the woman first to be an helpe to the man so by this
made knowen by the Church the manifold wisdome of God Ephes 3. 9. 10. By this place we plainly see that the Angels haue the benefit of more knowledge then before they had Of the fellowship of the foresaid mysterie and that by the Church What is the Church but the companie of Gods children This is the more manifest by that that there is said of that mysterie to haue beene before hidden in God himselfe and not so to haue beene opened to the sonnes of men in other ages as now it is vers 5. and to haue beene kept secret since the world began Rom. 16. 25. For doe not these phrases intimate that the said mysterie had beene hidden so in God himselfe from the beginning of the world that the very Angels themselues did not fully vnderstand it till it was made knowen by the Church The same is to bee thought of many mysteries contained in the Reuelation because it is said of the booke in the right hand of him that sate vpon the throne written within and on the backe side sealed with many seales whereby the Chapters in the Reuelation following seeme especially to be vnderstood because I say it is said of that booke that none in heauen nor in earth nor vnder the earth was able to open the booke or to looke thereon but only the Lion of the tribe of Iuda that is Christ Iesus Reu. 5. 2. This Lion of the tribe of Iuda doth not only vnderstand the same booke himselfe but also by his spirit maketh it knowen to the Church by whom also the Angels attending thereupon in all assemblies thereof seeme likewise to come to know it and not by any immediate reuelation thereof vnto them in heauen neither as some doe weakly imagine by contemplation of God himselfe in whom all things past present and to come are as it were ingrauen For so they should know the secrets of mens hearts and the day of iudgement which none knowes but God himselfe For are not all those things ingrauen in God as well as others I grant the Angels to know much more of their owne nature and of the nature of God himselfe then the Church knoweth yea then perhaps is reuealed in the written word yet this letteth not but that the Angels may bee ignorant of the meaning of some things contained in the word concerning Gods pleasure towards the Church till the same by the spirit of Christ be reuealed to the Church I will not so inlarge this point in this place as Isee it handled in some late printed bookes but I will content my selfe with this thus generally spoken thereof Another benefit of the Angels by the children of God is that they haue great iov of their conuersion and repentance This our Sauiour teacheth plainly by a double parable Luk. 15. 3. c. one of the lost sheepe the other of the lost groat for the finding whereof there was great ioy the application of bâ—th which parables is thus made by our Sauiour hin selfe I say vnto you that likewise ioy shall bee in heauen ouer one sinner that repenteth c. and againe I say vnto you there is ioy in the presence of the Angels of God for one sinner that conuerteth 7. and 10. And indeed there is a great reason of this their ioy for doe men reicice in earth for the birth of a sinner and shall not the Angels in heauen reioice for the regeneration of a christian Doe men reioice for the birth of one of Gods enemies and shall not the Angels reioice for the birth of one of Gods children Doe the true subjects of an earthly prince reioice and declare their ioy by some testimony at the birth of a child to such an earthly Prince how much more should the Angels in heauen Gods perfectest subjects reioice at the birth of a child to God himselfe the king of heauen and earth euen of one that shall it selfe be and is as soone as it is borne not only a Priest but also a king as before we heard Is there ioy in earth for the birth of one that shall die againe and perhaps a miserable death how then should the Angels not reioice in the birth of one that shall neuer die more but shall liue for euer a life of grace here till the time of translation from hence do come and then a life of glory with themselves yea with Christ Iesus Did the Angels reioice when Christ was borne a man vpon earth and shall they not reioice when men are borne partaker of the diuine nature from heauen and for heauen yea wherefore did the Angels so reioice at the birth of Christ was it not because by his birth in the world many should afterward be borne vnto God As soone as euer Christ had taken the book before spoken of out of the hands of his Father to open the same to the Church how did the Angels reioice and sing for ioy as wel as the 24. Elders Reu. 5. 8. 9. Did they so reioice at the taking of the book to be opened to the Church how much more cause haue they to reioice and sing when by the opening of mysteries in the same book contained men shall be enlightned with true sauing knowledge of God and of his Sonne Iesus Christ and be also new borne children vnto God As the Angels doe thus reioice in the first regeneration of the children of God that is when men first begin to be the children of God so it is not to be doubted but that their ioy is increased as such graces are increased in men whereby they are the more declared both to men and Angels to be so regenerated and new borne vnto God I might amplifie this point much more but hauing been large in other things it shall be sufficient thus briefly to haue spoken of this matter So we see what great benefits both men and other creatures the inferior creatures of this inferior world and the superior creatures euen the blessed Angels in heauen haue by the children of God Is not this therefore a great increase of their dignity Is it not an high commendation of their state and condition That the wicked are hurtfull to all and beneficiall to none doth make their estate the more base and vile abiect and contemptible Therefore that the children of God are hurtfull to none and so beneficiall and helpfull to many it must needs make their condition more honorable and noble CHAP. XXIX Of diuers similitudes and comparisons setting foorth the dignity of Gods children TO omit diuers other arguments whereby the dignity of Gods children might bee furthered enlarged and illustrated let vs now come to certaine comparisons Herein I will a little transgresse the order of Logicians as I haue not hitherto been curious therein and therefore I will begin with some similitudes whereby the holy ghost in respect of some things before handled doth set forth the excellency of the children of God From these similitudes I will
that doe not beleeue at all As the want of faith hindreth vs from seeing the glory of God so also it hindreth from seeing the glory of his children and any speciall worke of God towards them for which hee may be glorified by them As our Sauiour signifieth that the weaknesse of her faith might hinder her from seeing the present resurrection of her brother Lazarus and so consequently from the sight of the glorie of God which therein should bee shewed so it cannot bee but that the nullitie of faith in the wicked must much more hinder them from seeing the glorie of the Saints at the last day and in the kingdome of Heauen The vnbeleefe of men did sometimes hinder Christ himselfe from doing those workes which otherwise hee would haue done and whereby hee would haue shewed his owne glorie and the glorie of his father Matth. 13. 58. Yea it is said that in some places hee could doe no great workes because of the maruellous vnbeleefe of them that dwelt in such places Marke 6. 5. 6. If vnbeleefe did so hinder Christ that hee did not neither could doe any great workes for the bodily good of men doth not vnbeleefe much more hinder men from the sight of the euerlasting saluation of his elect for which they shall giue glory vnto God and vnto the Lambe for euermore By this vnbeleefe it hath come to passe that mens eies haue beene shut vp in such sort that they haue not seene the saluation of the children of God from many dangers of this life how apparant and manifest soeuer the same haue beene Consider the vniuersall flood and behold the manifold manifest tokens both thereof and also of the preseruation of all that beleeuing the same should either haue repaired to Noah to goe with him into the Arke which hee had made or by true repentance haue preuented it Noah with many other busied themselues for the space of one hundred and twenty yeeres in building the Arke When the time of the flood it selfe approched he prouided all things fit for preseruation of himselfe and of his companie and of all other creatures that should resort vnto him to bee preserued by him Who would not by these things haue thought that there had beene some great worke of God towards Who would not haue seene the purpose of God for the glorious preseruation of all those that should beleeue the preaching of Noah and doe accordingly Yet behold more When the time of the flood approched neerer all creatures as well wilde as tame as well fierce as gentle as well flying fowles as foure footed beasts came to Noah and offred themselues to bee put into the Arke Wolues Beares Tigres Elephants Lions Hawkes of all sorts Eagles and such like All these I say came by the secret commandement of God for their so comming No man did fetch them No man did call them No man did driue them No man vsed any art to gather them together Who would not haue wondred at this Who would not haue thought all the former preaching of Noah touching the destruction of the world by the flood to haue beene true Who would not haue beleeued it Who would not haue beene perswaded of it Who would not haue seene the future saluation of Noah and his familie in the Arke Notwithstanding though they had seene what Noah had beene yet it did not appeare vnto them what hee and his should bee as touching their safetie from that great iudgement which hee so long had preached This is the more admirable because those creatures which then came so willinglie neither before could nor sithence can either without much force or without great art and skill be brought into subiection The like may bee said of the deliuerance of the people of Israel out of the Land of Egypt Who would not haue thought and seene by all the miracles that the Lord did in the Land of Egypt euen before the Egyptians by the turning of Moses his rodde into a serpent by the changing of all the waters in Egypt into blood so that all the fish that was in the same water died and stanke Exâ—d 7. by the frogges by the lice by the noisome flies Chap. 8. by the rot of all sorts of beasts all the beasts of Israel being in that time safely preserued by the like scabbe and blister vpon all the people of Egypt themselues by the most fearefull haile thunder and lightning Chap. 9. by the innumerable number of grasse-hoppers by the dreadfull darknesse Chap. 10. and by the remooue from time to time of all these iudgements at the praier of Moses lastlie by the death of all the first borne of Egypt euery house of the Israelites being passed ouer Chap. 12. Who I say by these things would not haue thought and seene what the Israelites should bee and how great saluation the Lord had prepared for them Come wee a little further to the comming of the Israelites to the red sea when the Lord made the waters to stand vpon heapes and to be as a wall of each side of them what could bee more euident then that the Lord would both saue Israel and also destroy the Egyptians A man would thinke that these two things the saluation I say of the Israelites and the ouerthrow of the Egyptians by all the former things had beene as plaine as the nose as men vse to speake of a mans face Yet for all this so were the Egyptians blinded so were their hearts through infidelitie and vnbeleefe hardened that it did not appeare vnto them how either the Israelites should be saued or themselues destroied The like may be said of the great miracles that our Sauiour wrought heere vpon the earth as also of the great signes that were done at the putting of him to death viz. of the renting of the veile of the Temple of the generall darknesse vpon the whole Land from the sixth houre to thâ— ninth and the rising and appearing of many of the Saints that slept For who would not haue thought but that by all these things it should haue appeared what Christ was and what hee should bee Yet such was their extreme infidelitie and vnbeleefe that for all that they could not see those things which were so euident viz. neither what Christ was nor especially what Christ should be The same is to bee said of those things whereby God manifested plainly what Steuen should bee especially that the whole Councell did behold his face as the face of an Angell of God Act. 6. 15. Who would not haue thought but that they should haue seene thereby in what grace and fauour hee was with God and what glorie hee should haue likewise before God Yet when hee said Behold I see the heauens open and the sonne of man standing at the right hand of God they were so farre from seeing any such thing that they shouted with a loud voice and stopped their eares and ran vpon him all at once and cast him out of
the snow euen so white as no fuller can make vpon the earth Mark 9. 3. but Moses also and Elias appeared and were talking with him both which likewise are said to haue appeared in glory Luk 9. 31. For that they appeared not in soule only but also in body it is cleere first by that that they were visibly seene of those Apostles Secondly because it is further said that they talked with Christ Thirdly because Luke also expresly calleth them by the name not of two spirits but of two men This our likenesse also vnto Christ Christ himselfe promiseth to those few names in Sardi which had not defiled their garments saying of them that they should walke with him in white Reuel 4. 34. What is it to be clothed in white and to walke in white with Christ but in glory to be made like vnto Christ who before in his transfiguration had shewed himselfe in white And by this colour of white is the glory of Christ and of Gods children rather described then by any other colour because Princes and great potentates of the earth when they would shew themselues in their greatest pompe and glory did vse to cloath themselues in white yea so did our late most renowned Queene oftentime at the entertainment of some great Embassadors and other great solemnities This our likenes likewise vnto Christ is further promised in the same chapter verse 21. to euery one that ouer commeth namely in these words that to such Christ will giue to sit yea to sit with him in his throne What more as himselfe sitteth in the throne of his Father So then as Christ is in glory like to his Father so shall the children of God also be like vnto Christ This point of our likenesse vnto Christ is a most sweet and heauenly point so full of comfort that it is able to comfort vs though neuer so much compassed with sorrowes and loaden with griefes It is able to recouer vs though neuer so sicke of sinne It is able to reuiue and restore vs though not only halfe dead but also altogether dead in sinnes and trespasses It is much that wee shall shine as the brightnesse of the firmament and as the starres for euer Dan. 12. as also that we shall shine as the Sunne it selfe in the kingdome of our Father Mat. 13. 34. It is more that we shall be like to the Angels of God in heauen Mat. 22. 30. of whose great glory we haue heard before Who therfore can expresse or conceiue this that is here spoken that we shall be like vnto Christ himselfe For what is the brightnes of the firmament what is the glistering of the starres what is the light of the Sunne in the greatest and cleerest height thereof what is the glory of the Angels in respect of Christ Iesus When he was in the shape of a seruant he taught with such power and authority that all that heard him were astonied at his doctrine Mat. 7. 28. 29. and wondred at the gratious words that proceeded out of his mouth Luk 4. 22. Yea the very officers of the high Priests and Pharisies that were sent to take him being rauished with his words returned without him and being asked why they had not brought him they answered Neuer man spake like this man Iohn 7. 32. 45. Afterward also his aduersaries that came out to apprehend him with one word of his mouth were turned backe and fell to the ground Ioh. 18. 6. I omit heere the amplification of this point by the glory of Moses his face comming from receiuing the law which Moses was but a seruant as also by the rauishment of Peter Iames and Iohn with the transfiguration of Christ in the mount to giue them a tast of his glory These things I say I do omit as hauing spoken of them before Neither also is it to any great purpose to compare the glory of Christ with the glory of the Monarchs of the world and so thereby to amplifie our glory in regard that we shall be like vnto Christ For alas all the glory of earthly Princes is not so much as a picture or a shadow of the glory of Christ who is the first begotten of the dead the Prince of the kings of the earth Reu. 1. 5. and who walketh in middes of the seuen candlestickes is cloathed with a garment downe to the feete and girded about the pappes with a golden girdle whose head and haire are white as white as wooll and as snowe and his eies as a flame of fire and his feete like vnto fiâ—e brasse burning as in a fornace and his voice as the sound of many waters hauing in his right hand seuen starres and a sharpe two-edged sword going out of his mouth and whose face shineth as the Sunne in his strength Reuel 1. 13. c. To whom also being newlie borne certaine wise men did not only come out of the East but also fell downe and worshipped him opening their treasures and presenting vnto him gifts of gold and incense and myrrhe Mat. 2. 1. and 11. Yea who is so excellent that not only a multitude of heauenly souldiers sang at his birth though he were borne in a stable and laid in a manger Glory to God in the high heauens and peace in earth and towards men good will Luke 2. 14. but also that afterward the foure and twenty Elders did sing vnto him a new song saying Thou art worthy to take the booke viz. which before Iohn had seene in the right hand of him that sate vpon the throne written within and on the backeside sealed with seauen seales and which none in heauen and in earth or vnder the earth was worthie to open and to open the seales thereof because thou wast killed and hast redeemed vs to God by thy bloud out of euerie kindred and tongue and people and nation and hast made vs vnto our God Kings and Priests c. Reuelat. 5. 9. 10. Yea whose excellencie and glorie and worthinesse is such that not only they did so sing but that also Iohn did heare many other Angels round about the throne c. euen thousand thousands to sing with a loud voice saying Worthy is the lambe that was killed to receiue power and riches and wisedome and strength and honor and glory and praise Yea concerning whom also he heard all creatures in heauen on earth and vnder the earth and in the sea c. saying Praise and honor and glory and power be vnto him that sitteth vpon the throne and vnto the Lambe for euermore verse 11. c. If Christ himselfe be thus excellent shall not we also be excellent that shall be like vnto him Why then should we be dismaied why should we feare why should any affliction any disgrace with men any threatning of men any pouerty any banishment any imprisonment any losses or any other calamities make vs to hang down our head yea why should any thing take away our ioy from vs why should we
to blesse him according to his former promise For this patriarke Isaack hauing so blessed Iaacob when his sonne Esaâ— returned from hunting and brought Venison ready dressed vnto him and craued his blessing this Izhaack I say told his sonne Esau what had fallen out in his absence and saith plainly I haue blessed him therefore he shall be blessed Genes 27. 33. As if he should haue said My blessing is past already Thou comest now too late I haue giuen my blessing to him to whom by the appointment of God at the first it did belong therfore whatsoeuer thou hast done at my commandement and howsoeuer I promised indeed to blesse thee yet hauing now spoken the word for the blessing him that came before thee I neither will nor can reuoke it Dauid seeming to allude to the former words of Isaack in his praier for the blessing of God vpon his house vseth the very same words almost if not altogether speaking thus Now it hath pleased thee to blesse the house of thy seruant that it may bee before thee for euer for thou O Lord hast blessed it and it shall be blessed for euer 1 Chron. 17. 27. The like constancy we read of that heathen and wicked man Pilate For when hee had written this title vpon the head of Christ on the Crosse Iesus of Nazaret the King of the Iewes and when the high Priests of the Iewes being offended with the said title perswaded him to alter it and said Write not The king of the Iewes but that he said I am the king of the Iewes what answered Pilate Was he content to alter his former writing Not so but he answered What I haue written I haue written Iohn 19. 19. 21. 22. Did these men the one an elect of God and a good man the other a reprobate and most wicked did these I say thus hold themselues to their own notwithstanding earnest requests to the contrary Shall we think that God will shrinke go back of his word for the casheering of any whom once he hath enrolled and written in the book of life No no though all the world should solicit him to the contrary yea though it were possible that the Angels of heauen shold so do yet wil not God goe one inch back of his word touching any of his children whom he hath determined to make like vnto his owne sonne He will not flinch a whit or start aside an heires bredth but to all such as shall plead for the cutting of the names of any of his out of the table or book of life he will answer as Isaack did to Esau I haue blessed them therfore they shall be blessed and as Pilat answered the high priests of the Iewes whom I haue written I haue written To leaue this argument and to proceed vnto other If they be blessed that walke not in the counsell of the wicked c. that trust in the Lord c. that feare the Lord c. then are they certaine of their future likenesse vnto Christ For where there is no certainty therof there caÌ„ be no blessednes But such are pronounced blessed in the Psalms in the other scriptures therfore they are certaine of this their future likenes to Christ The like may be said of the commandement of the Apostle giuen to all that are in Christ for reioicing in the Lord yea for reioicing alwaies Philip. 44. For what ioy can there be where there is continuall doubting of â—his future likenes vnto Christ Againe by so many arguments as whereby before we haue laid forth the dignity of Gods children we may also be assured of this our future likenes vnto Christ viz. by Gods loue in making vs his children because whom he loueth he loueth to the end by the difficulty and greatnesse of that worke For would he do so difficult so great and so admirable a worke and not bring it to perfection or what perfection hath it without this likenes to Christ by the meanes whereby he worketh it viz. by the immortall seed For how is that seed immortall if they perish that are begotten again by it I meane touching the spirituall life whereby they are so begotten againe Or how doe they continue if they neuer attaine vnto but come short of this likenes vnto Christ by their vnion with Christ and communion with the Father and the holy ghost which we heard to be indissoluble once made and neuer dissolued by their liberty and free accesse to God in praier with assurance to be heard as in other things so also in asking of this their future likenes vnto Christ by the forgiuenesse of their sins the only let of their likenes vnto him Gods couenant therein being a couenant of salt euen an euerlasting couenant by the working of all things together for their good by their freedome from condemnation by the blessed inheritance before spoken of and almost by all the other arguments Last of all all that are in heauen may be sure without doubting of their future likenes vnto Christ But all the children of God that are regenerated by the word of truth are in heauen Therfore they may be sure without doubting of their future likenes in grace and in glory vnto Christ The first part of this reason that all in heauen may bee sure without doubting of their future likenes to Christ c. is so euident that no man will deny the same sith there is no fetching any thing from thence That which our Sauiour saith as a reason to prouoke men to lay vp treasures in heauen viz. that There neither the moth nor canker doth corrupt nor thieues digge through and steale Mat. 6. 30. may be said of all persons in heauen that they are out of all danger c. The second part of the former reason that the children of God regenerated and new borne by the holy ghost are already from the first houre of their regeneration in heauen is expresly affirmed by the Apostle Ephes 2. 6. Most men vnderstanding those words as spoken only of the children of God in respect of their certainty of heauen not in respect of their present possession do notwithstanding iustifie my present purpose Notwithstanding I doe vnderstand with some other much more euen the present possession it selfe of heauen present I say not full possession and that because Christ Iesus hauing taken possession of heauen not as one alone but as the head of many euen of all his members not to his own vsealone but to theirs not in his own name alone but in theirs it must needs be granted that all they also are in present possession whose head Christ is to whose vse and in whose name Christ hath taken possession of heauen I will illustrate this by a law case common amongst vs. A mans wife of Kent or Essex hath coppy hold land purchased by her or giuen vnto her by some friends in Yorkshire in Cumberland in Westmoâ—land or some other country two hundred miles from
all maiestie accompanied with his holy Angels and comming to iudge the quicke and the dead as at his former comming in the forme of a seruant he came to be iudged and not to iudge This is called his appearing because as the Gospell or grace of God which bringeth saluation vnto all men is said now to haue appeared Tit. 2. 11. in respect it had beene kept secret before since the world began and had not beene so opened as it is now reuealed vnto the sonnes of men c. Rom. 16. 25. Ephes 3. 5. so Christ Iesus being ascended into heauen and there sitting at the right hand of his father is not now so manifested at least to the bodily sight as hee shall manifest himselfe at his second comming This time of this his appearing is his mariage day whereas all time before is but as it were the time of his and our betrothing and of the preparing of vs for that mariage day to be the fitter spouse for him All this sentence of our certainty and knowledge of our being Note made like vnto Christ at his appearing is not to bee taken as spoken in the person of the Apostle onely and of them to whom he did write but of all other the children of God whatsoeuer None must looke for this perfection and likenesse vnto Christ before this time of his appearing What then will some man aske doe you say of Enoch and Elias Of the one it is said that he walked with God and was no more seene for God tooke him away Genes 5. 24. And againe that By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death neither was he found for God had translated him Heb. 11. 5. Of the other of Elias that he went vp by a whirlewinde into Heauen 2. King 2. 11. Concerning therefore the two former examples of whom the question is mooued whatsoeuer men haue thought or doe thinke and whatsoeuer the former words may seeme to insinuate which their insinuated sense shall be opened afterward this I thinke that they are not yet bodily in heauen Enoch and Elias not bodily yet in heauen neither shall be till the resurrection of all flesh when all the rest of Gods elect shall receiue their consummation and perfect blisse My reasons for this opinion are briefly these First Heb. 11. 13. after the mention as well of Enoch as of 1. Reason Noah Abraham and Sara it is expresly said All these died in faith It were absurd to restraine the generall word all onely to the three last and not to extend it also vnto Enoch and Abel Therefore it is manifest that these two died as well as the other three If it be obiected that it is said before that Enoch was translated that he might not see death and that therefore if here this verbe died bee as well vnderstood of him as of the rest then there shall be contrarieties in one and the same place I answer that the reconciliation of this doubt is very easie namely by interpreting the former phrase that hee might not see death of not feeling death after the common painfull manner of men And so the word to see for to feele or to discerne or by experience to perceiue is often taken in the Scripture The waters saw thee O God the waters saw thee c. that is they did as it were feele and by experience perceiued thy power Psal 77. 16. So the Apostle saith I see another Law in my members c. that is I feele Rom. 7. 23. There might bee many other the like places alleged but these are sufficient That also of being translated signifieth nothing els but he was taken away in an extraordinary manner not seen of men but so secretly that no man knew or by any outward thing could iudge otherwise of him but as if God tooke him immediatly into heauen And so would God in that euill and sinfull age take him away so gently and extraordinarily dissoluing the soule and the body that men might thinke him to goe body and soule into heauen for the better honoring that holy life which he then liued the rather because all other liued so wickedly To any but very meanly exercised in the Scripture it is well knowen that many things are spoken according to the opinion of men according to that which they seemed vnto men So Samuel is said to haue been raised after death by the witch and to haue spoken vnto Saul 1. Sam 28. 11. c. Not that it was Samuel For they that die in the Lord rest from their labors Reu. 14. 13. and are not therefore at the call or command of witches but onely because he appeared in the likenesse of Samuel as Satan can change himselfe into the likenesse of an Angell of light 2. Cor. 11. 14 and because Saul and his company tooke him so to be My second reason is out of the same Chapter For of all the former and of diuers other examples afterward mentioned it is written thus All these through faith obtained good report and receiued not the promise God prouiding a better thing for vs that they without vs should not be made perfect verse 39. 40. If Enoch had beene taken vp in body into heauen then had hee beene made perfect without vs. My third reason is out of the same Epistle also Chapt. 9. 8. where the Apostle by the entrance or going once yeeâ—ely of the high Priest alone into Sanctum Sanctorum into the most holy place doth teach that vnder the Law and whiles the first Tabernacle was standing the way into the holiest of all was not yet opened What meaneth the Apostle by the holiest of all but heauen especially for the bodies of men to enter thereinto For howsoeuer God had prepared heauen to be the common receptacle of the soules of the righteous after death yet Christ was the first that entred in body And this seemeth to bee the stronger argument because in the description of heauen in the same epistle afterward Chap. 12. 23. it is called the city of the liuing God the celestial Ierusalem which hath the company of innumerable Angels the assembly of the congregation of the first borne which are written in heauen and God the iudge of all and the spirits of iust and perfect men and Iesus the Mediator of the new Testament Heere therefore is mention of Angels of God of the spirits of iust men and of Iesus the Mediator heere is no mention at all of any bodies or of any men altogether in heauen If any will reply that this is a description of the whole Church in heauen and in earth both gouernours children and seruants I answer that then the words the congregation of the first borne must comprehend the Church militant in earth and so there will bee none found in heauen but God Iesus Christ the spirits of iust and perfect men and the Angels So all bodies beside the body of Christ are yet excluded Fourthly
Loc. 1. and answering the 11. obiection of Gardiner thus he writeth If you doe beleeue that Enoch and Elias doe yetliue you doe beleeue it without the Scripture Elias was taken away after an admirable sort and withdrawen from Elizeus in a firie chariot but that his spirit was not stript from his body by what testimonie of Scripture will you prooue it Then immediately concerning Enoch hee acknowledging that which is written Heb. 11. 5. to haue beene done that God might testifie by his said extraordinary kinde of translating his loue towards him for the better prouocation of other to the imitation of his goodnesse hee demandeth of Gardiner But how know you that afterward viz. after his taking from the Common sight of men he dyed not when he was safe and out of danger of sinne you will say that the epistle to the Hebrewes bath that he might not see death A man may vnderstand that that he might not feele death whiles he was in the world that he might not die a common and an ordinarie death But that hee died not after his translation how will you make vs belieue And there want no Hebrew writers which expounding the second booke of the Kings doe say that Elias his body and all his garments except his cloake or mantle were consumed in the whirlweinge but that the Spirit of the Prophet went vnto God Oecolampadius in Heb. 11. 5. citing the words of Genesis translated by the Septuagints And Enoch pleased God and was not found because God translated him Notwithstanding saith he by these words it is not prooued that hee did not die Because if hee were of the seede of Adam it must be that hee was mortall And truely this is most agreeable to truth and consonant to the analogy of faith For Christ alone is the first begotten of the dead and hath opened paradise to them that beleeue And that which moueth me more so long time as Christ had not payed the price of our redemption so long also a long sword or a fierce and shaken sword did stop all passage into paradise If also he were translated into paradise how did Christ bold safe his dignitie But if you will make here a miracle then he must yet looke for death and a change But if any will obserue the maner of the Apostle bee will not meruaile that he hath said that he did not see death For as wee haue seene him to doe before touching Melchisedech hee would affirme nothing besides the testimonie of the Scripture and because that he saith not expresly that he died therefore he did not endeauour to set downe so much In the meane time notwithstanding he denyeth him not to haue died as likewise he doth not Melchisedeth c. Thus much Occolampadius Martinus Borrhaus a learned writer about the yeare 1539. in his commentaries vpon Genesis Chap. 5. 24. doth so interpret that place as I doe That worthy and famous man M. Doctor Fulke also is most plainly of my side and agreeth fully with me For confuting the marginall note of the Rhemish translators of the new testament vpon Heb. 9 8. he saith that heauen was not opened by the sacrifices of the first tabernacle c. and that our Sauiour was the first that entred into perfect glorie of heauen So to their marginall note vpon Heb. 11. 5. that there it appeared that Enoch yet liueth and is not dead against the Caluinists he briefly answereth thus It appeareth not that Enoch yet liueth in bodie more then Moses or Elias but that hee was translated by God out of the world and died not after the common maner of men So he insinuateth that he died but not after the common maner of men To their notes at large vpon Reu. 11. 3. he answereth thus You will saith he proue that they that is Enoch and Elias are aliue in paradise But what place is paradise but heauen as the Apostle declareth 2. Cor. 12. 2. and 4. for earthly paradise either by the flood or before was defaced Now what doctrine it is to affirmâ— that men in mortall bodies ascended into heauen I leaue to the learned to consider And presently after It is euident indeed saith he that Elias was taken vp aliue but not that hee continueth aliue Yea because it is said expresly that he was taken vp into heauen it is certaine that his body was not carried into heauen for Christ was the first that in whole humanity ascended into heauen Master Samuel Bird likewise a learned and godly minister late of Ipswich in Suffolke writing vpon Heb. 11. 5. saith thus It is said that he was taken vp that he might not see death the meaning is that he did not die after the common maner of men he was exempted from the violent separation of the soule from the body which nature doth abhorre not but that his bodiâ— did wast away and did not ascend into heauen For Christ is the first that entred in his body into heauen to take possession of it for vs. Heb. 9. 12. With the former testimonies affirming that Enoch and Elias are not bodily yet in heauen but that their bodies were dissolued as well as the bodies of other though after an extraordinary maner I may ioine the testimonie of Doctor Downam For in his second booke of Antichrist chap. 6. page 59. though he doe not plainely affirme as much as the former Authors haue done yet he maketh it so doubtfull of their bodies yet being in heauen that a man may easily perceiue that he rather inclineth to the former writers then otherwise The obiections to the contrary are of no moment and be answered before Onely where it is said that Elias was carried vp in a whirlewinde into heauen first wee must vnderstand that some read this word heauen in the genitiâ—e case thus carried vp in a whirlewinde of heauen Secondly the word heauen in the scripture is often vsed for the aire or for all aboue the earth Let the foule flie vpon the earth in the open firmament of the heauen Gen. 1. 20. so the foules of the heauen verse 26. and in diuers other places And that it is so here to be taken it is the more probable because it is not to be thought but that Elias had other garments besides his mantle Except therefore his said other garments were carried vp into the high heauen we must grant that the word heauen doth only signify the aire in the which his body might as well waste as his other garments besides his mantle which fell from him did consume Some man perhaps may thinke all this discourse of Enoch and Elias to bee altogether idle and impertinent vnto my present treatise of the dignity of Gods children and a meere digression from the same But if it be well considered it maketh much for it as much amplifying the said dignity of Gods children For sith Enoch and Elias were so rare and excellent men for their times as the Scriptures