thou art stillâ—… same man thou weâ—… there is no change of tâ—… manners and art still 〈◊〉 eased vnto the death 〈◊〉 all those that came Christ in the Gospel noâ—… went away as they came â—…me came blinde and â—…ent away seeing some â—…me lepers and went aâ—…ay cleansed some paraâ—…ique and went away â—…nfirmed some possesâ—…d with euill spirits and â—…ent away deliuered â—…ou art not as one of â—…em thou hast not â—…ught him thou hast not â—…uched him thou hast â—…awne no vertue out of â—…m the Physitian hath â—…t cured thee how then â—…st thou I beleeue in Ieâ—…s thou art not planted him for all that are in â—…m get vertue from him which workes in theâ—… the similitude of his owâ—… life Here is the miserâ—… of this age that a couâ—…terfeit Faith is currant â—…mong many who coâ—…tent themselues with it 〈◊〉 if it were a true faith Verse 2. In my Fathers house are many dwelling places If it were not so I would haue told you I goe to prepare a place for you HItherto haue we been comforted against the feare of â—…ne followes now comâ—…t against Death Wherâ—… the Lord confirmes vs â—…ainst the offence wee â—…ght conceiue of his â—…ath and against the terâ—…rs might arise of our â—…ne death and that which may follow it This comfort proceedes by three degrees In the first is proposed meditation of the manâ—… Mansions which are iâ—… our Fathers house Thâ—… comfort meetes our feaâ—… this way if death afraâ—… you if the graue seeâ—… horrible to you if it yerksome to remembâ—… that which Iob hath Eâ—… it be long I must make 〈◊〉 bed in the darke I will 〈◊〉 to corruption thou art 〈◊〉 father and to the worâ—…yee are my brethren and â—…sters lift vp your minde looke ouer this stream at seemes to carry all â—…ay with it cast your â—…es vpward to my Faâ—…ers House where many â—…ansions are Death â—…all not be able to deâ—…ure you the graue shall â—…t detaine you from â—…ese euerlasting Tabernaâ—… where the place of â—…ur rest and Mansion This is the first degree the Comfort and is â—…ntained in these words As Death is the way of flesh so is it the comâ—…nd of all crosses in it â—…e soule naturally is â—…ubled with feares the â—…dy with paines It is the last enemie which gâ—… thereth all forces miâ—…tant vnder it to the laâ—… battle It is with vs as was with Israel when thâ—… came out of Egypt oâ—… nation of the Egyptiaâ—… pursued them but whâ—… they entred into Canaâ—… seauen nations of Canâ—…nites ioyned their forcâ—… to hold them out In oâ—… life euery man hath hâ—… seuerall crosses and tenttions one hath health 〈◊〉 body but wrestleth wiâ—… pouertie not hauing 〈◊〉 feede his body anothâ—… hath abundance but hatâ—… not his health to vse iâ—… some want sight of their eyes but heare well eâ—…ough others see but â—…eare not at all one is â—…ained in his outward â—…lesh another with some â—…ntestine disease in one â—…here is a whole body but 〈◊〉 wounded Spirit If in â—…ur life wee gather not â—…trength against one crosse or two how shall â—…ee endure in death to â—…ight with them all Wert â—…hou neuer so rich poore â—…nd naked thou must goe to the graue arme â—…hee against pouertie â—…earne to want those things which thou hast before they be taken from thee were thy sight as quicke as the Eagles it shall waxe dimme They shall waxe darke that looke out at the window the strong men shall bowe themselues and the grinders shall cease c. Thy senses shall faile thee yea thy heart also thy beautifull flesh must putrifie rot thou must goe to the house of thine age and all that are thine shall for sake thee In a word armtes of sorrowes feares and terrours as in a solemne day shall be gathered round about thee And therefore great need haue wee to arme our selues aâ—…ainst that day of battel â—…nd specially to lay vp in â—…ur hearts these consolaâ—…ons of God which our â—…auiour here leaues vs in â—…is Legacie In this first degree of â—…he Comfort foure cirâ—…umstances are to be conâ—…idered first who is this â—…e cals his Father secondâ—… what is his Fathers â—…ouse thirdly what are â—…hese mansions fourthâ—…y what is meant here by â—…any mansions As for the first the â—…ame of a Father is either â—…ttribute to God indefinitely and so is common to all the three personâ—… of the blessed Trinitie in which sense among the rest of the stiles giuen vnto Iesus hee is called aâ—… euerlasting Father anâ—… then the relation respect eth all his creatures oâ—… else particularly it is ascribed to the first person and then the relatioâ—… doth principally respecâ—… Christ and that in botâ—… his natures Secondly alâ—… the children of his good wiâ—… to whom by grace iâ—… Christ he is become a father Most comfortable iâ—… this for vs that he who iâ—… â—…he Father of our Lord â—…esus Christ by an vnâ—…eakable generation for â—…ho can declare it is also â—…ecome our Father in â—…im I ascend to my God â—…nd your God to my father â—…nd to your father And â—…hen wee pray hee hath â—…ommanded vs to call â—…pon God as vpon our â—…ther yea he hath sent owne his Spirit into our arts by whose secret inâ—…rmation we are taught â—…ith filiall confidence to â—…y vnto him Abba Faâ—…er Happy time for vs â—…at so wee may call him The second Circumstance leades vs to a consideration of his Fatheâ—… house The heauen saitâ—… the Lord is my throne anâ—… the earth is my foot-stoolâ—… where then is his house yea as Salomon saith Tâ—… heauens and the heauens â—… heauens are not able to coâ—…taine him the Lord is uery where excludâ—… from no place includâ—… in none to them in hâ—… hee shewes his terrour tâ—… them on earth he shewâ—… his goodnesse to them iâ—… heauen hee sheweth hâ—… glory what then is thâ—… hee calleth his Fatheâ—… house This speech â—… borrowed from the manner of Kings who albeit the whole Kingdome bee theirs yet haue they some place of residence which more properly is called the Kings house euen so by this house which our â—…auiour calleth his Fathers house is vnderstood that place of glory wherâ—…n he shewes his secret most familiar presence to his Saints this is the house not made with hands but eternall in the heauens this is the Citie hauing a foundation whose builder and maker is God this is the Citie which needeth not Sun nor Moone This is the Paradise of God the inner Court of the palace of God the heauen of heauens the holy of holiest S. Pauâ—… calls it the third Heauens hee saw it but could not reueale the glory of it he contents him to tell what it was not but takes not in hand to tell what it was â—… he describes it negatiue wee shall know it when wee shall see it till then no heart of
Ieâ—… or Iohn who will say being thus sanctified by the Spirit that they should haue beene condemned Hee that pleases to heare more let him â—…urne ouer to his 77. Epiâ—…tle written to Hugo de â—…ancto victore because â—…ome new vpstart of that â—…ime had taken in hand to â—…roue the absolute necesâ—…ty of Baptisme out of â—…hese wordes of Iesus to â—…icodemus Except a man â—…e borne of water and of the â—…pirit hee cannot enter into â—…he kingdome of Heauen â—…ernard there improues â—…hat sence and by forciâ—…le reasons euinces that it is not the meaning of Christ in that place establishing this conclusion that the want of Baptism cannot be prâ—…iudiciall to saluation Tantum si aquâ—… non contemptus sed sola prohibeat impossibilitas prouiding it be not the contempt thereof but impossibility to get it that causes the want of it And to strengthen his iudgement hee bringeth in the consent of auncient Fathers that were before him Mirror si nouus iste nouarum inuentor assertionum et assertor inuentionum inuenire in hoc rationem potuit quae sanctos latuit paâ—…res Ambrosium Auâ—…ustinum nam si nescit vâ—…erque profecto idem sensit quod fatemur et nos sentire Legat librum Ambrosu de â—…orte Valentiniam Augustini de vno bap smo lib. 4. I maruell saies he if this â—…ew inuentor of new asâ—…ertions and assertor of â—…nuentions could find out â—… reason for his new opinioÌ„ which was vnknown to the holy Fathers Ambrose and Augustine if he be ignorant of it let him know that both these were of that same minde concerning this point wherof I am let him read the booke of Ambrose oâ—… the death of Valentiman and Augustine his fourth booke of one Baptismâ—… These are the wordes oâ—… Bernard Let Papists be ashamed to lurke vnder the shadow of Antiquity since they are assertors of nouelties and such nouelties as haue beene by diuers ancient Fathers so plainely condemned long before ouâ—… time The next word here is of preparing I goe saith our Sauiour to prepare This leads vs by the hand to take vp the greatnesse of that glory for it must be a great glory which is prepared by the Lord. And this will appeare the better by a twofold comparison first of the works of God with the workes of man next of the works among themselues As for the first when men of great power make preparation some great thing answerable to their power is expected of them I cease to speake of those workes whereunto the luxurious humours of men haue carryed them without necessitie or any good vse as the Pyramides the Labyrinth and Sphynx of Egypt the temple of Diana the Sepulchre of Mausolus the wals of Babell the Capitoll of Rome and many moe Of all which it is true which Panciroll speaketh of one of them Nulla alia aedificandae Pyramidis causa fuit quam vana stulta ostentatio vt scilicet nec pecunia ipsa nec etiam plebs otiosa esset There was no other cause why the Kings of Egypt builded their Pyramides one whereof was twentie yeares in building three hundred and threescore thousand men coÌ„tinually working therat no other cause saith hee was of all this vnprofitable labour but a vaine and foolish ostentation that neyther their money nor their men should be idle But these as I said I â—…eaue and turne mee to holy Scripture Noah was an hundred and twentie years preparing the Arke No doubt as the Lord commanded him to build â—…t so his wisedome directed him how to build it Here was a long preparation and it produced a great worke it behooued to be a great vessell there were but eight reasonable soules in it Noah the Father Iaphet Sem and Cham his three Sonnes with their wiues but beside these it contayned all kindes of creatures beasts of the earth birds of the ayre male and female Of what huge quantitie it was may appeare by this the Floud continued for the space of a yeare and tenne dayes for it began in the sixe hundred yeere of Noah the second Moneth and seauenteenth day of the Moneth the earth was not dry neyâ—…her did Noah come forth â—…ll the sixe hundred and â—…ne yeare the second Moneth the twentie seaâ—…enth day of the Moneth â—…ow from the time the â—…rke began to rest on the oppe of the Mountaines â—…f Ararat it was a quarter â—…f a yeare wanting seauen â—…ayes before the toppe â—…f any mountaine was â—…eene Of this appeares â—…hat a huge Vessell it â—…as Againe great preparaâ—…on was made by Dauidâ—…nd â—…nd Salomon for building â—…f the Temple seauen yeares was it a building at this worke he had continually tenne thousand men that by course hewed wood in Lebanon fourescore thousand Masons that hewed stones in the mountain threescore and tenne thousand that bare burdens three thousand and sixe hundred Ouerseers or Masters of the worke and it was a great worke the Kings of the earth maruelleâ—… were astonished when they saw it The second Temple built after the Captiuitie was nothing comparable to the first It is true Haggie propheâ—…ed that the glory of the â—…cond house should exâ—…eed the glory of the first â—…ouse but that was not 〈◊〉 respect of the building â—…ut in respect of the perâ—…nal presence of the Son â—…f God who taught in â—…at Temple yet was this â—…cond Temple so great a â—…orke that the Disciples â—…ondred to see the stones â—…ereof and Titus when â—…ee destroyed it turned â—…im to his Captaines and â—…yed Pugnauit hodie pro â—…obis Deus ô Commilitones God hath this day foughâ—…en for vs O fellow souldiers for hee perceiued the strength of that housâ—… greater then that hee was able to destroy it if thâ—… Lord had not bin againsâ—… it Thus you see wheâ—… men of power make greaâ—… preparation there foâ—…lowes great workes Ahasuerus made a greaâ—… feast to all the Princes 〈◊〉 an hundred twentie anâ—… seauen Prouinces for nâ—… other end but to sheâ—… the riches and glory 〈◊〉 his Kingdome and thâ—… honour of his Maiestie foâ—… the time it lasted to thâ—… Princes an hundred anâ—… fourescore dayes to thâ—… common people it lasted â—…eauen dayes The place â—…as the court of the Garâ—…en of the Kings Palace â—…he Tapestrie was of white greene and blew â—…astned with cords of fine â—…innen and Purple in silâ—…er Rings and Pillers of Marble the beds were of Gold and siluer vpon a â—…auement of Porphyre â—…nd Marble and Alabaâ—…er and blew colour If 〈◊〉 great works were done â—…y a worme of the earth â—…o shew the greatnesse of â—…is Maiestie what shall â—…ee looke for from the Lord our God how great must that glory be whicâ—… is prepared by himself for his Saints of all 〈◊〉 Prouinces not to induâ—… for a time but for euâ—… and euer Secondly if wee shaâ—… compare the workes 〈◊〉 God among themselueâ—… wee
regenerate man is bound of faith ◅o beleeue that hee is certainely of the number of ◅hem who are predestinated to life let him be accursed This is their comfortlesse Doctrine But as hee who liues ◅eeles life sensibly and ◅an say I liue and hee who hath a Iewell in his ◅and which others see ◅ot can say confidently ◅ haue it so the regenerate man iustified by ◅aith hauing receiued the ◅pirit of Adoption called The earnest of our inheritance The witnesse of God who witnesseth to o◅ Spirits that we are the so◅ of God The seale of Go◅ by whom wee are sealed against the day of redēptio◅ can as certainly say th◅ I haue it And albeit many are deceiued concerning it to thinke with t◅ fiue foolish Virgins th◅ haue that which th◅ haue not is it therefo◅ reason to affirme that ◅ are deceiued and no◅ can be assured Considering that regenerate men haue all the◅ securities of their heauenly inheritance giuen th◅ from the Lord fi◅ Charter secondly Confirmation thirdly Sea◅ing fourthly Possession Our Charter is the word of the Lord and promises made vs in the Gospell of grace There ◅s one clause of our Charter As the Father hath appointed a Kingdome to mee ◅ol appoint it to you There ◅s another Feare not little ◅ocke it is the Fathers will ◅o giue you the Kingdome If reprobate man or Angell would quarrell as no doubt they will in the day of tentation our ◅ight to the kingdome of heauen wee should haue such principall clauses o◅ our Charter registred i◅ our hearts to produce against them that would disturbe our peace Secondly we haue th◅ Lords Confirmation pa◅ vpon our Charter O◅ this speakes the Apostle ◅ So God willing more abundantly to shew vnto t◅ heyres of promise the stabilitie of his counsell ha◅ bound himselfe by an oa◅ that by two immutable thing◅ wherein it is impossible th◅ God should lye wee might haue strong consolation T◅ Lord hath not only spoken the word but hat◅ confirmed it with an ◅ath to shew to the heires ◅f promise these are regenerate men the stabili◅e of his counsell let the aduersaries marke this Beside this the death of ◅e Testator hath inter◅ened and hath subscri◅ed the Testament with ◅is owne bloud and confirmed it in our hearts by giuing vs his owne Spirit as his witnesse his ◅arnest and his owne seale assuring vs that the promised saluation is ours And therefore S. Paul speaking to the Corinthians saith The testimonie of God hath beene confirmed in you Truth it is many in our dayes know this Charter and can speake of it who haue not the testimonie thereof confirmed in their hearts but sure his Saints elected called and iustified haue it Thirdly wee haue our Seasing giuen vs when his seruants Preachers of the Gospell as his Deputies and officers in his name seases and infefts vs in his promised Kingdome and this is done vpon earth so oft as they deliuer vnto vs in the holy Sacrament that ◅read which is his body ◅hat wine which is his ◅loud A donation reall ◅s made to vs of Christ and of all that which hee hath conquered vnto vs that which generally is proposed in the word particularly is applyed in the Sacrament to euery true penitent and beleeuing receiuer for it is not a naked signe or symboll which there is put into our hands but an effectuall exhibiting instrument of Christ Iesus and of all that by his death he hath merited vnto vs. Last of all we haue possession of it not onely as wee said hath hee carryed our nature into the heauens possessed it there but hee hath deliuered to vs the keyes of the Kingdome Faith and Prayer by the which when wee knocke hee openeth and giues vs euen in this life an entrance to it that we may after a sort view and behold the glory thereof as Moses from the top of Pisgah viewed Canaan this is a present pledge of that future redemption of the possession abiding vs hereafter when we shal◅ more fully inioy it then ◅ow we can Thus haue wee seene in a part what sure and vndoubted warrants Saints called and iustifyed haue of their saluation yet it is to be obserued that this assurance continues not with them alway in a like measure they are many a time exercised with doubtings desertions for their greater humiliation but this is sure true Religion approues no doubting farre lesse prescribes it but rather improues it and by strong arguments taken out of the word strengthens Faith and remoueth all causes of dubitation furnished by infidelitie But that I may eschew repetition he that lists may read this matter entreated at greater length on the eight to the Romanes where we haue also proued that Saints called once by grace and iustified by Faith are sure of finall perseuerance Verse 3. And though I goe to prepare a place for you I will come againe and receiue you vnto my selfe that where I am there ye may be also FOllowes now the third degree of the Comfort The ◅isciples yet might haue ◅aid Lord it is a great ◅omfort to heare of the ◅any Mansions which ◅re in thy Fathers house greater yet to heare that ◅hou wilt goe and prepare them for vs but this this is still the matter o◅ our feare we are clothe◅ with mortall and corruptible bodies which shortly must be turned into dust and ashes and with in them wee haue sinful◅ soules how shall we the◅ be able to inherit these Mansions To this ou◅ Sauiour answeres I wil◅ come againe and receiue you that where I am there yee may be also your ascending vp to the mansion places of my Fathers house is not a worke to be done by you or by the power of nature it is a work to be done by me I will receiue you and no power of the gr◅ue of the earth nor of hell shall be able to hold you from mee For this cause when the Apostle had prayed for the Ephesians that God would open their eyes and let them see the riches of that glorious inheritance prepared for the Saints he subioynes incontinently another prayer that God would open their eyes to see that exceeding greatnes of his power toward vs that beleeue These two are requisite for our compleat comfort first to know the greatnesse of that promised glory next to know that the great power of God will bring vs vnto it Hee will performe his promised kingdome I will come againe This is an Article of our faith acknowledged by Angels Yee men of Galile why stand yee gazing into heauen This Iesus which is taken vp from you shall so come as yee haue seene him taken vp into heauen Beleeued by Saints Vnto them that looke for him shall hee appeare without sinne the second time vnto saluation but scorned by mockers according to the prediction of