that God is alwaies ready to yeelde vs fauour and grace comming to him in his name How may we comfort our selues in affliction and distresse lifting vp our eies to heauen and saying He sitteth in my behalfe at the right hand of God who is able to doe all things for me His eies are alwaies ouer me his care is alwaies for me his mouth is neuer shut from soliciting and pleading my cause with God the father There is nothing so grieuous in my sinnes but his bloud is able to acquit it nothing so high in the gifts of God but his intercession is able to obteine it He hath taken me to be his he wil not suffer me to perish but will preserue and keepe me for euer God the father grant vnto vs c. The fifth Sermon Vers 5.6.7 5 O Lord he that is at thy right hand shall wound euen kings in the day of his wrath 6 He shall iudge amongst the heathen he shall fill all with dead carkeises he shall wound the head ouer great countries 7 He shall drinke of the brooke in the way therefore shall he lift vp his head THese verses serue for declaration of that that we read in the first verse For heere is shewed howe Iesus Christ set vp in the maiestie of his kingdome exerciseth his power for the confusion of them that refuse him for their king and denie to stoope vnto his scepter vntill that be performed which is there promised that all his enimies shall bee made his footestoole This is the generall drift of these wordes but more particularly we may obserue heere set foorth concerning Iesus Christ the seueritie of his wrath What points we are to obserue in these three last verses the extent of his gouernment his authoritie of iudgement the prosecution of his victorie and after all accomplished his triumph and glory Of all which I will speake as the course of the wordes themselues doth giue occasion 2 As touching the first the prophet in the fift verse turning his speech to God the father speaketh to this effest O Lord he to whom thou saiedst sit thou on my right hand c. after that thou shalt haue exalted him to that fulnesse of maiestie and power shall in the day that he shall appoint for the execution of his wrath strike through and wound with a mortall wound not onely the viler and baser sort and as it were the common souldiers but euen the captaines themselues yea the very kings potentates of the world whosoeuer they be that shall oppose themselues against him refuse to yeeld their neckes to the bearing of this yoke A double end of Christs sitting at the right hand of God Where at the first sight there is giuen vs occasion to consider a double ende of Christs sitting at the right hand of God The one concerneth the saluation of his faithfull people the other the destruction of rebells and enemies The one yeeldeth great comfort and assurance of hope and the doctrine thereof is proper to them that beleeue in Iesus Christ and incline their eares to his words and apply their feete to walke in his waies to whom it cannot but yeelde great matter of confidence towards God to bethinke themselues that they haue such an high priest and mediatour as sitteth at the right hand of God in so great acceptation with God in the height of the glory of God in all souerainty of power and dominion ouer all creatures both in heauen and earth Why should I doubt but that my praiers are heard of God when he that sitteth at the right hand of God is there alwaies ready to intreate for me Why should I feare least my sinnes condemne me when he that sitteth at the right hand of God is ready to pleade his satisfaction for my sinnes What can the deuill do against me when he fighteth for me that sitteth at the right hand of God He is my redemption and life that sitteth at the right hand of God and therefore how shall death or hell be able to doe me harme Who will accuse me when as he hath acquitted me who will condemne me seeing he hath sealed a pardon for me To be short it is riches in pouertie health in sicknesse ioy in sorow safety in danger life in death faithfully to remember and hartely to imbrace Iesus Christ sitting at the right hand of God the father Blessed is the man whose hart Iesus Christ possesseth by this faith but he that accepteth not of this great grace by faith and obedience of the gospel vnhappy is he and thrise vnhappy howsoeuer according to the course and condition of this world he seeme to be most happy 3 For Christ as to his that receiue and loue him he is gratious and louely Christs sitting at the right hand of God full of terrour to rebellious and vnthankfull men and sitteth at the right hand of God for their defence and safety so to them that vnthankefully refuse him or rebelliously fight against him is full of terrour and feare full of wrath and rigour and sitteth at the right hand of God to be reuenged of them wounding and killing and not sparing euen the very kings and monarches of the world that are not reconciled vnto him He is not onely a lambe to saue but also a lion to destroy He hath not onely a scepter to gouerne but also a sword to kill a Psal 2.10 Be wise now therefore saith Dauid O ye kings vnderstand ye that are iudges of the earth Kesse the sonne least he be angry when his wrath shall sodainly burne blessed are they that trust in him but woe to them that haue despised him a Mat. 3.12 He hath his fanne in his hand saith Iohn Baptist and he will purge or make cleane his floore and gather his wheate into his garner but the chaffe he will burne with vnquenchable fire And who are this chaffe but the wicked and vngodly but sinners and vnbeleeuers and hypocrites who in the field of this world and in the floore of the church liue and grow togither with the good corne with the faithfull and iust securely flattering themselues for that they haue place to grow in the Lordes vineyard whereas in the meane time to God-ward they are vnprofitable and good for nothing bringing foorth no good fruite being void of faith and a good conscience yeelding no true deuotion no sound obedience vnto Iesus Christ when notwithstanding they honest and grace themselues with the profession of his name Vnto them Christ shall adiudge a portion in the fire that neuer shal be quenched He shall say at the last day not onely b Mat. 25.34.41 Come ye blessed inherite the kingdome but also Go ye cursed into euerlasting fire c 2. Thess 1.7 The Lord Iesus saith saint Paul shall shew himselfe from heauen with his mightie Angells in flaming fire to render vengeance vnto them that know not God and that obey not vnto the
our example be your assurance that for vnbeliefe and vnthankefulnesse God will likewise be reuenged vpon you 13 The other part of this verse setteth foorth the notable effect of the mightie scepter of Christ that thereby his kingdome shall be builded and he shall be are rule euen in the midst of all his enimies Another kingdome opposite and aduersary to the kingdome of Christ. For the kingdome of Christ hath another kingdome aduerse and opposite vnto it it hath enimies that seeke to hinder both the founding and the standing of it The prince and captaine of all these enimies is the diuel Hee hath his vnder captaines and souldiours whose hand and helpe he vseth against the kingdome of Iesus Christ They sometimes oppugne it by force sometimes vndermine it by fraud somtimes by reproch and slaunder disgrace and defame it For some are open and professed enimies other guileful and masked by pocrites some hate the verie name of Christ other vnder pretence of his name doe fight against him and practise the subuersion and ouerthrowe of his kingdome Of one of these we haue had example in the empire of Rome of the other in the church of Rome Which both haue cruelly persecuted the church of Christ and with all their might haue endeuoured the vtter ruine and confusion thereof The first empire of Rome was a professed enimie seeking to abandon out of the world the verie name of Christ and Christians The Church of Rome vnder pretence of the name of Christ oppugneth the faith and church of Christ The later church of Rome hath plaied the wilie foxe and being indeede a deuouring woolfe yet hath put on sheepes clothing that with greater authoritie and lesse suspicion shee might make hauocke and spoile of the sheepe of Christ as indeed she hath done both spiritually of them that haue bin obedient vnto her and bodily of them that haue resisted her But wee see the bishop of Rome pretending himselfe to bee Christes vicar the head of the church the successour of Peter to whom Christ committed the soueraigne care and supreme gouernement of his church And in these titles he is soothed and flattered by his folowers who vnder him call themselues the catholike church the spouse of Christ as if there were none that honoured him more then they When indeed as traitours doe make proclamations in the name of the prince to leuie power against the prince euen so they by pretence of the name of Christ do gather power vnto themselues to fight against Christ knowing that amongst Christians they could not preuaile but onely by this pretence And thus deceitfully heretikes and false teachers in all ages haue dealt shadowing themselues vnder the name of Christian profession when they haue sought nothing else but to corrupt the integritie of Christian faith To be short no meanes hath satan left vnattempted both by himselfe and his that might breake off the course of the Gospell and hinder the growth of the church of Christ The Church of Christ though mightily oppugned by enimies yet continuing and growing in the middest of them 14 But howsoeuer the waues haue seemed to tosse this ship yet could they neuer sinke it howsoeuer the deuill and the world haue conspired togither to destroy the seed of Christ yet they could not hurt it their purposes vanished into the wind the more they haue oppugned the church the more it hath growen yea those things whereby they haue sought to worke the destruction of it haue been as a whetstone to sharpen the faith of the disciples of Christ to stir vp their deuotion and diligence to frame them to patience and holynesse and the ashes of one hath been as a most fruitfull seed whereof many moe haue sprung and neuer hath Christ wanted a people ouer whom he hath borne rule in the middest and in despight of all his enimies The enimies haue seene it and it hath beene as thornes in their eies they haue gnashed at it with their teeth and it hath made them euen madde to see that by no meanes they coulde preuaile in that they went about Thus the church of Christ beganne thus it hath growen and hath continued vntill this day and vnto the ende a Math. 16.18 the gates of hell shall neuer preuaile against it God the father graunt vnto vs c. The third Sermon vpon New yeeres day Verse 3. Thy people shall be a people of great deuotion or willingnesse in the day of thine armie in the excellent beautie of holinesse thy youth shall be as the dewe vnto thee from the wombe of the morning WE haue heard how the kingdome of Christ is alwaies oppugned with enimies and that it neuer wanteth the opposition and encounter of an aduersarie power Which yet cannot hinder but that Iesus Christ sitteth at the right hande of God as king and conquerour preuailing against al and none preuailing against him and still maintaining and gouerning his kingdome vntill he haue in the ende fullie and finally subdued and destroied all power that refuseth to how and to yeelde obedience vnto him Vntill the full accomplishment of which victory and conquest he ceaseth not both in himselfe and in his members to war and fight against his enimies and continually to maintaine both field and garison against them Iesus Christ by the preaching of the Gospell gathereth his armie against his enimies The prophet therefore in this third verse describeth him leuying and assembling his souldiours and men of war and preparing them to go foorth to battell against the enemie To which purpose that serueth which he saith In the day of thine armie meaning thereby the day and time when Iesus Christ shall call and gather vnto him his people as an army to fight for him Which is no other but that which the holy ghost elsewhere calleth a 2. Cor. 6.2 the accepted time the day of saluation euen the day and time of the preaching of the gospell whereby the Lords trumpet is sounded and the b Esa 11.10 standard of Christ crucified is lifted vp that nations and people may assemble themselues vnto him For as princes and captaines by striking vp the drum and blowing the trumpet and by auncients and banners displaied doe muster their men and leuie their souldiours and prepare them and leade them foorth to battell euen so Iesus Christ a Isu 5.14 the captaine of the Lords host by blowing vp the trumpet of his word and gospell whereby he is set vp for a signe vnto vs and b Gal. 3.1 described before our eies as crucified amongst vs calleth and assembleth his church and traineth his souldiers and warneth them leadeth them comforteth them to fight his battells against the enemies of his kingdome And thus doth he supply his army from time to time and as some are taken away putteth other in their place vntill he haue obteined an euerlasting victory and vtterly confounded the power of all his enemies And this is
we may not f Rom. 10.14 call vpon him in whom we do not beleeue but his meaning for all that is that we shall call vpon saints though we may not beleeue in them The word of Christ is that as there is but one God so there is but g 1. Tim. 2.5 one mediatour betwixt God and man but his meaning for all that must be that all the saints of heauen must be our mediatours vnto God The worde of Christ is that we shall not h Exod. 20.4 make a grauen image to fall downe to it or to worship it but we must thinke that he meant that we should make vs grauen images to fall downe before them to worship them to offer and pray vnto them What impudent men are these and how hard is their forehead that will goe about to perswade vs that Christ hath a sense and meaning so directly contrary to that that he speaketh And yet they forsooth must be taken for the iudges of the scriptures and whatsoeuer Christ saith we must beleeue nothing but according to that meaning that they will make of it because as one of them saith if a man haue the interpretation of the church of Rome he hath the true sense of scripture although he cannot see how it agreeth with the words Let vs detest these hypocrites more and more and let these things so palpably lewde and absurd teach vs to stop our eares against those a Rom. 16.18 faire words and flattering speeches wherewith they send their sirens and mermaides abroade to beguile and seduce the harts of simple men Yea and let vs cleaue so much the more stedfastly vnto the iudgement of the word of Christ because we see that for the mainteining of their bad cause they are forced so grosly to abuse the same When we see the text of scripture so plaine for our selues that in words it affirmeth the same that we teach and so pregnant against them that they are faine so absurdly to wrest it to serue their turne how can we doubt but that the iudge of truth speaketh on our part and that their setting vp of another iudgement seate is nothing else but an appeale from the sentence of this iudge Let them prosecute their appeale but we will rest in the word and sentence of him whom God hath set vp to be the iudge amongst the heathen Christ a iudge to be reuenged of them that are disobedient vnto him Who last of all because he is the iudge shall award iust damnation to them that are disobedient and will not submit themselues to be guided by his iudgment And though happely they be such as professe his name yet being enemies to his word they are enemies vnto him and shall receiue their iudgement accordingly as who indeede pretend the name of Christ not to honour Christ but by pretence thereof to serue and set vp themselues The furie of Christs wrath against his enimies 13 The prophet nowe hauing set foorth Christ as the iudge of all nations returneth againe to declare his wrathfull indignation and furie against his enimies And to that purpose he addeth He shall sill all with dead carkeises c. Where he compareth him to a bloudie conquerour who hauing gotten the victorie and hauing now the law in his owne handes killeth and slaieth without mercie so that the earth is in a maner couered with the multitude of dead men But what the earthly conquerour doth by crueltie the same Christ heere is brought in as doing by iust iudgement Onely by these termes of bodily slaughter we must vnderstand those both corporall and spirituall both temporall and eternall destructions wherewith Christ shall reward the pride rebellion of them who either in himselfe or in his members oppose themselues against him And if it be a fearefull thing vnto vs to fall into the handes of tyrants who practise these cruell and horrible executions vpon mens bodies how dreadfull a thing should it be vnto vs to prouoke the wrath of him that shall bring this fearefull damnation both vpon bodie and soule Are we mooued to conceiue the bodies of slaine men lying in heapes vpon the ground and doth it not mooue vs to consider the multiude of the world casting themselues heape-wise and headlong vnder the sword of Iesus Christ and dying by his hande And if we naturally abhorre to imagine our owne bodies lying among the carkeises of dead men to be deuoured of wilde beasts and to be as carion for kites and rauens how vnnatural are we to our selues when by contempt of Christ and his commandements we suffer our selues to lie amongst the heapes of wicked men in the damnation of sinne to become the pray and spoile of the diuell and his angels and with them to be partakers of euerlasting fire a Heb. 10.31 It is a fearefull thing to fall into the hands of the liuing God who is not so gracious and louely vnto them that seeke him but he is as sharpe and seuere vnto them that will not be guided by his worde How Christ hath giuen experience of his wrath in the destruction of the great monarches and potentates of the world 14 Which seueritie the prophet againe denounceth not onely to the baser sort but also to the greatest and mightiest amongst men when he saith that he shal strike the head or him that is the head ouer great countries For by these wordes he describeth the great monarches and princes of the worlde who hauing many and great countries vnder their dominion should in the pride of their greatnesse resist the kingdome of Iesus Christ but yet for al their might should not escape the deadly stroke of his reuenging hand And hereof we finde many notable examples in the stories of the church wherein wee may behold howe vengeance hath followed princes and great men to strip them of their crownes and dignities to bring them to contempt and shame to destroy them by horrible and fearefull death who haue abused their state and greatnesse against Christ and sought thereby the ouerthrow of his church It woulde be too long to discourse of Herode who thinking by the death of Christ to gaine the assurance of the kingdome of Iudea to himselfe was by Caius the emperour depriued of his kingdome and ended his life an exile and banished man of Pontius Pilate who condemning the righteous sonne of God to vndeserued death became afterwards the butcher and murtherer of himselfe of the other Herode who killed Iames and would haue killed Peter also who for his pride was striken by the angell of God and denoured being yet aliue of vermine and lice Looke vnto the Heathen emperors of Rome who were indeed the heads ouer great countries and who practised the greatest opposition against the kingdome of Christ and see whether there were in a manner any of them that so did vpon whom the hand of Iesus Christ was not manifestly to be seene Nero the emperour
heart which the same worde of Christ had ministred vnto them Yea how strange is it and howe greatly doth it commend the power of this worde to see weakenesse heereby preuailing against strength simplicitie against policie to see the Lambe standing without feare before the lion the seely turtle before the deuouring kite women and children and weakelings before the great monarches and potentates of the world not fearing their threatning words nor dreading their tormenting hands but boldly vttering d Reuel 12.15 the worde of their testimonie in despight of all their furie and neuer yeelding to shrinke from it by any thing that coulde be deuised against them The worde of God in their hearts gaue them courage and resolution and strength to goe through fire and water to beare all aduentures of winde and weather and howsoeuer they seemed to be beaten against the rockes yet they escaped shipwracke and arriued safe at the hauen of their desire If we haue felt the worke heereof in our selues we cannot but acknowledge it to be a diuine power we can not but cōfesse and say e Psal 76.10 vulg edit Haec est mutatio dexterae excelsi◠this change is wrought by the right hand of the most highest For to deny our owne wisedome to crosse our owne desires to tread nature and affection vnderfoote to say vnto our pleasures and delights we know you not nor will haue any thing to do with you to be profite and gaine farewell that we may folow the commaundement of the Lord to worke these things in vs argueth a hand that is mightier ouer vs then we are ouer our selues and setteth foorth the glorious and superexcellent power of the worde of Christ The hardnes of our harts in that we are not mooued with the worde 6 Now the greater the power of this word is approued and commended to be the greater must needs be the hardnesse of our hearts when we are not at all mooued therewith when we heare it and yet our hearts remaine dead and cold and without feeling of those things that are spoken as though they did not belong vnto vs. But great is our sinne and a threefold condemnation we purchase vnto our selues when purposely and maliciously we strengthen our hearts against it and wilfully put backe the hand of God from vs by the refusing of his word as if we would say vnto the Lord. Away from vs we will make no triall of thy power to worke in vs we will die in our sinnes and will not behold the light of life Far be it from vs thus to doe yea rather let vs offer our selues to the power and worke of this scepter and rod of Christ and it shal be vnto vs as the rod of Moses to worke woonderfull things both for vs and against them that are against vs. The due receiuing and honoring of the word of Christ is the token that we acknowledge him our king 7 And here we are to obserue a certeine and infallible token whereby we may know where the kingdome of Christ is and where it is not where he reigneth as king and where he raigneth not For where the scepter of the word of Christ is admitted and men stoupe and yeeld due obeisance vnto it there it is certaine that Christ raigneth and is acknowledged for a king But where his word is excluded or dishonoured there howsoeuer men professe his name in word yet indeede they say a Luc. 19.14 We will not haue this man to be our king or to raigne ouer vs. Will a mortall prince be perswaded that we take him for our king when we presumptuously crosse and thwart his words and refuse to be gouerned by his lawes Will he not rather thinke that we dally with him and deride him Will he not hold vs and that iustly for traiterous and dissembling rebells And shall the Lord account any otherwise of vs when by our owne words we giue check vnto his words and set up lawes of our owne against his lawes and refuse to be guided at his will The Papacy is not the kingdome of Christ Whence we gather that vndoubtedly the Papacy is not the kingdome of Christ that Christ is not therein faithfully holden for Lord and king For they haue cast the scepter of Christ to the ground and haue troden it vnder their feete and haue giuen greater authority to their owne lawes then to his word and a Mat. 15.6 by their tradition haue made the commandement of God of none effect All their deuotion what is it but mens deuise what else but a peruerting and deprauing of those things which were instituted and ordeined by Iesus Christ Christ by his word teacheth vs one thing they by their tradition and deuise teach vs quite the contrary Christ teacheth vs that b Heb. 13.4 mariage is honorable amongst all men but fornicatours and adulterers God will iudge they teach vs that mariage is damnable in some men and that it is more tolerable for them to be fornicatours then to be maried men Christ teacheth vs c 1. Ioh. 5 2◠to keepe our selues fram idols they teach vs to worship them Christ saieth of the cup of the Sacrament d Mat. 26.27 drinke yee all of this they say all shall not drinke of it but onely the Priest Christ teacheth vs not e Gal. 6.14 to reioyce but onely in his crosse they teach vs to reioyce and to seeke remission of sinnes in the crosse of Peter and of Paule and in the crosses of all the saints Many more examples might be alledged very pregnant to this purpose wherein we may obserue a repugnancie and direct opposition betwixt Christianitie and Popery vnlesse wilfully we blinde our eies and refuse to see Now thanks be vnto God which hath deliuered vs from the tyranny of that Scepter of Antichrist and hath broken from our neckes the yoke of his superstitions and hath caused the fresh and reuiuing winde of his word freely to blow vpon vs and hereby hath giuen vs assured token of his most gratious and louely presence and of the kingdome of Christ amongst vs. Let vs now walke in the light that he hath giuen vs and willingly yeelde our selues to be gouerned by his Scepter lest if we despise his word and bring foorth no fruit of the labour that he hath bestowed vpon vs we bring vpon our selues that sentence which Christ pronounced of the Iewes f Mat. 21.43 The kingdome of God shall be taken from you and shall be giuen to a nation that shall bring foorth the fruites thereof The word is directed and sent vnto vs from the Lord. 8 It foloweth concerning the Scepter of Christs power that the Lord doth send it foorth For the word of Christ neither goeth foorth nor prospereth by the will or power of man but the Lord it is that sendeth it and it is the Lord that giueth successe vnto it The ministery of the word one of the
a Tertul. in Apologet. ca. 5. dedicator damnationis nostrae as Tertullian calleth him that is the first that made a law to condemne Christians to death after all his villanies and cruelties being condemned himselfe by the Senate of Rome to be whipped to death to auoid this iudgement fled away by night and complaining that he coulde finde neither friend nor enimie to dispatch him but yet professing that as he had liued a shamefull life so he would die a shamefull death fell vpon his owne sword and killed himselfe Domitian who as Tertullian also speaketh was b Tertul. ibid. portio Neronis de crudelitate for his crueltie a piece of Nero was slaine in his chamber by the consent of his owne wife Hadrian was taught to rue his shedding of bloud by a horrible fluxe issue of his owne bloud wherewith he grew in the end to that exceeding torment as that he called for poison sword to dispatch himselfe Commodus a man for his lewdnesse and crueltie likened to those monsters Nero and Domitian was first poisoned by Martia his concubine and afterward strangled by Narcissus Seuerus the emperour was so cruelly tormented in his whole bodie as that he also desired poison to end his life Maximinus was torne in peeces of his owne souldiours Decius was drowned in a quagmire Valerius as was before said was taken by Sapores king of Persia after much indignitie his skin was flated off salt cast vpon his raw flesh so in miserable sort he ended his wretched life Dioclesian killed himselfe Galienus Aurelianus were slain by others Iulian the apostata after all his both violent and wily practises against Christ and his church in battel against the Persians was woūded to death and taking of his owne bloud in his hand sprinkleth it vpward perforce acknowledgeth the iudgemēt of Christ saying Vicisti tandem Galilaee Thou Galilean yet at length hast gotten the victorie These were tyrants and persecutors of the church and in them as in many more which it were to long to rehearse we see the wordes of the prophet verified that Christ should smite and wounde euen the very heads ouer great couniries Yea these our times haue not wanted verie notable and pregnant examples of this iudgement of the Lord. For if wee looke backe vnto them who haue bene the speciall authors of those massacres and murthers that haue beene committed vpon the professours of the Gospell we shall easily perceiue that God hath returned the bloud which they haue shed vpon their owne heades They haue come to feareful ends by lice by fluxe of bloud by poisoning by stabbing hauing first combined themselues to the destruction of the faithfull haue afterwards fallen to conspiring and practising one against another This is the worke of Christ this is his fearefull wrath that men may learne to stand in awe of him and not to abuse their greatnesse and power to the oppugning of his kingdome The vengeance of Christ ceaseth not to pursue and folow his enimies vntill it haue destroied them 15 There followeth now a word or two to be spoken of the last verse He shall drinke of the brooke in the way therefore shall he lift vp his head The former part of which words is hard to be vnderstood neither will I take vpon me certeinly to determine the meaning thereof I like best to follow them who construe the same to the like purpose in generall as the words before as if the prophet hauing imported Christs victorie gotten against his enemies would further signifie that as a noble conquerour hauing wonne the battell and put the enemie to flight pursueth and followeth the chase with might and maine and the more instantly to presse them will not turne out of the way to refresh himselfe but is content to drinke of the brooke that he findeth in the way and so cutteth them of one and one vntill they be vtterly wasted and ouerthrowne euen so the sonne of God Iesus Christ with all wrath and furie shall prosecute his enemies and hold them still in chase and pursue them by his diuine power and sword of iudgement so that none of them shall escape but all shall fall vnder his hand Certeine it is that iust vengeance is still waiting at the heeles of the enemies of Christ and ceaseth not to follow them vntill it haue vtterly destroied them They may seeme for a time to flie and to escape their pompe and power may seeme to hide them and to shield them from the Lords hand but in the end he will ouertake them and find them out and pull them out of their holes and set his feete vpon their necks and poure vpon them euerlasting confusion Let no man flatter himselfe let no man be secure in enmitie against the Lord. Present standing is no warrant against future falling The sworde that hath not yet striken yet is gone foorth to strike and shall not returne vntill it a Psal 68.21 wound the head of Gods enimies and the curled pates of them that walke forward in their sinnes b 2. Pet. 2.3 whose iudgement long agone as Saint Peter saith is not farre of and their damnation sleepeth not Christs victorie and glorious triumph ouer all his enimies 16 The last words import the glorious triumph of Iesus Christ hauing now subdued all his enimies and cast them vnder his feete for euer Therefore shall he lift vp his head It may be taken either that Christ shall lift vp or holde vp his head or that God the father shall lift vp the head of his sonne Iesus Christ As holding downe the head betokeneth sorow and shame so the holding or lifting vp of the head betokeneth reioycing and triumph and glorie and full confidence of safetie and assured estate Thus shall Christ lift vp the head by way of triumphing and reioycing when he shall haue taken full vengeance of his aduersaries and freed not himselfe onely but the whole body of his church from the assaults and dangers of all enimies We see now that oftentimes though not in himselfe yet in his members he is faine to hang downe the head and to weare the badges of reproch and shame whilest the vngodly vaunt themselues and goe c Iob. 32 26. looking vpon the sunne and in their harts despise the righteous accounting more vilely of them then of the dust of their feete But the case shal be altered the rising of Christ shall bee their fall the lifting vp of Christes head shall be the casting downe of theirs and it shall be fulfilled which is written a Esa 65.13.14 Behold my seruants shall reivice and yee shall be ashamed behold my seruants shall sing for ioy of hart yee shall crie for sorow of hart and shall howle for vexation of minde We may otherwise vnderstand that God the father shall lift vp the head of Iesus Christ in the same meaning as Pharao is saied b Genes 40.13 to lift vp the head of his chiefe butler that is to aduance him to his place of dignitie and honour Which God the father hath done alreadie vpon his first conquest hauing set him at his right hand as hath beene before declared and more fully shall doe when he shall haue c 1. Cor. 15.27 put all things vnder his feete and shall make his glorie manifest vnto all the world and shall so establish the kingdome that he hath giuen him that thencefoorth there shall neuer be enimie to resist the same To this king Iesus Christ togither with the father and the holy Ghost one God immortall inuisible and onely wise be all praise and honour and glory both now and for euer Amen FINIS