by meate drinke yet so as he can doth most freely order all things by meanes either aboue nature or against nature as it shall seeme good unto him As when hee caused the sunne to stand in the firmament to go back in Achas diall when he caused the fire not to burne the three children when he kept backe devve and raine three yere in Israel when hee made waters to flovve out of the rocke when hee caused Elias cloake to deuide the waters of Iorden when he caused iron to swimme when he preserued Ionas aliue three daies and three nightes in the whales belly when he cured diseases by the strength of nature incurable as the leprosie of Naaman the issue of blood and blindnesse c. Among all the meanes vvhich God useth the speciall are the reasonable creatures which are no passiue instruments as the toole in the hande of the workeman but actiue because as they are mooued by God so againe beeing induâ—d with will and reason they mooue themselues And such instruments are either good or euill Euill as wicked men and angels And these he useth to doe his good vvill and pleasure euen then when they doe least of all obey him And considering that the â—inning instrument which is mooued by God doeth also mooue it selfe freely without any constraint on Gods part God himselfe is free from all blame when the instrument is blame-worthy In directing the instrument God sinneth not the action indeede is of him but the defect of the action from the instrument which being corrupt can it selfe do nothing but that vvhich is corrupt God in the meane season by it bringing that to passe which is uerie good The whole cause of sinne is in Satan and in us as for god he puts no vvickednes into vs but the evill vvhich he finds in us he mooues orders and gouernes and bends it by his infinite vvisdome vvhen and in vvhat maner it pleaseth him to the glorie of his name the euill instrument not knowing so much nay intending a farre other ende As in the mill the horse blind-folded goes forward and perceiues nothing but that he is in the ordinarie way vvhereas the miller himselfe vvhippes him and stirres him forward for another end namely for the grinding of corne And this is that which we must holde touching Gods providence ouer vvicked men and angels and is standes vvith the tenour of the whole bible Iosephs breethren sold him into Egypt verie wickedly euen in the testimonie of their owne consciences yet Ioseph having respect to the counsell and vvorke of god vvhich he performed by his brethren saith that the Lorde sent him thither And the Church of Ierusalem saith that Herode and Pontius Pilate did nothing in the death of Christ but that which the hand and counsell of God had determined to be done because though they wickedly intended nothing but to shevve their mallice and hatred in the death of Christ yet God propounding a further matter by them then euer they dreamed of shewed forth his endles mercie to man in the worke of redemption On this maner must all the places of scripture be understood in which it is said that god gaue the vviues of Dauid to Absolon that God mooved David to number the people that he commanded Shemi to raile on David that the Medes and Persians are his sanctified ones that the revolt of the ten tribes was done by God c. By all these examples it appeares that we must not sever gods permission from his will or decree and that wee must put difference betweene the euill worke of man and the good worke of God which he doth by man and the whole matter may yet be more clerely perceiued by this comparison A thiefe at the day of assise is condemned and the magistrate appointes him to be executed the hangman owing a grudge to the malefactour useth him hardly and prolongeth his punishment longer then he should Nowe the magistrate and the hangman doe both one and the same worke yet the hangman for his part is a murderer the magistrate in the meane season no murderer but a iust iudge putting iustice in execution by the hangmaÌ„ So God though he use euill instruments yet is he free from the euill of the instruments And further we must here marke the difference vvhich must be made in gods using of all kinds of instruments WheÌ„ he useth good creatures as angels hee worketh his will not onely by them but also in them because hee inspires them and guides them by his spirite so as they shall will doe that which hee vvilleth and intendeth As for evill instruments he worketh by them only and not in them because he holdes backe his grace from them and leaues them to themselves to put in practise the corruption of their owne hearts Thus much of the partes of Gods prouidence now follow the kinds thereof Gods prouidence is either generall or speciall Generall is that which extendes it selfe to the whole world and all things indifferently euen to the deuils themselues By this providence God continues and mainetaines the order which he set in nature in the creation and he preserues the life substance and the being of all and euery creature in his kinde The especiall prouidence is that which God sheweth and exerciseth towards his Church and chosen people in gathering and guiding them and in preserving them by his mightie power against the gates of hell And therefore Gods Church here upon earth is called the kingdome of grace in which he shewes not onely a generall power ouer his creatures but withall the special operation of his spirite in bowing bending the hearts of men to his will Thus much concerning the doctrine of Gods prouidence Now followes the duties First seeing there is a providence of God ouer euerie thing that is wee are hereby taught to take good heede of the transgression of the least of Gods commaundements If men were persvvaded that the prince had an eie every where doubtles many subiects in England would walke more obediently to the lawes of the land then they doe and durst in no wise worke such vilanies as are daily practised VVell howsoeuer it is with earthly princes yet this is least wanting in God he hath an eye euerie where wheresoeuer thou art there god beholdeth thee as Dauid saith God looked downe from heauen upon the children of men to see if there were any that woulde vnderstand and seeke God Therefore except thou be brutish and past shame take heed of sinne If men had but a sparke of grace the consideration of this would make them loath the practise of wickednes Eliah saith to Ahab As the Lord God of Israell liveth before whom I stand there shall be neither dew nor raine these 3. yeres VVhere the Prophet confirmeth his speech with an oth saying As the Lord of hosts liueth it shall be so least Ahab should thinke he
then by them that haue knowledge and oftentimes it is tossed in the mouthes of them that haue little religion in their hearts and therefore I answeare first men should rather haue care to seeke howe they may come to heauen then to dispute what they shall doe when they are there the common prouerb is true it is not good counting of chickins before they be hatched Secondly I say that men in heauen shall know each other yea they shall know them which were neuer knowne or seene of them before in this life which may be gathered by proportion out of Gods word Adam in his innocencie knew Eue whome he had neuer seene before and gaue her a fit name so soone as shee was created And when our Sauiour Christ was transfigured in the mount Peter knew Moses and Elias whome before he had neuer seene and therefore it is like that the Elect shall know each other in heauen where their knowledge their whol estate shalbe fully perfited But whither they shall know one an other after an earthly manner as to say this man was my father this was mine vncle this my teacher c. the worde of God saith nothing and therefore I will be silent and must be content a while to be ignorant in this point The third prerogatiue of euerlasting blessednes is that the Elect shall loue God with as perfect loue as a creature possiblie can The manner of louing God is to loue him for himselfe and the measure is to loue him without measure and both shall be found in heauen for the Saints of God shall haue an actuall fruition of God himselfe and be as it were swallowed vp with a sea of his loue and wholly rauished therewith for which cause as farre as creatures can they shall loue him againe Againe the loue of a thing is according to the knowledge thereof but in this life God â—s knowne of man onely in part and therefore is loued onely but in part but after this life wheÌ„ the Elect shal know God fully they shall loue him without measure and in this respect loue hath a prerogatiue aboue faith or hope howsoeuer in some respects againe they goe beyond loue The fourth prerogatiue is that the Saints of God keepe a perpetuall Sabbath in heauen In this life it is kept but euery seuenth day and when it is best of all sanctified it is done but in part but in heauen euery day is a Sabbath as the Lord saith by the Prophet Isai From moneth to moneth and from sabbath to sabbath all flesh shall come and worship before me and therefore the life to come shalbe spent in the perpetuall seruice of God Fifthly the bodies of all the Elect after this life in the kingdome of heauen shall be like the glorious bodie of Christ so Paul saith Christ Iesus our Lord shall chaÌ„ge our vile bodies that they may be like his glorious bodie Now the resemblance betweene Christs bodie and ours standeth in these things as Christs bodie is vncorruptible so shall our bodies be void of all corruption as Christs bodie is immortall so ours in the kingdome of heauen shall neuer die as Christs bodie is spirituall so shal ours be made spirituall as the Apostle saith It is sowen a naturall bodie it is raised a spirituall bodie not because the bodie shall be changed into a spirit for it shall remaine the same in substance and that for euer but because it shall be preserued by a spirituall and divine manner For in this life it is preserued by meat drinke cloathing sleepe physicke rest and diet but afterward without all these meanes the life of the bodie shalbe continued and bodie and soule keepe together by the immediate power of Gods spirit for euer and euer thus the bodie of Christ is now preserued in heauen and so shall the bodies of all the Elect be after the day of iudgement Furthermore as Christs bodie is now a shining bodie as doth appeare by his transfiguration in the mount so in all likelihood after the resurrection the bodies of the Elect shall be shining and bright alwaies remaining the same for substance Lastly as Christs bodie after it rose againe from the graue had this propertie of agilitie beside swiftnes to passe from the earth to the third heauen being in distance many thousand miles from vs and that without violence so shal the bodies of the saints For beeing glorified they shall be able as well to ascende vpwarde as to goe downewarde and to mooue without violence and that very swiftly The sixth and last prerogatiue is an vnspeakable and eternall ioy as Dauid saith In thy presence is fulnes of ioy at thy right haÌ„d there are pleasures for euermore It is said that when Salomon was crowned King the people reioyced exceedingly if there were such great ioy at his coronation which was but an earthly prince what ioy then shall there be when the Elect shall see the true Salomon crowned with glorie in the kingdome of heauen It is saide that the wise men which came from the East to worshippe Christ when they saw the starre standing ouer the place where the babe was were exceeding glad how much more shall the Elect reioyce when they shall see Christ not lying in a manger but crowned with immortall glorie in the kingdome of heauen Wherefore this ioy of the Elect after this life is most wonderfull and can not be vttered The propertie of life eternall is to be an inheritance which God bestoweth on them which are made his sonnes in Christ who is the onely begotten sonne of the father Hence it followes necessarily that in the Scriptures it is called a reward not because it is deserued by our workes as the Church of Rome erroniously teacheth but for 2. other causes First because life eternall is due to all that beleue by vertue of Christs merit For as his righteousnes is made ours by imputation so consequently the merit thereof is also ours and by it all personall merits in our selues vtterly excluded we deserue or merit eternall happines as a reward which neuerthelesse in respect of our selues is the free and meere gift of God The second is because there is a resemblance betweene eternall life and a reward For as a reward is giuen to a workman after his worke is done so euerlasting life is giuen vnto men after the trauailes and miseries of this life are ended The degrees of life are three The first is in this life when men beeing iustified and sanctified haue peace with God Many imagine that there is no eternal life till after death but they are deceiued for it begins in this world as our Sauiour Christ testifieth saying Verily verily I say vnto you he that heareth my wordes and beleeueth him that sent me hath euerlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but hath passed from death to life This beeing so we are hence to learne a good lesson
of the deuill But least this fearefull sentence be verefied of vs it is the duety of euerie man that maketh this confession that hee beleeues God to be his father first to labour to knovve Gods will and secondly to perfourme continuall obedience unto the same Like unto a good childe that would faine please his father and therefore is alwaies ready to do the best he can And without doubt that man which unfainedly takes God for his father is then most grieued when as by any sinne he displeaseth him no other crosse or calamity is so grieuous unto him The greatest grief that the prodigall sonne had was that he had offēded his father by sinning against heauē against him the same also must be our griefe and all our care set on this how we may be obedient children to this our louing father Thirdly that mā that beleeues God to be his father must imitate and follow him for it is the will of God that his children should be like vnto himselfe Now we follow God especially in 2. things I. In doing good to them that persecute vs so saith our Sauiour Christ Pray for them that hurt you that you may be the children of your father which is in heaven for hee maketh the sunne to rise on the evill and on the good and sendeth raine on the iust and uniust II. Our heavenly father is mercifull for he is a father of the fatherlesse and therefore he that will be a sonne of this father must be mercifull to his poore breethren as Iob saith of himselfe I vvas the eyes to the blind I vvas the feete unto the lame I vvas a father unto the poore Fourthly seeing wee beleeue God to be our father we are hereby taught onely to vse moderate care for the things of this life for if a man know himselfe to be the child of God then he also knowes that God will provide for him as wee know in a family the father provideth for all Now God is a father and his Church is his family therefore if thou wilt be a mēber of Gods Church a child of God thou must cast thy care on god follow the counsell of Christ Be not to carefull for your life what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink And mark his reason drawen from the point which we haue in hand The fowles of the heauen saith he they neither sow nor reape nor carrie into barnes and yet your heavenly father feedeth them are not ye much better then they But alas the practise of the worlde is contrarie for men haue no care for the knowledge of Gods worde nor the meanes of their salvation all their mindes are set on the things of this life when as Christ saith First seeke the kingdome of heaven and the righteousnesse thereof and all these things shall be ministred vnto you If you shoulde see a young man provide for himselfe and no man else for him wee woulde say surely his father is deade euen so when a mans care is set wholly both day and night for the things of this life it argues that God hath either cast him off or else that he takes him for no father of his Fiftly if God he our father then wee must learne to beare any crosse patiently that he shall lay upon us either in bodie or in minde and alwaies looke for deliverance from him for whome the Lorde loueth them hee chastiseth and if yee endure chastising saith the Apostle God offereth himselfe unto you as vnto children which may appeare more plainly by this comparison If two children shoulde fight and a man comming by shoulde parte them and after beate the one and let the other goe free euerie man that seeth this will say that that childe which hee beates is his owne sonne Euen so when God chastiseth vs he shevveth himselfe unto us as a father if we submit our selues Nowe if our earthly fathers corrected us and we gaue them reverence taking it patiently should vve not much rather be in subiection to the father of spirits that wee may liue Therefore the conclusion is this if we displease God be ye sure he will correct us when his hand is upon us we must not murmure against him but beare it with a milde spirite and furthermore when vvee are under the crosse we must alwaies looke for deliverance from this our father onely If a sonne vvhen hee is beaten should flee to his fathers enemies for helpe and counsell it woulde argue that hee were but a gracelesse childe Sundry and divers calamities and crosses befall men in this life which they can not brooke and therefore it is a common practise of many among us in these dayes vvhen Gods hande is upon them to goe for helpe to the deuill they seeke for counsell at witches and vvise men as I haue said but let them looke unto it for that is the right vvay to double their miserie and to shewe themselues levvde children Lastly if wee confesse and beleeue god to be the father of Christ and in him our father also then in regarde of our conuersation wee must not frame our selves like unto the world but the course of our liues must be in righteousnesse and true holinesse Paul exhorteth the Corinthians to separate themselues from Idolaters alledging the place out of the olde Testament where the Lorde biddeth the Israelites to come out from Idolaters and to touch no vncleane thing and the reason followeth out of Ieremie that if they doe so then God vvill be their father and they shall be his children even his sonnes and daughters which reason Paul vrgeth in the next chapter to this effect considering wee haue these promises that therefore wee shoulde cleanse our selues from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirite and growe up unto holines in the feare of the Lorde where if wee marke the place diligently wee shall finde this lesson that euerie man who takes God for his father must not onely in this sinne of Idolatrie but in all other sinnes separate himselfe that men by his godly life may knowe whose childe he is But some will say this exhortation is needlesse amongst vs for wee haue no cause to separate our selues from others because all amongst vs are Christians all beleeve in God and are baptised and hope to be saved by Christ. Ansvver In outvvard profession I confesse wee carrie the shewe of Christians but in deede and trueth by our lives and conversations very many among vs denie Christ for in euerie place the common practise is to spende the time in drunkennesse and surfetting in chambering and wantonnesse yea great is the companie of those that make a trade of it take this conversation from many men and take away their liues And on the Lordes day it may bee seene both publiquely and priuately in houses and in the open streetes there is such reuell as though there were no
of his life this man I say is prepared and made fitte to enter into the heauenly Ierusalem come death vvhen it wil he is readie And howsoeuer hee must not looke for heauen here upon earth yet hee is as it were in the suburbes of this heauenly citie and at the ende of this life the king thereof the Lorde Iesus will open the gates and receiue him into his kingdome for hee is alreadie entred into the kingdome of grace beeing prepared also one day when God will to enter into the kingdome of glorie To conclude this point let euery man in the feare of God be mooued hereby to set his heart to prepare him selfe that vvhen God shall call him hence hee may be fitte to enter into that glorie Secondly seeing God hath prepared the thirde heauen for us it teacheth euery man in this worlde to be content with the estate vvherein God hath placed him whether it be high or low rich or poore why so because here he is but a pilgrime and liues in a cottage of clay and in a tent wherein he must abide but a while as a pilgrime doth oftentimes carrying his house about with him and wee shall in better sort accept the afflictions which God sends us in this life if we remember that there is prepared for us a place of ioy which must be our resting place and perfect felicitie for euermore This was the practise of the children of God especially of Abraham for when the Lorde called him out of his owne countrey hee obeyed and by faith abode in the promised lande as in a straunge countrey as one that dvvelt in tentes vvith Isaac and Iaakob heires vvith him in the same promise and the reason followeth for hee looked for a citie having a foundation vvhose builder and maker is God They beleeued that these things vvhich the Lorde promised were shadovves of better things and hereon stayed them selues beeing well content with that estate wherto god had called them So Paul was contented to beare the afflictions vvhich God had laide upon him and his reason was Because saieth hee vvee looke not on thinges vvhich are seene but on things vvhich are not seene for the things vvhich are seene are temporall but the thinges vvhich are not seene are eternall And in the next chapter VVee knovve saith hee that if our earthly house of this Tabernacle be destroyed vvee have a dvvelling given vs of God that is an house not made vvith handes but eternall in the heavens And for this cause his desire vvas rather to remoove out of this bodie and to be with the Lord. And thus much concerning Heauen Now followeth the seconde part of Gods creation in these vvordes And Earth Earth signifieth the huge masse or bodie standing of sea and lande on vvhich wee liue and all things that be in or upon the earth whatsoeuer as Paul saith For by him vvere created all things that are in heaven or in earth c. In other Creedes which were made since this of the Apostles being expositions of that there is added Maker of all things visible and invisible Here wee haue occasion to speake of all creatures but that were infinite therefore I will make choise of these two good Angels and Men. I. That Angels had a beginning it is no question for Paul saith that by God all things were created in heauen and earth things visible and invisible whether thrones principalities or powers And in respect of the creation angels are called the sonnes of God But the time day of their creation can not be set downe further then this that they were created in the compasse of the sixe daies For Moses saith Thus namely in the compasse of the first sixe daies the heauens and the earth were fashioned and all the hoast of them that is all varietie of creatures in heauen and earth serving for the beautie and glorie thereof whereof no doubt the Angels are the principall II. Touching the nature of angels some haue thought that they are nothing but qualities motions in the minds of men as the Sadduces and the Libertines of this time but the truth is that they are spirits that is spirituall and invisible substances created by God and really subsisting for the scripture ascribes unto them such kind of actions which can not be perfourmed by the creatures saue only such as be substances as to stand before the throne of God to behold the face of the Father to carry mens soules to heauen c. yet must we not imagine that they are bodily substāces consisting of flesh and bone And though they tooke upon them visible shapes formes did eate and drinke in the company of men thereupon are called Men in scripture yet they did this by diuine dispensation for a time that they might the better performe the actions businesses among men to which they were by God appointed And the bodies of men which they assumed were no partes of their natures united to them as our bodies are to us but rather they were as garmēts are to us which they might put off on at their pleasure If any shall aske whence they had these bodies the answer is that either they were created of nothing by the power of God or framed of some other matter subsisting before If againe it be asked what became of these bodies when they laide them downe because they used them but for a time the answere may be that if they were made of nothing they were againe resolued into nothing if made of other creatures that then they were resolued into the same bodies of which they were first made though indeed we can define nothing certenly in this point III. Angels are reasonable creatures of excellent knowledge and understanding farre surpassing all men saue Christ. Their knowledge is threefold naturall revealed experimentall Naturall which they receiued from god in the creation Revealed which God makes manifest to them in processe of time wheras before they knew it not Thus God revealed to Gabriel the mysterie of the seuentie weekes Dan. 8. 9. And in the Apocalyps many things are revealed to the Angels that they might reveale them to us Experimentall knowledge is that which they get by obseruing the dealings of god in the whole world but specially in the Church And thus Paul saith that to principalities and powers in heauenly places is the manifold wisdom of god by the Church IV. And as the knowledge so also the power of the good Angels is exceeding great They are able to doe more then all men can Therefore Paul calls them mightie Angels 2. Thess. 1.7 Yea their power is farre superiour to the power of the wicked angels who since the fall are vnder them and cannot preuaile against them V. The place of the aboad of Angels is the higest heauen vnlesse they be sent thence by the Lord to doe some thing appointed by him This our Sauiour
is the naturall sonne of Neri and the legall sonne of Iechonias Now Saint Luke sets downe the naturall descent of Christ from Dauid by Nathan and Saint Matthew the other descent which is legall by Salomon whome Christ succeeded in the right of the kingdom being borne the king of the Iewes none that could possibly be named hauing more right to it then he By this discent of Christ we haue occasion to consider that Christ was euen in his birth the most excellent and noble man that euer was descending of the eternall father as he is the sonne of God and as he man descending of the Patriarks and of the renowmed kings of Iudah And this his nobilitie he conuaies in part to his members in that he makes them the sonnes of God a royall priesthood and a peculiar people to himselfe inriching them also with the reuenewes of the whole world and with the title and right to the kingdome of glorie in heauen as their inheritance And withall Christ beeing the liuely patterne of true nobilitie by his example men of blood are taught not to stand so much on their pedigree and their ancetours as though nobilitie stood in this that man descends of man but to labour with all that they may to be the sonnes and daughters of God by regeneratioÌ„ in Christ. This in deede is the ornament of the blood the best part in the noble mans skutchin and the finest flowre in his garland And though a man be neuer so noble or great an estate yet if he be not a repentant sinner he is base and vile and his nobilitie stinks in the nostrils of God Christ in his genealogie doth not so much as vouchsafe to name those his ancetours that ruled wickedly and hereupon Saint Matthew omitteth three kings of Iuda Achaziah Ioas Amaziah whereas neuerthelesse hainous offendours that repented are mentioned as Ruth and Thamat and Bathshabe Thus much of the incarnation of Christ Now followeth the third and last point which is to be considered in the description of Christ namely the estate of Christ after his birth which is two-fold the estate of humiliation and the estate of exaltation The estate of humiliation is the condition of Christ the Mediatour in which he abased himselfe euen to the death of the crosse that by that meanes he might performe the office of a priest in making satisfaction to the iustice of his father This estate agrees to the whole person of Christ according to both natures For first of all his manhoode was abased and humbled in that it was made subiect to the infirmities of mans nature as also to the miseries and punishments which were due vnto man for sinne Secondly his Godhead was abased not as it is considered in it selfe For so it admits no alteration or chaunge But in respect of the flesh or manhoode assumed vnder the which as vnder a vaile the Godhead lay hid from the first moment of the incarnation to the time of his resurrectioÌ„ without any great manifestation of his power and maiestie therein The order of these two estates must be marked First is the estate of humiliation and then in the second place followes the estate of exaltation As Christ saith of him selfe O fooles and slow of heart to beleeue c. ought not Christ to haue suffered these things and to enter into his glorie And here we for our part must learne a lesson The same which was true in Christ the head must be verifyed in all his members they must also haue their two-fold estate First in this life the estate of humiliation secondly after this life the estate of glorie And as Christ first entred into the state of his humiliation and then into glorie so it is with his members first they must be abased in this life and secondly exalted in the worlde to come He that will raigne with Christ and be exalted must first suffer with him and be humbled hee that will weare the crowne of glorie must weare first a crowne of thornes they that will haue all teares wyped from their eyes must here first in this life shed them And the children of God before they can sing the song of Moses and of the seruants of God and of the lambe must first swimme through the sea of burning glasse wherby it is signified that those which after this life would sing songs of praises to Christ must in this life be cast into a sea of miserie And if this be true then we may heare learne that it is a wretched case for a man in this life to haue perpetuall ease rest and quietnes both in bodie and soule goods and good name for we see by Christs example that through aduersitie we must come to happines and if a man would haue rest and peace in the life to come then in this life he must suffer trouble persecution and sorrow Indeede in the iudgement of the world they are blessed that alwaies liue at rest but before God they are most miserable and as oxen which are made fat in the best pasture readie for the slaughterhouse euery day Secondly here is an excellent consolation for those which professe the Gospell of Christ in the time of trouble and persecution they must reioyce because the state of humiliation in this life is a signe that they are in the plaine and right way to saluation and glorie A man is to take his iourney into a farre countrey and inquiring for the way it is told him that there are many plaine waies but the straight and right way is full of woods and hills and mountaines and great daungers now when he is traueiling and comes into those places he gathereth certenly that he is in the right way so the child of God that is going to the kingdome of heauen though there be many waies to walke in yet he knowes that there is but one right way which is very straight and narrow full of trouble sorrow and persecution full of all manner of crosses and afflictions and when in this life he is persecuted and afflicted for good causes whether in bodie or in minde if he be content to beare his crosse it agreeth plainly that he is in the right way vnto saluation for thorough many afflictions wee must enter into the kinâ—dome of heauen The humiliation of Christ is first of all set downe in the Creede generally and secondly by his parts or degrees Generally in these words suffered vnder Pontius Pilate Where we must consider two things the passion it selfe and vnder whome it was For the first that we may the better conceiue the passion in his owne nature seuen speciall points must be opened I. The cause efficient The principall cause of the passion as it is the price of our redemption was the decree and prouidence of God as Peter saith expressely that Christ was deliuered by the determinate counsell and foreknowledge of God The impulsive cause that mooued God to worke
Caesar in Iudea Where we must obserue the wonderful prouidence of God in that not onely the Iewes but the Gentiles also had a stroake in the arraignement of Christ that that might be true which the Apostle saith God shut vp all vnder sinne that he might haue mercie vpon all The fourth point is the matter of their accusation they accuse our Sauiour Christ of 3. things I. that he seduced the people II. that he forbad to pay tribute to Caesar. III. that he said he was a King Let vs well consider these accusations especially the two last because they are flat contrarie both to Christs preaching and to his practise For when the people would haue made him a King after hee had wrought the myracle of the fiue loaues and two fishes the text saith he departed from among them vnto a mountaine himselfe alone Secondly when tribute was demaunded of him for Caesar though he were the kings sonne and therefore was freed yet saith he to Peter least wee should offende theÌ„ go to the sea and cast in an angle and take the first fish that commeth vp and when thou hast opened his mouth thou shalt finde a piece of twentie pence that take and giue vnto them for thee and me And when he was called to be a iudge to deuide the inheritance betweene two brethren he refused to doe it saying Who made me a iudge betweene you Therefore in these two things they did most falsely accuse him Whereby wee learne that nothing is so false and vntrue but the slaunderer dare lay it to the charge of the innocent the tongues of the slaunderers are sharpe swords venemous arrows to wound their enemies their throats are open sepulchers the poyson of aspes is vnder their lipps If a man speake gracious words his tongue is touched with the fire of Gods spirit but as Saint Iames saith the tongue of the wicked is fire yea a worlde of wickednes and it is set on fire with the fire of hell therefore let this example be a caveat for vs all to teach vs to take heede of slandering for the deuill then speakes by vs and kindles our tongues with the fire of hell The fifth point is the manner of their accusation which is diligently to be marked for they doe not onely charge him with a wonderfull vntruth but they beseech Pilate to put him to death crying Crucifie him Crucifie him in so much that Pontius Pilate was afraid of them where wee may see how these shameles Iewes goe beyond their compasse and the bounds of all accusers whose dutie is to testifie onely what they know Now in the matter of this their accusation appeares their wonderfull inconstancie For a little before when Christ came to Ierusalem riding vpon an asse shewing some signes of his kingly authoritie they cut downe braunches from the trees and strawed them in the way crying Hosanna Blessed is hee that commeth in the name of the Lord but nowe they sing an other song and in stead of Hosanna they cry Crucifie him Crucifie him And the like inconstancie is to be found in the people of these our times They vse to receiue any religion that is offered vnto them for in the daies of King Edward the sixth the people of England receiued the Gospell of Christ but shortly after in Queene Maries time the same people receiued the wretched and abhominable doctrine of the Church of Rome And not many yeares after when it pleased God to bring againe the light of his glorious Gospell by our gracious Prince the same people turned from poperie and imbraced the true religion againe And thus with the Iewes one while they cry Hosanna to Christ receiue his Gospell and shortly after they cry Crucifie him Crucifie him by imbracing idolatrous poperie Let vs therefore learne in the feare of God by the ficklenes of the Iewes that sing two contrarie songs in so short a space to acknowledge our inconstancie and weakenesse in the matter of religion whereby if God leaue vs but a little to our selues wee shall straight way forsake Christ his Gospell and all Thus much of the accusation Now followeth Christs examination before Pontius Pilate for when the Iewes had thus falsely accused him then Pontius Pilate tooke him and brought him into the common hall and asked him this question Art thou a King Nowe Christ beeing thus examined made as Paul also testifieth a good confession The summe thereof stands in foure heads The first is that he confesseth himselfe to be a King not such an one as they accused him to be yet a true King Whence we may learne diuers instructions First that euery Christian man in the midst of his misery afflictioÌ„ hath one that is most sufficieÌ„t euery way to defend him against all his enemies the world the flesh the deuill For this king can doe whatsoeuer he will therfore when the legion of deuils would enter into a herd of swine they could not without his leaue And when the Centurions daughter was dead he but spake the word and she arose And when Lazarus was dead and had liâ—n in the graue foure daies he but said Lazarus come forth he came forth bound hand and foote Yea euen hell and death giue place to his word nothing can resist his power And therefore he that is a true member of Christ needes not to feare any enemies be they neuer so great or so many And againe as Christ is able so is he readie and willing to saue and defend all that beleeue in him For he it is that gaue his life for his subiects which no king will doe and shedde his bloud for their redemption which hee would neuer haue done if he had not desired their saluation Secondly when as Christ is a mightie king which can doe whatsoeuer he wil let al such amoÌ„g vs that haue hitherto liued in ignoraÌ„ce by reason of ignoraÌ„ce liue in their sinnes at length begin to come vnto him do him homage with peniteÌ„t hearts fal down before him otherwise if they continue in their old rebellions let them know whosoeuer they be high or low that he hath a rod of iron in his hand to bruise them in pieces their soules shall smart for it as both Pilate Caiphas the rest of the Iewes were with a full cup rewarded for crucifying the Lord of life And if Christ cannot draw thee in this life from thy crooked waies be sure at the houre of death he wil breake thee in pieces like a potters vessel This must wee learne in regarde of the first point that hee saide plainly He was a King Now follows the second part of his confession namely that his kingdome was not of this worlde Where hee sets downe what kinde of king he is he is no earthly king his kingdome standes not in the power of men nor in earthly and outwarde gouernement but his kingdome
is spirituall and his gouernement is in the very heartes and consciences of men His kingdome is not outward to be seene of men but inwarde in the heart and soule and therfore it is onely begunne in this life and is continued and accomplished in the worlde to come in the kingdome of glorie where Christ shall be all in all in the hearts and consciences of all the elect Nowe then if this be so howsoeuer Sathan haue heretofore raigned in vs and made our heartes as it were his pallaces yet nowe let vs prepare a roome for Christ that hee may come and dwell in vs let him rule our hearts wills and affections that they may become conformable to his will let vs resigne our selues wholly to be ruled by him that his spiritual kingdom may be in vs. This kingdom in the heart conscience is the pearle and hid treasure which when a man findeth he sels all that he hath buyeth it Let vs therfore in the feare of God esteem it as the most pretious thing that may be and so liue in this worlde as that Christ may rule inwardly in vs by his word spirit And againe seeing this regiment of Christ is heauenly the full manifestation of it is in the life to come we must therfore vse this world all things in it as honour wealth ease libertie as though we vsed them not As a trauailer vseth his staffe in his iourney as long as it doth further him so long he will carrie it with him but when it hindereth him then he casts it away so must vve vse the things of this life namely as long as they are helps to further and make vs fitte for the kingdome of heauen but if they be any hinderance to this spirituall regiment of Christ wee must renounce them and cast them away be they neuer so pretious to vs. The third point of Christs confession is concerning the meanes whereby he gouernes his kingdome I came saith he into this world to beare witnes of the truth that is to preach the gospell doctrine of saluatiō herby he teacheth that the outward administration of his kingdome stands specially in the preaching of the word which is a principall ordinance of his seruing to gather his Church from the beginning of the world to the end thereof And for this cause he hath in all age◠set apart chosen ministers for the publishing of the doctrine of the Gospell And by this it is manifest that the gift of prophecie is the greatest gift that God bestows on his Church for the building thereof And therfore it ought to be most highly esteemed of as a most pretious iewell And for this cause also the schooles of learning are to be reuerenced and maintained and all other meanes vsed for the furthering of them because they are vnder God the fountains and welsprings of this gift of prophecie The last point is concerning the subiects of Christs kingdome expressed in these words They which are of the truth heare my voice In which he sets downe the true marke of his seruants and subiects that they are hearers of that heauenly and sauing word which he reuealed from the bosome of his father It may be alleadged the most wicked men vpon earth yea the deuils themselues may be hearers of the truth of Christ. Answer There be two kind of hearers one which heares onely the outward sound of the word with his bodily eares and he hauing eares to heare doth not heare the second is he that doth not only receiue the doctrine that is taught with his eares but also hath his heart opened to feel the power of it to obey the same in the course of his life This distinction is notably set foorth by Dauid saying Sacrifice and burnt offerings thou wouldest not haue but my eares hast thou pierced whereby hee insinuates as it were two kinds of eares one that is deafe and cannot heare and thus are the eares of al men by nature in hearing the doctrine of saluation the other is a newe eare pearced and bored by the hand of God which causeth a mans heart to heare the sound and operation of the word and the life to expresse the truth of it Nowe the subiects of Christs kingdome are such as with the outward hearing of the word haue an inward hearing of the soule grace also to obey therfore al those that make no cōsciēce of obediēce to the word of god preached vnto them are no lesse then rebels to Christ. We may perswade our selues that we are good subiects because we heare the word and receiue the sacraments but if our liues abound with sinne and if our heartes be not pierced through by the sword of Gods spirit whether we be high or low rich or poore let vs be what wee will be wee are no right subiects indeede but rebels and traytours vnto the euerliuing God It may be hereafter God will giue further grace but as yet all impenitent persons though liuing in the midst of Gods Church are not obedient faithfull subiects and therfore while we haue time let vs labour to performe in deede that which we doe in word professe Thus much of the examination and confession of Christ. Nowe followeth the third point concerning the pollicies which Pilate vsed to saue Christ and they are three First when he heard that Christ vvas of Galilee he tooke occasion to sende him to Herod thinking thereby to shift his hand of him and not to shed his bloode In vvhich pollicie though he seeme vnvvilling to put Christ to death yet herein he is a most vniust iudge for hauing giuen testimonie of Christ that he is innocent he ought to haue acquitted him and not haue sent him to Herod for further iudgement In Herods dealing vvith Christ vve may obserue these points The first that hee is vvonderfully glad of his comming Why so the text saith because he was desirous to see him of a long season because he had heard many things of him and trusted to haue seene some signe done by him Here marke hovve he reioyced not in Christ because he vvas Christ that is his Messias and redeemer but because he vvrought myracles signes and vvonders And so it is among vs at this day it is a rare thing to finde a man that loueth Christ because he is Christ some loue Christ for honour some for vvealth and others for praise in that they get honour vvealth and praise by confessing his name Againe many professe Christ onely because it is the lavv and custome of their nation But vvee must learne to be of this minde to loue Christ because he is Christ euen for himselfe and not for any other sinister respect and vvee must reioyce in Christ for himselfe though wee neuer haue profite nor pleasure neither honour or wealth by him And if we loue him for wealth or pleasure or for any other ende but for himselfe
themselues and you shall finde that they haue many excuses and defences as plaisterworke to cast ouer their foule and filthie sinnes and if they be vrged to speake against themselues the worst will be thus God helpe vs we are all sinners euen the best of vs. But certen it is that he which is thoroughly touched in conscience for his sinnes both can and will speake more against himselfe for his manifold offences then all the worlde besides Thus Paul when he was conuerted calls himselfe the chiefe of all sinners And the prodigall childe confesseth that he had sinned against heauen and against his father and was not worthie to be called his childe The third fruit of his conuersion is that he excuseth our Sauiour Christ and giueth testimonie of his innocencie saying But this man hath done nothing amisse Marke here Pilate condemned Christ Herod mocked him all the learned Scribes and Pharisies condemned him and the people cry away with him let him be crucified and among his owne disciples Peter denied him and the rest ranne away there remains onely this poore sillie wretch vpon the crosse to giue testimonie of Christs innocencie whereby we learne that God chuseth the simple ones of this world to ouerthrow the wisdome of the wise and therefore we must take heed that we be not offended at the gospel of Christ by reason that for the most part simple mean men in the world imbrace it Nay marke further this one thiefe being conuerted had a better iudgement in matters concerning Gods kingdome then the whole bodie of the Iewes And by this all students may learne that if they desire to haue in themselues vpright iudgement in matters of religion first of all they must become repentant sinners and though a man haue neuer so much learning yet if he be carried away with his owne blinde affections lusts they will corrupt darken his iudgement Men which worke in mynes and coale-pits vnder the earth are troubled with nothing so much as with dampes which make their candle burne darke sometimes put it quite out Now euery mans sinnes are the damps of his heart which when they take place do dimme the light of his iudgement and cast a mist ouer the mind darken the vnderstanding reason and therefore a needefull thing it is that men in the first place should prouide for their owne conuersion The fourth fruite of his repentance is that he praieth for mercie at Christs hands Lord saith he remember me when thou commest into thy kingdome in which praier we may see what is the propertie of faith This thiefe at this instāt heard nothing of Christ but the skornings and mockings of the people and he saw nothing but a base estate full of ignominie and shame and the cursed death of the crosse yet neuerthelesse he now beleeues in Christ and therfore intreats for saluation at his hande Hence we learne that it is one thing to beleeue in Christ and an other to haue feeling and experience and that euen then when we haue no sense or experience we must beleeue for faith is the subsisting of things which are not seene and Abraham aboue hope did beleeue vnder hope and Iob saith though thou kill me yet will I beleeue in thee In Philosophie a man begins by experience after which commes knowledge and beliefe as whē a man hath put his hand to the fire and feeles it to be hoat he comes to know thereby that fire burnes but in Divinitie we must beleeue though we haue no feeling first comes faith and after comes sense and feeling And seeing the ground of our religion stands in this to beleeue thinges neither seene nor felt to hope aboue all hope and without hope in extremitie of affliction to beleeue that God loueth vs when he seemeth to be our enemie and to perseuere in the same to the ende The answer which Christ made to his praier was This night shalt thou be vvith in Paradise Whereby he testifies in the middest of his sufferings the power which he had ouer the soules of men and verifies that gratious promise Aske and ye shall receiue seeke and ye shall finde knocke and it shall be opened to you and withall confutes the popish purgatorie For if any man should haue gone to that forged place of torment then the thiefe vpon the crosse who repenting at the last gaspe wanted time to make satisfaction for the temporall punishment of his sinnes And by this conuersion of the thiefe we may learne that if any of vs would turne to God and repent we must haue three thinges I. The knowledge of our owne sinnes II. From the bottome of our heartes wee must confesse and condemne our selues for them and speake the worst that can be of our selues in regard of our sinnes III. We must earnestly craue pardon for them and call for mercie at Gods handes in Christ withall reforming our liues for the time to come if we doe we giue tokens of repentance if not we may thinke what we will but we deceiue our selues and are not truly conuerted And here wee must be warned to take heede least we abuse as many doe the example of the thiefe to conclude thereby that wee may repent when we will because the thiefe on the crosse was conuerted at the last gaspe For there is not a second example like to this in all the whole Bible it was also extraordinarie In deede sundrie men are called at the eleuenth houre but it is a most rare thing to finde the conuersion of a sinner after the second houre and at the point of the twelfth This mercie God vouchsafed this one thiefe that he might be a glasse in which we might behold the efficacie of the death of Christ but the like is not done to many mē no not to one of a thousand Let vs rather cōsider the estate of the other thiefe who neither by the dealing of his fellow nor by any speach of Christ could be brought to repentance Let vs not therefore deferre our repentance to the houre of death for then we shall haue sore enemies against vs the world the flesh the deuill and a guiltie conscience and the best way is beforehand to preuent them And experience shews that if a man deferre repentance to the last gaspe often when he would repent he cannot Let vs take Salomons counsell Remember thy creator in the daies of thy youth before the euill daies come If we will not heare the Lord when he calleth vs he will not heare vs when we call on him The third signe was the ecclipsing or darkning of the sunne from the sixt houre to the ninth And this ecclipse was miraculous For by the course of nature the sunne is neuer ecclipsed but in the new moone whereas contrariwise this ecclipse was about the time of the Passeouer which was alwaies kept at the full moone Question is made touching the largenes of it some mooued by
cunning men cunning women is that is of charmers inchanters figure casters a bad practise Christ at his ascensiō sēt his holy spirit vnto his Church people to be their guide comforter in their calamities and miseries and therefore when any man is in distresse he should haue recourse to the right meanes of comfort namely the word sacraments there he shall finde the assistance of the holy ghost Thus the prophet Isai informeth the Iewes when they shall say unto you inquire at them which haue a spirit of divination at the soothsayers which whisper and murmure Should not a people inquire at their God from the living to the dead to the law and to the testimony Rebecca when the two twinnes stroue in her womb what did she the text saith she sent to aske the Lorde Yet commonly the men of these daies leaue God seeke to the instruments of the deuill To goe yet further God useth for sundrie causes most of all to afflict his deerest children Iudgement saieth Peter beginnes at Gods house S. Luke saieth that a certaine woman was bound of satan eighteene yeeres but what was shee a daughter of Abraham that is a child of God When the like condition shall befall any of vs let us remember the end why Christ ascended up to heauen and pray unto God that hee will giue us his spirit that therby we may be eased deliuered or els inabled to perseuere and continue in patience and this is the true way and meanes to lighten and ease the burden of all afflictions And for this cause Paul prayeth that the Colossians might be strengthened with all might through his glorious power unto all patience and long suffering with ioyfulnesse For to whomsoeuer God giueth grace to beleeue to them also he giues power to suffer affliction by the inward worke of his spirite Secondly if Christ haue sent unto his church the holy spirite to be our comforter our duty is to prepare our bodies and soules to be fitte temples and houses for so worthy a guest If a man were certified that a prince would come to his house he would dresse it up haue all things in as good order as might be and shall not we much more endeauour to purifie and clense our soules and bodies from all sinne that they may be fitte temples for the entertainment of the holy ghost whom Christ Iesus hath sent to be our comforter The Shunamite was carefull to entertaine the man of God Elisha for shee saide to her husbande Let vs make him a litle chamber I pray thee with vvalles and let vs set him there a bed and a stoole a table and a candlesticke Now how much more carefull ought we be to entertaine God himselfe who is content to come and dwell with us and therefore we must adorne our bodies and soules with grace that he may lodge and suppe and dine with us as he hath promised but on the contrarie if we defile our bodies with sinne wee banish the holy ghost out of our hearts and suffer the diuell to dwell in us For the more a man defileth his bodie the fitter and cleaner it is for him And to conclude this point let us remember that saying which is used of some that Christ when hee went hence gaue us his pawne namely his spirit to assure us that hee woulde come to us againe and also hee tooke with him our pawne namely his flesh to assure us further that wee should ascend up to him Thus much for the benefites of Christes ascension Now follow the duties whereunto we are mooued and they are two First we must be here admonished to renounce the ubiquitie and the errour of the reall and essentiall presence of the bodie of Christ in the Sacrament of the Lordes supper as flatly oppugning this article of Christs ascension into heauen For it is flat against the nature of a true body to subsist in many places at once Secondly as the Apostles then did whē they saw Christ ascending up into heauen so must we do also while he was present with them they gaue him honour but when they saw him ascending they adored him with farre greater reuerence and so must we now for the same cause bow the knees of our hearts unto him Thus much of the second degree of the exaltation of Christ Now follow the third in these wordes And sitteth at the right hand of God the father almightie In the handling whereof we are first to shewe the meaning of the wordes secondly the comforts and benefits that redound to Gods Church thirdly the duties that we are mooued unto For the meaning of the wordes if we speake properly God hath neither right hand nor left neither can he be saide to sit or stand for God is not a bodie but a spirite the words therefore containe a borrowed speech from earthly kings potentates whose manner and custome hath beene to place such persons at their right hands whome they purposed to advance to any speciall office or dignitie So king Salomon when his mother came to speake with him rose up from his throne and mette her and caused a seate to be set at his owne right hand and set her upon it in token no doubt of honour which he gaue unto her To the same purpose Dauid saith Vpon thy right hand did stand the Queene in a vesture of golde And the sonnes of Zebedeus made sute to Christ that one of them might sit at his right hand and the other at his left in his kingdome Now their request was to haue the two speciall and principall dignities of his kingdome Thus we see it is manifest that the sitting at the right hand of an earthly prince signifieth aduancement into authority and honour and therefore the same phrase of speech applied to Christ signifieth two things First his full and manifest exaltation in dignitie honour and glorie and in this sense it is saide that to him is given a name that is above all names that at the name of Iesus every knee should bovve Secondly it signifieth his full and manifest exaltation into the authoritie and gouernment of his kingdome which spreadeth it selfe ouer heauen and earth So Dauid saieth The Lorde saide vnto my Lorde Sit thou at my right hand untill I make thine enimies thy footstoole Which place beeing alledged by Saint Paul repeating the wordes but changing the phrase is thus set downe He shall raigne till he have put all his enemies under his feete And to speake in breefe the scope of the wordes is to shewe that Christ God and man after his ascension is advanced to such an estate in which hee hath fulnesse of glorie power maiestie and authoritie in the presence of his father and all the saintes and holy angels Furthermore in the words three circumstances must be obserued The first is the place where Christ is thus aduāced noted in
people of the land became Iewes Well now behold there is a greater matter among us then this for there is the handwriting of condēnation the law therin the sentēce of a double death of body soule satan as wicked Haman accuseth us seekes by all meanes our condēnatiō but yet behold not any earthly Hester but Christ Iesus the sonne of God is come downe frō heauen hath taken away this handwriting of condemnation cācelled it upon the crosse is now ascended into heauen their sits at the right hand of his father makes request for us in him his father is well pleased yeeldes to his request in our behalfe Now then what must we doe in this case Surely looke as the Persians became Iewes whē they heard of their safety so we in life and conversation must become Christians turne to Christ embrace his doctrine and practise the same unfainedly And we must not content our selues with a formall profession of religion but search into our own harts flie unto Christ for the pardō of our sins that earnestly as for life death as the thief doth at the bar whē the iudge is giuing sentēce against him Whē we shall thus hūble our selues thē Christ Iesus that sits at the right hād of god wil plead our cause be our atturny unto his father his father againe wil accept of his request in our behalfe Thē shall we of Persians become Iewes of the childrē of this world become the sōnes of god Secōdly when we pray to God we must not doe as the blind world doth as it were rush upō God in praying to him without cōsideratiō had to the Mediatour betweene us and him but we alwaies must direct our praiers to God in the name of Christ for hee is aduanced to power and glory in heauen that he might be a fitte patrone for us who might preferre and present our praiers to God the father that thereby they might be accepted and we might obtaine our request So likewise wee must giue thankes to God in the name of Christ for in him and for his sake God doth bestowe on us his blessings Thus much of Christes intercession the other benefite which concernes Christs kingly office is that he sitts at the right hand of his father for the administration of that speciall kingdome which is committed to him I say speciall because he is our king not onely by the right of creation gouerning all things created togither with the father and the holy ghost but also more specially by the right of redemption in respect of another kingdome not of this world but eternall and spiritual respecting the very conscience of man In the administration wherof he hath absolute power to command forbid to condemne absolue and therefore hath the keies of heauen hell to open shutt which power no creature beside no not the angels in heauē can haue For the better understanding of this which I say wee are to consider first the dealing of Christ toward his own Church secondly his dealing in respect of his enimies And his dealing toward his own church stands in 4. things The first is the collecting or gathering of it this is a speciall end of his sitting at the right hand of his father Christ said to his disciples I haue chosen you out of this world the same may truly be saide of all the elect that Christ in his good time will gather them all to himselfe that they may be a peculiar people to God And this action of his in collecting the Church is nothing els but a translation of those whom he hath ordained to life euerlasting out of the kingdome of darknes in which they haue serued sinne satan into his owne kingdome of grace that they may be ruled and guided by him eternally And this hee doth two waies first by the preaching of the word for it is a powerfull outwarde meanes whereby hee singleth and sorteth his owne seruants from the blinde and wicked vvorlde as Paul saith He gaue some to be Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some pastors and teachers for the gathering together of Saints And hence we learne two things The first that euery minister of Gods word and euery one that intendeth to take vpon him that calling must propound vnto himselfe principally this end to single out man from man and gather out of this world such as belong to the Church of Christ and as Ieremie saith to separate the pretious from the vile The second that all those which will be good hearers of Gods worde must shew themselues so farre forth conformable vnto it that it may gather them out of the world and that it may worke a chaunge in them and make them the seruants of Christ and if the preaching of the worde doe not worke this good worke in our hearts then the end will be a separation from the presence of God Christ when he came neere Ierusalem and considered their rebellion whereby they refused to be gathered vnto him wept ouer it and said O Ierusalem Ierusalem thou which stonest the Prophets and killest them that are sent vnto thee how often would I haue gathered thy children together as the henne gathereth her chickins vnder her wings and thou wouldest not And by this he teacheth that if the preaching of the worde turne not vs to Christ it turnes to our destruction The other meanes of gathering the Church and that the more principall is the inward operation of the spirit whereby the minde is inlightened the heart is mollified and the whole man is conuerted to God And this ordinarily is ioyned with the ministerie or preaching of the word as appeares by the example of Lydia Saint Luke saith God opened her heart to be attentiue to the doctrine of the Apostle And by the example of Paul when Christ saith Saul Saul why persecutest thou me at this very speach he is conuerted and said Who art thou Lord what wilt thou that I doe And this is manifest also by experience There is nothing in the world more contrarie to the nature of man then the preaching of the word for it is the wisdome of God to which the flesh is enimitie Here then it may be demaunded how it can be in force to turne any man to God Answer The word preached is the scepter of Christs kingdome which against the nature of man by the operation of the H. Ghost ioyned therewith doth bend and bowe the heart will and affections of man to the will of Christ. The second worke of Christ is after the Church is gathered to guide it in the way to life euerlasting He is the shepheard of his Church which guideth his flocke in and out and therefore Paul saith They that are Christs are guided by his spirit And by Esay the Lord saith those his seruants which are turned from idolatrie he
alwaies For looke as the day and night doe one follow another so likewise in the administration of the Church here vpon earth Christ suffereth a continuall intercourse betweene peace and persecution Thus he hath done from the beginning hitherto and we may resolue our selues that so it will continue till the end and therefore it shall be good for vs in these daies of our peace to prepare our selues for troubles and afflictions and when troubles come we must still remember the fourth worke of Christ in the gouernment of his Church namely that in all daungers he will defend vs against the â—age of our enemies as well by giuing vs power streÌ„gth to beare with patience and ioy whatsoeuer shall be laide vpon vs as also bridle the rage of the world the flesh and the deuill so as they shall not be able to exercise their power and malice to the full against vs. Thus much of the dealing of Christ toward his owne Church and people Nowe followeth the second point namely his dealing toward his enemies and here by enemies I vnderaÌ„std al creatures but especially meÌ„ that as they are by nature enemies to Christ and his kingdome so they perseuere in the same enimitie vnto the end Now his dealing towards them is in his good time to work their confusion as he himselfe saith Those mine enemies that would not that I should raigne ouer them bring them hither and slay them before me And Dauid saith The Lord will bruise his enemies with a rodde of iron and breake them in pieces like a potters veâ—sell And againe I will make thine enemies thy footestoole As Iosuah dealt with the fiue kings that were hidde in the cave he first makes a slaughter of their armies then he brings them foorth and makes the people to set their feete on their neckes and to hang them on fiue trees So Christ deales with his enemies he treads them vnder his feete and makes a slaughter not so much of their bodies as of their soules And this the Church of God findes to be true by experience as wel as it findes the loue of Christ towards it selfe Now he confounds his enemies two waies The first is by hardnes of heart which ariseth when God withdraweth his grace from man and leaueth him to himself so as he goeth on forward from sinne to sinne and neuer repenteth to the last gaspe And we must esteeme of it as a most fearefull and terrible iudgement of God for when the heart is possessed there with it becomes so flintie and rebellious that a man will neuer relent and turne to God This is manifest in Pharao for though god sent most grieuous plagues both vpon him and all the land of Egypt yet would he not submit himself saue only for a fit while the haÌ„d of God was vpon him but after he returned to the former obstinacie in which he continued till he was drowned in the sea And this iudgement of God is the more fearefull because when a man is in the middest of all his miserie he feeles no miserie And as in some kinde of sicknes a man may die languishing so where hardnes of heart raignes wholly and finally a man may descend to the pit of hell triumphing and reioycing And to come neere to our selues it is to be feared least this iudgement of all iudgements be among vs in these our daies For where is any turning to God by repentance Still men goe forward in sinne without remorse We haue had the word preached among vs a long time but it taketh no place in mens hearts They are not softned with the haÌ„mer of Gods word nay they are like the smithes stithie or anvil which the more it is beate with the hammer the harder it is But in the feare of God let vs seeke to be changed and take heede the deceitfulnes of sinne is wonderfull Let vs not be caried away with an ouerweening of our selues a man may haue good gifts of God as the gift of knowledge the gift of prophecie the gift of conceiuing a praier I say not of praying truly and hereupon think himselfe in good case and yet for all this haue nothing but an impenitent flintie heart For this cause it standes euery man vpon to looke vnto it least this iudgement of God take hold on him And that we may auoide the same we must labour for two things I. to feele the heauie burden of our sinnes and be touched in conscience for them euen as we are troubled in our bodies with the aches and paines thereof this is a token of grace II. We must labour to feele in our owne soules the want of Christ we say indeede that we feele it but it is a very great matter to haue an heart that doth open it selfe and as it were gape after Christ as the drie thirstie lande where no water is Though we haue knowledge and learning neuer so much and many other gifts of God yet if we haue not broken hearts that feele the burden of our sinnes and the want of Christ and that we stand in neede of euery droppe of his blood for the washing away of all these our sinnes our case is miserable And the rather we must preueÌ„t this hardnes of heart because Christ Iesus in heauen sits at the right hand of his father in full power and authoritie to kill confound all those that be his enemies will not submit theÌ„selues to beare his yoke The second way is by finall desperation I say finall because all kinde of desperation is not euill For when a man despaireth of himselfe and of his owne power in the matter of his saluation it tends to his eternall comfort But finall desperation is when a man vtterly despaires of the pardon of his owne sinnes and of life euerlasting Examples hereof we haue in Saul that slue himselfe and in Achitophel and Iudas that hanged themselues This sinne is caused thus So many sinnes as a man committeth without repentance so many most bloodie woundes he giueth vnto his owne soule and either in death or life God makes him feele the smart and the huge weight of them all whereby the soule sinkes downe into the gulfe of despaire withou recouerie God said to Caine If thou doe amisse sinne lieth at thy dore Where he vseth a borrowed speach from wilde beasts who so long as they are sleeping stirre not but beeing awaked they flie in a mans face rend out his throat In like manner the sinnes which thou committest lie at the dore of thine heart though thou feele them not and if thou doe not preuent the daunger by speedie repentance God will make thee to feele them once before thou die and raise vp such terrours in thy conscience that thou shalt thinke thy selfe to be in hell before thou art in hell and therefore it is good for euery man to take heede howe he continues an enemie to Christ. The best course is to
turne betime from our sinnes and become the friends of Christ that so we may escape these fearefull iudgements And whereas Christ in this manner gouernes all things in heauen and earth we are bound to performe vnto him three duties reuerence obedience thankfulnes For the first Paul saith God hath exalted him and giuen him a name aboue all names that at the name of Iesus which name is his exaltation in heauen in full power and glorie should euery knee bowe We dare not so much as speake of an earthly king vnreuerently what reuerence then doe we owe vnto Christ the king of heauen and earth Dauids heart was touched in that he had cut off but the lappe of Sauls garment when he might haue slaine him because he was the Lords annointed Oh then howe much more ought our hearts to be touched if we shall in the least measure dishonour Christ Iesus our Lord and king Secondly we are here taught to performe obedience to him and to do him all the homage we can The master of the familie in all his lawfull commaundements must be obeied now the Church of Christ is a familie therfore we must yeild obedience to him in al things for al his coÌ„mandemeÌ„ts are iust WheÌ„ Saul was chosen king ouer Israel certain men which feared God whose hearts God had touched followed him to Gibea brought him presents but the wicked despised him the same is much more to be verified in vs towarde Christ our Lord. We must haue our hearts touched with desire to performe obedience vnto him if not we are men of Belial that despise him and refuse to bring our presents vnto him If this obedience were put in practise the Gospell would haue better successe in the hearts of the people and the Lords sabbath would be better kept and men would beare greater loue both to God and to their neighbours then now they doe The third dutie which we owe vnto him is thankfulnes for the endlesse care which he sheweth in the gouerning and preseruing of vs. VVhen Dauid waxed old and had made Salomon his sonne king in his stead all the people shouted and cried God saue king Salomon God saue king Salomon so as the earth rang againe Shall the people of Israel thus reioyce at the crowning of Salomon shal not we much more reioyce when as Christ Iesus is placed in heauen at the right hand of his father and hath the euerlasting scepter of his kingdome put into his hand And we are to shew this thankfulnes vnto him by doing any thing in this world that may tend to his honour and glorie though it be with the aduenture of our liues VVhen Dauid desired to drinke of the water of the well of Bethlem three of his mightie men went and brake into the host of the Philistims and brought him water Thus they ventured their liues for Dauids sake and shall not we much more willingly venture our liues to doe Christ seruice in token of thankfulnes for his continuall preseruing of vs Thus much of the highest degree of Christs exaltation in his kingdome now followeth the last point to be beleeued concerning Christ in these words From thenâ—e he shall come to iudge the quicke and the deade And they containe a proofe or a particular declaration of the former article For as on earth those that are set at the right hand of kings doe execute iustice in courts or assises for the maintenance of the state and peace of the kingdome so Christ Iesus sitting at the right hande of his father that is being made soueraigne Lord of all things both in heauen earth is to hold a court or assise in which he shall come to iudge both the quicke and the dead Now in handling the last iudgement we are to consider these points I. whether there shall be a iudgement or not II. the time of it III. the signes therof IV. the manner of it V. the vse which is to be made thereof Of these in order For the first point whether there shall be a iudgement or not the question is needefull for as Saint Peter saith There shall come in the last daies mockers which shall walke after their lusts and say Where is the promise of his comming which daies are now The answeare is set downe in this article in which we professe that the coÌ„ming of Christ to the last iudgement is a point of religion specially to be held and auouched The reasons to prooue it are principally two first the testimonie of God himselfe in the books of the old and new testament which affoard vnto vs plentifull testimonies touching the last iudgement so as he which will but lightly reade the same shall not neede to doubt thereof The second reason is taken from the iustice and goodnes of God the propertie wherof is to punish wicked and vngodly men and to honour and reward the godly but in this world the godly maÌ„ is most of al in misery for iudgement beginneth at Gods house and the vngodly haue their hearts ease Wicked Diues hath the world at will but pore Lazarus is hunger bitten full of soares miserable euery way This being so it remaineth that after this life there must needes be a iudgement and a second comming of Christ when the godly must receiue fulnes of ioy glorie and the vngodly fulnes of woe and miserie This second reason may stoppe the mouthes of all gainesayers in the worlde whatsoeuer But it may be obiected that the whole world stands either of beleeuers or vnbeleeuers and that there is no last iudgement for either of these for the beleeuer as Christ saith hath euerlasting life shal not come into iudgement and the vnbeleeuer is condemned alreadie and therefore needeth no further iudgement Answ. Where it is said he that beleeueth shall not come into iudgement it must be vnderstood of the iudgement of condemnation not the iudgement of absolution he that beleeueth not is condemned alreadie in effect substance three waies I. in the counsel of God who did foresee appoint his condemnation as it is a punishment of sinne and an execution of his iustice II. in the word of God where he hath his condemnation set down III. he is condemned in his own conscience for euery vngodly mans conscience is a iudge vnto himselfe which doth euery houre condemne him and it is a forerunner of the last iudgement And notwithstaÌ„ding all this there may remain a second iudgement which is a manifestatioÌ„ finishing of that which was beguÌ„ in this world therefore the meaning of that place is this he that beleeueth not is alreadie iudged in part but so as the full manifestation thereof shall be at the second comming of Christ. The second circumstance is the time of his iudgement in handling whereof I. we will see what is the iudgement of men II. what is the truth For the first two opinions touching this
time take place The first is that the second comming of Christ shall be about sixe thousand yeares from the beginning of the world that for the elects sake some of these daies must be shortned now since the beginning of the world are passed fiue thousand almost sixe huÌ„dred yeares so as there remaine but foure hundreds The grouÌ„ds of this opinion are these First the testimonie of Elias two thousand yeares before the law two thousand yeares vnder the law and two thousand yeres vnder Christ. And for the elects sake some of these yeares shalbe shortned Answ. This was not the senteÌ„ce of Elias the Thisbite but of another Elias which was a Iew no Prophet And wheras he saith two thousand yeares before the law two thousand yeres vnder the law he faileth From the giuing of the law to the comming of Christ was about one thousand fiue hundred yeares and from the law to the creation aboue two thousand Now if Elias can not set downe a iust number for the time past which a meane man may doe what shall we think that he can doe for the time to come And if he deceiue vs in that which is more easie to finde howe shall wee trust him in things that be harder The second reason is this howe long God was in creating the worlde so long he shall be in gouerning the same but he was sixe daies in creating the worlde and in the seuenth he rested and so proportionally he shall be sixe thousand yeares in gouerning the world euery day answearing to a thousand yeares as Peter saith A thousand yeares are but as one day with God and then shall the ende be Answer This reason likewise hath no ground in Gods word as for that place of Peter the meaning is that innumerable yeares are but as a short time with God and we may as well say two thousand or tenne thousand yeares are but as one day with God For Peter meant not to speake any thing distinctly of a thousand yeares but of a long time Thirdly it is alleadged that within sixe thousand yeares from the creation of the worlde shall appeare in the heauens straunge coniunctions and positions of the starres which signifie nothing else but the subversion of the state of the world nay some haue noted that the ende thereof should haue beene in the yeare of our Lord a thousand fiue hundred eightie eight their writings are manifest but we finde by experience that this opinion is false and friuolous and their groundes be as friuolous For no man can gather by the ordinarie course of the heauens the extraordinarie change of the whole world The second is that the end of the world shall be three yeares and an halfe after the reuealing of Antichrist And it is gathered out of places in Daniel and the Revelation abused Where a time and times and halfâ— a time signifie not three yeares and an halfe but a short time And therefore to take the words properly is farre from the meaning of the holy Ghost For marke if the end shall be three yeares an halfe after the reuealing of Antichrist then may any man knowe before hand the particular moneth wherein the ende of the world should be which is not possiblâ— Now the truth which is to be auouched against all is this that no man can know or set downe or coniecture the day the weeke the moneth the yeare or the age wherein the second comming of Christ and the last day of iudgement shall be For Christ himselfe saith of that day and houre knoweth no man no not the angels in heauen but God onely nay Christ himselfe as he is man knoweth it not And when the disciples asked Christ at his ascensioÌ„ whether he would restore the kingdoÌ„ vnto Israel he answered It is not for you to know the times and seasons which the father hath put in his owne power And Paul saith Of the times and seasons brethren you haue no neede that I write vnto you For you your selues knâ—w perfectly that the day of the Lord shall come euen as a thiefe in the night Now we know thaâ— a man that keepeth his house can not coniecture or imagine when a thiefe will come and therefore no man can set downe the particular time or age when Christ shal come to iudgement This must we hold steadfastly and if wee reade the contrarie in the writings of men we are not to beleeue their sayings but accouÌ„t of them as of the deuices of meÌ„ which haue no ground in Gods word To come to the third point namely the signes of the last iudgement they are of two sorts some goe before the comming of Christ and some are ioyned with it The signes that goe before are in number seuen recorded distinctly by the holy Ghost The first is the preaching of the Gospell through the whole worlde So our Sauiour Christ saith This Gospell of the kingdome must be preached through the whole world for a witnesse vnto all nations and then shall the ende come Which place must thus be vnderstoode not that the Gospell must be preached to the whole world at any one time for that as I take it was neuer yet seene neither shalbe but that it shall be published distinctly and successiuely at seuerall times and thus vnderstanding the words of Christ if we consider the time since the Apostles daies we shall finde this to be true that the Gospell hath bin preached to all the world and therefore this first signe of Christs comming is alreadie past and accomplished The second signe of his comming is the reuealing of Antichrist as Paul saith The day of Christ shall not come before there be a departure first and that man of sinne be disclosed euen the sonne of perdition which is Antichrist Concerning this signe in the yeare of our Lord 602. Gregorie the eight Pope of Rome auouched this solemnly as a manifest 〈◊〉 that whosoeuer did take to him selfe the name of Vniuersall Bishop the same was Antichrist Now fiue yeares after Boniface succeeding him was by Pâ—ocas the Emperour entituled Vniversall Bishop pastor of the Catholicke Church in the yeare of our Lord 607. of all Popes he was the first knowne Antichrist since him all his successours haue taken vnto them the same title of Vniuersall Catholick Bishop whereby it doth plainly appeare that at Rome hath bin and is the Antichrist And this signe is also past The third is a generall departing of most men from the faith For it is said in the place before named Let no man deceiue you for the day of Christ shall not come except there come a departing first Generall departure hath bin in former ages When Arius spied his heresie it tooke such place that the whole world became an Arian And during the space of 900 yeares from the time of Boniface the popish heresie spread it selfe ouer the whole earth and the faithful seruants of
stands in two things the first is to gouerne the Church by such power and authoritie whereby he can and doth prescribe lawes properly binding the consciences of all his members the second is by grace to quicken and put spirituall life into them so as they shall be able to say that they liue not but Christ in them As for the Supremacie of the sea of Rome whereby the Pope will needs stand ministeriall heade to the Catholike Church is a satanicall forgerie For the headshippe as I may tearme it of Christ is of that nature or qualitie that it can admitte no deputie whether wee respect the commaunding or the quickening power of Christ before namâ—d Nay Christ needes no vicar or deputie for hee is all-sufficient in him selfe and alwaies present with his Church as hee him selfe testifieth saying Where tvvo or three are gathered togither in my name there am I in the middest among them And whereas all commissions cease in the presence of him that giues the commission it is as much pride and arrogancie for the Pope to take unto himselfe the title of the heade and universall Bishoppe of the Church as it is for a subiect to keepe him selfe in commission in the presence of his King The seconde rule is that there is no saluation out of the Church and that therefore euerie one which is to be saued must become a member a citizen of the Catholike and Apostolike Church such as remaine for euer out of the same perish eternally Therefore S. Iohn saieth They went out of us they were not of us for if they had beene of vs they woulde have remained with vs but this commeth to passe that it might appeare that they are not all of vs. And againe that such as be holy are in the citie of God but without that is forth of the Church are dogges inchaunters whoremongers adulterers c. And the Arke out of which all perished figured the Church out of which all are condemned And for this cause Saint Luke saieth that the Lorde added to the Church from day to day such as shoulde be saved And the reason hereof is plaine for without Christ there is no saluation but out of the militant Church there is no Christ nor faith in Christ and therefore no saluation Againe foorth of the militant Church there are no meanes of saluation no preaching of the worde no invocation of Gods name no sacraments and therefore no saluation For this cause euery man must be admonished euermore to ioyne himselfe to some particular Church being a sounde member of the Catholike Church The thirde rule is that the Church which here wee beleeue is onely one As Christ himselfe speaketh My dove is alone and my vndefiled is the onely daughter of her mother And as there is onely one God and one Redeemer one faith one baptisme and one way of saluation by Christ onely so there is but one Church alone The Catholicke Church hath two partes the Church Triumphant in heauen and the Church Militant on earth The Triumphant Church may thus be described It is a companie of the spirites of iust men triumphing over the flesh the devill and the vvorlde praising God First I say it is a companie of the spirites of men as the Holy Ghost expressely tearmeth it because the soules onely of the godly departed as of Abraham Isaac Iacob Dauid c. are as yet ascended into heauen and not their bodies Furthermore the properties of this companie are two The first is to make triumph ouer their spirituall enemies the flesh the deuill the worlde for the righteous man so long as he liues in this world is in continuall combâ—te without truce with all these enemies of his saluation and by constant faith obtaining victory in the ende of his life hee is translated in glorious and triumphant manner into the kingdome of glorie This was signified to Iohn in a vision in which hee saw an innumerable company of all sorts of nations kinreds people and tongues stande before the lambe clothed in long vvhite robes with palmes in their handes in token that they haue beene warriours but now by Christ haue gotten the victorie and are made conquerours Their second propertie is to praise and magnifie the name of god as it followeth in the former place saying Amen praise and glorie and vvisedome and thankes honour povver and might be vnto our God for evermore Hence it may be demanded whether Angels be of this triumphant Church or no Ansvvere The blessed Angels be in heauen in the presence of God the father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost but they are not of the mysticall bodie of Christ because they are not under him as he is their Redeemer considering they can not be redeemed which neuer fell and it can not be prooued that they now stande by the vertue of Christs redemption but they are under him as hee is their Lord and King and by the power of Christ as hee is God and their God are they confirmed And therefore as I take it wee can not say that angels are members of the mysticall body of Christ or of the triumphant Church The Church Militant may be thus described It is the company of the elect or faithfull living under the crosse desiring to be remooved and to be with Christ. I say not that the Militant Church is the whole bodie of the elect but only that part thereof which liueth upon earth and the infallible marke thereof is that faith in Christ which is taught and deliuered in the writings of the Prophets and Apostles and this faith againe may be discerned by two markes The first is that the members of this companie liue vnder the crosse and profite by it in all spirituall grace And therefore it is saide that we must through many afflictions enter into the kingdome of heaven And our Sauiour Christ saieth If any man will come after me let him deny himselfe and take vp his crosse every day and follow me The second marke is a desire to depart hence and to be with Christ as Paul saith Wee love rather to be removed out of this body and to be with Christ. And againe I desire to be loosed and to be with Christ which is best of all Where yet we must remember that the members of Christ doe not desire death simply and absolutely but in two respectes I. that they might leaue off to sinne and by sinning leaue to displease God II. That they might come to enioy happinesse in heauen and to be with Christ. Touching the generall estate of the Militant Church two questions are to be considered The first how farre forth God is present with it assisting it by his grace Answere God giues his spirit unto it in such a measure that although the gates of hell cannot preuaile against it yet neuerthelesse it remaines still subiect to errour both in doctrine and manners For that which
or fellowship with God himself as Christ in his solemne praier to his father a litle before his death signifieth I pray not for these alone but for them also which shall beleeue in me through thy word that they all may be one as thou O father art in me I in thee euen that they may be one also in vs. And when Saint Iohn in the Revelation saith Behold the tabernacle of God is with men he will dwell with them and they shal be his people and God himselfe shall be there God with them he sheweth that the very foundation of that happines which God hath prepared for his seruaÌ„ts stands in a societie between God theÌ„ whereby God shall dwell with them in heauen and they againe shall there inioy his glorious presence Touching this Communion three points must be considered The first is in what order men shall haue fellowship with God Ans. This coÌ„munion shalbe first of al with Christ as he is man and by reason that the manhood of Christ is personally vnited to the Godhead of the sonne it shall also be with Christ as he is God and consequently with the father the H. Ghost The reason of this order is because Christ though he be the author and the fountaine of eternall life as he is God yet he conuaies the same vnto vs onely in by his flesh or manhood Yet must we not here thinke that life proceedeth from the manhood it selfe as from a cause efficient for the flesh quickneth not by any vertue froÌ„ it selfe but by the Word to which it is personally vnited it beeing as it were a pipe eternally to convaie life from the the Godhead vnto vs. The second point is in what thing this communion consisteth Ans. S. Paul openeth this point to the very full when he saith that after Christ hath subdued all things vnto him then God shall be all in all that is God himselfe immediately shalbe all good things that heart can wish to all the Elect. But some men may say What is not God all in all vnto vs euen in this life for whatsoeuer good things we haue they are all from him Answ. It is true indeed God is all in all euen in this life but how not immediately but by outwarde meanes and that also in small measure For he conuaies his goodnes mercie vnto vs so long as we liue on earth partly by his creatures and partly by his word and sacraments but after this life is ended all helps and outward meanes shall cease Christ shall giue vp his kingdom and as he is Mediatour shal cease to put in exequution the office of a Priest a Prophet or a King all authoritie and power shalbe abolished and therefore all callings in the three maine estates of the Church the Common-wealth the familie shal haue an end there shalbe no more Magistrate and subiect Pastor people Master and seruant father and sonne husband and wife there shalbe no more vse of meat drinke clothing respiration physick sleepe and yet for all this the condition of men shalbe many thousand fold more blessed then euer it was For the Godhead in the Trinitie immediatly without all meanes shalbe all things to all the chosen people of God in the kingdome of heauen world without end This may seeme straunge to mans reason but it is the very flat truth of the worde of God Saint Iohn in the description of the heauenly Hierusalem saith that there shall be no Temple in it Why how then shall God be worshipped marke what followeth the Lorde God almightie and the Lambe are the temple of it VVhereby is signified that although now we vse the preaching of the word and the administration of the sacraments as meanes of our fellowship with God yet when this life is ended they must all cease God and Christ being instead of all these meanes vnto vs. And he addes further The citie hath no neede of the sunne neither of the moone to shine in it What then will some say must there be nothing but darknes Not so For the glorie of God doth lighten it and the Lambe is the light of it Againe he saith that in the Paradise of God there is the riuer of water of life and the tree of life bearing fruit euery moneth and that is Christ. And therefore we shall haue no neede of meat drinke apparell sleepe c. but Christ himselfe our head and redeemer shalbe in stead of them all vnto vs on whome all the Elect shall feede and by whome both in bodie and soule they shall be preserued euermore If a man would haue glorie the Father Sonne and holy Ghost shall be his glorie if a man desire wealth and pleasure God himselfe shall be wealth and pleasure vnto him and whatsoeuer else the heart of man can wish Hence it appeares that this communion is most admirable and that no toÌ„gue can tell nor heart conceiue the least part of it The third point is touching the benefits or prerogatiues that proceede of this communion and they are in number sixe The first is an absolute freedome from all wants In the minde there shall be no ignorance no vnbeliefe no distrust in God no ambition no enuie anger nor carnall lust nor terrour in conscience or corrupt affectioÌ„ In the bodie there shalbe no soare no sicknes nor paine for God shall wipe away all teares from their eyes nay then all defects or wants in bodie or soule or in both shalbe supplied and the whole man made perfect euery way The second is perfect knowledge of God In this life the Church al the seruants of God know him but in part Moses would haue seene Gods face but he was permitted to see only his hinder parts as Paul saith now we know in part and darkely as through a glasse In this life wee can â—o otherwise discerne but as an old maÌ„ through spectacles and the creatures but specially the word of God the sacraments are the spectacles of our mind wherin we behold his iustice mercie loue c. without theÌ„ we can discerne little or nothing yet after this life when that which is perfect is come and that which is imperfect is abolished we shall see God as he is to be seene not as through a glasse but face to face and we shall know him as we are knowne of his maiestie so farre forth as possibly a creature may God in deede is infinite and therefore the full knowledge of his maiestie can no more be comprehended by the vnderstanding of a creature which is finite then the sea by a spoone yet neuerthelesse God shall be knowne euery way of man so farre forth as a creature may knowe the Creator Now vpon this that the Elect haue such fulnes of knowledge it may be demanded whether men shal know one an other after this life or no. Ansvveare This question is oftener mooued by such as are ignorant
Considering we looke for life euerlasting after this life we must not deceiue our selues lingring and deferring the time till the last gaspe but wee must lay the foundation of life eternall in our selues in this worlde and haue the earnest thereof laide vp in our hearts against the day of death But how is that done wee must repent vs heartily of all our sinnes and seeke to be assured in conscience that God the father of Christ is our father God the sonne our redeemer and God the holy Ghost our comforter For as Christ saith this is life eternall to knowe thee the onely God and whome thou hast sent Iesus Christ. And wee must goe further yet endeauouring to say with Paul that we liue not but that Christ liueth in vs which when wee can say wee haue in vs the very seede of eternall life The second degree is in the ende of this life when the bodie freed from all diseases paines and miseries is laid to rest in the earth and the soule is receiued into heauen The third is aftâ—r the day of iudgement when bodie and soule revnited shall both be aduanced to eternall glorie Againe in this thirde degree of life there be in all likelihood sundrie degrees of glorie Daniel speaking of the estate of the elect after this life saieth They that be wise shall shine as the brightnesse of the firmament and they that turne many to righteousnesse shall shine as the starres for evermore Now wee knowe there is difference betweene the brightnesse of the firmament and the brightnesse of the starres Agane there be degrees of torments in hell as aâ—peares by the saying of Christ It shall be easier for Tyrus and Sydon in that day then for this generation and therefore there be proportionall degrees of glorie And Paul saieth There is one glory of the Sunne another glory of the moone another glory of the Stars for one starre differeth from another in glory so is the resurrection of the dead In which words he applies the differences of excellencie that be in the creatures to set forth the differences of glorie that shall be in mens bodies after the resurrection Furthermore if we may coniecture it may be the degrees of glorie shall be answerable to the diuers measures of giftes and graces bestowed on men in this life and according to the imployance of them to the glorie of God and edification of the Church And therefore the twelue Apostles who were exceedingly enriched with the giftes of the spirite and were master-builders of the Church of the new Testament shall sit on 12. thrones and iudge the twelue tribes of Israel But it may be obiected that if there be degrees of glorie in heauen some shall want glory Ansvvere Not so though some haue more and some lesse yet all shall haue sufficient Take sundry vessels whereof some are bigger and some lesse and cast them all into the sea some will receiue more water and some lesse and yet all shall be full and no want in any and so likewise among the saintes of God in heauen some shall haue more glorie some lesse and yet all without exception full of glorie And whereas it is alledged that all the labourers in the vineyarde receiue each of them a pennie equallie for their hire the answere is that our Sauiour Christ in that parable intendes not to set foorth the equalitie of celestiall glorie and what shall be the estate of the godly after this life but the verie drifte of the parable is to shew that they which are called first haue no cause to bragge or insulte ouer others which as yet are uncalled considering they may be made equall or be preferred before them Thus much of life it selfe now followes the continuance thereof which the scriptures haue noted in calling it eternall or euerlasting And to this ende Paul saieth that Christ hath abolished death and brought not onely life but also immortalitie to light by the gospell And this verie circumstance serues greatly to commende the happinesse of the godly in that after they haue made an entrance into it they shal neuer see terme of time or end Suppose the whol world were a sea and that euery thousand yeeres expired a bird must carrie away or drinke up one onely drop of it in processe of time it will come to passe that this sea though verie huge shall be dried up but yet many thousand millions of yeres must be passed before this can be done Now if a man should enioy happinesse in heauen onely for the space of time in which the sea is in drying up he woulde thinke his case most happie and blessed but behold the elect shall enioy the kingdome of heauen not only for that time but when it is ended they shall enioy it as long againe and when all is done they shall be as farre from the ending of this their ioy as they were at the beginning Hauing thus seene what life euerlasting is let us now come to the use of the article And first of all if wee beleeue that there is an eternall happinesse and that the same belonges unto us then wee must use this present world and all the things therin as though we used them not and whatsoeuer wee doe in this worlde yet the eyes of our mindes must be alwaies cast toward the blessed estate prepared for us in heauen As a pilgrime in a straunge lande hath alwaies his eyes towarde his iourneyes ende and is then grieued when by any meanes hee is out of the way so much wee alwaies haue our mindes and heartes set on euerlasting life and be grieued when wee are by any way hindred in the strait way that leadeth thereunto wee haue a notable patterne of this dutie set out unto us in the patriarke Abraham who beeing called of God obeyed to goe out into a place which hee shoulde afterward receiue for inheritance and hee went out not knowing whither hee went and by faith aboade in the lande of Canaan as in a straunge cuntrey and as one that dvvelt in tentes Now the cause that mooued him was life euerlasting for the text saith Hee looked for a citie having a foundation whose builder and maker is God And wee ought euerie one of us for our partes to be like affected to all the things of this life neuer setting our hearts upon them but using them as a pilgrime doth his staffe in the way so long as it is an helpe and stay for him in his iourney hee is content to carrie it in his hande but so soone as it beginneth to trouble him he casteth it away Secondly all that professe the Gospell of Christ may hence learne to beare the crosses and afflictions which God shall lay on them in this worlde It is Gods usuall manner to begin corrections in his owne family upon his owne children and as Peter saieth Iudgement beginneth at Gods house Looke as a mother that waines her
childe layeth wormewoode or some other bitter thing vpon her brest to make the childe loathe the milke so likewise God makes vs often feele the miseries and crosses of this life that our loue and liking might be turned from this worlde and fixed in heauen As raw flesh is loathsome to the stomacke so is euerie sinner and unmortified man loathsome unto God till the Lorde by afflictions mortifie in him the corruptions of his nature and specially the loue of this worlde But when a man is afflicted how shall hee be able to endure the crosse Surely by resoluing himselfe that the Lorde hath prepared life euerlasting for him Thus wee reade that Moses by faith when he was come to age refused to be called the sonne of Pharaohs ' daughter and choosed rather to suffer adversitie vvith the people of God then to enioy the pleasures of sinne for a season esteeming the rebuke of Christ greater riches then the treasures of Egypt But I pray you what mooued Moses to be of this minde The reason is added Because he had respect to the recompence of reward that is he had alwaies a speciall regard to life euerlasting that was it that made him content and willing to suffer affliction with Gods people in the land of Goshen Here then behold a notable president for us to follow In which wee are taught that the best way to indure afflictions with patience is to haue an eye to the recompence of reward this is it that makes the yoke of Christ easie and lightsome When it shall please God to bring unto us a cup of affliction and bid us drinke a draught thereof to the verie bottom the meditation of life eternall must be as sugar in our pockets to sweeten the cup withall Lastly if this be true that God of his goodnesse endlesse mercie towardes mankind hath prepared life euerlasting yet not for all men but for the elect whose names are written in the booke of life we must aboue all thinges in this world seeke to be partakers of the same Let us receiue this as from the Lorde and lay it to our hearts whatsoeuer we doe euening or morning day or night whether we be young or old rich or poore first we must seeke for the kingdome of heauen and his righteousnesse If this benefit were common to all and not proper to the Church lesse care might be had but seeing it is proper to some alone for this verie cause let all our studies be to obtaine the beginnings of life euerlasting euen in this life For if we haue it not whosoeuer wee be it had bene better for us that we had neuer bene borne or that we had bene borne dogges and toades then men for when they die there is an end of their miserie but man if hee loose everlasting happinesse hath ten thousand millions of yeeres to liue in miserie and in the torments of hell and when that time is ended hee is as farre from the ende of his miserie as hee was at the beginning Wherefore I pray you let not the deuill steale this meditation out of your hearts but be carefull to repent of all your sinnes and to beleeue in Christ for the pardon of them all that by this meanes yee may come to haue the pawne and earnest of the spirite concerning life euerlasting euen in this world What a miserable thing is it that men should liue long in this world and not so much as dreame of another life till the last gaspe But we must not suffer satan thus to abuse and bewitch vs for if we haue not eternall life in this world we shall neuer haue it Hitherto by Gods goodnesse I haue shewed the meaning of the Creede now to drawe to a conclusion the generall vses which are to be made of it follow And first of all we learne by it that the Church of Rome hath no cause to condemne us for heretikes for we doe truly hold and beleeue the whole Apostolicall Symbole or Creed which is an epitome of the scriptures and the verie keie of faith It will be said that we denie the Popes supremacie iustification by workes purgatorie the sacrifice of the Masse for the sinnes of the quicke and the dead the invocation and intercession of saintes c. which are the greatest pointes of religion It is true indeed we denie and renounce them as doctrines of deuils perswading our selues that if they indeed had beene Apostolicall and the verie grounds and pillars of religion as they are now auouched to be they should in no wise haue bin left forth of the Creed For it is an ouersight in making a confession of faith to omit the principall points and rules of faith It will be further saide that in the Creed we beleeue the Church so consequētly are to beleeue all these former points which are taught and avouched by the Church but this defence is foolish For it takes this for graunted that the Church of Rome is the Church here ment which we denie unlesse they can proue a particular Church to be vniversall or Catholicke Nay I adde further that the principall grounds of popish faith for which they contend with us as for life and death are not mentioned in any other Creedes which were made by the Churches councels for many hundred yeres after Christ. Secondly the Creed serues as a storehouse of remedies against all troubles temptations whatsoeuer I. If a man be grieued for the losse of earthly riches let him consider that he beleeues God to be his Creatour who will therfore guide and preserue his owne workemanship by his prouidēce minister all things needfull unto it And that he hath not lost the principall blessing of all in that he hath God to be his father Christ to be his redeemer the H. ghost to be his comforter and that considering he lookes for life eternall he is not to be ouermuch carefull for this life that Christ being our Lord will not forsake us being the seruāts in his own house but will prouide things needfull for us II. If any man be grieued in respect of outward disgrace and contempt let him remember that he beleeues in Christ crucified and that therefore hee is to reioyce in contempt for righteousnesse sake III. They which are troubled for the decease of friends are to comfort themselues in the cōmunion of saints and that they haue God the father Christ and the holy ghost for their friends IIII. Against bodily captivitie let men consider that they beleeue in Christ their Lord whose seruice is perfect libertie V. Against the feare of bodily diseases we must remember the resurrection of the bodie in which all diseases and infirmities shalbe abolished VI. If a man feare the death of the body let him consider that hee beleeues in Christ which died vpon the crosse who by death hath vanquished death VII The feare of persecution is restrained if we call to remembrance