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B00819
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Five godlie sermons, preached by R.T. Bachiler of diuinitie. 1. The charge of the cleargie. 2. The crowne of Christians. 3. The annointment of Christ, or Christian ointment. 4. A festiuall sermon vpon the Natiuitie of Christ. 5. The fruits of hypocrisie..; Five godlie and learned sermons
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Tyrer, Ralph, d. 1627.
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1602
(1602)
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STC 24475.5; ESTC S106205
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127,399
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317
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fables as shadowes of some other truth as that these mortall creatures supposed Gods and Idolles of the Gentles were in a manner conuerted into such brute beasts by their vncleane actions Againe we finde in the holy scriptures that Satan transformed him selfe in to an Angell of light 2. Cor. 11.13 that the true Angels of God haue oftentimes takeÌ„ vnto them the shapes forms of men in which they haue appeared when they haue beene sente from Heauen downe into the earth and whereby they haue not only spoken vnto men but also eaten and druncken with men Yea we shall reade in the ould Testament and new in manie places that the Lord God himselfe appeareth vnto his saints and seruants in diuers semblances and fashions but especially in the forme of fire As when he appeared vnto Moises in the flame of a firie bush Exo. 3. Vnto the Children of Israell when he led them throughe the wildernesse in a Pillour of fire Exod. 13. and vnto the disciples and Apostles when the Holy Ghost descended in the shape of fire clouen tounges whervpon Austin vseth these words Hoc enim ele mentum est magnum sacramentum De Symb ad Catech lib. 3. cap. 9. As also the Lord some times to haue shewed himselfe in other formes as God the Father in the shape of a man when he came to Abraham sitting at the Oake of Mamre Gen. 18. And God the Holy ghost in the forme of a Doue when he appeared to Iohn Baptist after Christs baptisme Math. 3. But none of these before mentioned did keepe those shapes and seÌ„blances which they tooke or seemed to take vpon them but forsooke them immediately after they had perfourmed what they would by that meanes But our Sauiour Christ Iesus wheÌ„ he was thus manifested in our flesh he tooke it not vpoÌ„ him for a time but perpetually euen to be our eternall mediatour both God and man world without end and to continewe a preist for euer after the order of Melchesidecke And here we are to note how properly the Apostle writeth when he here setteth downe that God was manifested in the fleash and not the Godhead speaking as the logitians say in the contract but not in the Abstract being true in the one as appeareth but not in the other as in the Contract because it containeth in it the whole person of Christ consisting of both natures but not in the Abstract for that it considereth the seuerall nature of his diuinitie only which in noe wise can be manifested in the fleash nor be confounded with his humanitie vnlesse we will runne into Eutiches errour and thinke that his manhood was not taken only but also absorpt and consuÌ„pt of his Godhead which is a foule Heresie so that it appeareth euidently what maner of manifestation this was Now therefore only in a word or two lette vs speake of the forme it selfe into which god is here said to be manifested so to passe on to the nexte branche of this misterie because we haue dwelt verie loÌ„g in this alreadie which forme is here said to be in the fleash that is in humaine nature As that which was immortall inuisible incomprehensible and infinite should take vnto it a kind of nature which was mortal uisible comprehensible and finite yea which might be seene touched and handled and like vnto vs in all respects sinne only excepted not by conuerting the Godhead in to manhood but by conioyning the humaine nature to the diuine vniting them both in one person of Christ our mediatour euen as Iohn 1.1 witnesseth that which we haue hard that which we haue seen which we haue looked vpon our hands haue handled of the word of life neither tooke he any other fourme either of any Creature vpon the earth or of any power in heaueÌ„ noe not of any Angell but of the seede of Abraham onely Heb. 2.16 And why because as the Apostle in the same chapter rendreth the Reason for as much as the children were partakers of flesh bloud he also himselfe tooke likewise parte with them Vers 14 Here then flesh is not taken for the naturall vitiousnesse of mans corruption as it is often times taken in the scriptures especially in the Epistle to the Romanes for the vnregenerate parte of man contrarie vnto the spirit for then should our Sauiour Christ be subiect vnto sinne as we are which were blasphemie to affirme but for the whole naturall and true essence and substance of a mortal man both of reasonable soule and of humaine fleash subsisting and not of body only least we fall into the Erronious opinion of the Apollinarists And thus much of this maine branche of this greate misterie now of the nexte Iustified in the spirite As this is an annexioÌ„ vnto the words going before so is it an amplification of the former misterie as if the Apostle Paule had said although Christ the sonne of God and God himselfe was manifested in the fleash as he hath set downe more at large Phil. 2. Yet did th◠〈◊〉 most glorious shine and signe of diuine power and Godhead manifestly appeare and shew fourth it selfe which here is called spirit as the same is expressed more plainely First by our Apostle Romans 1.4 when he saieth that he was declared mightily to be the son of god touching the spirit of sanctification by the resurrection from the deade as being one notable and notorious action of his supernaturall vertue Secondly by Peter 1.3.18 by an other semblable acte euen the worthy worke of his passion As that he was put to death according to the fleash but was quickned in the spirit And thirdly Iohn 1.14 that the word became fleash and dwelt amongest vs and we sawe the glorie thereof as the glorie of the only begotten sonne of the father full of grace and truth So that to iustifie in this place is not to make or pronounce one Righteous or iust which is not so indeede as this word is taken Luke 16.15 in those words of our Sauiour vnto the Pharisies Ye are they which Iustifie your selues before men but God knoweth your harts c. And Luke 18.14 in that conclusion of the parable and difinitiue sentence of our sauiour between the Pharisie and the publican wheÌ„ he saith that the one departed â—oÌ„ rather Iustified theÌ„ the other And finally as it is taken so often in the Epistle to the Romans where our Apostle handleth that cheife pointe of our Religion euen our Iustification but especially Chap. 3.28 In those words Therfore we coÌ„clude that a man is iustified by faith without the workes of the lawe But this word here signifieth to approue shewe forth or declare a man to be such an one by certaine signes and sure tokens by infallible Arguments and euident demonstrations such as cannot be refelled or refuted As Psal 51. in those words of the Prophet Dauid Against thee alone O Lord haue I sinned and done this euill in thy sight that thou mightest be iustified
if any part of his humanitie and manhood then his soule onely and not this body which they affirme to be resolued into the foure Elements and therfore not this Scripture nor no part thereof to be without controuersie It may be answered that as Paul himselfe that wrote this was the faithfull seruant of God and as Timothy to whom this was written was likewise a faithfull Pastour of the Church euen so that the Apostle doth auerre and auouch this in the person and behalfe of al the faithfull the children of God the members of Christ the conuerts to the Gospell the numberof the elect the professors of the truth the beleeuing brethren as otherwise not regarding and neglecting the crooked and corrupt iudgment of the world and the contrarie opinion of the faithlesse which are alients and strangers from the commonwealth of Israell as being without God in Christ Iesus who by reason of their ignorance doe dwell in darkenesse blunder in blindnesse and grope as it were at noone day which neither care to learne nor can beleeue because of their disobedience and therefore casting them off as it were in a reprobate sence For according to the Philosopher There is no reasoning with them that denie the principles of Arte so there is no teaching of them that gainsay the Articles of our faith But as hee also saieth concerning the humane sciences Oportet addiscentem credere that is He that will learne he must beleeue So in the principles or fundamentall points of true religion it is first requisite and necessarie that a Christian man bee fully resolued that they are true before he be instructed in them And so no doubt are all the good and the godly the elect and the faithfull thoroughtly perswaded of the whole Scripture of God giuen by diuine inspiration that it is most certaine and true and euerie part and parcell thereof and therefore do giue their assent and consent thereunto not onely with their heart beleeuing it but with their mouth confessing it with boldnesse professing it with zeale protesting it and finally with their liues witnessing it becomming not onely belecuers but also confessors and Martyrs of the same So that our Apostle Paul might say safely and soothly writing vnto such in way of preface to prepare them to attention and intention and without all contenrion and to put them in minde of that wherein they before had been instructed and informed Without contrcuersie as being a matter aboue opinion without preiudice and past all peraduenture as containing nothing els in it but demonstrations in Diuinitie And thus much of the Preface or preparatiue of the Apostle Now of the matter or misterie it selfe in the next words Great is the misterie of Godlinesse In these words it contained the second part of this text Misterie of Godlinesse euen a short summarie sound and absolute definition of true religion and the doctrine of the Gospel comprised in the whole new Testament here called of the Apostle Godlinesse as he tearmeth it in the last words of the former verse Truth being both one as he likewise calleth it often by the same name euen in this Epistle to go no further As in the chap. following 4.7 Cast away prophane and olde wiues fables and exercise thy selfe vnto Godlinesse And againe in the 8. verse next after Bodily exercise profiteth little but godlinesse is profitable to all things c. And thirdly Chap. 6.6 Godlinesse is great gaine c. In all which places marke a threefold notable comparison and opposition First betweene the vanitie of prophane fables and the veritie of syncere Godlinesse in respect of the matter they both containe Secondly betweene the profit of the one and of the other the one little the other great the one to a few things the other to all things as also of the promise the one of the life present the other of the world to come in regard of the effects that followe them both But especially in the third place where it is secondly called and accounted great here a great misterie there a great gaine conferring and preferring it before all earthly gaine as being the chiefest good thing in this world because it is without contention and with contentment As in comparison whereof al wealth here on earth is but pouertie all lucre losse all aduantage dammage and this in respect of the reward that belongeth vnto them both Being all one indeede with that pure religion and vndefiled before God euen the Father which Iames describeth 1.17 to consist in visiting the fatherlesse and widowes in their aduersitie and to keepe a mans selfe vnspotted of the world but with this difference that Iames speaketh there of the practise and Paul here of the contemplation the one of the vse and the other of the knowledge he of the doctrine therein comprised our Apostle of the life therein commended And here tearmed Godlinesse as it is oftentimes in the Scripture for three reasons As first in respect of the cause from whence it comes which is God from whom euerie good and perfect gift proceedeth and therefore this most heauenly grace much more of all the rest for otherwise of our selues how can we attaine vnto so diuine a blessing being all such fooles as the Psalmist 14.1 describeth which say in their hearts howsoeuer otherwise we speak with our mouths That there is no God And those wicked ones which the same Prophet mentioneth which haue not God in all our thoughts Finally those vngodly persons which Dauid likewise inueigheth against which haue no feare of God before our eies except the Lord of his great goodnesse powre his spirit plant his feare roote his faith and engraft his grace in vs. For although we haue three sorts of preachers 3. sorts of preachers which doe nothing els but preach proclaime God vnto vs. As first Nature Nature which is the vnwritten law of God in our hearts euen our owne consciences which cannot but confesse and acknowledge euen by naturall instinct onely that there is a GOD and that one and alone true God of which the blessed Apostle Saint Paul Romans the 2.15 which was the first and generall Preacher vnto all mankinde The second preacher is the whole world and all the workes that are therein The world which first offer and proffer themselues vnto our eies to view and see as in a looking glasse the most mightie maker and creator of them and secondly vnto our hearts to giue vs to vnderstand and pereeiue that there is some excellent workeman and founder of this goodly Theater and Royall Exchange and finally to teach and tell vs that he that framed and fashioned all these things was God himselfe Of which second preaching Dauid Psal 19.1 The heauens declare the glorie of God and the firmament sheweth foorth his handy-worke And of which Paul Act. 14.17 when he saith God left not himselfe without witnesse And againe Rom. 1.19 and 20. when he more fully saith