Rursus labefacta cadebat religio then hee thought it could not bee that there should bee any God because he cared not as he thought for the righteous people Euen so I must needes confesse that when I consider the sincerity of that Religion which wee teach the summe of it plainely expressed in the Scriptures and the end of it tending onely to the glory of God I doe assure my selfe that we haue amongst vs the very Truth of God but on the other side when I consider Quomodo commutauerunt veritatem Dei in mendacium How many of vs doe change this Truth of God into a lye when they doe liue cleane contrary to what they Professe and some of the best of vs euen of the Teachers of this Truth doe leade our liues not onely as they doe whom we daily condemne for such intollerable corruptions vnbeseeming Christians but also in many things as Pagans who know not God It makes me often muse and Nicodemus-like to aske how can these things be John 3. to haue the Truth amongst vs and yet to haue such pleasure in vanity and to seeke after leasing Psal 4. For our Sauiour prayeth for his seruants that God would sanctifie them through the Truth Iohn 17.17 and yet behold the fruits of our Sanctification It was said of old Mos est praelatis praebendas non dare gratis ô Monachi vestri stomachi sunt amphora Bacchi vos estis Deus est testis turpissima pestis Sed bene nummatis aut corum sanguine natis And now the world saith of some of vs Wee sell our Churches we purchase Lands we raise our sonnes to worldly honours we suppresse whom we lift though neuer so good we raise our friends though neuer so bad and what not What should I say any more what say they can Rome doe more or what more doe we then the Heathens doe or as our Sauiour saith Doe not the Publicans and Sinners euen the same and if these things be done in a greene tree If this be the life of vs that are as the light of the world what shall we say of others which by Profession are lay secular men I take God to witnesse before whom I stand and by whom I shall be iudged that I haue admired and often grieued at my heart not onely to heare what perhaps the aduersaries of the Truth or some lewd dissolute men that neither loue God nor his Ministers but are euer ready to speake the worst of all for the offence of few might falsely say against vs but also to see how dissolute how worldly and how conformable to the world boone companions fashionable to all Companies a great many of vs doe liue Nec Iouis imperium nec Phlegetonta timent And therefore I wonder not that the simple are brought to their nonplus to see Truth and Wickednesse thus linked together in the same persons Rom. 1.18 But when I consider what the Apostle saith that the Gentiles did hold the Truth in vnrighteousnesse I must needs acknowledge that wicked men may haue the theoricke knowledge of the Truth and teach this Truth vnto others and yet be castawayes themselues for so our Sauiour saith that many shall come in the last day and say Lord open vnto vs for we haue prophesied in thy Name and done many great workes through thy Name to whom the Lord shall answer I know you not depart from me you workers of iniquity Rom. 3.3 Besides as the Apostle saith of the Iewes What if some did not beleeue shall their vnbeliefe make the faith of God without effect God forbid c. 10.16 or what If all did not obey the Gospell or that some of the branches be broken off Shall this hinder the saluation of the rest God forbid So I may say of vs What if some of vs what if many of vs euen the best of vs should be as the world saith we are should that preiudice the rest and especially the Truth of God God forbid I hope I may boldly say it that the world cannot say nor any man in the world deny it vnlesse he putteth on the face of the father of lies but as we haue had many Reuerend and faithfull Bishops many graue and painfull Preachers that haue spent their strength in the expressing and sacrificed their deerest bloud in defending this Truth so wee haue still many worthy and godly Bishops and many holy and heauenly Ministers Parcite paucorum diffundere crimē in omnes Spectetur meritis quilibet apte suis that doe most vprightly walke in the Truth of God and shall these be condemned and reproached for the offence of others Shall all be blamed for the offence of few No God forbid let euery horse beare his owne burthen for euery man shall be iudged according to his owne workes And therefore though as in the field of Gods Church there are Tares as well as Wheat so in our Priestly dignity there are many amongst vs that are not of vs of whom I vnderstand what I said before that are like Statuae Mercuriales which shew the way to others but walke not one steppe themselues or like those skilfull Cookes that dresse good meate for others but taste not a bit thereof themselues or rather that feed not the flocke at all but feed themselues vpon the flocke of Christ and gather wealth to themselues in steed of gayning soules to God yet let GOD be true and euery man a lyar and let not the wicked life of some men scandalize this eternall Truth of God we haue it now amongst vs It was purchased by paines preserued by blood and most gloriously continued to this very day and I doe assure my selfe that as there were seauen thousand men in Israel which bowed not their knees to Baal 1 Kings 19.18 so there be many thousands of men in England that if they wanted Inke to defend that Diuine Truth which we doe Professe would maintaine the same with their deerest blood and I boldly set it downe that if Satan should be let loose to persecute the Saints of God I doe vnfainedly wish my burning bones might first giue light vnto all them that desire to walke in this Truth But we haue more cause to pray to God to defend the Defendor of this Truth not onely by his Royall Authority whereby wee doe inioy this Truth in a blessed peace but also by his owne Diuine Penne and industry whereby he shewed himselfe Esse quod est to be of the Truth indeed rather then any wayes in the least manner to feare or suspect the disturbance of the same for God who is abundant in Truth will preserue his owne Truth for euermore And therefore seeing that though some of vs be wicked yea though all of vs should be wicked and depriue our selues of happinesse which I hope our greatest enemies will not dare to say yet doth not that make the Truth of God of none effect Let vs be Gens
aegroti quantum ad iustitiam Dei In regard of the state of the patient to free him from sinne and to satisfie the Iustice of God For it behoued the Mediator betweene God and man Ne in vtroque deo similis longe esset ab homine aut in vtroque homini similis longe esset à Deo to haue something like vnto GOD and to haue something like vnto man lest that in all things being like vnto man hee might be so too farre from God or being in all things like vnto God hee might be so too farre from man and therefore Christ betwixt sinfull mortall men and the iust immortall God did appeare a mortall man with men and a iust God with God 1 Tim 2.5 and so the Mediator betwixt God and men was God and man Christ Iesus and fitly too saith Saint Augustine Quia ille congruè satisfacit qui potest debet Because that is most agreeable to reason that he should make satisfaction Two speciall reasons why Christ was made man which ought and can satisfie but we know that none ought to doe it but man and none can doe it but God and therefore God was contented to be made man and that for these two especiall reasons First to shew the greatnesse of his Loue to man First to shew the greatnesse of his loue for hee had seemed to haue loued vs the lesse if he had done lesse for vs but now Quid tam pietate plenum quam filium Dei pro nobis factum esse faenum What can more commend the loue of God to man then to see the word God made flesh for man Iohn 3.16 and therefore the Euangelist to shew the greatnesse of Gods loue to mankinde saith God so loued the world that he gaue his onely begotten Sonne that is to bee incarnate to be made flesh and to suffer death that whosoeuer beleeueth in him should not perish but haue euerlasting life Secondly to erect our hope that was already deiected Secondly to erect the hope and to strengthen the faith of man and to strengthen our faith which was alwayes wauering for wee saw two things that were to be done for man and yet could not be done by any man but such a one as should be God and Man The first was a remoueall of that great euill which suppressed vs. The second was a restoring of that great good that we were depriued of First Magnitude mali The euill that oppressed all men was foure-fold the greatnesse of that euill which suppressed euery man and could not be taken away by any man consisted in foure things 1. The waight of sinne 2. The height of Gods wrath 3. The power of death 4. The tyranny of the diuell And these could not be abolished by any creature but onely by him that created all creatures and can worke all things mightily according to the purpose of his owne will Secondly Magnitudo boni The good that man lost was two-fold the greatnesse of that good which was taken away from all men and could be restored by no man consisted in two things 1. The repairing of Gods image here in this life 2. The enioying of the blessed vision of God in the next life For none could restore the image of God to man but hee that was the liuing image of God Heb. 1.3 and the ingrauen forme of his person and the Kingdome of Heauen none could giue but God that giues it to all that loue him and therefore to take away the euill which we had deserued and to restore vnto vs that good whereof we were depriued God himselfe that made vs was contented to redeeme vs by taking our flesh vpon him Vt natura offendens satisfaceret That the nature offending might make satisfaction and because satisfaction could not be made without bloud for without bloud there is no remission Heb. 9.22 saith the Apostle he was made flesh that he might die and shed his bloud for vs Aug. serm 101. de tempore Vt iniusta mors iustam vinceret mortem liberaret nos iustè dum pro nobis occiditur iniustè That so his vniustly inflicted death might ouercome our iustly deserued death and might most rightly free and deliuer vs because he was most wrongfully slaine for vs as Saint Augustine speaketh Quest 2 Secondly It will be demaunded why the word that is the Sonne should be incarnate and made flesh rather then the Father or the Holy Ghost Resp Why the Son rather then the Father or the Holy Ghost was made man Saint Augustine thinketh that the cause pertained more specially vnto the Sonne then to the Father or to the Holy Ghost for that the Diuell attempted to vsurpe the dignitie and authority of the Sonne of God saying in his heart that he would be like vnto the most highest that is the image of the Father and sought to intrude himselfe into his glory to be the Prince of this world and the Head of euery creature which things were onely proper vnto the Sonne of God and therfore it behoued the Sonne to come into the world to ouercome the Diuell that would haue wronged him and all other men that were to be members of him But we finde many other reasons to shew why the Word was made flesh rather then the Father or the Holy Ghost As First because it is the office of the Word to declare the minde of God First because the Incarnation of God was made for the manifestation of God but we declare and manifest things by words and Christ is the word of the Father the wisedome the knowledge and the interpreter of his Fathers will euen as our word is the interpreter of our minde as Origen and Clemens Alexandrinus doe declare and therefore the word was rightly incarnate that God in him might be seene and heard and vnderstood of vs according to that saying of the Euangelist that which wee haue heard and seene 1 Iohn 1.1 and our hands haue handled of the word of life that declare we vnto you For as he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word in respect of his person which is a name of relation vnto the minde as Sonne is to the Father so is he the word in respect of his office i. e. of his office as he is the second person of the Trinitie for as it is the propertie and office of the eternall minde i. e. the Father to beget the word i. e. the Sonne so it is the propertie and the office of the Word to declare the Minde but because this spirituall inuisible and ineffable Word as he is God could neuer be seene nor heard nor vnderstood of vs therefore was he made flesh that he might be heard and seene And this the Apostle seemes to shew vnto vs when hee saith God heretofore at sundry times Heb. 1.1 and in diuers manners spake vnto the Fathers by the Prophets but in these last
loue to thee is and shall be such and so much as I shall be possibly able to expresse Fourthly to make vs willing to suffer with Christ For the fourth Saint Bernard tells vs that in the Passion of Christ there are three things especially to be considered 1. The Worke. 2. The Manner 3. The Cause And he saith that Christ shewed first in the worke singular patience secondly in the manner admirable humility and thirdly in the cause inestimable charity and therefore if wee would truely honour God for the giuing of his Sonne wee must labour what we can to imitate Christ herein First In patience Quia crux non ad impotentiae documentum sed ad exemplum patientiae suscepta est Because as Saint Augustine saith the Crosse of Christ is as a Schoolemaster to teach patience vnto all Christians And so Saint Peter saith 1 Pet. 2.21 Christ suffered for vs leauing vs an example that we should follow his steps That the sufferings of Christ is an example to teach vs how to suffer 1 Mac. 6.34 In the first of the Machabees and the sixt It is said that Antiochus being to fight with Iudas Captaine of the hoste of the Iewes He shewed vnto his Elephants the bloud of Grapes and Mulberies to prouoke them the better vnto the fight and so the Holy Ghost hath set downe vnto vs what iniuries what contumelies what torments our Sauiour Christ did beare and how patiently he did beare them to incourage vs to indure whatsoeuer calamnities shall betide vs during this our pilgrimage here on earth for we see our Sauiour Christ Sine peccato venit tamen sine flagello non exijt Though we doe all know that he came into the world without sinne yet you doe see he went not out of the world without sorrow without suffering and therefore Chrys in 27. Matth. Quae nobis erit contumelia post quam haec Christus passus est What if wee suffer reproaches pouerty shame death what matter what shame is that to vs seeing Christ hath suffered all those things for vs nay what a shame is it vnto vs if we will not be ready to suffer any thing for his Names sake that hath suffered so much for our sinnes But we must note that our suffering with Christ We suffer with Christ two manner of wayes is two wayes to be considered First What we voluntarily assume to be made like vnto Christ Secondly What is malitiously imposed and we patiently suffer for the Name of Christ In the first sense Saint Gregory tels vs that duobus modis crux tollitur aut cum per abstinentiam affligitur corpus aut cum per compassionem animi affligitur animus Wee take vp our crosse two manner of wayes either when through abstinence fastings 1 Cor. 9.27 watchings praying we bring our bodies vnto subiection that they bring not our soules vnto destruction That as members of the same body we should willingly suffer when we see others suffer or else through a compassionate fellow-feeling of others miseries we make our selues copartners with them in all distresses and therefore we should euer crucifie and mortifie all the inordinate lusts of our flesh all our wanton and lasciuious cogitations and we should with all diligence fight against them as they doe fight against our soules and as members of the same body we should all suffer inward griefe when we see any man indure outward paine In the second sense we ought patiently to suffer whatsoeuer God in his wisedome or men in their malice shall lay vpon vs and that not onely because we cannot auoide them but because we are contented to vndergoe them for if the minde resisteth when the body suffereth we rebell in what we can and we doe onely suffer what we cannot helpe and God respecteth not so much the sufferings of the Martyres though their torments were almost intollerable as their meeke patience in suffering and therefore it is noted in our Sauiour Christ Esay 53 7. That God respecteth our patience in suffering more then our suffering that he was carried as a Sheepe to the slaughter and as a Lambe that was dumbe and opened not his mouth to teach vs as Saint Gregory saith that it is not the sword or the flame that makes a Martyr but the patient and willing minde of him that suffereth any thing for the name and truth of Christ Quia sine ferro flamma Martyres esse possumus sine patientia non possumus Because wee may be Martyres without the paine of sword or stake Cyprian de duplici Martyrio but wee cannot be Martyres without patience though wee should suffer by the sword or be burned at the stake as Saint Cyprian doth most excellently declare And therefore seeing Christ hath suffered for vs and hath suffered for our example to teach vs how we should suffer for his sake That we shold be most ready and willing to suffer any thing for the Name of Christ though the world should rage and swell and lay vpon vs all the waight of miseries that it could heape vpon vs pouerty reproaches banishment imprisonment death it selfe or any kinde of death fire sword or whatsoeuer yet let vs patiently suffer whatsoeuer shall be imposed vpon vs and let vs say with holy Iob Though the Lord should kill vs Iob 13.15 yet will we trust in him for seeing he suffered so much for vs to saue our soules from eternall death it were a shame if we should be vnwilling to suffer any thing for him and his truthes sake that it might be well with vs and our children for euer and that wee might haue for our selues eternall life Secondly Matth. 12.29 As we are to imitate Christ in patient suffering vnto death so we are to learne of him true humility to bee meeke and lowly in heart throughout all our life Thirdly We should imbrace that Queene of vertues Diuine charity that as Christ in loue That as Christ loued vs so we should loue him and loue one another for the loue of Christ and for the loue of man descended from Heauen and suffered all this for vs so we should for the loue of him suffer any thing rather then to swarue a nayles-bredth from him and doe what good wee can vnto all our neighbours for if we loue him we must needs loue one another And yet it is a lamentable thing to consider what strifes and contentions what hatred and heart-burning raigneth not onely betwixt the children of this world but also betwixt Christians in the Church of God I pray God we seeke not our owne rather the things that are Iesus Christs and make Religion to be a colour to make way for vs to execute our owne greedy mindes and desires to commit all wrong and oppression It was said of old when the Pope sent his Buls to fulfill his owne will that in nomine dei incipit omne malum
The question is betwixt vs and the Iewes whether Iesus the Sonne of Mary whom they crucified and buried and whom we preach and beleeue in be the true Messias or not and whether he raysed himselfe from his graue yea or no. To both these the Iewes answere no Not the Messias not raysed from the dead First Not the Messias because hee came not downe from the Crosse when he was fast nayled vnto the same for If he be the King of Israel said the chiefe of them their high Priests and Elders of the people Let him now come downe frrom the Crosse Math. 27.42 and we will beleeue in him Ah foolish Nation a Nation voide of vnderstanding and Children of your Father the Diuell Namque haud tibi vultus humanus nec vox hominum sonat For here you sing the same song Math. 4.6 and you harpe vpon the same string as he did If thou beest the Sonne of God cast thy selfe downeward saith the Diuell and if he be the King of Israel let him come downe from the Crosse say these Children of the Diuell Chrysost hom de cruce So you see the one would haue him to descend from the Temple the other from the Crosse the one from seruing God the other from suffering for man and both to descend whereas God made man to ascend Os homini sublime dedit caelumque tueri inssit And of all his Creatures he made him onely straight God made man to ascend to looke vp towards Heauen and bids men alwayes to haue Sursum corda Their hearts like their heads lifted vp their thoughts in Heauen and their conuersations in Heauen Phil. 3.20 And therefore whensoeuer we are inticed to descend from the height of Gods seruice or suffering vpon our Crosse and to settle our affections here vpon the base things of this World let vs know it is the voyce of Satan not of God Math. 27.42 I but let him come downe and we will beleeue in him saith this people and let vs enioy the pleasures and the vanities of the Earth and we will serue him saith the generation of this World Luke 16.31 But as our Sauiour saith vnto them in another case If you will not beleeue Moses and the Prophets neither will you beleeue though one should arise from the dead So Saint Bernard saith in this case If now you will not beleeue in him that raysed himselfe from the graue you would neuer haue beleeued in him if he had then descended from the Crosse Greg. Hom. 21. in Euang. Quia plus erat de sepulchro surgere quam de cruce descendere plus mortem resurgendo destruere That it was a greater matter to rise from the dead then to come downe from the Crosse quam vitam descendendo seruare Because it was a greater matter to raise himselfe from the graue then to descend from the Crosse and a farre more excellent argument of inuincible omnipotency being dead to destroy death by rising againe from the dead then being aliue to saue his life by descending from the Crosse And so I say to the base descending worldlings if they will not stay vpon the Crosse to suffer with Christ here they are not worthy to be exalted to raigne with Christ hereafter and if they will not beleeue in him and serue him for the hope of the ioyes of Heauen they are not worthy to be receiued into the number of his seruants because such men loue the World more then God and will not loue God but for the Worlds sake August de ver Dom. Serm. Like vnto the Woman Quae non maritum amat sed aurum mariti Which loues her Husbands wealth more then her Husband or not her Husband but for his wealths sake Secondly They say he raysed not himselfe from the graue but his Disciples came by night and stole him away and if this be true he could not be the true Messias Whether the Disciples stole away Christ from his graue or not But what his Disciples that forsooke him and forsware him while he was yet aliue and could if he had would haue rescued himselfe out of the hands of all his enemies Alas poore men durst they now silly Fishermen thrust themselues among the pikes of armed Souldiers to steale away a dead carkasse that could neither helpe himselfe nor them No no they were readier to hide themselues in graues then to aduenture to take him out of the graue And therefore Mary Magdalen that knew his Disciples did not nor durst not take him away thought rather when shee found him not in his Tombe that they which left him no rest in his life did also take him and tosse him now out of his graue Sic multum terris iactatus alto And so left him not neither in life nor death Dementia insanabilis So implacable was their rage against him But though shee was in the right that his Disciples did not meddle with him yet herein shee was deceiued Ambros in hunc locum lucae Putando Christum sublatum esse de monumento When shee thought that the Souldiers had remoued him saith Saint Ambrose because this victorious Lyon did Sampson-like carrie away the gates of Gaza Iudg. 16.3 and burst open the doores of his Sepulcher that his glorious Body might come forth yet the Womans weakenesse may be excused Quia cum pietate societus est Because her error proceeded of ignorance and was accompanied with an vpright conscience but who can extenuate or who will not aggrauate that extreame folly and horrible impiety of this wretched and malicious people How the High Priests did what possibly they could to hinder the Resurrection of Christ For they not onely refused to receiue him for their Sauiour and said Nolumus hunc regnare super nos Wee will haue none of this man we will haue none other man but Caesar to be our King But they did also persecute him as a seducer and crucified him as a false vsurper and then buried him without honor There were no Widowes to make lamentation nor any of his friends that durst shew it and being buried they locked fast his Sepulcher Molemque montes insuper altos imposuere They prest him downe with a mighty stone and they hired a band of armed Souldiers to watch him that he should neither rise himselfe nor his Disciples come and take him away And therefore his Disciples that were so lately amazed at his passion were now so stupified at this obsignation this sealing and watching and warding of him that they durst not once passe out of doores to looke after his Resurrection vntill these three Women which esteemed themselues more free from violence and thereupon presumed first to see the Sepulcher had informed them that this one had chaste a thousand and had put all that band of men to flight Or if their hearts had serued them to aduenture so great a danger and
the meanest among men to be equall with God yet there he is not vnmindfull of vs but sitting on the right hand of God he maketh continuall intercession for vs and sendeth his spirit to comfort vs for though corpus intulit Coelo he hath placed his body in Heauen yet maiestatem non abstulit mundo hee leaues his spirit which filleth all places heere on earth Mat. 28. vlt. for loe saith he I am with you vntill the end of the world that is to deliuer vs from all miseries and to giue vs all those good things that hee seeth good for vs And therefore though Abraham should forget vs or Israell be ignorant of vs or as Mardoceus sayd vnto Queene Hester if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time Hester 4.14 and doest nothing in the world for vs yet shall there inlargement and deliuerance arise vnto the Iewes from another place euen so though we should feare men will forsake vs and forget vs and do nothing for vs either to deliuer vs from any troubles feared or to helpe vs vnto any good desired yet this our good God which neither slumbereth nor sleepeth though he be ascended to heauen yet he will defend vs on earth and hee will lift vs vp out of the mire if we put our trust in him hee will send vs comfort out of some other place Feare you not but stand still Exod. 14 13. and see the saluation of God which he will shew vnto you Secondly the resurrection of Christ is our hope but his ascention is our glorification Si ergo rectè si fideliter si deuotè ascentionem domini celebramus ascendere debemus cum illo and therefore if we doe rightly if we doe faithfully and deuoutly celebrate and make a right vse of the ascention of Christ then must wâ—e labour and striue to ascend with him That in heart and affection we should alwayes ascend to Heauen and if by reason of the infirmitie of our flesh we are so detained and kept backe that we cannot ascend as we would to be where he is yet let vs indeauour to follow after passibus amoris et affectu cordis with the best paces of loue and the most earnest desires of our hearts And indeede it is not the lifting vp of our eyes nor the holding vp of our hands that is the right ascending into Heauen for this may bee as it is many times meere hypocrisie euen as the witch of Endor lifted vp Samuell to deceiue Saule so doth this witch hypocrisie cause many a one to lift vp their hands and eyes to Heauen to deceiue the world and to make vs beleeue they are true Saints whereas in deede they be very Diuells but we must haue sursum corda our hearts lifted vp for this is that chieffest place of man which both God and the Diuell laboreth most of all to attaine Prouerb 23.26 for God saith Sonne giue mee thy heart and lift vp the same to Heauen and so the Diuell seekes but the heart if riches increase set your hearts vpon them and therefore the heart of man is called by Macarius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Throne of God or els 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Throne of Satan for if we lift vp the same to God and set our affections on the things that are aboue then is our hearts the Throne of God but if our loue and affections bee on the things of this world then is our hearts the seat of the scornefull and the habitation of Diuells Psal 1.1 And therefore that we may the better learne how to ascend and to lift vp our hearts to God I will desire you to consider these three things first terminum secondly modum thirdly signum Three things to be considered touching our spirituall ascention vnto Heauen 1. The place from whence and vnto what we must ascend 2. By what meanes we shall raise vp our selues vnto God 3. The signe whereby wee may know whether wee haue ascended any way towards Heauen or not First the place from whence we must ascend is this world behold saith Christ I leaue the world and I goe to the Father so if we would goe to Christ we must leaue the world and neuer enuie at the prosperity of them quorum tectorum gloria attenditur labes autem animorum non attenditur whose outward glorie we doe see but whos inward miseries wee doe not see And the place where we must ascend is in altum vnto the Kingdome of Heauen where the eye hath not seene 1 Cor. 2.9 and the eare hath not heard the things which God hath prepared for them that loue him Secondly the meanes how to raise our selues from this valley of miseries vnto the height of Heauen is by casting from vs all the things that may presse vs downe and assuming the things that may helpe vs vp And you knowe that whatsoeuer is heauie presseth downe Nothing is so heauie as sin and we know that there is nothing so heauie vpon the soule as sinne this is like a Talent of lead it makes the whole world to reele to and fro like a drunken man Atlas en ipse laborat and it was so heauie vpon Christ his shoulders Mat. 27.46 that in the Garden it made him to sweate the drops of blood and vpon the Crosse it made him to crie out my God my God why hast thou forsaken mee and therefore if wee would ascend to Heauen then as Elias did throwe downe his mantle 2. Kings 2.13 and as the blinde man in the Gospell did cast offe his beggars cloake when hee would runne to Christ so must we cast offe the mantle of hypocrisie and disrobe our selues of all the beggarly ragges of sinne or els they will presse vs downe to Hell And as wee know sinne is that weight which keepes vs downe so we knowe wings are the best meanes to helpe vs vp and therefore Dauid prayes that hee had wings like a doue Psal 55.6 that hee might flie away and be at rest and Christ himselfe is said to haue fledde super pennas ventorum vpon the wings of the winde so must wee wee must get vs wings if wee will ascend to Heauen But what are those wings that will carrie vs thither Bern. in Ser. de asc they must not bee like Icarus his waxen wings the wings of pride and ambition but as Saint Bernard sayth they must bee What are the wings whereby we ascend to Heauen 1. Meditatio Consideration 2. Oratio Prayer for Meditatio quid desit docet oratio ne desit obtinet Meditation sheweth vs what wee want and prayer obtayneth whatsoeuer we want but we neuer knowe our estate because wee neuer consider in what estate wee are and wee haue not grace nor goodnesse because we aske not Saint Augustine saith these wings must be 1. The loue of God 2. The loue of our neighbours And it is not vnlikely that loue
should carry vs vp vnto God because God is loue and loue brought downe God vnto men Huc me syderio descendere fecit olympo Hic me crudeli vulnere fixit amor And therefore no maruell that loue should carry vs vp into Heauen Aug. in Psal 83. p. 376. d. 1. wherefore Saint Augustine sayth that by loue we doe either ascend to Heauen or descend to Hell quia amando Deum ascendis in Coelum amando seculum descendis vsque ad abyssum because by louing God wee ascend to Heauen and by louing the world we descend downe to Hell Saint Gregory saith these wings are 1. The contempt of worldly things 2. The desire of heauenly things And this may well stand with Saint Augustines saying because as the same Saint Gregorie saith tanto ab inferioribus disiungimur quanto superioribus delectamur by how much the more earnestly we loue heauenly things by so much we are ascended and sequestred from earthly things And therefore if you would ascend 1. Iohn 2.15 Colos 3.2 then loue not the world nor the things of this world but set your affections on those things that are aboue and because our life is iust like a clocke that vnlesse his waight be alwayes wynded vp will soone stand therefore wee must be euer winding vp our affections and weaning them from these worldly things and with Noahs doue neuer suffer the soales of our feete to rest vntill our hearts and soules returne to him that gaue them vs. Thirdly for the signes whereby wee may know whether we haue ascended or doe ascend towards Heauen or not I might shew you many How we may know whether our hearts ascendeth to Heauen or not but now take this for all if things aboue our heads shew greater vnto vs then they did before and things beneath vs lesser that is an apparant argument that we ascend and grow higher and higher for so Saint Gregorie saith if a man were aloft in the cloudes it would appeare vnto him quam abiecta sunt quae iam alta videntur how base are the things of this earth which to a man on earth doe seeme so great for then hee should see mountaines no bigger then Mole-hills and the Sunne which before while hee was on earth did seeme but instar pilae pedalis like a footeball hee should now finde it to be a great and immens glorious body all bodies aboue him would seeme greater and all below him would seeme lesser euen so if our hearts and affections be ascended vp to Heauen then surely the things of this world doe seeme vnto vs but as they are indeede damnum stercora Dung and drosse Phil. 3.8 or as nothing and worth nothing as Nazianzen saith and the things of Heauen are the onely desires of our hearts and the delights of our soules but if folia venti lilia agri the vanities and the pleasures of this world the Titles of Honour and the confluence of wealth be the desires and delights of our hearts then certainely wee are fast bound in misery and iron wee are fastened and fettered here on earth and it may bee with Golden chaynes but fast inough from ascending vp to Heauen I will not iudge of any by this rule you may all iudge your selues if you doe highly esteeme of the preaching and Preachers of Gods Word If you make much of them that feare the Lord and loue good men and a good conscience and make none account of this world nor of the things of this world then is your heart ascended vp to Heauen but if not Nudus humi iaces Thou lyest poore and miserable fettered here in earth a flaue and captiue of the Deuill and hast neede to cry and call for Christ to lead captiuitie captiue which is the second part of my Text. And so much for the Ascention of our Sauiour Christ Part. 2 PART II. CHAP. Of the victory and triumph of Christ ouer our enemies of our deliuerance from them and of our restoring into the seruice of God againe SEcondly Touching the victory and triumph of Christ set downe in these words Thou hast led captiuity captiue we must vnderstand that this is taken two wayes 1. Passiuely 2. Actiuely And I say first Passiuely because our enemies must be vanquished before we can be deliuered and therefore How Christ ouercame death Hell sinne and Satan First This phrase may be taken Passiuely for the World Death and Hell and all other enemies of Mankinde which Christ hath conquered and led captiue that they should not raigne and rule ouer his seruants any more And thus Saint Augustine doth expound it saying Quid est captiuauit captiuitatem vicit mortem mortem procurauit diabolus ipse diabolus de morte Christi est captiuatus What is he led captiuity captiue but he ouercame death for the Diuell had procured death for sinne and now the Diuell himselfe is captiuated by the death of Christ For as Victors were wont to doe to leade in triumph those Tyrants that opprest their subiects or those enemies that they had vanquished being fast bound with chaines with their heads and feet bare for their greater shame and reproach so the Psalmist alludeth vnto the same when he saith Coloss 2.15 Thou hast led captiuity captiue and the Apostle doth more cleerely expresse it when hee saith that Christ hauing spoyled Principalities and Powers hath made a shew of them openly tryumphing ouer them in it Quest But here it may be demaunded how are they captiuated when as the Diuell compasseth the earth like a roaring Lion seeking whom he may deuoure And so doth the world still oppresse vs 1 Pet. 5.8 our flesh lusteth against the spirit and Death still raigneth ouer vs all I answere that Christ hath destroyed their Power Resp hee hath taken away their strength and hee hath quite subuerted the Kingdome of sinne and Satan and taken away the sting of death and yet they compasse about not as hauing any power ouer vs but as a Lyon tyed will teare vs in pieces if he can catch vs within his clawes so will sinne and Satan if wee yeeld vnto them for though Christ ouercame all our enemies yet hee hath not quite taken them out of our wayes but left them as it were aliue though bound that we might still beware to come within their reach if we would escape their teeth and therefore wee say that sinne is so taken away that it doth not raigne ouer the Saints though perhaps through their negligence it doth often wound them so Satan is bound though like a bridled horse he often fumes against vs and sometimes bites vs too 1 Cor. 15.54 if we beware not of him and so death is swallowed vp into victory and the sting thereof is taken away so that it can neuer hurt the Saints of God though it layes them stil into a sleepe because they shall all awake at the last day But if sinne and
innocent man yet his hope will neuer leaue him but as the Poet saith Iam mala finissem Letho sed credula vitam Spes fouet melius cras fore semper ait Hope still doth promise better fortunes vnto him and therefore this is a most excellent vertue though like other humane vertues it is defectiue in many points as first in respect of the things that they hope for wealth honours and such like So Alexander hauing giuen away almost all that hee had in Greece and being demanded what hee left for himselfe said hope i. e. of more honours and kingdomes and secondly in respect of the cause from whence they doe expect these things from themselues or such like but not from God whereas indeed that man is accursed which putteth his hope in man quia de Creatore desperare est Ierem. 17.5 spem in creatura ponere because that to hope in man is to forsake our God But Secondly diuine Hope The second i. e. the diuine hope which is wrought in vs by the Spirit of God is infallible for whosoeuer hopeth in him shall neuer be confounded Psal 22.4 5 6. Prou. 14.32 The wicked saith Salomon shall be cast away for his malice but the righteous hath hope in his death and what can be more then this for many things doe discourage vs in death for the dying man seeth his body is weake his friends weeping his Phisicians despayring and his conscience shewing him the Catalogue of his sinnes O wretched man that he is who shall comfort him yet hee whose hope is in the Lord his God doth euen then see the heauens open and the Angels ready to receiue him and though he knoweth his body is to be laide in the graue yet doth his flesh rest in hope and therefore what can be sweeter then hope O dearely beloued remember what the Psalmist saith blessed is the man whose hope is in the Lord his God But here you must know that all kindes of hope in God Euery hope maketh not happy makes not all men happy for there is a bold and a presumptuous hope a hope of wicked hypocrites that liue in sinne and yet doe hope for heauen And therefore wee must distinguish that there is a two-fold hope in God 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an opinionatiue hope 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a true infallible hope The first is the hope of wicked men Iob 8. Prou. 10. Wisd 5. and this shall melt away like a winter snow for the hope of the wicked shall perish they may looke for much but they shall haue nothing The second is the hope of the righteous and this shall neuer perish because it is grounded vpon a good foundation True hope springeth from the true feare of God that is the promise of God to them that feare him for so the Psalmist saith qui timetis Dominum sperate in illum you that feare the Lord hope in him And therefore if you would be sure to haue the true hope in God then feare the Lord because the testimony of a good conscience must be the ground of hope for so Saint Paul sheweth euen by his owne example saying I haue fought a good fight and I haue kept the faith there is the ground and therefore is laid vp for me the crowne of righteousnesse and there is the Anchor of his hope cast vpon that sure foundation and hee that thus hopeth in God is truely happy Thirdly Charity is rectissima animi affectio Thirdly of Charity the rightest affection of the minde whereby wee loue God for his owne sake and our neighbours for Gods sake Aug. de doct Christ and as Saint Augustine doth obserue it is proper onely vnto the Saints of God because as Saint Chrysostome saith Chris hom de char charity is optimum amoris genus the best kinde of loue and therefore Saint Augustine saith that habere omnia sacramenta malus esse potest habere autem charitatem malus esse non potest a man may be partaker of all Sacraments and be wicked but to haue charity and to be wicked is vnpossible and Saint Paul saith enough in the praise of this most excellent grace to write Iliads after Homer were to commend it after him and therefore I le say no more but what Saint Augustine saith charitas est quae vincit omnia sine qua non valent omnia charity is that which ouercommeth all things and without which all things will auaile vs nothing because as the Christian Poet saith Christicolas veros exprimit vnus amor It is loue and charity alone that proues vs to bee true Christians Well then wouldest thou know thy state whether thou beest in the state of grace or not thou needest not to ascend to heauen and search into the secret councell of God to see whether thy name be written in the booke of life but descend into thine owne heart and see whether thou hast perfect charity both towards God and man for if thou louest God with all thy heart The surest signe that wee shall be saued and thy neighbour as thy selfe I dare assure thee that in all the booke of God I could neuer finde yet a surer note or a more infallible signe of our eternall saluation then the same For hereby we know saith the Apostle that we are passed from death to life because we loue the brethren and hereby shall all men know that you are my Disciples 1 Iohn 3. saith our Sauiour if you loue one another but if thou louest not God or if thou louest not all men say what thou wilt doe what you will lift vp thine eyes hold vp thy hands and pray in euery corner yet I know no signe thou hast of sauing grace But here you must obserue that all kinde of loue towards God and men will not serue our turne for there is a generall kinde of loue to God which all wicked men in respect of their being and that manifold good which they receiue from him doe beare towards God and there is a speciall loue to God in a most vehement and a most excellent manner and there is an inordinate loue of men either too much or too little or not after the right manner and there is a true discreet and a fruitfull loue to be shewed towards them and this is properly called charity and therefore if we would be sure of Gods fauour we must vse no mediocrity in louing God we must vse no measure Quia modus diligendi Deum est sine modo because hee is to bee loued beyond measure with all our hearts with all our soules and with all our strength so as if we were rauished with the loue of God euen as the Church saith in the Canticles Stay me with flagons Cantic 2.5 and comfort me with apples for I am sicke of loue And so much for these three diuine graces which Christ giueth vs to sanctifie our
haec similitudinem corporis refert illa cordis vnanimitatem demonstrat Aug. in apend de diuersis Ser. 10. Psal 647. to 10. haec interdum sibi inimica illa sine intermissione pacifica est for that sheweth onely the likenesse and similitude of the body and the sympathy of naturall dispositions but this sheweth the vnanimity of the heart and a concurrent desire in all holy affections those are sometimes contrary vnto themselues but these haue alwayes cor vnum animam vnam one heart and one minde to loue the same things and to agree in the same points and therefore of all brethren the loue of Christian brethren should excell and exceed all other loue of brethren 1 Iohn 3.16 and these of all others should be ready to lay downe their liues for the Brethren How gentile brethren loued one another And yet in former times the loue of naturall brethren was such that when a souldier which was in the army of Pompey had vnawares vnto himselfe slaine his brother that was in the company of Sertorius Val Max. l. 5. Aug. de ciuit l. 5. Aug. de ciuit Dei l. 2. c. 25. Idem de ciuit l. 8. c 5. and knew the same when he bestript his body seipsum ibi perimens fraterno corpori adiunxit he slew himselfe for very griefe and left his owne body vpon his brothers carkeise and Saint Augustine reports of the sonnes of Tyndarus that when Castor was slaine by Idas Pollux besought Iupiter that hee might impart halfe his owne life vnto his brother Sic fratrem Pollux alterna morte redemit And so we reade of these signes Castor and Pollux that vterque alternis diebus lucet each one of them appeareth euery second day and so the Poet saith of Pylades and Orestes Extitit hoc vnuÌ„ quod non conuenerat illis caetera par concors sine lite fuit Ire iubet Pylades charus periturus Orestem Hic negat inque vicem pugnat vterque mori They neuer disagreed but onely in this which of them should first lay downe his life for the other And now amongst Christian brethren we finde Ouids saying to be true Fratrum quoque gratia rara est They doe shew lesse loue among themselues then the heathen did the loue of most is waxen cold all are become louers of themselues Bern. de aduent dominiser 3. p. â— and no man remembreth the afflictions of Ioseph for although as Saint Bernard saith Iure fraternitatis consilij sumus auxilij fratribus debitores consilij quo erudiatur ignorantia auxilij quo iuuetur infirmitas in respect of our brotherhood we doe owe vnto our brethren both aid and aduice aid to helpe his infirmity and aduice to direct his simplicity yet al fâ—e Of the great want of vnity among Christian brethren the whole world seeth how we doe insult ouer the weake and lay stumbling blockes before the blinde what wrongs and oppressions in the Common-wealth what more hostility then among Christian Princes where now more bloudy warres then among the Christians that doe imbrew their swords in the bloud of each other which should rather ioyne their strength against the enemies of the Lord and what bitter contentions doe we likewise see in the very Church of Christ Oh how many bitter lines haue ambitious spirits so contentiously scattered in euery place to obscure the cleare light of verity Idem ser in ad in Pasto Synod O poore Church and distressed Spouse of Christ Pax ab extranijs pax à paganis sed filij nequam filij scelerati scauiunt in eam Shee hath peace from strangers peace from pagans peace from all but her owne children her owne wicked children doe raile and rage against her they struggle in her wombe like Rebeccaes twinnes they sharpen their tongues and blunt their pens in writing either against the other and so they make the Church of Christ Iohn 19.23 1 Reg. 11.30 1 Reg. 16.21 which should be like the coat of Christ without a seame to be torne in pieces like Iereboams garment for as in Israel one halfe followed Tibni and the other halfe followed Omry or as in Rome the wiser followed Pompey the middle sort tooke part with Caesar and the rest followed Crassus or in Attica the people of the mountaines ranne after Pysistratus Plut. in vit Crass those of the valley chose Lycurgus and those of the Sea-coast Megacles euen so in the Church of God one is of Paul 1 Cor. 1.3 4. another is of Apollo one is of this minde and another is of that minde and as the Poet said of the vulgar sort Scinditur incertum studia in contraria vulgus We may now say of the better sort Scinditur incertus studia in contraria clerus They are full of all oppositions each one inuenteth some new points each one dissenteth from the rest and so by this their dissentions and multiplicity of opinions they make grieuous contentions in euery place and cause many men with the effusion of a little inke haue inuented in their Cells for I doe assure my selfe if there were more charity and vnanimity among the Clergy there would be lesse controuersie and more vnity among the Laytie But it was enough for Abraham to disswade from all contention betwixt him and Lot to say wee bee brethren and I wish that it were enough for vs for we be brethren and there be enough against vs we neede not be against our selues and therefore Ignat. ep 9. ad Philadel Fugite vt filij lucis sectionem vnitatis we should by all meanes shunne dissentions because there bee many Wolues abroad in sheepes clothing but if we keepe vnity and brotherly loue among vs they shall neuer preuaile against vs but otherwise Salust coniurat Catel vt concordia crescunt minutissima ita discordia dilabuntur maxima as in the time of peace through vnity the smallest things doe grow happy so in the time of discord the greatest things doe come to ruine and therefore we say that peace and vnity are the best of all earthly blessings that God bestoweth on men during their pilgrimage in the state of mortality Pax optima rerum quas homini nouisse datum est pax vna triumphis innumeris potior Sylius Ital. Aug. in Psal 29. and so Brunfelsius saith that a Christians life is nothing else but mutuall charity or a continuall louing of God and of our neighbours Quia omnis homo est vnus homo because all men in Christ Iesus should be as one man like Hypocrates twinnes which willed and nilled the same things for the whole Church of Christ is nothing else but Ecclesia multorum fratrum an vnited company of louing brethren and therefore they should euer owe this duty of loue and charity one towards another for though the Apostle biddeth vs to owe nothing vnto any man yet he excepteth this to loue one another because
227 IV Iudas what benefits he receiued from Christ 458 Why chosen to be an Apostle 459 Why made the Purse-bearer ibid. Why he betraied Christ ibid. Why he gaue them a signe 461 How sought to be reclaymed by Christ 461 462 What his treason should teach vs. 461 His arrogancie and iniquitie how great 461 Why he kissed Christ 461 That it is a iust thing to punish sinne 90 Iustice is often peruerted with men 91 God iudgeth all men according to what they haue actually done 95 Euery one according to his desert 92 God most iust proued 91 God in the strictnes of his iustice might inflict more punishmeÌ„t vpon the damned 187 Whatsoeuer he doth is iust 237 Iustice of God taken diuers waies 237 Iustice of God requireth a day of iudgement 245 How it stands with God iustice to punish the fathers sinnes vpon the children 245 Iustice and truth how they pleaded against man 319 That we should as well feare Gods iustice as hope for mercie 244 Iudgements of God must be threatned when his mercies doe not allure vs. 696 Iustification what it is 208 Christ Iustified by his enemies 429 KI KIngdome of heauen could be giuen by none but by God 321 Kisses that there be fiue kindes 460 Kings and Magistrates to be prayed for and why 734 KN. God knoweth best when to helpe vs. 724 Knowledge most necessary for Preachers 642 Adams desire of knowledge brought ignorance vpon vs all 58 Sinnes of knowledge most fearefull inexcusable sinnes 29 And yet we doe what we know to be fearefull sinnes 29 The excellencie of our knowledge makes our sinnes the more horrible 30 All knowledge of God extinguished by sin 64 Three wayes of knowing God 120 We are not able to know him as hee is in himselfe 120 Knowledge of Gods power the foundation of our faith 134 We know many things negatiuely as what God is not which we know not positiuely 176 We know what God cannot doe though we know not what he can doe 176 To know Christ the onely thing that makes vs happy 259 It suppresseth all vices 261 The Gentiles had a measure of the knowledge of God 311 The diuels know God and the mysterie of the Trinitie 314 Knowledge of Christ two-fold 356 Knowledge of Iesus Christ the chiefest knowledge in the world 391 The diuell chiefly laboureth to corrupt it 391 We know not what is good for our selues 726 LA. LAbour vndertaken vpon hope of reward 1 Labourer presently to haue his pâ—ay ibid. Law of nature and of all nations teacheth to punish sinne 90 Lawes of men like a spiders web 91 Law of God like an yron net ibid. Lawes must bee made according to rules of mens abilitie to keepe them 210 Law in the Gospell 224 That the law was not created 286 To keepe Gods lawes made Dauid wiser then his teachers 571 Law of God giuen to be kept not to be talked of 600 Languages and readie speech requisite for preachers 641 LE. Letters how vsed by the ancient to signifie diuers things 473 LI. God the verie life of all things 125 Life of Christ a continuall suffering 437 A good life what it effecteth 601 Bad life what euill it doth 601 The wicked are lifted vp to bee throwne downe 612 Life of Christ a continuall suffering 437 LO Loaues of bread how multiplied by Christ 174 God onely absolute Lord. 131 Lord and Iehoua equiualent ibid. Lord taken two waies ibid. Men may be called Lords 131 Our Lord should bee feared and serued for three speciall reasons 132 Christ most properly called Lord. 132 Logos what it signifieth 306 Why vsed by the Euangelist 310 The best knowne name of Christ among the Iewes 311 God loueth not the wicked 189 Loue of God in giuing Christ to be incarnate how great it was 303 To loue God is not to offend him 305 Loue of the Father seene in giuing Christ to be incarnate 357 Loue of Christ seene in his incarnation 359 Our loue to God increased by the meditation of Christ his Passion 424 Loue of God to mankinde moued him to giue his Sonne to die for man 498 How great his loue was to man ibid. Loue of Christ to man how vnspeakable 499 How deerely we ought to loue Christ 508 To loue one another how wee are bound vnto it 511 Want of loue the cause of all mischiefe in the world 511 We ought to loue all men ibid. Loue of money what it doth 565 Loue shewed foure wayes 693 That there is a gradation in the loue of God 684 Man lost a two-fold good 321 LV Vntamed lusts what an odious sinne 240 Saint Lukes words he shall be called the Sonne of God how vnderstood 248 Lutherans what they teach concerning the vnion of the two natures of Christ 377 Lutheran doctrine what absurdities it brings foorth 377 MA. MAn following his vocation is the safer from Satan 13 Man receiued power to beget man like himselfe 7 Manner how euerie sinne is committed fourefold 26 Sinnes of malice haue two violent properties 32 Malice of Satan restrayned 178 Man what a poore and a miserable thing 104 Manhood described and the miseries therof 70 Manner how the Father begetteth the Sonne or the Holy Ghost proceedeth is ineffable 227 Manner of diuine mysteries not curiously to be searched into ibid No man truly rich 281 Malice of Hereticks seene in denying the God-head of Christ 305 Not to marrie with wicked sinners 109 Mankinde produced three waies before Christ his time 333 Manner how Christ was conceiued 335 It is ineffable 336 Christ made a perfect man 340 Marcion his heresie 343 Macedonius his heresie ibid. Manichaeus his heresie ibid. Manhood of Christ seene by the sufferings of Christ 343 Word made flesh why the Euangelist saith 369 How one thing may be made another thing three waies 37â— Manhood of Christ how adored 383 Mary rightly called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the mother of God 385 Mary of what Tribe she was 397. 398 Mathew and Michoa how reconciled touching the place of Christ his birth 407 Magi what they beleeued Christ to be 4â—3 Man of al creatures most subiect to sufferings 434 Malice of Satan Christ prayed against 456 Malchus how he vsed Christ 467 Masters that are ill make ill seruants 467 Malice of the Iewes against Christ 495 517 Manner of Christs suffering incomprehensible 5â—2 Mary Magdalen a sinnefull woman 529 How shee liued after her conuersion 533 Mary Magdalens how many there were 568 Why not suffered to touch Christ 568 Magistrates in what sence to be feared 538 Manhood of Christ how said to bee euerie where 5â—4 Martyrs how constantly they professed Christ 577 Manna had twelue wonders in it 703 ME. Memorie what an excellent facultie it is 60 Wherein it excelleth all other faculties ibid. God recommendeth all his benefits vnto it ibid. How defiled by sinne 61 How faithfull to record vaine and vile things ibid. How faithlesse to retaine good things 61 What we should alwaies remember 62 Meditation of
Deus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If I Depart I will send the comforter vnto you Iohn 16.7 Christ is risen from the deade 1 Cor 15 4 I am tormented in this flame Luk 16 pray continually 1 Thes 5 17 He was broken for or. sinÌ„es Esay 53 5 He shall be calle d the sonÌ„e of God luk 1 35 * And I saw 7 goulden Candlestickes in the midst of the 7 candles iâ— one like vnto the sonne of man clothed w th A garment down to the foot girt about the paps w th A goulden girdle This is etarnall life to know thee to be the true god Iohn 17 3 SEVEN GOVLDEN Candlestickes Houlding The Seauen Greatest lights of Christian Religion Shewing vnto all men what they should beleeue how they ought to walke in this life that they may attayne vnto eternall life By GR WILLIAMS Doctor of Divinity p 36â—9 with thee is the well of life in thy light we shall see light 1624 Printed for Nathaniell Butter Delaram scupâ— THE CONTENTS OF the whole BOOKE 1 The Misery of Man Rom. 6.23 The summe whereof was preached At Pauls Crosse 2 The Knowledge of God Exod. 34.6.7 The summe whereof was preached Before the King at Greene-wich 3 The Incarnation of the Word Ioh. 1.14 The summe whereof was preached At S. Maries in Cambridge 4 The Passion of the Messias Luk. 24.46 5 The Resurrection of Christ Matth. 28.5.6 The summe whereof was preached VVithin the Cathedrall Church of S. Paul 6 The Ascention of our Sauiour and the Donation of the Holy Ghost Ephes 4.5 The summe whereof was preached At S. Maries in Cambridge 7 The duty of Christians 1 Thess 5.28 The summe whereof was preached Before the King at Theobalds TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE AND truly Religious PHILIP HERBERT Earle of Montgomery Baron of Sherland and Knight of the most Honourable Order of the Garter and to the most Vertuous and Zealously Religious Lady the La. SVSAN his most deere and louing Wife and to those fiue blessed branches their most sweet gracious and hopefull children the Lord Charles Herbert the Lady Anna-Sophia Herbert Mr. Philip Herbert Mr. William Herbert and Mr. Iames Herbert all grace and happinesse in this life and eternall blessednesse in the life to come RIGHT HONOVRABLE TO you seauen I dedicate these seauen Golden Candlestickes and to whom should I dedicate the same but to you for in your house and by your light I haue composed them and God hath blessed you not onely in making you great through the fauour of Mutable men but especially in making you good through the immutable grace and fauour of himselfe which changeth not and which hath planted his feare in your hearts and diffused those graces into your soules that doe infalliby accompany saluation and make you to shine as you doe for the sincerity of your profession in the truth of the Gospell and the vprightnesse of your hearts which haue bin euer seene void of all double courtly dealing amongst a crooked and peruerse generation whereof I had almost said the greatest part is either basely filled with hypocriticall flattery or most pittifully blinded with idololatricall impiety and as a sure pledge of his pure loue vnto your Honours he hath giuen vnto you such an inestimable gift so many so sweet and so gracefull children which for all good parts and endowments of nature and for infallible signes of grace I dare boldly say it and I may the rather say it because rather then any other I doe more experimentally know it God hath annointed aboue their fellowes * Especially that worthily beloued child my LORD CHARLES HERBERT of whom for h s admired towardnesse I could truly say more then any that know him not would easily beleeue that neither you nor all yours can be sufficiently thankefull vnto God for them so great a blessing it is to haue so many so many such Oliue-branches round about your Table And therfore as God hath blessed your Honors and made you great lights to shine for godly zeale in this wicked declining world and to be patternes of true piety vnto others round about you So I doe assure my selfe you will not disdaine to accept and peruse these my labours which as a small expression of my vnfained thankefulnesse for those manifold testimonies of your loue and fauours vnto me farre I confesse beyond my deserts I doe most syncerely dedicate vnto your Honours for whose compleate happinesse my witnesse is in Heauen that since first I belonged vnto you I haue daily prayed vpon my bended knees and I doe vnfainedly acknowledge that you deserue more from me then I can performe and haue performed more vnto me then I can any wayes deserue from you And therefore I presumed to dedicate these Treatises vnto your Honours not to shelter them from any stormes of maleuolent tongues but to publish that thankefulnesse vnto the world which my heart euer acknowledgeth to be due vnto you For I know it is fit that whosoeuer publisheth any thing vnfit should beare the whole burthen of his owne fault and whosoeuer ventureth to appeare in print must expect the common lot of all Writers to be variously censured of various dispositions Some as Nebuzaradan burnt the Temple Greg. Cur. past 3. p. c. 20. Nazian in pacif 2. but kept the gold will be content to take the matter and yet blame the Author others will reade it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not to better themselues but to censure others In all these I would neuer desire Patrone to defend mee nor feare enemy to depraue me for what is good will defend it selfe and to flatter those whose pennes are silent and their tongues alwayes babling to condemne others in what they cannot mend themselues were impiety and to feare them imbecility for to please all is vnpossible and to indeauour it is folly And therefore I hope you will receiue them as I tender them They be not vnbeseeming to be knowne by the greatest Monarches for they containe not the smoaking fume of humane reasonings nor the meandrian windings of Controuersiall subtilties but the purest lights of all Christian Religion for I saw that as the Athenians were euer desirous of nouelties so to satisfie this Criticke age affecting nothing so well as quiddities too many men haue addrest their mindes to disputable Controuersies and I found though with griefe that the Aduersaries on either side and especially the Pontificials as if there were not Controuersies enough in Religion doe often forge tenents out of their owne braynes and impute them each one against the other and so each Aduersary striues to make the other say what indeed he abhorres to thinke whereby it happeneth that a great part of disputations being about imaginarie Controuersies is but like a skirmishing in the ayre which seemeth furious but striketh no man and is vainely spent to no purpose but to increase Schisme and to inuolue themselues within the thickets of inextricable
but I will by Gods helpe be euer ready with all my heart to suffer any thing for the Name of Iesus Christ and for the least iot of his truth But I doe much reioyce in that assured confidence which I haue that your Lordship will herein as well as in all other points of true piety be an heauenly shining light and president vnto all other circumstant and succeeding Bishops and other Patrons whatsoeuer and to that end my prayers shall euer continue for your Lordship And for you my most worthy friend and neuer to be forgotten Benefactor Sir Iohn Wynne I must because I may truely say of you with the Poet Ego te intus in cute noui I am so intimately and inwardly acquainted with your very heart affections most earnestly pray to God for your long continuance amongst vs not onely because of your continuall loue and fauours vnto me and mine but especially to be as you haue beene hitherto the chiefest pillar of ciuill gouernment the best relieuer of our poore and needy and the most apparant patterne of all good workes of piety and charity in all these parts wherein you liue and you haue not lost your reward for God hath blessed you and your Lady with many blessed children all fearing God I said enough though I could truely say much more hereof such a comfort that not many men haue the like and God renueth your yeares as the Eagles and I hope yet will adde vnto your dayes as he did vnto the dayes of Ezechias and yet this is nothing Quia merces tua apud Deum in respect of that great reward which you shall haue of God because that by continuance in well doing you shall be sure to haue glory and honour and immortality and therefore most worthy Knight as I beare witnesse of this truth which I haue seene and know of your Religious heart fearing God full of good so I say vnto you as Christ saith vnto the Church of Smyrna Goe on in your course of godlinesse and be faithfull vnto the death and you shall haue the Crowne of life when the Lord shall say vnto you Euge serue bone Well done thou good and faithfull seruant enter thou into thy Masters ioy Amen Your Lordships and your Worships in all Christian seruice to be commanded GR. WILLIAMS To the Christian READER Deere and Christian Reader THe more grace any man receiueth from God the more thankefulnesse and seruice he oweth to God And I confesse God hath shewed me farre more then vsuall fauours which I assure my selfe he denyed to many farre more worthy of loue then I poore worme could any wayes thinke my selfe to be for he hath three times at least bestowed my life vpon me first in making me as he did all other men secondly in redeeming me as he doth all righteous men and thirdly in preseruing me from the hands of wicked men who though they gaue not any life vnto me yet induced by the malice of Hell and assisted by the subtilty of Satan did combine with a craftier cruelty then euer that I could finde the Arrian Bishops did against that innocent constant Athanasius to take away my feeble life for when the proud were risen vp against me Psal 86.14 and the congregation of naughty men had sought after my soule and compassed me on euery side Ecclus 51. so that there was no man to helpe me yet when I prayed vnto my God Vers 2. that he would not leaue me in the dayes of my trouble and in the time of the proud when I had none other help then did he awake as a Giant out of sleep and preserued my body from destruction Vers 3. he saued me from the mouth of the King of Lyons and according to the multitude of his mercies hee deliuered mee from the teeth of them that were ready to deuoure me and out of the hands of them that sought after my life Vers 7. yea he was so gracious vnto me that he left me not vntil mine eyes did see their desire vpon mine enemies not their destructiō which my soule desired they might neuer taste of and I pray God they desired the same themselues but their suppression so as they might neuer triumph in the miseries of Gods seruants nor trample the bloud of innocents vnder feet And therefore seeing God hath been so gracious vnto me I haue most constantly resolued by the assistance of his Spirit not onely to praise his Name for his goodnesse and to tell what he hath done for my soule but also to dedicate my whole life wholly to his seruice to despise the vanities of this life to abandon all the pleasures of this world to be carelesse of all earthly things * Quae possessa onerant amata inquinant amissa cruciant but what may make in ordine ad deum to helpe me the better to serue my God and with Iohn Baptist to consume my life in the preaching and penning of Gods Word and maugre all the malice of the proudest Prelates in the world to speake the truth as my conscience tels me though my wife and children should all begge and my body be burned for the same I will neuer count my life deare vnto me to spend it in his seruice that so often gaue it me And because I desired to doe that which I thought best for the edifying of Gods Church I haue applied my selfe to treate of these ensuing theames which doe containe the chiefest points and the most necessary grounds of all Christian Religion for besides my naturall inclination euer tending rather to pacification then contention I thinke we haue more neede of fundamentall instructions which are necessary for all men then of any controuersiall positions which may satisfie some men that perhaps desire rather to informe their iudgement then to reforme their manners And in the handling of them I haue intermingled the positiue declaration of the truth in a scholasticke forme with a forcible application of the same vnto our soules for the framing of our liues to make vse of what wee learne for I approue not so well the handling of Gods word with too slender inforcement of the same vnto our consciences as the schoolemen did their too much addicted followers vse to doe nor yet meerely to stand vpon exhortations with too slight expounding the most principle grounds of Religion which I feare to be the fault of too many amongst vs And therefore the one being but as a foundation without roofe and the other as a building on the sand or in the ayre vpon reeden pillars I haue euer adiudged it the best course to knit both together to make both a perfect buiding If I haue done well it is that which I desired but if I haue done slenderly it is that I could attaine vnto Aug. proaem l. 3. de Trinit And therefore I will be euer of that Fathers minde which in all his workes and
but it stingeth vs to death And so indeed it is like the Deuill Cyprian l. 1. ep 8. a lyer and the father of lies Quia peccatum mentitur vt fallat vitam pollicetur vt perimat Because euery sinne lies that it may deceiue vs and proposeth pleasure that it may bring vs into paine Venerab Beda l. exhort 4 5. Venerable Bede compareth sinne vnto a Witch which transformeth euery man vnto a Monster as Lust maketh a man like a Syren or an Horse to yeane after his neighbours wife Sloth makes him like an Asse or Ostridge Crueltie like a Wolfe or Hyenna Couetousnesse like the rauening Harpies and so euery other sinne makes the poore Sinner to become Monstrum horrendum ingens cui lumen ademptum The most vgly Monster vpon the face of the earth Why then should we not hate this sinne which speaketh friendly vnto vs and promiseth great felicity but in the end brings vs to the extreamest misery Bern. insentent Quia via peccati ingredientes contaminat progredientes obstinat egredientes exterminat Because as Saint Bernard saith sinne in the first entrance defileth in the progresse hardneth and in its going out destroyeth euery Sinner and as Salomon saith of the Harlot her wayes leade vnto death and her footsteps take hold of Hell so the same is most true of sinne and therefore if any man should be asked what hee doth in sinne hee might iustly answer as an old Courtier did when he wâ—s demanded Euery sinne payeth the same wages though it promiseth seuerall pleasures what he did in Court I doe nothing but vndoe my selfe For the reward of sinne is death And here likewise you may obserue that although euery sinne doth not promise the same thing for some sinnes promise pleasure some profit some honour and some one thing and some another yet euery sinne brings vs to the same end and in the end payeth vs with the same reward for the reward of sinne of any sinne is death But because Thriuerus Apoth 19. as many doe make none account of most deadly diseases by reason that they are ignorant of the dangerous effects of the same Ita multi euidenter peccant quia turpitudinem consequentiam peccati perspectam non habent So many men feare not to sinne but doe as smoothly drinke vp the same as pleasant Wine because they doe not vnderstand the filthinesse and wretched effects of sinne and because as if a man might with his outward eyes behold the beauty of vertue and goodnesse mirabilem amorem excitaret sui It would wonderfully inflame their hearts with the loue thereof So if we did behold the loathsomnesse of sinne and consider well the fearefull euents thereof it would make vs with Iob Iob 42 6. to abhorre our selues in Dust and Ashes Therefore I will search a little further into this Labyrinth of sinne and take a little more paines to vnfold the miserable effects of the same for the reward of Sinne is Death When sinne is first committed it wil presently gall and wound our consciences and it will continually shew vnto vs how good a Law is violated how great a Maiestie is offended and how grieuous a punishment we haue deserued and a the Poet saith Occultum quatiante animo tortore flagellum Juven Satyr 13. When the great Tormentor will shake his hidden whip in the soule of the offender then is he troubled night and day walking in the hands of his executioner and sleeping like the Nightingall which hath alwayes a pricke before her breast Neither is this all for the reward of sinne is death Now by Death By Death are vnderstood all the miseries contayned vnder the curse of God we must vnderstand not onely the separation of the body and soule of man but all other things that are comprehended vnder the curse of God for the curse of God and the Death of Man are Voces aequipollentes equiualent termes and doe signifie the same thing and therefore as Saint Paul saith here The wages of sinne is Death So he saith else-where out of Moses Gal. 3.10 Cursed is euery one that continueth not in all things that are written in the Booke of the Law for to doe them And we find that the curse of God for the sinne of man extendeth it selfe 1. To all those creatures that were created and made for the vse of man 2. To all the properties and faculties of each part of man Rom 8 20. and 22. First The creature was made subiect vnto vanity and groaneth and trauelleth in paine vntill now not of it owne accord but by reason of the transgression of man the earth was accursed for his sake and the very Heauens were subiected vnto vanity and as then hee dealt with Adam so euer since he dealeth in like manner with all the sonnes of Adam Psal 107.34 for he maketh a fruitfull land barren for the iniquity of them that dwell therein that is either such as bringeth forth no fruits at all or else such as where Infaelix lolium steriles dominantur auenae How the earth is accursed and her fruits by reason of our sinnes The good seed is ouergrowen with darnell smothered with thornes or spoyled with cockle for though the earth was made to yeeld vs fruits of increase yet instantly vpon our sinning the grounds denied to pay her tribute vnlesse as the Poet sayth iuncto boue aratra trahuntur we doe rippe vp her bowells to fetch it out of her bellie And yet this is not all for though we manure the ground and plant the seede neuer so fayre yet except the Lord giues the increase all our labour is but in vaine And the Lord tells vs plainely that if we cease to sinne and serue our God Psal 107.35 he will make the Wildernesse a standing water and water springs of a drie ground but if we continue in sinne and sow iniquitie Hosea 8.7 hee tells vs plainely wee shall reape but vanitie and if we sow the wind wee shall reape but whirlewind for our haruest And therefore if God stoppeth the windowes of Heauen and withholdeth the raine from vs 1 Reg. 17.1 as he did in the dayes of Elias and so causeth the Heauens to be as brasse and the earth to be as iron vnder our feete the one yeelding no dew the other bearing no fruit or if God openeth the Cataracts and floodgates of Heauen Gen. 7.11 as hee did in the dayes of Noah and so cause the Heauens to weepe and the floods to cary away our fruits before we can carry them into our barnes then must we know Saluian Massaliâ— de guber dei that all this and whatsoeuer of this kinde happeneth to vs is inflicted vpon vs for our sinnes quia ira diuinitatis est paena peccantis because all the grieuous effects of Gods wrath Gen. 3 17. are the iust deserts of mans sinne for cursed is the Earth for
Seneca epist 25. efficere mortem sibi familiarem to make death his companion and as his wife that should euer lye in his bosome that by the continuall sight of death he might be euer kept to abstaine from sinne for the couetous man might be the easier drawne to contemne the trash and trumperies of this vaine and transitorie world if hee did beleeue that hee should presently dye for so prophane Esau sayth Loe I die Facile contem nit omnia qui credit se cito moritâ—rum Hieron in ep ad Paulin Eccles 10. Incert autâ—r and what good will my Birth-right doe vnto me So the proud man would let fall his Peacocks feathers if he could thinke that hee is but dust and ashes and that when he dieth hee shall inherite wormes as the wise man sayth Omnia Caesar habet sed gloria Caesaris esse desinit tumulus vix erit octo pedum And that if he triumphed in his life like Caesar to bee the sole Monarch of the world yet would his glory soone fayle when death should locke him vp in his coffin and so of all other sinnes the frequent meditation of death is the onely preseruatiue against them For as one truely sayth of himselfe Quum recordor quod sum cinis Et quam citâ— venit finis Sine fine pertimesco Et vt cinis refrigesco When I thinke I am but dust And how soon to earth I must Bernard in carm Then incessantly I shake And as dust it doth me make So questionlesse if wee did continually thinke of death and fixe that fearefull day of Gods iust iudgement before our eyes it would bee a maruelous great meanes to deterre vs from all sinnes And as the meditation of death doth preuent sinne Bosq p. 12. de finibus honorum so it sweetneth death and makes it farre the lesse terrible vnto vs for if our eyes be dead and weaned from beholding vanities The frequent meditation of death is a great meanes to preserue vs from the feare of death our eares from hearing the Syrens songs of sinnefull pleasure and our hearts especially from the loue of vaine and worldly things then certainely they will not being thus mortified and accustomed with this death to sinne bee any whit afrayd of the death of the body which is the reward of sinne but as a horse that is to runne a race hauing often walked his way before is the more fearelesse to goe on when hee comes at the day of triall so the man that is acquainted with the wayes of death through the daily meditation of death is not afrayd to die when he seeth the day of his dissolution Palladius reports it that an Eremite being at the point to die his schollers and friends asked him if death did not seeme terrible vnto him hee smilingly answered that death was no stranger but a most familiar acquaintance to him it was his manuall and his vade mecum his table-booke which he alwayes carried about him and therefore dying he did but now repeate that his old lesson which hee had beene long in learning O that it were so with euery one of vs that throughout all our life wee would learne to die The application of Christs death is the onely cause that maketh vs happie after death Osee 13.14 that hauing made death present with vs before it comes it may neuer proue terrible vnto vs when it comes Of the third the Diuine veritie sayth that the chiefest cause the onely cause indeed of this different effect of death is the application of the death of Christ for it is he that saith O death I will be thy death O graue I will bee thy destruction and therefore as when Alexander ouerthrew the walles of Thebes Phryne a harlot promised to build them vp againe if shee might ingraue vpon them this inscription 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Alexander battered downe this Wall but Phryne built it vp againe so we may truely say that Eue threw downe these muddie walles of ours but Christ doth rayse them vp for though the wages of sinne are death Rom. 6.23 yet the grace of God brings eternall life through Iesus Christ our Lord. And the manner how he doth deliuer vs and metamorphose death to become life vnto vs he himselfe doth shew when hee sayth if I be lift vp I will draw vp all vnto my selfe i. e. if I die I will destroy the power of death for so the Apostle sayth That forasmuch as the children were partakers of flesh and blood John 8.28 and C. 12.32 Heb. 2.14 15. he himselfe likewise tooke part of the same that through death hee might destroy him that had the power of death that is the Deuill and deliuer them that through the feare of death were all their life time subiect vnto bondage 1 Machah 6.46 Iudges 16.30 and therefore as Eleazer by his owne death did put the great Elephat to death and Sampson by pulling downe the house vpon his owne head did put to death all the Philistines so Christ by his owne death did put the deuills Origen hom 8. in Iohan and all the powers of darkenesse vnto death and therefore Origen sayth that vpon the crosse of Christ two were crucified that is Christ and the deuill but after a diuers manner for Christ was crucified visibly and most willingly for hee layd downe his life himselfe but the deuill was crucified inuisibly and most vnwillingly Matth. 12.29 for this strong man armed was faine to bee bound before Christ could spoyle his house And the Lord speaking of his enemies and saying that hee would be vnto them as a Lion Ose 13.7 would obserue them as a Libbard in the way of Ashur doth foreshew vnto vs both the destruction and the manner of the destruction of these our spirituall enemies for in being like a Lion he sheweth their destruction and in being like a Libbard he sheweth the manner The manner how Christ by death ouercame death how hee would destroy them for it is obserued of the Libbard that he vseth this pollicie to kill those Apes that doe molest him first he lyeth downe as dead and suffereth the apes to mocke him and trample him and to insult ouer him as much as they will but when he perceiueth them to be wearied with leaping and skipping vpon him he reuines himselfe on a sudden and with his clawes and teeth he teareth them all to pieces euen so our Sauiour Christ suffered the deuill and death and all the wicked Iewes like apes to mocke him to tread him and trample him vnder feete to crucifie him to burie him to seale vp his graue and to haue armed Souldiers to watch him that hee should not rise any more and it may be to knocke him on the head againe if he sought to reuiue but when hee saw they had done their worst and that they could doe no more Psal 78.66.67 Hee waked as a giant out of
neque sua natura simpliciter sunt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Which are neither contrary to the Nature of God nor yet of their owne Nature simply impossible to be done What things are repugnant to the Nature of God First of the first kinde are all those actions which though they may be done of the creatures yet haue they no place with God and such are to sinne to moue to die to walke to eate and all other humane acts and so whatsoeuer doth repugne the nature of God or be any wayes contrary to his essentiall or personall properties because to be able to doe these things were to euert and destroy the nature and properties of God And therefore God cannot imagine any folly because this doth contradict his Wisedome August ser 119. de temp he cannot suffer any sinne to goe vnpunished because that is contrary to his Iustice neither can he lye because that is contrary to his Truth neither can he doe but he must be iust good wise pure inuisible incorporeall so forth not onely because that to be able to doe this would argue a defect of power but especially because the denyall and sublation or taking away of these properties is the negation and destruction of the Essence of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For the taking away of the essentiall properties Theodor. Dialog 3. is the abolishing of the nature saith Theodoret And therefore these and the like things which doe repugne with the essentiall or personall properties of God cannot be done on Gods part nor by God though they may be done by the creatures because in very deede he cannot by any meanes will to doe these things for none can naturally will That God cannot will those things that are contrary to his nature to bee contrary to that which naturally he willeth to be as no man can naturally will himselfe to be miserable because euery man naturally willeth felicitie and therefore seeing God is naturally Wise True and Good it is most absolutely necessarie that hee should alwayes Will Wisedome Trueth and Goodnesse and cannot possibly Will the contrary as Theodoret doth most excellently say Dominus Deus nihil vult eorum quae non sibi suapte natura insunt potest quaecunque vult vult quae naturae suae apta conuenientia sunt God cannot will any of those things which are not naturally agreeable vnto him he can doe what he will Jdem quo supra and he can will whatsoeuer is apt and agreeable to his nature Secondly Of the second kinde are all those things How contradictories doe destroy each other which implie a contradiction as for a thing to bee and not to bee together because all such things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sunt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are simply and absolutely impossible as contradictorily repugning and so destroying one another and therefore can no wayes be done Quia res talis non potest habere rationem factibilis Because such a thing hath not the reason nor way nor possibilitie of being done as Thomas sayth and therefore wee doe say that God can neither doe nor will contraries as good and euill which in a nature absolutely and euery way simple cannot subsist Trelcatius in thesi de Deo Amand Polan in Synt nor yet contradictories as to make a thing to be and not to be which in the essence of God voide and cleere from all falsehood and most perfect in all trueth can haue no place sayth Trelcatius And so we doe affirme that God cannot make that a triangle should be a triangle and yet not to haue three angles or corners or that a triangle should haue three angles and not three angles that that which is while it is should not be that those things which haue beene made How all antiquitie teacheth that God cannot doe contradictories Mark 10.27 should not haue beene made that a body should be a true naturall body and yet destitute and free from all those naturall proprieties which doe as it were constitute the very being of the thing and without which the very diffinition of the thing is taken away and all other such things which doe simplie implie a contradiction And we finde all Men in all ages to haue confest and to haue taught the same trueth for venerable Bede expounding those words of Marke All things are possible with God sayth it is not so to bee vnderstood that the couetous proud men can with their pride and couetousnesse enter into the kingdome of Heauen because this is impossible vnto God because neither the Couetous nor the Proud as God himselfe doth testifie by the mouth of his Apostle 1 Cor. 6.9.10 shall inherite the kingdome of God but that it is possible for God as often it hath beene done and we daily see it to bee done so to worke in the hearts of these wicked and vngodly Men that by the preaching of his Word and the working of his spirit they should be conuerted and weaned from the loue of worldly things and be inflamed with the longing desire of Heauenly things Venera Bede in Marc. C. 11. Et à perniciosa superbia ad humilitatem saluberrimam reducantur And bee reduced from their aspiring and pernicious pride vnto that most wholesome practise of humilitie in which words hee plainely sheweth that God cannot doe those things which doe implie a contradiction So S. Augustine against Faustus the Manachie and in many other places and so Aquinas The most horrible impieties of them which say God can worke all contradictories and all Schoole-Diuinitie doe all of them teach the same trueth And they that say otherwise doe but mocke both God and Man and take away all trueth from Diuine and Humane things and lay open a most vnsufferable and vnrepairable gappe for all wicked Hereticks for God which is immutably and infallibly true 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the verie trueth it selfe can neither will nor suffer that an affirmation should bee a negation that an yea should bee a nay or that trueth and falshood should bee mixed together in the very selfe-same simplest subiect as this is fire and not water and this very selfe-same thing is water and not fire at the same time and in the same respect or this is bread and not flesh and this is flesh and not bread that is one thing to bee two distinct things at the selfe-same time and in the selfe-same respect I say it is vnpossible for the trueth of God to doe Aug. cont Faustum l. 26. c. 81 as Saint Augustine doth most excellently and largely shew against Faustus Manichaeus And therefore I cannot sufficiently wonder who hath bewitched our Vbiquitaries which doe so stiffely contend that the Body of Christ remayning a true body and yet notwithstanding may bee and is euery where illocall inuisible and so forth for if these things be not meerely contradictorie
speake and therefore I will rather bathe my selfe in those fountaines of Gods admirable loue wherby he imbraced Mankinde the Epytome of the whole world and especially the Church of Christ the epytome of this epytome before it was created and pittyed the same when it was fallen and promised to restore it and to reuiue it when it was dead and to shew his mercy vnto it Gods promise touching the Incarnation of the Word Gen. 3.15 when it was in miserie for he said first in Paradise that the seede of the woman should breake the Serpents head And afterwarâ—s to Abraham that in his seed all the Nations of the earth should be blessed and then to Dauid Gen. 22.18 that of the fruit of his body he would raise one to sit vpon his seate And so more and more cleerely vnto the rest of the succeeding Prophets and I will chiefely insist vpon that chiefest token of Gods loue Psal 132.12 and that greatest argument of Gods goodnesse towards vs the most mercifull fulfilling of these gracious promises so much desired and so long expected by all the blessed Patriarchs and Prophets and all the rest of the holy men of God for when the fulnesse of time came God sent his Sonne made of a woman Gal. 4.4 made vnder the Law to redeeme them that were in bondage vnder the Law that we might receiue the adoption of children And this my Text doth fully and plainely shew vnto vs. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And the Word was made flesh The most excellent speech that can be vttered is euer measured saith Fulgentius by these two properties breuity and suauitie and here is both in this Text few words full of matter and the sweetest matter that euer was heard God made Man and therefore I may say of these words that they are all in all and as Saint Hierome saith of the Catholike Epistles of Saint Peter Hieron ad Paulin Saint Iohn Saint Iames and Saint Iude Breues esse pariter longas That in these few words are contained all words all things all matters For the summe of all knowledge is Diuinitie this is the Lady and Mistresse all other Arts and Sciences are but seruants like Penelopes handmaides helpes and meanes to bring vs to the speech of this chaste mistresse the summe of all Diuinity is the Scripture for this is sufficient to make the man of God perfect 2 Tim. 3.17 Rom. 1.16 being instructed to all good workes the summe of the Scripture is the Gospel for the Gospell is the power of God vnto saluation to euery one that beleeueth and the summe of the Gospell is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This word that is made flesh for these things i e. the Gospell are written That you might beleeue Iesus Christ to be the Sonne of God Iohn 10.31 and that in beleeuing you might haue eternall life Christ the Word the sum of all things This is Verbum abbreuiatum That contracted word into which all words are reduced as the Riuers into the Seas from this Word they came vnto this Word they tend and within this Word they are all contained for he is the First hee is the Last he is α Legis ω Euangilij The beginning of the Law and the end of the Gospell Velatus in Veteri reuelatus in Nouo Testamento Veyled and shadowed in the Old reueiled and exhibited in the New Testament All the men of note and all the names of dignity were but types of this eternall Word promised in that preached in this there shewed vnto the Fathers in Types here manifested vnto vs in Truths for the Tree of Life the Arke of Noah the Ladder of Iacob the Mercy seat the Brazen Serpent and all such mysticall Types and typicall Figures that we reade of in the Old Testament what were they else but Christ obscurely shadowed before he was fully reueiled and so all the men of Note Noah Isaac Ioseph Moses Aaron Iosua Sampson Dauid Salomon Kings Priests Prophets Titles of Dignities Names of Honour or whatsoeuer else was ascribed to them to expresse their Soueraignty Omnia in figura contingebaâ—t illis 1 Cor. 10.11 Esay 9.6 Aug. in Soliloq c. 31. they were onely vsed to expresse those transcendent excellencies which these personall types did adumbrate and shew most properly to belong vnto this King of Kings This mighty Counsellor and this Prince of Peace For as Saint Augustine tels vs that hauing gone through all creatures and inquired of them for God each one of them did answere I am not he Iohn 1.20 Sed per ipsum sum quem quaeris in me But I haue my being from him whom thou seekest in me so if we would runne ouer the whole classie of the Patriarchs and Prophets to inquire for Christ wee should finde that they would euery one of them answere with Iohn Baptist I am not the Christ but doe looke and expect for him and trust in him as well as you And to speake all in a word the whole word of God containeth nothing else but this Word God for the world being not worthy and our weakenesse being not able to behold the brightnesse of his comming all at once and so God himselfe being not willing suddenly in an instant Christ would not roueile himselfe vnto the World all at once to shew wholly so rich a Iewell he did at sundry times and in diuers manners sometimes in types sometimes in prophesies before his Incarnation sometimes in parables sometimes by similitudes and sometimes by his myracles in the time of his Apostles before his Ascention and since that time plainely with open face reueile himselfe and cause himselfe to be preached vnto all people so that in very deed we might if we had our spirituall eyes alwayes opened Behold and find this word God either couertly shadowed or else plainely expressed almost in euery page in euery verse in euery line in euery word of the whole Word of GOD. And therefore vnhappy is that man To know Christ is the onely thing that makes vs happy which though he knoweth all things else knoweth not this Word but happy and blessed is that man which knoweth this Word though he know none other words in the world and he that knoweth this Word and knoweth all other things together with this Word is neuer a whit the happier for the knowledge of all other things but he is onely happy for the knowledge of this onely Word for this is eternall life to know thee and whom thou hast sent Iesus Christ Iohn 17.3 and as one truely saith Haec est nobilissima scientiarum scientia nobilissimorum scire 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 factum carnem This the noblest of all Sciences and the fittest Science for the noblest men to know that the Word was made flesh Nam omnia habemus in Christo omnia in nobis Christus Because we haue all things in Christ and Christ is all things
and wouldest be adorned with the best robes of vertue Christ is the garment of righteouâ—nesse And if thou doest put on the Lord Iesus Christ Rom. 13 14. as Saint Paul aduiseth thee then all thy garments will smell of Myrhe Aloes and Cassia it will be like the smell of a pleasant field Gen. 27.27 which the Lord hath blessed or whatsoeuer thou wantest and wouldest haue thou mayest fully and freely haue the same from him Vita ab errore gratia à peccato mors à morte liberabit His life will preserue thee from error if thou wilt follow it his grace will free thee from sinne if thou wilt receiue it and his death will deliuer thee from eternall death if thou wilt beleeue in it And if thou be simple he is thy wisedome if thou be sinnefull he is thy righteousnesse if thou wouldest be holy he is thy sanctification if thou beest the slaue of hell and held captiue by the Diuell Ephes 4.8 he is thy redemption that hath ledde captiuity captiue And to comprehend all in a word This word is All in all Vt qui omnia propter Christum demittit vnum inueniat pro omnibus Christum That he which forsaketh all for Christ his sake might finde all in Christ and Christ in stead of all farre better then all vnto his soule And so might ioyfully sing with the Psalmist The Lord is my portion and I haue a goodly heritage the Lord is my Shepheard and therefore I can want nothing For Psal 23.1 as Seneca said vnto Polibius Fas tibi non est saluo Caesare de fortuna conquaeri quia hoc incolumi nihil per didisti It is not fit for thee to complaine of Fortune for want or pouerty or any other aduersitie so long as thou hast the fauour of Caesar Nam in hoc pro omnibus hic tibi omnia est ideo non tantum siccos sed laetos oculos esse oportet and him so friendly vnto thee for that hauing him thou hast lost nothing which thou canst not soone and easily recouer againe because he and his loue is better then all things vnto thee and therefore thou shouldest more reioyce in hauing him then grieue for the leesing of all things else Euen so may I farre better say the same vnto all Christians What matter though we want or leese all the things of this World if wee haue and enioy Iesus Christ for all the accessions and accumulations of worldly things can adde nothing vnto the felicity of a Christian and all the defects or wants of the same things can detract nothing from the happinesse of him that hath Iesus Christ for whosoeuer hath him hath all things and whosoeuer wanteth him hath nothing For All our knowledge is but heathenish Science All the things of this World without Christ will auaile vs nothing Iohn 14.6 able to make vs proud not to make vs happy If this word be not Obiectum adaequatum The chiefest yea and sole obiect of the same all our faith in God is but vngrounded confidence if it be not grounded vpon this word for No man commeth vnto the Father but by me All our righteousnesse is but as Pollutio panni Menstruous cloutes if it be not washed in the bloud of this word For 1 John 1.7 It is the bloud of Iesus Christ which cleanseth vs from all sinne And all our patience temperance chastity and all other vertues that either Nature planted or education effected in vs are but Splendida peccata Glittering guilded sinnes vnacceptable vnto God and vnprofitable vnto our selues able to make vs prouder not better if they be not guided by the grace and directed to the glory of this euerlasting Word For as the Bird cannot flye without her wings nor the body moue without the soule so no more can any man doe any thing that is good and acceptable vnto God without the helpe of this heauenly Word For Without me you can doe nothing saith our Sauiour Christ but in him God is well pleased John 15.5 Philip. 4.13 not onely with himselfe but also with all vs and through him We can doe all things as the Apostle saith And therefore as Duke Ioab when hee had fought the field and got the vpper hand of his enemies did send for Dauid to carry away the credit of the victory so the Prophets the Apostles and all the holy men of God in all their heauenly words miraculous workes That if there be any goodnesse in vs wee should ascribe the glory of it to Iesus Christ paines and preachings would neuer suffer any part or parcell of the credit to rest vpon themselues but did most forcibly repell it and most faithfully acknowledge it all to belong vnto this Omnipotent Word So Saint Peter after the healing of the poore lame Cripple said vnto the people when he saw them ready to adore them for so admirable a miracle Why looke you so earnestly on vs Acts 2.12.16 as though by our owne power or holinesse we had made this man to walke No no it is not so but it is The Name of Iesus Christ and our faith in his Name that made him perfectly whole i. e. He is the Author we are the Instruments and our faith is the meanes whereby this man receiued strength and therefore doe not you ascribe the honour of this worke vnto any of vs which of our selues can doe nothing but ascribe it vnto the Name of that Almighty Word which of himselfe can doe all things So Saint Paul after he had said that he had laboured more then all the rest of the Apostles least any man should thinke that he did assume the honour of that diligence vnto himselfe and not ascribe the same vnto Christ he presently addeth and yet it was not I that did it but the grace of God which was in me And so all the Saints of God after all their voluminous and laborious workes they conclude all with Laus Christo Let all the prayse be giuen to Christ And as they referred all the honour of their owne actions vnto Christ because they were all done by the grace and power of Christ so did they desire nothing in the World but Christ They forsooke all Math. 19.27 The Saints desired nothing but Iesus Christ and followed him and still cryed vnto him with Saint Augustine Da mihite Domine Take away all from vs and spare not so thou giue thy selfe vnto vs that leesing all we may leese nothing at all because we gaine thee which art the greatest gaine in the World So Saint Paul saith He trampled his owne righteousnesse and all his owne goodnesse vnderfeete Phil 3.8 that he might finde the righteousnesse of Christ he deemed all the riches and all the other things of this World but as dung and drosse 1 Cor. 22. and losse vntâ— him that he might gaine Iesus Christ and he desired to vnderstand nothing to know nothing
to remember nothing to haue nothing but Iesus Christ and him crucified And therefore well might Saint Augustine call him the best Childe of grace because as Saint Iohn that best beloued Disciple was the most louing vnto his brethren and did most of all expresse the loue of God to men and require the loue of men to God so did this chosen vessell of grace best of all suppresse the pride of man and extoll the grace of Christ So did Saint Augustine in his time that was Strenuus defensor gratiae A most valiant Champion to fight for grace so did that worthy Zanchius in these latter times and so will all Christians doe that doe loue Iesus Christ ascribe all good to him and nothing to our selues Quia nostrum nihil est Because nothing that is good is of our selues I reade of one Iohannes Alexandrinus a most excellent holy man that when hee had distributed all that euer he had vnto the poore hee fell downe vpon his knees and thanked God that now hauing nothing left hee desired nothing else The Authors earnest and hearty wish both for the Cleargy and Laity but his Lord and Master Iesus Christ Oh that it might be so with euery one of vs that this word which did all good vnto vs tooke all infirmities from vs suffered all punishments for vs and finished all the workes of our redemption to vs might be all in all within vs all First That we the Preachers of Gods Word would leaue our iarring and our iangling about shaddowes That we should not contest about trifles about things of nothing An ater sit contrarius albo As whether it be better to weare a white Surplesse or a blacke Gowne in the administring of the Sacrament Much like the contention in Rome betwixt the Augustine Friars and the vulgar Canons whether Saint Augustine did weare a blacke weede vpon a white coate or a white weede vpon a blacke coate for by this meanes in stead of bread we shall giue our Children stones to throw at one another and in stead of fish wee shall giue them Scorpions to sting one another And therefore I wish that we would all leaue these things and would be Pythagoricè mundo Ciceronicè Christo Mute vnto the World mute vnto all worldly vanities and vse all our words all our eloquence to expresse the excellency of this super-excellent word And so by the helpe of this word to preach of this word and to write of this word to the eternall prayse and glory of this word that is to preach not our selues but him not for our owne gaine but for his glory That we should imploy all our strength to expresse the glory of Christ It is reported of Saint Bernard that hauing made with great art and study a most curious elegant Sermon he passed home without any applause and the next day making a plaine conscionable and comfortable Sermon vnto his Auditors he receiued many a blessing from those well-edified hearers And being demanded by one of his Colleagues how it happened that his most learned Sermon was so strangely neglected and his farre more playne one so ioyfully imbraced he most humbly answered Heri praedicaui Bernardum hodie Iesum Christum Yesterday I preached my selfe to shew my wit and my learning to day I preached Iesus Christ to shew his grace and his goodnesse I wish that none would preach Saint Bernard that is preach a Sermon rare and seldome filled with words and fine phrases to gaine vnto themselues credit and thereby preferment as the onely rare Schollars of our times and so they are rare indeed for they are but seldome seene to preach like the Swallowes that come but once a yeere but that we would preach Iesus Christ to gaine soules vnto the Church of God And I confesse against my selfe that when I tooke greatest paines to make and compose a Scholler-like Sermon as I thought and saw the same vnregarded and when with lesse diligence but with good conscience I saw other of my poore labours most acceptably receiued That we should preach Iesus Christ and not our selues I deemed it was for want of iudgement in mine Auditors whereas now I perceiue it was an error in my selfe that I did not alwayes so as might best tend for edification and not so as might any wayes sauour of ambition Because our chiefest care should be not to spinne a fine thred but to winne a faire soule to Christ And therefore that is an excellent rule which Saint Augustine giues vnto all Preachers Non delectent verba vestra sed prosint quia sapientes verum magis amant in verbis quam verba That our words should not so much delight the eares as our matter edifie the soules of men because all wise Christians doe loue the truth and excellencie of the matter rather then the fluent elegancie of the words though I denie not but as the Poet sayth est aliqua gloria frondium an excellent matter exprest in fit and decent words is like apples of gold in pictures of siluer And therefore O my Soule so preach thou the Word of God that whatsoeuer men thinke or say of thee this Word God at last may say vnto thee euge serue bone well done thou good and faithfull seruant enter thou into thy Masters ioy Secondly I wish that all hearers would thinke of nothing speake of nothing heare of nothing loue and long for nothing but for this onely one thing that they would villifie and nullifie all things else to magnifie and to omnifie the excellencie of this excellent Word that we would prize and value him aboue all things that wee would loue him and long after him vntill we languish and be compelled to crie with the Spouse Cantic 2.5 Stay me with flaggons and comfort me with apples for I am sicke of loue and that we would so inquire after him as men vndone without him and rather be contented to want all the world then to want this Word which made the world of nothing and still preserues the same that it turne not to nothing for I doe much feare that if we could see the hearts of men we should finde many of them not as we would but rather as Saint Bernard calls them sine Christo Christianos such as haue this word Christ often in their mouthes to sweare and blaspheme him but not in their liues to yeeld any seruice to him Mammon is their chiefest god and this God which is the first and the last is the last and the least in all their thoughts all their delight is in filthie communications and leaude words all words that may doe hurt but they haue no delight in this word God The wise Merchant Matth. 13.46 sold al that euer he had to gaine this inualuable Pearle but as many a foole will leese his best friend rather then his basest iest so will the foolish worldlings sell this and leese all that belongs to
beginning and ending The second is proper to seules and spirits which haue beginning but shall neuer haue ending The third is proper to all compound bodies which as they had beginning so they shall haue ending Quia omnia orta occidunt omnia aucta senescunt Because all raised or created things shall fall and whatsoeuer increaseth waxeth old After the first sense the Word was neuer made in any time but is the Father of all times and before all times After the second sense the Soule of Christ was made in time but to continue euer immortall for all times And How Christ was made in time After the third sence the Body of Christ was likewise made in time and to continue here but for a time in respect of his mortall condition before it was inuested with the indowments of immortality And so both Body and Soule of Christ were made in time to subsist in the person of him that made all time that time wherin he was made thus to subsist was in the fulnesse of time saith the Apostle for as places so times haue their fulnesse and their emptinesse some places are empty hauing nothing in them but onely ayre and some are full of gold and pearles and precious things euen so some times are voyde of strange accidents How time hath his fulnesse and sometimes are full of admirable occurrents and in such a time was the Word made flesh the Sonne of God made man for now the time was full of peace full of plenty and full of wickednesse the Diuell had broken loose and had possest the minds of most and the bodies of many men more then euer before or euer since as some imagine by reason of those multitudes that they reade of to be really possessed with Diuels in our Sauiours time And therefore being so full of all vnrighteousnesse Rom. 29. he that was the fulnesse of grace came to root out the euill weeds of our sinnes Iohn 1.16 and out of his fulnesse to offer vs grace for grace For First hee would not come before Adam fell because that had beene superfluous to seeke the sheepe before the sheepe were lost Secondly he would not come presently after because thereby he would shew the greater loue to mankinde for though in some cases it be true that gratia ab officio quod mora tardat abest delayed kindnesse looseth halfe his goodnesse yet herein the long tarrying of Christ before he came to be incarnate was a manifest signe of his greater goodnesse towards vs for these three speciall causes First that by the Law of nature Why Christ stayed so long before he came and by the written Law of God man might be conuinced and see his owne sinnes and so be the more moued to seeke his Sauiour Secondly that he tarrying for a while might be the more earnestly desired and make him being obtayned to become the more acceptable vnto vs Quia diu desiderata dulcius obtinentur because that things long desired are more sweet when they are obtained as Saint Augustine speaketh Thirdly that due preparation might be made by the Patriarches and Prophets before his comming and the people made by them apt and ready to receiue him and to imbrace his comming that so his comming might be the more profitable vnto them for they were sent to prepare Matth. 3.3 and to make straight the way of the Lord and therefore as his tarrying now from comming to iudgement is an exceeding great argument of his goodnesse because he doth it to see if his long patience will leade vs to repentance so his long tarrying then was a sure signe of his greater loue because he would haue vs thereby to be fitted to make the better vse of his comming and yet Why Christ would not stay any longer then he did Thirdly he would not stay vntill the last end of the world Ne fides spes de promisso semine nimis tardatae perirent Least staying so long there should be no hope left to expect him no faith to beleeue in him and no charity to loue him when hee should come For though there was but a little goodnesse then God knowes Patrios ante dies filius quaerebat in annos Yet there is a great deale lesse now all the world sees Terras Astraea reliquit For our Sauiour told vs that towards the end of the world The loue of many should waxe cold and faith should scarce be found vpon the face of the whole earth And therefore seeing that to come in the beginning of the world had beene too soone and to tarry till the latter end had been too late he came in the fittest time in the fulnesse of time to be incarnate and made flesh The particular time of the Words incarnation And if we search a little further to know more particularly what time was this fulnesse of time we shall finde it to be 1. In the sixt Age of the world 2. In the Raigne of Augustus and Herod 3. In the tenth Moneth of the yeare 4. In the shortest Day of the Moneth 5. In the first Day of the Weeke 6. In the first Houre of the Day First We must note that as man which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the little world so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the great and large Vniuerse hath his times and his ages for Damascen Lucidus and others as Clicthouaeus collecteth doe affirme that the worlds age is seauen-fold How the world is diuided into his seuerall ages First the infancy of it from Adam to the flood Secondly the child-hood of it from the flood to Abraham Thirdly the youth of it from Abraham to Moses Fourthly the riper and liuelier youth from the Law to Dauid Fiftly the man-hood of it from the Temple of Salomon to the Captiuity Sixtly the maturity of it from the Captiuity of Babylon vnto Christ Seauenthly Aug. de ciuit Dei l. vlt. c. vlt. the dotage of it from Christ vnto Iudgement but Saint Augustine Saint Chrysostome Saint Isidore Bede Arrias Montanus and others though they say the world doth consist of seauen ages yet they doe diuide them otherwise viz. 1. From Adam vnto Noahs Flood containing 1656. yeares The diuision of the worlds age 2. From Noahs Flood vnto Abraham 293. or 383. 3. From Abraham vnto Dauid 941. 4. From Dauid to the Captiuity 485. and 6. Moneths 5. From the Captiuity vnto Christ 620. 6. From Christ to the day of Iudgement 1624. hitherto and how many more none can tell As our Sauiour shewth Of that day and houre knoweth no man 7. From the day of Iudgement vnto all Eternity for euer and euer And so according to this account Christ was borne in the yeare of the world 4085. but according to the seauenty Interpreters account he was borne in the yeare 5461. and according to our account he was borne in the yeare 3948. and so I find in the account of yeares
from God and the chiefest argument of his Diuine loue towards man for though it was great loue to be clothed with the vaile of our flesh and to take the infirmities of our fraile and feeble nature yet is it farre greater loue to be compassed with the shadow of Death and to vndergoe the penalty of our sinfull nature And therefore seeing the mercifull and gracious Lord hath so done this maruellous worke Psal 111 4. that it ought to be had in remembrance I may well say with the Prophet Lam. 1.12 Haue ye no regard O all ye that passe by the way Stay here and consider and behold If euer there were any sorrow like his sorrow or any suffering like the suffering of Christ your businesse may be great and your occasions vrgent yet none so great none so waighty as this and none so acceptable vnto God as this for if you must remember when he rested how much more should you remember how he suffered Secondly It is most profitable vnto men in three respects Secondly As no worke more acceptable vnto God so none more profitable for vs for the serious meditation of the sufferings of Christ effecteth in vs besides many others these three especiall good 1. It hindereth vs to sinne 2. It kindleth our charity 3. It erecteth our Hope For Orosius sup ep ad Rom. l. 6. First Tanta vis crucis vt si ante occulos ponatur c. So great is the power and efficacy of the sufferings of Christ that if it were alwayes fixed in the mindes of the faithfull How the meditation of Christs Passion driueth away sinne so that they did intentiuely behold the death of Christ no concupiscense no lust no enuy no fury could ouercome them but presently vpon the consideration of Christ his sufferings the whole hoste of the flesh and of sinne would flie away saith Orosius and Saint Bernard saith Bern. ser 62. in Cant. Quid tam efficax ad curanda coÌ„scientiae vulnera necnon ad purgandam mentis aciem quam Christi vulnerum sedula meditatio What can be more powerfull to cure the sinfull wounds of our consciences yea and to purge our mindes from all sinnes then the sedulous meditation of the wounds of Christ for the Passion of Christ sheweth how dearely it cost him to redeeme vs from sinne and therefore it should make vs afraid to sinne for when the Harlot Lais asked of Demosthenes 1000. Dracmas i. e. almost 24. pound of our money or as some report 10000. Dracmas i. e. 200. pound for one nights lodging with her he wisely answered her Non tanti emam paenitere I will not buy repentance at so deare a rate so when Satan suggesteth vs to sinne if we did but consider the great price that Christ did pay for sinne and must be paid before it can be pardoned for we are bought with a price yea with a great price 1 Cor. 6.1 saith the Apostle there is no doubt but it would be a great meanes to preserue vs from sinning for it is most certaine saith Origen Origen in c. 6. ad Rom. that the true consideration of the Passion of Christ in the heart of a Christian is the chiefest munition to guard vs against euery sinne for as Vriah said vnto King Dauid The Arke and Israel 2 Sam. 11.11 and Iuda abide in Tents and my Lord Ioab and the seruants of my Lord are incamped in the open field Sap. 2.8 and shall I then goe downe into mine house to eate and drinke and to lie with my wife as thou liuest and as thy soule liueth I will not doe this thing So euery good Christian man will say My Sauiour Christ did weare a Crowne of thornes and shall I say come let vs crowne our selues with rose buds his hands are extended vpon the Crosse to imbrace me and shall I stretch forth mine hands vnto wickednesse to disgrace him he being ready to die had gall to eate and vineger to drinke and shall I being perfectly whole say with them in the booke of Wisedome Come Wisedome 2.7 let vs fiâ—l our selues with Wine and pleasant oyntments He suffered his breast his side and his heart to be opened and pierced for me and shall I harden my heart and shut the doore of my soule against him he was contented to heare himselfe reuiled and scorned for mee and shall I still scorne him and stop mine eares from hearing him so graciously speaking and so louingly calling me by the mouth of his holy seruants And as Origen saith Pro me Dei filius iugulatus est iterum me peccare delectat The Sonne of God was slaine for my sinnes and shall I euer againe delight in sinne So will euery true remembrancer of Christs sufferings say the desire of mony betrayed my Sauiour and shall I euer after that loue couetosnesse my wanton pleasures my vaine delights my swelling pride my greedy desire and all my wicked sinnes were the onely cause of my Sauiours want Chrys hom 88. in Matth. of his bitter sorrowes and his shamefull cruell death and shall I euer loue those sinnes that brought these sorrowes vnto him no sure I will not doe it saith euery soule that thinkes of this Etiam si lapis esset yea though his heart were made of stone yet the true meditation hereof would mollifie the same like waxe and cause him to depresse his pride and to detest all sinne saith Saint Chrysostome for as the destroying Angell could not hurt any of them whose doore-posts were sprinkled with the bloud of the Paschall Lambe so the subtlety of Satan that destroying enemie can neuer preuaile against them which haue their mindes and hearts alwayes sprinkled with the true meditation of the suffering and shedding of the pretious blood of Iesus Christ Gal. 6.14 And therefore as that blessed Apostle Saint Paul saith God forbid that I should glory in any thing The meditation of Christs Passion cannot choose but make vs to loue Christ saue in the Crosse of Iesus Christ whereby the world is crucified vnto me and I vnto the world that is whereby all worldly vanities and pleasures are become loathsome vnto me and I am become a hater and detester of them as being the cause of Christ his Crosse so I say vnto euery man if euer Satan or the lust of the flesh inticeth thee to sin I pray thee doe but this one thing before thou dost the sin call to mind and consider what thy deare Sauiour suffered for thy sinnes and I doubt not but it will proue a most wholesome antidote and a most excellent preseruatiue against sinne And Secondly As the consideration of Christs Passion is a great meanes to preuent sinne so it is of maine force to stirre vp our loue and to kindle our affection towards Christ as Saint Bernard saith Nihil est quod eum ita nobis amabilem reddit quam calix ille Bern. ser 20. in
Cantic quem pro nobis bibit nothing in the world makes Christ to be loued of vs more then that Cup which he hath drunke vp for vs. Quia amor amoris magnes durus est qui amorem non rependit Because loue is as a loadstone to draw loue againe and greater loue then this hath no man that a man should giue his life for his friends and therefore the remembrance of this cannot choose but cause vs to loue him againe Euripides in Alceste It is reported subeuntem fata mariti Alcesten that Alcestes was contented to vndergoe the destinies of her husband for when Apollo had obtained of the Fates to spare Admetus life if any one of his friends or kindred would willingly die for him and that all his friends refused the same his wife Alcestes redeemed his life with her owne death So was Pythias ready to die for Damon and Damon likewise for Pythias and so the Codri for the Athenians and the Curtij for the Romans did willingly giue themselues to die Sic fratrem Pollux alterna morte redemit And surely these are arguments of great loue yet farre farre short of the loue of Christ For First these did it for them that loued them as much Lactant. institut l. 5. c. 18. and were as ready to doe as much for them againe but Christ did it for vs when we were his enemies Rom. 5.8 Secondly these owed so much vnto their friends and countrey for in that they were they were from these and whatsoeuer they had they had from them and therefore Cicero l. 1 offic Partem ortus nostri patria partem patres sibi vendicant Our Country our friends and our parents doe rightly challenge no small part of euery man saith Cicero and as Lucan saith Haec duri immota Catonis Lucan l. 2. secta fuit Nec sibi sed toti genitum se credere mundo It was Cato's mind that he was not borne for himselfe but to doe what good he could to others but Christ oweth vs nothing he is a debter to no man for who hath first giuen vnto him Rom. 5 8. and it shall be recompenced vnto him againe And therefore seeing the loue of Christ to vs was so great as when we deserued no good at his hands but deserued so much euill as is due to mortall and perfidious enemies to suffer so many things for vs how can it choose but the remembrance therof should exceedingly kindle our loue towards him againe for who can behold and consider the grâ—â— price that was paid for his redemption and not loue his Redeemer or who can thinke of that bitter potion which he drunke for our saluation and not be inflamed with the loue of his Sauiour There be 3. things saith Mirandula that doe moue vs to loue any one First The vertues of the person Mirand de morte Christi li. 1. c. 17. Secondly The benefits that we haue receiued of him Thirdly The good that we doe expect from him But Christ is the vertue of God his Father the chiefest good and all goodnesse and although euery vertue doth challenge loue yet no vertue deserueth the same so much as liberality and what greater bounty or liberality can there be then this to shedde his precious bloud and to offer vp himselfe vpon the Altar of his Crosse to deliuer vs from eternall death and what greater good can be desired then that eternall happinesse which hee hath purchased for vs and which we doe expect from him And therefore who would not loue so good a Sauiour It is reported of Ignatius Bishop of Antioch that he did so continually meditate vpon those great things which Christ had done and suffered for him Jdem quo supra c. 10. that hee was thereby brought so intirely to loue him as when he was demanded why hee would not forsake and forget Christ rather then suffer himselfe to be torne and deuoured of wilde and sauage Beasts He answered That hee could not forget him because the sufferings of Christ were not onely words transient in his mouth or remoueable obiects before his eyes but they were indelible Characters so engrauen in his heart that all the torments of the Earth could neuer race them out And therefore being commanded by that bloudy Tyrant Traiane to be ript and vnbowelled they found Iesus Christ written vpon his heart in Characters of Gold Oh that it might be so with vs that wee would euer set the sufferings of Christ before our face and with Saint Paul desire to know nothing but Iesus Christ and him crucified that so by the continuall consideration of Christ his great loue to vs we might be induced to loue him againe The meditation of Christs suffering supporteth our hope Thirdly As the continuall meditation of Christs suffering suppresseth sinne and kindleth our loue so it supporteth our hope for though I haue sinned grieuously and my conscience is much troubled yet it shall not be ouer-cha◠〈◊〉 despaire Quoniam vulnerum Domini recordabor â—od ex me mihi deest vsurpo ex visceribus Domini Bernard Ser. 61. in Cant. Becaus◠〈◊〉 will remember the wounds of my Lord Iesus and whatsoeuer is wanting in my selfe I will assume from the bowels of my Sauiour for when my wisedome faileth my righteousnesse sufficeth not my holinesse helpeth not the sufferings of Christ shall suffice for all This shall be my last refuge this shall be mine onely remedy saith Saint Bernard Idem Ser. 22. in Cant. And so Saint Paul after hee had shewed how doe he what he could he serued with his flesh many times the Law of sinne and therefore cryeth out O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from the body of this death He saith I thanke God Rom. 7.24.25 through Christ our Lord As if hee should haue said Seeing I am so prone to sinne and so vnapt to goodnesse I haue none other refuge but onely to flie vnto the sufferings and merits of Iesus Christ and I know that is sufficient for me in stead of all for as Israel sucked honey out of the rocke and oyle out of the flint stone Deut. 32.13 so doe wee sucke all our comforts and refresh our selues with those streames of teares and bloud that gushed out of that stonie Rocke Iesus Christ And as the high hilles are a refuge for the wilde Goates Psal 104.18 and the stony Rockes for the Conies those poore silly fearefull Creatures that haue none other shift to saue their liues but to hide themselues in the holes of the Rockes so the poore silly simple soules of sinnefull men haue none other place to hide themselues in from the wrath of God Cantic 2.14 but onely with the Doue in the Canticles In foraminibus petrae In the clefts of this Rocke in the secret places of his stayres as some translate it that is in the wounds and stripes of Iesus Christ for
of him yet would not be be offended He doth here accumulate and heape one sinne vpon another for First He fled with the rest and left our Sauiour all alone First he fled Secondly He waxeth cold Secondly he waxeth cold in loue not onely through the coldnesse of the night but also through feare which driueth away the bloud and causeth the same to hide and to congeale it selfe as it were in some secret corners as the Poet saith Gelidusque per ima cucurrit ossa tremor Virgil. Aeneid 2. A trembling feare makes all the members cold and especially through want of loue and affection vnto Christ Nam si amore in deum corda inflammareÌ„tur perparum aut nihil vis frigorum corporibus esset nocitura Frigora ne possim gelidâ— sentire profundi Qui calet in câ—pido pectore praestat amor Ouidius ep Leand. Heron. For as carnall loue driueth away all cold as Leander saith vnto Hero So much more he that burneth with the heauenly loue of Christ will scarce feele any outward cold and therefore Christ saith vnto his beloued spouse My head is full of dew and my lockes with the drops of the night and yet because he loued her he patiently bore it all but Peter it may be hearing the wicked seruants relating how one had cast him downe to the ground another had thrown him into the brook of Cedron and a third had smote him vpon the cheeke then begins to waxe pale and fearefull and to forsake his first loue and therefore he had need to warme his hands at the high Priests fire when his heart was cold in the loue of God Thirdly hee denieth and forsweareth his Master Thirdly He denyed Christ with a lie with an oath with a curse and that presently at the voyce of a Woman a silly wench not any of the greatest Ladies but a poore seruing-maide that kept the doores O quantum mutatus ab illo Hectore What dost thou Peter deny Christ who then will confesse him for thou saidst Matth. 16.16 that he was the Sonne of the liuing God and dost thou now sweare thou knowest not whence he is Why Christ suffered Saint Peter for to fall And yet Christ though to humble him now that was so arrogant before and to teach vs to be afraid to fall for if so great a pillar fell how much easier may we be hurled downe if we be not wary to erect our hope that if with this Apostle through infirmity we do fal we shold not despaire with Iudas but still vpon our repentance trust in God Matth. 14.31 yet as formerly when he walked vpon the water and began to sinke Christ vpheld him with an outstretched arme so now when he walked through the pathes of death and was well-nigh swallowed in the gulfe of perdition Christ looketh vpon him with the eyes of mercy and saueth his soule by his compassionate grace for he causeth the Cock to crow Numbers â—2 28 the dumb beast like Balaams Asse to reproue the iniquity of the Apostle and as not respecting his owne indignity so much as his seruants infelicity How mercifully Christ preserueth Saint Peter hee looketh backe on him that had forgot himselfe and thereby reuiuing his memory to thinke vpon his masters words he sent him out to weepe bitterly that so he might restore him mercifully Fourthly Hee is falsly accused How Christ is falsely accused of his enemies and charged with the things that he neuer knew that he neuer said for they sought false witnesses for true witnesses they could haue none and there came many witnesses against him but they could not agree some saying one thing some another yet at last comes two sonnes of Belial children of their Father the Diuell that peruerting our Sauiours sence and changing his words said they heard him saying that he could destroy that Temple made with hands Marke 14.58 and build another in three dayes then the high-Priest adiured him by God to tell them what he was and when Christ did meekely and mâ—ldely say the truth he furiously rent his cloathes and said hee blasphemed against God as if God could or would blaspheme himselfe then all the foolish Clearkes of this wicked Priest did say Amen Et quae sibi quisque timebat Vnius in miseri exitium conuersa tulere And approuing what they knew not How all consent to crucifie Christ as a iust reward for sauing many of their wretched liues they all consent to put him to an accursed death and then followeth their acclamation Crucifie him crucifie him their saying is doubled and redoubled he must be put to death there is nothing else will satisfie these bloud-thirsty men and therefore he is now to be kept by the base Sargiants and the most barbarous Souldiers as a condemned man and to make themselues merry as at a banquet of Wine or as if they had beene at an enterlude play What grieuous things Christ suffered after he was condemned by Cayphas to passe away this tedious night they doe eterchangeably sport at him and first they mocke him secondly they beat him thirdly they spit in his glorious face and so make that face which the Angels desire to behold to become so deformed by reason of their blowes and spitles that it seemed as in a leprosie Esay 53.4 and as hauing neither forme nor beauty fourthly they hoodwinke him fiftly they beat him with their hands and fists sixtly they scoffingly say prophesie vnto vs who hath strocken thee O sweet Iesus Christ Quis cladem illius noctis quis funera fando Explicet aut possit lachrymis aequare dolorem Who is able to expresse thy bitter sufferings to declare thy heauy thoughts and to shew forth all thy griefe which thou endurest throughout all that long and tedious night And yet though he could haue easily stayed their fury and haue suddenly strucken them all starke dead with the least word of his mouth he opened not his mouth but he did patiently suffer whatsoeuer they did violently offer vnto him and when they had done what they would they consulted and consented to send him vnto Pilate How and whereof Christ was accused before Pilate And here before Pilate they doe accuse him of two speciall things First Of his impiety against God because as they sayd they found him peruerting the Nations and people of the Iewes and teaching them strange and pernitious doctrines breaking the Sabbaoth condemning their traditions and no wayes obseruing Moses his Law Secondly Of iniquity against man no lesse then high Treason against their soueraigne Emperour because he denyed to pay tribute vnto Caesar and said that himselfe was King And the more to induce Pilate to beleeue them to incense him against Christ they said that he began in Galilee because Galilee had brought forth many seditious and rebellious persons Act. 5. as Iudas Galileus Theudas and others and because Pilate
How the want of loue is the cause of many mischiefes in the world I onely pray it may neuer be so with any Christian soule that we make not the truth of God with all reuerence be it spoken as a Packe-horse to support our vile desires I am sure if there were more loue and charity among Christians lesse faults lesse errours would appeare to bee in the Church of God then now there seemes to be 1 Cor. 13. for charity suffereth all things beleeueth all things and is euer willing to make faults and errours lesser then they be whereas the want of loue will make the worst of euery thing euery errour to be an Heresie and euery infirmity to be hainous impiety nay want of loue will make sinnes where God made none We ought to loue all men and to hate all vices in whomsoeuer they be and make vertues to be vices whereas perfect charity will neuer hate the man though he be full of iniquity and therefore my conclusion of this point is that as Christ hath loued vs and gaue himselfe for vs so let vs loue Christ and loue one another for Christ his sake and he that doth these things shall neuer fall Part. 4 PART IIII. CHAP. Of the manner of Christs suffering how he suffered all that I haue shewed so as the Prophets fore-told and as the Apostles had seene the same with their eyes The incomprehensible manner of Christ his sufferings FOurthly Hauing heard of the person suffering Christ of the chiefest things that he suffered which are recorded by the Euangelists and of the necessity of that suffering in respect of those causes which did necessitate the same wee are now to cōsider the maner how he suffered expressed in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so to suffer that is so humbly so louingly so meekely so patiently and so euery way in respect of himselfe as that neither the tongues of men nor Angels are neuer able by any like to expresse it by any words to declare it That all predictions touching the Messias were all accomplished in Iesus Christ or by any apprehensions or thoughts of man to conceiue it And so in regard of men as the Prophets had foretold and the Apostles had already seene for so it pleased Almighty God before the comming of the Messias to fore-tell almost euery thing that should happen throughout all the whole life of the Messias euen from the first moment of his conception vnto the very last act of his Ascention that so all men might beleeue in him in whom they saw all those predictions fulfilled none other for the Prophet Esay had said that a Virgin should conceiue and beare a sonne Esay 7.14 Mich. 5.2 Hos 11.1 Esay 9.1 Micheas said that hee should be borne in Bethlehem-Iuda Hoseas foretold of his flight into Egypt and to be briefe the place of his dwelling in the borders of Nepthali the manner of his liuing Healing all manner of infirmities Cap. 53.4 and preaching the glad tydings of saluation and almost euery one of the least particulars that should happen vnto him at his death Zach. 2.9 as how he should be sold and betrayed by his owne Disciple Psal 41 2. how all his followers should flie from him how craftily and maliciously he should be apprehended Esay 53.10 how falsly he should be accused how basely he should be handled buffeted whipped and spitted vpon how vniustly hee should bee condemned and how cruelly he should be fastned vnto the Crosse to die an accursed death and as most accursed betwixt the wicked and how he should be generally mocked his garments taken from him and haue Gall to eate and Vinegar to drinke and what not all was fore-shewed that should happen vnto the Messias and therefore it behoued Christ so to suffer because it was prophesied that he should so suffer And as the Prophets did fore-shew how the Messias should suffer so the Euangelists and Apostles testifie how Christ did suffer all and euery one of those things that were written of him for they were eye-witnesses of the same 1 Iohn 1.1 and soth ey testifie vnto vs that which was from the beginning which we haue heard and seene and our hands haue handled of the Word of life that testifie wee vnto you i. e. that all the things that were written of him which was promised from the beginning wee haue seene them fully accomplished fulfilled in him which liued and conuersed amongst vs and which we preach vnto you Iesus Christ S. Mathew recollects 32. seuerall Prophesies that he saw fulfilled in our Sauiour Christ Saint Iohn addes many other and so doe the rest diuers more So that whosoeuer would with the men of Berea search the Scriptures from the first Booke of Moses vnto the last Prophet Malachy and marke out all the things that were spoken of the Messias that was for to come we shall if we doe but looke finde them all recorded in the writings of the Apostles and Euangelists to be most fully fulfilled in the person of Iesus Christ A sufficient condemnation to all Iewes that still looke for another Christ for why should not they beleeue their owne Prophets they said the Messiah should suffer these things Christ suffered them so as they were prophesied who then can be the Messias but he in whom all these prophecies were fulfilled but Saint Paul tels vs why they will not beleeue in him Why the Iewes beleeue not in Christ Rom. 11. because partly blindnesse is come vpon them vntill the fulnesse of the Gentiles be come in And now Lord if it be thy will open their eyes that they may see this truth and circumcise all infidelity from their hearts that they may beleeue thy Sonne Iesus Christ to be the Sauiour of the world And as this condemneth all vnbeleeuing Iewes so it confirmeth all true Christians in the faith of Christ and I wish to God that as the seeing of all these things fulfilled in Christ makes vs all to beleeue in Christ so the suffering of all these things for vs would make vs all to praise this our Lord Iesus Christ for his goodnesse to feare him in all our wayes to loue him with all our hearts and to serue him truly and faithfully all the dayes of our life O blessed God grant this vnto vs for Iesus Christ his sake To whom with thee O Father and the Holy Spirit three distinct persons of that one indiuided essence be ascribed all praise and glory both now and for euermore Amen A Prayer O Most blessed God that hast giuen thy dearest and thine onely Sonne not onely to be made man subiect to all infirmities but also to suffer all miseries throughout his whole life and in the end to be put vnto a most shamefull painefull and accursed death by wicked men for sinnefull men that hee suffering what wee deserued wee might be deliuered from thy wrath we most humbly beseech
that they had recollected more courage now after his death then euer Peter the boldest of them had during his life which all men will say is most vnprobable because a liuing Dogge is better then a dead Lyon Eccles. 9.4 and therefore Christ being aliue might animate the vilest coward-like Thirsites to be more valiant and aduenturous for his defence then now being dead he could doe to the most heroicke Achilles yet is it any wayes likely or could it possibly be that his Disciples should come thither breake vp the Monument tumble away that great stone take vp his body bestrip him of his winding sheete lay all his linnen cloathes wherewith he was wrapped so orderly by themselues a signe they had leisure enough and were in no danger at all or else they were very fooles that they did not suddenly snatch him away and take some other time and place to bestrip him and then carrie him away neuer after to be seene or found without the espyall of some one or other among so many that attended there Ideo mentita est iniquitas sibi But the Iewes answere that as the foolish Virgins whereof our Sauiour speaketh so these foolish and sottish Souldiers they all slumbered and slept and then while their Argos eyes were sleeping his Disciples came those poore fresh-water Souldiers and their committed charge was stollen away The absurdities following the High Priests saying But then I replie first with Rhemigius out of Saint Augustine If they all slept Quomodo furtum viderunt How can they tell his Disciples and not others tooke him away Might not God take him as he did Enoch or the Angels burie him and hide him as they did the bodie of Moses or how can they tell who tooke him away for they slept and therefore surely no credit to be giuen vnto them If they had said We slept and therâ—fore we cannot tell what became of him this might haue some likelihood of truth but to say We slept and his Disciples stole him away this must needes be apparantly false Secondly If they slept why did the High Priests giue them money large money saith the Text for their negligence and not rather punish them for their slothfulnesse must men be so largely rewarded for euill doing especially in so weighty a cause as not the losse of a Citie or a Kingdome but the losse of saluation to the whole race of mankinde all depended vpon this one point for if he rose againe he was the Sauiour of the World if not he was but an impostor Why then would they not watch or if not why not seuerely punished and no punishment too great for so great a negligence Thirdly If they were awake why did they hire them to say they were asleepe This may be answered They knew money deliuered him into their hands and therefore they thought that money would conceale the truth from the people for as the Poet saith Quid non mortalia pectora cogit auri sacra fames What wickednesse is not done for money How the loue of money maketh many men to doe any thing These Souldiers had beene Preachers to publish this truth vnto the World had not their mouthes beene stopt with siluer for as this opens the mouthes of many to bruite forth and to testifie many lies so it shuts the mouthes of as many to conceale and keepe secret many truthes and therefore the high Priests did giue large money to these Souldiers to conceale this truth and to belie themselues to say that they were asleepe Well then if they were asleepe how can they tell what became of him and why did the chiefe Priests giue them such large summes of monies for their negligence or if they were awake why did they hire them so dearely to say they were asleepe To all this they must answere now to vs as they did heretofore in another case to Christ Wee cannot tell Math. 21.27 But then O foolish Iewes if you cannot tell why will you not beleeue that your Messias is alreadie come and that God hath raysed him from the dead Saint Paul tels vs why Rom. 11.25 Because partly obstinacy is come vpon them vntill the fulnesse of the Gentiles be come in O Lord if it be thy will doe thou open their eyes that they may see the truth CHAP. VI. Of the testimony of the Angell and the manifold apparitions of Christ after his Resurrection to proue the truth and certainety of his Resurrection YOV see then how the Iewes are blinded to destroy themselues but on the other side we doe know and beleeue and teach this Iesus the Sonne of Mary whom the Iewes haue crucified to be the true Messias and the Sauiour of the World not onely because hee liued without sinne and died without cause on his owne behalfe but especially because that he being dead and laide in his graue did declare himselfe mightily to be the Sonne of God Rom. 1.4 by his Resurrection from the dead And this Resurrection of him we doe most faithfully beleeue and as constantly teach for these three especiall reasons and respects and a three-fold cord is not easily broken That we beleeue the Resurrection of Christ fâ—r three speciall respects 1. In respect of this Angelicall assertion 2. In respect of his personall apparitions 3. In respect of many other circumstantiall demonstrations First the Angell said vnto the women why seeke yee the liuing among the dead he is not here but he is risen Et si non credideritis oraculo credite oculo and if you will not beleeue vs beleeue your owne eyes Math. 28.1 Luke 24.4 for you may see the place where hee lay And this was spoken vnto two women as Saint Matthew sheweth and by two Angels as Saint Luke saith and therefore if Diues thought that the words of one man comming from the dead would bee sufficient to make all his brethren to beleeue the torments of hell First The Angels testifie the Resurrection of Christ why should not the words of these heauenly Angels bee alonely sufficient to make vs to beleeue this diuine truth of the resurrection of the Sonne of God for the Angels though they be mutabiles natura mutable in respect of their nature yet are they now confirmati per gratiam ne à veritate voluntatem auerterent so confirmed by grace that they shall neuer euert themselues from the truth Isidorus de summo bono saith Isidorus Secondly as the Angels had testified that he was not there in the graue among the dead but was risen and aliue among the liuing so truth it selfe confirmes this truth vnto vs by those manifold apparitions that he made after his resurrection That Christ appeared twelue seuerall times after his resurrection during the space of forty dayes that before he ascended into heauen he walked here on earth And these if I be not far deceiued in my reckoning were at least twelue times according to the
a gift that we haue receiued from God All that wee haue is from God because as Saint Iames saith Euery good thing and euery perfect gift is from aboue and commeth downe from the Father of lights Secondly the Spirituall gifts of God are of two sorts 1. To edifie the Church 2. To sanctifie our soules First Those gifts which he gaue to edifie the Church Ephes 4.11 the Apostle setteth downe in the eleuenth verse saying Hee gaue some Apostles and some Prophets and some Euangelists The gifts that Christ bestoweth to edifie his Church and some Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the same for the worke of the Ministery for the edifying of the body of Christ wherein we see that by the gifts whereof the Apostle speaketh in these words are vnderstood either 1. The Ministers of the Church or 2. The gifts wherewith the Ministers are indued or rather as I take it 3. Ministers indued and qualified with such gifts as are necessary for the gathering together of his Church which are specially The gifts 1. Of Tongues Gifts requisite for Preachers 2. Of Knowledge 3. Of Charitie 4. Of Constancy and Perseuerance 5. Of Contempt of all worldly vanities 6. Of perfect power First The gift of tongues First languages and readinesse of speech i. e. that as by the confusion of tongues the world was diuided at the building of Babell so by the helpe of the Preachers tongues the world might bee revnited and made one sheepe-fold in the building of Gods Church Secondly that these men might not offend in their tongues Thirdly that they might be the better able to teach profound and heauenly doctrine which they that want the tongues or languages cannot so easily attaine vnto And fourthly that none might bee able to resist the words of their mouthes Luke 12.11 as our Sauiour saith I will giue vnto you a mouth or tongue which your aduersaries shall not be able to withstand Secondly Knowledge Iohn 16.13 Perfecta virtus non est sine cognitione veritatis Bernard Secondly the gift of Knowledge whereby they might know all truth not of politicke and state matters but of all truth necessary for this office to edifie the Church which is the chiefest knowledge that wee should aime at or else all truth euery way because they should know him which is all truth i. e. Iesus Christ and I desire to know nothing else I will bee contented to be accounted a foole in all things else so he will giue me this gift only to know him alone Thirdly Charity 1 Cor. 8.1 Hugo de S. Vict. misc l. 1. tit 73. Thirdly the gift of Charity Quia quaerentes verum non bonum non inuenient summum bonum because knowledge without charity puffeth vp and the seeking to know the truth and not labouring to be good will neuer bring vs to the chiefest good and because of all men wee are most hated and standered and haue all occasions offered vs to make vs hate all wicked men therefore God diffuseth this gift of loue and charity into our hearts that notwithstanding all our indignity we doe still loue them better then they doe loue themselues and doe spend our whole time to doe them good and are ready to lay downe our liues for the brethren Fourthly Constancy Fourthly the gift of constancy and perseuerance because as knowledge and euery other gift without charity is nothing worth so charity and all other workes without perseuerance will auaile vs nothing Reuel 2.10 because wee must bee faithfull vnto death if wee would haue the crowne of life and therefore God doth giue vs this gift of Constancy to continue so in our vocation that neither want Rom. 8.39 nor contempt nor life nor death nor any other thing shall separate vs from the loue of God which is in Christ Iesus Fiftly contempt of vanities Fiftly the gift of contemning worldly vanities for seeing it is the property of the world to esteeme of vs no better then of the scumme and off-scouring of the world euery one of vs except hee be great in wealth and honours is contemned of his owne kinred of his owne people in his owne house where hee dwelleth and of those very men whom he teacheth and for whom as a burning light he consumeth himselfe that they should not bee consumed with sinne therefore the Lord giueth vs this gift and spirit contemnere contemni to despise all contempts and to regard none of the vaine and variable things of this wicked world Sixtly the gift of perfect power Sixtly Perfect power that to the penitent and deiected to the humble and contrite hearts they might open the gates of heauen and let them in in despight of all the deuils of hell and that against the obstinate and rebellious sinners Matth. 16.19 they might close and shut the same that notwithstanding all their wealth and wit their strength and power they may be excluded out of the ioyes of heauen And so these are the gifts Ministers indued with these gifts which God giueth vnto his Church for the gathering together of his Saints And indeed What a great gift it is to bestow able ministers vpon this Church howsoeuer the world vilipendeth them and as the Prophet saith doth make but a iesting song of them yet if we truly obserue it wee shall easily finde it that among all the gifts of God which he now giueth vnto men from heauen the sending of faithfull and able Ministers indued with these gifts to discharge their duties is the chiefest gift and doth obtaine the chiefest place for alas without them what were we vnbaptized still wallowing in our sins and filthinesse vntaught still inuolued in ignorance vnvnited to Christ still chained in the hands of Satan without profession without religion without God And therefore it was not without cause Matth. 9.38 that our Sauiour exhorteth vs to pray vnto God that he would send forth labourers into his vineyard for otherwise hee knew that in a very short time it would grow wilde and in stead of grapes to bring forth wilde grapes in stead of mercy and iudgement to bring forth cruelty and oppession and in stead of piety and religion to bring forth nothing else but idolatry and superstition It is reported of Phillip King of Macedon that he sent vnto the Athenians to send him all their Orators of Athens and he would euer liue in league and peace with them and the wise Senators being ready to deliuer those learned men into the hands of their mortall enemy Demosthenes said vnto them that on a time the Wolues said vnto the Sheepe that they conceiued no ill thought against them but only for retaining those dogs which were their deadly enemies and oftentimes barked against themselues which were their feeders and therefore if they would deliuer vp their dogs into their hands they should free themselues from their barking and they would
therefore the Holy Ghost descended on Christ like a Doue Matth. 3.16 to shew these Doue-like qualities of this Lambe of God and to teach that we must be thus qualified like Doues if we would haue this heauenly Doue this Holy Spirit of God to remaine within vs for on them that are otherwise this Doue hath not yet descended Fourthly like a mighty winde Fourthly He appeared like the rushng of a mighty winde for a true winde it was not saith Oecumenius but the Spirit of God Qui à spirando flando dicitur which from blowing or breathing is called spirit is said to appeare First Like the winde and that for these fiue reasons Iohn 9. â— First As the winde bloweth where it listeth so the graces and gifts of Gods Spirit are giuen to whomsoeuer it pleaseth him for he will haue mercy on whom he will haue mercy Exod. 33.19 In what respect the Holy Ghost is like vnto winde Secondly As the winde scattereth the dust and driueth away the chaffe from the corne so the graces of Gods Spirit doth winnow the consciences of the Saints and driue away all wicked thoughts and cogitations from their hearts Thirdly As the winde carrieth away the ship against the maine streame so will the grace of Gods Spirit carry a man against the current of his naturall inclination for if Socrates by the sole helpe of morall instructions was able to bridle his loose disposition how much more shall those men bee restrained from all lewdnesse which are led by diuine inspiration Fourthly As the winde cooleth and recreateth all those that are scorched with the heate of the Sunne so doth the grace of Gods Spirit recreate all those distressed people that are scorched with the heate of afflictions or burned with the concupiscence of their sinnes Fiftly As the winde will passe vnresistably so will the grace of Gods Spirit worke it owne â—ffect and all the power of darknesse is not able to resist it and therefore Secondly It is said 1 Kings 10.11 that he appeared like the rushing of a mighty winde because that as the mighty winde in the first booke of Kings the 10. and the 11. did rend the mountaines and brake the rockes before the Lord so the grace of Gods Spirit and the Word of God is mighty in operation Why the Holy Ghost is compared to a mighty winde able to shake the stoutest and the proudest man and to breake in pieces the stoniest heart Indeed our people do esteeme our words none otherwise then winde which makes vs spend so much winde to little purpose to weary our selues and scarce to waken them but here let them know that the Spirit of God like Aeolus which shutteth vp the windes in his bagges can when he pleases let out the same in a mighty manner to amaze the consciences of the stoutest Peeres and either to driue away their sinnes Exod 10.19 Psal 1.5 as it droue away the Grashoppers and Locusts that ouerspread the land of Egypt or else to driue them away like the Chaffe from off the face of earth Fiftly He appeared like clouen tongues of fire First Like tongues for though the tongue Fiftly like clouen tongues of fire i. e. such a tongue as is set on fire from Hell as Saint Iames saith is many times the instrument of the Diuell to doe much mischiefe to blaspheme God and to abuse men yet Vt non debent oues odere pelles suas quia induunt eas lupi As the sheepe should not hate their skins because the Wolues doe many times put them on so ought none that is wise reiect that which is good because it is often abused by the bad therefore seeing as Pittacus saith the tongue as it is the worst member in a wicked man so it is one of the best members in a godly man Iames 5.6 Why the Holy Ghost appeared like tongues the Holy Ghost did appeare like tongues First Because as a Father saith Symbolum est lingua spiritus sancti à patris verbo procedentis The tongue is a symbole of the Holy Ghost proceeding from the Word of the Father for as the tongue hath the greatest cognation and the neerest affinity with the Word and is moued by the Word of the heart to expresse the same by the sound of the voyce saith Saint Gregory Iohn 16.14 so the Holy Ghost hath the neerest affinity that may be with the word God and is the expressor of his voyce and the speaker of his will that receiueth of him and reueileth all vnto vs. Secondly Because as the tongues are the sole instruments of knowledge which conuayes the same from man to man for though the soule be the fountaine from whence all wisedome springeth yet the tongue is the channell and the conduite pipe whereby this wisedome this knowledge is communicated and transferred from man to man so the Holy Ghost is the sole Author and Teacher of all truth Christ is the wisedome of God but the Holy Ghost is the Teacher of this wisedome vnto men 1 Cor. 1.21 and it pleased him by this onely way to conuay this wisedome of God vnto men for seeing the world by their wisedome knew not God in the wisedome of God it pleased God through the foolishnesse of Preaching to saue those that beleeue Why he appeared like clouen tongues Secondly He appeared like clouen tongues because all tongues and all languages are alike knowne and vnderstood of God and because this Spirit can teach all men all languages and the gift of tongues is a gift of God Why he appeared like clouen tongues Thirdly He appeared like clouen tongues of fire they were ignitae non politae fiery tongues and not fine polished tongues because the Spirit of God delighteth rather in the zealous and the feruent tongues of Saint Paul and Apollos that warme the heart then in those eloquent tongues of Cicero and Demosthenes that delight the eares for this is the desire of Gods Spirit to kindle the hearts of men and to set them on fire with the loue of God and our brethren So when our Sauiour preached vnto the two Disciples that trauelled towards Emaus they said Did not our hearts burne within vs Luke 24. while hee talked with vs by the way This is the effect of the tongue of the Holy Ghost to worke zeale and feruency in the hearers And so you see the thing wherewith they were said to be filled that is the gifts and graces of the Holy Ghost CHAP. IIII. Of the filling of the Apostles with those gifts of the Holy Ghost and the signes of their fulnesse SEcondly They are said to be filled with these gifts and Dydimus saith that wee cannot be filled with any creature Quia deus solus implet creaturas Because nothing but God can replenish and satisfie his creatures Vnus pellaeo Iuueni non sufficit orbis The whole world is not able to content vs so large
of twelue Starres is the Symbole of her faith containing twelue articles of her beleife And fourthly her paine to be deliuered is that earnest desire and loue which euery Christian soule hath to increase and multiply the number of Gods children And so the holy Ghost hauing descended vpon the Apostles and remaining in their hearts it caused them first to beleeue and to compose that crowne of twelue Starres which is the glory of euery Christian soule i. e. the twelue Articles of our faith as the Church receiueth it Secondly to forsake all the world and to follow Christ as S. Peter sheweth Thirdly Matth. 19.27 to lead a most vpright and a godly life as Saint Paul auoucheth Heb. 13.18 And fourthly to labour incessantly night and day to send out their voyces into all lands and their words vnto the ends of the world as now the whole world testifieth And so you see how in the first beginning of the Church the gifts of the holy Ghost were visibly and abundantly giuen vnto these seruants of Iesus Christ according as it was prophecied long before Ioel 2.28 that he would powre out his Spirit vpon all flesh and so their sonnes and their daughters should prophesie But CHAP. VI. How the gifts and graces of Gods Spirit are now giuen vnto vs and how wee may know whether wee haue the same or not SEcondly Christ doth now giue his Spirit otherwise vnto the Pastors of his Church How God bestoweth his graces vpon vs sufficiently for the edifying of the same but through great paines and diligent searching after knowledge for now we must not looke for Exthusiasmes nor thinke to attaine vnto learning and knowledge by reuelations but orando quaerendo bene viuendo by earnest praiers by continuall watching and tumbling and tossing of many bookes and by wearing and wearying out our selues in reading musing and writing of many lines we must seeke to attaine to a little learning and when wee haue done all we can wee can get nothing but what this blessed Spirit please to giue vs for except the Lord build the house the builder laboureth but in vaine so except he doth blesse our studies Psal 127.1 all our paines and industry will proue no better then Aethiopum lauare to wash a blacke Moore a breaking of our braines but an attaining to no true knowledge But we may be certaine that if we do our duties in all humility to seeke and search for grace our God will most surely giue vs grace yea and the same graces though not in the same manner or according to the same measure which hee did giue vnto his Apostles And as here it was apparantly seene that these Apostles had the gifts of this Spirit by these signes and effects of this Spirit so wee may most certainely know if we will diligently search whether we haue these gifts and graces of Gods Spirit or not by the works that we doe and by the things that we finde in our selues for Si iniurias dimittimus The signes whereby we may know whether we haue the Spirit of God or not quod denotat columba si paenitentiae lachrymis irrigamur quod nubes si desiderium habemus rerum aeternarum quod ignis si magnalia Dei annuntiamus quod lingua tum habemus signum praesentiae Spiritus sancti If we water our couch with our teares and bee truly sorry for our sinnes which is signified by the cloud if we be purged from all the drosse of sinne and be eleuated to desire and loue heauenly things which is noted in the fire if wee bee carried against the naturall streame and current of our owne corruptions which is shewed by the winde if we remit and forgiue all wrongs done vnto vs and bee meeke and gentle vnto all men harsh and sullen vnto none which are the properties of the Doue and if we zealously preach and pray and talke of God and of his will his grace and goodnesse towards vs and render thankes and praise vnto him for the same which is the office of a fiery tongue then we doe with the Apostles shew the effects of Gods Spirit and we may to our endlesse comforts assure our selues that the Spirit of God is in vs. 1 Cor. 3.85 But if we finde none of these things no hatred of sinne no loue of vertue no loathing of the vanities of this world no lifting vp of our hearts to heauen no meekenesse with men no praising of God but rather finde our selues cleane contrary defiled with sinne deboist in our liues iniuring men offending God blaspheming his name with wicked oathes and breaking his Sabboths with great contempt then wee should not onely wonder to see the gifts and graces of Gods Spirit in others as the people did when they saw what had happened vnto the Apostles vpon the day of Pentecost but we should rather bewaile and lament the want of the same in our selues for it is vnpossible that they should haue any part or portion of Gods Spirit that doe shew no signe nor fruit of Gods grace And therefore euery man should try and examine himselfe whether he finde in himselfe the fruits and effects of Gods Spirit or not For First the holy Ghost being like water if he be in you That we should diligently examine whether we haue Gods Spirit or not Psalme 1.3 then you are washed and cleansed from all filthinesse and you are like the trees that are planted by the waters side and doe bring forth their fruits in due season but if you bee like a barren and drie ground where no water is or like fruitlesse trees that beare nothing but leaues then certainely the Spirit of God is not in you and you are fit for nothing but to be hewne downe Matth. 3.10 and to be cast into the fire Secondly the holy Ghost being like fire if he be in vs hee illuminateth the eyes of our vnderstanding and hee giueth light to them that sit in darkenesse and in the shadow of death that they may walke without stumbling in the way of peace but if our vnderstanding bee so darkened that wee neither know God nor the will of God then certainely the Spirit of God is not in vs 2 Cor. 4.3 for if our Gospell be hid saith the Apostle it is hid to them that are lost that being depriued and void of Gods Spirit are filled with the spirit of darknesse A most fearefull saying against them that vnderstand not the great mystery of godlinesse that they haue the marke of lost ones and if hee be in vs then we must needes be feruent and zealous to doe all good seruice vnto God as Apollo was who is said to be hot in spirit or as the twelue tribes were who serued God night and day instantly Act. 18.28 c. 26.7 saith the Apostle but if we be cold and carelesse to serue the Lord then surely we are destitute of this Spirit of God for
all Christians being brethren they must needes owe this mutuall duty of loue and charity Idem ep 93. ad Caelestin Quae sola etiam reddita semper detinet debitores which though it be neuer so much paid yet it is euer owing vnto our brethren saith Saint Augustine And so you see the loue of the Apostle to his brethren which should teach these brethren to loue our Apostle againe Quia amor amoris magnes durus est qui amorem non rependit because loue is a loadstone to draw loue againe and he is vnworthy of loue that requiteth not his louer with the same measure of loue as he receiueth for he should loue much to whom much is forgiuen saith our Sauiour and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hee that desires much loue saith Isidor Isidor Pelus l. 2. ep 148. Pelus must shew much loue and therefore as the people doe require loue from the ministers so the ministers should receiue loue from the people for wee giue them panem sanctuarij the spirituall bread of life and therefore we should haue from them panem promptuarij bread enough to sustaine our life But alas such is our case they are ready enough to demand what is due to them but they are backward enough to pay what they owe to vs Loue is shewed foure wayes for whereas true loue is shewed foure manner of wayes First In words when wee speake friendly vnto our neighbours and beseech them to be reconciled vnto God 2 Cor. 5.20 Secondly In workes Quia probatio dilectionis exhibitio est operis when by our outward workes Gregor hom 30. in Euang. Mat. 20.28 we testifie our inward affection vnto our brethren Thirdly by our seruice one to another when wee desire not so much to be ministred vnto as to minister as our Sauiour saith Fourthly In being ready to lay downe our liues for the brethren which is the greatest signe of loue and the highest degree of affection for greater loue then this hath no man that a man should lay downe his life for his friend Iohn 15.13 and therefore our Sauiour Christ tooke vpon him non solum formam serui vt subesset Bernard ter quart hebd poenos sed quasi mali serui vt vapularet not onely the forme of a seruant that he might minister but also was contented to be accounted as an euill seruant that he might suffer for vs and all this to shew his loue vnto vs euery manner of way Whereas I say loue is thus shewed let vs say and doe and die for our people as we daily doe weare and consume our selues like Iohn Baptist that was a burning and a shining light like the candle that consumeth it selfe in giuing light to others yet are we sure to haue loue little enough from them good words is almost all we haue and alwayes we haue not that from all for our soules are filled with the scornefull reproofe of the wealthy and with the despightfulnesse of the proud but this much shall serue touching the Apostles affection and that vnity which should be amongst vs all because we are brethren Part. 2 PART II. CHAP. II. Of the Apostles wisdome and godly pollicy in seeking for to winne the Thessalonians to performe this duty and of three sorts of Preachers whereof two sorts are defectiue in this point That a gentle louing intreatie is the best way to perswade men to doe any thing SEcondly Saint Paul herein sheweth his discretion by this manner of speech that he vseth vnto them hee tels the Corinthians that he caught them with a guile not to beguile them but to saue them and so here and in all places he vseth all his wit all his pollicy and all the wisedome that hee hath to winne men vnto Christ 2 Cor. 12.16 and being wonne to make them to serue Christ for being desirous of their Prayers hee comes vnto them in spiritu mansuetudinis in the spirit of meekenesse he creepes into their hearts with termes of loue and seekes to lead them tanquam oues leni spiritu non dura manu rather as sheepe by an inward sweet influence then as goats to be driuen by an outward extreame violence so God himselfe dealt with our forefathers and all their posterity he heaped vpon them beneficia nimis copiosa multa magna priuata positiua wonderous great benefits and blessings to see if he could so draw them vnto himselfe in the chaines of loue and to allure them by all faire meanes and all the allectiues vnder heauen vnto his blessed seruice Hos 11.4 hee spake them faire hee vsed them kindly he promised them much he gaue them more and all to perswade them to their owne happinesse so Christ the Sonne of God alleadgeth this for a reason why all men should bee willing to come vnto him Matth. 11.29 because hee is meeke and lowly of heart and Moses the man of God was mitissimus super terram Numb 12.3 the meekest and the mildest man that was vpon the face of the earth and so the fittest man to guide the people of God and Titus Vespasian for his curtesie and affability was called deliciae generis humani the delight of mankinde hee was so curteous vnto all that he was wont to say Non opertet quenquam à Caesaris colloquio tristem discedere it was not fit for any man to depart sad from Caesar for hee knew this was the way to winne them Mollis responsio frangit iram a soft answere appeaseth wrath a gentle intreaty will soone perswade men Syluestres homines sacer interpresque Deorum Horarius de arte poetica Caedibus faedo victu deterruit Orpheus Dictus ab hoc lenire Tygres rapidosque Leones The faire spoken Orpheus and Amphion by their sweet perswasions are said to haue mollified the most sauage natures Dictus Amphion Thebanae conditor vrbis saxa mouere sono testudinis prece blando ducere quo vellet and to haue brought vnto ciuility the rudest and the wildest men and therefore Saint Paul here doth so louingly intreat them and so friendly beseech them with this sweetest name of Brethren to pray for them Brethren pray for vs. To teach vs that as we be Pascendo Pastores the Teachers of our people so we should be diligendo Patres 1 Cor. 2.4 aswel fathers for affection as teachers for instruction and that wee should intreat and beseech our people in the bowels of Christ Iesus when we might command them in the Name of the great Iehoua for it is most certaine that when bitter reprehensions doth harden men in iniquity a gentle intreaty will often win them vnto piety for it was but the alluring speech of Apollo that made many to affect him rather then Saint Paul and it is dayly seene that a golden mouthed Chrysostome with his sweet perswasions will winne more men to Christ then any one can doe with
like King Therons Coursers that were neuer weary of running that so they may escape all the fiery darts of Satan and finish their course with ioy when they shall receiue that Crowne of righteousnesse which the Lord hath prepared for them that loue him And thus dearely beloued you see that although man for his sinne was eiected out of Paradise and subiected to all miseries yet through the mercy of God in sending his Sonne to be made man to suffer for man to ouercome the diuell sinne and death to raise himselfe from death to ascend to Heauen to send his holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his heauenly graces wee shall if we beleeue in him and serue him praise his Name for all his blessings loue one another and pray one for another attaine vnto euerlasting happinesse Vnto the which happinesse the Lord of his goodnesse bring vs all through Iesus Christ our Lord to whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit be ascribed as is most due all Glory and Honour and Praise and Thankes and Power and Maiesty and Dominion both now and for euermore Amen A Prayer O Eternall God and our most gratious Father wee most humbly beseech thee for Iesus Christ his sake to forgiue vs all our sinnes which we acknowledge and confesse to be more in number then the sands of the Sea which cannot bee numbred cleanse vs O Lord with the bloud of Christ and plant in vs those heauenly gifts and graces whereby wee may be inabled to serue thee as we ought to doe in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of our life increase our faith stirre vp our hope and kindle our loue and our charity both towards thy selfe and all men for thy sake giue vs patience to vndergo without offending thee whatsoeuer miseries this wicked world shall any wayes heape vpon vs blesse our gracious King the Prince and all the royall issue blesse all the Ministers of thy Church and all the Magistrates of this Common-wealth Grant O Lord thy grace vnto thy Ministers that they may faithfully preach the Word of truth and sincerely liue a most vpright and a godly life grant to the Magistrates thy grace O God to defend right without remissenesse and to punish vice without maliciousnesse and because we are all thy creatures the workes of thy hands made by thee preserued by thee and inioying all we haue life and liuelihood from thee O Lord be mercifull vnto vs all and remember that we are but dust consider O consider that we are but as grasse not able to doe what we would not able to doe any thing that is good vnlesse thou dost it in vs O then let our soules liue and wee will praise thy Name we will magnifie thee for euer and euer for all the blessings that we haue receiued from thee our Creation Redemption Sanctification Preseruation and our assured hope of Glorification and all other graces whatsoeuer through Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen A Soliloquie of the Author O Eternall God thou hast created me and I haue offended thee thou hast redeemed me and I still continued vnthankefull vnto thee and yet thou hast heaped many blessings vpon me and giuen me grace to be desirous to serue thee and according to my poore and weake ability to shew forth these lights vnto thy Church I confesse O Lord whatsoeuer is ill herein is onely mine and whatsoeuer is good is truely thine and therefore I desire thee to pardon mine euill and to make me thankefull for thy good and so to accept that worke done by thy grace that it may be crowned with thy glory I doe not long for any worldly thing the whole world lyeth in wickednesse but I desire my soule may be married vnto thee to liue with thee for euermore and therefore O blessed God seeing that as I haue none in heauen so I haue none in earth but onely thou to be my helper I beseech thee to be my redeeming kinsman to preserue my wearied body from the malice of this world and to preferre my disconsolate soule vnto euerlasting ioyes through Iesus Christ mine onely Sauiour Amen IEHOVAE LIBERATORI FINIS THE TABLE AB ABstaine from sinne is from God 205 God neuer absolueth vnrepentant sinners 242 Absurdities God shunneth in all things 324 Absurdities of the Lutheran doctrine touching the communication of properties 377. c. Absurdities following the high-Priest saying that the Disciples stole Christ away 564 Nature not able to shew the reason how the world should be made 138 God able to doe what he will 147 To hinder what he will not haue done ibid. To doe more then he did or doth or will doe 148. 149. c. Phrases of being able or not able how to be vnderstood 158 God able to produce any thing of nothing 163 God able to forgiue all sinnes 164 God not able to doe contrary to what hee decreed 165 Not able to doe things contrary to his Nature 165 Gods ability to helpe vs a great comfort to the godly 177 Absurdities of the doctrine of transubstantiation 174 God able to saue men without the Incarnation of his Sonne 320 None able to know God as hee is in himselfe 120 Abstract names of all excellencies most proper vnto God 122 Goodnesse of God abused by the wicked 225 Abuse of Christ not paralelled in any age 474 AC To be an Accepter of persons what it is 210 We should acknowledge whence wee haue all our goodnesse 211 Inward actions of God euer in doing necessary incommunicable 275 Christ how falsly accused by his enemies 471 Whereof accused before Pilate and how false those accusations were 472 Acts meerely voluntary no sinnes 15. 32 Actuall sinne what it is 10 All actions adiudged according to the disposition of the will 55 Act of punishment least agreeable to Gods nature 195 No act can exceed the power of the agent 209 Actors in the Tragedy of Christ his Passion who they were 421 Gods free actions not curiously to be searched into 555 Chiefest Acts of Dauid types of Christ 617 AD Adam sinning we all sinned 3 Adams fall brought on vs a two-fold euill 3 What God commanded Adam how small a thing it was 98 Adamant how mollified 5â—6 Aduersity makes the Saints more resplendent then prosperity 207 Aduersity and affliction not simply good ibid. AE Aescilus how he came by his death 613 AF. Affirmatiue precepts how many viz. 248. 230 Christ why afflicted by God 496 Affections of Christ how they differ from ours in three respects 444 AG. Agony of Christ what was the cause thereof 443 The seuerall ages of the world 402. 403 Agents that there be three sorts 162 Christ borne in the sixâ— age of the world and why 403 Age of man diuided into foure parts 68 AL. How all we haue is from God 129 All men taste of Gods goodnesse 201 How all men may be said to hate the Preachers 435 Alcestes how deerely she loued her Husband 425 AN. Anabaptists heresie what